OVC Cross Country Championship Central
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin cross country teams will battle for an Ohio Valley Conference championship this Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Oxford Lake Park in Oxford, Ala.
The free event is hosted by Jacksonville State University and is open to the public. The women’s 5k race will begin at 9:15 a.m. while the men’s 8k race will follow at 10 a.m.
Competing for the Skyhawks on the women’s side will be seniors Samantha Hunt, Emily Jones, Amanda Wardlaw and Laura Wind, junior Hannah Wolters and freshmen Kaycee Grimes, Kathryn Skaggs and Alexandra Stover.
Wardlaw paced the UT Martin women in four of five races this fall, while Skaggs led the team at the Chattanooga Powerade Invite on Sept. 7.
“The women’s midseason test was better than last year, so I am excited to see how the season finishes,” Skyhawk head coach Gordon Sanders said. “Amanda has been our top lady all season and is finally getting a rest for her best performance.”
Representing UT Martin on the men’s side will be seniors Trevor Hancock, Ryan Pett and Tallon Scott, junior Vance Pounders, sophomore Josiah Roberts and freshmen Mark Graubner, Justin Morgan and Zach Phifer. The Skyhawk men are coming off their highest-ever finish (fifth) at last season’s OVC championships in Richmond, Ky.
Morgan and Scott have been consistent for the Skyhawks all season long. Morgan has led the pack in three of the five races so far, with Scott finishing first on the men’s side in the other two competitions.
“We lost our first, third and fifth men from last year, but the remaining guys have picked up the paces and had a solid midseason test,” Sanders said. “With the top-five changing places at each race throughout the season, I don’t have a specific prediction, but they know all cylinders will have to be firing on race day to do well.”
For more information on the event, visit the official OVC championship central link above.