MOBILE, Ala. – After not competing for three weeks, the University of South Alabama men's and women's cross country teams will return to action Saturday as they compete at the 16th Annual Greater Louisville Classic hosted by the Louisville Sports Commission at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky.

The Jaguar men are slated to start at 10:45 a.m. with the "Blue" 8k race, while the women are set to begin at 11:30 a.m. in the "Blue" 5k event.

MEET INFORMATION
Date: September 30, 2017
Meet (Host Institution): Greater Louisville Classic (Louisville Sports Commission)
Place: E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park (Louisville, Ky.)
Race Times: Men's "Blue" Race – 8k – 10:45 a.m. | Women's "Blue" Race – 5k – 11:30 a.m.
Meet Home Page: www.loucrosscountryclassic.com

THE FIELD
WOMEN – 5K – 45 TEAMS
-Teams of note in the field: Arkansas State, Austin Peay, Chattanooga, Louisville, Marquette, Memphis, South Alabama and West Virginia

MEN – 8K – 48 TEAMS
-Teams of note in the field: Arkansas State, Austin Peay, Chattanooga, College of Charleston, Louisville, Marquette, Memphis, South Alabama, Western Kentucky

AT THE LINE FOR THE JAGUARS
WOMEN – 5K
-Katelyn Cowie (Fr., Cullman, Ala.)
-Kailee Kiminski (Jr., Esko, Minn.)
-Laura Labuschaigne (Jr., Durbanville, Western Cape, South Africa)
-Carolien Millenaar (Fr., Sogard, Denmark)
-Susanna Pudner (Fr., Auburn, Ala.)
-Gillianne Sharp (So., Huntsville, Ala.)
-Nicole Van Der Merwe (Fr., Alberton, Gauteng, South Africa)

MEN – 8K
-Luke Fielding (So., Tauranga, New Zeland)
-Phillip Friedlander (Sr., Mobile, Ala.)
-Dylan Pausic (So., Dylan Pausic)
-Warno Potgeiter (Fr., Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa)
-Nate Pudner (Fr., Auburn, Ala.)
-Ben Rolader (Jr., Auburn, Ala.)
-Migael Strydom (Fr., Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa)

NOTES
- This meet will mark the first official meet under first-year cross country head coach Parker Cowles.  Cowles' hiring was announced the week following the season-opening home meet (Azalea City Classic) on Sept. 14.
- Marquette's men are ranked 12th in the Great Lakes Region of this week's USTFCCCA Division I Regional Cross Country Rankings, while the Marquette women are ranked 14th in the region.
- Junior Laura Labuschaigne is coming off her second career victory at the Azalea City Classic as she finished first out of the 36-runner field and crossed the line with a time of 17:40.0 which was nearly 30 seconds faster than teammate Carolien Millenaar who finished second in the 5k race.
- Dating back to last season, Labuschaigne has now finished in the top 30 in each of her last six races.
- Last season, Labuschaigne was the top female runner for South Alabama as she recorded a top 30 finish at the Greater Louisville Classic.
- Finishing in the top 5 for the Jag women along with Labuschaigne were Millnaar (18:09.2, second), Nicole Van Der Merwe (18:32.2, fourth) and Susanna Pudner (18:33.9, fifth).
- Jaguar women runners Kailee Kiminski and Gillianne Sharp are slated to see their first action of the fall as each did not run in South's season opener.
- Senior Phillip Friedlander is the lone runner on the men's side to have competed on the course as he ran there last season.
- Dylan Pausic is also scheduled to see his first action as a Jag as he didn't compete in any meets last fall and also missed the Azalea City Classic earlier this month.
- At the Azalea City Classic, the Jaguar women took four of the top 5 spots to capture first place with 32 points, while the men placed second with 35 points and had four of the top eight runners in the 6k event.
- In his first cross country meet as a Jaguar, freshman Migael Strydom led the South men as placing fourth with a time of 18:41.6.
- Along with Strydom, Ben Rolader (fifth, 18:43.4), Luke Fielding (sixth, 18:48.5 and Warno Potgieter (eighth, 18:52.0) also finished inside the top 10 at the Azalea City Classic.
- The course will be the site of the 2017 NCAA Championships which will be held Nov. 18, 2017.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Parker Cowles
- On feelings going into his first meet as South Alabama cross country head coach: "I am very excited for my first race with the team.  Practice sessions have been going well, and I feel good about our fitness right now.  The team has had the last two weekends off, so I know they are excited and eager to be racing again."
- On what he's looking for out of his teams at this event: "I would like to see both the men's and women's teams execute our race plan.  Early on I want to see them at a sustainable tempo, while still running within striking distance of the front pack.  With 2 kilometers to go I want to see both teams move aggressively.  If we race properly, we should be steadily passing opponents over the last mile, while competing for a strong team finish."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Finish Line Club, the track and field and cross country specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  All donations to the Finish Line Club go directly to support the South Alabama track and field/cross country programs.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/finishlineclub.

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