MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama cross country teams will open the 2019 Fall Friday afternoon when they host the Azalea City Classic held at the Old Brookley Gulf Pines Golf Course.

MEET INFORMATION
Date: 9/6
Meet (Host Institution): South Alabama
Place: Old Brookley Gulf Pines Golf Course (Mobile, Ala.)

THE FIELD
WOMEN'S – 5K – 4 TEAMS
Lawson State, Mobile, SOUTH ALABAMA, Troy

MEN'S – 5K – 4 TEAMS
Lawson State, Mobile, SOUTH ALABAMA, Troy

AT THE LINE FOR THE JAGUARS
WOMEN'S – 5K
– Andonet Cheruiyot (Jr., Eldoret Kenya)
– Alyse Henry (Sr., Rock Spring, Wyo.)
– Shaleiya [Shay] Lee (So., Bradenton, Fla.)
– Silje Lindstad (So., Bergen, Hordaland, Norway)
– Adele Magaud (Fr., Martigues, France)
– Carolien Millenaar (So., Sørvad, Denmark)
– Susanna Pudner (Jr., Auburn, Ala.)
– Abbie Weitenbeck (Huntsville, Ala.)

MEN'S – 5K
– Lance Cunigan (Fr., Kellytown, Ala.)
– Onesmus, Kemboi (Jr., Eldoret Kenya)
– Warno Potgeiter (Jr., Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa)
– Nate Pudner (Jr. Auburn, Ala.)
– Thomas Sand (So., Holstebro, Denmark)
– Charlie Slaughter (Fr., Birmingham, Ala.)
– Caleb Smith (Fr., Semmes, Ala.)

NOTES
- The meet marks the season opener for both the men and women under cross country head coach Parker Cowles, who begins his third season at the helm for the Jaguars.
- This will be the lone home meet of the fall for South.
- After not having run at the course since the end of the 2014 campaign, the meet will be the third at the facility since the beginning of last season.
- Both the men and women's teams finished first at the event last season. The South women had three of the top five finishers, while the men captured five of the top 10 spots.
- Cheruiyot – who won two events last fall – took home top honors in the women's 5K with a time of 18:31.9, while Sand led the Jaguar men with a second-place finish (26:48.6) in the 8K.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Parker Cowles
- On what he's looking for out of his teams at this weekend's season-opening home meet: "I am very excited about both the men's and women's team, and ready to get the season going.  Even though we are racing a short course for the Azalea, I think the heat and humidity are going to play a factor on Friday.  I really want to see both programs execute race plans as a team and to demonstrate discipline and control early in the race.  With that in mind, I also want to see athletes closing out the race with a hard and fast final mile and hopefully a negative split.

"For the upperclassmen, this meet is about reinforcing the race tactics they have developed over the past few seasons, with an emphasis on a team win and a tight pack time.  For the freshmen, I hope this initial race demonstrates the importance of control and negative splitting before we move to the 8k and 6k race distances later in the season."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. 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.

—USA—