This is a big weekend for Dan Waters and the Alabama cross country teams as the Crimson Classic is set for Oct. 13 at 8:30 a.m. at Harry Pritchett Running Park.
“I think it’s a perfect race for this time of the season,” Waters said. “It’ll be an opportunity for us to test our fitness at this point. It’ll be an opportunity to see a couple of the SEC teams and the regional teams. We always look forward to running at home to have friends and family out there to watch.”
Mississippi State, Auburn, Tennessee and Mississippi are four of the SEC competitors set to take on the Tide. Other schools include Georgia Tech, Tulane and Samford.
This will be the first competition for Alabama since the Notre Dame Invitational. Both the men and women’s teams are looking to improve on their last performances.
“I feel like both the men’s and women’s teams are at a place where they should have their best performance so far this season,” Adam Tribble, assistance coach for distance runners, said. “That’s a good place to be. The fitness level for both teams is considerably increased within each. They’re still a young team, but they’ve progressed a lot.”
The teams are prepared and working on running to their full potential.
“Both teams should be able to contend to win both races,” Waters said. “If we can keep everybody on their feet and have a good day and run like we’re capable of doing, then we’ll be just fine.”
The youthful teams will be lead by lone senior Elsbeth Denton, who will be running in her last Crimson Classic. She said the team is very confident heading into Saturday’s race.
“We have to stay calm and be confident in our training and just know that we’ve been training very, very well,” Denton said. “We just have to put that in the race.”
Coaches believe the Crimson Classic will be a good indicator of where the teams currently stand.
“I think this is kind of the first opportunity where we’re able to really dig down and really get after it and really be able to see a good positive performance with the work they put in,” Tribble said.
Last year, the women’s team came in first place for the second year in a row with five top-25 finishers. The men came in fifth place behind Carison Kemei who placed first overall.
The Crimson Classic will also feature high school boys and girls runners in a 5k. The race will be Alabama cross country’s Power of Pink meet in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
This is the Tide’s last competition before heading to Nashville for the SEC championships.
