Oct. 14, 2011
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - After suffering through harsh conditions at Notre Dame where both teams stumbled to disappointing finishes, Auburn cross country aims to get back on track this weekend at the University of Alabama's Crimson Classic.
Both Auburn squads will participate in the 23rd annual Crimson Classic on Saturday, a meet that will feature a 5k race for the women and an 8k for the men.
"We are ready for the distances," head coach Mark Carroll said. "Last week, we had one of our tougher workouts of the season."
October brings faster, more intense interval workouts for the Tigers. From Carroll's vantage point, the team has responded well to the more intense workouts.
"For the most part everybody is heading in the right direction," Carroll said. "Niklas Buhner, in particular, has looked very good in the last week."
The Crimson Classic field features multiple SEC teams and more solid competition that Auburn will encounter in the postseason.
"Alabama will be a good test," Carroll said. "If we come out with a good result against an SEC opponent like Alabama, it would be a good measuring stick of where we are at."
The Crimson Classic will be held at Harry Pritchett Running Park, formerly known as the University of Alabama Golf Course, an all-grass course with rolling hills. The men will run at 8:30 a.m. CT, followed by the women running at 9:10 a.m.
With the regular season coming to a close, the Crimson Classic will be the final meet before the conference championship on Monday, Oct. 31 in Maryville, Tenn.
"Each week we are getting closer to the peak and we are expecting to go to Tuscaloosa this weekend and have a very positive run," Carroll said. "It would be great to go up there and compete very well against multiple SEC opponents."
Following the completion of both races, results will be posted on AuburnTigers.com.