The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s and women’s cross country teams will host the annual Front Runner Invitational this Saturday afternoon at the Moccasin Bend Race Course to close out the regular season.
Participating in the race will be Austin Peay, Bryan College, Kennesaw State, Middle Tennessee, Tennessee State, Tennessee Martin and host Chattanooga.
In the opening PowerAde Invitational, senior Nathan Wanuch (Mississauga, Ontario) claimed the title to lead the Mocs to a second place finish.
“It will be good to have Middle Tennessee here this week,” UTC Head Coach Bill Gautier said. “We’ve been back and forth with them this year. They are a good gauge for us as we get ready for the conference championship.”
The Mocs will need junior John Gilpin to step up as well as freshmen Trevor Janssen and Paul Stuart. Senior Lucas Cotter (Collierville, Tenn.) is still a day-to-day decision while Mark Cole (McKenzie, Tenn.) most likely will not be ready by the time conference rolls around.
The women’s Amanda Sumner (Bristol, Conn.) outdistanced the field to lead Chattanooga to the title. She led a three-way sweep by the Lady Mocs.
"We’re expecting great things out of Amanda,”UTC Head Coach Bill Gautier said. “After a two-year break from racing, she’s learning how to pace herself.”
Also expected to perform well this weekend is freshman Teghan Henderson, who was impressive in her first collegiate competition at the Greater Louisville Classic, senior Kathryn Stuart (Brentwood, Tn.) and sophomore Keely Stewart (Winchester, Tn.).
“Kathryn is graduating in December,” Mr, Gautier said. “So this is her last race here at UTC.”
The women’s two-mile event will begin at 3 p.m. at the Moccasin Bend Race Course followed by the men’s 5-kilometer at 3:30 p.m. Admission to the race is free. Results will be available at GoMocs.com following the race.