DETROIT (10/3/2024) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's and women's cross country teams will travel to a place known for fast times and competitive racing as the Titans head to Derby City for the annual Live In The Lou Classic.
The men will run in the 8k Blue Race at 10:45 a.m., and the women will compete in the 5k Blue Race, set to start at 11:30 a.m., at EP "Tom" Sawyer Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
Fans can follow all the action through live results and with a paid subscription on FLO Track.
The red, white, and blue have run in Louisville every season since 2007, except the pandemic year 2020.
Both teams have raced twice this season.
The women have seen a host of Titans up front so far on the year. Freshman Kirsten Koss led UDM at the 5k Michigan Open with a 20:02 time, while senior Nina Pizzo ran a career-best 19:24 for 53rd at Notre Dame. Senior Evie Wright has been in the top three in the two races, and junior Claire Hunt was one of six harriers who posted PRs their last time out.
In 2022, Allison Sherman helped the squad place fourth in the Silver Race as she won the event in a time of 18:09, one of the top 10 runs in school history at the time. The women have had two other top-10 runners at the event as Louisa Coppola '14 was third in 2013 and Sydnie Fetherolf '18 claimed fourth in 2017. The team also placed fourth in 2007 and seventh in 2017.
Junior Joshua Otten has led the men in both events, finishing 19th in the 5k Michigan Open with a 15:50 time and 34th at Notre Dame's 8k National Catholic Championship in 25:15. Last season, Otten paced the Titans by running 25:49 for 65th place.
Freshman Ryan Belanger and sophomore Christopher Russelburg have been the next two in line for the Titans, while sophomore Kenyon Popiel was one of eight UDM harriers to clock PR's at Notre Dame.
The men had three of the top five performances in their history at the event. Patrick Liederbach '11 and Ben Kendell '18 took fourth in 2010 and 2015, respectively, while Kendall was also fifth in 2018. The men have had a pair of fourth-place team efforts in 2015 and 2019, a sixth-place finish in 2010, and 10th in 2011.
