CLINTON, Miss. — Mississippi Christian cross country returns to action Friday morning, traveling to Huntsville, Alabama, for the Southern Showcase hosted by Jacksonville State.
The Choctaws will face their strongest field of the season at John Hunt Park, with several NCAA Division I programs set to compete, including Alabama, Auburn, Clemson and Georgia Tech. The seventh annual Southern Showcase has developed into one of the premier early-season meets in the region, bringing together programs from across multiple divisions.
Friday will also mark the first 8K of the season for the Mississippi Christian men after opening the year with a 5K at Choctaw Trails. The men's invitational race is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m., while the women's 5K will follow at 8:10 a.m.
Both squads enter the weekend receiving recognition in the latest USTFCCCA South Region rankings. The Lady Choctaws were voted No. 3 in the region this week, while the men's team enters the meet ranked No. 5.
Mississippi Christian opened the season with a strong showing at The Opener, highlighted by a pair of seniors Baxter Friedman and Matthew Singletary, as well as red shirt freshman Whitt Kilgore. Friedman finished fourth overall in 15:30.5 to earn Gulf South Conference Runner of the Week honors, right behind him was Singletary who clocked a 15:31.5, while Kilgore crossed the line in 15:42.3 in his collegiate debut and to grab GSC Freshman of the Week honors.
On the women's side, the Lady Choctaws also put together a strong season-opening performance at Choctaw Trails. Kinley Harris, Audrey Mayatte and Catherine Wallace helped lead the way for Mississippi Christian, giving the team a strong group at the front of the lineup as it enters its first major test of the season. The trio will look to build on that opening performance against a much deeper field in Huntsville.
The Southern Showcase will give both teams an opportunity to measure themselves against a deep field early in the season. A year ago, both Mississippi Christian squads finished as the second-highest NCAA Division II teams at the meet before going on to successful postseason runs.
John Hunt Park is the site for this year's South Regional meet, where the top 3 teams qualify for the NCAA Championships in Rim Rock, KS. This adds even more intrigue to Friday's competition, making it another exciting early-season test for the Choctaws as they continue building toward the postseason.
