LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University cross country teams will be competing in their "backyard" this weekend as the Knights once again are set to participate in the annual Live in Lou Classic.

Held at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park, the tradition-rich and behemoth of an event will feature the Bellarmine men toeing the starting line at 9:30 a.m. (ET) Saturday in the 8k Gold Race and the Knights women splitting runners between the 5k Gold and Blue Races, which launch at 10:15 and 11:30 a.m., respectively.

ENCORE! ENCORE!
Last season, Bellarmine's men had six harriers post all-time top-33 performances in the 8k program records at the Live in Lou Classic. Wil Stamm even set a new freshman program record.

With so much firepower back, duplicating that kind of historic performance at this year's meet would seem a distinct possibility, but Men's Coach Chase Broughton said it's not on the team's mind.

"We always have high expectations for ourselves. That being said, we aren't going out to chase specific times or to shatter records," Broughton said. "We are going out there to compete and be the best versions of ourselves on that day. If we are able to do that, we will have a successful day, and if records fall in the process, that's just an added bonus."

Bellarmine also had record-book revisions on the women's side at last year's Classic, with an all-time top-50 5k time from Anna Wells and a pair entering the top 14 on the performance list (measures PR) in Emma Wells and Justice Pohlman-Singleton.

"Last year's Live in Lou Classic had such a good outcome and, of course, I hope to see the same this year," Women's Coach Angela Hapner Musk said. "But I know off-weekends happen, and I don't want to set a bar for this team based on last year's squad. I know the women will give their best effort and try to execute their race plan in a very crowded field and that is my main expectation."  

LAST TIME OUT
As far as the men's program record book, the Sept. 16 North Alabama Showcase was as impactful as the 2021 Live in Lou Classic, with the Knights registering six all-time top-50 performances in the 8k.

Sophomore Paul Stamm made an auspicious Bellarmine debut, recording the third-fastest time (24:26.93) in program history while bursting into second on the performance list. Sophomore Nolan Hester motored to the sixth-fastest time in program history (24:46.20) and vaulted from 17th to fourth on the performance list.

Sophomore D.K. Schnieders delivered the 14th-best time (24:57.17) in program history and climbed from 18th to eighth on the performance list. Sophomore Hunter Griffin notched the program's 21st-best time (25:05.85) ever and carved his way onto the performance list at 12th.

Freshman Nolan White registered the 35th-best time (25:12.58) in program history and entered the performance list in 18th, while sophomore Jackson Gawarecki was responsible for the 41st-best time (25:16.27) in the Knights' annals while breaking onto the performance list at 22nd.

"I thought it was a very solid performance," Broughton said. "We have definitely improved a lot from this time last year and the team showed that. That said, there is always room for more improvement. While the guys executed the game plan very well for the most part, some of our scorers from last year weren't even in our top 7. That alone can make a difference in our end result. If everyone else just tweaks a couple of minor things to have slightly better performances, that can make a huge difference in such a deep field like the one we are going to see Saturday."

The North Alabama Showcase proved to be a record book-altering event for Bellarmine's women as well. Junior Anna Wells posted the 36th-best 5k time in program history after finishing in 18:22.51 and rose from 13th to 10th on the performance list.

Senior Emma Wells clocked a 18:22.77 that ranks as the 37th-best time in program history and marked the third consecutive race in which she recorded an all-time top-50 mark.

"We had a good showing at UNA," Musk said. "We improved our top-5 split to 60 seconds, despite our 1 and 2 running faster than our first did a couple weeks earlier. This is a product of our 5-9 runners improving dramatically. Not to put too much stock in times, but our top-5 average also beat our top-5 average from the 2021 Live in Lou Classic. That race in 2021 was a big accomplishment for the program, with several women getting into the record book, so to be beating that performance on a very similar course two weeks earlier in the season is exciting. I expect we will continue to see both of these packs pressing forward. It wasn't just our front couple packs improving either. Up and down the roster, to our last runner, we got faster."

IT'S GO TIME
The Classic coincides with the flip of the calendar to October, a month that builds up to and ends with the ASUN Championship on the 29th in Huntsville, Alabama. The conference meet sets a maximum of nine competitors per team.

"The real cross country season begins in October," Broughton said. "(The Live in Lou Classic) is typically the biggest and deepest race we compete in most years, so it will be a great test to see where we stack up against some of the best teams in our region — and in the NCAA. Cracking our top 9 this year is more difficult than it has ever been. We have a number of guys who have experience at the ASUN Championship, as well as a few impact freshmen pushing for those spots. It results in some good, friendly competition in races. The best thing about this group is that they don't care who gets the credit or who finishes where on the team. They are all very competitive and want to be on the line at the ASUN Championships, but at the end of the day they just want the team to be the best that it can be and are willing to do what it takes to help make that happen."

HOME INVASION
The Classic is always one of the most well-attended meets in the country, with a sea of fans to match the massive amount of competitors. The environment can be overwhelming, so taking a deep breath or two is usually in order, particularly when it's a de facto home meet like it is for the Knights.

"I'd like to see us stick together as best we can. That will be challenging in the crowded field and on a course that has a quick bottleneck near the start," Musk said. "I would also like to see the team keep their cool. Having friends and family around can be motivational, but it can also be nerve-wracking. When I competed for Bellarmine, we often had a rather lackluster performance at this meet in comparison to the rest of our season. I believe that part of that was some imagined pressure from being at home. Mental toughness and focus are strengths of this group, so I hope they will lean in and use those assets."

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