LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bellarmine University cross country will be competing in its own backyard as the Knights are gearing up for the 24th Annual Swags Louisville Cross Country Classic on Saturday at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park.

Both Bellarmine men and women's teams will be competing in the preeminent race — the Gold Race — of one of the premier meets in the nation. It unfolds at the site of three NCAA I National Championships (2012, 2015, 2017), two NCAA II National Championships (2010, 2014) and three NCAA III National Championships (2016, 2019, 2021) among a host of other championship-level races.

The men's 8k Gold Race is scheduled for 9 a.m. (ET) Saturday, while the women's 5k Gold Race will follow at 9:45 a.m. While the Knights are competing in the foremost competitions, fans can also enjoy the Blue Races and the Silver Races, the pair that follow the Gold Races.

The Swags Louisville Classic is the penultimate regular-season meet for Bellarmine before the Oct. 31 ASUN Championship in Jacksonville, Florida. The bridge meet between the two is the Oct. 17 Angel Mounds Invitational in Evansville, Indiana.

Bellarmine is coming off the Sept. 19 National Catholic Championships at Notre Dame's Burke Golf Course & Cross Country Course. Redshirt junior Alex Hooten highlighted the Knights' performance by placing seventh in the men's race while posting the ninth-fastest 8k time in program history (24:20.5).

Sophomore Jack Ballard provided Bellarmine's men a second top 40 in the race after placing 39th (26:11.6).

Senior and 2024 All-ASUN performer Sierra Oesterling paced Bellarmine's women by placing 26th (18:31.4) in the 5k race.

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