1,700 College Runners to Compete in Swags Louisville Cross Country Classic at Sawyer State Park
Wraparound event features kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school races

Louisville, Ky. – Sept. 29, 2026 – The Louisville Sports Commission (LSC) will host colleges and universities from 19 states at the 25th annual Swags Louisville Cross Country Classic on Saturday, Oct. 3, at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park. Nearly 1,700 college athletes from some of the nation’s top cross country programs are expected to compete.

The Classic will feature six college races, with 13 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams ranked in national NCAA, NAIA or NJCAA polls expected to compete. The field includes programs ranked in NCAA Division I regional, NCAA Division II national, NCAA Division III national, NAIA national and NJCAA polls.

The men’s Gold race is expected to feature a strong field led by Lee University (Tenn.), ranked No. 6 in the NCAA Division II national poll; West Texas A&M University, ranked No. 8; North Central College (Ill.), ranked No. 13; Eastern Kentucky University’s B team; and University of the Cumberlands (Ky.), ranked No. 1 in the NAIA national poll.

Individually, the men’s race will feature several accomplished student-athletes expected to contend for the individual title. East Tennessee State University’s Jason Bowers, the 2025 Louisville Classic champion and 22nd-place finisher at the 2023 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, enters the race with a 5,000-meter personal best of 13:42.68. West Texas A&M’s Meshack Keter, a newcomer to the program, was named the 2026 NCAA Division II Athlete of the Week following his performance at the Texas Tech Invitational on Sept. 18. Lee University’s Stephen Clark is the 2026 NCAA Division II steeplechase champion and owns a 3,000-meter steeplechase personal best of 8:47.77. Harding University’s (Ark.) Benson Lingokal has personal bests of 13:48.95 in the 5,000 meters and 28:45.43 in the 10,000 meters.

The women’s Gold race will feature West Texas A&M University, ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Division II national poll; Lee University (Tenn.), ranked No. 16; Eastern Kentucky University’s B team; Wayne State University (Mich.); and Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.), ranked No. 17 in the NAIA national poll. The teams are expected to contend for top-five finishes.

The women’s individual race is expected to be closely contested, with several athletes capable of challenging for the individual title. Among those expected to lead the Gold race are West Texas A&M’s Michelle Jemutai, the 2026 runner-up at the Texas Tech Invitational; Naomi Addo, the 2026 NCAA Division II 10,000-meter national runner-up; Lola Sarthou; and Marshall University’s Rachael Withrow, who enters the Classic undefeated this season.

The Blue and Silver collegiate races also will feature strong NCAA Division III, NAIA and NJCAA fields, including five men’s and six women’s nationally ranked teams, along with several regionally ranked programs.

Eastern High School will host a series of races for school-age kids on Friday and Saturday on the same course. Kindergarten and elementary school races will be contested at Sawyer on Friday starting at 5 p.m. Middle and high school races will be contested on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. with teams consisting of nearly 2,900 athletes from Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, Tennessee and Ohio.

Live results will be posted at: https://www.flashresults.com/2025_Meets/xc/LouisvilleClassic/

Admission is $10 per person and can be purchased in advance:
• Friday Admission
• Saturday Admission

For any further information on race day please contact:
• Corbin Maynard, event operations director (502) 823-4289
• David Lawhorn, meet director (502) 330-1933

Location:
E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park
3000 Freys Hill Road
Louisville, KY 40241

COLLEGE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS SATURDAY, Saturday, Oct. 3

Race Times:
Men’s 8,000-meter Gold race 9 a.m.
Women’s 5,000-meter Gold race 9:45 a.m.
Men’s 8,000-meter Blue race 10:15 a.m.
Women’s 5,000-meter Blue race 11 a.m.
Men’s 8,000-meter Silver race 11:30 a.m.
Women’s 5,000-meter Silver race 12:15 p.m.
High School events anticipated to start at 1 p.m.

K THROUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EVENTS SCHEDULE / Friday, Oct. 2

Race Times:
Kindergarten / first grade 1,200 meters 5 p.m.
Boys 3rd Grade and Under 2K 5:20 p.m.
Girls 3rd Grade and Under 2K 5:40 p.m.
Boys 5th Grade and Under 6 p.m.
Girls 5th Grade and Under 6:30 p.m.

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL EVENTS SCHEDULE / Saturday, Oct. 3

Race Times:
High School Boys Varsity Invite 5K 1 p.m.
High School Girls Varsity Invite 5K 1:30 p.m.
High School Boys JV Open 5K 2 p.m.
High School Girls JV Open 5K 2:30 p.m.
Middle School Boys 4K 3:15 p.m.
Middle School Girls 4K 3:45 p.m.