LOUISVILLE, Ky. -
After returning from a week off, the University of Louisville cross country teams will travel to Kenosha, Wisc. on Saturday, October 31, for the Big East Championships which will be held at Wayne E. Dannehl Cross Country Course.

Louisville enters the meet already having competed on the course earlier this season at the Midwest Open on Sept. 19. The Cardinal men finished first out of 15 teams, while the women also came in first against a field of 17.

Both teams will be looking to improve upon their finishes from a year ago at the event where the men took eighth and the women placed seventh. Tarah McKay did earn All-Big East accolades for the third consecutive season and will try to make it four this weekend.

The men's 8,000-meter race will begin at noon ET. The men will have their work cut out for them as they compete against four teams ranked in the latest USTFCCCA Top 30 poll, including no. 10 Georgetown, no. 14 Syracuse, no. 17 Providence and no. 22 Villanova. The women's 6,000-meter race will follow at 12:50 p.m. The women's field should be equally as tough, featuring six nationally ranked teams in no. 2 Villanova, no. 4 West Virginia, no. 9 Georgetown, no. 10 Syracuse, no. 24 Providence and no. 30 Notre Dame.

The Cardinal men come into the Big East Championship after recently debuting in the national polls at no. 25 following an impressive performance at Pre-Nationals on Oct. 17. The men finished ninth out of 35 competitors, which included finishing ahead of then ranked no. 18 Iowa State and no. 30 Minnesota. Cory Thorne led the Cards with a time of 24:14.8 to place 30th out of 237 runners.

On the women's side, the Cards finished 24th as McKay led the way by placing 14th place out of 278 runners with a time of 20:52.1. It marked her 23rd straight time that she was the top finisher for U of L.

Following the meet, Louisville will take a week off before hosting the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships on November 14 at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park. The Cards will then close out the season on November 23 when they travel to Terre Haute, Ind. for the NCAA Championship.

For the most up-to-date information on Louisville Cross Country, visit www.uoflsports.com.