For 27 years, the Jesse Owens Classic was one of the biggest dates on the Southeast cross country calendar. This Saturday, October 3, the meet starts a new chapter as the Gatorade XC Classic at Oakville. It's the same course and the same host, with a new name on the banner.
The meet has always been tied to its setting. Jesse Owens was born in Oakville in 1913, and the course at Oakville Indian Mounds Park sits about half a mile from the Jesse Owens Memorial Park. The Jesse Owens Runners' Club built the invitational into a regional destination, and the course itself has hosted the AHSAA State Championships every year since 2002. It has also hosted two AAU National Championships and a long list of college conference meets. For many teams, a trip to Oakville in early October doubles as a scouting run of the state course.
The field is huge again this year, with over 4200 entries across 12 races: 2,400+ boys and 1,800+ girls. Runners come from Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi and Kentucky. The junior high races alone have more than 1,100 entries.
Gold Boys (268 entries)
Greeneville (Tenn.)'s Trey Bailey is the clear top seed at 15:01.14, the only runner in the field under 15:15. Davidson Academy's Elijah Wharton (15:15.24) is next. Scottsboro's Ryder Linville (15:19.22) is the top Alabama seed and comes in off a win at his home Scottsboro Invitational. Jacksonville's Rua Mathis (15:28.88) and Mountain Brook's William Morgan (15:33.30) round out the top five.
On paper, Hoover is the team to beat, projecting 105 points with a 44-second 1--5 split. Behind them, three teams are separated by 18 points: Mountain Brook (147), Huntsville (150) and Vestavia Hills (165). Scottsboro (170) has a high ceiling with Linville up front, but a 1:28 split leaves it the most vulnerable of the contenders.
Gold Girls (176 entries)
Summit (Tenn.)'s Lorelai Whitten leads the seeds at 17:20.68, followed by Pope (Ga.)'s Aislynn Dunn at 17:33.88. Watch Kentucky's Baili Hoten of Thomas Nelson: she's seeded at 17:47.10 but has already run 17:16.29 this fall. Mountain Brook's Emelia White (17:50.80) and Hoover's Reese Gonzalez (17:53.60) are the top Alabama seeds.
The team race may be the best matchup of the day. Mountain Brook projects 65 points, and Pope projects 69, just four points back. Pope has more firepower up front, while Mountain Brook is deeper, with all five scorers inside the top 30. Behind them, Hoover (163) and Huntsville (164) are nearly tied for third, with Summit (177) close behind.
For 27 years, the Jesse Owens Classic was one of the biggest dates on the Southeast cross country calendar. This Saturday, October 3, the meet starts a new chapter as the Gatorade XC Classic at Oakville. It's the same course and the same host, with a new name on the banner.
The meet has always been tied to its setting. Jesse Owens was born in Oakville in 1913, and the course at Oakville Indian Mounds Park sits about half a mile from the Jesse Owens Memorial Park. The Jesse Owens Runners' Club built the invitational into a regional destination, and the course itself has hosted the AHSAA State Championships every year since 2002. It has also hosted two AAU National Championships and a long list of college conference meets. For many teams, a trip to Oakville in early October doubles as a scouting run of the state course.
The field is huge again this year, with over 4200 entries across 12 races: 2,400+ boys and 1,800+ girls. Runners come from Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi and Kentucky. The junior high races alone have more than 1,100 entries.