The LSU cross country teams will finally get their season underway today at the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Ala., after last week’s season opening meet was rained out.LSU coach Mark Elliott said it was unfortunate his runners did not get the opportunity to compete last weekend, and the teams adjusted this week’s practice regimen because of the rainout at the Texas A&M Invitational.”The kids were looking forward to it,” Elliott said. “It gives us another week to prepare for this meet.”The Crimson Classic, hosted by Alabama at Harry Pritchard Running Course, begins at 5 p.m. with the women’s 5K race and is followed by the men’s 8K race at 5:30 p.m.Pritchard Running Course will also be the host site of the NCAA South Regional later in the season.The Crimson Classic consists of 16 teams in both the men’s and women’s races. The Tigers match up against stiff competition with Southeastern Conference foe and host team No. 10 Alabama. Other conference teams competing on the men’s side include No. 13 Auburn and Tennessee.  Elliott praised the Crimson Tide for their lofty ranking.”They have one of the best teams in the country,” he said. “You’re not going to find a better team to run against. We are going to try to do the best we can with the talent level that we have.”Both the Alabama men’s and women’s teams won the Crimson Classic last season. The Tigers last competed at the Crimson Classic in 2007, with both teams placing third. Then-freshmen Kyle Hecker and Ken Ehrhardt placed 46th and 52nd, respectively. Hecker finished in 27:46.91, while Ehrhardt posted a time of 27:58.80.Elliott said he is eager to see how his teams do against formidable competition in their opening meet of the season.”After it’s over, we will see how we stack up against them,” he said.Several of the runners Elliott will count on this weekend are inexperienced. Senior-to-be Andy Florek and junior Richard Chautin, two of eight upperclassmen on the roster will both redshirt this season for academic reasons.Florek was one of the most consistent runners for the Tigers a season ago. He ran in all six meets and scored in four of them with a personal best 26:30.47 at the Tiger Invitational. Chautin placed a personal best ninth last season in the Tiger Festival.Elliott said he expects sophomores Luke Dessauer and Cullen Doody to lead the pack for the Tigers. Now juniors Hecker and Ehrhardt are familiar with the course. Juniors Sean Swanner, Tim Landry and sophomore Kenneth Schiffman will also compete for the Tigers.
“We may not have a kid that can win the race this weekend, but if they all run up to their potential, we should do well as a team,” Elliott said. “It’s just a matter of who’s ready to run on that day.”On the women’s side, Elliott said the Lady Tigers are strong in terms of numbers this week. Senior Kayann Thompson and freshman Charlene Lipsey, both distance runners for the track team, add depth to the women’s team.Sophomore Jenna Henssler and redshirt senior Katie Hamel are expected to be the top runners for the Lady Tigers. Henssler posted a 5K personal best 19:43.2 at the Tiger Invitational. Sophomores Amber Abbott, Laura Carleton, Jessica Deutsch and senior Amal Esmail will also compete this weekend.—-Contact Jonathan Schexnayder at [email protected]