Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s cross country team will have a quick turnaround for the final meet of the season as the Governors head across the border to run in the Murray State Open, Friday evening. The men’s eight-kilometer race will begin at 5:30pm.
Friday’s meet will be the first-ever Murray State Open and also the first regular-season home meet for the Murray.
Last time the Governors were in Murray was for the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference Championships, where Austin Peay finished eighth. A total of five teams will be in attendance, including OVC foes Tennessee Tech, UT Martin and the host Racers, along with Bethel.
Thomas Porter received OVC Male Runner of the Week honors for his performance in the Fast Cats Classic in Owensboro last week. Porter finished third among Division I athletes with a 24th place finish and timed 26:50.
APSU head coach Valerie Brown gave Porter tremendous praise on the performance last week and how he should prepare for the Murray State Open.
“Thomas has done a great job, along with a few others, leading this group throughout the season when needed,” said Brown. “The goal for Thomas this week will be to see how he can challenge other top OVC athletes.
“It’s a great meet to go out and compete in and get more experience with other OVC schools. The race plan for us is to run together as a team. This will also be an opportunity for us to stay in race mode before the OVC Championships. Our goal is to stay tough throughout the race and challenge others.”
