2023 Southern Showcase invades Huntsville

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - The 2023 Southern Showcase will take place at the John Hunt Cross Country Course this Friday, September 15 and Saturday, September 16. The Southern Showcase is a two-day college, high school and middle school meet directed by Jacksonville State University and Huntsville High School with assistance from the Huntsville Sports Commission, City of Huntsville and Fleet Feet. This is a highly anticipated meet with multiple top ten ranked teams taking the course. This year’s event brings over 180 teams from across the nation for a total of over 4,000 participating runners.

Mark Russell, Huntsville Sports Commission Director stated, “The 2023 fall cross country season is expected to have an approximate economic impact of $5 million for the city of Huntsville. The Southern Showcase is an incredible way to kick off the season with a diverse range of runners from middle school to highest college level.”

The college men’s 8k will start at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, September 15 with the college woman’s 5k taking place at 8:30 a.m. The list of confirmed teams for this weekend’s races include University of Alabama, Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Auburn University, Auburn Montgomery, Augusta, Bryan, Calhoun Community College, Central Arizona Community College, Chattanooga, Cumberland, Daytona State College, Eastern Florida, Emmanuel (Ga), Florida Gateway College, Gadsden State Community College, Georgia State, Huntingdon, Jacksonville State, Kentucky, Lafayette, Lee, Memphis, Meridian Community College, Mississippi State, New Orleans, North Alabama, Northwest Shoals Community College, Ole Miss, Pasco-Hernando State College, Samford, SCAD Atlanta, South Florida, Southern Mississippi, Talladega, Tennessee Wesleyan, Troy, Tulane, UAB, UT Southern and William Carey.

“It’s awesome to see the entire north Alabama community embrace cross country! We are excited to be right in the middle of it and cannot wait to lace up the spikes and compete against an incredible field of teams this year,” stated Southern Showcase Director and Jacksonville State Head Cross Country Coach, Jeremy Provence

High school and middle school races start later in the afternoon at 5:00 p.m. on September 15. The final race on Friday will start at 6:25 p.m. On Saturday, September 16 high school races will kick off at 8:00 a.m. and the last race will start at 10:05 a.m. Award ceremonies will follow the final race each day.

Blake Borden, Huntsville High Cross Country Head Coach said, “This is such an amazing opportunity for high school runners in the Huntsville area & state of Alabama at large to compete with the best the south has to offer on what has become one of the premiere cross country courses nationwide.”

Parking and admission for the 2023 Southern Showcase is FREE. Food trucks will be on site with items available for purchase.

The 2023 cross country schedule is as follows:

September 15-16

The Southern Showcase

October 14

Randolph Invitational

October 21

Gulf South Conference Cross Country Championships

October 27

ACCC State Meet

November 11&14

NJCAA Cross Country Championships