MONTEVALLO, Ala. -- Following a three-week hiatus away from official competition, the Nicholls State University cross country program jumps back into the fray this weekend in preparation for the final stretch of the season, hitting the road for the UAB Blazer Classic on Friday, Oct. 18 in Montevallo, Ala. The high-profile meet will feature 32 opposing programs ranging from across the country, including notable competitors Alabama, Mississippi State, Memphis & Florida State.

Per Colonels head coach Stefanie Slekis, the UAB Blazer Classic will serve as important separation from the Red & Gray's usual regional competition, as programs from nationwide will give Nicholls a different look than what they've seen the first four meets of the season.

"Traveling to Alabama to see some of the better teams from the South region in a large field size enables us to simulate what the conference and regional championships will be like," Slekis said. "However, this type of meet also enables us to shake things up and test ourselves again different NCAA Division I teams after seeing several familiar conference and regional opponents at our first four meets of the season. This meet will not have another Southland or South Central region team competing, but will have teams from across the country ranging from South Carolina to Colorado."

The women's race will feature a tough 6,000m (6k) course, a first for four Red & Gray freshmen -- Skyler Goodman, Willow Johnson, Myah Robichaux & Summer Seal -- but Slekis remains confident the Colonels will compete a high level after a strong showing three weeks ago at the LSU XC Invitational and solid stretch of practice sessions throughout the month of October.

"Our women have had an excellent last training block since racing season's bests for 5k at LSU so I am very excited to see them take on the 6k race distance against 16 NCAA Division I women's teams," Slekis continued. "This will be Skyler, Willow, Myah, and Summer's first 6k and I think they are very prepared for the increase in distance based on how well our longer sessions have gone. Our women's team has really come together well in training since arriving at camp nine weeks ago and we should have a group of three up front that can work together and then a big group that can really push each other to secure strong finishing positions for our fourth and fifth scorers. This is a great test for us not only for the conference championship, but more importantly for the regional championship where we will face over 20 NCAA Division I opponents."

Meanwhile, the men's course caps off at 8,000m (8k), setting up another round of firsts for the younger members of the squad, including freshmen Octavio Vasquez-Tilley, Preston Whisenhunt, Hunter Batt & top performer Olari Livingston. Similiar to the women's team, though, Slekis has pushed the longer distances during the Colonels' recent training sessions and looks forward to seeing how the men will respond in a competitive environment.

"This is a great opportunity for our young men's team to test themselves against over 10 NCAA Division I teams while simultaneously racing their first 8k of the season," Slekis concluded. "This will be Olari, Octavio, Preston, and Hunter's first 8ks of their careers. Our young group has done a great job with the training we have done focused at 8k/10k all season and especially this past training block since racing 5k at LSU, so I am very excited to see how well they can do over the longer race distance."

WHAT: The UAB Blazer Classic
WHEN: Friday, Oct. 18 | 9 a.m. (W); 9:45 a.m. (M)
WHERE: Montevallo, Ala. | Alabama Traffic Safety Center
MEDIA: Live Results

UAB BLAZER CLASSIC PARTICIPANTS
UAB (M) -- HOST
Alabama
Belmont
Birmingham-Southern
Charlotte
Florence State (M)
Florida A&M
Florida Atlantic
Florida State (F)
Fort Valley State
Huntingdon
Jefferson State CC
Kennesaw State
Lawson State (M)
Lipscomb
Marion Military Institute
Memphis
Mercer
Miles (M)
Mississippi State
Mississippi University for Women (W)
Mississippi Valley State
Montevallo
Nicholls
North Alabama
Northern Colorado (F)
Point University
Samford
South Alabama
Southern Mississippi (F)
Spartanburg Methodist
Troy
Tuskegee

COMPLETE PROGRAM BREAKDOWN
Schedule | Men's Roster | Women's Roster

UP NEXT
Following the conclusion of the UAB Blazer Classic, the Red & Gray take one additional week to rest up and prepare before heading north to the Southland Conference Championships, hosted this season by Central Arkansas in Conway, Ark on Friday, Nov. 1.

STAY SOCIAL
For more information on Colonels Track & Field/Cross Country, follow the team on Twitter (@Nicholls_XCTF), Instagram (@geauxcolonels) and like their Facebook page (Nicholls Athletics).