The Auburn Tigers Cross Country team will be heading north to compete in the Southern Showcase located at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama. In the last couple of years, the Tigers have experienced some success at John Hunt, with the men's and women’s teams both placing in second place in 2023. Last year, the Women’s team placed 13th. As the season starts to get into swing, the team is looking to find the same success it’s had in recent years.
John Hunt Park is a popular cross-country venue within the state of Alabama, featuring numerous high school and college meets annually. Because it is the largest park in the Huntsville area, it is able to host these large events on a weekly basis. There are several courses within the park, such as a concrete path for more casual runners, with 1.5 and 2.1-mile loops. The cross-country track is by far the most stunning aspect of John Hunt. The wide landscaped straightaways paired with sharp turns and several segments of rough terrain always prove to be an exciting challenge for the athletes that take it on. The course can be formatted for two miles, a 5K, a 6K, an 8K, and a 10K. This weekend, the men will be running the 8K at 7:30 Friday morning, before the women run the 5K course right after at 8:30. The meet is hosted by Jacksonville State University.
The men’s team will be led by runners Nickson Chebii and Max Hardin. Both of whom are serious contenders during the fall cross-country season and spring track. Chebii has had the most success on the team and will strive to return to the NCAA championship, where he ran his personal best in the 10k last year. The pair finished in first place and second place in their last event, with Chebii coming in first and Hardin finishing behind him.
The women’s team had an outstanding start at the Foothills event last week, coming in first place as a team and featuring two top-5 finishers, Cady McPhail and Mary Mac Collins. The Women’s team will be looking to continue their strong start to the season at John Hunt. The Women’s team shows serious potential this year and will be a strong contender in the SEC as well as on the national stage.
It will be a crisp 70 degrees without rain Friday morning when the starter’s gun sounds: perfect weather for a great run. Without bad weather impairing the runners, it will be just between them and the course. The southern showcase has all the potential to feature several personal bests for the competitors.
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Max is a freshman majoring in finance. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2025.
