Southern Showcase cross country meet this weekend

HUNTSVILLE- Representatives from the City of Huntsville, local sponsoring businesses and local schools cross country programs met with the news media this week in preparation for the 2025 Southern Showcase cross country meet scheduled for this weekend at Huntsville’s John Hunt Park. The first of 11 huge races, sponsored by the Huntsville Sports Commission, which makes up the cross country season at John Hunt Park, is truly one of the best events of its kind in the country.

“This will be a tremendous college event as well as one of the largest high school meets and big early-season meets in our area,” said Mark Russell, executive director of the Huntsville Sports Commission.

Primary sponsors for the two-day event are the Huntsville Sports Commission and Fleet Feet Sports of Huntsville and Madison. At least 130 teams from 14 states are expected to participate in the Southern Showcase held on the John Hunt course which host school Huntsville High cross country head coach Blake Borden called “second to none.”

“Having college and high school teams from as far away as Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and one school on the long drive from Miami, Fla. is a testament to what we’re doing here in Huntsville,” added Borden, head coach of the Panthers’ program since 2016 where his Lady Panthers are ranked No. 1 in Alabama and his boys team of a year ago was nationally ranked. “That’s the reason we started this meet nine years ago as we want to compete against the best.”

Among the high school teams getting to the start line for the Southern Showcase are Bob Jones, James Clemens, Sparkman and Madison Academy.

The two-day running event will feature the college teams hitting the course located just off Airport Road and Memorial Parkway on Saturday. The men hit the 8K course at 7:30 a.m. with the women’s 5K race getting underway at 8:30 a.m. Junior High (2-mile) and open division (5K) races will get underway at 5:30 p.m. The high school ranks of action will be held Saturday with several scheduled races beginning at 8:00 a.m. Picture-perfect weather is expected.

“Fleet Feet has been extremely supportive in our nine events and that business has been great to our community,” added Borden. “We have 145 volunteer slots within our program to help out with this meet and partnership with the Huntsville Sports Commission.”