DAYTON – The University of Dayton track and field and men's cross country will be taking a Tennessee detour to compete in the 10,000m race at the Flames Invitational on Friday.

Due to the Tennessee Invite not having a 10,000m race, Assistant Coach David Dobson wanted to give his distance runners the opportunity to compete in this event at a different meet. Only five Flyers will be making the 75-minute drive from Knoxville to Cleveland, Tennessee on Friday to compete.

The women's 10,000m race will be starting at 9:00 a.m. and will feature Ellie Tighe, Justine Smith, and Melissa Weidner. The last time these athletes ran the 10,000m race was at the 2022 A-10 Outdoor Championships. Weidner led the Flyers with her fifth-place finish which was a PR of 36:41.02. Tighe and Smith also set PRs at this race, finishing in 12th and 18th place, respectively.

The men's 10,000m race will begin at 9:45 a.m. and feature first-year student Owen Pukys and Andrew Schuster. Pukys will make his 10,000m race debut while Schuster will be competing in his third 10,000m race of his college career. Schuster set his PR in April 2022 when he finished in second place with a time of 30:32.05.

Check out the links above for more information about the Flames Invitational!