Both Razorback lineups will compete Friday in Fayetteville, with No. 16 Arkansas men seeking first home win since 2018 against field headlined by No. 5 Tulsa; No. 13 Arkansas women also look to secure fifth consecutive individual victory

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

For the first time since their season opener Sept. 1 at the Cowboy Preview at Oklahoma State, and the only occasion until the Southeastern Conference Championships on Oct. 28 in Oxford, Miss., the Arkansas men’s and women’s cross country teams will both be competing at the same event Friday at the 34th edition of the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival at Agri Park at the Arkansas cross country course in Fayetteville.

WATCH LIVE WEBCAST OF CHILE PEPPER CROSS COUNTRY FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER 30 AND OCTOBER 1

It will mark the first opportunity for the Razorback men’s team to compete since placing second to host Oklahoma State in a 5-kilometer race in Stillwater.

The Arkansas women’s team has been more active in recent weeks, finishing ninth Saturday in a 6-kilometer competition at the Cowboy Jamboree at Oklahoma State. The Razorbacks also had a group race Sept. 17 in a 5-kilometer event at the Missouri Southern Stampede after opening with a 3-kilometer competition at the Cowboy Preview.

The women’s collegiate Prairie Fire Pepper 5-kilometer race is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. CDT, with the men’s collegiate Prairie Fire Pepper 8-kilometer competition at 3:45 p.m.

Arkansas is seeking its 10th consecutive victory in the women’s college 5-kilometer race at 4:30 p.m. CDT, with the Razorbacks attempting to secure their first win since 2018 in the McDonnell Memorial men’s college 8-kilometer event at 5 p.m.

Colorado School of Mines prevailed last year in the men’s race after Texas ended a six-year winning streak for Arkansas in 2019.

Isabel Van Camp, who was 10th in the 6-kilometer race at Cowboy Jamboree, leads No. 13 Arkansas, which is also expected to have Mia Cochran, Sydney Thorvaldson, Gracie Hyde, Taylor Ewert, Nyah Hernandez, Adoette Vaughan, Mary Ellen Eudaly, Heidi Nielson, Mackenzie Rogers and Julia Paternain competing.

Claire McCune is scheduled to race unattached for the Razorbacks.

Following a victory by Karissa Schweizer of Missouri in 2016, Arkansas has produced the past four individual winners at Chile Pepper as well, including Krissy Gear last year. Gear is now training professionally with HOKA Northern Arizona Elite.

Arkansas is the only NCAA Division 1 nationally ranked women’s team scheduled to compete, with South Central Regional top 15 programs Arkansas State, Abilene Christian, Stephen F. Austin and Houston expected to race, as well as Midwest Regional top 15 entries Tulsa and Kansas State.

Dallas Baptist is ranked No. 27 in NCAA Division 2 and Northwest Missouri is No. 30, with Oklahoma City a top 25 NAIA entry in the women’s competition, in addition to top two-year college teams Iowa Central, Crowder College from Missouri and Kansas schools Hutchinson and Garden City. 

Elias Schreml, who took third at the Cowboy Preview, leads the No. 16 Arkansas men’s team, which is also scheduled to showcase Myles Richter, Ben Shearer, Josh Shearer, Jack Williams, Reuben Reina, Tommy Romanow and Ryan Murphy.

Lexington Hilton is expected to race unattached for the Razorbacks.

The last Arkansas male athlete to win at Chile Pepper is Alex George in 2017.

Arkansas, which placed fourth at last year’s event, will have an opportunity to square off against No. 5 Tulsa, which finished fifth Saturday in the men’s 8-kilometer race at Cowboy Jamboree.

Although Tulsa and the Razorbacks are the only Division 1 nationally ranked men’s teams in the field, Kansas State and Oklahoma are both top 15 programs in the Midwest Region, with Arkansas State, Central Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas-Arlington and Stephen F. Austin all entries ranked in the top 15 in the South Central Region, along with Arkansas.

Sixth-ranked Missouri Southern, No. 19 Mississippi College and No. 21 Nebraska-Kearney are top nationally ranked teams in NCAA Division 2, with Oklahoma City one of the elite NAIA programs returning to Fayetteville to compete.

Iowa Central, Hutchinson, Garden City and Ranger College from Texas are all nationally ranked two-year college men’s programs expected to race.