The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival
Cross Country preview: Chile Pepper Festival
10.03.2019 | Track & Field / Cross Country
The Longhorns head to Fayetteville, Ark. for their fourth weekend of competition in 2019.
Texas (RV) Men and (RV) Women in Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival
Date: Saturday, October 5, 2019
Course: University of Arkansas Agricultural Park. Parking: Washington County Fairgrounds, 2537 N. McConnell Ave., Fayetteville, Ark.
Length: Men's race: 8k (two 4k loops). Women's race: 5k (two 2.5k loops).
Time: Men's race: 9 a.m. (UT runs in first heat) Second men's heat begins at 9:40 a.m. Women's race: 10:40 a.m. (UT runs in first heat) Second women's heat begins at 11:20 a.m. All CT.
Opponents: A total of 82 men's and 84 women's teams will compete in the collegiate division. Click here for a list.
Ranked Opponents: Men: No. 8 Oklahoma St., No. 25 Arkansas. Women: No. 2 Arkansas, No. 19 Oklahoma St., RV West Virginia.
Results: Live Results. Results will also be posted on www.TexasSports.com.
Race website.
AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas Men's and Women's Cross Country teams are scheduled to run in one of the nation's largest meets on Saturday, the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The Longhorn men will answer the starter's gun at 9 a.m. CT on an 8,000-meter course, and the Texas women will step off in a 5,000-meter race at 10:40 a.m. CT. All competition takes place at the University of Arkansas' Agricultural Park north of campus.
A total of 82 men's and 84 women's collegiate squads will run in the all-day meet, one that will also feature competition among thousands of high school athletes, plus numerous unaffiliated runners in all age groups.
Both UT teams finished seventh in last Saturday's talent-rich Bill Dellinger Invitational in Springfield, Oregon. Each saw their USFTCCCA poll votes increase this week, from 15 to 22 for the men and from six to nine for the women.
Longhorn junior Sam Worley led the UT men in Oregon with an 11th-place finish, the second time this season that he has been the first Longhorn to cross the finish line. Worley, who ran the 8,000-meter course in 23:50.9 – the second-fastest 8K of his career – was later named the Big 12 Runner of the Week for the second time this season, making him the conference's only repeat winner in 2019. Texas will be challenged by two ranked men's teams on Saturday: No. 8 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Arkansas.
"We're looking forward to racing again this weekend. We chose to run back-to-back weeks early in the season to prepare for the championship portion of the season in November," UT men's distance coach Pete Watson said. "We also chose to run at Arkansas as they will host the NCAA Regional in November and it's important for us to get on the course. After this week, we won't race again until the Big 12 Championships."
Texas seniors Destiny Collins and Kathryn Gillespie have led the UT women's squad for three of the last four meets. Gillespie edged out Collins by one-tenth of a second at the Dellinger Invitational, and later was named the Big 12 Runner of the Week for the first time in her career. Gillespie and Collins claimed the league's weekly honor in two of the three weeks that the UT women have competed thus far. They will spearhead the Horns' effort on Saturday against No. 2 Arkansas, No. 19 Oklahoma State, and West Virginia -- which received votes in last week's poll – this weekend.
"We're excited to be back in competition again this weekend," UT women's distance coach PattiSue Plumer said. "It's a strong field that we'll be running against in Fayetteville and one that will help our team continue to test itself as we get closer to the Big 12 and NCAA Championships."
The Chile Pepper Festival annually hosts 6,500 runners and 6,000 spectators. It began in 1992 through the efforts of local coaches to raise money for northwest Arkansas high school cross country programs.
Players Mentioned
