Different Championship, Same Results
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The nationally ranked Arkansas men’s and women’s cross country teams dominated the competition at the 2017 NCAA South Central Region Championships in College Station, departing the Dale Watts Course well decorated with matching team crowns and several individual accolades Friday morning.
The tandem titles came exactly two weeks following Arkansas’ Southeastern Conference Championships sweep at the University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Georgia. Both programs have controlled the SEC and South Central region as a unit since 2013.
Wonder Women
Senior Nikki Hiltz paced the Razorbacks, finishing in first place and claiming the individual title with a time of 19:35.50. Sophomore Carina Viljoen finished less than a second behind Hiltz in second place with a time of 19:36.00. Therese Haiss rounded out Arkansas’ top-ten performers, finishing in eighth place at 19:57.90.
All seven of Arkansas’ runners earned All-Region honors as Sydney Brown, Carina Viljoen and Taylor Werner earned All-Region recognition for the second-consecutive year. It was the second-straight season Arkansas had all seven of its runners earn All-Region honors, as the Razorbacks are the only team in the country to accomplish that feat.
Women’s Results Overall
1. No. 6 Arkansas – 35 (1-2-8-11-13)
2. Texas – (10-16-17-24-26)
3. Baylor – (3-4-20-30-59)
4. SMU – (7-21-35-42-43)
5. Abilene Christian – 163 (5-6-25-36-91)
“To win in dominate fashion is a luxury we have this year,” head coach Lance Harter said. “It was a situation where we were able to go out and control the race from the front, establish a position and relax.”
Double Trouble
All-American seniors Jack Bruce and Alex George led the Razorbacks, finishing in fifth and seventh place respectively. Bruce finished with a time of 30:04.80 while George finished at 30:12.40. Austen Dalquist rounded out Arkansas’ top-ten performers, finishing in eighth with a time of 30:12.60.
Austen Dalquist, Matt Young and Andrew Ronoh joined Bruce and George as Arkansas’ All-Region performers. Bruce and George repeat as Arkansas’ All-Region performers for the second-straight year.
Men’s Results Overall
1. No. 17 Arkansas – 59 (5-7-8-15-24)
2. No. 17 Texas – 73 (3-12-18-19-21)
3. Texas A&M – 98 (4-6-23-27-38)
4. McNeese State – 173 (10-16-25-49-73)
5. Texas State – 179 (17-29-33-34-66)
“You never take any victory lightly,” said head coach Chris Bucknam. “Just proud of how our guys executed today. We had a plan to go out and make it an honest race and settle in.”
For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.
