NCAA Championship test awaits No. 24 Arkansas in season finale

MADISON, Wisconsin – No. 24 Arkansas will compete in the NCAA Championships on Saturday, covering a distance of 6,000m at Wisconsin’s Thomas Zimmer Championship course to conclude the 2024 collegiate cross country season.

Live coverage of the meet will be available on ESPNU starting at 8:30 a.m. (CT). The two-and-a-half hour live telecast will feature, without commercial interruption, the women’s 6k race at 9:20 a.m. (CT) with the men’s 10k race at 10:10 a.m. (CT).

Post championships coverage and ensuing awards ceremonies will be streamed live on ESPN3 and through the ESPN App.

Live results will be available here: https://live.pttiming.com/xc-ptt.html?mid=7388.

Ninth a year ago in the women’s NCAA meet, three Razorbacks return from that squad. Sydney Thorvaldson earned All-America status in 2023 as she placed 11th to lead Arkansas. Mia Cochran finished third among the Razorbacks in placing 96th while Paityn Noe placed fourth on the UA team and 101st among a field of 254 runners.

In the 2022 NCAA Championships, Cochran placed 64th as the second Razorback while Thorvaldson finished 113th and third among the UA crew.

“At the national meet every point is crucial and important,” said Arkansas assistant coach Lance Harter. “The key is that our front three have to run to be All-American and all three of them are capable of placing among the top 40 runners.

“Then number four and five have to do their job. If four and five take care of business they’ll really dictate the ultimate team finish. These kids are excited about the opportunity. We’ve done everything we possibly can to make sure they’re ready at an optimal level. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”

Leading the team efforts in 2024, Cochran and Noe produced the same national-leading 5k time of 15:56.3 in placing 1-2 at the Chile Pepper Festival on the Agri Park home course. Noe led Arkansas in the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals in finishing seventh while Cochran placed 18th.

Noe then placed third in the SEC Championships with a 6k time of 18:37.6, which ranks fourth best this season. Thorvaldson made her season debut in the conference race, placing 10th in 19:36.6, while Cochran finished 11th in 19:37.8.

In the NCAA South Central Region, Noe produced the fastest time among the nine region meets with a 6k clocking of 18:55.8 and generated the largest winning margin of 27.1 seconds. Cochran placed ninth in the region meet with Thorvaldson finishing 15th.

The next fastest time among the region meets behind Noe’s effort was a 19:11.2 by Celli McCabe of West Virginia in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

With teams limited to seven runners in the NCAA race, the Razorback squad selection will include the following options – Tiana LoStracco, Olivia Pielemeier, Mackenzie Rogers, Chachi Gonzales, and Bradley Weimer.

Pielemeier finished fourth among the Razorbacks in the SEC meet, followed 10 seconds back by LoStracco, while Rogers and Gonzales were sixth and seventh for Arkansas.

Running on the same course for the NCAA South Central Region, LoStracco placed fourth among the UA squad with Pielemeier fifth as the pair were separated by just 3.3 seconds and followed by Rogers and Gonzales.

Weather for Madison this weekend has temperatures forecasted in the low to mid-30s with a wind chill during the time of the race. When the 2018 NCAA meet was held on the Zimmer course located in Verona, Wisconsin, the temps were in the low 30s with snow on the ground.

“The cold weather is actually something that’s very pleasantly received by this crew,” noted Harter. “Sydney is from Wyoming, Paityn is from upper Iowa, Mia is from Pennsylvania, and Tiana is from Canada. So, they’re not intimidated with the idea it’s going to be chilly.

“They think this will play in their favor while some other people are going to freak out.”

NCAA Championships | Previous results

NCAA Championships | Arkansas Podium Team Finish (6)

NCAA Runner-up | Arkansas Individuals