NCAA Championships in cross country next stage for Razorbacks

STILLWATER, Okla. – Racing in the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Monday, for the first time on the Oklahoma State Cross Country Course, the No. 1 Razorbacks enter the meet as defending champions from its 2019 title.

Race time is 11:50 a.m. (CT) for the women’s 6,000m and coverage of the meet will be available on ESPNU and the ESPN app.

After winning the NCAA Indoor Championships on Saturday, it is a quick transition to cross country mode for Monday’s race with the outdoor track season set to begin this week as well.

“We didn’t exactly get a lot of time to marinate in our victory,” said Arkansas women’s coach Lance Harter of the Razorback’s NCAA Indoor title victory on Saturday. “Went to bed early, got up early, jumped on a bus and headed to the next championship. The kids are in great spirits, and we’re obviously not going to be at 100 percent considering we’re going to hold out a couple of our top-flight distance crew.

“The whole purpose of coming here is the idea of giving these kids some exposure and experience to really get ready for next year. Because, we feel with the crew we have on board and the newcomers who have committed to join us next fall we could be a very salty program.”

Arkansas cruised through its fall cross country season, undefeated through four meets prior to claiming an eighth SEC team title in late October. The Razorbacks remained undefeated through five team scored meets this indoor season and captured a seventh SEC Indoor championship.

Moving back to cross country mode after a competitive indoor season that produced numerous career best times among the distance crew offers some new challenges in training and racing decisions.

“I know our kids are excited and they’re going to give it a good racing effort,” noted Harter. “What’s most important is everybody is healthy and safe at the end of the race. Ultimately, we’ll go into some down time and then mentally and physically prepare for the outdoor track season, because that’s always been our priority.”

Newcomers to the program, experiencing this level of competition for the first time in cross country, include a few transfers along with a couple of freshmen.

“I’m excited for some of our newbies to get them a chance to see what collegiate cross country is all about,” said Harter. “Because it’s a great sport unto itself. We’re excited about the challenge tomorrow, but even more so the challenge in front of us for the future. Hopefully, some of that momentum we created Saturday night will carry over.”