New faces in distance program supply experience and talent

Arkansas returns to competition mode this fall with a four-meet cross country season which will introduce a slew of Razorback newcomers joining a pair of returning seniors, who were members of the 2019 national championship team.

With the world experiencing a coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the 31st season for Arkansas women’s head coach Lance Harter will be anything but typical.

“No. 1, we definitely want to get back into somewhat of a normal routine that distance runners are accustomed to,” said Harter. “We have an opportunity after a long, long layoff to start another season, even though it’s an abbreviated cross country season, to compete again with our summit being the SEC Championships. We look forward to going back out and racing some people head-to-head.”

Seniors Lauren Gregory and Abby Gray, who were the fifth and seventh runners for the Razorbacks last November when Arkansas claimed its first NCAA Championship in cross country, are the top returners this season.

“What’s exciting is we do return two members of our national championship team with Abby Gray and Lauren Gregory,” noted Harter. “Abby has contributed over the last four years and we look forward to her doing the same this season. Lauren, who I feel is one of the most talented individuals in the entire NCAA, will also be back. What people don’t understand is last year Lauren was no way near 100%, but was still able to be in a scoring position for us and secured the national title in a very close finish with BYU.

“So, those two will be our senior leadership. Then we are surrounded with a lot of new faces.”

Joining them are a cadre of transfers, many of whom also have experience of racing in the NCAA Championship, along with a crew of talented freshmen.

“Any type of experience is going to be very, very helpful and if it’s from the indoor or outdoor season on the collegiate level, that experience is invaluable,” stated Harter.

“We’re super excited about the addition of people like Krissy Gear, a transfer from Furman who has national experience and contributed to our 2020 SEC Indoor title; Logan Morris, from Clemson who is a phenomenal talent and we’re looking at great things for her in the future; Julia Paternain, who has been at the nationals as well and is a transfer from Penn State; Kennedy Thomson, another transfer from UT-Chattanooga who has been in our program now for a year; and Gracie Hyde is a local Arkansas runner who transferred in from Central Arkansas and knows what it takes to compete at this level.”

Gear, who earned All-Region honors in the Southeast Region, finished 78th in the 2019 NCAA Championship and has competed in three national cross country meets. Morris also has All-Region honors in the Southeast Region and has competed in a cross country NCAA Championship.

Paternain has raced twice in the national championship meet and collected an All-Region honor in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Thomson finished among the top 20 twice in the Southern Conference and raced three times in the South Region. Hyde has competed in the South Central Region the past two seasons after producing top 10 finishes in the Southland conference.

“We also have a lot of youth who will provide some great things for the future,” noted Harter. “An individual who is going to make an impact very rapidly is Taylor Ewert, the 2020 National Gatorade Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Taylor is an individual who has tremendous experience, even at the international level, and I think that experience will be very beneficial to our total team.

“We are going to have exceptional depth and we do have talent even though a lot of them are new faces and will be breaking in the Arkansas gear for the first time. It will be a short season, but one that I think will be invaluable in the development for eventually indoor track and for outdoor track.”

Incoming Razorback freshmen also includes London Culbreath, a three-time Texas Gatorade Athlete of the Year in cross country; Corie Smith, a California state champion; and Clair Openshaw, a Florida state champion at 3,200m on the track.

The fourth meet on Arkansas’ schedule will be the SEC Championships, where a squad of 12 Razorbacks can race with the competition providing an avenue for post-season development.

“We are absolutely blessed that our conference has the insight and foresight to allow us to run 12 females and 10 males during the conference meet,” said Harter. “That gives an opportunity for some of our young people, like last year with Quinn Owen and Adeotte Vaughan, to get invaluable experience which will help them this season feel a little more secure and comfortable at the level of competition that the SEC continues to gain in the distances.”

Owen and Vaughan each earned SEC All-Freshman honors last season and then went on to claim All-Region honors in the NCAA South Central Region.