Pair of SEC honors for Ernest Cheruiyot and Nick Busienei

FAYETTEVILLE – A pair of men’s SEC weekly honors were awarded to Razorbacks as Ernest Cheruiyot received Runner of the Week while Nick Busienei earned Freshman of Week.

The Arkansas pair blistered the 8,000m course as they finished first and second in the Gans Creek Classic to lead the Razorbacks to a team title in the first meet of the 2026 season. Arkansas scored 69 points to defeat Tennessee (75) among a field of 30 teams which included four additional SEC schools – Ole Miss, Missouri, Kentucky, and Texas.

Cheruiyot won the race in 22:32.8 while Busienei finished as runner-up in 22:34.0. Those times are the nation’s top two fastest over 8k so far this season.

The performance by Cheruiyot ranks fourth all-time on the Gans Creek course, which hosted the NCAA Championships last year, as well as in the eight year history of the Classic. Busienei ranks fifth all-time on the course and in the Classic.

The Razorbacks compete on their home course at Agri Park on Saturday, October 3, in the 38th Chile Pepper Festival. The men’s 8,000m race will start at 10:25 a.m.