Razorbacks selected second in SEC coaches’ preseason poll

FAYETTEVILLE – The SEC cross country coaches’ preseason poll for 2026 has the Razorbacks ranked second with 35 points while receiving two first-place votes as Cale Wallace embarks on his first campaign as Arkansas’ cross country coach.

Defending team champion Alabama collected 12 first-place votes to earn the top placing among 14 SEC men’s teams with 14 points. The rest of the top seven programs included Florida (45), Georgia (51), Oklahoma (62), Tennessee (65), and Missouri (86).

Points for the men’s poll were awarded on a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13 basis. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.

The second half of the SEC coaches’ voting included Texas A&M (105), Texas (109), Kentucky (111), Ole Miss (121), Auburn (148), LSU (160), and Vanderbilt (162).

The SEC Cross Country Championships will be held in Columbia, Missouri, at the Gans Creek course on Friday, October 30.

Alabama claimed the 2025 SEC title with 64 points over Georgia (123), Oklahoma (126), Arkansas (131), and Missouri (145). The top three individuals included freshman Kelvin Cheruiyot of Florida, sophomore Nickson Chebii of Auburn and Razorback junior Timothy Chesondin.

Chesondin, Brian Masai, who placed 12th in the SEC last season, and James Sankei, 30th a year ago, are the top three returning Razorbacks this season.

Chesondin won the NCAA South Central Region individual title and earned All-America status in placing 19th at the NCAA Championships. Sankei and Masai finished fourth and fifth in the South Central race.

Ernest Cheruiyot and Nick Busieni joined the program in January and will have their first season in cross country with the Razorbacks. In 2024, Cheruiyot placed fifth in the Big 12 Championships and finished third in the NCAA Mountain Region while with Texas Tech.

Returning Razorbacks also include Donovan Bitticks, Owan Logorodi, Eli Seavey, and Dawson Welch. Newcomers include Allen Bonnesen, Trey Caldwell, Jackson Free, Gavin Genisio, Amason Kireu, and Trenton Sandler.

Arkansas opens the season with a trip to Columbia, Missouri, on Friday, September 25, for the Gans Creek Classic. The Razorbacks race on their home course at Agri Park on Saturday, October 3, in the Chile Pepper Festival.