Stern test for No. 21 Razorbacks to claim 10th consecutive SEC title

OXFORD, Ms. – As nine-time defending champions in SEC cross country, the No. 21 Razorbacks face a stern test in attempting to claim the 2022 team title this Friday against No. 7 Alabama along with challengers Florida and Kentucky.

“Our kids have a battle in front of them,” said Arkansas women’s head coach Lance Harter, who has claimed 22 SEC cross country championships with the Razorbacks. “We struggled a little bit at Wisconsin, which was a huge preview of the NCAA meet. That was a wake-up call.

“Just because you put the uniform on the opposition doesn’t lay down. They’re going to fight you just that much more because of our tradition. The last two weeks got their attention and hopefully we can make this race a real battle.”

Start time for the women’s 6,000m race is 10:08 a.m. with a live broadcast starting at 10 a.m. on the SEC Network. Live results will be available: https://live.deltatiming.com/meets/18235

There is free admission to the meet. The Ole Miss Golf Course is located at 147 Golf Club Drive in Oxford. Fan parking is located at M-Trade Park, 328 Old Sardis Road, and there will be a complimentary shuttle provided.

Arkansas’ recent run of nine league cross country titles is part of a total of 22 team titles claimed by the Razorbacks since joining the league in 1991. In that span Arkansas has also produced 16 individual titles from 11 Razorbacks, the most recent being Katie Izzo in 2019.

“My focus has been trying to get these kids to rally around the idea that we’ve won nine consecutive SEC titles,” said Harter. “Can we put a good fight to chase Alabama, who will go in the meet as the prohibitive favorite. We also have challenges from Florida, Kentucky, and Ole Miss, as the hometown favorite, has a good crew as well.”

This is the third time Oxford has hosted the SEC Championships in cross country since Arkansas joined, and the Razorbacks did not win the team title either time.

In 1996 they finished second to Florida (52-77) and in 2009 they were third (87) behind Florida (24) and Tennessee (80). Florida was also the last team to win a SEC title in 2012 prior to the recent nine-year reign by Arkansas.

The top returning Razorbacks from last year’s team include Isabel Van Camp (10th) and Julia Paternain (28th), who were second and sixth among the squad.

Previously, Taylor Ewert placed 10th in 2020, finishing fourth among the Arkansas crew the season she earned SEC Freshman of the Year.

Van Camp has led the Razorbacks in three meets this season, placing 10th at OSU Jamboree, winning the Chile Pepper Festival, and finishing 10th in the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational.

The progression Van Camp has displayed in the SEC Championships started with 66th in 2019, 22nd in 2020 and 10th in 2021. This season she collected the SEC Runner of the Week after her victory in the Chile Pepper Festival.

“Isabel is a returning All-American, she has obviously elevated her expectations, desires, and goals,” said Harter. “She leads by example, and we have young ones who want to serve that role as well. They’ll get a true test on Friday from the SEC. I think that will prep them even more so for the NCAA meet.”

Razorbacks making their debut in the SEC Cross Country Championships include a couple of transfers along with a slew of freshmen. The transfers include Katie McCune and Nyah Hernandez. Five freshmen include Mia Cochran, Mary Ellen Eudaly, Heidi Nielson, Mackenzie Rogers, and Sydney Thorvaldson.

“We are dealing with the departure of four seniors who were key for us in years past and we replaced them with freshmen,” noted Harter. “It’s kind of learn by doing. A lot more of my attention has been on getting this team to jell and be ready to fight a good fight at the SEC meet.”

Cochran and Thorvaldson have each earned a SEC Freshman Runner of the Week accolade as they have alternated being the second and third Razorback in the past three meets.

In a narrow vote during the preseason, SEC coaches selected Alabama as the team favored to win the league title and end the current Razorback streak of victories.

Alabama returns the bulk of its team from a runner-up finish in 2020, led by defending SEC champion Mercy Chelangat, who won the 2020 NCAA title and was runner-up in 2021, as well as Flomena Asekoi (7th) and Amaris Tyyrismaa (8th). The Crimson Tide also has a freshman contender in Hilda Olemomoi.

Two other SEC schools receiving votes in the national top 30 poll includes Kentucky and Ole Miss. The top returning runners for Kentucky are Tori Herman (5th) and Perri Bockrath (13th). Leading returners for Ole Miss include Ryann Helmers (14th) and Kristel van den Berg (21st).

Florida is led by Parker Varby, who recently posted a winning time of 18:58.2 at Texas A&M, which is the fastest time in the SEC this season over 6k.