Top-Five Finish for No. 9 Razorbacks at Notre Dame
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. –No. 9 Arkansas came away with a fourth-place finish at the Joe Piane Invitational in South Bend, Indiana while being the only team competing with just five runners.
Freshman Lauren Gregory continued to prove herself as one of the top freshman in the Southeastern Conference with her second strong performance of the season. Gregory finished first among Razorbacks, 21st overall, with a time of 16:49.80 in her second race at Arkansas.
“We had some really good runs,” head coach Lance Harter said. “Lauren Gregory in her first big race, first race with key competition. She ran really well, that was very promising.”
The Fort Collins, Colorado native’s time was fourth best among freshmen in the event, and one of just 29 runners to go sub-17:00.00 in a field of 135. At the Riverside Invitational (Sept. 16), Gregory’s performance garnered SEC Freshman Runner of the Week honors after being the top overall freshman in the 6K.
The Razorbacks placed three other runners in the top-40, with senior Nikki Hiltz finishing just behind Gregory in 26th with a time of 16:55.10. Sophomore Carina Viljoen finished 32nd with a time of 17:02.90 while junior Devin Clark rounded out Arkansas’ top-40 performers with a time of 17:09.10, good for a 36th place finish.
Arkansas faced Alabama for the second time this season, with all five Razorbacks finishing ahead of the fastest Crimson Tide runner.
Team Results (Top Five)
1. No. 1 Colorado – 47 (3-7-9-10-18)
2. No. 3 New Mexico – 51 (1-2-6-8-34)
3. No. 7 North Carolina State – 118 (13-16-19-23-47)
4. No. 9 Arkansas – 171 (21-26-32-36-56)
5. No. 27 Utah – 190 (4-29-30-58-69)
Arkansas Results (Overall)
21. Lauren Gregory – 16:49.80
26. Nikki Hiltz – 16:55.10
32. Carina Viljoen – 17:02.90
36. Devin Clark – 17:09.10
57. Therese Haiss – 17:27.60
Arkansas was the only team to race just five runners in South Bend, as the rest of the women’s cross country team will compete in the 29th annual Chile Pepper Festival tomorrow morning at Agri Park.
2017 Cross Country Schedule
Fri, Sept. 1 – Cowboy Duals (Stillwater, Okla.) 2nd of 4
Sat, Sept. 16 – Riverside Invitational (Riverside, Calif.) 1st of 29
Sat, Sept. 16 – Southern Stampede (Joplin, Mo.) 5th of 32
Fri, Sept. 29 – Joe Piane/Notre Dame Invitational (South Bend, Ind.) 4th of 20
Sat, Sept. 30 – Chile Pepper Festival (Agri Park)
Sat, Oct. 14 – Pre-Nationals (Louisville, Ky.)
Fri, Oct. 27 – SEC Championship (Athens, Ga.)
Fri, Nov. 10 – NCAA South Central Regional (College Station, Texas)
Sat, Nov. 18 – NCAA Championship (Louisville, Ky.)
For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.
