No. 23 Arkansas is headed back to the NCAA Championships after taking the team title at the NCAA South Central Regional on Texas A&M’s Watts course in College Station.
The Razorbacks piled up 51 points to finish well clear of SMU, which scored 109. Stephen F. Austin followed with 113, and Tulane came in at 115.
This was another familiar result for Arkansas at the regional level. The victory was the program’s 29th at the meet, and its 14th title in the last 15 regional competitions. The Razorbacks also stayed perfect in College Station, improving to 9-for-9 in District VI and South Central Regional meets held there.
Sophomore Isca Chelangat paced Arkansas with a third-place finish, covering the 6,000-meter course in 19:06.2. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Elizabeth Khatevi repeated as individual champion in 18:58.2, while Baylor’s Ruth Kimeli was second in 19:06.1.
Arkansas packed the standings behind Chelangat. Paityn Noe, last year’s South Central champion, was eighth in 19:34.5.
Josphine Mwaura and Braelyn Combe followed in 11th and 12th, posting times of 19:52.1 and 19:53.5. Combe was the top freshman in the field.
Gabbie Bishop sealed the team score with a 17th-place finish in 20:02.5, making her the second-best freshman in the race. Emma Chepngetich and Marissa Ferebee rounded out the Razorbacks’ lineup, placing 19th in 20:04.7 and 55th in 20:53.2.
In all, six Arkansas runners earned All-Region honors by finishing inside the top 25.
The Razorbacks will race at the NCAA Championships next Saturday, November 21, in Terre Haute, Indiana.
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Arkansas Got The Bid It Needed But A New Concern Emerged
Arkansas did what it needed to do at Texas A&Ms Watts course, finishing second at the NCAA South Central Regional and locking up an automatic trip to the NCAA Championships for the 14th straight year. Nick Busienei and Ernest Cheruiyot set the tone at the front of the race, going first and second individually, and Busieneis win extended the Razorbacks run of regional dominance with a fifth straight South Central Regional victory by an Arkansas runner.
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Jordan Smith Jr. also made his presence felt with eight points on perfect shooting, while Miikka Muurinen chipped in four points and helped on the defensive end. For Arkansas, the broader takeaway goes beyond the halftime margin: the Razorbacks are getting useful production from multiple pieces, and Richmonds offensive rhythm is the kind of development that can change the feel of a game quickly. [Read more 🡒]