Arkansas freshman Braelyn Combe turned her first collegiate cross country win into a big conference sweep, landing both SEC Runner of the Week and SEC Freshman of the Week after her performance at the Chile Pepper Festival.
Combe covered the 5,000-meter course at Agri Park in 15:59.0 and won in dramatic fashion, edging UT Arlington sophomore Dorcas Jepkosgei by one tenth of a second at the line. The winning push came late, with Combe closing hard over the final 500 meters and finishing on her final stride.
Jepkosgei had been in control for much of the race, leading Combe by 11 seconds at the 3.5k split. But her raised hands in celebration in the final five meters opened the door, and Combe slipped past for the victory. Jepkosgei finished second in 15:59.1.
The time was good for the third-fastest mark ever at the meet and also set the fastest freshman time ever on the course. Combe topped the previous freshman best of 16:09.4, set in 2023 by Razorback Paityn Noe. The course record remains 15:56.3, shared by Noe and Mia Cochran from the 2024 race.
Jepkosgei’s runner-up finish also connected to last year’s race, when she placed second as a freshman in 16:09.5 behind Razorback Sydney Vaught, who won in 16:03.0.
For Arkansas, it marked the second SEC weekly honor for the women’s team. Isca Chelangat previously earned SEC Runner of the Week after winning the Gans Creek Classic.
The Razorback women are back in action Friday, October 16, at the Arturo Barrios Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M. The Aggies will also host the NCAA South Central Region meet on Friday, November 13.
In Other News...
ProHogs Are Starting To Make Serious Noise On Sundays
Sunday is starting to look like a familiar stage for a growing group of former Arkansas standouts, and Week 3 gave the ProHogs another chance to make their presence felt. Isaac TeSlaa turned in a career-high 95 receiving yards, while Dre Greenlaw piled up 12 tackles and added a forced fumble, the kind of production that keeps Razorback fans tracking the NFL box scores long after their college season ends.
The depth of that alumni list is part of the appeal now, with multiple former Hogs seeing game action across different teams and building out their early-season stat lines. There are more chances coming soon, too, and the next round of matchups should give Arkansas followers another reason to keep an eye on Sundays as this group continues to carve out roles at the pro level. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Catches Tennessee In A Risky Spot Before A Bigger SEC Test
George MacIntyre is about to get his first career start for Tennessee when the Volunteers line up against Arkansas, a development that adds another layer of uncertainty to a game already carrying plenty of weight. MacIntyre stepped in for Faizon Brandon during Tennessees recent win after Brandon went down with a shoulder injury, and now the Vols are handing him the offense with a chance to show he can steady it in a tougher, more visible spot.
For Arkansas, the timing matters because this is the kind of opponent that can expose whether Tennessee has a quarterback situation settled or still in flux. The bigger issue may be waiting one week later, when Alabama comes into view and Tennessees starter there could hinge on Brandons recovery and whatever MacIntyre does in his first outing. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Has Two Early Problems That Could Decide Tennessee Game
Arkansas heads into its matchup with Tennessee knowing the margin for error is thin, and the early issues it needs to clean up are about as basic as they come for a November football game. The Razorbacks have spent the week stressing the need to get more out of the run game, while also shoring up the other side of the ball against a Tennessee rushing attack that could be central to the Vols' plan.
DeSean Bishop looms as the key name in that ground game, especially with Tennessee expected to start backup quarterback George MacIntyre. If the Vols lean more heavily on Bishop, Arkansas will have to be sharper at the point of attack than it has been at times this season, because these kinds of early-down problems can quickly dictate the flow of a game that Tennessee enters as a 13.5-point favorite. [Read more 🡒]