Chile Pepper Festival up next for men?s cross

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 27 Arkansas Razorback men’s cross country will host the 20th annual Chile Pepper Festival, Sat., Oct. 18. The men’s 10K race is set to go off at 9:45 a.m. CST at Agri Park.

Expected to compete at the Chile Pepper Festival are Lane Boyer, Michael Chinchar, Rick Elliott, Eric Fernandez, Daniel LaCava, Scott MacPherson, Alex McClary, Duncan Phillips and Rio Reina.

Also scheduled to compete at the Chile Pepper Festival are Div. II powerhouse No. 1 Abilene Christian, Baylor, Boston College, LSU, Memphis, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oral Roberts, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech and the hosting No. 27 Arkansas Razorbacks, among others.

The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has Arkansas Razorback men’s cross country ranked No. 27 in its most recent poll, it was announced by the association Oct. 14.

Among the Southeastern Conference, Alabama is ranked No. 6 and Auburn sits at 16th. Florida is receiving votes. Oregon is ranked No. 1 in the nation, Oklahoma State is seated second and Colorado rounds out the top three.

Also released earlier this week were the USTFCCCA regional rankings. The Arkansas harriers are seated at No. 3 in the South Central Region behind No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Texas A&M. The top-ranked SEC team in the region, LSU is the only other conference foe listed in the South Central region. The Tigers sit at No. 9.

In 2007, No. 9 Arkansas cross country took the team title at the 19th annual Chile Pepper Festival. The Hogs scored 47 points to finish ahead of Division II powerhouse No. 1 Abilene Christian (74 points).

Of the 259 collegiate runners, the Razorbacks finished five runners in the top 13, six harriers in the top 24 and seven in the top 30. Of the top 10 SEC finishers, Arkansas boasted seven of the top 10 in the race.

For more information on the 20th annual Chile Pepper festival, visit www.chilepepperfestival.org. For more information about Arkansas cross country, visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

Download: 10.18.08 Chile Pepper.pdf