Men's @RazorbackTF Jumps to No. 21 in Final USTFCCCA Poll

NEW ORLEANS – On Monday, the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced its final Top 30 Poll of the 2014 season and the Arkansas men’s cross country team closed out the regular season ranked No. 21 in the nation.

Head coach Chris Bucknam’s team moves up three spots from last week’s USTFCCCA Top 30 Poll after his team won its second-consecutive NCAA South Central Region Title. Arkansas will go into this Friday’s NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., as the No. 21-ranked team.

Last Friday, the Razorbacks captured their second-consecutive NCAA South Central Regional Championship with an outstanding display that saw Arkansas post four runners inside the top 10. The Razorbacks posted 42 points to outlast a strong Texas squad, who collected 51 points, to earn one of the two automatic bids to the NCAA Championship and capture the program’s 34 NCAA Regional Title.

Arkansas’ performance at the NCAA South Central Region race produced six NCAA All-Region selections, as senior Stanley Kebenei set the pace the entire race to capture back-to-back NCAA South Central Region Individual Titles.  Kebenei completed the 10-kilometer course at Agri Park in 29:08.10 to seize his third individual event title of 2014.

There was a great deal  movement inside the USTFCCCA Top 5 in this week’s poll, but it was defending NCAA National Championship, Colorado, who stayed put as they picked up all 12 first-place votes to remain on top of the rankings. Syracuse and Oregon flipped spots, as the Orange jump up to No. 2 and the Ducks fell to No. 3. Oklahoma State remained idle at four and Villanova moved up two spots to claim the poll’s fifth slot.

The Arkansas men’s cross country team concludes its 2014 campaign on the sport’s biggest stage, as they’ll travel to Terre Haute, Ind., to participate in the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championship. Race time from Wabash Valley Family Sports Center set for 12 p.m. Check back with ArkansasRazorbacks.com later this week for a full preview on the Championship Race.

For more information on the Arkansas men’s cross country team, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.