No. 15 Razorbacks second at Stanford Invitational

FAYETTEVILLE – Paced by three top-10 finishes, the No. 15 University of Arkansas men’s cross country team earned a second-place finish Saturday morning at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. Sophomore Solomon Haile was Arkansas’ top finisher with a sixth-place result as the Razorbacks totaled 43 team points. All five of Arkansas’ point earners placed in the top 12.

"I’m very pleased with our effort today," head coach Chris Bucknam said. "Our guys got in there and mixed it up in a strong field of teams but ran a smart race and were in control of ourselves. I think we are in a good place for this point of the season. We still have some things to work on but this should be a good indication of what’s to come for us, as a team."

Arkansas finished 11 points behind host and top-ranked Stanford. The Razorbacks finished ahead of third-place Northern Arizona, the No. 4 team in the latest USTFCCCA national poll.

Haile navigated the 8K course in a time of 23:30. The time is a personal best over that distance for the Silver Springs, Md., native. He was followed closely by senior Dorian Ulrey. Making his season debut for the Razorbacks, Ulrey clocked a career-best time of 23:38, good for a seventh-place finish.

Senior Lane Boyer and sophomore Eric Fernandez rounded out Arkansas’ top-10 point performers. Boyer finished 10th overall in a time of 23:50 while Fernandez clocked in at 23:52 for an 11th-place effort. The final points came from Michael Chinchar and his 12th-place finish. He crossed the finish line in 23:56.

"Our top five ran really well together as a team," Bucknam said. "Across the board, we had guys turn in really good races. To have our top five separated by just 26 seconds is outstanding."

Running in his first race as a Razorback, freshman Bryan Cantero finished 17th overall in a time of 24:13. Junior transfer Dey Tuach posted a time of 24:32 and finished 34th overall. The rest of Arkansas’ lineup included, in order, junior Duncan Phillips (58th overall, 25:02) and senior Pat Russell (118th, 25:48).

The Razorbacks also had a ‘B’ entry which was paced by sophomore Aaron Hamilton. The Rogers, Ark., native finished 75th overall with a time of 25:13. Sophomore Michael Golden turned in a time of 25:26 and an 88th overall placing.

Following a two-week break from competition, the Razorbacks will return to action Oct. 16 at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville at Agri Park. The men’s 10K race is scheduled for a 9:45 a.m. (CT) start. For more information and continued coverage, log on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

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