No. 2 Hogs Look to Secure Third Straight Team Title at OSU Cowboy Jamboree

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 2 Arkansas cross country is looking to win its third-consecutive team title of the 2006 season and its third-straight team title at the OSU Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday. The men’s 8K race will go off at 9:40 a.m.

The OSU Cowboy Jamboree is the longest-running consecutive cross country meet of its kind and will host athletes from over 70 colleges and universities across the country. The historic meet, now in its 70th year, will be held at the Oklahoma State Cross Country Course.

Scheduled to compete for Arkansas this weekend is Kenny Cormier, Colin Costello, Shawn Forrest, Tyler Hill, Peter Kosgei, Daniel LaCava, Scott MacPherson, Jonathan Norris, Adam Perkins, Rio Reina and Seth Summerside.

Headlining the field in Stillwater will be the No. 2 Razorbacks and the hosting No. 9 Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Cowboys are also ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Regional Poll. Also competing, Wichita State and Kansas State are seated at No. 12 and No. 15, respectively, in the Midwest Regional Poll. In the South Central Region, TCU and Houston are seated at No. 8 and No. 14, respectively.

Arkansas will fight for its’ third-consecutive Cowboy Jamboree team title this weekend. Holding on to a lengthy and successful history at the Cowboy Jamboree, the Hogs brought the team trophy back to Fayetteville in 2004-05 and 2001-02. SEC-foe Georgia (85 pts.) spoiled the Razorbacks’ sweep in 2003 when the Bulldogs edged out Arkansas (94 pts.).

Forrest is Arkansas’ top returning finisher at the Cowboy Jamboree in 2005. The Melbourne, Aust. native earned a bronze finish behind All-American Josphat Boit and former UA great Alistair Cragg.

The Hogs held onto their No. 2 spot in the USTFCCCA weekly poll. The defending NCAA Champion Wisconsin Badgers are listed in the No. 1 spot. The Razorbacks were ranked No. 3 in the 2005 preseason poll, sat at No. 1 in the middle of the season and ended 2005 at No. 2.

The Razorbacks are listed at the top of the South Central Regional Rankings ahead of Big 12 powerhouse Texas (No. 2) and No. 3 Lamar of the Southland Conference. LSU is the only other SEC institution in the South Central Region. The Tigers are ranked 11th of the 15 teams.

At the OSU Cowboy Jamboree in 2005, the Razorbacks claimed their fourth-straight team victory of the season when they claimed top honors at the 69th annual Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree with 42 points. Division II powerhouse Abilene Christian came in second place with 106 points and OSU was close behind in third with 112.

Five UA runners finished in the top 25 and leading the way was All-American Boit who won his second-straight Jamboree title. Former UA standout Cragg helped establish a good pace and was not far behind in second with a time of 24:40. Forrest was right on his heels in third place and turned in a 24:44 performance.

Cormier finished ninth overall, but was the seventh among collegians. Hill was the 12th collegiate to finish the race and was 16th overall with a time of 25:50.

Said Ahmed crossed the line in 25th and was Arkansas’ final scorer as the 19th fastest collegiate with a time of 26:10.

Results from the 2006 OSU Cowboy Jamboree can be found at www.okstate.com. For a complete list of this week’s USTFCCCA polls, visit www.ustfccca.org.