No. 5 Hogs Look to Secure Fourth-Straight Team Title at OSU Cowboy Jamboree

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 5 Arkansas cross country is looking to win its third-consecutive team title of the 2007 season and its fourth-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 71st year, will be held at the Oklahoma State Cross Country Course.

Running for the Razorbacks this weekend will be Chris Barnicle, Lane Boyer, Michael Chinchar, Shawn Forrest, Tyler Hill, Daniel LaCava, Scott MacPherson, Matt Munoz, Duncan Phillips and Rio Reina.

Headlining the field in Stillwater will be the No.5 Razorbacks and the hosting No. 8 Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Cowboys are also ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Regional Poll. In the South Central Region and competing this weekend, UT-Arlington, Houston and TCU are seated at No. 10, No. 12 and No. 13, respectively.

Arkansas will fight for its’ fourth-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 2004-06 and 2001-02. SEC-foe Georgia (85 pts.) spoiled the Razorbacks’ sweep in 2003 when the Bulldogs edged out Arkansas (94 pts.).

MacPherson is Arkansas’ top returning finisher from the Cowboy Jamboree in 2006. The Plano, Texas native earned a seventh-place finish with a time of 24:42.

Arkansas runners hold four of the top five spots on the SEC 8K performance list. MacPherson holds the SEC’s top time at 23:46. Hill is No.2 on the list with a time of 23:48. Forrest ranks third with a 23:54. Munoz is fourth with a 24:15. Freshman Boyer holds the SEC’s top 8K time among freshmen competitors. His leading time of 24:50 sits at No. 11 on the overall performance list.

The Razorbacks sit at No. 5 on the USTFCCCA National poll and No. 1 on the South Central Regional poll. They are the top-ranked SEC team in the nation and in the South Central Region.

The Razorbacks are listed at the top of the South Central Regional Rankings ahead of Big 12 powerhouses Texas (No. 2) and No. 3 Texas A&M. LSU is the only other SEC institution in the South Central Region. The Tigers are ranked seventh of the 15 teams.

At the OSU Cowboy Jamboree in 2006, Arkansas cross country took the team title with 40 points at the OSU Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Okla. Division II powerhouse Abilene Christian came in second with 64 points.

Peter Kosgei was the top harrier for the Hogs with a third-place finish and a time of 24:13. The Razorbacks had four runners finish in the top 10 among the collegiate competition.

Results from the 2007 OSU Cowboy Jamboree can be found at www.okstate.com. For a complete list of this week’s USTFCCCA polls, visit www.ustfccca.org.

Download: 9.29.07 Jamboree.pdf