No. 12 Razorbacks to Open Season in Stillwater

August 30, 2017

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.– The Arkansas women’s cross country team is set to begin its 2017 season Friday, Sept. 1 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. to compete in the Cowboy Preview.

The Razorbacks head into the new year ranked No. 1 in the South Central region, and No. 12 in the country, announced by the USTFCCCA earlier this week. A Southeastern Conference poll of the leagues head coaches was released Monday, unanimously projecting Arkansas to finish first at the 2017 SEC Championships.

The 2016 season concluded with Arkansas taking first place at the SEC Championship as well as the NCAA Regionals, with a 19^th place finish at the NCAA Championships. Among the top overall returners from last season are Devin Clark, Taylor Werner, and Abby Gray. Clark finished first at the NCAA Regionals, while Werner earned All-American honors and Gray was named SEC Freshman of the Year.

Katie Adams, Micah Huckabee, Emily Jeacock, Kailee Sawyer and Grace Taylor return to Stillwater after racing in the Duals last season, with Huckabee leading the way finishing 8^th at the meet with a time of 10:48.20.

Sydney Brown will make her season debut after placing in the top-20 at three races during the 2016 season, including the NCAA South Central Regionals, which earned her All-Region honors.

Head coach Lance Harter will also take five new faces to Stillwater in Payton Brown, Tess Iler, Alex Ritchey, Greta Taylor and Ruth Wiggins who will be racing for the first time donning the cardinal and white.

Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Tulsa will join Arkansas in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Cowboys are the only other national ranked team at this weekend’s meet, coming in at No. 21. The Cowboys rank No. 3 in the Midwest Region, while the Sooners rank No. 7 and the Golden Hurricane, No. 10.

The first race is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Friday.

2017 Cross Country Schedule
Fri, Sept. 1 – Cowboy Duals (Stillwater, Okla.)
Sat, Sept. 16 – Riverside Invitational (Riverside, Calif.)
Sat, Sept. 16 – Southern Stampede (Joplin, Mo.)
Sat, Sept. 30 – Chile Pepper Festival (Agri Park)
Sat, Sept. 30 – Notre Dame Invitational (South Bend, Ind.)
Sat, Oct. 14 – Pre-Nationals (Louisville, Ky.)
Fri, Oct. 27 – SEC Championship (Athens, Ga.)
Fri, Nov. 10 – NCAA South Central Regional (College Station, Texas)
Sat, Nov. 18 – NCAA Championship (Louisville, Ky.)

For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.