No. 9 Razorbacks Take Top-3 Finish In Louisville

October 14, 2017

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Paced by two All-SEC seniors, the Arkansas women’s cross country team took third place at the pre-nationals in Louisville against top-ranked competition.

Saturday’s race was one of Arkansas’ most complete performances of the season, finishing ahead of six top-25 programs, including No. 4 Michigan, while Nikki Hiltz and Theresa Haiss set personal records in the 6K.

“It’s fantastic,” head coach Lance Harter said. “We knew we had our hands full to say the least, there were nine teams in the top-25. To come in here and knock off a bunch of those power teams and getting closer to No. 1 and No. 2, it’s absolutely fantastic.”

Hiltz led the way for the Razorbacks finishing 20^th overall with a time of 20:15.20, while Haiss finished 25^th at 20:21.40 as the two seniors were the Razorbacks’ only top-25 finishers Saturday morning.

“I took a step forward today,” Haiss said. “I wasn’t afraid to put myself out there, and it paid off. Hopefully everyone else will be able to follow that too. I’ll keep with that in the future.”

Freshman Lauren Gregory continued to show why she is one of the top underclassmen in the country, finishing as the fourth overall freshman in 39^th-place with a time of 20:32.70 against 288 of the nation’s top runners. Sophomore’s Carina Viljoen and Taylor Werner rounded out Arkansas’ scoring Saturday morning, with Viljoen placing in 31^st at 20:28.00. Werner came in at 43^rd with a time of 20:39.50.

Team Results (Top Five)
1. No. 2 Oregon – 63 (3-5-13-14-28)
2. No. 1 Colorado – 91 (2-15-19-21-34)
3. No. 9 Arkansas – 148 (18-23-29-37-41)
4. No. 19 Utah State – 214 (7-44-47-49-67)
5. No. 4 Michigan – 235 (10-20-31-83-91)

Arkansas Results (Overall)
20. Nikki Hiltz – 20:15.20
25. Therese Haiss – 20:21.40
31. Carina Viljoen – 20:28.00
39. Lauren Gregory – 20:32.70
43. Taylor Werner – 20:39.50
55. Devin Clark – 20:47.90
56. Ashton Endsley – 20:48.70

Notable Participants (USTFCCCA Coaches Poll)
No. 1 Colorado
No. 2 Oregon
No. 4 Michigan
No. 9 Arkansas
No. 12 Ole Miss
No. 16 BYU
No. 19 Utah State
No. 24 Missouri
No. 25 Georgia

Arkansas had another preview against Southeastern Conference competition with No. 25 Georgia, No. 12 Ole Miss, Missouri, Tennessee competing in Louisville as Arkansas finished well ahead of league foes Saturday.

SEC Participant Results (Points)
3. No. 9 Arkansas – 148
6. No. 25 Georgia – 236
9. No. 12 Ole Miss – 360
24. No. 24 Missouri – 666
33. Tennessee – 820

Up Next
The Razorbacks will take a two week break before returning for postseason action in Athens, Georgia for the Southeastern Conference Championships where Arkansas will look to win its 15^th consecutive league title.

2017 Cross Country Schedule
Fri, Sept. 1 – Cowboy Duals (Stillwater, Okla.) | 2^nd of 4
Sat, Sept. 16 – Riverside Invitational (Riverside, Calif.) | 1^st of 29
Sat, Sept. 16 – Southern Stampede (Joplin, Mo.) | 5^th of 32
Fri, Sept. 29 – Notre Dame Invitational (South Bend, Ind.) | 4^th of 20
Sat, Sept. 30 – Chile Pepper Festival (Agri Park) | 1^st of 45
Sat, Oct. 14 – Pre-Nationals (Louisville, Ky.) | 3^rd of 43
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.