JONESBORO, Ark. (10/14/22) – One meet separates the Arkansas State cross country teams from championship season, as they will get a preview of the NCAA South Central Regional Championships site Saturday at the Arturo Barrios Invitational.

Held at the Watts Cross Country Course in Bryan-College Station, the starting gun for the men’s 8K race is set to fire at 9 a.m. CT with the women’s 6K set to start at 9:45 a.m. Forty-one total schools are schedule to run, including Sun Belt Conference foes Louisiana, Texas State and ULM.

TEAMS COMPETING (DIVISION I): Texas A&M (host), Arkansas State, Baylor, Central Arkansas, Florida, Houston, Houston Baptist, Incarnate Word, Kansas City, Kennesaw State, Lamar, Lipscomb, Louisiana, LSU, McNeese State, New Mexico State, New Orleans, Nicholls State, North Texas, No. 24 (women) Ohio State, Prairie View A&M, Rice, Sam Houston, SMU (women), Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State, TCU, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas Southern, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane, ULM, UT Arlington, UTEP, UTRGV, UTSA

THREE THINGS TO NOTE:

1. WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH… – You know how the saying finishes… “the tough get going.” The fields at Arkansas State’s meets this season have progressively gotten stronger as the Sun Belt Conference Championship inch closer, and this week is no different. This week features seven Power-5 foes, including the 24^th-ranked Ohio State women.
2. (ANOTHER) REGIONAL PREVIEW – This week’s field not only includes a plethora of squads A-State will meet in November at the South Central Regional Championships, but the Watts Cross Country Course will also play host to that meet. Thirteen of the top 15 squads in the men’s regional rankings will be competing, while 11 of the top 15 on the women’s side will race. A-State’s men rank fifth in the region, while the women are 12^th.
3. LAST TIME OUT – Arkansas State recorded pair of top-10 team finishes at a highly-competitive Chile Pepper Festival, headlined by 11 personal bests. A-State’s men placed eighth behind Grayson Young’s 17^th-place finish, while the women finished 10^th led by freshman Ann-Marie Braese, who placed 53^rd overall.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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