JONESBORO, Ark. (9/28/23) – Arkansas State cross country is set for its toughest test to date on Friday, as it competes in the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Ark.

The meet will be held at the University of Arkansas’ Agri Park, and serves as a preview of the NCAA South Central Regional Championships site. A-State will compete against 14 regional opponents on the men’s side and 13 in the women’s race. The men’s field features eight of the top 15 teams in the region, while the women’s field includes four of the top 10.

A-State’s women will compete in the “Harter’s Habanero” 5K at 4:30 p.m., while the men will race in the McDonnell Memorial 8K at 5 p.m. – a race that features a pair of top-25 teams (No. 20 Tulsa and No. 22 Arkansas). Live results can be found here, while a live stream will be available on Runnerspace.com.

3 THINGS TO KNOW:

1.     REGIONAL PREVIEW: Friday’s races serves as a bit of a preview for the NCAA South Central Regional Championships (Nov. 10). The meet will be held at the same site, with 14 men’s teams from the region and 13 women’s teams set to compete.

2.     CLEAN SWEEP IN MEMPHIS: Arkansas State swept the team titles at the Rhodes Invitational the last time out. Both teams combined for 14 top-15 finishers, with the men finishing with 28 points and the women accounting for 33. Cash Kunkel led the men’s team with a third-place finish, running a career-best 25:21.5 in the 8K, while freshman Abbey Coberly paced the women’s squad with a season-best 5K mark of 19:00.4 to place fifth overall.

3.     RETURN TO CHILE PEPPER: A-State is making its third consecutive appearance in the Chile Pepper Festival, its fourth in the last five seasons. Last year, the men placed eighth in the team standings, while the women placed 10^th.

NEXT UP

After Friday’s competition, the Red Wolves return to action on Friday, Oct. 13, at the Arturo Barrios Invitational in Bryan-College Station, Texas.

SOCIAL MEDIA

For the latest on the A-State track and field and cross country programs, follow @AStateTrack on Twitter and @Arkansas_State_Track on Instagram, while also liking the team’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateTrackAndField.