Gans Creek Classic next journey for Razorback Squad
The second meet of the cross country season will have the Razorbacks traveling to Columbia, Mo., for the Gans Creek Classic held on Saturday, Oct. 3. The women’s race starts at 10 a.m. and will cover 6,000m on the Gans Creek Course.
Arkansas will be part of a four-team field, which is scheduled to include host Missouri, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. No spectators are allowed on the course, so a live stream of the event will be available (https://youtu.be/17CVZ87XKY0). Live results are available online as well (https://live.pttiming.com/XC-PTT.html?mid=2046).
“It’s going to be 6,000 meters, so it’s the first time that we’ve run that distance this season, and then we’ll get to see a couple more SEC teams that we haven’t seen thus far,” said Arkansas women’s head coach Lance Harter.
“So, I think it’s exciting for the kids, as long as we can keep everybody healthy. I know they’re super excited about having a highlight every two weeks in a competition. This team is growing together by every week, and travel really helps stimulate that team bonding. So, we’re looking forward to Columbia, and the weather’s going to be great. It’ll be a traditional fall day.”
Arkansas will field a squad of 17 traveling to Columbia, of which three Razorbacks will race in their first meet of the season.
“Well, I think our depth at LSU kind of showed through and impressed a lot of people, not only in the conference, but also nationally,” noted Harter. “We will add three more to that line-up from the LSU race.
“Krissy Gear, a transfer from Furman, has a lot of national experience. She’s a phenomenal athlete and we’re super excited about her. McKenzie Wilkes, a transfer from KU, is excited about the opportunity to race with this crew. Another transfer is Gracie Hyde, from Central Arkansas, who will get an opportunity to run with the big girls this time. So, we’re looking forward to a great competition.”
In generating a perfect score of 15 points to win the SEC Preview to open the season, the Razorback top five finishers were separated by 19.6 seconds (16:53.7 to 17:13.3) over a 5,000m course. A second group of five Arkansas runners finished within 36.3 seconds (17:31.8 to 18:08.1) of each other.
Among those 10 runners, seven Razorbacks produced a personal best for the 5k distance on a cross country course.
“I think if anything, it’s pretty intimidating to our opposition, and obviously a big confidence boost in that they train together and they race together,” stated Harter. “I think we’re going to have interchangeable parts in the front as the season evolves. Somebody that could be in the top three could end up being number 7-8-9-10 on a given day. We have that type of talent pool, and as coaches we’re really looking forward to watch this continue and evolve.
“That was one of the strengths that we had when we won the national title last year, and it looks like this bonding that’s occurring with this crew is the same situation. Hopefully, it’ll continue to carry over and we’ll continue to try to intimidate.”
Arkansas’ leading group of five was led by freshman Taylor Ewert, who produced a victory in her collegiate debut, and included another freshman Corie Smith in the fifth position. In between were three seniors – Abby Gray, Logan Morris and Lauren Gregory.
Racing at a 6k distance in the Gans Creek Classic, the leading time at that distance among the Razorbacks coming into this season belongs to Gregory at 19:07.9. Following are Morris (20:01.4), Julie Paternain (20:22.7), and Gray (20:27.4).
Two weeks ago, Missouri (63) and Vanderbilt (78) finished third and fourth in the Commodore Classic hosted by Vandy with Kentucky (38) and Alabama (59) placing first and second. Leading runners over a distance of 6,080m included senior Sarah Chapman for Missouri, who was runner-up in 21:07.2, and junior Grace Jensen of Vanderbilt, who placed 11th in 21:44.7.
Missouri’s Gans Creek Course, which opened last year, will serve as the host of the 2021 SEC Championships. The Razorbacks will race on the course for the first time this week.
“Well, we’re super excited about the idea to be able to preview what we’re going to see next year in the SEC Championships and this whole team essentially will be back,” said Harter. “So, that will give them a little bit of a head start.
“This course is supposed to be absolutely fantastic. It’s a collaboration between the University of Missouri athletic department, and the city and county. They had input to be able to design it to make it fan friendly, as well as athlete friendly. It has some elaborate technology, so in every thousand meters you know the time, where you stand, so on and so forth. They did a great job, and we’re looking forward to witnessing it.”
Comments from Arkansas women’s head coach Lance Harter