ACU Cross Country Off to Fayetteville for South Central Region Championship

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The ACU cross country team is among 32 universities taking part in the South Central Region Championship, hosted by the University of Arkansas, on Friday.

The course is familiar to the Wildcats, as they competed in the Chile Pepper Run earlier this year on the Agri Park course. The top two finishing teams from the South Central Region will move to the national meet. Teams that do not qualify by finishing in the top two spots at the regional meet will be vying for one of the 11 at-large national berths. In addition, the top four individual finishers who are not on one of the qualifying teams will also attend the national meet being held in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22.

The men's 10K race will see the top five South Central teams fighting it out for the two automatic sports – Tulane (ranked #23 nationally), Arkansas (ranked #25 nationally), Texas A&M, Stephen F, Austin, and Texas. ACU has been ranked as high as #10 in the South Central Region earlier this year and is currently ranked #11, the highest rankings in the region poll since ACU moved to Division I in 2013. ACU finished 16th in last year's meet, and hopes to improve upon that – fighting to move into the top ten.

The women's 6K race will see the top six South Central teams – LSU (ranked #26 nationally), Tulane (ranked #30 nationally), Texas A&M, SMU, University of Texas, and Arkansas – vying for one of the coveted top two spots. ACU finished 26th in 2024 at the South Central Region championship and compete this Friday to move into the top 20.

The Championship will be held at the Agri Park course on the campus of the University of Arkansas. The women's 6K race will begin at 9 a.m. and the men's 10K race will follow at 10 a.m.


Entries for ACU will include (with last year's placement at the South Central Region Championship where applicable):

MEN – Mark Barajas (90th), Benjamin Castro, Kevin Castruita (28th in 2023), Carlos Cortez (107th), Mikhail Fortner (166th), Vincent Luffey (101st), and Austin Roberts.

WOMEN – Madison Anderson, Audrey Chitwood (159th), Kyla Fuller, Hannah Kasper (115th), Chloe McLellan, Hadley Phillips (163rd), Alyssa Quinones, Saylor Stevenson, and Kate Williams (156th).