Fayetteville, AR - On a warm Friday afternoon in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the Bobcats and Lady Cats turned up the heat at the prestigious Chile Pepper Cross-Country Festival. Looking to continue building momentum as the post season meets approach, the Bobcats and the Lady Cats wanted to compete well at the highly competitive, historical meet. The Chile Pepper is always a good measuring stick for where runners stand, and with teams from all over the country in attendance, this year would be no different.

The Lady Cats kicked off the event with the 23 team, 179 runner, 5k race. Missing top runner Emily Staal for the day, the Lady Cats knew they would have to run well to finish high on the leaderboard. The challenge was accepted, and Trinity Sadosky, Rebecca Loya, and Keena Goze answered the call. Sadosky set a new personal record with her time of 19:19.3 and finished in 5th place in the very talented field. Loya also finished in the top ten with her time of 19:23.8 and Keena Goze, who just returned from an injury, finished in the top 15 with her time of 19:52.3. Sarah Alfrink crossed the line with a time of 22:02.9. Naomi Foskett and Garcie Gatton finished nearly side by side, with Foskett logging a time of 23.03.5, and Gatton recording a time of 23.07.3. Rounding out the field for the 5th place team was Jacqui O’Harver with her time of 24:34.8 and Gracie Vestal with her time of 24:58.7.

Finishing above many NCAA DII schools in the meet, the Lady Cats continue their strong season and look to be headed toward a sold finish down the stretch.

The Bobcats competed in the 8k race and Tanner Bailey once again set the pace for the Bobcats with a top ten finish. His time of 26:47.7 was good for a 10th place finish in the field of 272 runners. Drew Rose continued his strong season with a time of 28:37.6 and Cole Chafin recorded a time of 29:55.4. Eric Burns and Alex Frizzell finished back-to-back with Burns logging a time of 31:20.3 and Frizzell crossing the line with a time of 31:21.2. Caleb Fewin finished with a time of 32:16.7, Gabe Whitmen logged a time of 32:44.3, Daniel Chupp crossed the line at the 33:27.6 mark, and Hunter Mckinney finished with a time of 33:59.8.

The Bobcats finished in 17th place overall out of 31 teams, including multiple NCAA Division II schools.

The Bobcats and Lady Cats will get an opportunity for a conference meet tune-up when they travel to Haskell Indian Nations University next Saturday, October 7. The conference meet will be held on the same location later this month, so the Bobcats are looking forward to getting familiar with the course.