Oct. 13, 2010
FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas - Racing in the 22nd annual Chile Pepper Festival on Saturday morning will offer Texas A&M cross country teams a final test prior to the Big 12 Championships at the end of the month.
The Chile Pepper Festival, hosted by Arkansas on its Agri Park course, will feature five men's teams and four women's teams currently ranked in the top 30 national poll. The event, with a field of 40-plus schools, starts with a 10,000-meter race for the men at 9:45 a.m. followed by a 5,000-meter race for the women at 10:30 a.m.
Leading the men's field is No. 2 Oklahoma State along with No. 6 Arkansas, No. 7 Indiana, No. 16 Oklahoma and No. 21 Tulsa. The women's field is led by Tulsa with a No. 21 ranking followed by No. 24 Indiana, No. 25 Arkansas and No. 28 Oklahoma State.
In addition there will be 10 men's teams and nine women's that rank among the top 15 from the South Central Region, where the Aggies are No. 3 in the men's poll and No. 5 in the women's poll.
Texas A&M, who won the Chile Pepper Festival men's team title two years ago, will compete with nine men and nine women this weekend. MacLean O'Donnell and Kevin Burnett, who have combined to lead the squad during the first three meets, headline the Aggie contingent along with Will Barry and Jimmy Welin.
Five freshmen runners will make their debut over 10,000 meters among the Aggie men competing. That group includes Henrik Ingebrigtsen, Ryan Miller and Nathan Parker. Ingebrigtsen, a native of Norway, will contest his first race in A&M gear.
Katherine Devlin, the top Aggie finisher in three consecutive meets this season, headlines the A&M crew competing over a shorter distance of 5,000-meters this weekend. The women have contested courses covering 6,000 meters so far this season.
Joining Devlin in Arkansas are Itzel Cetina, Colbea Harris, Amanda Jenkins, Kasey McNorton, Haley Parson, Natosha Rogers, Gabby Salazar and Tara Upshaw, who makes her debut for this season.
This is the final regular season meet for Texas A&M prior to the Big 12 Championships, which will be held on October 30 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, with Oklahoma State serving as the host school.
Chile Pepper Festival - Teams Entered
Adams State, Alabama-Birmingham, Alabama-Huntsville, Arkansas, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Arkansas-Little Rock, Arkansas State, Auburn, Dallas Baptist, Central Arkansas, Harding, Houston, Houston Baptist, Indiana, Lipscomb, LSU, Massachusetts, McNeese State, Memphis, Mississippi Valley State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, SMU, South Dakota, Southern Mississippi, Texas-Arlington, Texas-Pan American, Texas-San Antonio, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, TCU, Trinity, Tulane, Tulsa, West Texas A&M, and Wyoming.
National Rankings - Men's Teams in Chile Pepper Festival
2. Oklahoma State, No. 1 Midwest
6. Arkansas, No. 1 South Central
7. Indiana, No. 1 Great Lakes
16. Oklahoma, No. 2 Midwest
21. Tulsa, No. 3 Midwest
South Central Region - (10 teams at Chile Pepper Festival)
1. Arkansas
2. Texas
3. Texas A&M
4. Lamar
5. McNeese State
6. Baylor
7. Arkansas-Little Rock
8. Stephen F. Austin
9. Rice
10. TCU
11. Houston
12. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
13. UT-Pan American
14. LSU
15. UT-Arlington
National Rankings - Women's Teams in Chile Pepper Festival
21. Tulsa, No. 2 Midwest
24. Indiana, No. 3 Great Lakes
25. Arkansas, No. 1 South Central
28. Oklahoma State, No. 3 Midwest
South Central Region - (9 teams at Chile Pepper Festival)
1. Arkansas
2. Rice
3. Texas
4. Baylor
5. Texas A&M
6. SMU
7. Stephen F. Austin
8. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
9. TCU
10. UT-Arlington
11. Lamar
12. McNeese State
13. Houston
14. Tulane
15. Nicholls State