The seventh-ranked Arkansas men’s cross country team is preparing to contend for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Cross Country Championship on Friday at the Gans Creek Course in Columbia, Missouri. The event, hosted by the University of Missouri, will feature four nationally ranked programs. The men’s 8,000m race begins at 10:45 a.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network, with live results available at pttiming.com.
Defending conference champion Alabama enters the competition ranked fourth nationally, while Florida is ninth and Tennessee is 18th. Arkansas, the conference standard-bearer with 29 SEC team titles, last won the championship in 2024. The Razorbacks are aiming to rebound from a fourth-place team finish in last year’s meet.
“A lot of coming to Arkansas, being on the track or with the cross country program, our expectation every time we go to SECs is to try to win,” said Razorback head coach Cale Wallace. “We’re ranked seventh and Alabama is ranked fourth. Our expectation is still to go win.”
The Razorbacks have performed well this season against conference rivals. They edged Tennessee to claim first place at the Gans Creek Classic earlier this year and also finished ahead of both Florida and Tennessee at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Wisconsin, taking fourth place overall. Florida and Tennessee finished fifth and 12th at that event, respectively.
Arkansas will rely on its experienced top runners, including Ernest Cheruiyot and Nick Busienei. Cheruiyot, who is still seeking his first cross-country All-American honors, and Busienei, a newcomer to NCAA cross country racing, have been key performers for the team this season.
“Ernest and Nick both feel like they can win the race,” Wallace said. “They’re both physically in that kind of spot. All these guys have something to prove.”
The Razorbacks also boast depth with runners James Sankei, Allen Bonnesen, and Trey Caldwell contributing strong performances throughout the season. During the latter stages of the Nuttycombe Invitational, that trio advanced 280 combined spots between the two-kilometer and eight-kilometer marks, a tactic that impressed Wallace and the coaching staff.
“It showed all the guys that the training we’re doing is working,” Wallace added. “It set us up well for the next couple of weeks heading into conference.”
Arkansas’ squad for the SEC Championship meet will also include Jackson Free, Gavin Genisio, Trenton Sandler, and Eli Seavey. The team is confident but mindful of the competition.
The Razorbacks face stiff challenges from Alabama, which won last year’s SEC title with a 59-point performance, and Florida, which returns its individual conference champion, Kelvin Cheruiyot. Historically, however, Arkansas has dominated the meet, claiming 29 team titles since joining the SEC in 1991. Tennessee, the next most successful program, has 25 championships, though none since 1990.
Wallace noted the team’s significant improvement after starting the year ranked 16th nationally. Now ranked seventh, Arkansas enters with momentum and high expectations. “We’re just going into every race saying there is something to prove, something to show,” Wallace said.
The SEC Cross Country Championships represent not only a chance for the Razorbacks to chase another title but also an opportunity to solidify their position nationally ahead of the NCAA postseason.