Gear leads Razorbacks to ninth win in a row in annual home event, NAIA men’s national champion Talbi takes 8-kilometer race, with Division 2 top-ranked Colorado School of Mines showing strength against rivals, along with Arkansas

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Arkansas continued its impressive run of women’s victories Friday at the 33rd Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival, but the Razorbacks didn’t have enough depth in the McDonnell Memorial College men’s 8-kilometer race to match up against the top NAIA runner and a trio of strong NCAA Division 2 programs.

Krissy Gear, eight days removed from being slowed by back spasms during a team trip to the Bill Dellinger Invitational in Eugene, Ore., prevailed in the women’s 5-kilometer race in 16 minutes, 24.3 seconds at the University of Arkansas course at Agri Park.

RESULTS | WATCH LIVE WEBCAST SATURDAY OF CHILE PEPPER CROSS COUNTRY FESTIVAL

Gear led five Razorbacks in the top 20 to cruise to a 45-132 victory over Tulsa, helping Arkansas win for the ninth time in a row at its annual home event. The Razorbacks won every year from 2012-19, before last year’s meet featured only high school competition.

Gracie Hyde was seventh in 17:09.7, Carmine Prinsloo earned eighth in 17:14.5, Corie Smith placed 11th in 17:18.8 and Julia Paternain took 18th in 17:27 for Arkansas, which rested several top competitors following a third-place finish Sept. 23 in Oregon.

Katy-Ann McDonald of LSU was runner-up in 16:50.5, Erika Freyhof of Nebraska took third in 16:52.1, Pauline Meyer of Arkansas State finished fourth in 16:58.6 and Katie Doucette of Division 2 program Western Colorado secured fifth in 17:06.7.

Caroline Miller placed 10th for Tulsa in 17:16.1.

Augustana of South Dakota, ranked No. 4 in Division 2, was third overall with 185 points, just ahead of Nebraska (187) and LSU (191). Colorado School of Mines, ranked No. 2 in Division 2, had 205 points to finish just ahead of No. 17 CSU Pueblo (206).

Colorado School of Mines, the top-ranked men’s program in Division 2, placed five scorers in the top 15 to produce a 39-131 victory over No. 4 Augustana, with No. 18 Western Colorado finishing third with 178 points.

Arkansas and Alabama-Huntsville, the No. 8 program in Division 2, tied at 192 points, with the Razorbacks prevailing on the head-to-head tiebreaker. Arkansas, ranked No. 8 in Division 1, also rested several veteran athletes in its lineup.

Zouhair Talbi of Oklahoma City, the reigning NAIA men’s cross country champion, managed to hold off the challenges of a pair of Colorado School of Mines athletes, along with Arkansas sophomore Myles Richter, to prevail in the McDonnell Memorial 8-kilometer competition in 23:28.5.

Talbi helped Oklahoma City finish seventh overall with 297 points.

Richter was second in 23:33.5, with Dillon Powell (23:39.7) and Dylan Ko (23:44) finishing third and fourth for Colorado School of Mines. Loic Scomparin placed seventh in 24:03.6, Kyle Moran was 12th in 24:14.6 and Luke Julian secured 14th in 24:21 for the Orediggers, who had seven athletes total in the top 20 overall in comparison to one for runner-up Augustana.

Gudisa Adnow of Fort Scott Community College in Kansas won the men’s Prairie Fire Pepper 8-kilometer race in 25:09.9, with Southwest Baptist prevailing against Oklahoma Baptist by a 56-81 margin.

Brady Bauder finished fourth in 26:00.1 and Tyler Goatley secured sixth in 26:02.1 for Southwest Baptist.

Kenya Bailey of Oklahoma Christian triumphed in the women’s Prairie Fire Pepper 5-kilometer competition in 17:55.6, but it wasn’t enough to lead the Eagles to the team victory, as Hastings College held on for a 90-91 victory.

Despite having its fifth scorer finish 47th overall, Hastings College had four athletes place in the top 20. Oklahoma Christian had five scorers place in the top 30, including two in the top 10, but it wasn’t enough support for Bailey’s performance.