FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The John Brown University men's cross-country team competed in the Chile Pepper Festival, hosted by the University of Arkansas at Agri Park, on Saturday morning (Sept. 28).
The men's Prairie Fire Pepper race featured 214 runners on the 8,000-meter course.
The University of Texas at Dallas claimed the team title, scoring 79 points with a total time of 2:17:06.90 and an average of 27:25.38 per runner. Cowley College's Miquel Cruz took the individual win, clocking in at 25:51.0. NorthWest Arkansas Community College followed in second place with 106 points and a total time of 2:18:43.40, while Evangel (Mo.) placed third with 113 points and a team time of 2:19:00.60.
John Brown placed 19th overall in the team standings, accumulating 536 points. The team's total time was 2:39:10.10, averaging 31:50.02 per runner. Although the 1-5 split stood at 3:33, the team still managed to secure a strong finish in a competitive field.
Freshman Jakin Matchell led JBU, finishing 87th overall with a time of 29:54.2. Sophomore Gabriel Pelkey followed, placing 107th in 30:35.1. Senior Arpi Kovacs finished 143rd with a time of 32:26.6, while freshman Justin Akers secured 150th place in 32:46.7. Rounding out the team's top five scorers was freshman Chason Sisovsky, who completed the course in 33:27.5 to finish 164th overall.
Despite a determined effort, the Golden Eagles were without some key contributors at the Chile Pepper Festival. Five runners who had scored for JBU in the team's previous two meets—sophomore Zach Briscoe, freshman Sam Burkett, senior Drew Jazen, junior Matthew Cook, and junior Chase Schermer—were unavailable to race. Their absence was felt, but the team's younger athletes rose to the occasion, gaining valuable racing experience.
The harriers return to the course on Saturday (Oct. 5) when the Golden Eagles host its first meet in program history, scheduled to take place at Pollard Field in Siloam Springs.
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