Oct. 15, 2010

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis cross country squads will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., after a week of rest to compete in the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival, the University of Arkansas’ yearly cross country competition. The meet will begin at 9:45 a.m. (CST) with the men’s 10-kilometer race, followed by the women’s eight-kilometer at approximately 10:30 a.m.

Now in its 22nd year, the Chile Pepper Festival will host approximately 4,000 runners in the high school and college ranks this year at the University of Arkansas’ immaculate off-road course. Originally designed to combine three northwest Arkansas races into one large race, the Chile Pepper Festival is now one of the biggest and most prestigious races in the country.

For the Tigers, the extra week of rest served as an extra week of celebration for freshman James Maglasang, who won the Rhodes Invite two weeks ago with a 25:40 mark. It was the first win for a Tiger since Mate Nemeth won the 2004 C-USA Cross Country title.

Sophomore Robert Skinner finished 17th for the Tigers, his best finish as a cross country runner after moving up from the middle distances. Senior Joe Coneo, the Tigers lone upperclassman, was the third-quickest Tiger at 31st overall.

The women’s team had more group success at Rhodes, placing three Lady Tigers in the top 10: freshman Ellen Kildal (sixth), freshman Jenny Johnston (ninth) and junior Jasmine Darden (tenth).

It marked the second top-10 finish for Johnston, who also finished fourth at the UALR Invite, and the first career top-10’s for Kildal and Darden.

That kind of strong top-three will make the Lady Tigers a viable threat at the C-USA Championships, which will be held in Tulsa, Okla., Nov. 1.