Women’s Cross Country Finishes Strong in Gans Creek Classic

The Arkansas Razorbacks women’s cross country team continued their robust start to the season at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Missouri, on Saturday.

Lauren Gregory led the Arkansas Razorback women’s cross country team to victory, placing second overall with a time of 20:06.2, helping the Hogs score 20 points in the win during the 6k run.

Senior Sarah Chapman won first place overall in the race for the Missouri Tigers with a 20:01.1.

“It was great to have a total team effort and have everybody on the line for the first time,” Arkansas head coach Lance Harter said in a post-race interview. “This turned out to be an absolutely beautiful course that I think deserves to be a national championship site. Will be here next year for the SEC championships, so this was an opportunity for us to preview what it’s all about.”

Gregory has put up impressive times in the Razorbacks first couple of races.

“Lauren Gregory is starting to show her experience, and, obviously, her talent,” Harter said. “She led the way but was followed closely behind by a mass of Razorbacks. We’re super excited, and, in two weeks, we will have another opportunity when we go to Texas A&M and see some new faces.”

The Mizzou Tigers were the runner-up with 61 points. The Texas A&M Aggies placed third with 72 and the Vanderbilt Commodores finished fourth 93.

Behind Gregory, the scoring Razorbacks were Krissy Gear (20:07.1), Taylor Ewert (20:15.1), Abby Gray (20:20.5) and Corie Smith (20:25.1) at third, fourth and fifth, respectively. Gear and Gray set personal records in the event.

“It was fun of course,” said Gregory. “It reminded me of past courses in Wisconsin or Terre Haute a little bit. we had a plan to just run with a group of Hogs and it worked out. We had a large squad racing today. It's always fun to run with this many girls.”

Arkansas’s domination of the event makes the team huge favorites to win the SEC title

“We’re all just getting back used to racing,” Gregory said. “That first race was just a bit of a shock to everyone’s system. Now it’s, like, kind of refining it and we have something to base it off of, so we’re just working together and getting better.”

Arkansas had three runners place 11th (Meghan Underwood, 20:50.2), 12th (Julia Paternain, 20:53.6) and 13th (Quinn Owen, 20:54.9).

The Arkansas Razorbacks will travel to Texas A&M to compete in the Arturo Barrios Invitational (6k) at College Station on Saturday, Oct. 17.