Arkansas Teams Favored At Regional Meet (SWN)

The University of Arkansas cross-country and track teams are favored to win the NCAA South Central Regional Championships, which will be held Friday and Saturday in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks’ men’s team is ranked No. 1 in the region and No. 9 in the nation. The women’s team is ranked No. 2 in the region and No. 18 in the nation. In the 10,000-meter race, senior Gabe Gonzales is the favorite to win. He is ranked No. 5 in the nation with a time of 28:31.97. For the women, senior Carina Viljoen is favored to win the 5,000-meter race. She is ranked No. 6 in the nation with a time of 16:11.35.

Arkansas

The University of Arkansas cross country teams are the favorites to win the NCAA South Central Regional Championships, according to the latest regional rankings released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday 2022.

The Razorbacks' men's team is ranked first in the region and second nationally, while the women's team is ranked first in the region and third nationally.

Both teams will compete at the regional championships on Friday, November 10 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The top two teams from each region will advance to the NCAA Cross Country Championships, which will be held on Saturday, November 18 in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Florida

The Florida regional meet will be held on Saturday, February 10th at the University of Florida. The top two teams from each region will advance to the national meet, which will be held on March 3-4 in Birmingham, Alabama.

The defending champion Florida Gators are favored to win the region again this year. They have won the last five national titles and are coached by four-time Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines. The Gators have a strong team this year, led by senior Caeleb Dressel. Dressel is a two-time NCAA champion and was named the SEC Male Swimmer of the Year in 2016. Other top swimmers on the team include junior Corey Main and sophomore Mark Szaranek.

The Clemson Tigers are also strong contenders for the region title. They finished second at last year's regional meet and are coached by three-time Olympian Kim Brackin. The Tigers' top swimmers include junior Louisa Norden and sophomore Vipa Bernhardt.

The Arkansas Razorbacks are also favored to make it to the national meet, as they did last year. They are coached by former Olympic swimmer Jeff Rouse and have a deep roster of talented swimmers. Some of their top performers include senior Will Licon, junior Jack Conger, and sophomore Matt Beisel.

Georgia

The Georgia regional meet will be held on Saturday, February 10th at the University of Georgia in Athens. The top three teams from each regional meet will advance to the national meet.

Arkansas is currently ranked first in the nation and is favored to win the Georgia regional meet. The Arkansas team is led by senior All-American Katelin Rains, who is undefeated this season. Rains won the all-around competition at the SEC meet and is expected to compete for the national title.

The other two teams that are favored to advance to the national meet are Alabama and Florida. Alabama isranked second in the nation and is led by junior All-American Sarah Patterson. Patterson won the all-around competition at the SEC meet and is also expected to compete for the national title.

Florida is ranked third in the nation and is led by senior All-American Ashley Hill. Hill won the floor exercise at the SEC meet and is expected to contend for the national title in that event.

Louisiana

The Louisiana regional meet will be held at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on April 6-8. The top two teams from each region will advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which will be held in Eugene, Oregon, on June 7-10.

The LSU Tigers are the defending national champions and are favored to win the Louisiana regional meet. The Tigers have won nine consecutive outdoor national titles dating back to 2009. LSU is coming off a strong showing at the SEC Championships, where they finished second behind Arkansas.

The other team favored to advance out of the Louisiana region is the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies finished fourth at the SEC Championships and are ranked No. 12 in the latest USTFCCCA poll.

In addition to LSU and Texas A&M, other teams expected to contend for a spot at the NCAA Championships include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi State.

Mississippi

Mississippi will be represented by three teams at the regional meet: Tupelo, Oxford, and Starkville. Tupelo is the defending champion and is favored to repeat. Oxford is the runner-up from last year, and Starkville is the third-place finisher.

Missouri

The Missouri girls’ track and field team is the defending state champion in the 4x800-meter relay, and they’re favored to win it again at the regional meet. The team of seniors Sarah Wilkerson and Kennedy King, junior Abby Griffin, and sophomore Ella Gilchrist ran a time of 9:09.59 at the state meet last year, which was more than four seconds faster than their nearest competition.

This year, the team is seeded first in the event with a time of 9:14.24, which they ran at the conference meet. They’ll be up against second-seeded Bentonville West (9:19.54) and third-seeded Fayetteville (9:21.24).

The Missouri boys’ team is also favored to win the 4x800-meter relay, as they are seeded first with a time of 7:59.44. They’ll be up against second-seeded Fayetteville (8:04.74) and third-seeded Rogers Heritage (8:05.64).