UCAFANS.COM | GO UCA BEARS!

Teams travel to Memphis for the Twilight Meet on Saturday, 9/4...this is a unique meet hosted by Christian Brothers at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex....high school races start at 5:30pm and college women run at 9:20pm and college men at 10pm...nice setup on grass and finishing in the soccer stadium... excellent regional college meet that typically has solid competition with D1, D2 and D3 teams including some SEC teams...

Both teams at home on 9/11 for the UCA Meet at Beaverfork park....

Harriers may be a bit thin this season compared to recent years but should still be very competitive if they can stay healthy.....

CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas Bears Cross Country teams are headed to Memphis, Tennessee tomorrow for the Memphis Twilight. The women's race starts at 9:20 p.m. and the men's race starts at 10 p.m. This meet includes a wide variety of runners, including college, high school, and middle school teams for an eventful evening of racing. The course is unique as it is held at night with the only lighting coming from stadium lights. This course travels across a multitude of sports fields creating new scenery for the route. The Memphis Twilight was canceled last year, but is ready for action this year.

The bears have a great mix of new and returning runners for the 2021 season.

The newcomers for the men are Johnny Cordero, River Hill, William Ryan-Johnson, Jackson Salsman, and Tomas Thompson; and sophomore Christian Tamura. The incoming freshman for the women's team are Jewel Baer, Ashlyn Floyd, Isabel Lynch, Ali Nachtigal, Felisa Saheib, Emma Selph.

The Bears have a lot of returning talent that will lead our teams in a strong season.

Returning runners for the men's team include, juniors Niklas Iking, Parker Jackson, Walter Reed, and Simon Schneider; seniors Jesse Applewhite, Brett Borchert, Thomas Cain, Hunter Henderson, and Tate Whaley, and grad students Philipp Haessner, and Alex Hanson.

The returning runners for the women's team are sophomores Anna Bommes and Marie Møller Schmidt, juniors Bekah Bostian, Anna Jeffcoat, and Sara Steimel, and senior Sarah Grace Meek.

From the coach – Head Coach Beau Theriot
"We are really looking forward to seeing how much our large summer training block has paid off. Our guys and gals have put in hundreds, even thousands of miles since their last competition. I am looking forward to seeing how our newcomers gel with our returners, as we are attempting to run as a pack for the majority of the race. If we work together and are aggressive in getting towards the front, then it will be a successful race from a coaching perspective."
The women are ranked No. 8 in the Preseason South Central Region and the men are ranked No. 11. The Bears will no doubt make us proud this season. Go Bears!

https://ucasports.com/news/2021/8/30/womens-cross-country-bears-ranked-eighth-eleventh-in-south-central-region-by-ustfccca.aspx

Good bet that Arkansas will be the top teams...Texas typically very good.......A- State men are ranked #3 which does not surprise me after seeing their distance runners on the track last spring....I hope to see UCA run at the Chile Pepper festival in Fayetteville coming up in Fayetteville......always a good benchmark for the season....never a lack of good competition....

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its preseason rankings for the 2021 cross country season. The Central Arkansas women's cross country team landed at the No. 8 spot in the South Central Region, while the men's squad is ranked 11th.

The Bears find themselves ranked the highest in program history in the preseason rankings. UCA usually cracks the rankings in the middle of the season, once both teams have hit their strides.

The UCA women are two-time defending Southland Conference Champions and return three all-conference honorees for the 2021 season. Tamara Reeves, Sara Steimel and Kennedy Timmerman pace the Bears as the team's top-three finishers at the final Southland Championship for UCA. Reeves and Steimel earned second-team honors as they finished sixth and 10th, respectively. Timmerman added a 13th-place finish and a third-team accolade. The Bears return six of the seven runners who competed at the conference meet.

Alex Hanson leads the men's team with a third-team all-conference honor from the previous season. Hanson set the best time in UCA history on the 8K course. The Bears return five of the six runners that competed in the conference meet from a season ago. Thomas Cain and Jared Hamilton round out the top-three returners from last season's conference meet.

UCA opens the 2021 campaign at the Memphis Twilight on Saturday, Sept. 4.

From the Coach – Head Coach Beau Theriot
"It's incredible to be ranked so well on the men's and women's side in the preseason. UCA has never started a season ranked so well, but we are very deserving of that ranking. I look forward to moving up the list as the season progresses."

Preseason Women's Cross Country South Central Region
1. Arkansas
2. Texas
3. Rice
4. Baylor
5. LSU
6. Texas A&M
7. Arkansas State
8. Central Arkansas
9. UT-Arlington
10. Abilene Christian
11. New Orleans
12. UIW
13. Stephen F. Austin
14. McNeese
15. Texas State

Preseason Men's Cross Country South Central Region
1. Arkansas
2. Texas
3. Arkansas State
4. Rice
5. LSU
6. Texas A&M
7. New Orleans
8. Lamar
9. McNeese
10. North Texas
11. Central Arkansas
12. UT-Arlington
13. Stephen F. Austin
14. Abilene Christian
15. UIW

Useful first outing.....probably warm and humid even at night but what XC runners call a "fair course" meaning distance as advertised and no ridiculous hills or barriers....for reference, top D1 times over 5k XC would be about 14 minutes for men and 16 for women....neither team finished behind any team that would not be expected other than Lee University of Tennessee....I will have to do some reading on them but TN and KY have lots of small schools who have from time to time very good XC...it only takes 6-7 runners....Men finished behind UA-Huntsville but UAH has long had solid XC and was our nemesis in the D2 Gulf South days....Huntsville is a great place to train for XC....SugarBears nearly finished ahead of Memphis and Miss State...Men did get ahead of Alabama, Memphis and Western KY.....

Keep an eye on FR Ali Nachtigal for SugarBears..she is a product of the Rogers XC and track program and had a tremendous career for the Lady Mounties...not only a talented distance runner but very competitive racer....pretty sure she ran better than 19:02 for 5K in high school....it can take a while to get used to college training routines...all of them need to peel off time before conference but they will have their opportunities coming up....


MEMPHIS, Tennessee. – The University of Central Arkansas Cross Country team traveled to Memphis, Tennessee for the Memphis Twilight meet on Saturday, Sept. 4. The women raced at 9:20 p.m. and the men raced at 10 p.m. The men's team was led by Thomas Cain who placed 19th and the women's team was led by Sara Steimel who placed 15th.

The freshman set their personal records in their first meet and set their times to beat for the rest of the season.

Women's Results
The women's team placed eighth with a score of 195. Sara Steimel placed 15th with a time of 18:23.07. Freshman Ali Nachtigal followed close behind with a time of 19:02.27, placing 34th. Following that, Freshman Felisa Saheib placed 41st with a time of 19:10.93. Freshman Emma Selph placed 50th with a time of 19:28.03. Marie Møller Schmidt finished 60th with a time of 19:39.86. Following that, Bekah Bostian had a time of 19:44.31 in the 63rd spot. With a time of 19:49.72, Anna Bommes placed 69th. Anna Jeffcoat placed 86th with a time of 20:12.47. Sarah Grace Meek had a time of 20:35.98 in the 103rd spot. Trailing the pack in the 135th spot, Freshman Ashlyn Floyd had a time of 21:32.01.

Men's Results
The men's team placed fifth with a score of 148. Thomas Cain led the team with a time of 20:13.47 for the 19th spot. Alex Hanson had a time of 20:34.17 for the 31st spot. Parker Johnson followed in 33rd with a time of 20:35.92. Hunter Henderson had a time of 20:38.87 in the 38th spot. In 40th, Tate Whaley had a time of 20:41.92. With a time of 20:47.12, Freshman Christian Tamura finished in 42nd. Freshman William Ryan-Johnson finished in 45th with a time of 20:53.36. Following that, Simon Schneider finished in 70th with a time of 21:22.57. Philipp Haessner had a time of 21:46.45 for the 89th spot. With a time of 21:51.62, Freshman River Hill finished in 94th. Following that, Niklas Iking had a time of 21:56.33 for the 98th spot. Jesse Applewhite finished in 107th with a time of 22:10.03. In 119th, Freshman Jackson Salsman had a time of 22:21.04. Following that, Freshman Johnny Cordero finished 129th with a time of 22:30.66. In 133rd, Brett Borchert finished 22:36.08. Trailing the pack, Freshman Tomas Thompson finished 200th with a time of 25:38.37.

From the Coach – Head Coach Beau Theriot
"We had a good opening to the season. Both teams worked extremely well together. We had a handful of PR's which is always nice on the season opener. Looking forward to what we can do."

Women's Team Results
Ole Miss – 38
Mid. Tenn State – 80
Lee (Tenn.) – 82
Alabama – 122
Western Kentucky – 166
Miss State – 184
Memphis – 189
Central Arkansas – 195
Arkansas Tech – 214
UAB – 230
Alabama-Huntsville – 278
Montevallo – 332
Rhodes – 365
Southern Arkansas – 419
Christian Bros. – 441
Union (Tenn.) – 442
Auburn Montgomery – 452
West Florida – 501
Health Sciences and Pharm – 519
Hendrix – 643
Marion Military Institute – 660
LeMoyne-Owen – 711


Men's Team Results
Lee (Tenn.) – 44
Alabama-Huntsville – 68
Ole Miss – 93
Mid Tenn. State – 107
Central Arkansas – 148
Memphis – 170
Alabama – 175
Montevallo – 249
Western Kentucky – 251
Christian Bros. – 310
Auburn Montgomery – 355
Southern Arkansas – 374
Rhodes – 374
Miss State – 376
Union (Tenn.) – 422
West Florida – 432
Freed-Harmon – 498
Allen CC – 498
Hendrix – 603
Marion Military Institute - 616

9/11 @ UCA Challenge..both teams won their meet....(that's the object of home meets!!!) ...pretty much a workout run....

Women's Team Results
Central Arkansas – 21
Arkansas-Little Rock – 51
UA-Fort Smith – 70
Oral Roberts – 117
Arkansas-Pine Bluff – 143
Hendrix – 157
Mississippi Valley – 167
LeMoyne-Owen - 215

Men's Team Results
Central Arkansas – 25
Arkansas-Little Rock – 36
UA-Fort Smith – 72
Hendrix – 115
Mississippi Valley – 142
Philander Smith – 152
LeMoyne-Owen – 204

9/17 @ Commodore Classic in Nashville...

Much tougher competition.....course reportedly somewhat hilly....both teams had respectable finishes with SC teams and solid mid-south teams...SugarBear Sara Steimel finished a solid 19th with a PR of 17:53....

Women's Team Results
Kentucky – 29
Vanderbilt – 41
Missouri – 87
M.T.S.U. – 96
Belmont – 130
Central Arkansas – 190
TN Tech – 194
W. Kentucky – 200
Morehead St. – 258
Austin Peay – 283
TN State - 359

Men's Team Results
M.T.S.U. – 57
Kentucky – 57
Missouri – 61
Belmont – 82
Vanderbilt – 110
Central Arkansas – 162
TN Tech – 178
W. Kentucky – 251
Morehead St. – 254
Austin Peay – 309
TN State – 346

Next meet is this coming Friday afternoon at Chile Pepper Festival....another good course with strong competition..,..I plan to be there....have not seen the team list yet but always one of the best college regional XC meets in US....

https://ucasports.com/news/2021/9/30/mens-cross-country-bears-race-to-fayetteville-for-chili-pepper-festival.aspx

Will be best XC meet of the season......not the most important (conference and NCAAs are the most important) but the most competitive.....over 35 teams in each race.....several top programs....Arkansas and Oklahoma State..also LSU and Texas Tech....also a D1 California school.....not sure why they would come this far without a pretty good team....plus numerous good regional teams....Alabama-Huntsville, Missouri State, Stephen F, Tulsa et al and a lot of good D2 and CC programs.....Top 10 team finish here would be notable....weather a bit iffy.....could get rain tonight which will makes the course yucky unless lot of sun tomorrow...but what fun is XC without mud.....Go Bears and SugarBears!!

CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas Bears are traveling to Fayetteville to the Chili Pepper Festival this Friday, October 1st. The course at Fayetteville is on the grounds of the University of Arkansas and is a combination of grass, cinder, and uneven terrain.

The women will be racing in the second heat at 5:00 p.m. and the men will be racing in the second heat at 5:30 p.m.

For the women's team, Jewel Baer, Anna Bommes, Bekah Bostian, Anna Jeffcoat, Sarah Grace Meek, Ali Nachtigal, Tamara Reeves, Felisa Saheib, Marie Møller Schmidt, Emma Selph, Sara Steimel, and Kennedy Timmerman will be running.

For the men's team, Thomas Cain, Julian Haessner, Philipp Haessner, Alex Hanson, Fionn Harrington, Hunter Henderson, Parker Jackson, William Ryan-Johnson, Simon Schneider, Christian Tamura, Jared Touart, and Tate Whaley will be running.

From the Coach – Head Coach Beau Theriot
"It's going to be a big test and hopefully things will stay dry. Both teams have been looking good through the last training block. I'm excited to see what they all can do and if things go to plan, we should see a big jump in our regional rankings."

https://ucasports.com/news/2021/10/2/womens-cross-country-bears-set-eleven-prs-at-chile-pepper-festival.aspx

As expected this was a very competitive meet......course was in excellent condition and overcast but quite humid.....wind not an issue.....UCA men were 3rd D1 team....only Ark and LSU ahead of them and they beat Nebraska, Texas State, Texas Tech and others.....not everybody ran their full teams... based on what I saw I estimate Arkansas only ran 1-2 of their top men and maybe half of their top women....pretty sure not all of our top runners ran in this meet just as for other better teams.....SugarBears were missing at least one top runner and maybe others....Sara Steimel ran very well......a couple freshmen did very well also....

These races have 250 or so runners in each which is very easy to get lost in....Top 20 were all pretty salty....got to learn how to run in these big meets to prepare for NCAAs....conference meets may only have about 100 runners and you have a better chance to run as a team or with the known other teams you are trying to run with....in the bigger fields the start is so crowded you can easily lose sight of team mates in the mass of humanity...

Football has to get a minimum number of wins to get to post-season...basketball, volleyball etc have to get enough conference wins to get into conference tourney which is the AQ for NCAAs....XC is about using the normal meets to prepare for conference and NCAAs...nothing matters other than finishing well at ASUN meet and NCAA regionals.....the new ASUN meet should be interesting to see how we stack up.....note we beat Sam and SFA at Chile Pepper...

If you look at the results you will see a number of D2 (and maybe a NAIA and CC) teams doing well in the standings....the CC teams often have very good distance runners who are foreign runners that will transfer to D1 programs...D2 schools in Colorado and some other western states have long XC traditions and train at altitude and have very strong programs.....the men's race winner was from Oklahoma City University and was terrific....I believe OCU is still NAIA but they regularly have a few very good runners....

ASUN Conference Meet

Pretty tough XC conference......meet today at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando....

UCA teams probably a bit disappointed by team results...Men 7th of 12 and Women 6th of 12.....

Men's race 8k (about 4.9 miles)..top 3 teams were North Florida, Liberty and Lipscomb pretty close race.....all three pretty solid regional level teams over the years....Bears best race times this season would put them at best about 5th.....race was run at 7:30AM.....that seems ridiculous to an old XC runner....Top 4 teams all below 5 minutes per mile.....pretty good....Bears at 25:58.....good news is that our Top3 scorers are FR and SO.....

Women's race is 6k (about 3.7 miles)...Top 3 teams were Liberty, Lipscomb and EKU....all about 5:40 per mile.....UCA at 5:57 per mile....Sarah Steimel led in 18th at a solid 17:52.....next 4 pretty close together.....great experience as 4 of our Top5 are underclassmen.....

Lots of these teams we used to run against in NCAA D2 Regionals ..some very good XC programs...we will get there.....not sure these finishes will get us to NCAA D1 Regionals in Waco, TX.....