UCAFANS.COM | GO UCA BEARS!

UCA XC Challenge, 9/7/19 at Beaverfork Lake

Pretty typical opening meet for most teams...….idea is for coaches to see where runners are in their race conditioning....oh yes.....two I40 wins over UALR also....Go Bears and SugarBears XC!!!

https://ucasports.com/news/2019/9/7/wom ... llege.aspx

SugarBears post perfect 15 score to win women's and Bears cruise to the men's win. Gracie Hyde was really good winning women's 4k (about 2.5 miles) in 14:32.

Women's Team Results
1. UCA – 15
2. Arkansas-Little Rock – 82
3. Southern Arkansas – 95
4. Oral Roberts – 106
5. College of the Ozarks – 120
6. John Brown – 147
7. Ouachita Baptist – 173
8. Arkansas-Pine Bluff – 236
9. Lyon – 256
10. Mississippi Valley – 264

Men's Team Results
1. UCA – 25
2. Arkansas-Little Rock – 68
3. Southern Arkansas – 93
4. Arkansas-Pine Bluff – 103
5. Oral Roberts – 128
6. John Brown – 150
7. College of the Ozarks – 167
8. Mississippi Valley – 255
9. Lyon – 280
10. Hendrix – 300
11. Central Baptist – 322
12. Arkansas-Monticello – 339
13. LeMoyne-Owen – 357

John McNichols Invite, Terre Haute, Indiana
9/21/19

Good first outing vs top competition with numerous PRs. Congrats to Jaron Hamilton for a PR of 25:46 for 8K (about 5:10 per mile) and SLC Men's XC Athlete of the Week. Gracie Hyde led SugarBears in 18:20 for 5 k with teammate Erin Woodward close behind in 18:29.

This was a meet that the NCAA presser referred to as a "loaded field"...…#1 Northern Arizona is the defending D1 defending men's champ (not their first rodeo) and the Top 7 are all very strong XC programs. The women's field also impressive.....#3 Arkansas is loaded again. Terre Haute has one of the best XC courses in US and the D1 nationals are once again there this fall. The South Central D1 Regional Meet is in Fayetteville at Agri Park in mid November.

Next meet is Oct 5 at Fayetteville in the always tough Chile Pepper Festival.

Men's Team Results
1. #1 Northern Arizona – 31
2. #6 Stanford – 51
3. #5 Iowa State – 66
4. #19 Purdue – 70
5. #18 Indiana – 165
6. Eastern Michigan – 196
7. Illinois – 211
8. IUPUI – 285
9. Eastern Illinois – 289
10. UCA – 313
11. Indiana Wesleyan – 315
12. Valparaiso – 327
13. Indiana State – 327
14. Northern Colorado – 348
15. North Alabama – 450
16. DePauw – 486
17. Rose-Hulman – 516
18. Wabash – 529
19. Hanover – 622
20. Franklin – 624
21. Transylvania – 639

Women's Team Results
1. #3 Arkansas – 49
2. #5 Stanford – 54
3. #4 Washington – 66
4. #7 Michigan – 75
5. #25 Northern Arizona – 112
6. Illinois – 126
7. Purdue – 214
8. Indiana State – 299
9. Eastern Illinois – 300
10. UCA – 317
11. IUPUI – 327
12. Indiana Wesleyan – 373
13. North Alabama – 382
14. Valparaiso – 431
15. Hanover – 463
16. DePauw – 463
17. Rose-Hulman – 546
18. Franklin – 607
19. Transylvania – 634
20. Stephens – 663
21. Oakland City - 680

@Chile Pepper Festival, Fayetteville, 10/5/19

Great college XC race......lots of good runners from across the US.....men's race was really good competition as the first 8 runners were under 24 minutes (better than 4:49 per mile....) and first 13 women in the 5k were under 17 minutes (5:28 per mile)…#2 Arkansas took 1-4 all in really good times and looked like a Top 3 team nationally.....

This is a true XC course...weather was nice ...site of NCAA D1 South Regional on 11/15/19....

In the 10 college and high school races there were just short of 5600 finishers....

Lamar men were #8 overall and looked really tough.....Abilene was 14th and just a little in front of SugarBears…...pretty sure our top runner did not compete today....

Bears Battle at Chile Pepper Festival

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas men's and women's cross country teams returned to action at the 31st running of the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival hosted by the University of Arkansas. The men were led by Jared Hamilton and the team placed 24th, while Sara Steimel led the women as the team finished in 19th. Twelve personal bests were set on the day for the Bears.

The UCA women placed 19th out of 27 teams on the 5K course and saw 270 runners in the women's field. The men finished in 24th out of a total of 32 teams that scored and featured a total of 304 runners on the 8K course.

Steimel paced the Central Arkansas women with a personal-best time of 18:09.0 and finished in 80th. Erin Woodward finished right behind her in 81st, with a career-best mark of 18:09.4. Julia Clark added another personal best for the Bears with her effort of 18:36.1 and placed 120th. Bekah Bostian finished in 177th with a career-best run of 19:16.9. Emily Newberry recorded the fastest time in her career with a mark of 19:30.1 as she moved up 17 spots from the 3.5K split and finished in 192nd. Sarah Grace Meek joined the trend of personal bests, with her performance of 20:05.1 and 224th-place finish.

Jared Hamilton led the Bears with a season-best time of 25:37.2 and placed 105th after he moved up 21 spots from the 5.5K split. Jaron Hamilton placed 122nd with a career-best run of 25:43.6. Thomas Cain recorded a personal-best mark of 25:50.1 in his first race of the season and finished in 131st. With a career-best effort of 26:04.5, Josh Clethen finished in 149th. Simon Schneider joined the personal-best train with a 174th-place time of 26:20.9 and moved up 11 positions after the 5.5K split. With a career-best run of 26:27.6, Tate Whaley placed 192nd. James Kees took 202nd place with a personal-best time of 26:31.6. Calvin Allen collected a 228th-place finish with a mark of 26:53.9.

The Arkansas (2) took first for the women's race with a mark of 24, followed by Texas with 90 and West Virginia in third with 100. The Texas men led the 32-team field with a score of 74, followed by Colorado School of Mines (1 in DII) 96, and Oklahoma State (8) in third with 125.

The Bears head to Little Rock, Arkansas, for the Little Rock Open on Saturday, October 19.

Men's Team Results
1. Texas - 74
2. Colorado Mines – 96
3. Oklahoma State – 125
4. Western Colorado – 134
5. Arkansas – 165
6. Oklahoma City – 209
7. NW Missouri State – 228
8. Lamar – 239
9. Cloud County CC – 260
10. Rice – 318
24. UCA - 597

Women's Team Results
1. Arkansas - 24
2. Texas – 90
3. West Virginia – 100
4. Oklahoma State – 129
5. Tulsa – 143
6. Western Colorado – 178
7. Iowa Central CC – 222
8. South Dakota – 230
9. Arkansas State – 323
10. Baylor – 329
19. Central Arkansas – 509

https://ucasports.com/news/2019/10/19/mens-cross-country-bears-dominate-little-rock-invitational.aspx?path=wxc

XC sweeps I-40 points today...…….times not great but a win is a win.....the meet was really between the top 3-4 teams......I can remember the days we would not have been close to UL-Lafayette.....

Next meet is SLC meet at Beaverfork XC Course on Nov 1.....

Bears Dominate Little Rock Invitational

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas men's and women's cross country teams completed the sweep at the Little Rock Invitational on Saturday and added four points to the Governor's I-40 Showdown. The men won with a team score of 22, while the women claimed the victory with 39 points. Jaron Hamilton won the men's race and Sara Steimel placed seventh in the women's race to lead the Bears.

UCA holds a 9.5-4.5 lead in the Governor's I-40 Showdown standings and swept the cross country points on the year.

Jaron Hamilton paced the men's field with a time of 26:02.8 on the 8K course in the 110-runner field. Max Nores finished in third with a 26:14.3. Jared Hamilton posted a run of 26:38.8 and placed fifth. With a mark of 26:40.6, Simon Schneider placed sixth. James Kees clocked a time of 26:52.3 and finished in eighth place. Josh Clethen recorded a 13th-place run of 27:10.0. Tate Whaley finished right behind in 14th with an effort of 27:14.1. Parker Jackson rounded out the top-15 with a time of 27:18.0. Ryan Yarde closed out the top-20 with a run of 27:55.8. With a career-best run of 28:07.9, Niklas Iking placed 22nd. Jesse Applewhite finished in 24th with a mark of 28:09.9. Camden Shaw placed 31st with a run of 28:31.5. Ian Kelly and Calvin Allen placed 42nd and 43rd with times of 29:15.6 and 29:15.8, respectively. With an effort of 31:07.6, Bradley Lambeth claimed the 65th-best time.

Steimel led the Bears with an 18:55.8 in the women's race on the 5K course and placed seventh in the field of 99. Tamara Reeves finished right behind in eighth with a personal-best mark of 19:05.5. Erin Woodward added a top-10 time of 19:07.2 and placed ninth. Bekah Bostian posted a run of 19:25.1 and finished in 12th. Kennedy Timmerman ran a 20:05.5 and came in 18th. With a mark of 20:10.4, Casey Gore finished in 19th. Emily Newberry placed 23rd with an effort of 20:17.5. Sarah Grace Meek posted a run of 21:11.0 and came in 35th. Amy Vedder clocked a season-best time of 22:12.1 and finished 54th. With a career-best run of 22:34.9, Anna Jeffcoat came in 58th.

The UCA men won with a team score of 22, followed by Arkansas-Little Rock with 56, and Louisiana-Lafayette in third with 99. On the women's side, Central Arkansas took first with a combined effort of 39 points, with Georgia State in second with 49, and Arkansas-Little Rock came in third with 74.

The Bears return to the course on Friday, November 1, as they host the Southland Conference meet at Beaverfork Lake Park. The women's race will start at 8:45 a.m., followed by the men at 9:45 a.m.

From the Coach – Head Coach Beau Theriot
"Taking the win on both sides was big. There was good competition on both sides. Georgia State on the women's side is going to contend for the Sun Belt Championship. Jaron went out early and no one went with him so he put it on cruise control and took the win pretty easily. Three in the top-10 was huge for the ladies. We sat out a few of our heavy hitters as well, and to have those athletes step up was big. As a freshman, Sara is growing and becoming more of a long distance runner."

Men's Team Results
1. UCA – 22
2. Arkansas-Little Rock – 56
3. Louisiana-Lafayette – 99
4. John Brown – 137
5. Jacksonville State – 149
6. College of the Ozarks – 157
7. Oral Roberts – 160
8. Arkansas-Rich Mountain – 184
9. Lyon – 273
10. Williams Baptist – 293
11. Central Baptist – 321
12. Arkansas-Monticello – 335

Women's Team Results
1. UCA – 39
2. Georgia State – 49
3. Arkansas-Little Rock – 74
4. Arkansas-State – 116
5. Oral Roberts – 143
6. John Brown – 166
7. Louisiana-Lafayette – 169
8. Jacksonville State – 189
9. Henderson State – 253
10. Arkansas-Monticello – 295
11. College of the Ozarks – 318
12. Williams Baptist – 323

UCA hosts the SLC XC Meet on November 1 (this coming Friday) at Beaverfork Lake Park....women's race at 0830 and Men's follow ....Bears will try to defend their championship of last fall...….Go Bears and SugarBears!!

https://www.southland.org/news/2019/11/1/uca-women-lamar-men-capture-2019-southland-cross-country-titles.aspx

SugarBears win their first ever SLC XC championship and where better than on the home course at Beaverfork Lake Park!!!! Woodward led the Bears with a career-best run of 21:40.9 {about 5:44 per mile} and earned Second-Team All-SLC with her seventh-place finish on the 6K course. Hyde finished right behind in eighth place with a personal-best time of 21:44.1 and picked up a Second-Team All-SLC nod in the process. Reeves collected Third-Team All-SLC with her 12th-place finish and her career-best run of 22:03.7.

Defending champion Bears were 7th in men's 8K race. Jaron Hamilton finished in 20th out of 92 on the 8K course with a personal-best time of 24:55.1. Max Nores produced a career-best mark of 25:01.1 and placed 24th. {Both right at 5 minutes per mile}

Congrats to 3 SugarBears (Woodward, Hyde and Reeves) for All-SLC Honors and to Coach Beau Theriot for women's team COY!!!!

CONWAY, Ark. – Conditions were primed for the 2019 Southland Conference Cross Country Championships at Beaverfork Lake Park in Conway, Ark. The women’s team title will remain in Conway as Central Arkansas put together a first-place performance with 64 points for its first-ever Southland Championship. Lamar captured the title on the men’s side, landing six runners among the top-15 finishers and scoring 34 points to set a new conference championship record for widest margin of victory (86).

New Orleans’ Arina Kleshchukova registered a first-place individual finish in the 6k race with a time of 20:50.5 in order to be named the women’s Athlete of the Year. Lamar’s Jordan Rowe snagged men’s Athlete of the Year honors with a first-place individual finish in the 8k event with a 24:01.7.

Central Arkansas’ 64 points came on the shoulders of Erin Woodward, who led the Bears with a seventh-place overall finish. Central Arkansas landed five runners among the top 20 in order to beat out Stephen F. Austin’s 70-point performance.

Kleshchukova narrowly edged out SFA’s Kelsey Ramirez by one second in order to grab New Orleans’ first women’s individual title in program history. The Ladyjacks’ Meredith Clayton was named Freshman of the Year following an 11th-place performance. Quin Johnson took home Newcomer of the Year for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with a 13th-place finish.

Five schools were represented on the women’s all-conference first team. A&M-Corpus Christi’s Valentina Campos, Abilene Christian’s Briahna Gerlach and Lamar’s Julie Emmerson all joined Kleshchukova and Ramirez with first-team honors.

The Ladyjacks secured a second-place finish with 70 points, while the Islanders took third place with 94 points.

Rowe led the Lamar men’s program to its sixth team title in seven years, while also cementing the Cardinals’ fifth individual title since the 2013 season. LU’s Liam Burthem stamped a fourth-place finish in order to be named the Newcomer of the Year, while ACU’s Denis Lagat took fifth-place along with Freshman of the Year honors.

Lamar claimed three spots on the first team all-conference squad with Rowe, Burthem and Jack Gooch. Abilene Christian’s Lagat was also named a first-team selection, while fellow Wildcat Kevin Kipkosgei rounded out the five-man squad with a second-place individual finish.

The Islanders claimed the runner-up trophy with 120 points, while Abilene Christian finished third place overall with 126 points in the men’s 8k event.

The 2019 NCAA South Central Regional race will take place at the Agri-Park on Friday, Nov. 15 in Fayetteville, Ark., hosted by Arkansas. The 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships will take place at LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Ind., Saturday, Nov. 23.

2019 Southland Championship Team Finishes:
Women
1. Central Arkansas (64)
2. Stephen F. Austin (70)
3. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (94)
4. Abilene Christian
5. UIW
6. Lamar
7. McNeese
8. Southeastern Louisiana
9. Nicholls
10. Houston Baptist
11. New Orleans
12. Sam Houston State
13. Northwestern State

Men
1. Lamar (34)
2. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (120)
3. Abilene Christian (126)
4. McNeese
5. Stephen F. Austin
6. UIW
7. Central Arkansas
8. Southeastern Louisiana
9. Sam Houston State
10. New Orleans
11. Houston Baptist
12. Nicholls
13. Northwestern State


Individual Superlatives:
Women
Freshman of the Year – Meredith Clayton, SFA
Newcomer of the Year – Quin Johnson, TAMU-CC
Coach of the Year – Beau Theriot, UCA
Athlete of the Year – Arina Kleshchukova, UNO

Men
Freshman of the Year – Denis Lagat, ACU
Newcomer of the Year – Liam Burthem, LU
Coach of the Year – Tony Houchin, LU
Athlete of the Year – Jordan Rowe, LU


UCA All-Conference Honors

Second Team
SR Erin Woodward, Central Arkansas
SO Gracie Hyde, Central Arkansas

Third Team
FR Tamara Reeves, Central Arkansas

@NCAA D1 South Regional in Fayetteville

I got to watch the race up close.....Southland very well represented....SO Gracie Hyde looked really good especially given less than two weeks back running......superb field....Arkansas looked really good finishing 1-5 and will be a strong candidate to win nationals...….A-State looked solid......Texas and Texas A&M were tough...SFA led SLC teams in 7th....SugarBears had a great season with lots of young runners coming back and represented UCA very proudly....Go SugarBears!!

https://ucasports.com/news/2019/11/15/womens-cross-country-bears-finish-13th-at-ncaa-south-central-regional.aspx

The University of Central Arkansas women's cross country team concluded its season at the NCAA South Central Regional Friday. Gracie Hyde led the Bears with a 39th-place finish. UCA placed inside the top-15 for the first time since 2013, when the squad placed 10th. It is also the first time since 2013 the Bears placed at a regional meet.

Hyde paced UCA with a time of 22:18.0 and finished in 39th place. Sara Steimel placed 67th with an effort of 22:52.9. Tamara Reeves moved up three spots from the final split and placed 80th with a run of 23:09.0. Erin Woodward notched a time of 23:19.9 and finished in 87th in her last cross country race as a Bear. With a time of 23:36.2, Julia Clark placed 103rd. Casey Gore finished with a 120th-place mark of 24:15.3. Bekah Bostian finished in 128th with a run of 24:37.4.

The No. 1 team in the country, Arkansas, won the meet by sweeping the top five spots and posted a team score of 15. Texas finished in second with 63 points, followed by Texas A&M in third with 106.

From the Coach – Associate Head Coach Beau Theriot
"We came in with higher expectations of finishing inside the top-5. Today's meet was highly competitive. Overall, it's been a good season."

"We're going to miss Erin for sure. Not only is she a talented athlete, she's a wonderful individual and huge team leader. There's no replacing people like that. She'll be greatly missed. I was excited for her to have a great senior season."

"It means a lot, she's (Gracie Hyde) just a sophomore and hopefully we can make a national bid in a couple of years. Other than Erin, everyone is sophomores and freshmen."

From senior Erin Woodward
"It's the cherry on top after winning conference. Coming to regionals, being able to be with my team, and do our best. We left it all on the course. It really ends my career the way I want it and doing this as a family."

Women's Team Results
1. Arkansas – 15
2. Texas – 63
3. Texas A&M – 106
4. UT-Rio Grande Valley – 164
5. Rice – 180
6. Arkansas State – 186
7. Stephen F. Austin – 237
8. Houston – 267
9. Baylor – 275
10. UT-Arlington – 335
11. Abilene Christian – 341
12. LSU – 354
13. UCA – 363
14. UIW – 366
15. Texas A&M-CC – 384
16. SMU – 393
17. North Texas – 418
18. Tulane – 443
19. Lamar – 469
20. Little Rock – 509
21. McNeese State – 560
22. Nicholls State – 662

https://ucasports.com/news/2019/12/5/womens-cross-country-hamilton-hyde-woodward-earned-academic-all-slc-honors.aspx

Congrats to XC academic honorees...………

FRISCO, Texas – The Southland Conference announced the 2019 Men's and Women's Student-Athletes of the Year on Thursday. In addition to the student-athletes of the year, the conference office also named the first and second teams for academic all-conference. Jaron Hamilton, Gracie Hyde, and Erin Woodward each received a second-team nod based on voting throughout the conference.

To be nominated, each nominee must have 1) a minimum 3.00 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) through the semester prior to the sports' championship; 2) completed at least ONE full academic year at the nominating institution prior to the season in which the nomination occurs (true freshmen and ineligible athletic transfers are not eligible); and 3) participated in at least 50 percent of the team's competitions during the most recently completed season.

Southland Conference All-Academic Teams are voted upon by a head coach, sports information director and academic/compliance staff member from each school. Student-Athletes of the Year are voted upon by an awards committee which consists of one administrator from each member school. Voting for one's own athletes is not permitted.

Hamilton led the Bears in three of the four meets he competed in and included one victory at the Little Rock Invitational. He added a personal-best time at the Southland Conference Championships with an effort of 24:55.1 and placed 20th. Hamilton is an exercise science major with a cumulative GPA of 3.82.

After the duo of Hyde and Woodward earned Second-Team All-SLC at the conference meet, they both were tabbed with Second-Team All-SLC Academic honors.

Woodward placed seventh at the conference meet with a career-best time of 21:40.9 for the fourth-best time in program history. She added a personal-best run of 14:47.4 at the UCA XC Challenge on the 4K course and posted the fastest time on a 5K course at the John McNichols Invitational with a mark of 18:28.8. She led UCA in four of the six races this season. Woodward is a health sciences pre-physical therapy major with a cumulative GPA of 4.0.

Hyde finished the conference championships in eighth place with the best time of her career with an effort of 21:44.1 on the 6K course, which is the fifth-fastest mark in UCA history. She picked up her second second-team all-conference accolade. She clocked a personal-best mark of 14:32.1 with an individual victory on the 4K course at the UCA XC Challenge in the first meet of the year. She added a season-best run on the 5K course at the John McNichols Invitational where she produced a time of 18:20.3. She led UCA in two meets on the year. She has a 4.0 GPA and is an exercise science major.

From the Coach – Associate Head Coach Beau Theriot
"I'm very proud of Jaron, Erin, and Gracie. They've been examples of the perfect student-athletes. Their hard work and dedication in the classroom, as well as on the course, has been on full display this season. It is a well-deserved honor. I'm excited for them!"

Men's Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year: Jordan Rowe, Lamar
Men's All-Academic First Team
Kevin Kipkosgei – Abilene Christian
Matt Arnold – Lamar
Jack Gooch – Lamar
Jordan Rowe – Lamar
Isaac Vargas – A&M-Corpus Christi
All-Academic Second Team
Colton Gates – Abilene Christian
Conner Miller – Abilene Christian
Jaron Hamilton – UCA
Austin Zirkel – Sam Houston State
Marek Spriesterbach – A&M-Corpus Christi

Women's Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year: Kelsey Ramirez, Stephen F. Austin
Women's All-Academic First Team
Briahna Gerlach – Abilene Christian
Carnley Graham – Abilene Christian
Julie Emmerson – Lamar
Arina Kleshchukova – New Orleans
Kelsey Ramirez – SFA
All-Academic Second Team
Gracie Hyde – UCA
Erin Woodward – UCA
Alia Henderson – UIW
Katy Whiteoak – Lamar
Meredith Clayton - SFA

https://ucasports.com/news/2020/1/30/womens-cross-country-bears-earned-all-academic-honors.aspx

Congrats to the SLC XC Champion for being recognized nationally for GPA (3.59)…..one of 9 SLC teams so honored....well done....Go SugarBears!!