NEW ORLEANS -- On Tuesday, the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced its Week Six Top 30 Poll, and the Arkansas women’s cross country team moved up one spot to No. 4 in the nation after winning its second straight Southeastern Conference Cross Country Championships last Friday.
This week’s No. 4 ranking marks the highest position that head coach Lance Harter’s squad has sit in the this year’s USTFCCCA Top 30 Poll, and it is the highest ranking Arkansas has received in the poll since week seven of last year, when they checked in at No. 3.
The Razorbacks were able to jump ahead one spot thanks in large part to their dominating performance at SEC Championship, coupled with previous No. 4-ranked Michigan’s showing at the Big Ten Conference Championship, where the Wolverines placed third overall.
The Razorbacks left no doubt who the supreme team was in the SEC last Friday, as redshirt junior Dominique Scott and redshirt senior Grace Heymsfield placed 1-2 to help Arkansas post a team score of 32, which was 53 points ahead of second place Vanderbilt. It was a sound victory over a quality opponent, as the Commodores checked in at No. 16 in this week’s USTFCCCA Poll.
Scott captured her second straight SEC Cross Country Individual Championship to lead Arkansas to the championship, as she completed the 6K course in a personal-record time of 19:22.74. It was the second-fastest recorded time at the SEC Championships and gave the South African native her fourth individual title of the year.
Heymsfield concluded her final SEC Championship race with a second-place finish and a personal-record 6K time of 19:32.21. The Elkins, Ark., native displayed incredible closing speed, as she chased down and passed Tennessee’s Chelsea Blaase over the final 50 meters of the race to give the Hogs a 1-2 finish.
This week’s top three remained intact, as Michigan State held on to No. 1 after winning the Big Ten Championship, and Georgetown and Oregon checked in at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively, after winning the BIG EAST and Pac-12 Championship. Iowa State jumped up one spot to No. 5 after winning the Big 12 Championship.
Arkansas returns to action on Nov. 14, when they host the NCAA South Central Regional. The Razorbacks will be attempting to win their fourth straight NCAA Regional crown, as they look to get an automatic team bid to the NCAA National Championships. Race time from Agri Park is slated for 12 p.m.
For more information on the Arkansas women’s cross country team, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.