FAYETTEVILLE – Ranked No. 13 in the preseason national poll, Arkansas opens the cross country season on Friday in the Mizzou Opener with a 5,000m race at 8 a.m. on Missouri’s Gans Creek course that will host the 2025 NCAA Championships.
With nine returners from last year’s squad that placed ninth in the NCAA Championships, the Razorbacks also have nine newcomers joining the program this season with two transfers and seven freshmen.
“We have a pretty good team with our top three returners in Paityn Noe, Mia Cochran, and Sydney Thorvaldson,” said Arkansas women’s head coach Chris Johnson. “Those kids are highly talented and very proven.
“Obviously, we have a lot of newcomers coming in. So we need to figure out where they are best suited and best fit. Right now, we’re working hard. Coach Johnson is the cross country coach now. We’re getting after it and figuring some things out.”
Thorvaldson earned All-America status last season in placing 11th at the national championship meet. Cochran and Noe were the third and fourth finishers for Arkansas in the NCAA race.
In the 2023 SEC Championships, where Arkansas placed second just 10 points behind winner Florida, Noe led the Razorbacks in placing fifth with Thorvaldson sixth. Cochran finished 16th as the fourth UA runner.
“We’ll hold out our top three ladies for this meet,” said Johnson. “They need some more time training and more time together. This meet is good for us to figure out what we have with the newcomers and what adjustments we need to make to make sure that we have a solid team in November.
“We’ll be racing in August and the big meets are in November, so we have time and need to make great use of that time.”
The returning crew of Razorbacks also includes Chachi Gonzales, Audrey Hill, Camryn Kirkland, Tiana LoStracco, Olivia Pielemeier, and Mackenzie Rogers.
Newcomers to the Arkansas program include freshmen Rachel Cornell (Jenks, Ok.), Madeleine Gear (Tampa, Fl.), Morgan Kirkland (Edmond, Ok.), Ruby Little (Atlanta, Ga.), Zoe Marsh (Germantown, Tn.), Caroline Sutton (Tulsa, Ok.), and Jaycee Williams (Loveland, Co.). Transfers include Chesney Peterson from Tennessee and Bradley Weimer from Drury.
In addition to Missouri and Arkansas, the field at the Mizzou Opener includes Saint Louis and Missouri Valley. Live results from the meet are available here: https://live.pttiming.com/xc-ptt.html?mid=7371.
“The big dogs will be sitting out this race, so we’ll see who is going to step up when those young ladies are not present,” noted Johnson.
“What I’m looking for is how well these kids compete and how well they manage the race. There’s a lot to garner from this race and then go back and see where we can make some necessary changes to get better.”
Coach Johnson will handle duties as cross country coach this fall, and post an opening for the position midway through the season with plans to have the position filled by January. In the meantime, assistance will be available from former Arkansas women’s head coach Lance Harter.
“We will fill the distance coach position, but not right away,” said Johnson. “Obviously, we think it’s a top five distance and cross country job in the country. The timing of things is not where it needs to be or should be. So, we’re going to wait and open the job in the middle of the cross country season and try to have a coach here by January.”
“Lance Harter will be helping me out and while it’s not my expertise, we’ll figure it out. I think I have enough good people around me to be able to help and facilitate the process. Coach Bucknam is only two doors down from my office, so I can get some insight from him.
“These ladies are in great hands and we’re going to make sure they are in the best position to be successful as possible. Coach Harter has a wealth of knowledge and his ability to coach at a very high level gives us a security blanket, if you will, just to know that we will be focused and headed in the right direction.”
