Arkansas cross country sweeps SEC meet again

Arkansas' Taylor Werner comes into the finish line Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, during the 28th annual Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival at Agri Park in Fayetteville.
Arkansas' Taylor Werner comes into the finish line Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, during the 28th annual Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival at Agri Park in Fayetteville.

The Arkansas men and women swept the SEC cross country championships Friday in Athens, Ga., marking the fifth consecutive season both teams have won the team titles.

The Razorbacks' men had three top 10 finishers and finished 40 points ahead of second-place Alabama in the 8,000-meter race. Arkansas' women had four top 10 finishers and finished 53 points ahead of runner-up Georgia in the 6,000-meter race.

Sophomore Taylor Werner led Arkansas' women with a second-place finish in 20:07.1. Defending national champion Karissa Schweizer of Missouri finished first with a time of 19:36.3.

Arkansas senior Alex George led the men with a fourth-place finish in 23:34.3. Alabama had the top three individuals in the men's race, led by champion Vincent Kiprop in 23:15.4.

The championship was the 50th overall and SEC-record tying 25th for the Arkansas men in cross country. The Razorbacks have won eight straight titles in cross country and 42 of the 44 conference meets dating to their time in the Southwest Conference.

Arkansas' women won their fifth consecutive conference title in cross country and 11th straight conference meet when counting indoor and outdoor track & field. The Razorbacks' 18 cross country championships are more than all other teams combined.

Arkansas' Scorers

Men (41)

Alex George, 4th, 23:34.3

Jack Bruce, 6th, 23:51.7

Cameron Griffith, 7th, 23:53.5

Matt Young, 11th, 24:10.8

Austen Dalquist, 13th, 24:16.2

Women (35)

Taylor Werner, 2nd, 20:07.1

Carina Viljoen, 6th, 20:29.1

Therese Haiss, 7th, 20:39.2

Lauren Gregory, 8th, 20:41.2

Nikki Hiltz, 12th, 20:49.5

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