FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas' football team vs. Rice Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium isn't the only bunch of Razorbacks opening their season this upcoming weekend.
The defending SEC Cross Country champion teams of Razorbacks Men's Coach Chris Bucknam and Razorbacks Women's Coach Lance Harter open Friday at the same University of Missouri course in Columbia hosting Oct. 29 the SEC Championships Arkansas won last autumn in Baton Rouge, La.
Previewing the course is the main attraction. Most of the veteran best for Harter and Bucknam train to start racing later than sooner. So they likely will do more observing while young teammates race Friday.
"Yeah, just get on it and get everybody acclimated," Harter said. "The majority of the kids will be off a month and just training for Chile Pepper (Arkansas hosts Oct. 2)."
Bucknam has similar plans.
"It will serve two good purposes for us," Bucknam said. "We want to get on that course so we have a feel of it while giving our young guys a chance to compete. Those (veteran) guys - they've got a lot of races in October and November."
Both teams return all their SEC championship parts though Bucknam has lost one.
Luke Meade, at 38th Arkansas' second finisher in the 250 running the NCAA Cross Country Championships, broke an ankle rock climbing. Meade will miss the season, Bucknam said.
"That's a significant blow," Bucknam said. "But we've got a fairly deep team and we'll have just to cover it."
While their 2020 autumn climaxed with SEC championships, both Harter and Bucknam favorably eye a traditional end to this 2021 cross country season.
So many teams didn't compete last fall because of the covid pandemic, it was prevailed on the NCAA moving the NCAA Cross Country Championships to the March 15 Monday in Stillwater, Okla. not even a full 48 hours after Arkansas hosted the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville.
Harter's Razorbacks, winning the NCAA Indoor Championships, in vain tried defending their NCAA Cross Country title in Stillwater minus top runner Lauren Gregory.
"There was the contrived national cross country championship the Monday after the NCAA Indoor Championship," Harter said. "We were 10th without using Lauren Gregory because she was a little dinged up from the indoor meet. Obviously Lauren will be back. She and Krissy Gear (an All-American 21st in cross country after anchoring Arkansas distance medley relay to a NCAA Indoor second place) lead the way for us."
Bucknam's men return a solid foundation of Amon Kemboi, Gilbert Boit, Emmanuel Cheboson and Jacob McLeod.
The SEC Preseason Coaches poll picked Harter's and Bucknam's Hogs to repeat as SEC champs though both Arkansas coaches warn that Alabama and Ole Miss could win.
His Razorbacks a surprising podium fourth-place in NCAA Cross Country paced by Kemboi's 11th place at Stillwater after Arkansas finished seventh at the NCAA Indoor, Bucknam nonetheless resoundingly endorses closing cross country Nov. 20 with the NCAA Championships in Tallahassee, Fla.
"Nice to be back to normal with a traditional season," Bucknam said.