FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Arkansas Razorback sophomore Catherine White paced the
women's cross country team to a meet win at the Brooks Memphis Twilight
Classic late Saturday night.
"This was a really fun event for us," head coach Lance Harter
said. "It was a different atmosphere running under the lights but our team
really enjoyed it and it worked out well for us. Going 1-2-3 with Catherine
White, Denise Bargiachi and Dacia Perkins was a great way to continue on
with the season. They really put on a show."
The Razorback harriers finished 1-2-3-6-10 to score 22 points and
top the 36-team field. Arkansas also had runners finishing 17th, 27th, 53rd
and 76th.
White led the way for Arkansas, pacing four of her teammates to
top-10 finishes. She crushed the field with her race win and 5K time of
17:39.51. She was almost 15 seconds ahead of the next runner, teammate
Bargiachi, who clocked a time of 17:54.18 for her second-place finish.
Perkins rounded out the top three with a time of 17:54.65.
"Our fourth and fifth runners, Christine Kalmer and Jillian Rosen,
also had great races," Harter said. "Christine had a poor start but it
worked out for her in the end because she had a good, strong close to her
race. Jillian's improvement from the first race was really a highlight of
the meet for us. She had a huge breakthrough."
Kalmer was fourth on the team and sixth overall with her 5K time
of 18:28.94. Rosen was fifth for the Hogs and 10th overall, clocking a time
of 18:36.63.
Also competing for Arkansas were Samantha Learch (17th; 19:11.66),
Ashley Mason (28th; 19:33.83), Ashley Williams (53rd; 20:15.05) and Halsey
Fowler (76th; 20:43.28). Freshman Cali George started the race but hit a
rough patch on the course and slightly sprained her ankle. She did not
finish the race.
"I think we have lost Miranda Walker for the season because of a
stress fracture in her foot so we'll need one of our freshmen to step up,"
Harter said. "Samantha Learch's performance was really positive. She's
typically a half miler but she's tough and she's shown how hard she has
worked over the summer to be where she is now. We are excited to see what
she can do for us in the remainder of the season."
"Ashley Mason is also coming along well," Harter said. "She is
showing signs of being able to contribute during the season and I expect her
to improve with ever race she gets under her belt."
Arkansas women's cross country will compete next at the Bill
Dellinger Invitational, hosted by the University of Oregon, October 4 in
Springfield, Ore. For more information, visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.
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