FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas– Tarleton State Cross Country closed the month of September at the Chile Pepper Festival with a pair of 10th-place team finishes at the Agri Cross Country Course.
 
In a field of 25 teams, the South Central Region ninth-ranked Texan men finished in 10^th, the squad's highest finish in the event in the last three years. The Texan women competed among 27 teams and also earned 10^th place, improving from their 30^th-place finish just a season ago.
 
After a pair of top five team finishes at the John McKenzie Invitational and the Texas A&M Invitational, the Tarleton State men's cross country team is ranked ninth in the South Central Region by USTFCCCA. In his first year as head coach Bobby Carter and distance coach Chris Zent led the men's program from un-ranked in the preseason poll up six spots.
 
Men's
 
Posting a team finish of 10^th place, the Texans finished just seven points behind SEC foe, LSU.
 
For the third time the season, Jace Poole led the pack of men finishing 36^th in 24:56.3. Freshman Toby Eaton crossed next in 25:01.6 to finish 47^th overall. Once again, the Texans ran in a pack of four with Angel Gomez and Angel Contreras rounding out the group that crossed within 10 seconds of each other. Contreras and Gomez finished within a second of one another, crossing in 25:05.2, and 25:06.1, respectively.
 
Diego Flores rounded out the scoring Texans finishing in 82^nd in 25:42.0. Kellen Frickel and Kebede Kerlin crossed in 25:57.8 and 26:18.1, respectively.
 
Arkansas took the team title totaling 29 points. Western Colorado and East Central rounded out the podium finishing teams with 127 points and 159 points, respectively.
 
Arkansas senior Kirami Yego won the individual crown crossing in 22:57.0. Stephen F. Austin freshman Elkana Kipruto finished in second by 23 seconds. Arkansas sophomore Timothy Chesodin claimed third to round out the top three. The Razorbacks placed five individuals in the top 10.
 
Women's
 
The women also earned 10^th place overall, anchored by a pair of top 50 finishers.
 
Sage Lancaster topped the Texan women finishing in 42^nd in 17:46.4. Morgan Lamberson finished just behind her in 48^th place in 17:52.9.
 
Freshman Kaitlyn Gale finished third among the Texans for the first time this season crossing in 18:16.9 in 66^th place. Georgina Balderas crossed next earning 89^th place in 18:39.7. Ella Smart rounded out the scoring five finishing in 109^th place in 19:10.3.
 
Jordan Jones and Kyla Zalit rounded out the Texans finishing in 20:36.3 and 20:52.2.
 
Texas earned the team title totaling 42 points. LSU and the host Arkansas rounded out the top three teams with 75 points and 88 points, respectively.
 
The Arkansas duo of Mia Cochrane and Paityn Noe finished 1-2 each crossing in 15:56.3. Texas senior Olivia Howell notched third place in 16:25.1.
 
Tarleton State will close out its regular season at the Arturo Barrios Invitational hosted by Texas A&M on Oct. 18. It will mark the second of three times the season, that the Texans will race on the Watts XC Course.