Men's Results | Women's Results

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas men's and women's cross country teams closed out the 2020 campaign at War Memorial Park for the Little Rock Open on Saturday. The Bears collected four points in the Governor's I-40 Showdown as both the men and women finished ahead of Little Rock. UCA was led by Jared Touart and Tamara Reeves as they both placed third in their respective races.
 
War Memorial Park proved to be a tough course yet again with all the hills and turns. The women ran a 5K and the men ran an 8K. Shortly before the teams arrived at the course there was an alteration made to the men's course causing runners to adjust on the fly.
 
Touart posted a run of 26:21.6 and came in third. Thomas Cain placed fifth with a career-best time of 26:34.7 behind a strong final stretch finish. Simon Schneider finished right behind in sixth with an effort of 26:36.1. With a mark of 26:56.4, Tate Whaley placed seventh. Max Nores rounded out the top-10 for the Bears with a ninth-place time of 27:13.9. Jared Hamilton placed 11th behind a run of 27:23.8. Parker Jackson finished closely in 12th with an effort of 27:25.4. Brayden Ortiz posted a personal-best mark of 28:01.2 and came in 20th. Braeden Hindley placed 22nd with a career-best run of 28:22.4.
 
For the women, Reeves came in third with a personal-best time of 18:36.5. Kennedy Timmerman followed in fifth with a career-best effort of 18:41.5. Anna Jeffcoat closed out the top-10 with the best run of her career with a 10th-place time of 19:14.1. Bekah Bostian came in 11th with a mark of 19:20.7. With an effort of 19:34.1, Emily Newberry came in 16th. Marie Møller Schmidt recorded a run of 19:48.7 and placed 18th. Sarah Grace Meek ran a 20:11.1 and finished 24th. With a time of 20:29.1, Anna Bommes came in 27th. With a personal-best effort of 20:47.6, Sara Holman placed 34th.
 
The men won the race with a team score of 26, followed by Little Rock with 41, and Louisiana came in third with 86. On the women's side, Missouri State won with a tally of 29, followed by UCA with 40 points and Little Rock in third with 83.
 
UCA leads the Governor's I-40 Showdown, 14-0, after six events.
 
From the Coach – Interim Head Coach Beau Theriot
"Overall, it was good for us. We're still lacking some depth with some student-athletes out with injuries from the summer and we had one get injured on the hills today. As a team we were right there with Missouri State. The women battled hard and they really improved throughout the season. We had multiple personal records today on a hilly course. Tamara's had a bit of a rough season. This was her first race she was able to finish and for her to set a personal record shows she is physically healthy. One of our goals coming into the race was to beat Little Rock and get more points towards the I-40 Showdown.
 
The men raced super smart. They came in with a bunch of goals. Max has been our No. 1 runner year-round and felt some of that pressure today, but he hung in there and finished for the team. Jared Touart stepped up and really helped the team. He was our No. 1 performer today. Since Jared transferred to UCA, the mental transition was a little rough for him, but today was a huge step for him and he has the potential to be a superstar in the future."
 
From the Student-Athletes – Sophomore Tamara Reeves
"It's good to record a new PR. It was good to get out there with the girls and actually work together. Coming into this race I just wanted to enjoy it more and settle in and see what I could do."
 
From the Student-Athletes – Junior Jared Touart
"I felt pretty good coming into the race today. Our mindset was working together and staying in a pack. I think we did that well today. We knew it was a tough course and there was a last-minute change to the course so we didn't really know what to expect. Overall, we ran really well a team."
 
Men's Team Results
1. UCA – 26
2. Little Rock – 41
3. Louisiana - 86
4. Arkansas State – 117
5. Jacksonville College – 130
6. ULM – 138
7. Philander Smith – 193
 
Women's Team Results
1. Missouri State – 29
2. UCA – 40
3. Little Rock – 83
4. Arkansas State - 106
5. Louisiana – 134
6. ULM – 156
7. Jacksonville College – 220
8. Delta State – 225
9. Philander Smith - 261
 
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