ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Griffon Cross Country heads to Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Saturday for the 38th Annual Chile Pepper Festival at Agri Park. The Griffon men will compete in the McDonnell Memorial 8K at 10:25 AM, while the women will race in the Prairie Fire Pepper 5K at 12:10 PM.
MoWest will compete against a large field featuring programs from across multiple levels of collegiate competition. The men's race features 24 teams, while 38 teams are entered in the women's race.
Last Time Out
The Griffons last competed at the Southern Stampede on Sept. 19 in Joplin, Missouri.
Pau Valderrama highlighted the day for the Griffon men, placing third overall in the 8K with a time of 24:10.93. His performance earned him MIAA Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors on Sept. 22.
The Chile Pepper Festival will give MoWest another opportunity to compete in a large field as the Griffons continue through the second half of their regular-season schedule.
From the Coach
"We look forward to the opportunity of running on a fast course in a large competitive field of athletes," Head Coach Sean Gosewisch said. "This may be one of our last chances to really scorch it since most of the rest of our season is on tougher courses, so I'm looking to see some PR's and good race intelligence. I expect a fun time."
Men's McDonnell Memorial 8K
The men are scheduled to race at 10:25 AM in a 24-team field.
MoWest's men's lineup includes Angelo Baez-Mahr, Ruben Caceres, Tavon Stroup, Walter Randle, Levi Coburn, Westin Hess, Ben Spears, Pau Valderrama, Landon Fuller, Levi Huber, Ryan Ringenberg, Daren Linscott, Jacob Driskill, Jack Collins, Bailey Taig, Hemistone Cheruiyot, Sam Shipp, Henry Trumpp and Will Gessman.
The Griffons will line up alongside teams including Arkansas, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Kansas City, Little Rock, Memphis, North Texas, Oral Roberts, UT Arlington, UTEP and others.
Women's Prairie Fire Pepper 5K
The women will take the course at 12:10 PM as part of a 38-team field.
The Griffon women's lineup features Jade Wickwire, Bri DeBord, Riley King, Abi Teeter, Bailey Cutler, Kaleigh Harvey, Meagan Smith, Jenna O'Neil, Magdalena Jakubowska, Laila Munoz and Bethani Grove.
The women's field includes teams from Arkansas Tech, Central Methodist, Harding, Henderson State, Missouri Baptist, Northwest Arkansas Community College, Oklahoma Wesleyan, Southern Arkansas, Southwest Oklahoma State and others.
What's Next
Following the Chile Pepper Festival, Griffon Cross Country travels to Lawrence, Kansas, for the NCAA Pre-Nationals on Sunday, Oct. 11 at Rim Rock Farm. The men are scheduled to race at 10:30 AM, followed by the women at 11:15 AM.
