LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Little Rock cross country travels to Charleston, Illinois, as the Ohio Valley Conference Championships get underway Friday, Oct. 31. With nearly the entire roster healthy and the men's squad poised to contend for the conference crown, the Trojans are looking to make a strong statement and improve on last year's finishes.
This year's championship will be hosted by Eastern Illinois on their campus near the athletic facilities on 4th street. The men's 8K is scheduled for 9 a.m. CT, followed by the women's 6K at 10 a.m. CT. The course is mostly flat with limited elevation changes, and Friday's forecasted temperatures in the 40s and low 50s should provide ideal racing conditions.
Head coach
Jordyn Naylon expects a quick start to the race and wants her runners to stay poised and smart in their pacing.
"The race will probably get out a little faster, which is normal," Naylon said. "We want to make sure we're connected to the race and really work on catching people through the middle. A lot of individuals will go out too hard and slow down significantly. We don't want to settle behind them. It should be a fun one."
Over the past three years, Little Rock has consistently competed near the top of the OVC standings, narrowly missing team podium finishes on multiple occasions. This season's group enters with momentum and confidence after several standout performances.
The Trojans have posted more than eight personal bests across their last two meets, led by the men's team. Graduate
Jordan Smith and junior
Shane Fisher have paced the group all season, both notching new personal records in nearly every race. Smith's 8K best of 24:44.2 is just 20 seconds behind last year's OVC individual champion. The veteran will look to capitalize on the cool conditions to stay near the front of the pack.
Freshman
Zach Morin has also found his stride at the right time, closing the gap on Fisher in recent races and showing steady improvement in training.
"I think the men have done a great job staying healthy and competing well," Naylon said. "We have a couple individuals who are in position to possibly win the race, which is really exciting. I'm eager to see how they show up on Friday."
The women's team enters the weekend following a strong outing at the Crimson Classic two weeks ago. After battling early-season heat and inconsistency, the Trojans are poised for a breakthrough performance in cooler conditions.
Sophomore
Aaliyah Joshua, last year's top Little Rock finisher who placed in the top 10, will look to improve her standing this year. She'll be joined by freshman
Eva Tice and sophomore
Kamryn Baggs, both making their conference championship debuts after pushing each other throughout the season.
"I think the women are going to show up better than they have this season," Naylon said. "We've had some great workouts the last couple of weeks that reflect our fitness level, and the mindset is coming around. I've challenged them to hold themselves accountable, and I'm hoping they rise to that this weekend."
Freshmen
Connor King and
Katie De Gorostiza will return from injuries that sidelined them for the past few races.
Updates for the meet will be available on social media. Live results can be found
here.
For the latest information on Little Rock Cross Country/Track and Field, check out LRTrojans.com. You can also follow the team on social media at @LittleRockTFXC on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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here.
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