FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Little Rock cross country closed out its 2025 season with a strong showing at the nationally competitive NCAA South Central Regionals on Friday morning. Graduate student
Jordan Smith climbed into the Trojan record book, posting one of the top-20 all-time 10K performances in program history during his final race as a Trojan.
Smith recorded the 12th-best 10K time in school history with a mark of 31:18.1.
Results:
Regional Results
Race Breakdown
After competing at Agri Park in early October, the Trojans returned prepared for the challenge of the NCAA Regionals. With multiple nationally ranked teams in the field, including LSU and Arkansas, both races were expected to start fast. The women competed in their usual 6K, while the men moved up to the 10K distance, requiring a more strategic approach.
The women's race began at 9 a.m. Head coach
Jordyn Naylon urged the group to push through their final cross country race of the year. Sophomore
Aaliyah Joshua once again led the Trojans, finishing in 22:29.2, a 12-spot improvement from last season. Freshman
Eva Tice and sophomore
Kamryn Baggs continued their season-long trend of finishing together, running well in their first NCAA Regional appearance. Junior
Kennedie Rhein battled in her third regional meet, finishing near her placement from last year.
The men followed at 10 a.m. Naylon emphasized grit heading into the longer race, knowing the 10K would be demanding. Smith delivered a standout performance, setting a personal best and finishing 36th, one of the program's highest regional placements in recent years after
Zach McPhee finished 30th in 2022. Freshman
Zach Morin finished 53rd, an impressive showing in his first regional. Sophomore
Zac Rutherford and freshman
Connor King also turned in solid 10K debuts to close out the season.
"Really happy with the results from the men. Jordan finished with a top mark and Rutherford showed up in a big way. If we finished with a full team, we would have been around 12th place, which is huge for this team and program. Really happy with how they showed up today," Naylon said. "The women got out well, but the late hills hit them hard. We are definitely fitter than we showed, but I appreciate the work they have done this season. We have a good team culture; we just have to choose to hurt in the later stages. It was a beautiful race day on a fun course."
"It was a great race out there. I put myself in the mix and was able to run my best cross country race on the biggest stage," Smith said. "I wanted to really enjoy the day and make the most of the opportunity."
Up Next
The regionals conclude the 2025 cross country season for Little Rock. The Trojans now turn their attention to the indoor track season, which begins Dec. 6 at the Vanderbilt Commodore Challenge.
Little Rock results can be seen below:
Little Rock Women
Name Time
Little Rock Men
Name Time
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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