ACU, Arkansas to compete for team title

No. 2 ACU looking to win OSU meet for second time

STILLWATER, Okla. -- The ACU men's and women's cross country teams will return to action Saturday at the 66th annual Cowboy Jamboree, hosted by Oklahoma State at the OSU Cross Country course.

The ACU men -- ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II and No. 1 in the South Central region -- will be one of the favorites to take the team title. The other favorite is perennial powerhouse Arkansas, which is ranked No. 2 in the country in NCAA Division I. The Razorbacks are the defending meet champion, winning the title in 2001 after finishing second to the Wildcats in 2000.

Seniors Alfred Rugema and John Kemboi and sophomore Bernard Manirakiza should each finish in the top 10 for the Wildcats, who haven't competed since winning the season-opening ACU Classic with a perfect score of 15 points on Sept. 13.

This week marks the first of two straight meets where ACU's top challenger will be Arkansas. After this meet, the Wildcats will take next week off before running in Arkansas' own Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Ark. Two years ago, ACU stunned the Razorbacks by winning the team title.

On the women's side, the Wildcats will be looking to continue their improvement, which has seen them win the ACU Classic and finish a solid third at the Missouri Southern Stampede two weeks ago.

ACU is ranked No. 2 in the South Central region, and this week moved into the nation's top 20, coming in at No. 19 in the Cross Country Coaches' Association poll. ACU, which won the Lone Star Conference championship last year, hasn't been ranked nationally in three years.

After running in the Jamboree, the ACU women will return to action next Saturday at the Texas A&M Invitational in College Station.