Razorbacks upbeat in run for 26th title

FAYETTEVILLE – The University of Arkansas men’s cross country team has won 25 of 29 SEC meets since joining the conference in the fall of 1991, but the Razorbacks have watched Ole Miss take home the champion trophy the previous two years.

The No. 1-ranked Razorbacks plan to put a stop to that today at the SEC meet in Baton Rouge, La.

“We’re pretty sure we have the best team as far as depth,” Arkansas junior Jacob McLeod said. “The goal is not to just go out and win, but to win by as much as we can.”

Arkansas has won its only two regular-season meets and beat No. 9 Ole Miss among other SEC teams both times.

“I’ve got a ton of confidence in my guys,” Arkansas Coach Chris Bucknam said. “They’re great competitors.

“I feel like they’re in the right state of mind, they know the importance of what’s coming up, and they’re going to be ready to go. I’m excited to drop the hammer and get after this thing.”

The men’s 8,000-meter race will start at 10 a.m. at LSU’s University Club. It’s the same course where Arkansas opened the season on Sept. 19 by winning the SEC preview meet with 29 points and Ole Miss taking second with 38.

The Razorbacks again scored 29 points and beat Ole Miss to win the Blazer Invitational in Birmingham, Ala., on Oct. 16. The Rebels were second with 50 points.

Arkansas will be led in today’s race — which will be televised live on the SEC Network — by 2018 SEC champion Gilbert Boit, McLeod, Amon Kemboi, Emmanuel Cheboson, Andrew Kibet, Luke Meade and Matt Young.

“I asked my guys in practice the other day, ‘Who thinks they can win an SEC individual championship?’ ” Bucknam said. “And everybody raised their hand. So that’s what you want to see.

“We’ve got a lot of firepower and we’ve got a lot of great talent.”

McLead transferred to Arkansas from Belmont, where he had competed in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

“I couldn’t be more excited, and I’m really grateful to be here,” McLeod said. “I’m glad Coach Bucknam recruited me.

“It’s going to be so much bigger than the conference experience I’ve had in the past. A whole other level really.”

If Arkansas wins, it will be the Razorbacks’ 26th SEC cross country title to break a tie with Tennessee for the most in conference history.

“We like to win cross country meets,” Bucknam said. “That obviously would be a nice prize.

“When you look at the history of Arkansas track and field and cross country, you probably find a milestone every year. That’s what makes coaching here such a blast.

“We also know it’s going to be a tough race, and we’re not taking anything for granted. We have to be on our game if we’re going to win.”