ARLINGTON – The UT Arlington cross country teams return to the course on Friday evening as they will compete in the annual Chile Pepper Festival at the University of Arkansas Cross Country Course in Fayetteville.

The women will compete in a 6k beginning at 5 p.m. while the men will follow with an 8k scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

In one of the largest cross country events for both collegiate and high school athletes, the Chile Pepper Festival will feature 75 collegiate men's teams and 78 collegiate women's team from all three NCAA divisions as well as junior colleges.

"It's another huge event this week for us with a ton of great competition," said Head Coach John Sauerhage. "We look forward to the opportunity to improve from our last race."

The Mavs come off the loaded Cowboy Jamboree from two weeks ago with senior Valeria Diaz-Gonzales looking to build off a terrific race as she set a new PR of 23:30.2 in the 6k. Freshman Anne Arntsen, a two-time Sun Belt Runner of the Week, will look for a strong race to add to her arsenal. 

On the men's side, UTA got great performances from freshman Jackson Cichon, sophomore Patrick Estes, and junior Marquentin Barnes in their last run in the 8k. 

The Mavs will see a few Sun Belt opponents in the field including Arkansas State, Texas State, and ULM.

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