FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.— The Drury women's cross country finished 11^th among 35 teams and the men's squad was 12^th out of 32 teams at the Chile Pepper Festival hosted by Arkansas in Fayetteville on Friday.
 
The DU women's team had the third-best finish among Division II teams in the elite five-kilometer race on Friday. The Razorbacks won the event with 20 points, while Southern Methodist was in second with 89 points. Drury had 377 points and came in behind Division II squads Western Colorado, who was third overall and ranked sixth nationally, and Missouri Southern, who finished 10^th and is ranked 23^rd in D-II. The Panthers finished above Division I programs Oklahoma and Oral Roberts.
 
Luz Olivera was Drury's best finisher and came in 39^th overall in a field of 304 runners with a time of 18:01.7. Her time ranks sixth all-time in program history for a five-kilometer race. Bradley Weimer was 50^th (18:13.9) and Zoe Van Dijk was right behind in 51^st with a time of 18:14.3, a time that ranks seventh in program history.
 
Payton Noe of Arkansas won the women's race with a time of 16:09.4
 
The Drury men's squad came in 12^th with 337 points. The Panthers were fifth among Division II squads as Arkansas won the race with 18 points. Western Colorado, ranked 11^th in NCAA-II, came in second overall with 93 points. Nebraska-Kearney, ranked number 15 in D-II, was seventh overall, Central Missouri was eighth, and Missouri Southern finished 11^th and was just two points better than Drury in Friday's meet. The Panthers out-ran Division I programs Texas Christian and North Texas.
 
Tyler Harris, a freshman from Springfield-Kickapoo, led Drury's team on Friday as he came in 37^th in the 317-runner field. Harris completed the eight-kilometer race in 25:09.8, the sixth-best time in program history. Harris also shaved off more than a full minute off his previous 8-k time.
 
Santiago Nunez was 63^rd (25:32.9 – the 11^th best time in team history), and Thomas Schuster was 80^th with a time of 25:50.7, a time that ranks 18^th best ever at Drury.
 
Arkansas' Kirami Yego won the men's event with a time of 23:14.1.
 
Both Drury cross country teams compete again on Oct. 7 in the UAH Chargers Invitational in Huntsville, Alabama.
 
 
Complete Results
 
 
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