This article originally appeared in the November 20, 2013 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.
The Studs
Junior Stanley Kebenei and senior Kemoy Campbell have fought back and forth throughout the season for the Arkansas men’s cross country team.
Kebenei started the year by winning the Razorbacks’ first two events. Campbell responded by edging him for second place at the Chili Pepper Festival, then won the Wisconsin adidas Invitational.
He continued his success by beating Kebenei at the Southeastern Conference Championships and winning the race in record time. However, Kebenei responded by beating Campbell in a photo finish at the South Central Regional Championships.
“I think it’s every man for himself when we get to the National Championship,” head coach Chris Bucknam said. “They love to compete and we’re going to count on them this weekend.”
Potential Surprisers
The Razorbacks also have a solid group of runners behind Kebenei and Campbell.
Senior Solomon Haile is a two-time All-SEC and All-Region runner and was an All-American in 2010. He has consistently been Arkansas’ third finisher in the Razorbacks’ last few races.
Bucknam also said that sophomore Patrick Rono could score for Arkansas. Rono is the SEC Indoor champion in the mile and has a personal best time of 1:48.75 in the 800-meter.
“There might not be too many guys faster than him,” Bucknam said. “If he can get in a rhythm and get where he needs to be with two (kilometers) to go, he’s going to do good.”
Junior Gabe Gonzalez, senior David Flynn and sophomore Cale Wallace have also finished in scoring position for the Razorbacks in the last two meets.
The Hometown Hero
Gonzalez is in his first season at Arkansas. He spent his first two collegiate seasons at Kansas before deciding to transfer to the Razorbacks.
Coming out of Springdale High School, which is only 10 miles north of Fayetteville, Gonzalez committed to the Jayhawks and was an All-Region runner in 2012.
At Springdale, he won eight individual state titles, including two cross country championships.
“He has stepped in and done a really good job for us,” Bucknam said. “It’s great to have the local kids do well in our program.”
In just one year with the Razorbacks, Gonzalez finished 10th and ninth at the SEC and regional meets, respectively, earning All-SEC and All-Region honors.
The Competition
Arkansas enters the NCAA Championship meet as the No. 10 team in the country.
Traditional cross country powers, such as No. 1 Northern Arizona and No. 5 Oregon, will make the Razorbacks’ quest for a national title challenging.
However, Bucknam said he isn’t looking at any single team as Arkansas’ biggest competition. Instead, he said that he believes any team is capable of winning the team championship.
“We’re ranked 10th,” Bucknam said. “I’d say the nine teams in front of us and the nine teams behind us all have a great shot. All of them are good.”
Individually, Campbell and the rest of the Razorbacks will be chasing Texas Tech’s Kennedy Kithuka, the reigning NCAA cross country champion.
The Pressure
The men’s track program at Arkansas is one of the most prestigious in the country. The Razorbacks have won 41 national championships, including 11 in cross country.
Legendary head coach John McDonnell won the first 40 championships (42 if you include the two vacated by the NCAA), before Bucknam won his first championship with the Razorbacks at the 2013 Indoor Championship.
After winning the indoor title, Bucknam openly said that an enormous pressure was lifted off of him. Now, he said his focus is winning a cross country championship.
“That feeling wore off a long time ago,” Bucknam said. “Our job is to put the best team we can out there for the state of Arkansas and make them proud.”
The Arkansas men will go after the 12th cross country championship in school history Saturday at 11 a.m. in Terre Haute, Ind.
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