OSU Cross Country Squads Post Top-Four Finishes at Chile Pepper Festival

Saturday, October 5

Fayetteville, AR

9 A.M. CT

Oklahoma State University

Chili Pepper Invitational

Photo by: Clay Billman

OSU Cross Country Squads Post Top-Four Finishes at Chile Pepper Festival

October 05, 2019 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track

STILLWATER - The Oklahoma State cross country teams turned in third and fourth-place finishes this morning at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The eighth-ranked Cowboys finished third in the 8k race while the No. 19 Cowgirls finished fourth in the 5k.

One of the largest cross country meets in the country, the Chile Pepper Festival featured a field of 71 men's teams and 68 women's teams. OSU was one of five Big 12 schools in attendance, with Baylor, Texas, Oklahoma and West Virginia all making appearances.

The Cowboys were led by 2018 All-American Ashenafi Hatte, who finished third overall and first among collegiate entries with a time of 23:46.1 to score one team point for OSU. Hurricane Preview individual champion Bryce Quigley finished second for the Pokes and 24^th overall. Adam Dayani was the third Cowboy to cross the finish line in 25^th overall, with Alec Haines closely behind in 31^st and Ayrton Ledesma Fuentes in 59^th to round out the top five for the Cowboys.

"Considering it was our first meet of the year and being without two of our top guys, I think we did a fair job," Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Dave Smith said. " I'm excited to see where we are when we add Isai Rodriguez and Ryan Smeeton back into the mix, and I think some of these young guys were just shaking the rust off today, but we'll be much better in two weeks when we go to Pre-Nationals."

The Cowgirls' fourth-place finish featured all five scorers finishing in the top-50. Molly Born was the low stick for OSU with her fifth-place finish. 2018 All-Big 12 honoree Taylor Somers was right on the heels of Born, crossing the line sixth overall. Freshman Taylor Roe finished third for the Pokes and 39^th overall, Ariane Ballner finished 47^th and Kaytyn Larson crossed the line in 48^th to round of the Cowgirls' top five.

"Taylor and Molly did a great job for the opener. Molly hadn't ran since last indoor season and Taylor hadn't ran since the outdoor regional, those two did a great job," Smith said.

Freshmen Gabby Hentemann and Alex Maier both had nice showings running unattached. Hentemann finished 45^th in the women's 5k and Maier crossed the line in 57^th in the men's 8k.

"Gabby looked good for a girl who came in here and had zero idea that she'd be competing for us this season," Smith said. "I think we were planning on taking it slow and bringing her along gradually, but she ran really well today and flipped the script and looks like she's one of our top runners, so she's going to run."

The Pokes will travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, two weeks from today for the Pre-National Invitational. Terre Haute will also play host to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 23.

Men's Race – Individual (8k)

3. Ashenafi Hatte – 23:46.1
24. Bryce Quigley – 24:28.2
25. Adam Dayani – 24:28.7
31. Alec Haines – 24:33.6
59. Ayrton Ledesma Fuentes – 25:05.9
88. Manuel Olivo-Quinones – 25:26.4
89. Jorge Perez – 25:27.2
106. Garrett Calhoun – 25:37.5
112. Juan Diego Castro – 25:39.4
159. Nicholas Kenville – 26:13.5

*Running Unattached
57. Alex Maier – 25:04.8
255. Brady Carpenter – 27:20.4

Women's Race – Individual (5k)

5. Molly Born – 16:28.5
6. Taylor Somers – 16:39.2
39. Taylor Roe – 17:34.6
47. Ariane Ballner – 17:40.0
48. Kaytlyn Larson – 17:41.0
66. Amanda Mayoral – 17:58.0
70. Montanna McAvoy – 18:00.8
79. Katherine Ruck – 18:08.1
102. Anna Gunter – 18:24.9
119. Ryan Isennock – 18:36.0
133. Maddie Salek – 18:45.3
135. Haley Geissler – 18:45.4
142. Kaylee Oyler – 18:49.4
173. Emily Forster – 19:11.4

*Running Unattached
45. Gabby Hentemann – 17:37.8
146. Jayden Fiebiger – 18:51.8
179. Mackenzie Marler – 19:18.2

Men's Race – Team