Chile Pepper Festival Recap
All eyes were on Haley Loewe entering this weekend as the 6A defending state champion faced stiff competition from the best in the state, as well as a few out-of-state stars, and did not disappoint.
The Bentonville senior picked up her first victory of the season in the Girls El Caliente race at the Chile Pepper Festival en route to a new personal best time of 17:03.10. Loewe's performance helped power the Tigers to 4th place, the highest finish for a team from Arkansas in the race.
Devyn O'Daniel finished 20th, running an 18:21.80 while Everly O'Daniel finished 49th, running an 18:54.80. Hannah Hansen and Lily Aicklen rounded out the team's top five.
Macy Wingard, one of the fastest girls from Texas, beat Loewe at the Lovejoy XC Festival but finished second on Saturday. This week's race was so full that the Girls El Caliente race was split into two races and Wingard was separated from Loewe.
Zoe Williamson was the second-best finisher from Arkansas, running another massive personal best time of 17:55.40 en route to an 8th-place finish. The Harding Academy senior continues to enjoy a breakout season on the grass and currently sits ranked second in the state.
Rogers, the top-ranked girls team entering the weekend, finished 12th, while Fayetteville finished 18th.
Joseph Bariola was the top finisher from Arkansas in the Boys El Caliente race, running a 15:14.30 en route to a 3rd place finisher.
It was unknown whether the Lakeside star would race in Fayetteville this weekend, but his performance asserted himself as the top runner in the state, knocking off James American Horse, who finished 8th, and Jonathan Mendez, who finished 16th.
Bentonville continued their historic tear, finishing 2nd and scoring just 141 points in a loaded field. Owen Kelley finished 19th while Eli Seavey finished 28th, Matthew Shelly placed 40th, and Payton Brack wrapped up the team's top 5 in 58th.
Another Arkansas runner who had a solid showing was River Hardman, who finished 33rd, running a 15:57.00. His time places him 11th in the state, which cements himself as a legitimate contender to finish on the podium at state in November.
Fayetteville had a really solid day finishing 7th, while Rogers finished 13th, wrapping up a stellar showing for the Natural State in the boys race.