FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – UC Santa Barbara will be sending the Women's and Men's Cross Country teams southeast to compete in the 36th Annual Chile Pepper Festival on Saturday, Sept. 28. The men will race the McDonnell Memorial 8K at 8:30 a.m. PT, followed by the women who will compete in the Harter's Habanero 5K at 9:10 a.m. PT.

The women will be competing against 26 different schools from across the country while the men will be taking on 24 different teams, all of which are schools the Gauchos have yet to compete against this season.
 
LAST MEET
Last weekend, Santa Barbara traveled to the Los Angeles area and took part in the Riverside Invitational, where the Gauchos witnessed six total athletes finish in the top 100 of their respective races. 
 
Sophomore Parker Simmons, who led the way with a time of 24:00.6 in the 8K, placed the highest of any Gaucho during the weekend, securing 27th overall. Junior Zachary Parker was the only other individual to cross the finish line with a double digit placement for Santa Barbara in the men's race, placing 69th with a time of 24:26.3. 
 
Lindsey Reed shined once again for the women, leading the Gauchos with a time of 21:08.5 in the 6K, placing her at 60th. Jana Barron, Ava Maier, and Leah Mendibles rounded out the other Gauchos finishing in the top 100, with times of 21:24.1, 21:24.6, and 21:34.1, respectively.
 
CONDITIONS
UC Santa Barbara faces the chance of racing in the rain come Saturday and will compete in highly humid conditions despite winds possibly reaching 10 to 15 miles-per-hour in the early morning. Temperatures will also range from 64°F to 69°F.
 
UP NEXT
After a long journey back to the West Coast, the Gauchos will have three weeks to get ready for their next competition at the Bronco Invitational on Oct. 19 at Baylands Regional Park in Sunnyvale, Calif. The invitational will be hosted by Santa Clara. The race day schedule consists of the men's 8K beginning at 8:45 a.m. and the women competing in a 6K at 9:30 a.m.