Texas men’s cross country continues to build toward the Southeastern Conference Championships. Still, before the Longhorns walk into Knoxville, Tennessee, they have an opportunity to test themselves early against the reigning champions, the Arkansas Razorbacks.

“We are greatly looking forward to racing in Arkansas,” assistant coach Sarah Smith said in an email. “It will be a great opportunity to see where we are at against fellow SEC and regional opponents at this point in the season. Also, (it will be) a great opportunity to preview the Arkansas course in preparation for regionals.”

The Longhorns travel to Fayetteville this weekend to compete in the 37th annual Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival hosted by a Razorback program that has won four out of the last five SEC championships. The Chile Pepper Festival is one of the country’s premier races.

In a typical year, over 80 colleges and 120 high schools compete for Chile Pepper awards, with this opportunity being the first for the Longhorns to see conference foes.

Texas comes into this race having had two top-three finishers in each of its previous two meets, with a highlight for the Longhorns being freshman Aidan Torres and his consecutive top finishes.

Torres, from El Paso, has been the Longhorns’ top finisher in both the Stormy Seas Opener and the UIW Invitational. He started the season off posting a personal best with a 15:12.42 in the Stormy Seas Opener, and has been the most consistent performer for Texas this season.

Other top performers include senior Nathanael Berhane, who made his season debut in the UIW Invitational, impressing with a 19:20.00 time and third-place finish. Fellow freshman Joaquin De La Cruz was also the third overall finisher for the program with a 20:02.60 time.

Texas will have the opportunity to impress poll voters even more by looking to build upon its strong start to the season after winning the Stormy Seas Opener and finishing second in the UIW Invitational. If Texas can put up another solid showing, a top-30 ranking could be calling.