FAYETTEVILLE — A season of transition, sprinkled with injuries and disappointment, closes for Arkansas’ cross country team today in Terre Haute, Ind.

The Razorbacks, ranked 24 th nationally, won’t win another national championship barring a miracle at the NCAA meet at Indiana State’s LaVern Gibson Complex. Even with the lower expectations, Coach Chris Bucknam reiterated again this past week how proud of his team he is.

Arkansas’ women’s team is ranked 11 th nationally, and the Razorbacks have their sights set on a top-four finish. The women’s 6 K race is scheduled to begin at 11 a. m. with the men’s 10 K race following at 11: 45.

Teams enter seven runners with the top five finishers scoring. The team competition is decided by adding the finishes of the top five runners, and the lowest total wins.

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The Razorbacks men finished 23 rd last year, the second-lowest finish in school history. Coach John McDonnell, who won 11 cross country titles among his 40 overall, retired in the off-season and was replaced by Bucknam.

The Razorbacks saw their streak of 34 consecutive conference championships end with a third-place finish at the SEC Meet on Nov. 3. Arkansas rebounded with an improved performance to finish second at the South Central Regional on Nov. 15.

Arkansas isn’t in the class of the top national teams but that hasn’t lessened Bucknam’s affection for his team. He understands the rough road the Razorbacks had to navigate as a rebuilding program with a new coach for the first time since 1972.

“I’ve looked at that top tier and hopefully in the near future we’ll be back in that contention mode,” Bucknam said at a Tuesday press conference. “I’m really proud of this team. I’ve said that a number of times. The season is not over so I’ll withhold some of my comments until we get to the finish of this thing.”

Bucknam has previously said he was no “deep thinker” when it came to predicting races. He said Tuesday he didn’t want to go out on a limb about this race.

“Who knows what will ultimately happen ?” Bucknam said. “All I can tell you is we’re looking at running our best race of the year and let the chips fall where they may. I can’t give you a number what we’re shooting for because I don’t want to limit what I think we can do, and I don’t want to overshoot it, either.”

Arkansas women’s Coach Lance Harter wasn’t so shy about his hopes. The Razorbacks won the SEC and South Central Regional and have one remaining goal: a trophy for a top-four finish at nationals.

“We’re very, very capable of it,” Harter said. “It’s just a matter of there’s a dozen other teams who think they can do the same thing. If everything goes well, we’re in the top 10. If everything goes above and beyond what we’re capable of, then we’re a contender to get a trophy.”

The Razorbacks didn’t make any opponents sit up and take notice with their performance at the regional meet. That was by design as Harter said the team ran just as fast as it needed to win and still have plenty left in the tank for nationals.

Arkansas will be led by sophomore Catherine White, who won the SEC individual title in 20 minutes, 7. 26 seconds in early November. White ran nearly 42 seconds slower in finishing fourth at the regional meet but has been her team’s top finisher in all seven meets this year.

“She’s a great team player and she just went through [regional ] as comfortable as possible,” Harter said. “She’s fresh and ready to go. She has beaten a lot of very good people who have dominated their regions.”