FAYETTEVILLE -- At the NCAA South Central Cross Country meet at noon Friday, Grace Heymsfield will add another race to her career total on the University of Arkansas' home course
While there is no official tally, it's hard to imagine any Arkansas male or female racing more often on the UA's Agri Park course than this UA senior. Heymsfield has raced on the UA course at least once annually since she was a junior high Elkins Elk at the Chile Pepper meet.
"There is probably some alumni that has me beat," Heymsfield said. "But I have run it on every year since seventh grade."
Heymsfield runs it as a Razorback for the final time Friday. Led by junior Dominique Scott and Heymsfield running one-two at the SEC Cross Country Women's Championships that Arkansas won smashingly on Oct. 31 at Tuscaloosa, Ala., the No. 4 Razorbacks seek a top-two team finish Friday to advance as a full team to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 22 in Terre Haute, Ind.
Her team's goal supersedes any sloppy sentiment about Heymsfield's last Razorbacks home run.
"I am looking at it more as regionals than my last race on the cross country course," Heymsfield said. "I think that could be a slippery slope."
So Heymsfield concentrates on the home meet advantages rather than pressure from home.
"There is a lot of comfort to knowing the course well and not having the hassle of traveling and also having our home crowd there," Heymsfield said.
Arkansas Coach Lance Harter said the national race in Terre Haute, not the regional race in Fayetteville, marks Heymsfield's time to excel. Simultaneously Harter wants Scott, first in 5 of 6 races this fall, staying in her championship groove.
"Regionals we have a distinct race plan that will ultimately get us ready for nationals," Harter said. "We are going to have Grace just relax and rally up with the rest of the crew and run a more controlled race than we normally would because we have the luxury of a team that is running so well. She is not going after the divisional title. Now Dom will."
Harter said Terre Haute marks Heymsfield's last chance to meet her one All-American goal unfulfilled.
"For Grace, one of the goals she has had since Day 1 is to be an All-American in cross country," Harter said. "She has been a six-time All-American between indoor and outdoor track but has never been one in cross country. We want to give her the optimal opportunity to make sure she can realize that goal."
If Arkansas' customary scoring 5 of 6 from Scott, Heymsfield, Shannon Klenke, Jessica Kamilos, Diane Robison, and Kelsey Schrader, run to form, the Razorbacks should contend with and perhaps even defeat Michigan State, Georgetown and Oregon, ranked 1-2-3, and Nos. 5 and 6 Iowa State and Wisconsin for the national championship.
"That's definitely our goal," Heymsfield said. "We think we are capable of reaching it. It's all a matter of getting there."
Sports on 11/12/2014