Braelyn Combe wins the Chile Pepper 5K by a tenth of a second
The Arkansas freshman caught UT Arlington's Dorcas Jepkosgei on the final stride, 15:59.0 to 15:59.1, and the Razorbacks won the team title at home.
The women's 5K at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas, came down to the final stride on Saturday. UT Arlington sophomore Dorcas Jepkosgei shared the lead with Baylor's Ruth Kimeli at 3.5K. Arkansas freshman Braelyn Combe, tied for eighth at the mile with teammate Paityn Noe and seventh at 3.5K, 11 seconds back, closed the gap over the last kilometre and went past Jepkosgei on the final stride, 15:59.0 to 15:59.1. Tulsa junior Kathryn Koonts was third in 16:03.7 and Kimeli fourth in 16:05.2.
Combe's time is the third fastest in the meet's history, behind only the 15:56.3 that Mia Cochran and Noe shared in 2024, and the fastest a freshman has run on the Agri Park course. Noe, who won this race as a freshman in 2023, was seventh in 16:17.8. Jepkosgei's run broke her own UT Arlington program record.
The host team won. Arkansas scored 69 points with places 1, 7, 11, 23 and 27, from Mississippi State (83), Tulsa (89) and UT Arlington (178). Texas, sixth with 197, had six of its seven women set 5K personal bests.
The men's McDonnell Memorial 8K team title went to Texas with 64 points, clear of North Texas (103) and UTEP (137). Hudson Bennett led the Longhorns in third in 24:09.8, with Joaquin De La Cruz sixth in 24:15.7 and Kai McCullough seventh in 24:20.4.
A tenth of a second after 5,000 metres on grass. Cross country does not usually give you a photo finish; when it does, it is worth the trip.
Sources: Arkansas Razorbacks; World-Track; Texas Longhorns; UT Arlington Athletics.
