The Arkansas Razorbacks men’s cross country team has been ranked ninth in the nation by FloTrack and twentieth by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) in the 2025 preseason rankings. The team is also listed as first in the South Central Region and second within the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
This season marks Chris Bucknam’s 18th year as head coach of the men’s team. Under his leadership, Arkansas has reached the podium at four of the last five NCAA Championships, finishing third in 2024 and fourth in 2020, 2021, and 2023.
In FloTrack’s preseason rankings, Iowa State holds the top spot, followed by Brigham Young University (BYU), New Mexico, Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Stanford, Virginia, Arkansas, and Wisconsin to round out the top ten. Individual Razorback athletes Ben Shearer and Timothy Chesondin are also featured among FloTrack’s leading individuals at positions 32 and 34 respectively.
Additional SEC teams appear in FloTrack’s top-31: Alabama is ranked twenty-second, Georgia twenty-fifth, and Tennessee twenty-sixth.
The USTFCCCA national poll also places Iowa State first overall. The rest of its top ten includes New Mexico, Oklahoma State, BYU, Wisconsin, Virginia, Stanford, Notre Dame, and Oregon. Within this poll’s SEC representation are Alabama at eleventh place and Arkansas at twentieth; Ole Miss ranks twenty-seventh while Oklahoma is twenty-ninth. Tennessee, Missouri, and Georgia received votes but did not make the top thirty.
Regionally within the South Central area—an honor Arkansas has held for thirteen times since 2012—the Razorbacks lead ahead of Tulane (second), Texas (third), Texas A&M (fourth), and Incarnate Word (fifth). Over the past twelve years at regional meets Arkansas has finished either first or second every time with eight titles during that span.
In conference voting among SEC coaches for preseason predictions on team standings: “Voting by conference coaches placed Arkansas second in the SEC preseason poll with a pair of first-place votes. Alabama, receiving 10 first-place votes, led the field with 16 points followed by 29 for the Razorbacks.” The poll continues: “The top five teams included Ole Miss (58), Missouri (61), and Oklahoma (63) with one first-place vote each for the Rebels and Sooners. Tennessee, who will host the SEC Championships, is ranked sixth ahead of Texas A&M, Georgia, Kentucky, and Texas among the top 10 teams.”
Arkansas begins its season on October 4 at Agri Park during the Chile Pepper Festival.
