UTEP Miners

UTEP Cross Country Men to Compete at Arkansas’ Chile Pepper Festival Saturday, Oct. 3

10/2/2026 7:14:00 AM

EL PASO – UTEP will compete at the 38^th annual Chile Pepper Festival hosted by Arkansas on Saturday at Agri Park in Fayetteville.

The college men's "McDonnell Memorial" 8K is slated to start at 9:25 a.m. MDT/10:25 CT.

Competing for the Miners are Carmelo Corral, Julian Franco, Ameen Ibrahim, Nathan Kapel, Juan Leal, Frankie Medina, Sebastian Mendez, Israel Quintana, Paul Rotich, and Jacob Yeager.

LIVE RESULTS LINK: https://flashresults.com/2027_Meets/xc/ChilePepper/index.htm

"Our men have continued to make progress each time they've had an opportunity to compete, and this weekend is another important step for our group," second-year UTEP head coach Francesca Green said. "Coming off a strong performance at home, I'm excited to see how they respond to a larger field and a higher level of competition. Coach Herbert has done a great job preparing these guys and getting them to believe in what they can accomplish together."

At the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational on Sept. 19, the men's team won the team title while Leal claimed the individual championship with a personal-best time of 24:17.0. Kapel placed second with a 24:18.0, and Rotich turned in a 24:22.0 for a third-place showing.

"As we move closer to the championship portion of our season, every opportunity matters. The Chile Pepper Invitational will give our men a chance to challenge themselves and continue building, while our women will stay back this weekend and continue preparing for the Arturo Barrios Invitational in College Station," Green said. "Both groups are on slightly different schedules right now, but the goal is the same — continue getting better and be at our best when it matters most."

The Miners will compete against a stacked field that includes host No. 16 Arkansas, Kansas City, Mississippi State, Northwest Missouri State, North Texas, Northwest Arkansas CC, Oklahoma Christian, ORU, Texas, UTA and Williams Baptist University.

"Our men have been running well, and Chile Pepper gives us the opportunity to see how we stack up against some of the best schools in the region," UTEP assistant coach Justin Herbert said. "It's a great course and a strong field, and the meet has a rich tradition of excellence, so we are looking forward to the test on Saturday."

After Saturday, the Miners have one more regular-season meet (Arturo Barrios Invitational on Oct. 16) before competing at the 2026 Mountain West Cross Country Championships in Reno, Nev., on Halloween.

For complete coverage of UTEP Track & Field/Cross Country, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPTrack (Twitter/Instagram/Facebook) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.

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