The St. Edward's men's and women's cross country teams return to the course this Saturday at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Ark., carrying three weeks of training, recovery, and quiet momentum into one of the toughest fields of the season.

If September was about laying bricks, October is where the walls start to take shape.

"We've been building more of a base and getting everyone healthy since the Texas A&M Invitational, so we're in a good spot right now," head coach Chase Rathke said. "I love where both teams are. Training has been going really well. I'm excited for this weekend."

The pause between Texas A&M and Fayetteville wasn't dead time — it was a sharpening stone. Mileage banked. Nags and bruises healed. Heads cleared.

"They're excited for this weekend," Rathke said. "It's good to have a few weeks off in the middle of the season to recover mentally and physically. It's a big meet for them. Training has gone really well, and I love where both teams are."

Now comes the test. The Chile Pepper course rolls with hills, punishes wasted steps, and pulls apart loose packs. It also brings a mixed field — Lone Star Conference rivals blended with smaller Division I schools.

"It's going to be a more difficult course," Rathke said. "There's going to be some hills on this one, and an opportunity to compete against other schools within our conference, along with a few smaller Division I schools from Texas. So, it's a great opportunity to gauge things — and if we can beat a few of them, that's always helpful."

The women's side has been steady and upward. MIA RIVERA and DELANEY LONG have quietly become the team's metronomes — synced stride for stride, pulling the group forward. Rivera surged to a new program 5K record at Texas A&M. Long has been in the mix all season, her consistency as valuable as Rivera's ceiling.

"Everyone has been doing really well on the women's side," Rathke said. "MIA RIVERA and DELANEY LONG have really stepped up their training and have been doing great working together."

Behind them, JULIANA MERLO, SAMMY SALAZAR, and JENNA SAUNDERS round out a core that has grown tighter every week. It's a group learning how to fold five runners into one pack — the essential equation in cross country.

The men's team is finding its identity in numbers. Senior AJ PENA and sophomore ARLO GONZALES set the tone at the front, with returners like MELECIO ORTIZ, PARKER STEVENS, and WILLIAM SULENTICH pulling the middle closer.

"The pack has drawn closer," Rathke said. "That's a testament to them working together and building. So, I'm excited for both teams."

On a Fayetteville course that rewards rhythm and punishes gaps, that narrowing pack could be the difference between chasing and catching.

The season pivots here. After Fayetteville comes the DBU Old Glory Gallop, then the Lone Star Conference Championships. Every mile between now and then is calibration: who makes the travel squad, who rounds into form, who sharpens for the final kick.

"After this, we have the DBU Old Glory Gallop, then conference, so we're going to assess this weekend and who to take to the next meet," Rathke said. "I'm not crazy about back-to-back races. This is the midway point of the season, so after this, we'll start to taper off the mileage, ramp up the intensity, and focus on the quality of reps and everything we're trying to do for conference."

Saturday isn't just a checkpoint — it's a stress test. The kind that shows cracks or hardens resolve. And for a program aiming to build momentum by late October, it's precisely what they need.

The Hilltoppers line up at Agri Park on Saturday morning, ready to find out how far the work has carried them — and how much higher their ceiling might be.