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On August 1st, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced their latest series of sanctions against track and field athletes regarding alleged doping and non-doping violations. Among the listed athletes who have been given sanctions is Uganda's Peter Maru, a now-former long distance standout for Arkansas who joined the Razorbacks this past winter.
Maru's alleged infraction was recorded on March 19th of 2023. He has been given a three-year ban (starting from March of this year) and will not be eligibile to race until March 26th of 2027.
During his short time in the NCAA, Maru secured 5th place All-American honors in the 5k at the NCAA Indoor Championships after running 13:17 for that distance earlier in the season. He did not race at all this past spring and was not expected to return to the team as of a few weeks ago.
Maru came into the NCAA with a 5k PR of 13:07 from a 2022 race in Oslo, Norway. He had also run 27:30 for 10,000 meters on the roads.
The Arkansas men are currently viewed as NCAA team title contenders for the upcoming cross country season. Between a trio of returning low-stick stars and a slew of top-tier incoming transfers, the Razorbacks will likely be favored to earn a podium spot in November and eventually emerge as Oklahoma State's biggest threat for gold.