Category: Other Sports

Jaydon Hibbert, Arkansas’ track-and-field-Heisman winner, to turn pro

Arkansas triple-jumper Jaydon Hibbert will next look to win gold for Jamaica at the Paris Olympics.

Jaydon Hibbert is one and done.

The Arkansas track-and-field star announced Thursday he was turning professional after one year with the Razorbacks. But what a year it was.

Hibbert won both the SEC indoor and outdoor and the NCAA indoor and outdoor national championships in the triple jump. He also set two college records while doing so. That led his winning of the the Bowerman Award, the Heisman trophy equivalent of track-and-field, in December.

“You have been more than just a school to me, You’ve been a family!” Hibbert wrote. “To all my coaches, teammates and professors, you’ve shaped me into the athlete and person I am today! You’ve instilled in me the RAZORBACK spirit which I’ll carry with me on my professional journey!”

Hibbert broke the NCAA record for indoor triple jump in March by bounding 57-6 1/2, besting a total set by Charleston Southern’s Charlie Simpkins back in 1986. Hibbert then broke Keith Connor’s outdoor record of 57-7 3/4 by leaping 58-7 1/2. Connor’s record had held since 1982.

The Paris Olympics begin in about six months and Hibbert is expected to be in the running for a medal in the triple jump for his country of Jamaica. He did not say with whom he was signing professionally when he made his announcement.

These are the 10 Best Arkansas Athletes of 2023

Who was the best player for the Arkansas Razorbacks this season?

The calendar year of 2023 for Arkansas sports as a whole was a bit of a mixed bag.

But on an individual basis, several Hogs athletes made the most of things and had seasons to remember.

Our annual Top 10 Arkansas Athletes list this year includes one baseball player, one softball player, two football players, one women’s basketball player, two men’s basketball players, two volleyball players and a soccer player.

On the honorable mention list: two softball players, one soccer player, one baseball player, one volleyball player, one basketball player.

Check out the complete list of our honorees for the 2023 calendar year below.

Arkansas track and field’s Hibbert wins prestigious Bowerman Award

Jaydon Hibbert took home the most prestigious award a collegiate track and field athlete can win on Thursday night.

Jaydon Hibbert etched his name in the Arkansas track and field’s history books last night in Denver.

The freshman from Jamaica became the first freshman male and the youngest to ever win the Bowerman Award which goes to the top collegiate track & field athlete.

He is only the second Razorback to ever win it, joining Texarkana’s Jarrion Lawson who won it in 2016.

The award comes after Hibbert produced an undefeated collegiate season in the triple jump, including a sweep of the SEC and NCAA titles. He has also broken decades old collegiate and world U20 records while finishing the year as a track and field world leader.

Arkansas is the fourth school to have a pair of men’s winners, joining Florida State, Florida, and Oregon.

Arkansas women’s gymnastics earns preseason No. 15 ranking

The Hogs have been ranked in the Top 15 every season coach Jordyn Wieber has been at Arkansas.

Barnhill Arena has been host to one of the best teams in the nation all fall. Now, into winter, nothing is likely to change.

The Arkansas gymnastics team takes over Barnhill this month fresh on the heels of Razorbacks volleyball. The Hogs are set for an Elite Eight match against Nebraska on Saturday and the gymnastics team could be right behind them after earning a preseason No. 15 ranking.

Arkansas finished last year in 17th after making their 19th consecutive regional where they set school records in team score and floor score.

Coach Jordyn Wieber has had Arkansas in the preseason top-15 in each of the last four years and she has had individual gymnasts make the NCAA Championships each year. Last year, it was Norah Flatley and Lauren Williams.

Williams is back to lead the team in her sophomore season, which the public can get a glimpse at Sunday, December 17 in the Gymback Preview at Barnhill. The regular season begins January 12 at home against Georgia.

Harlem Globetrotters to play at Bud Walton Arena

Will the Washington Generals have a chance? Guess we’ll just have to find out!

The most famous basketball team in the world is heading to Arkansas.

The Harlem Globetrotters will bring their world tour to Bud Walton Arena in April. They will, of course, play the Washington Generals.

Tickets for the general public go on sale November 27.

The Globetrotters have been playing for almost 100 years with their first season coming in 1926. They blend traditional basketball with trick shots, wild dunks and broad comedy and entertainment.

For the youngsters, think Savannah Bananas baseball, only more established.

More than 750 men and women have played for the Globetrotters in their history, of which their goal is to spread the goodwill of basketball.

Sikes, first Razorback national champion, dies at 83

Arkansas’ first individual national champion-R.H. Sikes-died at the age of 83 on Thursday.

Arkansas lost a legend on Thursday.

R.H. Sikes, who won the national NCAA individual golf championship in 1963, passed away at the age of 83.

Sikes won it at the Wichita Country Club in Kansas that year and turned professional a year later, ultimately winning twice on the PGA Tour.

He grew up in Springdale, learning to play at the Springdale Country Club with his brothers.

Sikes played in numerous major championships. He once won a tournament in 1964 in Las Vegas that Jack Nicklaus finished runner-up to him in.

At the end of his career, he ended up playing on the Senior Tour in the early 1990s, along with playing and touring in Japan as well as coaching the UCLA women’s golf program.

Arkansas men’s cross country team brings home 28th SEC title

Ownership. The Razorbacks have won 10 of the last 11 running titles in the SEC.

For Chris Bucknam, Arkansas’ SEC title on Friday was No. 30.

The Razorbacks’ cross-country coach led his team to yet another outstanding season in the running sports as Arkansas won its 28th SEC Championship in cross country, beating defending league title-holder Alabama and the rest of one the top conferences in the land.

Arkansas, which is ranked eighth in the nation, was led by Patrick Kiprop, who finished second indivdually behind Alabama’s Victor Kiprop. The two are not related. Alabama’s Kiprop finished with a time of 22:23.4, while Arkansas’ Kiprop finished just behind at 22:31.6.

Tennessee was third in the team standings, followed by Texas A&M in fourth, Auburn in fifth, Ole Miss sixth, Florida seventh and Kentucky in eighth.

Arkansas’ title is the 10th in the last 11 SEC Championships – including spring and fall track-and-field.

The Hogs will now head to the NCAA South Central Region meet on November 10. The top two teams there will advance automatically to the NCAA Championships.

Arkansas wins SEC title in cross country on Friday

Arkansas won the SEC cross country title Friday morning in Columbia, South Carolina, It was the program’s 28th SEC title and 52nd overall.

For the 52nd time in program history, the Arkansas men’s cross country team has won a conference championship.

On Friday, the Razorbacks captured their 28th SEC title in Columbia, South Carolina.

Alabama, who won the team title a year ago, finished second to Arkansas this time around with 57 points.

Patrick Kiprop was the top finisher for the Razorbacks, as he came in second behind Alabama’s Victor Kiprop, who ironically he is not related to.

Women

The women’s cross country team was runner-ups to Florida on Friday, as the Gators were led by individual champion Parker Valby.

Arkansas’ top finisher was Paityn Noe in fifth.

Florida women’s swimming and diving earn wins to start off the season

Florida Gators swim team opened the 2023 season with a victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores.

The Florida women’s swimming and diving team is off to a great start after earning its first victory of the year in the season opener.

Florida out-swam the Vanderbilt Commodores, 180-75, up north in Nashville, Tennessee, while the dive team made its debut in Coral Gables to take on the Miami Hurricanes.

The Gators were victorious in every event against Vandy and were led by freshman Bella Sims and senior Isabel Ivey. Both swimmers made their debuts for the Orange and Blue, finishing in first place during three of their own events.

Ivey, a California transfer, took the top spot in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:47.44, followed by a win in the 50-meter freestyle and 200-meter IM.

Sims finished in the top spot in the 100-meter backstroke, freestyle and butterfly. The Olympic silver medalist led off the Gators in the 200-meter medley relay, which also swam her to the top of the podium.

Up next for the Gators is a home meet against the Virginia Cavaliers on Oct. 13, leaving plenty of preparation time for the Orange and Blue. Florida will then host the Georgia Bulldogs on Oct. 27.

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Florida soccer shuts out LSU Tigers to end losing streak

The Florida Gators soccer team is coming back home with a positive mentality after ending its four-game winning drought.

The Florida Gators hit the road to Baton Rouge on Friday and the soccer squad coming home with a much needed win.

Florida (5-3-3) took on the LSU Tigers (7-4-1) in enemy territory and piled up four goals while earning a shutout. The victory ended a four-game winning drought, drawing in the last match against Kentucky and losing to No. 5 FSU, LSU and Missouri.

Florida head coach Samantha Bohon was relieved her squad came together to get the big win.

“This was long overdue,” Bohon said. “Our group has done enough to win a few times in conference play and it’s not fallen our way, so I’m really happy for them to have a win like this. Wins are hard to come by, but road wins are even harder, so this is something our group should be proud of.”

The Gators scored twice in each half, two of them coming from the foot of freshman Megan Hinnenkamp. The scores are her only ones of the season, so far.

Up next for the Florida Gators is a home match with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, starting at 6 p.m. EDT and streaming on SEC Network+.

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