Tag: Arkansas track and field

Hogs claim third consecutive SEC Outdoor title

Arkansas track and field continued to dominate at the SEC championships.

As DJ Khaled would say, another one.

Twenty-two, to be exact.

The Arkansas track and field team claimed their 22nd overall SEC Outdoor Championship over the weekend at Bernie Moore Stadium by dominating the field with 149 team points. The host school, LSU, finished in second place with 89 team points, and Tennessee claimed third with 87 team points.

On the final day, Jaydon Hibbert broke the outdoor collegiate record in the triple jump with a second-round leap of 58 feet, 7.5 inches (17.87). In addition, he broke the previous record by a foot, which was set by Keith Connor of SMU in 1982.

Roje Stona became the first Razorback to win an SEC discus title with a toss of 225-2 (68.64).

Ayden Owens-Delerme, who decided to skip the decathlon, won the 400m hurdles with a record-breaking time of 48.26 seconds. This was only his third time in the race as a collegiate runner. He broke Kerron Clement’s of Florida record set at the 2005 NCAA Championship.

Owens-Delerme broke the SEC meet record of 48.29 in 2005 by Florida’s Kerron Clement.

Men’s coach Chris Bucknam claims his 29th SEC title and eighth outdoor league crown.

Ayden Owens-Delerme set to miss SEC, NCAA Decathalon

Arkansas Razorbacks track and field team takes a hit with senior Ayden Owens-Delerme ruled out for the Outdoor SEC and NCAA Decathlon Championships. 

Arkansas Razorbacks track and field team takes a hit with senior Ayden Owens-Delerme ruled out for the Outdoor SEC and NCAA Decathlon Championships.

Owens-Delerme has been ruled out because of nagging injuries the former champion has been dealing with all season. 

“To put him in the best position to medal at the World Championships, we feel like the wear and tear of two decathlons (at the SEC and NCAA meets) before that takes place would be a detriment,” said Chris Buckingham, Arkansas men’s coach Bucknam.

The Co-SEC Outdoor Scholar-Athlete Of The Year will participate in the 400-meter hurdles and be in the pool for the 400- and 1,600-meter relays.

“We’ve come to the conclusion that what’s best for him long-term is to focus on the 400 hurdles and the relays — give him that break from the decathlon so he can go on and prepare for the World Championships.”

The World Championship is set to take place August 25-26 in Budapest, Hungary. He finished fourth in last year’s World Championship, scoring a career-best 8,532 points for Puerto Rico.

Arkansas outdoor team confident ahead of SEC championships

The Arkansas outdoor track and field teams are hitting their stride ahead of this weekend’s SEC Championships.

Death, taxes and Arkansas track and field being one of the best programs in the country. These are seemingly life’s only guarantees.

Following a national championship in men’s and women’s indoor track and field, the Razorbacks are proving to be back to form ahead of the outdoor SEC Championships this weekend.

Last weekend’s Arkansas Twilight event was the final tune-up before the conference championship meets. Both the Razorback men’s and women’s outdoor teams are currently ranked in the top three nationally (men No. 2, women No. 3) and have a lot to prove following 2022’s conference championships.

Last year, the Razorback women’s team lost the outdoor SEC title by just four points to Florida, something that still stings for head coach Lance Harter to this day.

“[Last year] definitely is a factor,” said Harter. “They interrupted our chain by four points. It’s a reconfirmation to those kiddos that every point is important.”

On the men’s side, it’s all about building on what won them the indoor title in February.

“I still feel like we’ve got a really, really good outdoor team. Our indoor team was on point and we nailed that at the NCAA Championships. The 14 guys that we brought, 13 scored,” said men’s head coach Chris Bucknam. “If we can continue to come together as a team and improve and pull this thing together I do feel our outdoor team has the same kind of potential, if not even a little bit better. We’re deep and well-rounded.”

Arkansas’ quest for another track and field championship begins on Thursday in Baton Rouge. Following this week’s conference championship meets, the outdoor NCAA Championships will begin on May 24.

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Razorback Olympic Medalist Passes Away

Calvin Davis, an Arkansas alum and Olympic bronze medalist, passed away on May 1.

Arkansas track and field legend, Calvin Davis, passed away Monday at the age of 51.

Davis spent his days at the University of Arkansas during the early 90s, becoming a three NCAA champion and six-time All-America under the tutelage of legendary coach John McDonnell, coming out of Eutaw, Alabama.

He was a part of four SEC and four NCAA team titles in two years, from 1993 to 1994. He is fourth on the all-time outdoor Razorbackall-time list with his career best of 45.04, claiming the 1993 NCAA 400m title.

Davis also flourished internationally.

Davis entered the 1995 World Indoor Championship in Barcelona, Spain, as a United States 4 x 400m relay member, earning gold as the second leg, Davis running 46.1 during the United States’ first place 3:07.37 time.

Next, at the 1996 Olympics Trials, Davis made the Olympic team by finishing third in the 400m hurdles final in 48.32. His name grew more during the 400m hurdles Olympic finals, taking home the bronze medal with a career producing a career-best of 47.91 seconds.

Razorback Track and Field legend headed to the Collegiate Hall of Fame

Mike Conley was announced as one of 14 members of the 2023 Collegiate Hall of Fame.

Another ray of light shines from Arkansas Track and Field program.

The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced that Razorback legend Mike Conley will be inducted into the Collegiate Hall of Fame.

Conley joins Erik Walder as the only two Razorbacks in the Collegiate Hall of Fame. Walder was apar of the 2022 class.

The long jumper won nine NCAA titles and earned 17 All-American honors. In 1984 and 1985, he swept the indoor and outdoor NCAA titles, all eight titles in the long jump and triple jump.

He set the indoor triple jump collegiate record of 57-1 to win the 1985 U.S. Indoor title. The record stood until another Razorback, Jaydon Hibbert, broke it to win the 2022 NCAA Indoor title with a mark of 57-6.5 (17.54).

Conley was an Olympic medalist during his time at Arkansas. He won silver at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics after his junior season. He followed that with a Triple jump gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

He wasn’t just a great jumper, he also helped the Razorbacks on the track as a member of the 4×100 team. In addition, he was instrumental in Arkansas winning its first outdoor NCAA title in 1985.

Conley was inducted into the USATF Hall of Fame in 2004. A former World indoor record holder, Conley remains the American indoor record holder with a mark of 58-3.25 (17.76) from 1987.

The induction ceremony will be held in Eugene, Oregon, on September 14, before the 2023 Diamond League Final, the Prefontaine Classic, held September 16-17 in Eugene.

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Two times! Arkansas men and women both national champions at NCAA Indoors

Arkansas’ women’s mile relay team is the fastest in the world. At any level.

Arkansas and Texas. One would be national champions. The winner determined by the results of the final race at the NCAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Friday.

With a two-point edge in points over Texas, the Razorbacks women just needed to finish in front of the Longhorns to capture the crown. They did one better.

Arkansas’ 4×400 team clocked a time 3:21.75, a world record ahead of Russia’s 3:23.27 from 2006, and a time more than two seconds ahead of the one that set the collegiate record last year.

Arkansas’ national title came from the 64 points the Hogs scored across the board. Texas was second with 60 and Florida finished third with 45. Before the meet, Texas the nation’s No. 1 team, Florida second and Arkansas third.

Instead, Arkansas won its fourth NCAA Indoor title and seventh overall.

The men were not to be outdone. They won their 42nd title and 21st Indoor by rolling through Albuquerque. The Razorbacks logged 62 points. Georgia was next closest with 40.

The meets marked the first time since 2016 that the same school swept both the men’s and women’s titles.

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Hogs’ Amanda Fassold wins national title in pole vault

Amanda Fassold was second in the outdoor championships last year. She wouldn’t be denied in 2023 indoors.

In June of last year, Amanda Fassold a mere .06 meters from capturing a national title in the pole vault at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Friday, she wasn’t going to come in second again.

Fassold won the NCAA Indoor Championship in the event in Albuquerque, New Mexico, vaulting 4.45 meters to beat Oklahoma’s Olivia Lueking and South Dakota’s Marleen Mulla to capture the crown.

Fassold, an Oregon native, did not qualify for the Championships in the indoor meet last year while Lueking and Rulla both did. She wasn’t afraid of the spotlight, however, after last year’s finish at the Outdoor Championships.

That trio were the only three to make the 4.50 bar height. Fassold had cleared the 4.45 mark on her first attempt.

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Arkansas alum repeats as silver medalist in European Indoor Championships

Tina Šutej won silver in the pole vault at the 2023 European Indoor Championships, but the former Razorback was unsatisfied.

Arkansas Track and Field alum, Tina Šutej, won silver in the pole vault at the 2023 European Indoor Championships, clearing 15 feet, 7 inches (4.75) during the competition on Saturday.

The former Hog was not happy with her performance, though.

“I was preparing myself for a victory, so yes, I’m a little disappointed,” she said about her finish.

“I’ve been the best European pole vaulter this whole indoor season, and today I’m second. I will appreciate being the silver medalist, maybe tomorrow or in a week. Today I’ll just be a little sad and disappointed and mad at myself. I do appreciate it, obviously, every medal is special.”

Wilma Murto of Finland set an indoor national record of 15-9 (4.80) for the victory.

While at Arkansas, the native daughter of Slovenia was one of the best track athletes in the collegiate track & field, winning the 2011 NCAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship.

Šutej entered the championships as the 2023 European leader with an overall career best and Slovenia national record of 15-9.75 (4.82), the second best in the world for the 2023 indoor season.

“My jumping was a little inconsistent today,” noted Šutej. “I was switching poles a lot, but I did a few really good jumps. Even the last one at 4.85 was good, but it was a little miss.”

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Arkansas lands 24 athletes to NCAA Track and Field championships

The Razorbacks men are the No. 1 team in the nation. The women won the indoor title in 2021.

The top-ranked Arkansas men’s track team will have 13 athletes at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships and the third-ranked women will send another 11 to the meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 10-11.

The men’s 13 athletes are spread over nine events, the most of any team at the meet. Texas athletes are a part of eight events and Florida, Tennessee, Texas Tech and Washington have athletes in involved in seven events. Arkansas’ women will participate in six events. Texas, Florida and Oregon are in nine.

The men will participate in the 4×400 for the fifth straight year at the championships and the 4×400 for the 13th straight year. That mark is five years behind Texas A&M’s record 18.

Freshman Jaydon Hibbert is one of the men’s favorites for an individual title. The freshman is the only athlete in the college ranks to jump beyond 56 feet in the triple jump during the indoor season.

Six of Arkansas’ nine athletes are in the 400-meter dash. Amber Anning is the third-seed overall after running 50.68 at the SEC meet. Rosey Effiong, Britton Wilson, Joanne Reid, Nickisha Pryce and Paris Peoples join her.

The Arkansas men last won the indoor national championship in 2012. The women won the event in 2021 on their home track in Fayetteville.

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Track and field wins 44th SEC title for longtime coach

In his final season as coach of Arkansas’ women’s track and field team, Lance Harter won his 44th SEC title.

Another SEC Indoor track-and-fielc season is in the books and it’s another win for legendary Arkansas coach Lance Harter.

Harter is set to retire officially in June after spending 33 seasons at Arkansas. He coached 458 first-team All-Americans during that time and won six NCAA titles. Last season, he added the USTFCCCA Terry Crawford Program of the Year to his resume, the first of his three-decade career.

The team victory was also the 13th SEC Indoor title, moving Arkansas ahead of the 12 claimed by LSU and the ninth consecutive SEC title.

The men’s and women’s teams combined for the 10th time the Razorbacks swept the SEC indoor championship, and the 33rd time overall they achieved that feat (19x Cross Country, 4x Outdoor).

Next for the Hogs on the track is the NCAA Indoor Championship in Albuquerque, New Mexico, March 10-11. Then, the outdoor season officially starts March 30 at the Texas Relays in Austin hosted by the Texas Longhorns.

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