No. 1 Arkansas seeks fourth consecutive title while hosting SEC Indoor

FAYETTEVILLE – The indoor marketing campaign has reached the postseason stage and No. 1 Arkansas will function host to the SEC Championships this Friday and Saturday inside Randal Tyson Monitor Middle with the Razorbacks looking for a fourth consecutive indoor convention crew title.

For the third consecutive week Arkansas is No. 1 within the nationwide ranking index whereas a complete of 11 SEC colleges are ranked among the many prime 25 this week.

“I’m not going to shrink back from it, we’re the favorites and I’ll be upset if we didn’t come out on prime,” mentioned Arkansas males’s head coach Chris Bucknam. “I believe we’ve obtained a extremely good crew, however we simply must exit and execute. That’s our gameplan and our motto for this week. There’s no query the goal is on our again.”

Following Arkansas among the many nationwide prime 10 are Washington, Texas Tech, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma State, Florida, Nebraska, USC, and Georgia. Different SEC applications among the many prime 25 are Alabama (11), Kentucky (14), South Carolina (17), Texas A&M (18), Mississippi State (20), Ole Miss (21), and Auburn (24).

In convention rankings, which measure the depth of a crew, Arkansas leads the SEC by a big margin over Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, and Texas A&M.

“We’ve obtained our three primary areas and we’ve got firepower in all three of these occasion areas, whether or not it’s the space working, or the jumps and throws, or sprints and hurdles,” mentioned Bucknam.

“I be ok with it. We’ve obtained loads of totally different ways in which we will rating factors and that’s actually essential. It’s simply not reliant on three to 5 folks. I’m trying ahead to seeing how we put all of it collectively.”

Since becoming a member of the SEC within the early Nineties and internet hosting for the primary time in 2000, the Razorbacks have beforehand hosted the SEC Indoor meet on 10 events and claimed the crew title eight occasions on the Tyson Middle. Florida has received twice throughout that span, in 2011 and 2019.

Heading into the convention championships the weekend, athletes from the SEC are at present world leaders in six occasions, two of which aren’t contested within the SEC, and collegiate leaders in three further occasions.

Razorback Chris Bailey is a world chief this indoor season in three occasions, individually within the 400m and 600m, in addition to a member of the 4 x 400 relay. His 400m time of 45.09 set a UA indoor report and even ranks No. 6 on the Arkansas outside all-time prime 10.

“Chris Bailey is the No. 1 400m runner within the nation, and don’t depend out James Benson, who doesn’t have a nationwide qualifying time but,” famous Bucknam. “He’s going to be a contender for a title as properly.”

Just one Arkansas sprinter has ever received the SEC Indoor 400m with Calvin Davis capturing a pair of titles in 1993 and 1994. The Razorbacks have solely received the 4 x 400 relay as soon as, in 2011, on the indoor convention meet. The 600m just isn’t held within the SEC meet.

Among the many three collegiate leaders from the SEC is Arkansas freshman Jaydon Hibbert within the triple soar. The final Razorback to win the indoor SEC triple soar was Clive Pullen in 2016. A complete of 9 Arkansas jumpers have claimed 12 titles within the occasion since 1992.

“We’ve some stars, there’s no query about that,” said Bucknam. “I’m simply excited to get them on the market. One among our strengths is the horizontal jumps with the lengthy soar and triple soar.

“So, it’s going to be enjoyable to see Jaydon Hibbert open up with a full strategy within the triple soar. Identical with Wayne Pinnock, who’s a defending nationwide champion, the place we’re seeking to get a sequence of jumps in together with Carey McLeod.”

McLeod, the defending SEC Indoor lengthy soar champion, at present ranks No. 4 within the lengthy soar with a 26-6.5 (8.09), behind teammate and defending nationwide champion Wayne Pinnock, who ranks No. 3 with a 26-7 (8.10). McLeod can be No. 7 on the 2023 collegiate checklist within the triple soar.

The final time Arkansas swept the SEC Indoor lengthy soar and triple soar titles occurred in 2016 with Jarrion Lawson profitable the lengthy soar and Pullen claiming the triple soar.

Ayden Owens-Delerme will contest the heptathlon for the primary time this season and is joined by Daniel Spejcher and Marcus Weaver.

“He’ll simply give attention to the hept,” Bucknam famous of Owens-Delerme. “In of itself that’s quite a bit occasions. We’re not out to interrupt any data, we’re out to win the meet. That’s our main purpose. Precedence one is to attain essentially the most factors.”

Arkansas additionally has a trio of Razorbacks in three further occasions – 60m hurdles, distance occasions, and the shot put.

With practically similar occasions, the hurdle crew of Tre’Bien Gilbert (7.69), Matthew Lewis-Banks (7.71), and Phillip Lemonious (7.73) rank 3-4-7 within the convention 60m hurdles. Lemonious and Gilbert positioned seventh and eighth a 12 months in the past.

Patrick Kiprop lately broke the UA report at 5,000m and ranks second within the league to Tennessee’s Dylan Jacobs. Kiprop, the excessive level scorer on the 2022 SEC Outside Championships, ranks sixth within the 3,000m.

Myles Richter joins Kiprop within the 3,000m and & 5,000m combo whereas Ben Shearer may also race within the 3k.

The shot put area, with the highest three entrants separated by 4 inches, features a trio of Razorbacks led by Jordan West, who was a silver medalist with Tennessee a 12 months in the past within the SEC Indoor. He’s joined by teammates Rojé Stona and Ralford Mullings. They at present rank 2-5-8 within the league this indoor season.

Whereas Arkansas is the world chief within the 4 x 400 relay and ranks second within the SEC within the distance medley in addition to ninth within the nation, the line-ups this weekend could differ from the Razorbacks who had been a part of the pair of faculty report efforts.

“The relay personnel might be totally different from what we ran final week, identical with the 4 x 400,” mentioned Bucknam. “It’s the identical with the opposite colleges too. We’re all attempting to handle athletes doubling and tripling.

“There’s loads of groups right here which are going to make noise on the NCAA Championships, so all people is form of enjoying the lengthy recreation a bit of bit and never over-working two or three athletes and attempt to unfold the expertise out.”

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