The University of Arkansas women’s 400-meter crew flexed its muscle Thursday night at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Arkansas had the top four times at Hayward Field, advancing to Saturday’s final with freshman Kaylyn Brown (49.82 seconds), senior Nickisha Pryce (49.87), junior Rosey Effiong (50.42) and senior Amber Anning (50.67).
Brown, Pryce and Anning all won their heats. Effiong was second behind Pryce in their heat.
It’s the first time the same women’s team has advanced as many as four to the 400 final at an NCAA meet.
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Anning, Pryce and Effiong went 1-2-3 to lead Arkansas to the NCAA Indoor title earlier this year.
The Razorbacks capped Thursday night’s events with the top time in the 1,600 relay to advance to the final with junior Aaliyah Pyatt, Pryce, Effiong and Anning running 3:25.51.
Sophomore Ariane Linton, Effiong, Brown and Anning opened running events by setting an Arkansas record in the 400 relay, going 42.45 for the second-fastest time advancing to the final.
The Razorbacks broke the previous 400 relay school record of 42.65 set in 2019.
Ole Miss ran a school-record 42.22 for the top time in the semifinals.
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Arkansas junior Rachel Glenn, a two-time NCAA champion in the high jump and winner indoors earlier this year, ran a personal-best 53.80 for the top time in the 400 hurdles and advanced to the final.
It’s the top time in the NCAA this season and ranks seventh on the all-time collegiate list and second on Arkansas’ career list behind Britton Wilson’s 53.08 in 2022.
Glenn’s previous top time was 53.94 she ran two weeks ago at the NCAA West First Round meet in Fayetteville.
Glenn will compete in the high jump Saturday, then run in the 400 hurdles final about 30 minutes later.
Arkansas’ women’s team scored its first two points of the meet with junior Sydney Thorvaldson taking seventh in the 10,000 in a time of 32:50.47.
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Paityn Noe, a freshman for the Razorbacks, finished one spot out of scoring when she took ninth in the 10,000 in 32:57.29.
Florida leads the women’s standing with 26 points with six of 21 finals scored. The No. 1-ranked Razorbacks are tied for 26th, but have plenty of scoring opportunities Saturday.
The men’s decathlon was completed Thursday night and Arkansas seniors Jack Turner and Yariel Soto Torrado combined to score six points.
Through seven of 21 finals scored in the men’s events, the No. 1-ranked Razorbacks are tied for seventh with 11 points.
Southern California leads the men’s team standings with 19 points.
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Turner finished fourth with a personal-best 7,963 points in the decathlon after taking third in the 1,500 in a personal-best 4:26.79. He had the third-fastest time in the 110 hurdles at 14.27, threw the discus 135 feet, 3 inches, cleared 15-5 1/2 in the pole vault and threw the javelin 172-11
Yariel Soto Torrado moved from 10th to finishing eighth with 7,804 points after he took first in the 1,500 in a personal-best 4:23.8. He ran the 110 hurdles in 15.11, threw the discus 134-4, had the second-highest clearance in the pole vault at 16-5 1/4 and threw the javelin 143-5.
Texas senior Leo Neugebauer won the decathlon for the second consecutive year and broke his own collegiate-record 8,960 points. His old record was 8,836 in winning last year’s NCAA title.
Arkansas senior Laura Taborda advanced to the 3,000 steeplechase final, running 9:48.48 for the second-fastest qualifying time.
Also advancing for the Razorbacks were sophomore Sanu Jallow with the fifth-fastest time in the 800 at 2:00.04 and senior Destiny Huven, who ran a wind-aided 12.72 in the 100 hurdles.
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Arkansas senior Nia Robinson was 12th in the long jump final with a best mark of 20 feet, 7 inches.
Freshman Rachel Homoly cleared 13-7 1/4 and finished 18th in the pole vault for the Razorbacks. She missed three attempts at 14-1 1/4.
Linton finished 21st in the 100 (11.33) and 23rd in the 200 (23.37).
Arkansas State junior Selace Sampram took 21st in the shot put (50-7 1/2).
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — With the transfer portal reshaping rosters overnight and elite freshmen arriving every summer, projecting the next college basketball season has become an exercise in controlled chaos.
Still, a handful of programs have positioned themselves early as national title contenders through roster continuity, program consistency and coaching stability.
Arkansas will once again be in the mix, but its true preseason forecast will come once the portal is mostly wrapped up. Coach John Calipari knows what type of player he needs to add for his team to advance past the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and probably won’t sleep a whole lot until he signs at least one major contributor in the paint.
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No. 1 seed Michigan had a stellar run in its second season under coach Dusty May, who competes for a national championship against No. 2 seed UConn Monday night. He goes up against two-time championship coach Dan Hurley, who is looking to join elite company by winning his third trophy with the Huskies.
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Which teams are best equipped already for next season? Here’s an early look at who can make a run in 2026-27.
1. Michigan
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UConn Huskies forward Jaylin Stewart (3) possesses the ball against Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) in the first half during the national championship of the Final Four of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
The Wolverines absolutely make sense regardless of if they win a national title Monday night. May added a commitment from 5-star guard Brandon McCoy Saturday who projects to be a lead guard at the next level.
Key big man Yaxel Lendeborg will be a huge loss after being a critical piece to Michigan’s championship game run. Power forward Morez Johnson should return after averaging over 13 points and seven rebounds per game.
Another likely returnee is Trey McKenney, who played well as a freshman averaging 11 points and 44% shooting in the month of March.
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1B. UConn
UConn Huskies guard Solo Ball (1) reacts after a made three point basket against the Michigan Wolverines during the NCAA men’s basketball tournament national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Whether Hurley’s bid for a third title falls short, his brilliant coaching in the NCAA Tournament is worth keeping the Huskies near the top of all college basketball rankings.
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Veterans such as Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed are seeing their eligibility expire while freshman Braylon Mullins could opt to enter the NBA Draft.
Veteran guard Silas Demary has been a nice addition from Georgia out of the portal this season and will likely return as the Huskies’ starting point guard.
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3. Duke
The Blue Devils are set to lose the Boozer twins, but have signed capable replacements in true freshmen Cameron Williams and Deron Rippey, Jr.
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Coach Jon Scheyer’s group will continue to run the ACC until anyone else decides to be up for the challenge. If he can find a way to keep Patrick Ngongba around for next season as his key big man, then there’s no reason to count out Duke as national title favorites once again.
Duke Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer speaks with the media during a press conference ahead of the east regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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4. Michigan State
No one will ever doubt coach Tom Izzo’s ability to assemble a championship contender and he did just that with Coen Carr, Jeremy Fears and company this season.
With a top high school recruiting class and a couple of key portal additions on the perimeter, the Spartans will be Big Ten title contenders and earn a Top 4 NCAA Tournament seed.
5. Illinois
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Coach Brad Underwood has made the Fightin’ Illini a raging success and nearly led his team to the promised land this season.
He discovered freshman wing Keaton Wagler before anyone else, and became a household name and potential lottery pick after arriving to school as aTop 150 prospect.
Lightning might not strike twice next year, but he’ll probably have another solid team built for a deep NCAA Tournament run. Sharpshooter Andrej Stojakovic and forward David Mirkovic are both expected to return after playing key roles in Illinois’ first Final Four run in two decades.
6. Arizona
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The Wildcats were no match for Michigan in the Final Four and are likely going to lose key freshmen Koa Peat and Brayden Burries to the NBA Draft. Keeping veteran big man Mo Krivas and key wing Ivan Kharchenkov in the rotation is key.
Adding McDonald’s All-American MVP Caleb Holt won’t hurt either as the next great freshman for the Wildcats.
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7. Arkansas
Coach John Calipari knows his biggest assignment will be adding a big man or two to round out his rotation. He has a three 5-star freshmen in Jordan Smith, Jr. (No. 2 ranked prospect, JJ Andrews and Abdou Toure coming in with potential key returnee Billy Richmond to potentially lockdown the perimeter.
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Jordan Smith Jr during the McDonalds All American Boys Game at Desert Diamond Arena. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Arkansas fans are hungry to see their team get back to the Final Four and have been inching closer each of the previous five seasons.
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8. Purdue
The Boilermakers are set to lose All-American guard Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn which will be hard to come back from for any team.
However, Matt Painter continues to reload with guys who often fly under the radar or lesser known on the recruiting trail out of high school. His next team may not be as talented, or veteran laden but should be fixtures in the Big Ten no matter what the offseason brings.
9. St. John’s
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Arkansas guard Boogie Fland (2) and forward Billy Richmond III (24) fight for a rebound against St. John’s guard Aaron Scott (0) during the second half of a second round men’s NCAA Tournament game at Amica Mutual Pavilion. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
The Red Storm will find it tough to replace versatile big man Zury Ejifor, but if anyone can do so it’s hall of fame coach Rick Pitino. His team has been close to breaking into national title contention over the previous two seasons.
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Pitino’s combination of Ian Jackson, Dylan Darling and Ruben Prey can give St. John’s a boost next season.
10. Alabama
Nate Oats has the Crimson Tide at a level never before seen in Tuscaloosa with at least a Sweet 16 or better finish in each of the previous four seasons.
Star guard Labaron Philon is probably headed to the league as a mid-first round prospect which leaves a gaping hole in Alabama’s rotation for next season.
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Top 20 freshman guard Qadyden Samuels is potentially a solid replacement with a complete offensive skillset as a three-level scorer. If his length translates well to college, he can be an exceptional perimeter defender.
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Oats will need to find a way to keep key big men such as Amari Allen and Aiden Sherrell around or pick up a couple out of the transfer portal to stay near the top of the SEC.
Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats looks on in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | David Banks-Imagn Images
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11. Iowa State
The Cyclones were on the verge of a breakthrough before falling short in the Sweet 16. Losing All-American Joshua Jefferson early in the tournament sidelined any hopes of coach T.J. Otzelberger leading his team to its first Final Four since 1944.
Iowa State will probably make a strong run in the portal to replace other key contributors. But one thing is sure that this program has staying power on the national scene.
12. Kansas
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Kansas Jayhawks forward Justin Cross (25) is welcomed by Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self before the Sunflower Showdown game against Kansas State Wildcats inside Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas, on Saturday, March 7, 2026. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Each passing year it seems that the biggest question is whether or not coach Bill Self will return for another year.
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He is, at least this year, but even with his exceptional recruiting skills and a deep portal budget, it seems like a slight nosedive has taken place since winning the national title in 2022.
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Star freshman Darryn Peterson’s one-and-done stay in Lawrence certainly didn’t live up to the hype. Big man Flory Bidunga is currently evaluating his options, which shouldn’t give anyone a reason to rank the Jayhawks higher.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — A major event aimed at raising awareness and funding cancer research in Arkansas is coming up this weekend.
The 6th Annual Be a Part of the Cure Walk benefits the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, helping fund cancer research, clinical trials, and long-term survival studies, with every dollar raised staying in Arkansas.
Joining us this morning are Elizabeth Birrer, co-chair of the walk, and Lesley Murphy, this year’s emcee.
Murphy, a professional travel journalist, has shared her own cancer prevention journey after undergoing a preventative double mastectomy at UAMS when genetic testing revealed she carried the BRCA2 gene. She now uses her experience to help educate and raise awareness about cancer prevention.
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The walk is designed to bring the community together, survivors, families, and supporters, while highlighting the importance of research and patient care. Participants can expect a day of walking, activities, and opportunities to learn more about the institute’s ongoing work.
Online registration is available at here and closes at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 1st. In-person registration opens at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, May 2nd at War Memorial Stadium, Gate 1.
Every dollar raised during the event directly supports research and clinical studies here in Arkansas, helping to advance treatment and improve outcomes for patients across the state.
The 6th Annual Be a Part of the Cure Walk is a community effort that combines awareness, education, and support, all focused on the fight against cancer.
