Irwin wins NCAA pole vault title, Hogs lead

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Irwin wins NCAA pole vault title as Hogs Lead Day 1 of NCAA Track Championship

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Meet Results - Day 1

Meet Results - Day 1

NAMPA, Idaho - Behind a national title from Andrew Irwin in the pole vault, the No. 2 University of Arkansas men's track and field team sits in first place with 22 points after day one of the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships at the Jacksons Track in Nampa, Idaho. The Razorbacks collected 10 points from Irwin in the pole vault, eight points from Akheem Gauntlett at 200 meters and four points from the distance-medley relay.

Arkansas also qualified Caleb Cross and Marek Niit for Saturday's final in the 60-meter hurdles and 400 meters, respectively. In the heptathlon, the Razorbacks are in scoring position with Kevin Lazas in fifth place and Gunnar Nixon in sixth with three events remaining.
 
"We had a real positive day," head coach Chris Bucknam said. "Andrew Irwin was down to his last jump and showed what kind of competitor he is with a great performance. Almost at the same time, we had (Akheem) Gauntlett turning in a great race to finish second in the 200 meters. We closed out the day with four points in the DMR so it was productive day on the scoreboard and we can look forward to tomorrow because we took care of business with our qualifiers and heptathlon today."

With his victory, Irwin becomes the first NCAA indoor pole vault champion in program history. It also marks the 54th NCAA indoor title for Arkansas and first since 2010 when Dorian Ulrey was the national champion at 3,000 meters. Irwin finished the day with a winning clearance and school-record mark of 5.55m/18-2.5. Down to his final attempt at 18-2.5, Irwin had the final clearance of the competition to secure the win and 10 points for the Razorbacks.

Arkansas' first points of the weekend came from Gauntlett in the 200 meters. The Razorback junior won the first section of the final in a personal-best time of 20.62, a mark that stood up for national runner-up status. With his performance in the finals, he moved into third place on Arkansas' all-time performers list at 200 meters. Earlier in the day, Gauntlett was the fourth-fastest qualifier in the preliminary round with a time of 20.75.

In the final event on the track, Arkansas took the lead in the team standings with a fifth-place finish from its distance-medley relay. The foursome of Anthony Lieghio, Travis Southard, Leoman Momoh and Patrick Rono combined for a time of 9:36.41, good for four points.

At the end of day one in the heptathlon, both Razorbacks are in scoring position with Lazas and Nixon in fifth and sixth, respectively. Through the first four events, Lazas had a total of 3,305 points with the help of a personal best in the long jump and a third-place showing in the shot put. Nixon posted a day-one total of 3,299 points and had a personal-best time of 7.09 in the 60 meters.

Heading into day two's final three events, the top six spots in the heptathlon are separated by fewer than 60 points. Saturday's heptathlon schedule will feature the 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and 1,000 meters. Action in the seven-event competition continues Saturday at 11:30 a.m. (CT).

In the team's first competition on the track, Cross qualified for the finals of the 60-meter hurdles with a personal-best run in the preliminary round. Running out of lane eight in heat one, the Razorback junior posted a time of 7.67, the sixth-fastest qualifier for Saturday's final. Cross' previous best of 7.71 came last weekend at the Arkansas Last Chance meet. The final of the 60-meter hurdles is scheduled for Saturday at 7:35 p.m.

Niit followed with a qualifying effort in the 400 meters. He finished second in heat one with a season-best time of 46.08. That time stood up throughout the heats and he will enter the final as the second-fastest qualifier. Neil Braddy finished with a prelim time of 46.99 and will not advance to the next round. Saturday's final of the 400 meters is scheduled for 7:55 p.m.

The 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships will be streamed live on ESPN3.com Saturday, March 10 from 7-10:15 p.m. (CT). NCAA.com and broncosports.com will stream portions of the meet not covered by ESPN3 beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. A tape delay broadcast of the national meet will air Sunday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

In addition to the heptathlon, Saturday's schedule will also include scoring opportunities in the 60-meter hurdles, 400 meters, 4x400-meter relay and high jump. For more information regarding Razorback track and field or University of Arkansas athletics, please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

NCAA Championships - Day 1 Results

Team Standings (top 10 through six events)
1. ARKANSAS - 22 points
2. Texas - 20.5 points
3. Arizona - 16 points
4. Notre Dame - 15 points
5. Indiana - 13 points
    Stanford - 13 points
7. Texas A&M - 12 points
8. LSU - 10 points
    Florida State - 10 points
    New Mexico - 10 points
    Arizona State - 10 points

200 Meters (final)
2. Akheem Gauntlett - 20.62 (PR) [8 points]

200 Meters (prelims)
4. Akheem Gauntlett - 20.75q

400 Meters (prelims)
2. Marek Niit - 46.08q
14. Neil Braddy - 46.99

60-Meter Hurdles (prelims)
6. Caleb Cross - 7.67q (PR)

Distance-Medley Relay
5. Lieghio/Southard/Momoh/Rono - 9:36.41 [4 points]

Pole Vault
1. Andrew Irwin - 5.55m/18-2.5% (PR) [10 points]

Heptathlon (Day 1)
5. Kevin Lazas - 3,305 points
    5. 60m - 7.03 - 872 points
    5. Long jump - 7.45m/24-5.5 (PR) - 922 points
    3. Shot put - 14.26m/46-9.5 - 744 points
    9. High jump - 1.96m/6-5 - 767 points
6. Gunnar Nixon - 3,299 points
    9. 60m - 7.09 (PR) - 851 points
    8. Long jump - 7.36/24-1.75 - 900 points
    5. Shot put - 13.50m/44-3.5 - 698 points
    4. High jump - 2.05m/6-8.75 - 850 points

% - school record || q - qualified for event final