Arkansas Retains Heptathlon Title
Thursday Multi
Thursday Results
Texas Meet Schedule
Stanford Meet Schedule
AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 3 Arkansas women’s track and field team saw continued success on their second day in Austin, Texas at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. Arkansas’s five multi events competitors including: Taliyah Brooks, Leigha Brown, Alex Gochenour, Kelsey Herman and Payton Stumbaugh all placed top-12 in the heptathlon with Brooks capturing the Razorbacks’ second-consecutive Texas Relays heptathlon title with a personal best 5,991 points.
In her sophomore heptathlon debut Brooks led the field from the start, picking up back-to-back event victories in the 100-meter hurdles and high jump. Entering day two with a narrow lead, Brooks, excelled in the final three events placing second in the long jump and posting personal best marks in the javelin (36.85m/120-10) and 800-meter run (2:17.66). Her final score of 5,991 points is the best by a collegian this season and ranks third in program history.
Arkansas swept the heptathlon top-three as Stumbaugh and Gochenour placed second and third, respectively.
Just six points behind Brooks, Stumbaugh had a phenomenal showing of her own setting several personal best marks during the two-day event. The 2016 two-time indoor All-American had a strong day two marking a wind-legal 6.13m/20-1.5 improving her outdoor PR by over two feet. Stumbaugh followed that up with an eight foot improvement in the javelin throw (39.54m/129-9) and continued on shaving almost two seconds from her 800-meter career best clocking a 2:16.79 to cap the day with a career best score of 5,985 as the No. 4 best heptathlete in Arkansas history.
Veteran multi, Gochenour, completed the sweep, scoring 2,250 points on the final day of competition off exceptional performances in the long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter run.
Brooks, Stumbaugh and Gochenour currently control the NCAA heptathlon as the best performers in the event this season.
Upon completion of the heptathlon two Razorbacks, Damajahnee Birch and Brianna Swinton, opened up competition on the track with the preliminary round of the 400-meter hurdles.
A true freshman out of Denver, Colorado, Birch, earned a spot in the Friday’s final section of the event off a personal best performance of 58.62 out of heat five. The sixth-best intermediate hurdler in Razorback history, Birch, was the only freshman to advance out of the prelims.
Both Birch and Swinton were part of an elite group to post sub-60 performances in the event. Swinton finished fourth in heat eight with 59.91.
Arkansas will have a full day of competition tomorrow at Mike A. Myers Stadium with competitors in the 100-meter dash, 100-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles, 4×100-meter relay and pole vault.
The Razorbacks will also begin competition on the West coast at the Stanford Invitational taking on the 1,500- meter run, 5K and 3,000-meter steeplechase starting at 1 p.m. CST. Start lists and results for the Stanford Invitational can be found at the meet info page.
LHN Texas Relays TV Schedule (all times Central):
| Date | Time (CT) | Events |
| Fri, April 1 | 9:30 a.m. | Prelims, 4 x100M, 110/100M Hurdles, 100M, 4x400M |
| 7 p.m. | Finals 400M hurdles, Distance Medley, Field events | |
| Sat, April 2 | 1:30 p.m. | Finals, 4x100M, 110/100M Hurdles, 100M, 4x400M, 200M, Field events |
* same day tape-delayed
Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays
Mike A. Myers Stadium
Austin, Texas
400 Meter Hurdles (Prelims)
Damajahnee Birch – 58.62q
Brianna Swinton – 59.91
Heptathlon
Taliyah Brooks (1) – 5,991 – 100mH: 13.16w, HJ: 1.78m/5-10, SP: 11.44m/37-6.5, 200m: 24.47w, LJ: 6.21m/20-4.5w, JT: 36.85m/120-10, 800m: 2:17.66
Payton Stumbaugh (2) – 5,985 – 100mH: 13.20w, HJ: 1.69m/5-6.5, SP: 11.52m/37-9.5, 200m: 23.76w, LJ: 6.13m/20-1.5, JT: 39.54m/129-9, 800m: 2:16.79
Alex Gochenour (3) – 5,833 – 100mH: 13.30w, HJ: 1.69m/5-6.5, SP: 13.03m/42-9, 200m: 24.51w, LJ: 6.03m/19-9.5, JT: 35.24m/115-7, 800m: 2:20.64
Leigha Brown (9) – 3,396 – 100mH: 13.89, HJ: 1.69m/5-6.5, SP: 12.12m/39-9.25, 200m: 24.95w, LJ: 5.62m/18-5.25, JT: 39.59m/129-10, 800m: 2:14.95
Kelsey Herman (11) – 3,368 – 100mH: 13.61, HJ: 1.66m/5-5.25, SP: 10.89m/35-8.75, 200m; 24.43w, LJ: 6.03m/19-9.5w, JT: 30.47m/99-11, 800m: 2:32.71
For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.
