Bruce And Igbokwe Pace Razorbacks To Success
NASHVILLE – It was off to the races for the No. 4 Arkansas men’s track and field team on day two of the Vanderbilt Invitational in Nashville and the races paid dividends as several Hogs picked up NCAA top marks throughout the afternoon.
The Razorbacks were led by Jack Bruce and Obi Igbokwe, who finished first in the mile and 400-meter dash, respectively, earning spots among inside the top-three best in their events, nationally, on Saturday at the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility. Returning to competition for the first time since earning cross country All-America accolades during the fall, Bruce expertly managed his race, working off the shoulders of the leaders before outkicking the group on the final turn to secure the victory in 4 minutes, .72 seconds.
In the 400, Igbokwe made quick work of his fellow competitors, opening strong in his premier event with 46.46. Not the sole Razorback to record a sub-47 second performance, Igbokwe was joined by senior sprinter Eric Janise who clocked 46.86 over the quarter-mile to finish third overall.
Additional Notable Performances
• 60: Oregon transfer Travonn White was Arkansas’ best performer of the day in the 60, racing to a 10th-place finish in 6.85.
• Mile: Andrew Ronoh placed eighth in the mile, following a solid 4:04.27-effort in his first race since the NCAA Cross Country Championship last November.
• 1,600 relay: Team of Kenzo Cotton, Eric Janise, Jamarco Stephen and Obi Igbokwe closed off Arkansas’ strong weekend, combining to run a facility record of 3:07.51 in the final event of the meet.
Arkansas returns to the Randal Tyson Track Center next weekend for the highly anticipated and televised Razorback Invitational on Jan. 27-28 which will feature 14 of the best teams from across the country.
Indoor Home Slate
Arkansas Invitational, Friday, Jan. 13
Razorback Invitational, Friday and Saturday, Jan. 27-28
Tyson Invitational, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 10-12
Arkansas Qualifier, Friday, Feb. 17
*Upcoming meet
Vanderbilt Invitational Day Two
January 21, 2017
Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility (Nashville, Tenn.)
60 Meters (Prelims)
10. Travonn White – 6.85
15. Rhayko Schwartz – 6.93
23. Brandon Workman – 6.98
28. Andreas Trajkovski – 7.08
37. Derek Jacobus – 7.20
400 Meters
1. Obi Igbokwe – 46.46
3. Eric Janise – 46.86
5. Jamarco Stephen – 47.73
10. Larry Donald – 48.13
11. Travius Chambers – 48.19
12. John Winn – 48.19
13. Kemar Mowatt – 48.22
21. Josh Washington – 48.89
36. Kevin Harris – 49.98
Mile
1. Jack Bruce – 4:00.72
8. Andrew Ronoh – 4:04.27
12. Ethan Moehn – 4:07.41
14. Kyle Levermore – 4:10.00
15. Carlton Orange – 4:11.36
19. Cameron Griffith – 4:13.19
23. Aidan Swain – 4:14.87
27. Chris Mooneyham – 4:16.91
30. Noah Findlay – 4:23.21
60 Hurdles (Prelims)
9. Lane Austell – 8.40
11. Brad Culp – 8.41
— Gabe Moore
1,600 Relay
1. Arkansas A (Cotton, Janise, Stephen, Igbokwe) – 3:07.51
4. Arkansas B (Mowatt, Schwartz, Ejiakuekwu, Chambers) – 3:12.99
6. Arkansas C (Donald, Washington, White, Winn) – 3:14.07
Shot Put
11. Sam Kempka – 16.34m/53-7 1/2
16. Erich Sulins – 15.92m/52-2 3/4
19. Jeff Rogers – 15.34m/50-4
For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.