Hogs Battle To Be Best In The West
AUSTIN, Texas – On May 25-27 the No. 7 Arkansas men’s track and field team will round the final turn of its three-season long race at the NCAA West Preliminary Round (West Prelims) in Austin.
The regional competition, which spans over three days, will feature the 48 most talented student-athletes (per event) in the West. Student-athletes earn their trips to Eugene, Oregon, perpetual hosts of the NCAA Outdoor Championships by finishing among the top-12.
Although the Razorbacks took home runner-up honors at the 2017 SEC Outdoor Championships the resilient group heads into the national meet with the most entries in country at 35.
“I think we have something to prove,” head coach Chris Bucknam said. “Our second-place finish stung a little bit. Texas A&M wrestled that trophy away from us but it’s a new week, a new meet and our athletes are in good spirits. We tell our team, ‘Every race is a final now, you don’t race well, you’re not moving on. So you have to do a great job of compartmentalizing, stay in the moment because there are 48 athletes competing and they’re only taking 12.’”
Bounce Back
Arkansas’ valiant effort at last weekend’s conference championships saw them battle without key performers including All-American high jumper, Ken LeGassey and NJCAA All-American Andrew Ronoh who ran the second-fastest 10K among the D-I ranks in 2016. Two additional All-Americans, Obi Igbokwe (400) and Clive Pullen (triple jump) saw limited action at SECs due to lingering injuries. While Ronoh has been sidelined for the season, Igbokwe, LeGassey and Pullen will return to the fray this weekend and match their talents against the best.
“Time heals all wounds,” Bucknam said. “Our guys have had a long year but continue to put in the time and work needed, taking care of their bodies to keep going. The most important people on our staff are not the coaches, but our medical people. They just do a phenomenal job getting our athletes back on track.”
Razorback Duos, Trios and Quartets
The depth of the Hog squad will be visible in nine events, which will boast at least two Razorbacks apiece from the dynamic program. Primarily dominant in sprints, distance and jumps, the 200, 400, 5,000 and long jump will feature four Razorback entries per event.
Barrier-leaping trio of Travius Chambers, Larry Donald and Kemar Mowatt will open the weekend for Arkansas on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the 400 hurdles. Mowatt is the top entry in the field and the only hurdler in the competition to register a sub-49 performance this year.
Meet Information
Date/Time*: Thursday, May 25, 11 a.m. CT | Friday, May 26, 12 p.m. CT | Saturday, May 27, 1 p.m. CT
Location: Mike A. Myers Stadium (Austin, Texas)
Important Links: Start Lists | Live Results | Live Stream
*Times listed above denote the start of the live stream
Fans can follow the action through the live results link or tune in to the Texas Sports live stream daily by using the links above. Fans can also participate in the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #NCAATF.
Arkansas NCAA West Event Schedule
Thursday, May 25
Running Events
5:00 p.m. – Men’s 400m Hurdles First Round (Mowatt, Chambers, Donald)
6:55 p.m. – Men’s 100m First Round (Cotton, Ejiakuekwu)
7:45 p.m. – Men’s 400m First Round (Igbokwe, Schwartz, Janise, Stephen)
8:35 p.m. – Men’s 800m First Round (Orange)
Field Events
3:30 p.m. – Men’s Hammer Throw (Sullins)
4:30 p.m. – Men’s Long Jump (Schrage, White, Trajkovski, Workman)
Friday, May 26
Running Events
5:45 p.m. – Men’s 400m Quarterfinal (Igbokwe, Schwartz, Janise, Stephen)
6:15 p.m. – Men’s 100m Quarterfinal (Cotton, Ejiakuekwu)
6:45 p.m. – Men’s 800m Quarterfinal (Orange)
7:15 p.m. – Men’s 400m Hurdles Quarterfinal (Mowatt, Chambers, Donald)
7:55 p.m. – Men’s 200m First Round (Washington, Cotton, Ejiakuekwu, Harris)
9:00 p.m. – Men’s 3000m Steeplechase Quarterfinal (Wallace, Swain)
Field Events
4:30 p.m. – Men’s Shot Put (Kempka)
Saturday, May 27
Running Events
6:15 p.m. – Men’s 4x100m Quarterfinal (Arkansas Team)
7:20 p.m. – Men’s 110m Hurdles Quarterfinal (Mowatt, Donald)
7:50 p.m. – Men’s 200m Quarterfinal (Washington, Cotton, Ejiakuekwu, Harris)
8:45 p.m. – Men’s 5000m Semifinal (Bruce, George, Griffith, Dalquist)
9:45 p.m. – Men’s 4x400m Quarterfinal (Arkansas)
Field Events
3:00 p.m. – Men’s Triple Jump (Pullen, Owens)
6:00 p.m. – Men’s High Jump (LeGassey, Owens, Rivera)
*Italicized names denote a round of competition which requires qualification
For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.
