Long Jump Pair Pace Arkansas On Day One
COLLEGE STATION – The No. 2 Arkansas men’s track and field team made the most out of its three scoring opportunities on Friday afternoon at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station. Razorback long jumpers Andreas Trajkovski and Travonn White were the first to put points on the board for Arkansas, placing fourth and eighth, respectively, for six points.
Entering the competition ranked 11th Trajkovski was off to a solid start with a first-attempt mark of 7.76m/25-5 1/2. Granted entry into the finals from that first leap Trajkovski jumped to a 7-centimeter improvement in the fifth round to move up from seventh to third with a season’s best of 7.83m/25-8 1/4. Tied with another competitor after final attempts Trajkovski finished the night in fourth-place due to a lower second-best mark.
“I had high expectations going into the meet, everyone was going for the win and that’s what I was aiming for,” Trajkovski said. “I felt very good about my approaches and showed consistency with my jumps. I didn’t touch the board on my longest jump and coach [Travis Geopfert] and I both knew I had the potential to win this meet but it just made me hungrier for outdoor season.”
A conference runner-up in the long jump two weeks prior White capped his first indoor season as a Razorback with All-America distinction, following a podium finish from his 7.74m/25-4 3/4 fourth-round leap.
Arkansas’ final points of the day were collected off the heels of Ethan Moehn, Jamarco Stephen, Carlton Orange and Jack Bruce who combined to put together a seventh-place finish in the distance medley relay. Bruce anchored the last mile, running 4 minutes and 1.78 seconds over eight laps, getting the Razorbacks back in scoring contention after some early race jostling.
“It was a rough and tumble DMR,” head coach Chris Bucknam said. “We got off to a bad start but Carlton [Orange] and Jack [Bruce] were able to close it up and get us a seventh-place finish there so we got on the board. We’re scoring points – we’re probably six points behind what I thought we would be at this time but we have eight scoring opportunities tomorrow and I think that’s the most of anybody.”
Day Two Qualifiers
An academic and athletic leader for Arkansas junior Kenzo Cotton went to work on the track and did what he needed to do to give his team its best chance to claim a trophy tomorrow evening. Arkansas’ lone double individual event qualifier Cotton earned berths in both the 60-meter dash and 200, racing to season’s bests in both events in the semifinals.
“It was a pretty good day, all I wanted to do was make it to the finals so that’s what I did,” Cotton said. “Looking towards tomorrow I’m just trying to rest up, execute my start better in the 60 and execute my finish better in the 200.”
Two additional Razorbacks also punched tickets to Saturday’s finals in their respective events as senior Eric Janise advanced through in the 400 with a PR of 46.01 while Richard Bland transfer Josh Washington advanced through with Cotton in the 200.
Arkansas will also be back to work in the jumps tomorrow with Ken LeGassey and Clive Pullen, headlining the high jump and triple jump, respectively, for the Razorbacks. The 2017 indoor season will come to a close tomorrow evening following the completion of the 4-x-400-meter relay – an event in which the Razorbacks are ranked fifth.
2017 NCAA Indoor Championships | College Station, Texas
Date/Time: Saturday, March 11, 4 p.m. CT
Venue: Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium
Tickets: $26 for Adults, $20 Youth (ages 2-12) Buy Here
Important Links: Meet Schedule | Start Lists | Live Results | WatchESPN Day 2
Scoring Opportunities – Saturday (8)
• 3:30 p.m. High Jump: Ken LeGassey (SB: 2.22m/7-3 1/4)
• 3:45 p.m. Heptathlon: Gabe Moore (SB: 5,688 points)
• 4:30 p.m. 60 Meters: Kenzo Cotton (SB: 6.61)
• 4:50 p.m. 400 Meters: Eric Janise (SB: 46.01)
• 5:00 p.m. Triple Jump: Clive Pullen (SB: 17.19m/56-4 3/4)
• 5:50 p.m. 200 Meters: Kenzo Cotton (SB: 20.65) | Josh Washington (20.71)
• 6:45 p.m. 4-x-400-Meter Relay (SB: 3:04.88)
NCAA Indoor Championship (Day 1)
March 10, 2017
Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium (College Station, Texas)
Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Oregon – 17
2. Texas A&M – 16
3. Ole Miss – 12
4. Virginia Tech – 10.5
5. Florida – 10
5. Colorado State – 10
5. South Dakota – 10
8. Akron – 9
9. Arkansas – 8
9. Georgia – 8
9. Tulsa – 8
60 Meters Semifinals
7. Kenzo Cotton – 6.61q
200 Meters Semifinals
5. Kenzo Cotton – 20.65q
7. Josh Washington – 20.81q
400 Meters
5. Eric Janise – 46.01q
13. Obi Igbokwe – 46.73
Long Jump
4. Andreas Trajkovski – 7.83m/25-8 1/4
8. Travonn White – 7.74m/25-4 3/4
Heptathlon (Day 1/thru 4 of 7 events)
16. Gabe Moore – 3,027 points
15. 60m – 7.15 (830 points)
16. Long Jump – 6.69m/21-11 1/2 (741)
6. Shot Put – 13.51m/44-4 (698)
13. High Jump – 1.95m/6-4 3/4 (758)
For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.
