McDonnell Earns Regional Award Hog Recruiting Class Honored

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. –Arkansas’ John McDonnell was named the South Central Region Coach of the Year while the Hogs’ 2008 track and field recruiting class also earned national acclaim, it was announced on Friday.

McDonnell, winner of 11 NCAA cross country championships, is the South Central Region Coach of the Year. The USTFCCCA Hall of Famer led the No. 7 Cross Country Razorbacks to their 18th-straight regional title in Fayetteville last weekend.

McDonnell was named the Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year for the 13th-straight season as Arkansas won its 17th-straight SEC title. The Hogs are ranked seventh nationally heading into the NCAA Championships.

Arkansas’ 2008 recruiting class is ranked No. 5 in the nation by Track and Field News. This season marks a record seventh appearance for the Hogs’ recruiting classes in the nation’s top five.

The nation’s top high school vaulter, Spencer McCorkel, middle distance specialists Chris Bilbrew, Alex and Andy McClary, javelin thrower Luke Laird and distance runners Lane Boyer, Michael Chinchar, Alex Neff and Duncan Phillips add to a deep roster of jumpers, sprinters and harriers for the 2008 season.

Kentucky’s recruiting class is ranked No. 1, USC at second, Florida State ranks third and Arkansas is fifth.

Arkansas will conclude the cross country season with the NCAA Championships, Monday, Nov. 19, at Indiana State in Terre Haute, Ind. For complete details, visit www.gosycamores.com.