No. 2 Razorbacks Seek 42nd NCAA Title
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – One of the most nationally decorated programs in NCAA history the No. 2 Arkansas men’s track and field team will be in the hunt for its 42nd national title this weekend at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station.
The two-day meet will be live streamed on ESPN3, prime time beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT on Friday, March 10 and at 4:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 11. Fans are encouraged to follow along and join in the conversation by using the #NCAATF hash tag.
2017 NCAA Indoor Championships | College Station, Texas
Date/Time: Friday, March 10, 5:30 p.m. CT | 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 1 | WatchESPN Day 2
Arkansas Qualifiers
60 Meters – 15. Kenzo Cotton, 6.65
200 Meters – 9. Kenzo Cotton, 20.65 | 11. Josh Washington, 20.71
400 Meters – 4. Obi Igbokwe, 45.73 | 13. Eric Janise, 46.18
4-x-400-Meter Relay – 5. Mowatt, Igbokwe, Janise, Stephen, 3:04.88
DMR – 5. Moehn, Stephen, Orange, Bruce, 9:30.04
High Jump – 7. Ken LeGassey, 2.22m/7-3 1/4
Long Jump – 5. Travonn White, 7.93m/26-0 1/4 | 11. Andreas Trajkovski, 7.80m/25-7 1/4
Triple Jump – 1. Clive Pullen, 17.19m/56-4 3/4
Heptathlon – 15. Gabe Moore, 5,688 points
Scoring Opportunities – Friday (3)
• 5:30 p.m. Long Jump: Travonn White (SB: 26-0 1/4), Andreas Trajkovski (SB: 25-7 1/4)
• 8:55 p.m. DMR: Ethan Moehn, Jamarco Stephen, Carlton Orange and Jack Bruce (SB: 9:30.04)
A mainstay among the best programs in the country for more than three decades the Razorbacks last won the NCAA indoor crown in 2013 with a score of 74 points, defeating conference rival Florida by a 15-point margin.
Arkansas returns several All-Americans from last season to the 2017 indoor national championships including junior Kenzo Cotton (60, 200) and senior Clive Pullen (triple jump). Both Cotton and Pullen earned All-SEC recognition earlier this season for solid efforts in their respective events at the conference championships – efforts which largely contributed to Arkansas winning its 22nd SEC title. With a pair of individual national titles between them the duo will look to guide their teammates to another exceptional program finish.
While Cotton and Pullen will headline the national competition for the Razorbacks, head coach Chris Bucknam and his staff once again expect an ‘all hands on deck’ approach from all of Arkansas’ qualifiers.
“Sixteen qualifiers in each event, if you’re one to 16 you’ve got a shot at scoring points,” Bucknam said. “I generally think that you have to score somewhere between 55-60 points to win this thing so that’s kind of our mindset going into it. No matter what it looks like on our form chart we have to shoot for 55 points.”
Previous NCAA Finishes, Final Score
• 2016 – Second, 39 points | Winner, Oregon (62 points)
• 2015 – Third, 39 points | Winner, Oregon (74 points)
• 2014 – Second, 54 points | Winner, Oregon (62 points)
• 2013 – First, 74 points
• 2012 – Second, 47 points | Winner, Florida (52 points)
The Razorbacks will open the NCAA Indoor Championship on Friday, March 10 at 12 p.m. CT with Gabe Moore in the heptathlon 60-meter dash. A champion in the heptathlon among the NJCAA ranks one-year prior, Moore has showed steady improvement since his season opener at the Razorback Invitational and is primed to kick-start Arkansas’ race for the podium.
Arkansas will get its first chance to put points on the board with Travonn White and Andreas Trajkovski in the long jump at 5:30 p.m. The Razorbacks collected 14 points from the event in 2016 off a first-place finish from Jarrion Lawson and a fifth-place finish from Trajkovski. Although without Lawson the relatively new Arkansas jumps tandem have the potential to pick up double digit points once again as Trajkovski looks to join White in the 26-feet club with a major mark this weekend.
Distance medley relay team of Ethan Moehn, Jamarco Stephen, Carlton Orange and Jack Bruce will look to close out day one with some hardware. The squad heads into tomorrow night’s competition in the mix for a gold medal as the No. 5 best team in the country. Arkansas last won a DMR national title in 2006 off the heels of Adam Perkins, Jeremy Dodson, Brian Roe and Said Ahmed.
For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.
