No. 3 Razorbacks Lead After Day 1 At #SECTF Meet

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Behind a 1-2-6 finish in the final event Friday evening, the No. 3 University of Arkansas men’s track and field team sits in first place with 33 points after day one at the 2015 SEC Indoor Championships at Nutter Field House in Lexington, Ky. Kemoy Campbell capped the day with a title run at 3,000 meters. The Razorbacks collected six qualifiers and will have scoring opportunities in 12 events Saturday.

During Friday’s preliminary heats, Arkansas picked up qualifying efforts from Kenzo Cotton at 200 meters, Marqueze Washington at 400 meters, Patrick Rono and Ryan Thomas at 800 meters, Austen Dalquist in the mile and Omar McLeod in the 60-meter hurdles. The Razorbacks will also have scoring chances at 5,000 meters, in the distance-medley and 4×400-meter relays, pole vault, triple jump, high jump and heptathlon.

What to Watch | Saturday Finals (all times central)
Andrew Irwin, Noah Gilfillan (pole vault) – 10:30 a.m.
Omar McLeod (60mH) – 1:10 p.m.
Austen Dalquist (mile) – 1:55 p.m.
Clive Pullen, Trae Carey, Rubin Owens (triple jump) – 2 p.m.
Devin Randall (shot put) – 2 p.m.
Marqueze Washington (400m) – 2:15 p.m.
Patrick Rono, Ryan Thomas (800m) – 3:15 p.m.
Kenzo Cotton (200m) – 3:35 p.m.
Kemoy Campbell, Stanley Kebenei, Alex George, Frankline Tonui (5,000m) – 3:45 p.m.
Distance-Medley Relay – 4:35 p.m.
4x400m Relay – 5:05 p.m.

The distance trio of Campbell, Stanley Kebenei and Alex George combined for 21 points in the first running final of the weekend. Campbell crossed the line first in 8:00.27 to become the ninth runner in program history to win an SEC indoor title at 3,000 meters, and the first to do so since the 2010 season. He was followed closely by Kebenei who clocked in at 8:02.64. In sixth place, George posted a personal-best of 8:08.08 in his SEC debut.

Arkansas’ first points of the day came from Ken LeGassey with a runner-up result in the high jump. The sophomore also established a personal best with a final clearance of 2.19m/7-2.25 which earned him a tie for second in the standings. The Razorbacks’ remaining points on day one came from a fourth-place finish by Jarrion Lawson in the long jump. He finished the competition with a day’s best of 7.60m/24-11.25.

Day two of the 2015 SEC Indoor Championships will be streamed live on SEC Network PLUS beginning at 12:50 p.m. (CT) on Saturday. The meet will air as part of a 90-minute ESPNU highlights show March 9 at 6:30 p.m. Dwight Stones and Larry Rawson will handle the play-by-play and color commentary duties, respectively, with Jill Montgomery reporting from the competition area.

Friday marked the beginning of the indoor championship season for Arkansas. Following this weekend’s meet, the Razorbacks will return to Fayetteville where they will host the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships on Feb. 13-14 at the Randal Tyson Track Center. A two-day, all-session ticket for the national meet is $40 for reserved seating and $30 for general admission.

NCAA tickets are available for purchase HERE, by contacting the Razorback Ticket Center at 800-982-HOGS (4647) or visiting the Ticket Center located just east of Baum Stadium at 1295 S. Razorback Road in Fayetteville.

For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.

2015 SEC Indoor Championships | Day 1
200 Meters (preliminary)
7. Kenzo Cotton – 21.22q
12. Anthony Blakely – 21.35
17. Eric Hawkins – 21.64

400 Meters (preliminary)
8. Marqueze Washington – 46.65q
26. Jamarco Stephen – 48.77

800 Meters (preliminary)
5. Ryan Thomas – 1:49.73q
7. Patrick Rono – 1:50.02q
17. Andrew Pisechko – 1:51.24

Mile (preliminary)
6. Austen Dalquist – 4:05.95q
15. Cale Wallace – 4:12.80

3,000 Meters
1. Kemoy Campbell – 8:00.27 [10 points]
2. Stanley Kebenei – 8:02.64 [8]
6. Alex George – 8:08.08 (PR) [6]

60m Hurdles (preliminary)
1. Omar McLeod – 7.64q

High Jump
t-2. Ken LeGassey – 2.19m/7-2.25 (PR) [7 points]
–. Alex Campbell – NH
–. Rubin Owens – NH

Long Jump
4. Jarrion Lawson – 7.60m/24-11.25
14. Kurt Jenner – 7.08m/23-2.75
16. Trae Carey – 7.05m/23-1.75
18. Clive Pullen – 6.90m/22-7.75

Weight Throw
19. Devin Randall – 18.09m/59-4.25 (PR)

Heptathlon (Day 1)
9. Brad Culp – 2,867 points
7. 60 Meters – 7.17 [823 points]
8. Long Jump – 6.78m/22-3 (PR) [762]
13. Shot Put – 11.94m/39-2.25 [603]
9. High Jump – 1.86m/6-1.25 [679]
11. Nathanael Franks – 2,811 points
15. 60 Meters – 7.50 [713 points]
6. Long Jump – 6.82m/22-4.5 [771]
9. Shot Put – 12.69m/41-7.75 [648]
8. High Jump – 1.86m/6-1.25 [679]