Hogs place second at inaugural National Relay Championships

FAYETTEVILLE — On the final day of the inaugural National Relay Championships No. 5 Arkansas finished strong in primetime on the SEC Network taking second-place with 28 points combined over the two-day meet.

“Overall I think it was a success!” said coach Lance Harter.

“Everybody who attended from the various schools, I thought it was great. Mother nature was very cooperative, and we had a beautiful day. We started off with great hurdling and finished with a season-best in the mile relay, and in between, we had great marks all along. Our vaulters are jumping at the collegiate lead… all-in-all we did great. As far as the team total goes, the secret is you have to have an entry in every event and we just don’t have that type of depth this season. We only entered four out of the seven relays and we still finished second. When we did compete, we competed well it’s just that we didn’t spread ourselves too thin because the SEC meet is too close. The kids walked away happy and we had a minimal amount of aches and pains so it was a successful weekend.”

The pole vault group was well represented on day two of the National Relay Championships.

Morgan Hartsell set a personal-best clearing the first four bars she attempted cleanly, with the last bar raised to 4.02m (13’-2.25”) finishing second in the early section of the women’s pole vault.

Elizabeth Ramos Mata also competed in the early section of the pole vault finishing 10th-overall.

In the invite section of the women’s pole vault, Lexi Jacobus and Tori Hoggard dominated the field finishing with identical clearances of 4.51m (14’-9.50”) finishing first and second, respectively.

Hoggard moved up to the No. 3 spot in the NCAA, while Jacobus remains No. 2 in the NCAA with her clearance of 4.55m (14’-11”) at the Texas Relays earlier this season.

In the first event on the track, the women’s 4-x-100-meter relay, the team of Janeek Brown, Kiara Parker, Jada Baylark, and Morgan Burks Magee carried the baton to the tune of 43.38 in a second-place finish.

The time is the second-fastest time in program history falling four one-hundredths of a second (.04) off the school record pace of 43.34 set last season.

Arkansas currently boasts the seventh-fastest 4-x-100-meter relay in the country.

The women’s DMR of Regan Hime, Sydney Hammit, Carina Viljoen, and Devin Clark finished runner-up to Michigan crossing the line 11:19.84, the No. 7 time in the nation this season.

Closing out the meet, as is traditional in track & field, were the women’s 4-x-400-meter relays. Arkansas used the lineup of Morgan Burks Magee, Jada Baylark, Kiara Parker, and Sydney Davis posted a season-best time of 3:34.70 in the event.

National Relay Championships
Saturday Results

Team Scores (Top Five)
1. Kentucky – 42
2. Arkansas – 28
3. Baylor – 26
T-4. Oklahoma State – 19
T-4. Texas- 19

Women’s Pole Vault
2. Morgan Hartsell – 4.02m (13′-2.25″)
10. Elizabeth Ramos Mata – 3.72m (12′-2.50″)

Women’s Pole Vault Invitational
1. Lexi Jacobus – 4.51m (14′-9.50″)
2. Tori Hoggard – 4.51m (14′-9.50″)
12. Rylee Robinson – 3.86m (12′-8″)

Women’s 4-x-100-meter relay
2. Arkansas – 43.38

Women’s DMR
2. Arkansas – 11:19.84

Women’s 4-x-400-meter relay
2. Arkansas – 3:34.70