Jaw-dropping 4×400 team leads Razorbacks to national title

EUGENE, Ore. — No. 1 Arkansas completed its mission in spectacular style on the final day of the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field, winning the team title with 63 points over 59 for Florida.

Razorback women’s coach Chris Johnson secured a sweep of NCAA Championships during the 2024 indoor and outdoor seasons in his first year as head coach of the progam.

It marks the ninth NCAA Championship for the women’s team and the 51st overall national title for the Arkansas track and field programs.

The Razorbacks made history along the way with 29 points in the 400m off a first-ever 1-2-3-4 sweep in any NCAA event, scoring the most points by either a men’s or women’s team.

Arkansas surpassed the 24 points Texas women scored in the 400m in 1996 with a 1-2-3 finish. UTEP men totaled 28 points in the 10,000m during the 1981 NCAA meet while the Florida State women scored 27 points in the 200m off a 1-2-3-6 finish in 1984.

Nickisha Pryce won the 400m in a collegiate record of 48.89, which also breaks the Jamaican national record of 49.30. Kaylyn Brown finished in second place with a time of 49.13, which equals the previous collegiate record set by Razorback Britton Wilson last year.

Amber Anning clocked 49.59 for third, just off her career best of 49.51, and Rosey Effiong joined her teammates with a sub-50 second time in fourth place with a 49.72 that ranks No. 8 performer on the collegian all-time list.

For an encore, the Razorback foursome delivered a world-class finish in the 4 x 400m relay, where Arkansas needed to finish first or second for the team title while third place would leave them tied with Florida for the overall team championship.

A winning time of 3:17.96 was mind-blowing and left the crowd in awe. It bettered the collegiate record Arkansas set in the NCAA West with a 3:21.92.

Runner-up to the Razorbacks were Tennessee at 3:23.32 with Texas third in 3:23.68.

The Hog foursome included Anning (50.52), Effiong (49.21), Pryce (49.19), and Brown (49.04).

Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.