No. 11 Razorbacks capture inaugural National Relays title

FAYETTEVILLE — No. 11 Arkansas took first at the inaugural National Relay Championships hosted at John McDonnell Field.

The Razorbacks posted a team total of 52 points over the two-day meet.

From coach Chris Bucknam:

“We got some qualifiers, it was a great meet. I’m very appreciative of all of the teams that came to Fayetteville and provided a lot of great competition on National TV. You have to practice competing, and that’s what this meet was all about. You have to practice competing, it’s not always just about the mark on the scoreboard, the time or the distance, it’s about beating teams and that’s what this meet highlighted. You saw all the great relays that happened with all the great teams, it was just some quality competition on the track. This meet was a big precursor to the meets we’ll attend from here on our with the SEC Championships through the NCAA Championships. Everybody got their reps in, we had a lot of kids competing this weekend. I think with the success with being on the SEC network while trying to expand our fan base for the spirt of track & field, I think this is a meet that will continue to get better and grow.”

In the first relay of the day, the Razorbacks finished with a time of 38.59 as senior Kenzo Cotton built a comfortable lead down the homestretch to secure Arkansas’ win in the event.

The time was good for the third-best in program history, as well as the fastest time in the nation this season edging out LSU’s time of 38.84 set during the opening week of the outdoor season at the PAC-12 vs. Big Ten Challenge in Tempe, Ariz.

The Razorbacks picked up another win in the 4×200-meter relay in a race that was tightly contested until the final leg when Florida dropped the baton and failed to finish the race.

The race gave Arkansas a commanding advantage heading into the final relay of the night, the 4-x-400-meter relay.

In the 4-x-400-meter relay, the Razorbacks and Florida once again were ahead of the pack for most of the race.

Arkansas’ anchor Obi Igbokwe and Florida’s Grant Holloway traded places throughout the final leg of the race, with Holloway coming out in front by just over a half of a second stopping the clock for Florida at 3:02.68.

The Razorbacks time of 3:03.36 is the fourth-fastest time in the country this season. The Race gave the Razorbacks six points and secured its title finish at the inaugural National Relay Championships.

Scoring was determined in a traditional scoring format, with the relays only counting towards points. Coming into the day the Razorbacks had 16 points from a first-place finish in the 4×1500-meter relay and a third-place finish in the sprint medley relay.

National Relay Championships
Team Scores (Top Five)

1. Arkansas- 52
2. Florida- 43
3. Kentucky- 26
4. Virginia Tech- 17
5. Texas- 15

Men’s Distance Medley Relay
6. Dalquist, Woodhall, Taylor, Griffith- 9:49.85

Men’s 4-x-200-meter relay
1. Schrage, Igbokwe, Harris, Cotton – 1:22.12

Men’s 4-x-800-meter relay
4. Hosting, Moehn, Pareti, Walters- 7:30.61

Men’s 4-x-100-meter relay
1. Ejiakuekwu, Mowatt, Harris, Cotton- 38.59

Men’s 4-x-400-meter relay
2. Stephen, Mowatt, Ejiakuekwu, Igbokwe- 3:03.44

Men’s Shot Put
13. Jeff Rogers – 16.80m (55′-1.50″)
14. Sam Kempka – 16.67m (54′-8.25″)
17. Gabe Moore – 12.64m (41′-5.75″)

Men’s Triple Jump
9. Rubin Owens – 51-9 (15.77m)

Hammer Throw
11. Erich Sullins – 204-11 (62.47m)