LSU players Naz Reid and Ja’Vonte Smart along with coach Will Wade talked with the media after beating Arkansas at Bud Walton on Saturday, 94-88.
Chadwick, Jacobus post NCAA-best marks in season opener
FAYETTEVILLE — No. 1 Arkansas opened its 2019 campaign with a solid showing at the Arkansas Invitational Friday night at the Randal Tyson Indoor Track.
“It was a great opener,” said coach Lance Harter. “We were able to convince everyone that Christmas break is over. Our vaulters exceeded any expectations by anyone – which obviously there’s tremendous talent in that group.
“We had some fantastic performances in the 60-meters and the deuce (200-meters) that were a pleasant surprise. In the distances, we did some things that I think were more tactical than they were about time.
“All in all, I think our peers have chosen us to be No. 1 (in the rankings), today I think we acted like that.”
Arkansas had a handful of performances that will likely finish the weekend in the top-10 of the NCAA track & field rankings including the second-best vault in the world this year by Lexi Jacobus who cleared 4.49m (14-8.75) to take the women’s pole vault competition.
On the track, the Razorbacks were led by performances from Kiara Parker (60-meters), Payton Chadwick (200-meters), Tiana Wilson (400-meters), Meghan Underwood (800-meters), and Carina Viljoen (1-Mile), all of whom won their respective events Friday afternoon.
Of the aforementioned performances, Parker tied for the NCAA lead entering this weekend running 7.26 setting a new personal-best, while Chadwick’s time in the 200-meters would’ve led the nation entering today’s meet after she clocked a 23.35 in the one-lap race. Viljoen ran the fastest mile in Division I with her time of 4:47.11.
Arkansas had several freshmen make their Razorback debuts on the track Friday night.
“I think that some of them were a little bit glassy-eyed and surprised by the level of competition. I’ve been trying to portray to them ‘understand this was just an opener, you haven’t even seen the SEC teams yet,’” Harter said. “Some are going to be in for a rude awakening, others I think took care of business, and I think that it is going to be a journey that will be a week-to-week progression, otherwise they’re going to get left behind.”
The Razorback vaulters will be in action next week as they travel to Reno, Nev. for the USA Pole Vault Summit Jan. 18-19.
The rest of the team will take the week off to prepare for the Razorback Invitational on Jan. 25-26 at Randal Tyson Indoor Track.
Sullins’ record highlights opener at Arkansas Invitational on Friday
FAYETTEVILLE — Eighth-ranked Arkansas got the season started on the right foot at the Arkansas Invitational Friday night at the Randal Tyson Indoor Track.
“It was a great start for the team,” said coach Chris Bucknam. “It’s a long season and a long year, and this is the first step in heading towards our championship season. We got to see how guys responded after being away for Christmas break and got to see a lot of newcomers and freshman,” Bucknam said.
Arkansas’ Erich Sullins extended his own school record in the weight throw finishing with a best of 21.08m (69-2) that is currently No. 12 in the NCAA.
Roy Ejiakuekwu finished one one-hundredth of a second off his personal best at 60-meters with his time of 6.72.
Carl Elliot III took the top spot in the 60-meter hurdles running a PR of 7.89. The men’s 4×400-meter relay also picked up a win running a combined time of 3:14.27 to close out the meet.
“We got individual wins from Roy Ejiakuekwu, Carl Elliot III, and Kiernan Taylor as well as a school record throw from Erich Sullins in the weight throw,” said Bucknam. “Roy [Ejiakuekwu] was .01 off a PR, which is impressive in your first meet of the season, Carl [Elliot III] put together a great race his first time in a Razorback uniform, and Kieran Taylor got a big win in the 1,000-meters by a couple seconds.
“It’s a quick turnaround to the next meet. The season ramps up pretty quick, going from a rust buster in the Arkansas Invitational to a primetime meet on national television. We’re gonna be here in two weeks and we’re going to have to perform.
“There’ll be two weeks of practice to recover and improve. We usually get a few national qualifying marks at the Razorback Invitational. We’ll see some really good Power-5 teams there and it’ll be our first true test of the season.”
The Razorbacks will be off next week as they prepare to host the nationally televised Razorback Invitational Jan. 25-26 at Randal Tyson Indoor Track.
Hogs go to Dallas to face Rice, SMU in final road competition
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas closes out road competition this weekend, facing Rice and SMU in Dallas for a double-dual.
The Razorbacks are 2-3 in dual competition this season, splitting their last two meets in November. The team has competed in four invites since then, facing off against SEC foes No. 19 Missouri and No. 11 Georgia as well as other top-ranked programs.
Junior Anna Hopkin is among the leaders on the team, setting seven individual records and two team relay records in her first semester as a Razorback. The Preston, England, native has earned two NCAA ‘A’ cuts, qualifying her for the NCAA Championships in the 50 yard freestyle and 100 yard freestyle.
Freshman Kobie Melton is also making an impact early in her career in cardinal and white, setting two team relay records and qualifying for the Olympics Trials in the 50 meter freestyle.
In diving, sophomore Maha Amer and Brooke Schultz continue to perform impressively. Schultz swept the springboard events at the Georgia Diving Invite, with Amer taking third in the platform. Both Razorbacks have qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships in the springboard events, with Amer also qualifying in the platform.
Rice is 4-1 on the season in dual competition, with its lone loss coming against No. 8 Texas A&M. The Owls have faced just one other Power-5 program, defeating TCU in December. The Hogs are 2-0 against Rice, dominating the Owls 207-86 in 2013.
Host SMU is 4-2 in dual action, coming off a 1-1 weekend with a win over Loyola New Orleans and a loss to No. 8 Texas A&M. Arkansas is 3-7 against the Mustangs, holding a two-meet win-streak. In the last meeting between the teams, the Razorbacks earned a 149-83 victory.
Action at the Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center is set for 11 a.m. Saturday morning.
Anderson previewing Saturday’s matchup with Tigers
Arkansas coach Mike Anderson talked with the media Friday looking ahead to this weekend’s game with the Tigers and the problems with their size down low.
???? Friday Halftime Pod — featuring The Advocate’s Brooks Kubena
Phil & Tye discuss Saban losing assistants, FOMO Friday, plus Brooks Kubena joins the POD!
Hogs open 2019 indoor campaign with No. 8 national ranking
NEW ORLEANS, La. — Set to open its season at home this Friday, the Arkansas men’s track & field team will head into its 2019 indoor campaign at No.8 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) preseason national rankings.
The 2017-18 John McDonnell Program of the Year runner-up, Arkansas is the fourth-highest ranked Southeastern Conference program in the nation behind No. 2 Florida, No. 5 Georgia and No. 7 Alabama.
Widely considered the strongest league in the country, the SEC boasts four teams inside the top 10 and six teams inside the top 20 (No. 17 LSU and No. 19 Texas A&M).
Head coach Chris Bucknam returns several All-Americans from last year’s indoor/outdoor championships including one of the NCAA’s best distance athletes in senior Cameron Griffith who was a bronze medalist in the 3,000-meters indoor and eighth in the 1,500-meters during outdoor.
Bucknam’s squad remains steadfast in their national title mission and with a roster riddled with top transfers and experienced contributors, the future appears to be bright.
Arkansas will open the year this Friday at home, hosting the Arkansas Invitational at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
Razorbacks open 2019 indoor season with No. 1 ranking
NEW ORLEANS, LA — Following a runner-up finish at the 2018 NCAA Indoor meet, the Arkansas women’s track & field team will open the 2019 indoor campaign as the preseason No. 1 team as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Thursday afternoon.
The Razorbacks claimed the top spot in a preseason poll for the second time in program history following their first appearance on top during last year’s outdoor preseason poll.
The Razorbacks are followed by familiar foes Florida State, Texas A&M, USC, and Oregon rounding out the top-five.
Along with Arkansas and Texas A&M, nine additional Southeastern Conference teams including No. 6 Florida, No. 7 LSU, No. 8 Georgia, No. 10 Kentucky, No. 13 Alabama, No. 14 South Carolina, and No. 17 Tennessee earned a spot in the preseason polls.
The SEC had the most teams in the top-20 with nine programs overall and were followed by the Pac-12 with four, the ACC, Big 12 and Mountain West with two teams apiece and the Big 10 with one program.
The national team rankings are compiled by a mathematical formula based on national descending order lists. The purpose and methodology of the rankings is to create an index that showcases the teams that have the best potential of achieving the top spots in the national team race.
Rankings points do not equate with NCAA Championships team points.
Preseason rankings will include marks from 2018, and the National Team Computer Rankings will continue to do so through the third regular-season edition.
Arkansas will open the year this Friday at home, hosting the Arkansas Invitational at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
Hogs’ gymnastics ready for first road meet of season Saturday
FAYETTEVILLE — No. 10 Arkansas hits the road for the first time this season Saturday, traveling to No. 18 Arizona.
The meet will be the first of four-consecutive road trips for the Gymbacks.
Meet Information
First Vault: 4 p.m.
Live Stream: Pac 12 Networks/WatchESPN
Live Stats: Arizona.Statbroadcast.com
How They Compare (Season Averages)
Vault: Arkansas: 48.825, Arizona: 48.750
Bars: Arizona: 49.100, Arkansas: 48.600
Beam: Arkansas: 48.975, Arizona: 48.575
Floor: Arkansas: 49.175, Arizona: 48.325
Total: Arkansas: 195.575, Arizona: 194.750
Back In The Top-10
After the first week of action, the Gymbacks moved up two spots to No. 10 in the Road to Nationals weekly rankings.
It’s the Razorbacks earliest season appearance in the polls’ top-10 since 2014.
Carter Tied For First
Arkansas sophomore Sophia Carter scored a 9.950 this past weekend against No. 2 Oklahoma. Her score was the third highest floor score in program history and put her in a tie for first place nationally on the event.
The No. 1 national individual ranking is Arkansas’ first since Katherine Grable was No. 1 in the All-Around in 2014 and the 20th in program history.
Shaffer Solid on Floor
Sophomore Sarah Shaffer recorded a 9.900 on floor last week against Oklahoma. It’s her eighth score of 9.900 or higher in the last 12 meets. The sophomore has scored below a 9.850 just twice in her career.
Meeting Again
Arkansas is traveling to Tucson, Arizona for the first time since the 2004 season. The Razorbacks are 0-2 all-time in Tucson, but have won seven-consecutive matchups in the series.
Arkansas defeated the Wildcats 197.275-196.125 in what was a team record score at the time.
Hambrick Makes Debut
Freshman Kennedy Hambrick made a solid debut on two events last weekend. She scored a 9.825 on vault, which tied for the team lead, and a 9.800 on floor.
Her scores were counted in both events as she was the only freshman in the Southeastern Conference to score a 9.800 in every event among the seven freshman gymnasts that competed on multiple events.
McGlone is Back
Making her first appearance since February of 2018, senior Sydney McGlone recorded a 9.825 in her first vault, which tied for the team lead. She also competed on floor for the first time since April 1 of 2017.
Burton Makes All-Around
unior Michaela Burton competed in all four events against Oklahoma for the first time in her career. The junior set a career high on vault with a 9.700 while posting a 9.875 on beam, which tied for the team lead.
More rumors in possible transfers than, well, even coaching searches
As if college football isn’t busy enough with basically no off-season anymore, now we have the constant rumor mill about players transferring from one place to another.
Don’t believe it’s not full-time?
Chad Morris has said it for a year in a way that was new to some people. The business of college football consists of four quarters these days. There’s recruiting, spring practice, summer workouts and, of course, the season.
Now you’ve got to squeeze in the transfer process which sorta fits in somewhere between the fourth quarter of one season and the first of the next.
And I swear there’s more rumors around the whole transfer stuff than even coaching changes.
Arkansas fans spent months hoping for Kelly Bryant when he quit on Clemson when it became evident freshman Trevor Lawrence was a better quarterback. When he chose Missouri, the lunatic fringe is now hoping and praying for anybody.
Cole Kelley has transferred to Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond, basically going back home. Ty Storey has reportedly put his name into the NCAA transfer portal, which conjures up images of Stargate, Star Wars and Star Trek.
Most assume he’s gone. That may or may not be the case. Just because a player puts his name there doesn’t mean he’s leaving anywhere. It’s more a case of testing the waters to see who’s interested.
Graduate transfers are immediately eligible. Maybe the most eye-opening change lately is the NCAA’s wllingness to grant immediate eligibility to non-transfers. It’s almost enough to make you wonder if they haven’t been threatened with a lawsuit over player rights. Their track record is not good when things land in court.
Every name that hits the NCAA portal gets a chunk of the fan base excited, especially if there is even the most remote possibility the player or his high school coach ever crossed paths with Morris.
The best part is the logic some of these folks roll out. There have been wild speculation and rumors on these guys:
• Ben Hicks, SMU. He may not be an upgrade over anybody still on the roster.
• Shane Buechele, Texas. There’s no official word he’s even considering leaving although two Longhorn freshmen quarterbacks — Cameron Rising and Casey Thompson — have put their name in the transfer portal. For the record, Rising is from California and Thompson is from Newcastle, Oklahoma … and they were both four-star recruits.
• Jalen Hurts, Alabama. Really. While he has put his name in the portal, that’s going to be a recruitment for the ages. If he comes to Arkansas, Morris and his staff will leap into the upper echelon of recruiters just for that signature.
There are others, but Morris said back in December after the first signing date he was trying to get an “older” quarterback to come in. That doesn’t mean a graduate, but that’s the assumption.
So now we have two signing dates in college football. Apparently after the first signing date is when coaches start working on players that have put their name into the transfer portal.
Now fans and media get something else talk talk about.
Remember, though, as usual the people who DON’T know anything are doing all the talking while the people who DO know aren’t saying a word.
Everybody else is just guessing.
Family ties keeping West Mesquite running back interested in Hogs
Mesquite, Texas, West Mesquite 2020 three-star running back Ty Jordan recently talked about his offer to Arkansas and what it means to him.
“Arkansas is huge because of the family ties to the area,” Jordan said. “Most of my family is diehard Razorback fans.”
How his recruitment is going so far: “Recruitment is steady at the moment. Expect it to pick back up once dead period is over.”
The relationship with the Arkansas coaching staff: “The relationship I have with the staff is strong.”
His strengths on the field: “I’m a versatile player and not just a running back. I can get in the slot and make you have nightmares.”
On the upcoming unofficial visit to Arkansas: “I plan on visiting Arkansas again within the next few months … don’t know when, but it’ll be soon.”
How he feels on the relationship with the Arkansas coaching staff: “Coach (Jeff) Traylor, coach (Chad) Morris and coach (Julian) Griffin are my guys. I can talk to them about anything I feel like.”
When a decision will come: “I’ll probably commit after my senior season.”
Jordan holds over 17 offers from schools such as Arkansas, Baylor, Missouri, Texas, and others.
