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Razorbacks complete first sweep of Ole Miss since 2001

FAYETTEVILLE — Sparked by a trio of multi-hit performances and another strong outing in the circle, 16th-ranked Arkansas tallied a 7-1 win Monday evening over Ole Miss to complete the program’s first sweep in the series since 2001.

Freshman Hannah McEwen drove in two of her team’s runs on the way to breaking the program’s single-season RBI record.

With the latest win on its home field, Arkansas finishes its home slate with a 24-2 record at Bogle Park this season.

Overall, the Razorbacks improve to 37-11 with a 12-9 mark in SEC play. The program last won 37 games in 2008 while the 12 wins against the conference equals the efforts of the 2013 squad.

Up Next

With their home schedule in the books, the Razorbacks will close out the regular season with a weekend road trip to LSU.

The series opener in Baton Rouge is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start and will be featured as part of the Bases Loaded coverage on the SEC Network.

FINAL: #16 Arkansas 7, Ole Miss 1 | Box Score

McEwen entered the game with 49 RBI, tied with Nicole Schroeder for second place on the program’s single-season list but she pulled even with Sandra Smith (2010) on an RBI single during the Razorbacks’ four-run fifth inning.

Arkansas entered the frame with a 2-1 advantage but pushed its lead to five with the outburst. Katie Warrick and Kayla Green also chipped in with a sacrifice fly and two-run double, respectively.

In the bottom of the sixth, pinch runner Sydney Benz stood on third after entering the game to run for Ashley Diaz who led off the inning with a double to center.

McEwen came to the plate with two down and delivered a base knock up the middle that scored the final run of the game and put her name atop the list with her 51st RBI of the year.

Sophomore Autumn Storms got the start and held Ole Miss (28-21, 5-16 SEC) to one run on four hits through the first three innings of the game.

The visitors scored their lone run in the third and threatened to add with two runners on and a hot shot off the bat of Celeste Wood but senior Autumn Buczek made a quick dive to her left to glove the ball and recovered to tag the base for the third out.

With a runner on second after a lead-off double in the fourth, freshman Mary Haff came in to relieve Storms and stranded the runner in scoring position with the help of two strikeouts.

Haff struck out six Ole Miss hitters in four innings to secure the win and pick up her 24th victory of the season—10th in SEC play and third of the weekend.

The Razorbacks scored first with a two-run single in the second inning.

With runners on second and third, senior Tori Cooper legged out an infield hit that scored pinch runner Carley Haizlip and fellow senior Loren Krzysko on the play.

Cooper finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored. Arkansas is now 32-4 when its scores first.

Loseke’s career week earns league’s pitcher award

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Junior Barrett Loseke has been named the SEC’s pitcher of the week after helping Arkansas secure an undefeated 4-0 week in three separate relief appearances.

The Tulsa native was lights out coming from the bullpen against fourth-ranked Texas Tech last Tuesday, throwing 4.2 perfect innings while striking out a career-high 10 batters against a red-hot Red Raider offense that had scored 133 runs in 13 games during the month of April prior to Tuesday’s game.

The outing was the second time this season Loseke has struck out eight or more batters and while earning his first or two saves on the week.

Loseke’s Numbers Appearances Starts Record IP H R ER BB SO ERA Saves B/Avg.
4/23-4/27 3 0 1-0 8.1 2 0 0 4 17 0.00 2 .080
2018 Season 14 2 1-1 28.0 18 12 12 16 42 3.86 2 .188

Loseke earned his second save of the week in game one against Alabama last Friday, throwing 1.1 shutout innings helping Arkansas capture the series against the Crimson Tide.

Making his third appearance of the week on Sunday, Loseke picked up his first win of the season throwing 2.1 innings while allowing just one hit, securing the sweep of the Crimson Tide.

On the week, Loseke combined to give up only two hits in three appearances while striking out 17 batters.

Dating back to April 3, Loseke has given up just two earned runs in his last 15.2 innings pitched. His save in game two and win in the series finale against Alabama ensured Arkansas’ third conference sweep of the season.

The Razorbacks’ have swept three or more conference series in a single season for the first time since 2010.

Loseke is the first Razorback to take home the league’s pitcher of the week honor this season. It is the fifth honor of the season for a Razorback.

Carson Shaddy and Jax Biggers each have been named the league’s player of the week once, while Casey Martin has a pair of freshman of the week awards.

Loseke and the Razorbacks return to action this weekend for a three-game series against LSU beginning at 7 p.m. Friday.

Games one and three can be seen on the SEC Network+ via the WatchESPN App, while Saturday’s game two will televised on the SEC Network beginning at 7 p.m.

Four Razorbacks sign free agent deals with teams

FAYETTEVILLE — Four Arkansas football players agreed to terms with NFL teams Saturday evening following the conclusion of the 2018 NFL Draft.

QB Austin Allen — Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Allen played in 29 games and started 21 times during his five-year career with the Razorbacks. After backing up his brother, Brandon Allen, for three seasons he took over the starting role in 2016 and led the Southeastern Conference in passing yardage (3,430). A team captain as a senior, Austin finished his career with 5,045 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and a 59.1 completion percentage. Each of those figures ranks inside the Razorbacks’ career top 10 list. Allen earned his undergraduate degree in supply chain management in December 2016.

Razorback Football on Twitter

Our guy @austinallen8 is headed to Tampa Bay! ???? #ProHogs

DL Bijhon Jackson — Los Angeles Chargers

Jackson played in 50 of a possible 51 games at defensive tackle during his career, seeing action in more than 1,000 defensive snaps. He started 12 games in his career, notching 47 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Jackson graduated in December 2017 with a degree in recreation and sport management.

Razorback Football on Twitter

CONGRATS, @BijhonJ! Best of luck with the @Chargers. #ProHogs

DB Josh Liddell — Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Liddell started all 12 games as a senior and 37 of the 50 contests he played. During his four-year career, he totaled 177 tackles, including 3.5 for loss, five interceptions, three forced fumbles and nine pass breakups. He earned his degree in recreation and sport management in December 2017.

Razorback Football on Twitter

We’ve got another #ProHog. @JoshLiddell_2 is headed to the @Buccaneers!

DB Henre’ Toliver — Indianapolis Colts

Toliver, who started 36 of 49 career games played, including each of his last 14, totaled 161 tackles, including 7.0 for loss, and broke up 23 passes across four seasons. He finished with eight interceptions after picking off two passes in his final game. In 2017, Toliver tied for the team lead in interceptions (3) and pass breakups (8) and also returned a fumble for a score. He graduated in December 2017 with a degree in recreation and sport management.

Razorback Football on Twitter

????Congrats, @RAE_Toliver5! He’s headed to Indianapolis! #ProHogs

Arkansas completes sweep of Bama in wild contest

VIDEO FROM ESPN SEC NETWORK
FAYETTEVILLE — No. 7 Arkansas finished off its third conference series sweep of the year Sunday after enduring a five-run third inning by Alabama.

Then, completing a three-run comeback, capped by a three-run home run by sophomore Dominic Fletcher to win, 9-7, at Baum Stadium.

Arkansas (32-13, 13-8 SEC) continues to play well at home as it is now 26-3 in games at Baum Stadium and eighth victory by two runs or less at home. With the sweep, it’s also the first time since 2010 that the Hogs have swept three or more conference series in the same season.

The Razorbacks trailed 6-3 going into the bottom of the third and then 7-4 going into the bottom of the fifth, but got the bats hot at the right time.

After pulling within two in the fifth on an RBI single from junior Grant Koch, the Hogs had a major scoring opportunity with two on and only one out.

Alabama (23-23, 5-16 SEC) had decided after the score to bring in Dylan Duarte from the bullpen to face Fletcher.

Fletcher fouled off an 0-2 pitch down the right field line just missing a home run by inches. On the next pitch, the sophomore was able to go the other way and stroke his sixth home run of the year into the seats in the Hog Pen.

The homer pushed the Razorbacks ahead 8-7 and gave them a lead they never relinquished.

The pitching combo of Barrett Loseke, Evan Lee, and Jake Reindl threw four scoreless innings the rest of the way, allowing just two hits and striking out eight.

Loseke was able to pick up the win, his first, after 2.1 innings of work with just one hit allowed. Reindl corralled the save, his fourth, striking out two in the final inning.

The Hitting

All six Razorback batters that had at least one hit Sunday turned in multi-hit performances.

Eric Cole and Jordan McFarland led all hitters with three hits each, while Casey Martin, Heston Kjerstad, Koch, and Fletcher all turned in two hits.

Arkansas’ Casey Martin delivered one of the two big homers in the Razorbacks’ 9-7 win over Alabama on Sunday to finish the series sweep. PHOTO BY ANDY HODGES | HITTHATLINE.COM

Martin and Fletcher both hit home runs to push Arkansas’ team total for the season to 69, which leads the SEC.

Martin’s big fly was the lone run in the third inning, but seemed to give Arkansas life and pull it within two with six innings to play.

Martin finishes the series with four hits, two home runs, and four RBIs. Over his last nine games, the Lonoke, Arkansas native is hitting .364 with four multi-hit games, three home runs, and nine runs driven in, tying for the most on the team during that stretch.

As for Fletcher, the sophomore continues to be the hottest hitter on the team. He went 2-for-4 with four RBIs in Sunday’s game, his second game this year with four or more RBIs.

Over the month of April, Fletcher led all Razorback hitters with a .448 average (26-of-58) and 11 RBIs. In five of his last six games, he racked up multi-hit performances and drove in two or more twice.

The Pitching

The win by Loseke finishes off a stellar week for the junior from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He appeared three times in four games, all out of the bullpen and didn’t give up a run in 8.1 innings.

After picking up the save against No. 4 Texas Tech on Tuesday with a career-high 10 strikeouts, Loseke came back for another save on Saturday against Alabama, and then, completed the week with the win on Sunday.

Loseke only gave up two hits combined in his three appearances and struck out 17, while walking only four.

On Sunday, the staff struggled in the first three frames, which included a five-run third with three wild pitches and two errors, until Caleb Bolden came in and slowed down the Crimson Tide.

Bolden pitched two innings, only giving up one run, and striking out two Alabama hitters.

Arkansas pitcher Jake Reindl came on late to slam the door shut on the Crimson Tide in Sunday’s 9-7 win by the Razorbacks. PHOTO BY ANDY HODGES | HITTHATLINE.COM

Reindl came in the eighth inning, to pitch 1.2 innings, striking out three batters and finished the game out for the Hogs. It was his fourth save of the year and second in conference play.

Razorback Quotables

“Without him, we might not have won two more ball games. He was great on Tuesday night against Texas Tech, and obviously the last couple of days he kind of saved us.” — Coach Dave Van Horn on Barrett Loseke’s dominant week

“A wins, a win, just get wins you know. It’s like I tell the guys, you want to win series, but it’s all about wins. At the end of the conference season, it’s about how many wins you have in league play. Not so much who you beat, if you got more wins than the next team, you’re ahead of them. That’s what we’re trying to do, stay ahead of as many people as we can.” — Van Horn on racking up another conference sweep

“It was a 1-2 count, he threw four breaking balls in a row and I kind of had a feeling he was coming back with a fastball. It was a fastball on the outside part of the plate, and I put a good swing on it.” — Dominic Fletcher on his three-run home run

“Things weren’t going well early on, which is tough. It’s tough for everyone, it brings down the team morale, but with a lineup like ours and a defense like ours, I think we had the confidence to come back into the game. Jake (Reindl) and I were ready to come in, whether we were down or up, we knew the offense would turn it around. We have confidence in our teammates, even though we were down, we trust each other to come back.” — Barrett Loseke on the resilience of the pitching staff

“It keeps the momentum on our side. Where that would’ve been a massive hit, it’s an out, and I get the ball back and I get to do it again.” — Jake Reindl on Dominic Fletcher’s diving catch in the eighth inning

Up Next

Arkansas will not hit the field again until next weekend as it travels to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on the LSU Tigers at Alex Box Stadium.

The three-game series is set for a 7 p.m. start on Friday and will have game two on Saturday, also at 7 p.m. Sunday’s finale will be at 2 p.m.

Saturday’s game will be televised on the SEC Network, while the other two contests will be online only on SEC Network+.

Van Horn at a loss after Hogs get ugly win over Tide

With 15 walks and numerous passed balls, Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn was just glad to get a 9-7 win over Alabama on Sunday that clinched the series.

Razorbacks clinch series win over Ole Miss on Senior Day

VIDEO FROM ESPN SEC NETWORK
FAYETTEVILLE — Behind a home runs from Hannah McEwen and Katie Warrick, 16th-ranked Arkansas posted an 8-3 win over Ole Miss on Sunday afternoon at Bogle Park.

The victory secures Arkansas’ fourth SEC series win of the year and its first over Ole Miss since the 2010 season.

With Sunday’s effort, the Razorbacks improve to 36-11 overall and 11-9 in SEC play.

A day after setting the home attendance record, Sunday’s game was played in front of 1,401 fans which is the sixth-largest crowd in program history.

Prior to the game, the Razorbacks recognized its four-player senior class of A.J. Belans, Autumn Buczek, Tori Cooper and Loren Krzysko.

Up Next

The Razorbacks close out their SEC home schedule Monday evening with game three of their series against Ole Miss.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Bogle Park with gates opening one hour prior to the start.

The first 100 fans will receive a free rally towel with prize drawings — round-trip flight and an Xbox One — for UA students in attendance.

FINAL: #16 Arkansas 8, Ole Miss 3 | Box Score

The visitors jumped out to an early lead with one run across the plate in the first. Ole Miss (28-20, 5-15 SEC) threatened to add more by loading the bases with two outs but starter Autumn Storms got a ground ball to third to limit the damage.

After a pair of quiet innings to start the game, the Razorbacks’ offense came to life in the home half of the third frame.

Junior Haydi Bugarin got things started with a hit up the middle but the next two hitters were retired and she stood on third with two outs.

Belans delivered with an RBI double to right center to score Bugarin and tie the game. Ashley Diaz continued the rally with a single through the right side to put runners on first and third for Warrick.

The Chapel Hill, Tennessee, native gave her team the 4-1 lead with a three-run blast to left field, her eighth home run of the season.

Ole Miss cut its deficit to one with a two-run homer in the top of the fifth inning. Freshman Mary Haff, who entered the game in the fourth, recovered from the long ball by striking out the next three hitters.

She retired nine of the final 11 she faced and picked up her 23rd win of the season. She struck out five Ole Miss hitters in 3.1 innings of relief and now has a 205 strikeouts this season which is an Arkansas freshman-class record.

Holding on to a 4-3 advantage going into the bottom of the sixth inning, the Razorbacks added more than enough insurance with one swing of the bat by McEwen.

With the bases full of teammates, the freshman outfielder knocked her team-leading 10th home run down the line in right field. It was her third grand slam of the year and the team’s 50th of the season.

McEwen now has 49 RBI which is tied for second-highest season total in program history, just one behind the school record held by Sandra Smith (2010).

Reindl, Fletcher, Loseke recapping series win

Arkansas pitcher Jake Reindl, centerfielder Dominic Fletcher and pitcher Barrett Loseke talked with the media after Sunday’s 9-7 series sweeping win.

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)

Clutch hits pace Hogs to series win over Crimson Tide

VIDEO FROM ESPN SEC NETWORK
FAYETTEVILLE — A four-run sixth inning was the difference Saturday night at Baum Stadium as sophomore Jack Kenley’s two-out two-RBI single drove in the go-ahead runs to help lead No. 7 Arkansas to a 7-4 win and series victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide.

What was a pitchers’ duel early on between Arkansas’ Kacey Murphy and Alabama’s Jake Walters turned into a slugfest in the middle innings as the lead changed hands three times in the fifth and sixth innings.

The Hogs were able to take advantage of Alabama’s bullpen scoring all four of their runs in the sixth with two outs.

The Tide, which had hit back-to-back homers to start the sixth inning and force Murphy out of the game, led 3-2 going into the bottom half, but could not stave off the Razorback offense after retiring two of the first three batters in the inning.

The rally started with a four-pitch walk to junior Jax Biggers, then a walk to Grant Koch to load the bases. That brought up Kenley, who fouled off five-consecutive pitches after falling behind 0-2.

Kenley was able to put a good swing on a fastball and bloop it into shallow right-centerfield, scoring the tying and go-ahead runs. Kenley, later, singled again to finish the game 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs. It’s his first multi-hit game of the season.

The win now gives Arkansas (31-13, 12-8 SEC) its fourth conference series victory of the year and keeps it a half game up on Ole Miss for the SEC Western Division lead. Alabama (23-22, 5-15 SEC) drops its ninth of its last 11 games.

The Hitting

Arkansas only recorded one hit through the first four innings, a two-out RBI single from Luke Bonfield to give the Hogs their first run of the game. Bonfield finished the game as the team’s top hitter, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a home run.

After the Razorbacks had taken the lead with their four-run sixth inning, Bonfield came up huge in the seventh with a monster solo shot to the Hog Pen in left field, his sixth of the year, to give the team a little more insurance. It’s the fourth home run of the series for the Hogs and the first for Bonfield since April 7 against Auburn.

Arkansas now has 67 home runs on the year, which is good for second in the league and only one behind SEC-leader Florida. It’s also 12 ahead of last year’s pace where the Hogs hit a league-best 83 home runs.

Joining Kenley and Bonfield with a multi-hit performance was sophomore Jordan McFarland as he finished 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored, his eighth multi-hit game of the year.

The Pitching

Cobie Vance led off the game with a homer off Kacey Murphy, but it was one of the few bright spots for the Crimson Tide against Kacey Murphy. PHOTO BY ANDY HODGES | HITTHATLINE.COM

Before giving way to the bullpen, Arkansas starting pitcher Kacey Murphy had one of his best performances of the season, even after being forced to throw a lot of pitches in the early innings.

Murphy struck out a career-high 11 batters over five innings and scattered six hits, while allowing just three earned runs, two from solo home runs.

It’s the second time in his career that he’s tallied a double-digit strikeout total, topping his previous high of 10 set against Grand Canyon (April 5) last year.

Murphy is also the second Razorback pitcher this week to strike out 10 or more in the same game as tonight’s save recipient, Barrett Loseke, notched 10 against No. 4 Texas Tech on Tuesday.

Arkansas pitcher Kacey Murphy walks to the dugout after the first inning as he put together five solid innings against Alabama on Saturday night. PHOTO BY ANDY HODGES | HITTHATLINE.COM

Sophomore Evan Lee came on in relief in the sixth inning and pitched two perfect innings with the Hogs’ go-ahead rally sandwiched in between.

The outing earned him his fourth win of the year and second this week. In his last 3.2 innings, Lee hasn’t allowed a hit and struck out five.

Loseke finished off the final 1.1 innings to earn his second save of the year after entering the game with two runners on and the Hogs up 7-3.

He only allowed one hit and struck out two batters, giving him 37 strikeouts on the season.

Razorback Quotables

“First off, he’s such a good defender. He’s got a really good eye at the plate. He’ll take a walk, usually he gets bunts down. He’s very dependable in the little things that help you win. He’s been swinging the bat really good in batting practice, hitting balls out of the park and balls all over the field.” — Coach Dave Van Horn on what he saw from Jack Kenley to start him this weekend

“Well the pitching staff has done a great job. We’ve done it with a lot of different kids and that’s a good thing. I just told them in the outfield after the game, ‘That’s a good team win.’ We used a lot of people tonight. We’ve got guys sick, guys filling in, used more bullpen then we’ve used. Guys that maybe haven’t pitched in the league as much. If we’re going to play for a while, we got to have those guys.” — Van Horn on the pitching staff’s performance this weekend

“It’s a confidence booster. Knowing if I give up a run like I did or lose a lead like I did. I have all the confidence in the word in my offense on the other side to put us back, tie it up right off the bat. It helps me pitch and helps me keep a calm attitude on the mound.” — Kacey Murphy on how the strong offense helps his pitching

“I was excited, I was really excited. I knew I was going to get something to hit, get pitched pretty tough, but I felt confident in my swings today. Approach felt great, pretty much just go out there and execute.” — Jack Kenley on his go-ahead RBI single situation

Luke Bonfield’s hitting was big, like this RBI shot in the first inning Saturday against Alabama. PHOTO BY ANDY HODGES | HITTHATLINE.COM

“It was big to help the team win. I’ve been seeing the ball well of late. In our last series against Mississippi State, Zach Barr, one of our coaches, kind of just sat me aside and said ‘Hey, calm down. You’re a good player. Just let the game come to you and stop pressing.’ Ever since then, I’ve taken good swings and calmed down at the plate a little bit.” — Luke Bonfield on his three-hit game

Up Next

Arkansas will go for its seventh series sweep of the year and third in conference play when it faces off with Alabama one final time on Sunday at Baum Stadium.

First pitch is set for 1 p.m. and will be televised on SEC Network+.

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