50.4 F
Fayetteville

Razorbacks set several PR’s at final meets of regular season

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0

• Arkansas Twilight Results

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas capped its regular season with a flood of personal best performances at the Arkansas Twilight in Fayetteville and at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Stanford, California on Friday evening.

Veterans Lead by Example

All-Americans Taliyah Brooks, Payton Stumbaugh and Lexi Weeks all picked up wins in their respective events with seasons’ best performances. Brooks won the 100-meter hurdles in 13.29, besting the field by .20 seconds.

Stumbaugh claimed the long jump victory with a wind-assisted mark of 6.29m/20-7¼. Lexi Weeks narrowly edged out her sister Tori Weeks for the pole vault title, winning off a first attempt clearance of 4.55m/14-11.

The Weeks sisters moved up to No. 2 in the NCAA with that clearance, which was an outdoor personal best for Tori Weeks.

New Hogs Forge On

Sprinter Jada Baylark led the flurry of Razorback newcomers who found success on the oval at John McDonnell Field. Baylark was the top performer in the 200-meter dash with a wind-legal PR of 23.29.

Baylark also captured runner-up recognition in 100, second only to All-American Hog, Kiara Parker.

Sophomore Sunkietra McCallister finished second in the 400 with a PR of 54.18. McCallister was top collegiate performer in the event.

Freshman Carina Viljoen dropped 1.81 seconds off her 800 best, crossing the finish line as the runner-up in 2 minutes, 8.77 seconds.

Payton Jordan PRs

Middle distance tandem Nikki Hiltz and Therese Haiss closed out the Razorbacks’ evening with a pair of PRs in the 1,500 at the Payton Jordan Invitational. Hiltz won section two of the event by 3.50 seconds, placing first in 4:12.09. Haiss took third with 4:16.31.

Next Up
The Razorbacks will travel to Columbia, South Carolina, next week for the 2017 SEC Outdoor Championships on May 11-13 in pursuit of their third-consecutive conference triple crown.

Arkansas Twilight

100 Meters: 1. Kiara Parker – 11.36, 2. Jada Baylark – 11.38, 4. Tamara Kuykendall – 11.74, 14. Kaylee McCarthy – 12.81

200 Meters: 1. Jada Baylark – 23.29, 2. Daina Harper – 23.50, 3. Kiara Parker – 23.51, 4. Sunkietra McCallister – 24.30, 6. Kelsey Herman – 24.54, 8. Tamara Kuykendall – 24.86, 11. Leigha Brown – 25.60, 15. Ashlee Moore – 26.02, 16. Kaylee McCarthy – 26.10

400 Meters: 2. Sunkietra McCallister – 54.18, 3. Ceara Watson – 54.65, 4. Sydney Hammit – 54.96

800 Meters: 2. Carina Viljoen – 2:08.77, 3. Alex Byrnes – 2:09.00, 6. Kailee Sawyer – 2:10.43, 13. Emily Jeacock – 2:16.28, 14. Autumn Sehy – 2:21.03, 17. Madison Cooley – 2:23.79

1,500 Meters: Rachel Nichwitz, Kelsey Schrader

3,000 Meters: 7. Grace Taylor – 11:11.27

100 Meter Hurdles: 1. Taliyah Brooks – 13.29, 3. Leigha Brown – 13.95

400 Meter Hurdles: 6. Jada Pollard – 1:05.42

4-x-100 Meter Relay: 1. Brooks, Stumbaugh, Harper, Parker – 44.31

4-x-400 Meter Relay: 2. Hammit, McCallister, Byrnes, Moore – 3:48.85

Pole Vault: 1. Lexi Weeks – 4.55m/14-11, 2. Tori Weeks – 4.55m/14-11, 3. Desiree Freier – 4.35m/14-3¼, 7. Rylee Robinson – 3.65m/11-11¾, 9. Madeline Telford – 3.65m/11-11¾, 12. Stephanie Diettinger – 3.05m/10-0

Long Jump: 1. Payton Stumbaugh – 6.29m/20-7¾, 3. Kelsey Herman – 5.91m/19-4¾, 4. Ashlee Moore – 5.87m/19-3¼, 5. Leigha Moore – 5.68m/18-7¾

Javelin: 3. Kelsey Herman – 32.97m/108-2

Sullins gets program best hammer throw at Twilight Invitational

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0

• Arkansas Twilight Results

FAYETTEVILLE — The final outdoor regular season meet got off to a hot start courtesy of a program-record hammer throw toss by redshirt sophomore Erich Sullins at the Arkansas Twilight on Friday afternoon in Fayetteville.

Sullins broke his previous record by 7 inches, capturing the gold with a mark of 202-10, which paced the No. 7 Arkansas men’s track and field team to a successful home meet finale.

Jumpers on the Rise

The meet marked the return of All-American long jumper Travonn White who leapt to top honors in his signature event with a best of 7.82m/25-8.

Junior Rubin Owens claimed the runner-up spot with a seasons’ best of 7.60m/24-11¼. Owens also finished second in the high jump with a PR of 2.12m/6-11½. Senior Ken LeGassey won the high jump with his first 7-foot clearance of the season.

Additional Notable Performances

Senior Josh Washington was .06 seconds shy of matching his PR in the 200, placing fourth in the half-lap sprint with 20.76.

Senior Eric Janise (46.39) and junior Jamarco Stephen (46.56) both ran outdoor personal bests in the quarter mile, finishing first and second, respectively.

Junior Kemar Mowatt posted a PR in the 110-meter hurdles of 13.94, moving him up to No. 15 on the NCAA West region performance list. Mowatt already holds the best 400-meter hurdle time in the country.

Next Up

The Razorbacks will travel to Columbia, South Carolina, next week for the 2017 SEC Outdoor Championships on May 11-13 in pursuit of their second-consecutive conference triple crown.

Arkansas Twilight

100 Meters: 4. Harrison Schrage – 10.42

200 Meters: 3. Kenzo Cotton – 20.74, 4. Josh Washington – 20.76, 5. Roy Ejiakuekwu – 20.93, 6. Rhayko Schwartz – 21.20, 7. Kevin Harris – 21.28

400 Meters: 1. Eric Janise – 46.39, 2. Jamarco Stephen – 46.56, 3. Carlton Orange – 47.07, 5. John Winn – 47.56

1,500 Meters: 8. Ethan Moehn – 3:49.51, 15. Chris Mooneyham – 3:57.63

110 Meter Hurdles: 2. Kemar Mowatt – 13.94, 3. Lane Austell – 14.63

400 Meter Hurdles: 2. Travius Chambers – 51.57

High Jump: 1. Ken LeGassey – 2.15m/7-0½, 2. Rubin Owens – 2.12m/6-11½, 4. Brendon Rivera – 2.02m/6-7½

Pole Vault: 3. Lane Austell – 4.60m/15-1, 4. Derek Jacobus – 4.60m/15-1

Long Jump: 1. Travonn White – 7.82m/25-8, 2. Rubin Owens – 7.60m/24-11¼

Shot Put: 2. Jeff Rogers – 16.36m/53-8¼, 3. Sam Kempka – 16.26m/53-4¼, 5. Gabe Moore – 13.53m/44-4¾, 6. Brad Culp – 12.95m/42-6

Discus: 2. Erich Sullins – 47.28m/155-1, 5. Gabe Moore – 42.65m/139-11, 7. Lane Austell – 39.00m/127-11, 8. Derek Jacobus – 36.69m/120-4

Hammer Throw: 1. Erich Sullins – 61.82m/202-10

Florida judge shows exactly why she should stick to courtroom

Andy Hodges
-
0

When it comes to sports, why do so many incredibly bright people make such ridiculous statements?

It happened again Wednesday, in Florida, and Arkansas native Charlie Strong caught the effect of it.

Judge Margaret Taylor said she was ashamed to be an alumnus of South Florida and questioned whether Strong had control of his players.

This came at a hearing in the case of South Florida defensive end LaDarrius Jackson, who is charged with sexual battery and false imprisonment stemming from an incident earlier this week.

“I graduated from USF in 1989, long before there was a football team. And while USF may not be the top-ranked school in the nation, I was never ashamed of being an alum until now,” Taylor said in video of the hearing posted by WTSP-TV. “I’m embarrassed and ashamed, Mr. Jackson. Let’s just say my USF diploma is not proudly hanging in my office right now.”

No problem there. A lot of South Florida graduates probably aren’t happy with the negative actions of a couple of football players arrested recently.

Then she showed how little she knew about the subject.

“Coach Strong, if you are listening, in the last couple of months there have been two arrests of your players for very violent felonies. This court, and I’m sure I’m not alone, questions whether you have control over your players. It’s fairly clear you do not have control of them off the field, and I guess only time will tell whether you have control over them on the field.

“I would implore you to think long and hard about whether being head coach at USF is a good fit for you before any other members of this community have to suffer at the hands of one of your players.”

Many fans at their schools probably agree.

But don’t blame the coach when the players make bad decisions. No coach in America would ever tell his players to do whatever they wanted, regardless of the consequences.

Blame the NCAA.

Under the existing rules, the coaches literally can’t babysit the players the way they used to be able to do. There are no more athletic dorms.

There are certain times of the year when their contact is so limited, they can’t do much more than say hello and goodbye. They can’t go tuck them in bed every night — or even visually be certain they are there — the way they could 40 years ago.

Strong tried to answer the charges as best he could.

“While I am shocked and saddened at the recent arrest of a member of our team, I am disappointed that the actions of two players over the last two months have harmed the reputation of our program, of our wonderful university and of my character.”

Charlie Strong

Unfortunately, that’s about all he can say. Based on Strong’s history, however, it’s a good bet the two players won’t be playing for South Florida when the season rolls around.

Which is all he can do.

But maybe this is an opportunity for a judge to drive a point home where it counts. Direct the comments at the presidents of the universities, who have taken away the control coaches used to have.

Maybe criticize them for taking away the control of coaches over their players. Yes, the NCAA has effectively taken away any control the coaches have, other than to kick a player off the team.

But that can only happen after the fact.

Razorbacks’ Redlicki, Salazar earn first-team All-SEC honors

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0

Voted on by the league’s head coaches, seniors Mike Redlicki and Jose Salazar earned first team All-SEC honors announced by the conference office on Wednesday.

Redlicki was voted to the first team for the second consecutive season, making him the first Razorback since Oskar Johansson in 2000 and 2001 to earn first team honors in back-to-back years.

After being named to the second team a year ago, Salazar picks up first team honors for the first time in his career.

Arkansas has placed multiple individuals onto an All-SEC team in consecutive seasons for the first time in 12 seasons.

The duo ranks as the third best doubles squad in the country after going 10-6 in the spring, 13-7 overall during their final season.

The pairing went 4-3 against ranked SEC foes this season, including victories over No. 18 Max Hinnisdaels and Conner Huertas of Auburn and No. 21 Jack Schipanski and Luis Valero of Tennessee.

Individually, Redlicki heads into championship play ranked as the No. 10 singles player in the country, while Salazar comes in at No. 34.

Climbing as high as No. 3, Redlicki spent six straight rankings in the top 10 and never fell further than his preseason ranking of No. 11. Salazar started his senior campaign at No. 45 and rose to as high as No. 19.

Redlicki is 27-10 overall this season, 10-8 this spring. The Duke transfer has faced a ranked opponent in 26 of his 37 matches during his senior campaign, holding a 19-7 overall record and 8-6 during the spring.

Salazar leads the team with a 29-8 overall record, including an impressive 18-5 mark this spring and 9-3 against SEC opponents.

The Oklahoma transfer is 8-4 overall against ranked opponents, 6-1 this spring and is 4-1 against ranked SEC foes. Salazar is also 7-2 away from home this season and 5-1 on the road against SEC opponents.

After injury, Williams, family set to meet this week with school officials on future

Andy Hodges
-
0

When Rawleigh Williams III hit the ground Saturday and didn’t move, the sinking feeling crashed like a wave that it might be the last time he’s in a Razorback uniform.

It was a fleeting feeling. One of those things that just goes flying over you.

With Williams, though, there was a reason. His injury two years ago was frightening. He had surgery then to replace and fuse a ruptured disc in the upper part of his neck.

There are people in wheelchairs that have had those types of injuries.

According to every medical person I’ve ever talked to over the years, neurological issues can almost never be made as good as new. They are always open to recurrences.

It is usually manifested in concussions. After the first one, the second one doesn’t require nearly the same impact and it keeps progressing from there. Anything in the head and neck area appears to be that way.

Arkansas coach Bret Bielema is well aware of that.

“That’s probably the part of my job — everybody says, ‘What keeps you up at night?’ he said Saturday after the Razorbacks’ final practice of the spring. “Those are the things that keep me up at night, just my players’ well-being. So we’ll cross that bridge when it comes.”

For those that didn’t see the play, Williams bumped into McTelvin Agim on a non-tackling running play and fell to the ground.

He told Agim, “I can’t move.”

To just about anyone, that is scary enough. It rattled most of the players and coaches on the field.

For Williams’ family, who was in attendance, it had to be downright frightening.

His mother, Kim, was “emotional, as any mom would be,” Bielema said later.

That is why the family will be heavily involved in this decision-making process.

Williams has undergone more medical testing since the Saturday incident, which UA officials said medical personnel described as a “stinger.”

Williams had the feeling back in all of his extremities while he was on the turf and said he was “embarrassed” at not being allowed to jump to his feet.

According to a story by Tom Murphy of WholeHogSports.com, there will be a meeting soon:

Tailback Rawleigh Williams and members of his family will huddle with the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville medical team and Coach Bret Bielema this week to go over his latest medical tests and discuss his future, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Tuesday.

University officials expect to make an announcement on Williams’ status at some point next week, the source said.

Considering the gravity of the injury, Rawleigh Williams’ football playing days may be over.

And, Razorback fans, you can be disappointed. Maybe even a little angry over the bad luck.

But you can’t criticize the decision.

New Mexico guard announces plans to transfer to Arkansas

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Mike Anderson announced the addition of 6-foot-2 New Mexico transfer Jalen Harris on Tuesday.

Harris will sit out the 2017-18 season and have three years of eligibility remaining.

“Jalen has good vision, quickness, the ability to score and make players around him better,” said Anderson. “He will have a chance to grow and develop during his redshirt year and make an impact on our team the following season. We are excited to have Jalen join our Razorback family.”

Harris played 20.6 minutes per game for the Lobos, playing in all 31 contests and making 18 starts as a freshman. He averaged 4.5 points and 2.3 assists per game and scored a career-high 15 points against Nevada on Jan. 7, finishing one rebound shy of a double-double.

The Wilson, North Carolina native finished third on New Mexico’s squad with 2.3 assists per game, including a season-best eight dimes against Utah State on Jan. 4.

He recorded a steal in 17 games, finishing second on the team with 25 takeaways, including a career-high three steals in two different contests.

Harris played his prep career under head coach Brian Clifton at Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina.

He was rated a top-15 recruit in the state of North Carolina and led his high school team to a top-40 ranking in the state by MaxPreps.

SEC Network talks BBQ, fatherhood with Hogs’ coach

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0

SEC Now’s Dari Nowkhah and Matt Stinchcomb sit down with Arkansas coach Bret Bielema to talk about the upcoming season and how he is preparing to be a new dad.

Photos from SEC Relays in Baton Rouge

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0

Here are the best photos from Razorback Sports Communications at the SEC Relays in Baton Rouge over the weekend.

SEC Network ‘Mic’d Up’ with Razorbacks defensive coordinator

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0

SEC Network gets an inside look at coordinator Paul Rhoads’ meeting with the defense as the Razorbacks prepare for their new 3-4 scheme.

Weather kills Arkansas’ shot at momentum with end to spring drills

Andy Hodges
-
0

The buzz these days about Razorback football is, well, kinda low. There’s more excitement on the live cam at Razorback Stadium on the construction that anything else.

Blame it on the weather.

While spring games don’t usually reveal a whole lot about a team anymore, they do provide an event where fans can get a spring fix for their football enthusiasm.

When the weather forecasts (correctly, as it turned out) called for lots of rain and other nasty stuff on Saturday, you got the feeling it would end the spring with a thud.

In a spring that hasn’t had a lot of excitement, the coaches spent most of it putting in a new defense. You wondered when the coaches would figure out a 3-4 would be a better option for the talent level of players Arkansas gets than the 4-3.

Of course, now that has to translate into games on Saturday, but you get the idea it’s a better option from a scheme standpoint.

We’ve heard repeatedly from the players and coaches how well installing the new defense is going, which isn’t surprising, either. Tell me the last time you heard a coach or player talk about having a bad spring practice.

No, everything is great in the spring.

That will continue into the fall, although we may have a better idea of this team early in Week 2 against TCU. The Horned Frogs are being picked by some at the fringe of breaking into the Top 25.

But the game Bret Bielema just about HAS to win is Texas A&M in Week 4 after an early bye week following the TCU game.

For Arkansas to have any type of success this season, they have to figure out a way to beat the Aggies. There is a path for this team to be 5-0 going to Tuscaloosa in mid-October. A&M and TCU appear to be the only real tests.

After that, though, it’s going to be a grind with no weeks off (unless you count a practice game against Coastal Carolina to start November).

In a league where the Crimson Tide (of course), Auburn and LSU will be the favorites in the West. Mississippi State is being projected as a fringe Top 25 team and Ole Miss is looking to put an end to three straight losses when they had better personnel.

Assuming Hugh Freeze is still the coach by the time the two teams meet at the end of October, he’ll have the Rebels ready for the Hogs. He’s admitted being embarrassed over the losses.

But bigger than that, everyone is hung up on the NCAA issues, thinking that’s going to have an effect. It will, but not in 2017. Ole Miss redshirted half of the No. 5 recruiting class in the country in 2016. Don’t count that as a guaranteed win.

We didn’t really see anything in the spring that gives a clear picture of this team. Oh, we heard the usual about Bielema wanting to run the football (who doesn’t) and the defense will be better in the 3-4 (it should).

But we don’t know.

And with Rawleigh Williams’ status up in the air right now, we may not know for awhile.

It will be an interesting summer with speculation all over the map surrounding this team.

Hopefully, there will be some momentum gained from somewhere.

We didn’t get it with a big spring weekend.

Which can only be blamed on the weather.

Razorbacks pick up pair of pinwheels at SEC Relays

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0

• SEC Relays Results

BATON ROUGE, La. — Arkansas’ men’s track and field team capped its weekend in Baton Rouge, picking up a pair of pinwheels at the first annual SEC Relays on Saturday afternoon.

Arkansas’ 4-x-200-meter relay team of Roy Ejiakuekwu, Obi Igbokwe, Josh Washington and Kenzo Cotton were the first to earn a pinwheel, capturing the event title with a program record-breaking time of 1 minute, 20.74 seconds.

Arkansas sprint legends Fred Cleary, Roddie Haley, Mike Conley and Wallace Spearmon Sr. (1:20.93) set the previous record in 1985.

The Razorbacks were quick to secure a second pinwheel thanks to Jack Bruce, John Winn, Carlton Orange and Alex George in the DMR. George anchored the team to victory, holding off a late surge by Texas A&M’s Jon Bishop, to claim first-place honors.

Additional Notable Performances
Prior to their 4-x-200 gold-medal meriting performance Ejiakuekwu, Igbokwe, Washington and Cotton raced to second place in the 4-x-100 (38.95) as one of only two squads to run under 39 seconds in the event.

Igbokwe returned to the track for a third time as a member of Arkansas’ 4-x-400 relay. The sophomore sprinter along with Jamarco Stephen, Rhayko Schwartz and Eric Janise posted a seasons’ best of 3:04.20, which moved them up to No. 6 in the NCAA West region.

Redshirt freshman Brendon Rivera jumped to a collegiate PR of 2.11m/6-11, placing fourth in the high jump. The mark qualifies Rivera for the NCAA West preliminary round as one of the top-30 best high jumpers in the region.

The Razorbacks will be back in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Friday, May 5, hosting the Arkansas Twilight. The meet will be the final regular season competition for the Hogs before they open up the postseason in Columbia, South Carolina at the SEC Championships on May 11-13.

SEC Relays

4-x-100 Meter Relay: 2. Ejiakuekwu, Igbokwe, Washington, Cotton – 38.95

4-x-200 Meter Relay: 1. Ejiakuekwu, Igbokwe, Washington, Cotton – 1:20.74

Distance Medley Relay: 1. Bruce, Winn, Orange, George – 9:48.93

4-x-400 Meter Relay: 3. Stephen, Schwartz, Janise, Igbokwe – 3:04.20

High Jump: 2. Ken LeGassey – 2.11m/6-11, 4. Brendon Rivera – 2.11m/6-11

Triple Jump: 2. Clive Pullen – 15.97m/52-4 3/4

Shot Put: 8. Jeff Rogers – 16.83m/55-2¾, 10. Sam Kempka – 15.86m/52-0½

Hammer Throw: 11. Erich Sullins – 58.40m/191-7

1...1,7281,7291,730...1,755Page 1,729 of 1,755

HitThatLine.com is the website for ESPN Arkansas. Listen at 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 FM in Fort Smith and the River Valley, 96.3 FM in Hot Springs and 104.3 FM in Harrison.

© Copyright 2017-25 by Pearson Broadcasting. All rights reserved.