School records, five wins highlight Hogs’ outdoor opener

FAYETTEVILLE — Senior Taliyah Brooks and sophomore Jada Baylark posted school-record performances Saturday during the Arkansas Spring Invitational, the team’s first meet of the outdoor season.

Brooks bested her own record in the long jump while Baylark tied the program mark at 100 meters originally set by all-time great Veronica Campbell Brown.

The preseason No. 1 Razorbacks finished their outdoor opener with five combined wins.

In her first outing since capturing the NCAA pentathlon title at the national indoor meet, Brooks led the long jump from start to finish.

The Razorback senior began her series with a wind-aided mark of 6.44m/21-1.5 which stood as the top jump until her final attempt of the day.

With the wind cooperating (+1.2), Brooks soared out to a 6.78m/22-3 measure which improved upon the previous record (21-4) by nearly one foot; she owned that mark, too.

After running the third leg of Arkansas’ victorious 4×100-meter relay, Baylark burst out of the blocks on her way to an early NCAA-leading time of 11.10 which matched the time set in 2004 by Campbell Brown.

Teammate and race runner-up Kiara Parker crossed the line in 11.26 which tied the No. 3 performance in program history.

The duo also finished first and second, respectively, at 200 meters. Baylark’s winning time of 23.17 makes her the third-fastest performer in program history.

Baylark and Parker teammed with Janeek Brown and Morgan Burks Magee in the 4×100-meter relay to get the baton around the track in a winning time of 43.40, just .06 off the school record established last season.

Brown was back on the track for an individual victory in the 100-meter hurdles in a slightly wind-aided 13.10 while Burks Magee was the top collegiate runner and third overall (53.94) at 400 meters.

Arkansas also picked up top-three showings from Abby Gray at 1,500 meters and Rylee Robinson in the pole vault.

Running in the invitational section of her event, Gray posted a time of 4:31.30 to open her outdoor campaign.

Robison established a personal best to finish third with a final 4.05m/13-3.5 clearance.

Arkansas Spring Invitational
100 Meters
1. Jada Baylark – 11.10 (=school record; previous: 11.10, Veronica Campbell Brown, 2004)
2. Kiara Parker – 11.26
5. Morgan Burks Magee – 11.55w (+2.8)
7. Tamara Kuykendall – 11.58w (+2.8)
26. Kayla Carter – 12.43w (+2.2)

200 Meters
1. Jada Baylark – 23.17
2. Kiara Parker – 23.41
5. Tamara Kuykendall – 23.82
6. Taliyah Brooks – 23.84
14. Sydney Davis – 24.76
23. Kayla Carter – 25.98

400 Meters
3. Morgan Burks Magee – 53.94
4. Sydney Hammit – 55.30
5. Sydney Davis – 56.25

800 Meters Invitational
5. Ruth Wiggins – 2:14.00
7. Kailee Sawyer – 2:14.98

1,500 Meters Invitational
3. Abby Gray – 4:31.30
4. Regan Hime – 4:31.76
5. Rachel Nichwitz – 4:32.16
12. Micah Huckabee – 4:42.43
14. Greta Taylor – 4:53.88

1,500 Meters
8. Tess Iler – 4:47.29

3,000 Meters
7. Alex Ritchey – 10:08.54
33. Kristen Larkan – 11:23.51
37. Grace Taylor – 11:32.64

100m Hurdles
1. Janeek Brown – 13.10w (+2.6)

4x100m Relay
1. Brown/Parker/Baylark/Burks Magee – 43.40

High Jump
5. Carmen Sitz – 1.65m/5-5

Pole Vault
3. Rylee Robinson – 4.05m/13-3.5
5. Morgan Hartsell – 3.95m/12-11.5
9. Elizabeth Ramos Mata – 3.50m/11-5.75
12. Genna Parker – 3.50m/11-5.75
17. Madeline Telford – 3.30m/10-10

Long Jump
1. Taliyah Brooks – 6.78m/22-3 (school record; previous: 21-4, Brooks, 2017)

Discus
13. Riley Hoogerwerf – 36.45m/119-7