Road trip sends Razorback crew to New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE – A portion of the No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks will compete in the New Mexico Collegiate Classic on Friday and Saturday in the Albuquerque Convention Center, the venue that hosted the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships last March.

Arkansas will have sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers competing this weekend. The fourth meet of the season for the Razorbacks will see Wayne Pinnock opening in the long jump while also including the debut of transfer Jordan Anthony in the 60m.

“We would like to get a couple more qualifying marks,” noted Arkansas men’s associate head coach Travis Geopfert. “The indoor season is kind of about that until you get to the SEC Championships.

“The NCAA Indoor Championships is arguably the hardest meet in the world to qualify for. You have to be ranked in the top 16 in the country off a descending order list. Everybody is good and the NCAA is a stage within the United States, but it’s globally represented. You literally have the very best 18- to 23-year-olds in the entire world in every single event.”

Coverage of the New Mexico meet will be available through FloTrack, which is a pay service, starting at 3 p.m. (CT) on Friday and 11:35 a.m. (CT) on Saturday. Live results are available through https://www.rttimingsolutions.com/results.html.

Pinnock, the world leader in the long jump for the 2023 season, made his Razorback debut last year in this meet producing a 26-7 (8.10) victory. After a silver medal performance (27-3.25|8.31) at the SEC Indoor, Pinnock returned to Albuquerque and placed fourth (27-4|8.33) in the NCAA long jump.

“This is a place Wayne really wanted to go and open up again,” said Geopfert. “So, I’m excited to take him out there where he had a lot of success last year.”

The Razorback 4 x 400m relay made history a year ago in Albuquerque with a winning time of 3:01.09, an Arkansas school record and the second fastest time in world history. The time served as the top seed in the NCAA Championships when the Razorbacks claimed a national title in the event (3:02.09) and captured the team title as well.

Arkansas is currently ranked second this season in the 4 x 400m relay with a runner-up time of 3:04.27 from the Razorback Invitational in which Florida won with a world-leading 3:04.08.

The 4 x 400m relay field in New Mexico, with season best times, includes Alabama (3:05.97), Texas (3:08.96), TCU (3:10.11), and Tennessee (3:09.10).

Last year on this weekend the Razorback foursome included Connor Washington (46.61), James Benson II (44.82), Ayden Owens-Delerme (45.34), and Chris Bailey (44.32). Only Washington returns from that line-up, which is scheduled to include Lance Lang, Brandon Battle, and Steven McElroy.

Joining Anthony in the 60m are Lance Lang and Tevijon Williams, who will also contest the 200m along with Connor Washington and Brandon Battle. Racing at 400m are Ethan Carney, Isaac Carney and Wyatt Green. The Razorback hurdle crew includes Tai Brown, Elijah Morris, Brevin Sims, and William Spencer, Jr.

Competing for Kentucky in 2023, Anthony raced to a NCAA Indoor silver medal in the 60m in the New Mexico facility last March. He set a career best 6.54 in the prelims and added a 6.55 in the final.

A trio of Razorbacks in the high jump include Kason O’Riley, Tomas Ferrari, and Andrew Hughes. Link Lindsey joins Pinnock in the long jump.

Following his performance from last weekend, which earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors, John Kendricks will compete in the pole vault on Saturday, which begins at 2:30 p.m. (CT).

A clearance of 17-8.5 (5.40) included a set of three career best heights for Kendricks. He finished fourth among a talented field and was second among collegians. Kendricks is currently the top freshman in the nation.

“I’m super proud of John, who did a fantastic job as an 18-year-old freshman,” stated Geopfert. “His quote was so pointed and accurate regarding wearing the Razorback uniform for the first time a couple of weeks ago. The weight of the jersey was heavy and it was for him in that first meet. You put that Hog on your chest and it means something.

“What a terrific response from him going into the second meet. Lot of learning opportunities from the first meet and look at what he did in the second meet. He knows what it means to be a Razorback and his goals are to score points for this team. He’s not talking about what can I do and what bars can I jump. It’s how can I score points for this team. That’s his mindset.”

Razorback Entries | New Mexico Collegiate Classic