Arkansas rallies for SEC Indoor title, Razorback 4x400 relay breaks collegiate record

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – No. 3 Arkansas claimed an eighth consecutive SEC Indoor Championship and its 12th in program history by accumulating 53.5 points from the final three events at Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium on Saturday.

The Razorbacks amassed 127.5 points to defeat No. 2 Florida, who totaled 97 points in the meet. The rest of the top five teams included Kentucky (79), LSU (64), and Ole Miss (63.5).

The Razorbacks 4×400 relay capped the proceedings with a collegiate record of 3:24.09, which broke the previous mark of 3:26.27 set in 2021 by Texas A&M by over two full seconds. The Hog foursome included Rosey Effiong (51.97), Jayla Hollis (51.69), Shafiqua Maloney (50.60), and Britton Wilson (49.83), who also added a school record in the 400m.

“We knew we had to score big in those last pair of events,” stated Arkansas women’s head coach Lance Harter. “To be honest with you, I had 13 predicted in the 3,000m and 15 in the pole vault. We end up with 43.5.

“Then I asked Chris Johnson how does the mile relay look, and he said, ‘we’re going to win it.’ Not only did we win it we set the collegiate record by two seconds. This is absolutely phenomenal.”

This is also the 22nd team victory among the past 23 conference titles contested through cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons, dating back to the 2014 SEC Outdoor.

In winning a 12th SEC Indoor Championships, the Arkansas women equaled LSU’s conference leading tally of indoor league titles. LSU’s most recent indoor SEC title occurred in 2011. Florida is third with nine titles.

Lauren Gregory, who shared high point honors with 20 points, won the 3,000m as Arkansas scored 22 points from a 1-3-5-7 tally. She also led the mile crew, which contributed 19 points, with a 2-3-4 finish.

Elien Vekemans won the pole vault title, in which the Razorbacks totaled 21.5 points with four Arkansas vaulters scoring in the event. Vekemans cleared a career best of 14-8 (4.47) for the individual victory, with 2021 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor champion Lisa Gunnarsson runner-up at 14-4 (4.37).

In addition to the collegiate relay record, the meet record of 3:28.50 set by Arkansas last year was demolished along with the facility record of 3:27.03 set by USC during the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Only three performances on the world all-time list better the Razorback performance – 3:23.37 by Russia in 2006, 3:23.85 by the United States in 2018, and another Russia team in 2004 with a 3:23.88.

None of those three relays included a faster split than Wilson, as the third fastest performance by Russia included a 49.89 anchor leg from Natalya Nazarova. Among all-time splits in the indoor 4×400, Wilson ranks second to a 49.54 anchor split by Athing Mu on Texas A&M’s 3:26.68 winning time at the 2021 NCAA Championships.

The next fastest relay split in the 2022 SEC final belonged to Texas A&M anchor Charokee Young, who finished in 50.07 as the Aggies were runner-up in 3:25.43 with Kentucky third at 3:25.89. All three teams were faster than the previous collegiate record.

After the first two legs of the relay were relatively close with Arkansas leading the whole way over the Aggies, Maloney broke the race open on the third leg, her 50.60 carry putting a full second on Texas A&M (51.47 Syaira Richardson) and Kentucky (50.92 Karimah Davis) at the final exchange.

Wilson never allowed any ground to be made up on her anchor leg, motoring to an incredible 49.83 split that ranks second fastest ever indoors. Young of A&M split 50.07 while Kentucky’s Alexis Holmes, the 400m winner, clocked 50.35.

In addition to the collegiate record, Arkansas ranks as the No. 3 performer with the No. 4 performance on the world all-time list. They lowered the Razorback school record of 3:28.07 set in 2021 by four seconds.

Maloney claimed the 800m title in 2:02.10, becoming just the third Razorback to win the event at the SEC Indoor. Previous UA winners included Stephanie Brown (2014) and Chrishuna Williams (2015).

Runner-up to Maloney were LSU’s Katy-Ann McDonald (2:02.85) and Florida’s Imogen Barrett (2:03.39). Splits for Maloney included 29.90, 30.58 [1:00.48], 30.60 [1:31.08], 31.02 as she moved from second into first over the course of the final lap and then pulled away near the finish.

Wilson broke the UA 400m record with a 50.88 as runner-up in the first of two sections. The previous record of 51.08 was set in 2013 by Regina George.

Holmes of Kentucky produced a collegiate leading 50.77 to win the race just a stride ahead of Wilson with defending champion Talitha Diggs of Florida in third with a 51.25. Rosey Effiong finished eighth in 52.68 as Arkansas claimed nine points.

Holmes is now No. 8 on the all-time collegiate list in the 400m while Wilson ranks No. 13.

Wilson moved from No. 10 on the UA list to No. 5 during the prelims with a 51.92. Then she chopped a full second off her previous career best in the final.

Vekemans, who is getting closer and closer to the Belgian national record of 14-10.25 (4.53), currently is the No. 2 performer with the No. 3 performance behind Fanny Smets.

The 14-8 vault by Vekemans moves her to No. 5 on the UA all-time list and she is currently fourth among collegians this season.

The 21.5-point haul for the Razorbacks in the pole vault included Nastassja Campbell finishing at 14-2 (4.32), while Kaitlyn Banas set a career best of 13-10 (4.22) to tie for fifth place. Mackenzie Hayward also made 13-10 to place seventh.

Gregory posted a time of 8:59.28 to claim gold in the 3,000m over a 9:00.60 from Kentucky’s Tori Herman. The Arkansas claimed third with a career best of 9:01.34 from Isabel Van Camp (No. 6 UA), fifth with Logan Jolly’s career best of 9:03.02 (No. 7 UA), and seventh with a career best 9:07.95 for Sydney Thorvaldson (No. 10 UA).

Arkansas totaled 19 points in the mile with a 2-3-4 finish from Gregory (4:35.63), Krissy Gear (4:35.72) and Jolly (4:37.25) while Kennedy Thomson (4:47.05) finished ninth.

Jada Baylark generated 12 team points as she raced in a pair of lightning fast sprint finals. First, she claimed silver in the 60m at 7.18 behind a 7.11 for LSU’s Alia Armstrong and ahead of Kentucky’s Abby Steiner (7.19) and Florida’s Grace Stark (7.19).

In the 200, Baylark posted a 23.02 for fifth place as Steiner of Kentucky lowered her collegiate record to 22.09 from 22.37 and broke the American record in the process. The previous American record of 22.33 was set in 1996 by Gwen Torrence. Arkansas also picked up a point from Joanne Reid, eighth in 23.35.

Daszay Freeman scored in the 60m hurdles, placing fifth in a season best 8.02. Florida’s Grace Stark won in 7.91 while collegiate leader Alia Armstrong of LSU was disqualified for pushing a hurdle over with her hand.

2022 SEC Indoor Championships | Team Scores

1. Arkansas 127.5
2. Florida 97
3. Kentucky 79
4. LSU 64
5. Ole Miss 63.5
6. Tennessee 50
7. Texas A&M 48
8. Alabama 28
9. Georgia 23
10. Auburn 20
11. Mississippi State 18
12. South Carolina 17
13. Vanderbilt 16