Jordan Anthony wins NCAA 60m, Arkansas earns podium finish
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – A victory by Jordan Anthony in the 60m and a silver medal finish for Jack Turner in the heptathlon propelled Arkansas to a fourth-place trophy finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships held at Virginia Beach Sports Center.
Anthony became the first Razorback to win the 60m at the NCAA Indoor. His winning time of 6.49 is the second fastest performance at Arkansas behind the school record of 6.47 he set during the prelim on Friday.
“Yesterday was about surviving and advance,” Anthony said of his school record performance. “The real warriors come out on Saturday. I’m a finals guy, as you can tell.
“I’ve been through a lot with injuries and doubters. It’s all to the Man above, for real, or I wouldn’t be in this predicament I’m in right now.”
A pair of Auburn sprinters finished second and third with times of 6.52 for Kanyinsola Ajayi (6.513) and Israel Okon (6.516). A pair of USC sprinters in the final placed fifth and sixth with Travis Williams (6.54) and JC Stevenson (6.55).
“I’m so proud of Jordan, just a great athlete and great competitor,” said Arkansas men’s head coach Chris Bucknam. “He loves the sport. It was finally good to get him healthy. Coach Doug Case did a masterful job of getting him ready in a short period of time.
“He played football in the fall and we didn’t have any fall training with him at all. To elevate himself to this level that quickly just shows you his talent. He has Olympic speed and we’re just so proud of him. He displayed his poise in a close race and showed how competitive he is. I think we’re just scratching the surface with him.”
Turner won the 1,000m to conclude the heptathlon. In recording a career best of 2:35.49, Turner added 924 points to his tally. Turner’s score of 5,962 points placed second to a 6,013 total for Peyton Bair of Mississippi State. Miami’s Edgar Campre finished third with 5,934 points.
“I couldn’t ask for any more,” said Turner. “The hept wasn’t what I hoped it was going to be. Then I ran a PB in the 1,000m and moved into second place. I was so happy with it.
“I knew I had to be in first place 600m in and I was so thankful that Thai (Thompson, Iowa State) went out so I could sit behind him. I just knew I had to be in front of him. When I get to 600m first, then I just ran away from everyone and didn’t let them pass me. I executed it perfectly.”
Turner started the second day of the heptathlon in fourth place. He posted a time of 8.17 in the 60m hurdles for 939 points. Then he cleared 15-3.75 (4.67) for 810 points in the pole vault.
The team title came down the final event, the 4 x 400m relay. Drama ensued and delayed the awarding of team trophies after the Razorbacks were impeded on the first lap of the initial leg.
A note from the NCAA Track & Field Committee detailed the result of the meet following numerous protests:
Following the conclusion of the men’s 4×400 meter relay multiple protests were filed by two schools. Upon further video review, the meet referees made the final decision to disqualify Texas A&M for impeding a runner from another school (Rule 7.5-2a ) and all further protests were denied. All team scores are final, and USC is the 2025 NCAA Division I men’s indoor track & field team champion.
USC claimed the team title with 39 points, followed by Georgia with 33 and Auburn with 32. Arkansas placed fourth with 30 points.
The rest of the top 10 included Oklahoma State (26), Mississippi State (23), Virginia (23), North Carolina (22), Texas Tech (22), Ole Miss (20), and Texas A&M (20).
“We’re heart-broken, I know our guys are,” stated Bucknam. “It wasn’t for a lack of trying, we just left points out there. Even down to the 4 x 400m relay we were in it for the win.
“In running a clean race all we had to do was finish two places ahead of USC. Texas A&M cuts us off and knocked us out of the race. We’re not getting it back. In sports it doesn’t come down to one thing. I’m proud of my team and I always am. The kids went out there and gave it their best effort. It’s just a crazy way to end the meet.”
Georgia won the 4 x 400m in 3:03.44 with Texas Tech (3:03.77) runner-up from another section while Arizona State (3:03.88) finished third and USC (3:04.76) placed fourth.
Arkansas ran with a line-up of Steven McElroy, Jayden Smith, Brandon Battle, and TJ Tomlyanovich. The Razorbacks entered the meet with a seed time of 3:03.51, which ranked third among the 12 teams.
A time of 46.27 placed Tomlyanovich eighth in the 400m final. Vashaun Vacianna finished eighth in the 60m hurdles at 7.64. Yaseen Abdalla raced in the 3,000m and placed 11th with a 7:56.04. Scott Vines finished in a four-way tie for 12th place, clearing 6-11 (2.11).
