No. 1 Arkansas Set For NCAA Championships

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – On Friday afternoon the No. 1 Arkansas women’s track & field team will embark on its final challenge of the indoor season, matching their talents against the best programs in the country at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships at the Birmingham Crossplex in Birmingham, Ala.

No. 1 Arkansas women’s track & field team will have an NCAA-leading 15 opportunities to score.

Arkansas will be led by seniors Payton Chadwick (60-meter hurdles; 200-meters; 4×400-meters), Kiara Parker (60-meters; 4×400-meters), Lexi Jacobus (Pole Vault), Tori Hoggard (Pole Vault), Desiree Freier (Pole Vault), and Kelsey Herman (Pentathlon) all of whom were huge contributors in last week’s run to its fifth-straight Southeastern Conference indoor title. Of the aforementioned Razorbacks, three captured SEC titles in their respective events with and Jacobus returning to the NCAA meet as the defending champion from last season.

Arkansas is the only program to field two sub-eight second hurdlers as Chadwick (7.98) and Janeek Brown (7.95) enter the indoor meet ranked No. 2 and No. 4. Chadwick captured the NCAA title last season while Brown earned First-Team All-American honors in an eighth-place finish.

Sophomore transfer Kethlin Campbell will look to become a first-time contributor for Arkansas at the national meet, following an outstanding conference debut and regular season. Campbell finished fifth in the 400-meters at the SEC meet running a personal-best 52.60 that tied for No. 7 in program history.

Redshirt-freshman Lauren Gregory and sophomore Carina Viljoen will get their first glimpse at the indoor championships in the mile. Gregory will also compete in the 3K with teammate Taylor Werner where they hold the sixth and seventh-best times in the NCAA.

Arkansas will also return an NCAA-leading three pole vaulters to the national meet for the third consecutive year with Desiree Freier, Tori Hoggard, and Lexi Jacobus all on the start list. Last season Jacobus won the indoor title with Hoggard finishing runner-up and Freier taking fifth-place.
Arkansas is the only team in the nation to qualify both a 4×400-meter relay and DMR, and the ONLY school in the nation to qualify both a men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relay and DMR.

The Razorbacks will open competition at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championship on Friday, March 8 and the indoor season will conclude on Saturday, March 9.

Arkansas Qualifiers
60 Meters – 2. Kiara Parker, 7.15
200 Meters – 6. Payton Chadwick, 22.97
400 Meters – 12. Kethlin Campbell, 52.60
Mile – 6. Lauren Gregory, 4:32.92 | 11. Carina Viljoen, 4:33.88
3000 Meters – 6. Lauren Gregory, 8:55.97 | 7. Taylor Werner, 8:56.97
60 Hurdles – 2. Janeek Brown, 7.95 | 4. Payton Chadwick, 7.98
Pole Vault – 1. Lexi Jacobus, 4.68m/15-4.25 | 2. Tori Hoggard, 4.60/15-1 | 7. Desiree Freier 4.41/14-5.50
Pentathlon – 3. Kelsey Herman, 4,330 pts.
4×400 Meter Relay – 4. Parker, Burks-Magee, Chadwick, Campbell, 3:29.69
Distance Medley Relay – 5. Gregory, Burks-Magee, Byrnes, Werner, 10:57.19

ESPN has exclusive broadcast rights for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. The following broadcast schedule (all times Eastern) outlines all live and rebroadcasts. Note: All dates and times are subject to change.

Friday, March 8 – 6:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
Saturday, March 9 – 5 pm (ESPN3)
Sunday, March 10 – 7 pm (ESPN | Tape Delay)
Monday, March 11 – 9 pm (ESPNU | Re-Air)
*All times listed in CT

Social Media
Join the championship conversation by using #ncaaTF and following along on Facebook (NCAA Track & Field) & Twitter (@NCAATrackField) for results and important meet updates.

For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.