No. 1 Razorbacks aim for third consecutive SEC Indoor title

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Razorbacks carry a recent No. 1 national ranking into the 2022 SEC Indoor Championships this weekend at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium, and they enter the meet as two-time defending champions.

“I don’t think it adds too much, really, because we are kind of the target anyway,” said Arkansas men’s head coach Chris Bucknam regarding the recent No. 1 status for the Razorbacks. “I think these kids, when they get to the conference meet, and I’m talking about everyone in the meet, not just the Arkansas athletes, they compete hard.

“I don’t think that is in the back of their mind. It’s out there, but I don’t think it’s that much of a factor.”

In claiming the program’s 24^th SEC Indoor championship in 2021, Arkansas’ team philosophy and depth came into play as the Razorbacks captured the team title without an individual or relay victory. It had never been done before in the history of the SEC Indoor Championships.

“For us it’s not about how many homeruns you hit, it’s about how many runs you score,” noted Bucknam. “That’s how we’re looking at this meet. It’s always team first, and we’re going to put our best lineup together that we can to win a track meet.”

Live results and schedule: https://flashresults.com/2022_Meets/Indoor/02-25_SEC/

Live stream on SEC Network +:

Friday early, stream at 11:40 a.m. CT – https://es.pn/35ofJEj

Friday late, stream at 5 p.m. CT – https://es.pn/3h8YlpR

Saturday early, stream at 1 p.m. CT – https://es.pn/3t45IEt

Saturday late, stream at 3:45 p.m. CT – https://es.pn/3Hs9QDL

Sunday linear, recap at 7 p.m. CT – https://es.pn/3sd1tau

Over the past three weeks of competition, the Razorbacks moved from 12^th to fifth and then No. 1 in the USTFCCCA national rating index. Five additional SEC schools join Arkansas among the top 11, including No. 4 Georgia, No. 6 Alabama, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 10 Florida, and No. 11 Tennessee.

Amid the conference rating index, which includes more data on the depth of a team, the Razorbacks remain No. 1 and are followed by Kentucky, Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia.

“It means we’re viable and we’re a really good team,” Bucknam said of the No. 1 status. “It’s really a credit to my coaches, Doug Case and Travis Geopfert. We purposely started off walking, not running, in the early meets. Those guys have done a great job in getting us prepared for this time of the season.

“That’s why I’m excited about this No. 1 ranking, and I think our best meet and performances are ahead of us. I’m excited about the potential of this team, this weekend and at the national championship.”

The Razorbacks enter the SEC Championships with a national leader in the heptathlon with Ayden Owens and lead three other events on the conference level.

Amon Kemboi leads the SEC in the 3,000m and 5,000m with a pair of career best times while Kieran Taylor leads the conference 800m with a 1:47.12, which ranks third nationally this season.

Kemboi broke the UA record in the 5,000m with a 13:26.44 and moved from No. 8 to No. 2 on the UA all-time list in the 3,000m with a 7:42.29, which ranks him fourth on the all-time collegiate list.

“We are not competing Ayden Owens in the heptathlon, instead we’ll rest him for the NCAA Championships,” noted Bucknam. “He will compete in the 60m hurdles and most likely the 4×400, where we have the third fastest time in the country.

“Amon Kemboi just put up the third fastest time this season in the 3,000m. He will race in that event and anchor our distance medley relay. We have a lot of talented athletes who can do multiple events.”

Returning medalist for the Razorbacks from the 2021 SEC Indoor include Kemboi as silver medalist in the mile and bronze medalist in the 3,000m, along with Tre’Bien Gilbert, bronze medalist in the 60m hurdles.

Arkansas totaled 27 points in the 5,000m last season off a 2-3-4-5-6-8 finish. This season the Razorbacks have five of the top six times in the conference heading into the SEC Indoor. An additional 12 points were scored in the 3,000m.

Razorback depth in the distance races this season includes Emmanuel Cheboson, Andrew Kibet, Patrick Kiprop, Myles Richter, Elias Schreml, and Josh Shearer.

Even without Owens in the heptathlon, Arkansas will have scoring potential in Etamar Bhastekar, Daniel Specher, and Noah Swaby. Last season Specher and Bhastekar placed fourth and fifth in the SEC heptathlon, producing nine of the 17 points scored in the event, and currently rank fourth and fifth in the league this season.

Bhastekar will also contest the pole vault, where he placed sixth a year ago, along with teammate Rhett Nelson, who place seventh in 2021.

The sprint events will have a mixture of Razorback newcomers with Connor Washington in the 200m, along with Brandon Battle and James Benson II in the 400m. Arkansas sprinters with previous conference experience include Roman Turner in the 60m and Jeremy Farr in the 400m.

Gilbert and Phillip Lemonious combined for 11 team points in the 60m hurdles in 2021. Heading into the conference meet this season, Lemonious ranks equal second in the SEC with a 7.66 while Gilbert is fifth at 7.77. In addition, Owens (7.81) and Brevin Sims (7.85) rank eighth and ninth in the league.

A showdown in the 4×400 relay is expected with national leader Florida (3:02.09) along with five additional SEC schools currently ranked among the top 10 this season. The SEC meet record of 3:02.35 set in 2018 by Texas A&M could be threatened.

Arkansas produced a school record of 3:03.18 when they raced against Florida in the Tyson Invitational. Four league teams that follow include Georgia (3:04.07), Tennessee (3:04.65), Texas A&M (3:04.84), and Kentucky (3:05.01).

2022 SEC Indoor Leaders

Men