No. 1 Razorbacks secure third consecutive SEC Indoor title, 25th in program history

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – In claiming a third consecutive SEC Indoor Championship, the No. 1 Razorbacks produced its 25th indoor team title since joining the league in 1991. A total of 86 points secured the title at Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium.

After establishing a first day lead of 10.5 points, Arkansas kept producing points to stay in the chase with Florida (77) and Alabama (71), who finished second and third in team scoring. Rounding out the top five schools were Kentucky (64) and Ole Miss (59).

“I’m just proud that we can continue the legacy, and these kids did a great job,” said Arkansas men’s head coach Chris Bucknam. “We didn’t get here until late Thursday night, due to weather issues, with competition starting on Friday.

“Things were thrown off with our warm-up and pre-meet, but they just did a great job and nobody complained. We just got the job done this weekend after some adversity with the travel and with some injuries. Hopefully, by the nationals we will be at full strength.”

The Razorbacks sealed the team victory with 20 points from four runners in the 3,000m with Amon Kemboi claiming the individual title in 7:47.34, a meet and facility record performance, to lead an Arkansas 1-4-6-7 finish.

Brothers Ben and Josh Shearer each ran career best times in placing fourth (7:54.94) and sixth (7:59.98) in the 3,000m while Myles Richter (8:01.77) and Emmanuel Cheboson (8:05.91) finished seventh and ninth.

Kemboi toppled the meet record of 7:54.19 by Razorback alum Cameron Griffith in 2018. The previous facility record of 7:48.94 belonged the Oregon’s Galen Rupp from the 2009 NCAA Championships, the first year of the Gilliam facility.

Point production in Saturday finals included nine from a pair of Razorbacks in the heptathlon, seven in the 60m hurdles from a trio of UA hurdlers, six in the 400m, four and a half points in the 60m, and a pair of points in the mile.

“It’s a two-day event, so you’ve got to be good on both days,” noted Bucknam. “We got off to a great start on Friday. It was a great effort by the distance runners.”

The Arkansas distance crew supplied 21 points in the 5,000 on Friday and then added 20 in the 3,000m on Saturday.

James Benson sped to a career best of 45.88 to place third in the 400m, moving to No. 5 on the UA all-time list. A pair of Gators placed 1-2 with Champion Allison (45.04) and Ryan Willie (45.63).

Saturday started with nine points in the heptathlon off a fourth and fifth place effort from Daniel Spejcher, with a career best 5,751 points (No. 6 UA), and Etamar Bhastekar, with 5,652 points.

In the first final on the track, a pair of points were added by Elias Schreml in the mile as he placed seventh in 3:58.92. Then Roman Turner tied for fourth in the 60m with a 6.69 while first place ended in a dead heat at 6.64.

Ayden Owens finished fifth in the 60m hurdles with a time of 7.89 while additional points were added by Phillip Lemonious (7.93) and Tre’Bien Gilbert (8.14) in seventh and eighth place.

2022 SEC Indoor Championships | Team Scores