No. 2 Arkansas among nationally ranked contenders for SEC title

Shawn Price May 8, 2024

Start List Live Results Live Stream Thursday 10:55 CT Live Stream Thursday 4:25 CT

GAINESVILLE – The No. 2 Razorbacks enter the SEC Outdoor Championships as defending champions as the University of Florida hosts the conference meet Thursday through Saturday.

Arkansas has claimed the team title in three of the past four meets that were contested and have won seven titles since 2014. Florida is the only other team to win the SEC Outdoor title in that time frame in 2018 and 2022.

National rankings entering the meet have nine league teams among the top 15. The Big 12 follows with five teams among the top 25.

LSU is ranked No. 1 nationally followed by Arkansas at No. 2. Included in the top 10 are No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 7 Florida, No. 8 Georgia, and No. 10 Tennessee. They are followed by No. 12 Ole Miss and No. 15 Alabama.

Within conference rankings, which measures team depth, the leader heading into the SEC Championships is LSU followed by Arkansas, Texas A&M, Florida and Tennessee.

The SEC Championships will stream live on SEC Network + on Thursday and Friday, then on SEC Network for Saturday. Times listed below are CT.

Live results, through deltatiming.com, is available here: https://live.deltatiming.com/meets/37120.

The 400m remains a key event for the Razorbacks with world leader Kaylyn Brown leading the conference list at 49.95. Amber Anning, the SEC & NCAA Indoor champion, and Nickisha Pryce, the SEC & NCAA Indoor silver medalist, rank third and fourth nationally with times of 50.08 and 50.13.

Ten of the top collegiate times this season were set at the Florida venue during the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational and that group includes eight SEC sprinters.

Rachel Glenn posted the second fastest collegiate time in the 400m hurdles during the Tom Jones meet and her 54.91 performance leads the SEC by a full second over a 55.98 by Kyla Robinson-Hubbard of Tennessee.

The NCAA Indoor high jump champion with a collegiate record of 6-6.75 (2.00), Glenn ranks third in the SEC outdoors and fifth nationally with a 6-2.75 (1.90) mark. The conference outdoor high jump field includes a 6-5 (1.96) mark by Texas A&M Lamara Distin and a 6-4 (1.93) by Georgia’s Elena Kulichenko.

Arkansas has nine returning scorers in six events, which includes defending 10,000m champion Sydney Thorvaldson, who ranks fifth in the 10k nationally as well as sixth in the 5,000m.

Arkansas | Returning scorers from 2023

Seven of the top 12 times in the 4 x 100m relay this season belong to SEC schools with Tennessee the leader at 42.52. The Razorbacks rank third in the nation with a 43.13.

Arkansas’ depth in the 400m comes into play for the 4 x 400m relay as the Razorbacks have produced three of the top five collegiate times this season as eight Razorbacks combined for the line-up on those three relays.

A 3:26.10 from the Tom Jones meet is the collegiate leader while a 3:27.00 from the LSU Invitational ranks third and a 3:27.05 from the Texas Relays is fifth best. LSU follows with a 3:26.55 while Georgia ranks fourth at 3:27.02.

Marin Chamberlin ranks third in the SEC pole vault with a best of 13-11.75 (4.26) while teammates Rachel Homoly (13-11.25 | 4.25) is tied for fourth and Hannah Estes (13-8.5 | 4.18) ranks eighth.

A talented long jump field includes six jumpers over 21 feet. Razorback Nia Robinson is sixth among that group with a wind-aided mark of 21-1.25 (6.43). A heptathlon score of 5,080 ranks Sara Van Aken eighth in the league.