No. 2 Arkansas challenges for third consecutive NCAA Indoor title
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – No. 2 Arkansas enters the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships as two-time defending champion with team titles in 2019 and 2021. The road to a third consecutive title will be challenging as the team battle includes at least four other schools in Florida, Texas, LSU, and Kentucky.
“It would be outstanding to win a third consecutive indoor title,” said Arkansas women’s head coach Lance Harter. “It’s a situation where we will not be a favorite like we were in 2019 and 2021. We are going to have to work a little more in a journeyman fashion because we do have a lot of bullets, but they have to hit the target.
“Our target is to try to get over 50 or 60 points to win it. We will be in a battle with some fellow SEC schools as well as Texas to win one of those top four trophies. We do have some good weapons, but we also have some people who need to maybe elevate themselves in their respective event and contribute as best they can.”
The Razorbacks return 40 points from last year’s national championship team, which totaled 68 points to defeat Texas A&M (57). Arkansas became the first school to capture the NCAA Indoor team title without an individual or relay victory as they claimed four silver medal and three bronze medal finishes in six events.
Lauren Gregory (3,000m) and Daszay Freeman (60m hurdles) were silver medalists in their respective events along with the distance medley relay while bronze medals were attained by Shafiqua Maloney (800m) and the 4×400 relay.
“There’s no doubt experience helps a lot,” said Harter. “The idea is to keep composure and perspective, while respecting the opposition, but not being overwhelmed by them. It’s another track meet that is a little more exclusive, where there are 16 people that are invited in each event, and half of them will score points.”
Both Razorback relays hold the top seed, having set a collegiate record in the 4×400 with their 3:24.09 SEC title and a school record in the distance medley relay with a 10:51.63 performance.
The 4×400 effort smashed the previous collegiate record by two-plus full seconds from the 3:26.27 set by Texas A&M in 2021. It also ranks Arkansas as the No. 3 performer and No. 4 performance on the world all-time list. The world record of 3:23.37 was set by Russia in 2006.
Racing in the final section of the 4×400 on Saturday, the Razorbacks will be joined by Texas A&M (3:25.43) and Kentucky (3:25.89), who also bettered the previous collegiate record in the SEC final, along with Texas (3:28.05).
“There is going to be some great head-to-head in the sprint areas and the distance events are more of our forte compared to the other three teams,” said Harter. “We all have 4×400 relays, so it would be really nice if it came down to the 4×400. We would look forward to that.”
Britton Wilson, who is seeded second in the 400m with a UA record of 50.88, also produced the world’s second fastest split of 49.83 on the anchor leg of the collegiate record 4×400. Britton only trails a 49.54 set by Athing Mu last year and is one of just four individuals who have ever run a sub-50 second split on an indoor 4×400.
Maloney also set all-time marks with relay splits this season. On the collegiate record 4×400, her split of 50.60 ranks as the fastest ever among collegians on the third leg. In the distance medley relay, her 800m leg split of 2:01.95 ranks as the second fastest split, trailing only a 2:01.93 by professional Brenda Martinez.
In the distance medley relay the Razorbacks moved to No. 3 on the collegiate all-time list as they trimmed the previous UA record of 10:51.89 from 2015, which is now the No. 4 performance on the on the all-time collegiate list.
Individually, Maloney is the second seed in the 800m with a season best of 2:01.74 while Gregory will compete in the 3,000m and 5,000m, where she is seeded fifth (8:53.77) and sixth (15:34.58), respectively.
“Lauren will run the 5,000m on Friday night and come back in the 3,000m on Saturday night,” noted Harter. “The SEC meet worked out as basically a great quality workout in preparation for this double at the NCAA meet. She is very fit and healthy. Now it’s a matter of lining up.
“Our distance medley changes shape with Shafiqua in the 800m and the schedule being a bit tighter to double in her individual event and the DMR as well as with Lauren being a weapon in the 5,000m. We will run a new combination in the relay.”
The scheduled line-up for the distance medley relay includes Isabel Van Camp, Krissy Gear and Logan Jolly as well as a 400m selection from the Razorback depth in that event.
Elien Vekemans and Nastassja Campbell are seeded fourth and sixth in the pole vault as each produced career best marks indoors with clearances of 14-8 (4.47) and 14-7.25 (4.45).
This marks the 22nd consecutive year the Razorbacks have qualified an athlete in the pole vault and the ninth straight season Arkansas qualified multiple athletes in the event. In the past 16 years, the Razorbacks have advanced more than one vaulter into the NCAA Indoor on 15 occasions.
In the sprint group, Jada Baylark and Rosey Effiong also return as scorers from the 2021 team title, each placing seventh in the 60m and 400m, respectively. Baylark is seeded seventh in the 200m with a career best 22.89 and eighth in the 60m (7.18) this season while Effiong is a 12 seed in the 400m with a 52.14.
A third Razorback in the 400m is Morgan Burks-Magee, who is seeded seventh with a career best 52.06. Burks-Magee was also a member of the 2019 NCAA Indoor championship, along with Gregory, and ran on both relays that season with the 4×400 placing third and the distance medley finishing fifth.
Jayla Hollis is a double entry for Arkansas, seeded ninth in the 200m with a career best 22.99 and 16th in the 60m hurdles with an 8.08 PR. Freeman is seeded 11th in the hurdles with an 8.02. A best of 23.25 has Joanne Reid seeded 14th in the 200m as the third Razorback in that event and lone true freshman. Quinn Owens joins Maloney in the 800m with a career best 2:04.03 that is seeded 15th.
