No. 3 Razorbacks set to defend SEC Indoor title in Tyson Center

FAYETTEVILLE – No. 3 Arkansas serves as host of the SEC Indoor Championships for a second consecutive year this Friday and Saturday at the Randal Tyson Track Center. The Razorbacks will be aiming for a fifth consecutive indoor league title this weekend.

“It’s just good to be home,” said Arkansas men’s head coach Chris Bucknam. “Family and friends in the area can come watch our team compete. It’s great for our kids since they’re familiar with the facility. We’ve hosted enough here and we’ve been in this facility enough that I think it’s second nature to our kids to come onto our track and compete in front of the home crowd.

The Razorbacks are the top ranked team in the meet among national rankings, followed by No. 6 Florida and No. 9 Alabama. Additional SEC teams in the top 25 include No. 11 Kentucky, No. 12 Georgia, No. 14 Texas A&M, and No. 16 South Carolina.

“It’s such a great meet and the added level is the team score,” noted Bucknam. “Now you’re not so much an individual sport. It really means something, there’s going to be a winner and a loser. Our kids want to win, they’re built that way.

“When you look at our history we do a great job at this meet. Our guys are dialed in to score points.”

Arkansas has a pair of collegiate leaders this indoor season with Wayne Pinnock in the long jump and Romaine Beckford in the high jump.

Pinnock’s mark of 27-4.5 (8.34) is the current world indoor leader as well. He finished the 2023 as the world leader in the long jump with a distance of 28-0.25 (8.54) from the qualifying round at the World Athletics Championships, where he claimed a silver medal in the final

Last year Pinnock finished second in the SEC Indoor long jump and won the outdoor conference title.

Beckford, the double NCAA Champion in the high jump during 2023 while at South Florida, contends for his first SEC title. His leading height of 7-5.25 (2.27) is an indoor career best that matches his outdoor best.

Depth in the high jump for the Razorbacks includes a pair of seven foot jumpers in Kason O’Riley (7-1.5|2.17) and Andrew Hughes (7-1|2.16), who rank fifth and sixth in the league.

The heptathlon group leads off the meet for Arkansas and has supplied vital points in recent seasons. They totaled 18 points a year ago off a 1-4-6 finish and had nine points in 2022 from a 4-5 finish. In 2021, a 2-4-5 finish created 17 points for the Hogs.

Daniel Spejcher has scored in four consecutive SEC Indoor meets for the Razorbacks, finishing fifth in 2020 (5,389), fourth in 2021 (5,654) and 2022 (5,751), then sixth (5,602) in 2023.

Jack Turner, a transfer from UTSA, leads the Arkansas crew with a score of 6,000 points which ranks equal fourth among collegians. A 5,874 score by Yariel Soto Torrado ranks seventh while Marcus Weaver (5,814) and Spejcher (5,716) rank 10th and 15th nationally.

Within the SEC, the foursome ranks 1-2-3-4 heading into this weekend.

Points from the distance events always play a factor in team titles for Arkansas and this season the group includes 5,000m school record holder Peter Maru (13:17.86) along with Kirami Yego and Patrick Kiprop, who both earned All-America honors in cross country.

Ben Shearer, who just missed a top 40 finish in cross country, has produced times of 7:46.96 and 13:36.86, which rank him fourth in the 3,000m and fifth 5,000m this season in the SEC.

Two years ago the 3k and 5k combo supplied 41 points, with 20 in the 3,000m and 21 in the 5,000m. In 2021, the total was 39 with 12 in the 3k and 27 in the 5,000m.

Jordan Anthony, runner-up in the 60m last year competing for Kentucky, has a season best of 6.59 in 2024, which ranks among the top three times in the SEC. He ran 6.57 for the silver medal in the 2023 SEC Indoor.

Recent improvement in the 60m hurdles has Tai Brown becoming a medal contender as his 7.63 career best, which ranks No. 3 on the UA all-time list, is second best in the SEC behind a 7.60 for Texas A&M’s Jaqualon Scott.

Joining Brown in the 60m hurdles are Brevin Sims (7.75) and William Spencer (7.84), who have each set career best times this indoor season, and Elijah Morris (7.87).

A newcomer with scoring potential for the Razorbacks is freshman John Scott Kendricks in the pole vault. He has cleared a career best of 17-8.5 (5.40) twice this season, which ranks second best in the SEC.

Apalos Edwards, a triple jumper who transferred from LSU, opened his season last weekend and currently ranks fourth in the league with a mark of 52-0.5 (15.86). Edwards produced a career best of 55-3 (16.84) as the bronze medalist at the 2023 SEC Indoor.