Razorback Captains Lead By Example

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Riding the success of a national runner-up finish during its indoor campaign, the No. 7 Arkansas men’s track and field team is one month away from the outdoor championship season. The Razorbacks will be led into conference, regional and national action by is team captains Gabe Gonzalez, Jarrion Lawson, Andrew Pisechko, Devin Randall and Cale Wallace.

A major contributor during Arkansas’ cross country season, Gonzalez has committed the same energy to his efforts on the track. His offseason workout ethic has been paying dividends as Gonzalez set a new PR in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 13 minutes, 45.98 seconds — 14 seconds faster than his previous best.

The time currently ranks ninth on Arkansas’ all-time top-10 indoor list for that event. A product of Northwest Arkansas, Gonzalez helped the Razorbacks win their 21st Southeastern Conference indoor title by scoring points in both the 3000 and 5000 in front of his home crowd at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

The senior capped his final indoor campaign earning a second team All-American honor. Prior to the indoor season, Gonzalez posted impressive finishes in cross country finishing first for Arkansas and third overall at the NCAA South Central Regional Championship. The finish also earned him an All-Region honor.

One of Arkansas’s best middle distance runners, Pisechko helped lead the Razorbacks to a seventh place finish in the distance medley relay at the 2014 SEC Indoor Championships. The Webb City, Missouri, native ran the 800-meter leg of the DMR and garnered All-America accolades after an impressive team race. Pisechko delivered again for the Razorbacks, qualifying for the final section of the SEC indoor 800 run with a PR of 1:48.60. He was one of three runners capping his indoor season among the top eight in the conference. Pisechko has performed at a high level off the track as well as earning the NCAA Elite 89 award during the 2014 indoor season and collecting CoSIDA Second Team All-Academic honors in 2015.

Not lacking for talent in the middle distance event group, Wallace, another Arkansas co-captain selection, has seen success at the national level with the DMR. A native of Cypress, Texas, Wallace was also a member of the Razorbacks’ 2014 NCAA indoor distance medley relay team earning him All-American honors. Wallace ran the 1,200-meter leg of the DMR providing his team with a solid foundation that led to an Arkansas eighth-place finish. Reprising his role as Arkansas’ DMR lead-off, Wallace helped the Razorbacks finish fourth in the event at the 2016 SEC Indoor Championships with 2:57.16 split at the 1,200. Wallace also is a two-time All-SEC and two-time All-Region cross country runner.

Maintaining balance between track and field representation, the Razorbacks selected thrower Randall and jumper Lawson to round out the group.

Randall stands as the veteran presence in the throws for Arkansas. A senior from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Randall has embraced his role of leading his teammates, building bonds across event groups and upholding men’s track and field’s stake in community outreach.

In the first indoor meet of his senior season, Randall placed first in the weight throw and currently sits second on Arkansas’ indoor all-time top-10 list with a distance of 59-5 3/4. A beast in the ring, Randall also checks in at No. 5 on the indoor all-time top-10 list for shot put with a distance of 58 9 1/2. The Arkansas upperclassman transitioned smoothly to his final outdoor season capturing the section B shot put title at the Texas Relays.

Jarrion Lawson came into his senior season being named to the Bowerman Watch List and has delivered, maintaining a consistent level of high performance. Lawson is a three-time NCAA champion with two crowns coming in the long jump and one with the 4×100-meter relay team. He owns the second-best jump in school history which doubles as the fifth-best performance in NCAA history at 8.39m/27-6 1/2. Lawson, a senior hailing from Texarkana, Texas, also holds some of the fastest sprint times in the history of the program with the second-fastest indoor time in the 60-meter dash at 6.60 and the fastest outdoor 100-meter time at 10.04. Lawson’s time of 6.60 in Birmingham, Alabama helped him capture his 15th All-American honor.

For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.