Razorback Invitational features impressive field of 16 teams

FAYETTEVILLE – This weekend’s Razorback Invitational features an impressive field of 16 teams competing inside the Randal Tyson Track Center on Friday and Saturday. Five of the schools entered currently rank among the top 10 national ratings in the early indoor season.

“This is a phenomenal athletic event this weekend, it’s off the charts,” said Arkansas men’s head coach Chris Bucknam. “I’m hoping that we get a good crowd there and we have some energy in the building. I think that’s really important for us, that people come and watch both of our programs, which are loaded with talent.

“This is one of the premier meets of the weekend, no doubt about it. We have 15 power 5 schools here and the competition will be stiff. With this being our second home meet, the competition grows and gradually gets better each weekend.”

Defending national team champion Arkansas, who holds the No. 1 position in the national rankings produced by FloTrack, is joined by nine SEC schools in Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Texas A&M.  The field also includes Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, St. Augustine’s, and USC.

Nine of the teams are among the initial top 25 national ratings index produced earlier this week. They include No. 4 USC, No. 5 Kentucky, No. 6 Florida, No. 7 Georgia, No. 8 Oklahoma State, No. 11 Oklahoma, No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 18 Iowa State, and No. 20 Auburn.

“The teams that are coming in have complete teams,” stated Bucknam. “You get into this meet if you bring your full team here. It will be exciting in that regard to see what everybody has.”

A live stream of the meet through SEC Network + is available both days with a start time of 5 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. on Saturday. Live results are available through flashresults.com (https://flashresults.com/2024_Meets/Indoor/01-26_Razorback/index.htm).

Correct answers to Olympic trivia at the marketing table in the lobby will earn a t-shirt during both days of the Razorback Invitational.

“This is a weekend where people get in their right events, getting some marks established and some things to build on,” Buchnam noted.

Wayne Pinnock, the 2023 long jump world leader and silver medalist at the World Championships, starts his 2024 season in the long jump among a field of 28, which includes a talented group of Arkansas alums in Jarrion Lawson, Carey McLeod, and LaQuan Nairn.

Arkansas multi-event athletes contest the heptathlon this weekend. The Razorback group includes a solid trio of SEC scorers in Yariel Soto Torrado, Daniel Spejcher, and Marcus Weaver. New additions to the group this season include transfer Jack Turner and freshman Gabriel Emmanuel.

“The multi-event is a unique event and you’re not doing it every weekend, so this is a real important weekend for that group of athletes we have,” stated Bucknam. “The nature of the heptathlon is you’re only going to get a couple of chances indoors, which is this weekend or the SEC weekend.”

The Razorback Invitational heptathlon meet record of 6,272 was set by Ayden Owens-Delerme in 2022, who established a school record at the time and improved it to 6,518 in 2023.

Soto Torrado leads the current group with a career best score of 6,047 points, which ranks No. 3 all-time at Arkansas. Weaver follows with a 5,760 that ranks seventh all-time and Spejcher is eighth best with a 5,751 tally.

Turner has produced a career best of 5,794 points while Emmanuel brings in a career best of 5,686 points.

A crew of Razorbacks racing at 60m and 200m includes Lance Lang and Connor Washington in the 60m while Tai Brown and Steven McElroy race in the 200m with Tevijon Williams contesting both sprints. The 400m will include the trio of Brandon Battle, William Spencer, and TJ Tomlyanovich.

Brown is also entered in the 60m hurdles with teammates TJ Caldwell, Phillip Lemonious, Elijah Morris, and BrevinSims.

Ben Shearer is entered in the Invitational mile while the 3,000m Invitational features Lexington Hilton, Patrick Kiprop, Reuben Reina, Myles Richter, Elias Schreml, and Josh Shearer.

Following a debut victory in the high jump at the Arkansas Invitational, Romaine Beckford will face a field of 22 high jumpers, which includes teammates Tomas Ferrari and Kason O’Riley.

Razorback freshman John Kendricks is among a pole vault field of 31, which includes professionals Chris Nilson, Tokyo Olympic silver medalist, and KC Lightfoot, the current world leader at 19-8.25 (6.00), along with Kentucky’s Keaton Daniel, the current collegiate leader in 2024 with a 19-0.25 (5.80) vault.