Razorbacks battle for third-place finish at NCAA Championships
EUGENE – Sanu Jallow-Lockhart broke the 800m collegiate record to win the NCAA title and propelled the No. 7 Razorbacks to a third-place team finish at the NCAA Championships held at Hayward Field.
Georgia scored 50 points to defend its team title with Florida runner-up at 43 points. After the 38 points for the Razorbacks, the rest of the top 10 included Oregon (36), USC (32), Iowa State (30), Washington (28), Illinois (27), Nebraska (27), and LSU (24).
Running a time of 1:56.85 delivered the collegiate victory for Jallow-Lockhart in her first ever individual NCAA title. The previous collegiate record of 1:57.73 by Texas A&M’s Athing Mu in 2021 was also bettered by runner-up Haley Kitching of Penn State with a 1:57.65. Finishing third in 1:58.22 was Lauren Tolbert of Duke.
The race was so deep with talent that Razorback Analisse Batista finished fifth in a career best of 1:58.41 that ranks No. 2 on the UA all-time list as well as No. 8 on the collegiate all-time list.
Jallow-Lockhart, who ran a 1:57.74 at the NCAA West a couple weeks ago and recorded the fastest NCAA semifinal with a 1:58.89 on Thursday, bettered the NCAA meet record of 1:58.13 set in 2025 by Roisin Willis of Stanford.
Covering the first 400m in 55.03 to lead the field, Jallow-Lockhart ran 1:01.82 on the second lap and was never challenged for the lead. She also improved her Gambian national record with the win and ranks No. 3 on the 2026 world list.
Arkansas totaled 38 points in the meet after winning the 4 x 400m relay in a world leading 3:18.88 that ranks No. 2 all-time among collegians and only trails the collegiate record of 3:17.96 the Razorbacks set at the 2024 NCAA Championships.
Splits for Arkansas included Sanaria Butler (50.65), Batista (49.93), Kaylyn Brown (49.29) and Jallow-Lockhart (49.01). Runner-up in the race was Georgia at 3:20.96 with Tennessee third in 3:23.75.
In the 400m hurdles a career best of 54.36 placed Saira Prince third in the race as she remained No. 3 on the UA all-time list. South Carolina’s Akala Garrett won the race in 53.32 while Amelliah Birdow of Texas posted a 53.60 as runner-up.
Arkansas freshman Morgan Herbst raced the final of the 400m hurdles in lane one and placed ninth in 56.44.
Prior to the 4 x 400m relay, Brown and Butler finished fourth and sixth in the 400m with times of 50.25 and 50.51. Georgia’s Dejanea Oakley broke the collegiate record with a 48.79 victory. The previous collegiate and meet record of 48.89 was held by Razorback Nickisha Pryce in 2024.
In the high jump Maria Arboleda tied for 11th place with a 6-0.5 (1.84) clearance.
