Razorbacks collect four SEC Indoor honors for 2025 season

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas received four SEC Indoor honors as voted upon by league coaches with Chris Johnson named Coach of the Year, Rachel Glenn earning Field Athlete of the Year, Isabella Whittaker selected Newcomer Runner of the Year, and Paityn Noe chosen Freshman Runner of the Year.

The group of honors reflect the dominance the Razorbacks displayed in capturing the SEC Indoor championship for an 11th consecutive year. Arkansas totaled 117.5 points to win by 55.5 and totaled 11 medalists in the meet – 2 gold, 3 silver, and 6 bronze – in eight events.

This marks the second SEC Indoor title with Johnson serving as the Razorbacks women’s head coach and it’s his second SEC Indoor Coach of the Year accolade.

Glenn won the SEC Indoor high jump title with a mark of 6-6 (1.98), which is the U.S. and collegiate leader for 2025 while ranking equal No. 3 on the current world list. The 6-6 mark ranks as the No. 3 performance on the all-time collegiate list behind her collegiate record of 6-6.75 (2.00) from winning the 2024 NCAA title. Also, the mark is equal No. 10 performance on the U.S. all-time list.

Glenn finished third in the high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships, clearing 6-3.25 (1.91) for the third time this indoor season. In the 60m hurdles, Glenn produced a career best of 8.10 during the SEC Indoor prelims, and posted an 8.12 in the final to place sixth.

Whittaker posted a then career best 49.90 as SEC Indoor silver medalist in the 400m and went on to break the American and collegiate record with a stunning 49.24 performance to win the NCAA Indoor title.

The previous record of 49.48 was set in the 2023 NCAA Indoor meet by Razorback Britton Wilson in Albuquerque. Whittaker ranks as the No. 2 performer on world all-time list with equal No. 2 performance, behind the world record of 49.17 set by Femke Bol of the Netherlands in 2024.

Whittaker also supplied an anchor leg split of 49.70, world’s fifth fastest ever, as Arkansas won the NCAA Indoor 4 x 400m relay in 3:25.20, the third fastest collegiate time ever behind pair of Razorback times of 3:21.75 (2023) and 3:24.09 (2022). Whittaker also produced second leg relay splits of 50.37, 50.40 (DMR), and 50.45 this season.

Whittaker, a transfer from Penn, came into this season with an indoor career best of 51.69, and improved to 51.29, 50.87, and 50.86 before her pair of sub-50 second performances. She opened the indoor season with a 2:02.68 debut in 800m.

Noe, a redshirt freshman this indoor season, was the high point scorer at the SEC Indoor Championships with 16 points off a victory in the 5,000m and third place in the 3,000m. At the NCAA Indoor meet she collected a pair of first-team All-America honors by placing seventh in the 3,000m and eighth in the 5,000m.

Noe broke the Arkansas school record in both events this season with a 15:11.27 meet record performance in the SEC Indoor Championships to break the UA record of 15:13.09 set by Katie Izzo in 2019. In the 3,000m she posted a time of 8:47.17 to break the UA record of 8:52.27 set by Dominique Scott in 2015.

Noe’s 3,000m time is the best by a freshman on a 200m banked track on the all-time collegiate list and she is the third fastest freshman in the 5,000m.