Razorbacks Collect Personal Bests At Home
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Ranked second in the country by the USTFCCCA the Arkansas women’s track and field team put on an outstanding show in front of its home crowd at the John McDonnell Invitational on Saturday afternoon at John McDonnell Field.
The day was highlighted by spectacular displays of athleticism in the short sprints, hurdles and the pole vault. Three Razorbacks, Taylor Ellis-Watson (200-meter dash), Payton Stumbaugh (100 hurdles) and Lexi Weeks (pole vault) shook up the NCAA rankings collecting exceptional performances in their respective events.
Razorback NCAA Top-3 marks from John McDonnell (as of April 23)
200 – No. 2 Taylor Ellis-Watson, 22.60w
100H – No. 2 Payton Stumbaugh, 12.83
Pole Vault – No. 1 Lexi Weeks, 15-2 3/4
Arkansas all-time bests
The Razorback 4-x-100-meter relay team of Kiara Parker, Ellis-Watson, Kelsey Herman and Stumbaugh ran a new season’s best of 44.16 seconds placing the quartet fourth in the event in Arkansas’s record books.
Two Razorbacks, Ellis-Watson and Parker etched their names in program history running the No. 4 (11.33) and No. 5 (11.39) best times in the 100.
Oklahoma transfer Stumbaugh established herself as the most talented high hurdler ever to compete for Arkansas placing first in the 100 hurdles over Kansas State’s Akela Jones in a lifetime best and school record of 12.83.
Another transfer moved up the Razorback hurdles all-time bests list as Gochenour, out of LSU, now ties as the third-best performer in the event with 13.05.
In the intermediate hurdles freshman Damajahnee Birch proved she’s one to watch clocking a new PR of 58.38 to check in at No. 6 in the program record books.
The final competitors of the day, Lexi and Tori Weeks both vaulted to personal bests of 15-2 3/4 and 14-5 1/4, respectively, becoming the second and fifth best pole vaulters in Razorback history.
Results – John McDonnell Invitational
• 100 – T. Ellis-Watson (1) 11.33, K. Parker (2) 11.39, D. Harper (4) 11.81
• 200 – T. Ellis-Watson (1) 22.60w, K. Parker (3) 23.61, D. Harper (4) 23.87, J. Williams (11) 25.46
• 400 – M. Dobbins (6) 54.75, C. Watson (8) 55.18, K. Sawyer (20) 58.66
• 800 – A. Sehy (4) 2:26.30
• 1,500 – J. Kamilos (2) 4:17.97, R. Ward (unattached) (4) 4:23.92, A. Worden (8) 4:37.43, G. Taylor (15) 4:51.14
• 3,000 – R. Nichwitz (unattached) (1) 9:58.95, K. Schrader (2) 10:10.01, L. Bishop (3) 10:22.55, S. Herrmann (unattached) (4) 10:24.21, K. Adams (5) 10:39.84
• 100H – P. Stumbaugh (1) 12.83, A. Gochenour (3) 13.05, K. Herman (5) 13.52, L. Brown (7) 13.90, J. Williams (8) 15.14
• 400H – D. Birch (2) 58.38
• 3KSC – D. Clark (1) 10:23.99, A. Sisson (2) 10:39.87
• 4×100 – K. Parker, T. Ellis-Watson, K. Herman, P. Stumbaugh (1) 44.16
• 4×400 – B. Swinton, D. Harper, M. Dobbins, K. Parker (2) 3:34.99
• High Jump – T. Brooks (3) 1.75/5-8 3/4, C. Sitz (4) 1.70/5-7, P. Stumbaugh (7) 1.65/5-5, L. Brown (7) 1.65/5-5, A. Gochenour (9) 1.65/5-5, A. Parker (12) 1.60/5-3
• Pole Vault – L. Weeks (2) 4.64/15-2 3/4, T. Weeks (3) 4.40/14-5, D. Freier (unattached) (4) 4.28/14-0 1/2, A. Voskamp (6) 4.16/13-7 3/4, M. Zimlich (9) 4.04/13-3, A. LaChance (10) 3.89/12-9, E. Bates (13) 3.49/11-5 1/4, S. Diettinger (16) 3.09/10-1 1/2
• Long Jump – R. Jantzi (4) 5.18/17-0
• Shot Put – M. Dennis (3) 14.90/48-10 3/4, A. Gochenour (4) 12.88/42-3 1/4, L. Brown (5) 12.53/41-1 1/5
• Javelin Throw – P. Stumbaugh (6) 34.08/111-10
Arkansas will travel to Baton Rouge, La. for the LSU Invitational on Saturday, April 30.
For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.
