Razorbacks earn John McDonnell Program of the Year accolade
FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas has been named the John McDonnell Program of the Year by USTFCCCA for the second consecutive year and the fifth time since the award was first presented in 2008-09.
The Razorbacks and Oregon have each claimed the men’s Program of the Year distinction five times. Arkansas earned the honor in 2012-13, 2016-17, 2020-21, 2023-24, and 2024-25. In addition, the Razorbacks have finished second for the accolade on four occasions and were third once.
Arkansas was the lone program, male or female, to finish among the top four podium positions this season during the NCAA Championships held in cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field seasons. It’s the first time a men’s program has produced three podium finishes since Oregon in 2015-16.
Overall, it’s only the 29th time in history for a men’s team to place on the podium at all three championships in a single academic year. Only four teams in the past 25 years have accomplished the feat – Arkansas (once) and Oregon (3 times).
Of the 29 times it’s been done, dating back to 1974-75, the Razorbacks have achieved it 13 times, which includes the program’s five triple crowns in winning all three championships. Arkansas is followed by UTEP (8), Oregon (3), Stanford (3), and Washington State (2).
For the 2024-25 seasons, the Razorbacks were third in NCAA cross country, fourth at NCAA Indoor, and third during the NCAA Outdoor meet. That gave Arkansas a score of 10 points in the tabulation for Program of the Year.
Following the Razorbacks were Oklahoma State (25), BYU (27), North Carolina (32), and Wisconsin (40.5).
Oregon claimed the Terry Crawford women’s Program of the Year with 16 points, followed by Washington (22), Stanford (25), BYU (28), and Arkansas (30).
The Razorback men were ranked No. 3 nationally throughout the cross country season and placed third in the national championship race with three runners earning All-America honors – Yaseen Abdalla (4th), Kirami Yego (20th), and Patrick Kiprop (21st).
It marked the 24th time in program history for Arkansas to place among the top four teams. The Razorbacks accomplished that feat for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
Indoors, Arkansas registered its third consecutive podium finish after a national championship in 2023 followed by a runner-up finish in 2024. The Razorbacks had 30 points to place fourth in the 2025 NCAA Indoor meet behind USC (39), Georgia (33), and Auburn (32).
Completing the collegiate season this past week in Eugene, the Razorbacks totaled 40 points to place third. That left them trailing co-champions USC and Texas A&M by one point for the national team title.
In the past seven NCAA Championships contested between cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons, the Razorbacks have generated six podium finishes.
