Rojé Stona breaks his UA discus record, betters World Championships standard

BATON ROUGE – In spite of inclement weather on Saturday at Bernie Moore Stadium, the No. 1 Razorbacks still had a productive day as they prepared for a return trip to the venue for the SEC Championships in two weeks.

Rojé Stona led off the day with a heave of 219-10 (67.02) in the final round of the discus, breaking the UA record of 218-8 (66.64) he set at the Mt. SAC Relays two week previous. Stona is equal No. 4 performer on the all-time collegiate list and he broke the stadium record of 211-11 (64.59) set by LSU alum Rodney Brown in 2019.

“Before the competition started, I realized it wouldn’t be raining for too long,” said Stona of the wet conditions during the first three rounds. “So, we figured the weather would clear up by the finals.

“I tried it hit it then. Just being patient was the key. I started the competition with 54 meters, which is a bit low standard. I worked on my technique and accepted the challenges you face when competing.”

In addition, Stona bettered the World Athletics standard of 67.00 for this summer’s World Championships, which will be held in Budapest, Hungary. Stona currently ranks second among Jamaican discus throwers this season and is currently sixth in the world.

Runner-up in the discus was Razorback Ralford Mullings, who hit a mark of 203-11 (62.16), In third place was defending NCAA Champion Claudio Romero of LSU with a toss of 166-3 (50.69).

The series for Stona included marks of 178-4 (54.36), 191-5 (58.35), 193-7 (59.00), 201-5 (61.41), foul, 219-10 (67.02).

“This will give me more confidence going into the Jamaica trials this summer knowing I just need to finish in the top three,” noted Stona of achieving the World Athletes standard in the discus. “It’s always good to improve in each meet. I wanted to hit the standard here, so I achieved my goal.”

Jaydon Hibbert’s one attempt in the triple jump, off a short approach, hit an impressive distance of 56-4 (17.17). That mark is No. 5 on the UA all-time list, moving Hibbert ahead of Erick Walder, Melvin Lister, and Clive Pullen.

Hibbert’s career best, with a full approach, is 56-8 (17.27) from winning the World U20 Championships last summer. He was just four inches off that mark with a short approach.

Arkansas also finished third and fourth in the triple jump with Carey McLeod going 51-5 (15.67) and Wayne Pinnock reaching a career best distance of 51-4.25 (15.65).

A collegiate debut in the 400m hurdles had Ayden Owens-Delerme, the defending NCAA decathlon champion, placing second with a time of 50.28, which ranks him equal No.6 on the UA all-time list with Fred Cleary, who set his mark in 1985.

Baylor’s Nathaniel Ezekiel won the race in 49.47 ahead of Owens-Delerme while two-time defending NCAA champion Sean Burrell of LSU, had his lead evaporate when he hit the final hurdle.

Burrell posted a 50.34 in placing fifth behind a 50.31 for Georgia’s Caleb Cavanaugh and a 50.33 by Tennessee’s Clement Ducos.

“I’m happy with it, it’s my first time to race in the 400m hurdles in six years, since high school,” noted Owens-Delerme. “To come out here and deal with not necessarily the best conditions. I made some quick adjustments early to set up my race. Not having run this event in a long time, I feel my coach set me up pretty well to come out and put up a good PR.”

In the 110m hurdles, Phillip Lemonious won over a talented field which included Arkansas alum Omar McCleod. Running into a -0.2 wind, Lemonious clocked 13.63 to edge out the 13.67 for McLeod.

Arkansas teammates Tre’Bien Gilbert (13.99) and Matthew Lewis-Banks (14.13) placed fourth and eighth in the first section of the 110m hurdles and ended up fifth and 10th overall. Daniel Spejcher equaled his career best of 14.31 to place 12th overall.

Kason O’Riley claimed the high jump with a clearance of 7-0.25 (2.14) but was injured during the competition. Teammate Christian Matamoros finished fourth in clearing 6-10.75 (2.10).

Jordan West finished runner-up in the shot put with a mark of 66-2.5 (20.18), improving his No. 2 standing on the UA all-time list, as he picked up some vital intel on the shot put ring surface for the SEC meet. LSU’s John Meyer claimed the win with a 67-0 (20.42) effort.

Yariel Soto Torrado set a career best of 16-10.75 (5.15) as he matched the winning height in the pole vault. The top three finishers had the same height, with places determined by misses on the last two heights.

Runner-up in the 1,500m, distance runner Myles Richter posted a time of 3:51.90 while teammate Jack Williams finished sixth in 3:53.08.

A spirited race in the 400m had the Razorback duo of James Benson II and Chris Bailey placing third and fifth, with times of 45.57 and 45.77. Florida’s Ryan Willie claimed the win in 44.93 over his Gator teammate Emmanuel Bamidele, who finished second in 45.06.

NCAA Indoor champion Elija Godwin finished fourth between the two Arkansas sprinters with a 45.70.

Arkansas’ first race on the track was the 4 x 100m relay, where the Razorbacks posted a time of 39.55 to place fourth. LSU won the event in 38.26 over Florida (38.69) and Tennessee (39.18). The order for Arkansas included Lance Lang, Lemonious, Connor Washington, and Benson II.

Racing at 800m, the leading crew for Arkansas included Ben Shearer (1:52.19), Elias Schreml (1:52.29), and Ethan Carney (1:52.77).