Victories for Gear & Hiltz as 7 Razorbacks finish among top 3
EUGENE – A total of seven Razorbacks placed among the top three in a pair of national championship meets to potentially compete in the World Athletics Championships later this summer.
Leading the group were Arkansas alums Krissy Gear, with a victory in the USATF 3,000m steeplechase, and Nikki Hiltz winning the USATF 1,500m, along with current Razorback Wayne Pinnock claiming the Jamaican long jump title on Saturday.
Runner-up finishes included Britton Wilson in the USATF 400m, Jarrion Lawson in the USATF long jump and Rojé Stona in the Jamaican discus. Placing third was Carey McLeod in the long jump held in Kingston.
Earlier in the day, Cindy Sember, who trains in Fayetteville with Arkansas women’s head coach Chris Johnson, won her sixth British title as she posted a time of 12.98 in the 100m hurdles. Sember qualified for her fourth World Championships. Last season she finished fifth in the World final held in Eugene.
Arkansas can potentially have four long jumpers competing in Budapest, Hungary, during the World Championships as LaQuan Nairn won the long jump title this week in the Bahamas.
Gear, who came into the meet without the 9:23.00 World Championships standard, was in sixth place at 2,000m (6:16.56) into the steeplechase and then steadily closed the gap to the leaders, moving into fourth place at 2,400m (1:14.16), and third by 2,800m (1:09.21).
On the final lap, Gear passed Courtney Wayment, who finished third in 9:14.63, and then set her sights on leader Emma Coburn, who had won 10 USATF titles and was the 2017 world champion.
After the final barrier, Gear moved into the lead on the homestretch and delivered the upset victory in a career best time of 9:12.81 that places Gear as the No. 6 performer on the U.S. all-time list. Coburn was runner-up in 9:13.60 after claiming 10 steeplechase titles since her first in 2011.
Another Razozorback alum in the race was Logan Jolly, who set a career best of 9:26.97 to finish seventh. Previous PRs for Gear and Jolly were 9:23.55 and 9:34.76, respectively.
In the 1,500m, Hiltz moved from third to first over the final 300m with a 43.34 split to win with a 4:03.10 over a 4:03.44 for Athing Mu with plenty of company. Cory McGee secured the third position in 4:03.48 ahead of a 4:03.49 by Sinclaire Johnson.
Wilson covered the 400m final in 49.79 as runner-up to a meet record 48.74 for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone while defending national champion Talitha Diggs claimed third in a career best of 49.93. Razorback Rosey Effiong finished fifth in the race with a 50.41 and will be included in the relay pool for Team USA at the World Championships.
McLaughlin-Levrone bettered the meet record of 49.27 set by Sanya Richards in 2006 and is second to Richards on the U.S. all-time list to the 48.70 American record.
A close long jump competition had the top four jumpers separated by less than three inches. Marquis Dendy had a 26-8.5 (8.14) distance in the first round that nobody else could top. Lawson came closets with a 26-8.25 (8.13) in the final round, moving from fourth to second.
JuVaughn Harrison had a windy 26-6.25 (8.08) to edge out Steffin McCarter’s 26-5.75 (8.07) for third place. The season best for Lawson leaves him shy of the 27-0.75 (8.25) world championship standard.
Over in Kingston, Pinnock and McLeod produced marks of 27-3.75 (8.32) and 26-11 (8.20) to earn their respective places on the Jamaican team heading to Budapest. Tajay Gayle finished as runner-up with a 27-1.75 (8.27).
Also in the long jump competition was Razorback Ryan Brown, who finished seventh with a mark of 24-9.25 (7.55).
A close discus competition had the top three Jamaicans separated by just one foot with Stona throwing a distance of 216-3 (65.92) as runner-up to a 216-11 (66.12) for Traves Smikle while a 215-10 (65.79) secured third place for Fedrick Dacres.
Razorback Chris Bailey posted a time of 45.25 for seventh in the men’s 400m final in Eugene. Alum Erich Sullins finished seventh in the hammer in Eugene with a mark of 237-2 (72.29).
In addition, a crew of seven Razorbacks advanced to finals while four more qualified for semifinal races.
Amber Anning had the second fastest 400m time in the British Championships, setting an outdoor career best of 51.65 that ranks No. 12 on the UA all-time list. Anning set a PR of 50.68 indoors this season. The British final is set for Sunday.
Racing in Germany, Elias Schreml advanced to the 1,500m final with a time of 3:46.42 that had him second in his prelim heat and fourth overall. The 1,500m final will be contested on Sunday as well.
In Eugene, Shamier Little and Madison Langley-Walker both advanced to the 400m hurdle final. Little claimed the semifinal heat in 54.84, second best to a 54.17 for Daliliah Muhammad, while Langley-Walker finished fourth in the same heat with Little in 56.44, which was the final time qualifier for the final.
Nickisha Pryce produced the top time in the Jamaica 400m semifinal with a 50.60 in the final section to better a 50.98 from Janieve Russell. Nobody else in the field went under 51 seconds. Also reaching the final was Joanne Reid, who finished fourth in the second heat with a 51.74 to claim the last time qualifier position for the final.
Ackera Nugent advanced to the Jamaican 100m hurdle final, placing second in her heat with a 12.80 that was fourth best overall. A time of 13.86 for Phillip Lemonious didn’t advance to the 110m hurdles final.
Racing in the 110m hurdles in Eugene, Tai Brown and Tre’Bien Gilbert advanced to the semifinal. Brown placed fourth in the third prelim heat, posting a season best time of 13.47. Gilbert also had a season’s best of 13.63 for fifth in the final heat. Brown and Gilbert ranked 12th and 15th among those advancing.
A 13.74 generated a season best for Matthew Lewis-Banks, who placed sixth in the same heat with Brown and ranked 23rd overall.
Advancing to the 200m semifinals were Marqueze Washington and Connor Washington as they locked in the final pair of time qualifiers with a 20.59 and 20.73. In the women’s 200m a time of 23.42 by Jada Baylark placed her 24th overall.
