AUBURN, Ala. — Arkansas ’ long-shot conference hopes may have died before the SEC Outdoors meet really got started, but don’t tell the Lady Razorbacks just yet.

Second-ranked LSU is considered the prohibitive favorite to win the outdoor title at Auburn’s Hutsell-Rosen Track, but several teams, including Arkansas, thought they could spring an upset if everything aligned correctly.

If the Lady Tigers had a couple of slips and some key Lady Razorbacks came through, the thinking went, Arkansas could win its fourth SEC Outdoor title.

The Lady Razorbacks lost a big scoring opportunity when heptathlon favorite Etienne Chaplin no-heighted in the high jump Thursday. Early Friday morning, 10, 000-meter favorite Catherine White woke up with severe nausea and had to be taken to Auburn’s team doctor with a stomach problem.

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White had the conference’s best time in the 10, 000 but missed the race Friday night. The Lady Razorbacks finished third and fifth in the race, with Denise Bargiachi and Miranda Walker scoring a combined 10 points.

“It’s nice that the day came to an end,” Arkansas Coach Lance Harter said. “We got through it. We probably gave up 10-15 points.”

Chaplin, the indoor champion in the pentathlon, rebounded from the high jump to finish ninth with 4, 588 points.

Chaplin missed indoor nationals with a knee injury that required surgery.

“It didn’t happen,” Harter said of Chaplin’s failure to clear her opening height of 5 feet, 2 inches. “She was a little overzealous about her starting height and it cost her dearly. The adrenaline flow and confidence worked against her.”

Harter said he didn’t really talk to the team about how many points it would need to score or how many the Lady Razorbacks missed out on with Chaplin and White. He said many of the team’s athletes probably aren’t aware of the point situation, which is probably for the best.

“We just have to keep the ball rolling,” Harter said. “If we can get over 100, I think we’ll be in the top three.”

Bargiachi, ranked second in the 10, 000, was hurt by White’s absence because it turned into a slower, tactical race. Bargiachi likes an early fast pace to avoid having to rely on a speed kick late.

“We missed not having [White ],” Bargiachi said. “Coach told us to just focus on our individual races and try not to think about it.

“ You just try to come out and run your best race no matter what the point standings are. At the end of the day, you can only do your best.”

Harter said Walker ran a great race to finish fifth, picking off a couple runners late to solidify her position. The 10 points from the race, although a far cry from what Harter had envisioned as late as Thursday night, left the coach in a good mood. “Hey, it’s always nice to have something positive to say,” Harter said. “Miranda had a very, very good finish. That’s a big boost of confidence for Miranda.” Arkansas’ Peter-Gaye Beckford was third before finishing the heptathlon’s final event, the 800-meter run, in 2 minutes, 45. 67 seconds to score 510 points in the event. The mediocre showing dropped her to fifth overall with 4, 990. Beckford did have a school-record long jump in the heptathlon

1 at 20 feet, 4 / 2 inches.

“I wanted to do better [than fifth ],” Beckford said. “I’m not satisfied with the result, but thank God I finished. I was hoping to keep third place for the team. [The 800 ] is one of my weakest events. I tried but, obviously, it didn’t work.”

Michelle Rossio scored a point for the Lady Razorbacks with an eighth-place finish in the weight throw at ©-9.

Senior Paige Farrell of Springdale delivered another strong performance in the 800 preliminaries. Farrell won her heat in 2: 06. 85 and will run in the final Sunday night.

“I still feel like the old me,” Farrell said. “I felt strong. I felt comfortable. I wanted to get a good time, but I wanted to do what it takes to get the top two. That’s what I did.” SEC Outdoor Championships Team standings (After three events ) 1. Florida................................................ 26 2. Kentucky............................................ 18 3. Mississippi State................................. 5 3. Auburn............................................... 15 3. Arkansas................................ 15 6. Alabama............................................... 8 6. Tennessee............................................ 8 8. LSU...................................................... 5 9. South Carolina..................................... 3 10. Ole Miss............................................. 2 10. Vanderbilt........................................... 2

INDIVIDUAL HEPTATHLON 1. Marrissa Harris, Mississippi State, 5, 600 points; 2. Danielle Sampley, Kentucky, 5, 377; 3. Ashley Trimble, Kentucky, 5, 295; 4. Laquinta Aaron, Mississippi State, 5, ®; 5. Peter-Gaye Beckford, Arkansas, 4, 990; 6. Kettiany Clarke, South Carolina, 4, 967; 7. Cherice Robinson, Vanderbilt, 4, 854; 8. Ashley Newby, Kentucky, 4, 784. HAMMER THROW 1. Valentina Srsa, Auburn, 196-11; 2. Shanna Dickenson, Tennessee, 194-03; 3. Shawneise Williams, Florida, 194-03; 4. Kim Williams, LSU, 194-02; 5. Chinelo Ubaka, Florida, 192-01; 6. Kristin Smith, Kentucky, 191-01; 7. Davina Orieukwu, Ole Miss, 173-08; 8. Michelle Rossio, Arkansas, ©-09. 10, 000 1. Rebecca Lowe, Florida, 34: 13. 07; 2. Betty Rotich, Alabama, 34: 26. 08; 3. Denise Bargiachi, Arkansas, 34: 30. 99; 4. Hollie Knight, Auburn, 34: 42. 48; 5. Miranda Walker, Arkansas, 35: 13. 26; 6. Jacy Kruzel, Florida, 35: 20. 26; 7. Sara Petrick, Florida, 35: 33. 72; 8. Ali Crabb, Florida, 35: 37. 76.