FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Chris Bucknam was named the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, the SEC announced Friday.
Last week, Bucknam helped guide the Razorbacks to their eighth consecutive conference championship and a SEC Triple Crown as Arkansas won the outdoor conference title. The Razorbacks scored 152.5 team points to earn its 18th SEC outdoor championship in the last 22 years.
“Obviously, we’re very pleased with the outcome at the SEC Championships,” Bucknam said. “Like I’ve mentioned before, it’s our first line of defense during the championship season. It’s really important to our University and to our program. Track and field is a team sport at Arkansas. It always has been and it always will be. That’s exactly what it takes to win an SEC championship. We’re proud of that label.”
Bucknam has been honored 11 times as the conference's coach of the year, including four times in the outdoor season.
Nathanael Franks was also named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the year. He finished third in the decathlon and earned a cumulative 3.96 GPA in the classroom.
The women's track and field team was represented by Makeba Alcide. Alcide was named SEC Field Athlete of the Year on Friday.
In the conference championship meet last weekend, Alcide won the heptathlon with a NCAA-leading and school-record score of 5,968 points.
“If you have to have someone lay down the example and get momentum going in a positive direction, (Makeba) does a fantastic job,” Harter said. “Conditions were less than ideal. It was cold and windy. She rose up and answered the challenge all the way through, missing the championship record by a point. What made it even more special was that she got the standard for the World Championships that are in Moscow this summer. I think she has everything in place to go into the national championships on a real positive note.”
Both Arkansas track and field teams will compete in the NCAA West Preliminary May 23-25 in Austin, Texas. The NCAA Outdoor Championships will take place June 5-8 in Eugene, Ore.