FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ men’s and women’s cross country and track & field teams each finished third in the 2014 Division I Program of the Year standings awarded annually by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association to the most outstanding programs in each of the NCAA’s three divisions for each gender.
Teams are ranked based on adding up their national finishes with one point for a championship, two points for a runner-up finish and so on.
Oregon won this year’s John McDonnell award with 7 points, followed by Oklahoma State (23), Arkansas (23.5), Wisconsin (29.5) and Florida (34).
Arkansas won the men's award, named for its former longtime head coach, last year.
“Obviously, we try to win the award every year,” Arkansas Coach Chris Bucknam said in a news release. “Hats off to Oregon for the great year they had.
“Finishing in the top three in the nation is something we take pride in. Our goal is to be highly successful in all three of our disciplines – cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field. We won it last year and it has become the gold standard for us in terms of measuring the overall strength of our program. To be in the top three with Oregon and Oklahoma State, we’re in good company. By finishing in the top three sends a message that we are committed to excellence in all three of those disciplines. We will continue to strive to win that trophy again next year.”
Oregon’s team also won the Terry Crawford award with 18 points, followed by Stanford (29.5), Arkansas (30), Dartmouth (49) and Iowa State (50.5). The Ducks have won the Crawford award six years in a row.