Hog Calls

Winning track triple crowns no easy feat

The Arkansas women's track and field team won the SEC Outdoor Championship to earn the program's third SEC triple crown. (Photo courtesy of Arkansas media relations)

FAYETTEVILLE -- John McDonnell spoiled Arkansas Razorbacks track fans by winning triple crowns -- conference championships in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track in the same season -- 20 times.

The conference triples seemingly paled to McDonnell's men winning five NCAA triple crowns among the 40 official national championships credited to his Razorbacks.

McDonnell's men made the conference triples look easy in both the Southwest Conference and SEC, but they weren't.

Both conferences, and the SEC certainly still is for both men and women, were at the top of their game when McDonnell's men dominated them.

No team won a SWC Men's triple until McDonnell's men won it four consecutive seasons -- from 1981-1982 to 1984-1985. Other than the 1986 and 1987 SWC Outdoor meets, McDonnell's men won all remaining SWC competition, including four more SWC triple crowns, until joining the SEC.

Tennessee won an SEC Triple, once, before McDonnell's men won 12 starting with Arkansas' debut in the 1991-1992 SEC Cross Country-Indoor-Outdoor campaign.

Arkansas is the only SEC program to win the SEC Men's triple since McDonnell retired, twice under current Coach Chris Bucknam.

Bucknam's men currently rank eighth nationally to the 1-2-3 of Texas A&M, Florida and LSU, but competed intensely at last week's SEC Men's Outdoor in Starkville, Miss. They placed ahead of fourth-place LSU (92 points) and tied A&M for second scoring 95 while conference meet favorite Florida won with 130.5.

The Arkansas women won their third SEC Triple Crown in Starkville. Harter's program previously swept cross country-indoor track-outdoor track titles in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001. Harter's No. 1 Razorbacks completed an SEC outscored runner-up Texas A&M 127.5-104 to complete in this triple crown.

The 14-year SEC gap between women's triples underscores today's track era of "niche events."

In men's and women's track, LSU and Texas A&M emphasized sprints and jumps at cross country's expense.

Lately, Vanderbilt's women and Ole Miss' men have gone big into distances. That makes it more difficult for well-rounded teams like Harter's women and Bucknam men not to trip in cross country, while trying to stay balanced for track.

"Everybody fights for a niche because you have got to come home bragging about something be it cross country to top placing indoor or outdoor," Harter said. "All of our coaching peers are pretty smart people and definitely going to try to make their mark somewhere."

None currently, though, have made a SEC triple mark anywhere like Harter and Bucknam have made five times for Arkansas.

Sports on 05/18/2015