Double the stakes Pullen's next triple jump for Hogs and country

FAYETTEVILLE -- Clive Pullen refuses to jump ahead in his approach to the summer.

The Arkansas triple jumper insists he will take one step at a time as he faces the most important phase of his career.

Step one for the junior from Kingston, Jamaica, is to maximize his opportunity for the Razorbacks at next week's NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.

"I know the team is depending on me, but at the end of the day, focusing on the process will help to ease that pressure off," Pullen said. "I'm focusing on the runway and the pit and the phases and getting those down perfectly, then I know there won't be much pressure after that."

Pullen, the reigning NCAA indoor and SEC indoor and outdoor champion in the triple jump, will enter outdoor nationals with the No. 2 jump in the country (55-0¾), trailing only the 55-9¾ accomplished by South Florida's Matthew O'Neal last week.

Pullen, who placed seventh at the NCAA outdoors last year, is only 1¼ inches short of the Olympic A standard in the triple jump. He is a strong contender to make the Jamaican National team at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

"All intentions are to get that mark this week in Oregon," Pullen said. "If I do that, or if and when I do that, all I would have to do is go down and show my fitness at the Jamaican trials. The qualifying mark is the most important thing to them."

Arkansas assistant coach Travis Geopfert -- who recruited Pullen and oversees jumps, throws and multi-event performers -- said Pullen's self-discipline, willingness to improve and work with strength coach Matt Clark have contributed to his big strides the last couple of years.

"It came over time," Geopfert said. "Strength development, layers upon layers of that, and just getting stronger through the years.

"That and a huge change and emphasis on his sprint mechanics. It took a lot of time. He just wasn't a very efficient sprinter, which led to struggles on the runway, I think, early in his career. Now he's so much faster than he used to be. He's faster, stronger, and I think lighter, which is crazy."

Said Pullen: "I feel like this has been a breakthrough season for me. I've trained my a** off and the results are coming, so I'm grateful for that."

Geopfert said Pullen's commitment to his diet and training have taken his elite talent to another level.

"He's always been a good kid, but that understanding of just really focusing on the process is what is going to lead to positive results," he said. "That self-discipline that he has, that he's always had, and that understanding of what it's really going to take to compete at the highest level, that's a full credit to him."

Arkansas Coach Chris Bucknam said he thought Pullen's increasing confidence under Geopfert's guidance and his "game-changing" improvements in strength have led to his high national profile.

"He's a different looking kid than he was when he came in here," Bucknam said. "Quite to the contrary, people think, 'Oh blue-chip kids, there's not a lot of development.' There's been a lot of development and a lot of hard work with a guy like Clive. I think there are great things ahead for Clive."

The Razorbacks tapped into a pipeline to Jamaica, which had previously produced high-scoring jumpers such as Alain Bailey and Tarik Batchelor, to sign Pullen.

"I was just there recruiting a meet, watching some older kids and I saw this guy Clive Pullen jump ... and I'm like, 'That guy, in two years, that's the guy,' " Geopfert said. "In Jamaica, people know who the Razorbacks are. It is nice when we go down there we can make a phone call ahead of time to just about anybody and get at least a meeting, to open the door."

Pullen said he and fellow Jamaican Omar McLeod, a former NCAA champion for the Razorbacks who won the 60-meter hurdles at this year's World Championships, knew all about Arkansas' tradition.

"That was the only reason I came here," Pullen said. "The rich history and tradition here with jumpers and athletes in general. You see they come in and they move on to the next level. I just wanted to be a part of that tradition and live up to those expectations as well. The Razorback family is a big thing down in Jamaica."

Geopfert said Pullen has been able to get in the zone in his training for the NCAA championships.

"My job is to do, and his job is to think," Pullen said with a laugh. "Coach Travis Geopfert has really been of vital importance in my life, whereas he keeps me grounded and keeps me to the idea of focusing on the process.

"By doing that I'll get to the fun stuff I want to take part in later in the summer. ... The coaching staff, the medical crew, management, they've been on top of things and allowed me to be in the best shape of my life at the right time of the season. I'm just ready to go."

Sports on 06/04/2016