FAYETTEVILLE -- Offhand, Arkansas men's track and field Coach Chris Bucknam and sprints coach Doug Case can't entirely spell their SEC Outdoor runner-up 400-meter relay team.
Can't blame them, even knowing how much that surprise 400 second-place in a surprising 38.96 seconds and the timing of its eight team points in last Saturday's first running event meant toward the Razorbacks winning last week's SEC Outdoor in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Likely few others than Roy Ejiakuekwu himself can spell Ejiakuekwu correctly.
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"Nobody can spell it or even say it," Case said at Tuesday's Razorbacks track luncheon of Ejiakuekwu running the third leg of the relay anchored by Josh Washington.
Bucknam, reached Saturday night upon the Razorbacks' triumphant return from Tuscaloosa, marveled at the third leg and anchor run by transfers Ejiakuekwu of Great Britain and Washington of Woodbridge, Va.
Minus world-class turned pro sprinter-hurdler Omar McLeod, national relay champion Razorbacks Kenzo Cotton, Jarrion Lawson and senior Marqueze Washington of West Monroe, La., comprise three-fourths of Arkansas' 2015 NCAA Outdoor winning relay.
Marqueze Washington reinjured his back during Friday's open sprint prelims. He awoke Saturday in Tuscaloosa unable to run.
Josh Washington had to anchor while Ejiakuekwu and Cotton are only recently recovered from injuries that put them in and out of the early-season relay lineup.
"Kenzo to Jarrion to Roy, I can't even pronounce his last name," Bucknam said. "He's the kid we brought in in January, and Josh Washington, another brought in in January and he ran a phenomenal anchor for us. We ranked fifth or sixth in the conference going in and we finished second running the third fastest time in the country with a new crew on the last two legs."
It's college track's third fastest time for 2016 but bettered by only one team, LSU twice with the latest being the the SEC Outdoor-winning time of 38.33.
In Tuscaloosa, Ejiakuekwu and Josh Washington were so new they had never exchanged batons until Case found a high school track three hours before the race.
"It started a little rough. But by the time we got done with practice, it went pretty good," Case said. "We went to the meet and they executed. It was kind of a makeshift team, but those still are four great athletes out there."
Clutch athletes, too.
Arkansas had stumbled in some Friday events and didn't regain precious momentum until Razorbacks Frankline Tonui and Cale Wallace placed 1-2 in Friday night's steeplechase.
The 400 relay as the last day's first event would set Saturday's tone, Bucknam said.
It set a resounding one. Arkansas totaled 121 points to 101 over the runner-up, still nationally No. 1-ranked Texas A&M.
"That just shows you what a good coach Coach Case is," Bucknam said. "He put those kids in under high pressure and they freaking did it and then it snowballed. Just huge!"
Sports on 05/18/2016