Hog calls

Bucknam, Harter following McDonnell's footsteps

Arkansas track coaches Chris Bucknam, left, and Lance Harter pose with their SEC championship trophies won during the 2015-16 year.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas men's Coach Chris Bucknam and women's Coach Lance Harter are almost one-third of the way to matching the conference cross country successes of John McDonnell.

If you combine their conference championships, that is.

McDonnell, the retired men's coach, won 34 consecutive conference cross country championships (1974-1990 in the Southwest Conference and 1991-2007 in the SEC), a feat that ranks among collegiate sports all-time incredible achievements. Even more than his 40 national championships and 84 conference championships coaching Arkansas indoor track, outdoor track and cross country.

But Bucknam, McDonnell's successor, and Harter, the longtime women's coach, are mustering incredible achievements in their own right, especially when measured against mortals instead of McDonnell.

And especially if their favored Razorbacks teams win the SEC men's and women's meets Arkansas is hosting Friday morning.

Harter sports 16 SEC cross country championships, the last three consecutively, in 27 seasons, and is coming off successive SEC triple crowns in cross country, indoor and outdoor track and victories in the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships last June in Eugene, Ore. and the 2015 NCAA Indoor in Fayetteville.

Bucknam, also coming off a SEC triple crown and a 2013 NCAA Indoor title, coached his first SEC cross country title in 2010 and hasn't stopped.

Bucknam's Hogs won their sixth consecutive SEC cross country title last year when a talented Olre Miss team was considered a contender to knock off Arkansas.

Arkansas won with ease, 25-98 over unexpected runnerup Texas A&M. Ole Miss ran a poor third, 122.

"We ended up having a great race that day and it worked out well for us," Bucknam said.

Arkansas won the SEC Indoor last winter, but Ole Miss dominated the distance races. Arkansas won the SEC Outdoor, outcompeting Ole Miss in a meet that went back and forth from the 1,500 meters on.

Fifth-ranked Arkansas and No. 11 Ole Miss by far seem the class of Friday's 11 a.m. men's race at the UA Agri Park.

"I think they are really good," Bucknam said of his runners, featuring All-Americans Jack Bruce and Frankline Tonui and All-SEC vets Alex George and Austen Dalquis. "But it's the SEC and there are a lot of good athletes. We are focused on ourselves to run the best race we can no matter who is in it."

Sixteenth-ranked Ole Miss also is the chief SEC rival to Harter's nationally No. 10 Razorbacks in Friday's 10 a.m. women's race.

Harter no longer has the services of 2015 SEC Cross Country champion Dominique Scott and relies heavily on sophomore Devin Clark, among the favorites to win Friday's individual title, and three freshmen led by 2-time SEC Freshman of the Week Taylor Werner.

"Mississippi has a much more veteran team than we do," Harter said. "Quite a few seniors and some juniors. That makes them a little more experienced than we will be. We definitely will have our challenges individually and as a team but we will be the favorite."

Sports on 10/24/2016