EUGENE, Ore. -- With the skies and circumstances seemingly conspiring against them, the Arkansas Razorbacks women's track and field team cobbled together a finish that didn't meet its expectations.
Led by junior Nikki Hiltz's stirring kick in a five-wide rush in the 1,500 meters, the No. 2 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ended up sixth with 38.2 points at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at wet Hayward Field on Saturday.
"We thought we could get 40 points this year, maybe 41," Razorbacks women's Coach Lance Harter said, "and that would have been enough for fourth place to hold off our SEC compatriots in Kentucky and Florida.
"Last year, every time we had a competition, we either got what we forecast or exceeded it. This year it just seems like it was almost the opposite."
Host Oregon ran a collegiate-record 3 minutes, 23.13 seconds in the 1,600-meter relay to pass Georgia for its first women's track and field national title. The Ducks scored 64 points to 62.2 for the Bulldogs, who didn't qualify for the final event.
Rounding out the top five were Southern California with 43 points, Kentucky with 40 and Florida with 39.
On a day when rain and hail prevailed and a thunderstorm cut short the awards ceremony, Hiltz shined brightest for the Razorbacks. She found herself as part of a 12-runner centipede for much of the 1,500, and when the kickers cut loose off the final curve, Hiltz was in a five-wide sprint for the finish.
Michigan's Jaimie Phelan won in 4:13.78, with Hiltz just a whisper away at 4:13.80 as the top six finishers crossed only .74 seconds apart.
"At the NCAA championships, you swing as far [wide] as you can," Hiltz said. "I was just thinking, put my head down and go, run with everything I had.
"That was so physical out there, but it's the 1,500-meter final, so it's going to be."
The Razorbacks' heptathletes faced obstacles Saturday. They had their flight of the javelin interrupted by a hailstorm, but junior Taliyah Brooks finished third with 5,795 points and senior Leigha Brown was fourth with 5,694. A back injury took out junior Payton Stumbaugh during the long jump.
"In all of my years of track and field, I have never had hail at a track meet," Brown said, "so that's definitely a first."
Coming into the second day, the Arkansas trio were 2-3-4 behind Georgia's Kendell Williams, who went on to win her third national title. The Razorbacks already had lost Kelsey Herman in the 100 hurdles to start the heptathlon.
"Payton Stumbaugh is one of our superstars," Harter said. "That was a major leak as far as points go. She's also critical in our 4x100 relay."
Arkansas placed sixth in the 400 relay in 43.68, with Stumbaugh running the second leg.
"We expected to finish better than sixth place," senior Daina Harper said. "Our handoffs weren't the best, but again we were able to get points. That's all that matters."
Harper came back in the 400 to place fourth in 51.42 seconds.
"When I saw I was in lane 2, I was happy because I could see everyone I needed to see," Harper said of her strategy. "Coming around the curve, I knew where everyone was and I felt I was in the race, so I'm not disappointed in my execution."
Texas senior Chrisann Gordon won in 50.51, and Miami's Shakima Wimbley was second in 50.68.
The Razorbacks' final two entrants, freshmen Taylor Werner and Abby Gray, finished 22nd and 23rd, respectively, in the 5,000.
For Arkansas State University, junior discus thrower Calea Carr took 19th with a mark of 163 feet, 7 inches, and senior Viktoriia Sadokhina was 18th in the triple jump at 42-6¾.
Sports on 06/11/2017