FAYETTEVILLE -- Amassing second helpings like gluttons at an all-you-can-eat buffet enabled the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, to finish fourth nationally at the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships last Friday in Eugene, Ore.
For Coach Chris Bucknam's Razorbacks men, 24 of the 33 points netting them their podium spot were thanks to second-place finishes. Clive Pullen, 54-5 1-2 coming off an injured hamstring in the triple jump; Jack Bruce, 14:35.88 in a tactically run sit and kick 5,000 meters; and the Razorbacks 4x400 relay of Rhayko Schwartz, Eric Janise, Roy Ejiakuekwu and Obi Igbokwe setting a Razorbacks record, 3:01.84, achieved seconds Friday.
Both in Wednesday's prelims and Friday's final, junior Kemar Mowatt broke his 48.79 Razorbacks 400-meter hurdles record, which he set at last month's SEC Outdoor Championships. Mowatt clocked 48.49 Friday for his latest Razorbacks record-setter for six third-place team points in Eugene.
The two seventh-place points by the 4x100 relay of Ejiakuekwu, Mowatt, Josh Washington and Kenzo Cotton (38.82) and Wednesday's eighth-place long jump point by Andreas Trajkovski -- Arkansas' lone Wednesday point of the Wednesday and Friday conducted men's meet -- completed the scoring.
Arkansas, the 2016 SEC Outdoor champion and 2017 SEC Outdoor runner-up, was outpointed in Eugene by repeat NCAA champion Florida (61.5) of the SEC, 2017 SEC champion Texas A&M (59.5) and third-place Virginia of the ACC scoring all 36 points in throws.
Arkansas' strong performance on a national stage across the board in men's cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field will be rewarded.
Bucknam's Razorbacks finished fifth in NCAA Cross Country last fall, fifth at the NCAA Indoor last March and fourth last Wednesday and Friday in Eugene. They have the low aggregate from the three national championship events to win the John McDonnell Program Award of the Year, Bucknam said.
The award is named for the Razorbacks' retired 40-time national champion and 84-time conference champion men's cross country and track coach. It is presented by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and honors the school with the best aggregate for the NCAA Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor meets.
That it's named for his acclaimed Razorbacks predecessor makes the award a Bucknam objective each year. Arkansas has won once with a third place and two second-place finishes the last three years.
"That's always a goal of ours, and we won it," Bucknam said.
Though his teams have earned one national indoor championship and four NCAA runner-ups since he came to Arkansas, Bucknam said none of his Razorbacks teams competed any harder at an NCAA Championship than this one. He said the team's work ethic was particularly evident as the Razorbacks entered Friday knowing the national championship was unattainable. Still, the pride to finish strong was indelible.
"I know fourth place isn't as sexy as first place," Bucknam said. "But the kind of effort those guys put, it was a national championship effort."
Editorial on 06/12/2017