UA men's 400 relay produces top mark

FAYETTEVILLE -- The Arkansas Razorbacks shot to the national lead in the men's 400-meter relay Saturday night at John McDonnell Field.

The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville's team of Roy Ejiakuekwu, Kemar Mowatt, Kevin Harris and Kenzo Cotton won in 38.59 seconds, the fastest time in the nation this outdoor season.

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The Razorbacks beat a strong field that included SEC rivals Florida (second in 39.09) and Kentucky (third in 39.35).

"I was surprised when I saw the time," Cotton said. "Our handoffs weren't the greatest, but they're better than they were last week. I'm happy we were able to put together a time like that this early. Now we can keep working on refining things."

The victory in the 400 relay helped the Razorbacks' men's team win the inaugural National Relays Championship that featured 16 teams representing all of the Power 5 conferences.

Seven relay events were scored, and Arkansas took first with 52 points. Florida was second with 43 followed by Kentucky (26), Virginia Tech (17) and Texas (15).

Kentucky won the women's relays title with 42 points. Arkansas was second at 28, with Baylor (26) taking third and Oklahoma State and Texas tying for fourth (19).

Cotton, a senior and 16-time All-American, also anchored the 800 relay to a victory in 1:22.12, though the Razorbacks were the only team to finish. It was a two-team race, but Florida dropped the baton on the exchange attempt between the third and fourth legs.

"When I saw they dropped the baton I felt like a lot of my adrenaline left, but I still tried to run a good leg," Cotton said. "I was just trying to maintain good form. I didn't want to sandbag it."

Cotton crossed the finish line first in three events over the weekend, including winning the 100 in 10.19 on Friday.

"Kenzo's just a machine," Arkansas men's Coach Chris Bucknam said. "He does things right. He continues to grow in his fitness, and he's going to keep getting better as we get to the championship part of the season. He's the glue to our team."

Harris credited Cotton for bringing the 400 relay home with a strong finishing leg.

"Kenzo is a man amongst boys," Harris said. "It's really good to give him the baton on the anchor."

Arkansas' time in the 400 was particularly impressive considering the Razorbacks ran with a revamped lineup.

"We still didn't have great [handoffs], but the guys ran to win," said Arkansas assistant Doug Case, who coaches the sprinters. "It's all preparation for the championship season. The competition here, we're going to see these same guys again over the next month."

Freshman Kristoffer Hari was taken off the relay because of an injury and replaced by Harris, who took over the third leg with Ejiakuekwu moving to the leadoff spot.

"I've been waiting on my opportunity to prove to the coaches that I'm worthy and I'm able," said Harris, a junior who transferred from Baylor last year. "For us to run that fast with a new relay put together just a week ago, it shows how good we are and how good we're going to be as the season goes on."

Harris said he was shocked when he saw Arkansas had run 38.59.

"I knew we were running fast, but I didn't know it was that fast," he said. "When I looked at the scoreboard, I was jumping up and down 10 feet in the air."

Arkansas won three relays at the meet, including the 6,000 Friday night when anchorman Cameron Griffith overcame a 20-meter deficit on the final lap.

In other relays Friday night, the Razorbacks were second in the 1,600 relay (3:03.68) to Florida (3:02.68), fourth in the 3,200 (7:30.61) and sixth in the distance medley (3:34.70).

"I feel really good about what we did all weekend," Bucknam said. "As coaches, we're here to teach our kids how to compete, and that's going head to head."

The Arkansas women's team took second in the 400 relay (43.38) to Kentucky, (42.84) and in the distance medley relay (11:19.84) to Michigan (11:07.49).

"We got what we wanted to get out of this meet," Arkansas women's Coach Lance Harter said. "We got to run some good relays and got some things done in the distances and the field events."

The Razorbacks took 1-2 in the pole vault with juniors Lexi Jacobus and Tori Hoggard -- twin sisters from Cabot -- each clearing 14 feet, 9 1/2 inches. Both had close misses at 15-1 1/2, which would have put them into the national lead.

"Any time you're knocking on the door of 15 feet, that's pretty rarefied air," Harter said. "They had really close attempts, so in the weeks to come I wouldn't be surprised if they both make it."

Cotton said it was a memorable last major home meet of his Arkansas career.

"It's pretty awesome to win like that at home," he said. "This is the biggest outdoor meet we've had since I've been here. To have so many good teams here and take the relays championship, it was a great experience."

Sports on 04/29/2018