FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas sprinter and hurdler Payton Chadwick, a senior from Springdale Har-Ber, has been named the national female track and field athlete of the week by the U.S. coaches’ association.
Chadwick ran the No. 2 times nationally in the 200 meters (22.97 seconds) and 60-meter hurdles (8.01) and ran a 400 leg of 52.46 on Arkansas’ 1,600-meter relay that had a national-leading time of 3:31.26 last weekend at the Razorback Invitational. She also ran 8.02 in a preliminary hurdles race.
“If there’s anybody that deserved a national award, it would be Payton,” Arkansas Coach Lance Carter said. “To post such a great mark in the 200, and then to come back in the hurdles the next day and run a great prelim time and fantastic final, and then also run on our mile relay shows us she’s got a lot strength built up.
“She’s an integral part of our momentum right now and she’s very much one of the leaders for our program.”
Chadwick, the defending NCAA champion in the 60 hurdles, is the third Arkansas female athlete to win the U.S. coaches indoor national award and the first Razorback who wasn’t a pole vaulter. Sandi Morris won the award on Feb 3, 2015 and Lexi Jacobus, a senior this year, won it on Feb. 21, 2017.
Chadwick will be among the sprinters and hurdlers who compete for No. 1-ranked Arkansas at the Charlie Thomas Invitational at Texas A&M this weekend.