FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas ran away with the women’s distance medley at the Razorback Invitational Friday night and set a school record in the process.
The team of senior Krissy Gear, sophomore Britton Wilson, senior Shafiqua Maloney and junior Lauren Gregory ran 10:51.63 at the Randal Tyson Center to break the previous Arkansas record of 10:51.89 run at the 2015 NCAA Championships by Jessica Kamilos, Sparkle McKnight, Therese Haiss and Dominique Scott.
“It’s super exciting to set the record,” Gear said. “We all got together and decided collectively as a team beforehand that we thought it was possible. So I’m glad it worked out and we got it.”
The Razorbacks also ran the third-fastest collegiate time ever behind Oregon (10:48.77 in 2017) and Tennessee (10:50.98 in 2009).
“I thought we’d have more company to help us run faster,” said Arkansas women’s Coach Lance Harter.
“But that separated really quickly.”
Oklahoma State was a distant second in 11:05.10.
“Oklahoma State, Oregon and Stanford, we thought would all have very, very competitive squads,” Harter said. “To be able to run away from that caliber of talent is real special.”
Gear, who normally likes to stay back and kick at the end of races, got Arkansas a big lead by running the 1,200-meter leadoff leg in 3:22.47.
“Krissy was real excited about running, and she made a statement,” Harter said. “Then everybody just ran solo.”
Wilson, a transfer from Tennessee, ran the 400 in 52.37; Maloney ran the 800 in 2:01.95; and Gregory ran the 1,600 anchor in 4:34.84.
Gregory said it was an odd feeling to be lapping so many runners in a relay.
“But I think it helped to have any bodies to look at,” she said.
“Lauren said, ‘I’m going to run even splits as best as I possibly can for as long as I can,’ ” Harter said. “She was almost like a metronome. She was steady as can be.”
Jayla Hollis, a second-year freshman, took second in the 200 in a personal-best 23.16 for the No. 8 fastest time on Arkansas’ all-time list.
“Jayla was a real surprise — a very pleasant surprise,” Harter said. “She’s just matured so much from last year to this year. [Assistant coach Chris Johnson’s] training is getting her real strong and real confident.”
In men’s competition, junior James Benson — a transfer from Southeastern Louisiana — made his Arkansas debut and took third in the 200 in a personal-best 20.95.
Benson won the next-to-last heat, then Georgia sophomore Matthew Boling won the final heat in a meet record and world-leading time of 20.27. It is the 11th-fastest collegiate time ever indoors.
Boling, last year’s NCAA indoor champion, broke former Arkansas NCAA champion and Olympian Wallace Spearmon’s meet record of 20.36 run in 2005.
“[Benson] did a great job,” Razorbacks men’s Coach Chris Bucknam said. “I wish he was in that faster heat. He might have run a little faster.
“But he ran good. He’s more of a 400-meter runner, so a PR in the 200 is a good sign for the 400 [today].”
Arkansas junior Ryan Brown finished third in the long jump at 25-8 and freshman John Baker was fourth at 25-4.
Razorbacks sophomore Ayden Owens, a transfer from Michigan, is second through four events of the heptathlon with 3,476 points.
Owens is 152 points behind Georgia sophomore Kyle Garland, who leads with 3,628.
Owens had the top time in the 60 at 6.82. He long jumped 24-4 1/2, tossed the shot-put 48-4 1/2 and high jumped 6-8 1/4.
Razorbacks sophomore Daniel Specter is fifth with 3,028 points and senior Etamar Bhastekar is sixth with 3,012.
“I think Ayden’s on a school-record pace for us,” Bucknam said. “I think those might be the two best heptathletes in the country, the kid from Georgia and our guy.
“It’s going to be a good battle [today] to see what happens in the last few events. Ayden’s the real deal, no question about it.”
The meet concludes today with the heptathlon resuming at 10:15 a.m. Running events start at 11 a.m. and field events at 1 p.m.