FAYETTEVILLE — It was a record-setting University of Arkansas debut for Ayden Owens in the heptathlon Saturday at the Razorback Invitational.
Owens, a sophomore transfer from Michigan, edged Georgia sophomore Kyle Garland to win the heptathlon with an Arkansas record 6,272 points at the Randal Tyson Center, breaking the mark of 6,175 by Kevin Lazas in 2013.
Owens’ total is second on the collegiate all-time list behind the 6,499 record of Oregon’s Ashton Eaton at the 2010 NCAA Championships.
Garland led with 6,163 points and Owens was second with 5,361 going into the 1,000 meters, the heptathlon’s final event.
Owens ran a personal-best 2:35.93 for 919 points to overtake Garland, who ran 2:46.57.
“My plan was to go out and put together a great seven events,” Owens said in an interview posted on the UA track and field Twitter account. “I wasn’t too worried about the score, since I knew it was going to be big if I executed the events properly.
“From the work we put in all fall I knew a score over 6,000 was coming.
“Honestly, for the last 13 years of my life I’ve been training for this moment and others in the future. I have the training, the strength and the emotional support from my family and my coaches to come here and set a more than 300-point PR.”
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Owens, who began Saturday by running the 60 meters in 7.88 and then cleared 15-7 in the pole vault, trailed Garland by 152 points after Friday’s four events.
“Ayden was down to the kid from Georgia, and he just did a great job compartmentalizing and doing his thing, and he caught him at the end,” Arkansas men’s Coach Chris Bucknam said. “That’s the sign of a great athlete, when you don’t panic and come the last day like he did."
Arkansas junior Daniel Spejcher finished fourth in the heptathlon with 5,588 points and senior Etamar Bhastekar was fifth with 5,554.
“Coach [Travis] Geopfert has got the touch with these guys,” Bucknam said of the Arkansas assistant who coaches the multi-event athletes. “It’s just a good vibe with that whole group. It really shows in the competition.”
Junior Tre’Bien Gilbert ran 7.79 in the 60 hurdles to take second for the Razorbacks behind LSU junior Eric Edwards, who won in 7.68. Arkansas sophomore Phillip Lemonious was third in 7.81.
Arkansas senior Kieran Taylor ran 1:48.93 to take second in the 800, which Stanford freshman John Lester won in 1:48.90.
Two Razorbacks ran sub 4-minute miles with freshman Elias Schreml having the top time by a collegiate runner (3.57.85) and sophomore Andrew Kibet fifth (3:59.38). Schreml’s time is No. 10 on Arkansas’ all-time list.
Arkansas junior James Benson, a transfer from Southeastern Louisiana, was second in the 400 in a personal-best 46.21 behind Iowa freshman Jenoah McKiver, who won in 45.78. Benson was third in Friday night’s 200 in 20.95.
The Razorbacks’ 1,600-meter relay of freshmen Connor Washington and Brandon Battle, Benson and sophomore Phillip Anderson took fourth in 3:07.07.
Georgia won in 3:04.07 to edge Southern California (3:04.86) with Iowa third (3:05.68).
“It was really a good weekend,” Bucknam said. “We have a lot of good stuff going.”
Arkansas’ women’s 1,600 relay of seniors Morgan Burks-Magee, Shafiqua Maloney and Jada Baylark, and sophomore Rosey Effiong won in a meet-record 3:29.38. Southern California was second in 3:33.38.
Arkansas’ time was No. 5 on the program’s all-time list and broke the previous meet record of 3:30.66 run by Southern California in 2017.
The Razorbacks took the top four spots in the 400, with Burks-Magee winning in a personal-best 52.06, which is No. 6 on the Arkansas’ all-time list. Britton Wilson, a transfer from Tennessee, was second in 52.61 with Maloney third in 52.69 and Effiong fourth in 52.76.
“I’m very pleased and very happy,” Burks-Magee said in an Arkansas news release. “I’m feeling thankful and blessed.
“It was nice to finally execute my race properly. It took four years in the making but I finally listened to my coach, and it all came together.
“My teammates are doing well also. For them to put that all together on the relay, it came together nicely. It’s like putting a puzzle together, we have all the edge pieces and now we are putting in the center with more difficult things.
“It’s piece by piece with each meet and we’re getting it together. It’s nice to see it progress.”
Baylark was second in the 60 in 7.21.
Razorbacks junior Quinn Owen ran the fastest time by a collegian in the 800 at 2:04.03, which is No. 5 on Arkansas’ all-time list.
Arkansas junior Amanda Fassold, a transfer from Azusa Pacific who competed unattached, won the pole vault with a career-best clearance of 14-2 1/2.
“Amanda is one of our redshirts who will join us outdoors,” Razorbacks women’s Coach Lance Harter said in the UA news release. “She looked great in clearing a PR for the win.”
Arkansas junior Bailee McCorkle cleared 13-7 1/4 to take third.
Junior Lauren Gregory, who anchored the Razorbacks’ distance medley relay to a victory Friday night in a school-record 10:51.63, was second in the mile Saturday, running 4:35.10.