Arkansas outdoor team confident ahead of SEC championships
Death, taxes and Arkansas track and field being one of the best programs in the country. These are seemingly life’s only guarantees.
Following a national championship in men’s and women’s indoor track and field, the Razorbacks are proving to be back to form ahead of the outdoor SEC Championships this weekend.
Last weekend’s Arkansas Twilight event was the final tune-up before the conference championship meets. Both the Razorback men’s and women’s outdoor teams are currently ranked in the top three nationally (men No. 2, women No. 3) and have a lot to prove following 2022’s conference championships.
Last year, the Razorback women’s team lost the outdoor SEC title by just four points to Florida, something that still stings for head coach Lance Harter to this day.
“[Last year] definitely is a factor,” said Harter. “They interrupted our chain by four points. It’s a reconfirmation to those kiddos that every point is important.”
On the men’s side, it’s all about building on what won them the indoor title in February.
“I still feel like we’ve got a really, really good outdoor team. Our indoor team was on point and we nailed that at the NCAA Championships. The 14 guys that we brought, 13 scored,” said men’s head coach Chris Bucknam. “If we can continue to come together as a team and improve and pull this thing together I do feel our outdoor team has the same kind of potential, if not even a little bit better. We’re deep and well-rounded.”
Arkansas’ quest for another track and field championship begins on Thursday in Baton Rouge. Following this week’s conference championship meets, the outdoor NCAA Championships will begin on May 24.
