Trio of bronze medal efforts add to Razorbacks team score at SEC

GAINESVILLE – Three bronze medal finishes on the second day of the SEC Championships contributed 18 points to the Razorback team scores. Those efforts included Marin Chamberlin (pole vault), Nia Robinson (long jump), and Laura Taborda (steeplechase).

Team scoring through eight of 21 events have Arkansas in fifth place with 31 points. Texas A&M leads the field with 45, followed by Florida (38), Ole Miss (34), and Alabama (33).

Speed in the prelims of the 400m generated a pair of outdoor world leaders as four Razorbacks advanced to Saturday’s final.

Freshman Kaylyn Brown, who set the 2024 outdoor world leading time of 49.95 from lane 9 during Florida’s Tom Jones Memorial Invitational last month, was assigned lane 9 once again.

Brown promptly set another career best, winning her heat in 49.86. She is the No. 2 performer with the No. 2 performance among  American 19-year-olds ever. She only trails a 49.57 by Athing Mu from 2021.

In the very next heat teammate Nickisha Pryce posted a career best of 49.72 to take over the outdoor world leading time. In addition, Pryce moves to the No. 5 collegian performer and the No. 8 Jamaican performer all-time. Brown is the No. 7 collegian performer all-time.

Arkansas becomes the first school in collegiate history to have three sub-50 second sprinters with Britton Wilson’s collegiate record of 49.13 the other time by the Razorbacks.

Robinson’s long jump leap of 21-2 (6.45) briefly held the lead in the fifth round of competition, but she slipped back into third place as a pair of Gators moved ahead of her. Claire Bryant followed Robinson’s leading effort with a 22-0.75. (6.72) on the very next jump. Then Anthaya Charlton hit 21-7.5 (6.59) in the sixth round to finish as runner-up.

Robinson moves to No. 2 on the UA all-time list, trailing only the school record of 22-3 (6.78) set by Taliyah Brooks in 2018.

Taborda repeated her third place finish in the 3,000m steeplechase as she posted a time of 9:52.99 while teammate Mackenzie Rogers placed seventh in 10:24.96. Alabama’s Doris Lemngole won the race in 9:28.21 with Florida’s Elise Thorner runner-up at 9:43.20.

A field of 24 made for an extended pole vault competition. Chamberlin and Kentucky’s Payton Phillips each cleared 13-11.25 (4.25) with silver going to Phillips based on misses. Texas A&M’s Heather Abadie claimed the win at 14-1.25 (4.30).

Hannah Estes placed 10th with a height of 13-2.5 (4.03) while Rachel Homoly finished in a tie for 13th at 12-8.75 (3.88).

Sara Van Aken completed the heptathlon with 4,998 points to place seventh overall for a pair of team points.

This was only the third time in collegiate history to have a pair of sub-50 second sprinters in the same meet.

The previous times was last year at the NCAA West Preliminary rounds when Wilson ran 49.51 while Rhasidat Adeleke of Texas followed with a 49.54. Then in the NCAA Championship semifinal Wilson had a 49.36 and Adeleke at 49.86. In the NCAA final, Adeleke produced a 49.20 with Wilson following in 49.64.

Amber Anning, the SEC and NCAA Indoor champion, eased to a 51.13 victory in her heat to reach the final while a 51.04 advanced Rosey Effiong to the final as well. Aaliyah Pyatt finished 10th overall in 51.64, just missing the nine-person final.

Arkansas also advanced three runners into the 1,500m final. Mia Cochran led the Razorbacks with a 4:20.59 to place second in her heat. Tiana LoStracco ran 4:25.31 for second in the opening heat. Fourth in the third heat, Mary Ellen Eudaly advanced on time with a 4:23.66.

Destiny Huven’s second race of the outdoor season generated a time of 13.03 to finish third in her heat and eighth overall. Huven ranks No. 10 on the UA all-time list.

Ariane Linton just missed reaching the 100m final as her 11.41 ranked 10th overall with 11.36 the final time advancing.