FAYETTEVILLE -- The former Payton Stumbaugh has changed names but not her versatility for Arkansas Razorbacks women's track.
Her name was Stumbaugh when she ran and jumped for Springdale Har-Ber High School, as a freshman at the University of Oklahoma and for coach Lance Harter's Razorbacks women as a sophomore and junior. The senior heptathlete-hurdler recently married former Razorbacks baseball pitcher Cannon Chadwick.
Chadwick debuted her new name in the Razorbacks' indoor track season opener by winning the long jump with a personal record 20-8 and the 60-meter hurdles in 8.18, her fastest ever season-opening indoor hurdles, during Friday's Arkansas Invitational at Randal Tyson Indoor Track.
For Coach Chris Bucknam's Razorbacks men competed in a non-team scoring event to get their feet. They hosted Missouri, Tulsa, Oral Roberts, New Orleans Missouri State, Arkansas Baptist and Coffeyville Community College. The competition also included SMU's women and an abundance of men and women professionals competing unattached.
The professionals included some former Razorbacks Olympians and NCAA champions. Sprinter Kenzo Cotton ran 6.63 to win the 60-meter dash and Obi Igbokwe, setting a personal record at 20.78 in the 200-meter dash.
Arkansas women's sprints-horizontal jumps coach Chris Johnson said Chadwick had a good meet.
"We worked on some things in practice and she executed them pretty well," Chadwick said. "She got a PR (personal record,) and (All-American heptathlete) Taliyah Brooks was right at her PR (5-10 1-4) winning the high jump as well."
Harter said,
"She not only PR'd in the long jump but had a great series with some 20-7s and came back in the hurdles and ran the second fastest time in the U.S," Harter said.
Igbokwe, a junior from The Woodlands, Texas, ran third in his race, but considering professionals Marqueze Washington and Fred Kerley ran first and second, third place was no disgrace. Washington, a former Razorback, and Fred Kerley, ran 20.64 and a former Texas A&M Aggie and ncaa 400-meter record holder ran 20.68.
"That was a great opening PR for Obi," Arkansas men's sprints coach Doug Case said. "Marqueze and Fred Kerley, the 400 collegiate record holder, that's some good competition. And Kenzo's 6.63, that's a really good opener for him."
Bucknam ran some of his best distance runners Cameron Griffith and Jack Bruce in the 1,000-meters, an Arkansas 1-2-3 finish with Cameron Griffith, 2:23.21; Jack Bruce, 2:25.41; and Ethan Moehn, 2:25.46. The 1,000 is run in NCAA and SEC championships but provides good speed work for 3,000-meter runners and strength work for half-milers.
"Cameron and Jack Bruce and those guys ran personal bests and we just got on the track this week," Bucknam said. "Those are good, solid times. It's a very good first meet. I'm pleased how the guys prepared."
Bucknam cited heptathlete-decathlete Gabe Moore, who set a personal record, 8.176 while fifth in the open 60-meter hurdles and vaulting 15-1 with close attempts at 15-7 in the men's vault won by Mount Ida native and former Razorbacks NCAA Indoor champion Andrew Irwin, 18-7.
"A very good multi-event athlete, Bucknam said of Moore while also citing the winning 7.84 in the 60-meter hurdles by Shakiel Chattoo, a transfer to Arkansas competing unattached Friday but set to run when the Razorbacks men and women compete in next week's quadrangular meet at Ann Arbor, Mich., against Big Ten schools Ohio State, Michigan State and host Michigan.
For the Arkansas women, Cabot's Tori Hoggard, Tori Weeks when she won last year's SEC indoor pole vault, won Friday's women's vault at 14-0 3-4. The result was six inches off of her season-opening victory last season, but Arkansas women's vault coach Bryan Compton said it is still certain to qualify her for the NCAA indoor meet.
Lexi Jacobus, the 2016 U.S. Olympic vaulter and 2016 NCAA indoor and outdoor vault champion, the former Lexi Weeks and, of course, her twin sister. Tori Weeks married Razorbacks' men's heptathlete Derek Jacobus, but did not compete Friday because of a sore hamstring.
Harter said Jada Baylark, 7.37, winning the 60-meter dash, also was a highlight.
Former Arkansas women's NCAA indoor and outdoor distance running champion and South African Olympian Dominique Scott Efurd, won Friday's 800, 2:08.03, and U.S. women's Olympian Chrishuna Williams won the 600-meter dash, 1:26.99.
Arkansas' Jamarco Stephen won Friday's men's 600, 1:19.43, but strained his hamstring unable to finish the 4 x 400 relay.
Sports on 01/14/2018