FAYETTEVILLE -- Today kicks off a necessary evil that Arkansas' track and field coaches feel should be unnecessary as the Razorbacks travel to the NCAA Outdoor West Preliminary meet which runs through Saturday in Sacramento, Calif.
Chris Bucknam's No. 9 men's team has 37 qualified for the event, though some are injured and not going. Lance Harter's No. 9 women's has 22 qualified for the West Prelim, where finishing 12th in an event is as good as first to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 6-9 in Eugene, Ore.
"We've got some people that obviously should qualify and some on the fringe of qualifying," Harter said. "And we have a couple of people that will be developmental. If there is a positive spin to this meet it's the idea that at least some that are not at the national level yet at least get that exposure to postseason competition and maybe provide something to come back and be better for the years to come."
Bucknam says much the same but would rather have another week for senior All-American sprinter Kenzo Cotton to recover from the hamstring injury he suffered during the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships rather than running heats of the 100 and 200 in Sacramento and possibly the 4x100-meter relay though Bucknam and sprints coach Doug Case believe there is enough sprint depth for Arkansas, the national 4x100 leader, to advance while subbing for Cotton's relay leg.
Fortunately for Harter, heptathlon qualifiers advance to Eugene on a descending order list rather than via Sacramento. So senior Taliyah Brooks, the indoor NCAA and SEC pentathlon champion who was held out of the SEC Outdoor pentathlon because of a bruised heel, in Sacramento will only long jump and run a leg on the 4 x 100.
Harter said Brooks protested about forfeiting her SEC Outdoor championship to be healthier for the NCAA meet, but this decision is best for her, especially since Arkansas wasn't going to repeat for the SEC Outdoor team title that Florida won.
"You can't do too many of those heptathlons," Harter said. "They physically take their toll. So even though she was fighting us a bit about it we told her, 'We've been down this road with other athletes. We've got to be sure we protect you.' Ultimately at Eugene we would like to be a contender for a trophy (the top four teams take the trophy stand in Eugene), and to make that possible we have to have a healthy Taliyah."
Arkansas could contend for a third or fourth spot in Eugene provided Lexi Jacobus and Tori Hoggard advance without difficulty in Sacramento and repeat their 1-2 NCAA Indoor title. Nikki Hiltz, third in the NCAA Indoor mile, seems to be making a remarkable recovery from a knee injury and could advance in the 1500-meter at Sacramento.
Harter counts on steeplechaser Devin Clark, sprinters Jada Baylark and Kiara Parker, hurdler Janeek Brown and both the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays advancing to Eugene.
Shakiel Chattoo, the hurdler who clocked an early-season 13.7 110-meter hurdles qualifier before reinjuring his hamstring, is the latest among a potential NCAA meet scorers that Bucknam leaves injured at home instead of in Sacramento and thus can't advance to Eugene.
"In January, we had high hopes," Bucknam said of 2018 indoor and outdoor aspirations. "But we are not laying down. We are going to fight to the end. We have talented guys that can score points."
SEC Outdoor 400-meter hurdles champ Kemar Mowatt, fourth at last summer's World Championships and running on both relay teams; Cameron Griffith, third in the NCAA Indoor mile; Jack Bruce, last year's NCAA 5,000-meter runner-up; Cotto; and both relays are among those that Bucknam counts on advancing from Sacramento to Eugene, which already has qualified decathletes Gabe Moore and Derek Jacobus.
Sports on 05/24/2018