RENO, Nev. -- Only World and Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi and U.S. indoor champion Katie Nageotte bested Arkansas' Lexi Jacobus Friday night at the Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nevada.
Stefanidi, who won a third International Association of Athletics Federations Diamond League trophy last year, edged U.S. indoor champion Katie Nageotte on countback at 4.74 meters.
Following the 1-2 finish by Stefanidi and Nageotte, Lexi Jacobus, a three-time NCAA Champion topped 4.66 meters, 15-3.5 feet, to equal her indoor career best to finish third in the competition.
Tori Hoggard cleared 4.44 meters, 14-7, in the competition, setting a season-best mark.
On the season, Jacobus and Hoggard are currently ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the NCAA, respectively.
Assistant coach Bryan Compton was also named the USA Track & Field Collegiate Pole Vault Coach of the Year at the event Friday night.
RAZORBACKS EARN HIGHEST PRESEASON PREDICTED FINISH IN SOFTBALL PROGRAM HISTORY
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Arkansas softball team has been picked to finish fifth in the Southeastern Conference after a vote of the 13 head coaches in the annual preseason poll.
The Razorbacks, who received 97 points, will be competing in their fourth season under head coach Courtney Deifel. Arkansas advanced to its first NCAA Super Regional last season after hosting its first NCAA Regional at Bogle Park in Fayetteville.
Arkansas was picked to finished 10th last season and finished seventh with a 12-12 league record. Last year's finish was Arkansas' best since the conference ended the division format in 2014.
Points for the poll were awarded on a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 basis. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team. The 2019 SEC Softball Tournament will take place May 8-11 at Davis Diamond in College Station, Texas.
The Razorbacks were picked ninth in 2014, 12th in 2015, 13th in 2016 and 13th in 2017.
Florida took the top spot in the poll with 142 points and 10 first-place votes. Georgia received two other first-place votes and was second at 130. In third place was Tennessee with 108 points and South Carolina was fourth at 105. LSU was picked sixth with 85 points after Arkansas, while Kentucky picked up the other first-place vote and finished seventh at 81 points, one ahead of Alabama.
Arkansas is scheduled to begin play for the 2019 season on Feb. 8 in Lake Charles, La., against Campbell and McNeese State. The Razorbacks will return to Bogle Park on Feb. 21 against Southeast Missouri State.
FORMER RAZORBACK LEADS AT LATIN AMERICA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Former Arkansas golfer Alvaro Ortiz carded a 2-under par 70 Saturday, has a 54-hole score of 208 (-8) and leads by one stroke with one round left to play at the Latin America Amateur Championship, played at Teeth of the Dog Golf Course in Casa del Campo, Dominican Republic.
Arkansas freshman Julian Perico is even par (216) through three rounds and is tied for 17th.
The winner of the Latin America Amateur Championship will be invited to play in the 2019 Masters and receive exemptions into the final stages of qualifying for The Open and U.S. Open in 2019.
Ortiz got off to a strong start with birdies on holes 2, 5 and 7 to make the turn at 3-under par. The opened the back nine with a pair of bogeys but ran off six pars before finishing with a birdie on 18 for a round of 70, 2-under par.
Perico, who started the day in eighth, shot 40 on his front nine. He got on track with a birdie on the par-4, 11th hole. However, he gave that stroke back with a bogey on the 12th. Perico rallied and birdies holes 15 and 18 to finish the day with a 2-over 74.
The final round of the Championship is set for today and coverage can be found on ESPN2 (Resort Channel 29). Broadcasts are also available on the ESPN application or by visiting http://www.laacgolf.com.
Sports on 01/20/2019