UA track teams treating first round like finals | Arkansas Democrat Gazette – Arkansas Online

FAYETTEVILLE -- No points will be awarded at the NCAA West Track and Field First Round events that begin Wednesday at the University of Arkansas' John McDonnell Field, but scoring opportunities are on the line.

Arkansas' No. 1-ranked men's team and No. 2 women's team can only get points from the athletes who advance this week to the NCAA Championships, held June 5-8 in Eugene, Ore.

The top 12 finishers in each individual event and two relays out of 48 entries at the West First Round qualify for nationals. The same math applies to the East First Round being held in Lexington, Ky.

In that sense winning an event or finishing high doesn't carry the same weight at the West First Round as at the SEC Championships, but Arkansas' coaches aren't taking that approach.

"This is a humbling meet," Arkansas men's Coach Chris Bucknam said. "Everything starts fresh. You can't assume anything.

"Our instructions are to compete like it's a final. To me, that's the biggest guarantee you have to make it through. You can't half-ass it."

There are 126 teams competing at the West First Round with 836 men and 813 women.

"There are a lot of people out there that want those 12 spots in each one of those events," Bucknam said. "You can't approach it like, 'Hey, I'm going to go 90% and just make the top 12.' It just doesn't work that way and it never ends good with that approach."

Arkansas' women's team won SEC and NCAA Indoor championships earlier this year and finished second to No. 2 LSU at the SEC Outdoors. The Razorback men's team won SEC titles indoors and outdoors and finished second at the NCAA Indoor meet.

But now the NCAA Outdoors meets start.

"It doesn't matter what you've done up to this point," Arkansas women's Coach Chris Johnson said. "It's the NCAA First Round. We call it a regional because we're in the West region, but this is the NCAA First Round.

"This is our ticket to punch to get to the national meet, so we can't take anything for granted.

"Obviously on both sides of the table [for men and women] we've done a fantastic job in getting these young people ready to go, but now it's one of those situations where you've got to survive and advance."

Men's events will be held Wednesday and Friday with women's events Thursday and Saturday.

The Razorbacks have a combined 48 athletes competing with 60 entries in 30 events.

Arkansas' men have 24 athletes in 15 events with 29 entries and top-ranked individuals in the West with Wayne Pinnock (long jump), Lance Lang (200 meters) and the 1,600 relay team.

Other standouts for the Razorbacks include James Benson (second in the 400), Romaine Beckford (fifth in the high jump), Ben Shearer (fifth in the 5,000) and William Spencer (fifth in the 400 hurdles).

Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Caleb Snowden ranks No. 2 in the high jump.

Jack Turner and Yariel Soto Torrado, who ranked fourth and fifth in the decathlon, already have qualified for nationals for the Razorbacks.

Arkansas' women's team has 24 athletes in 15 events with 31 entries led by its 400 crew of Nickisha Pryce, Kaylyn Brown, Amber Anning and Rosey Effiong, who rank 1-2-3-4 in the West.

Razorbacks Sanu Jallow (800) and Sydney Thorvaldson (10,000) rank No. 1 in the West along with Arkansas' 1,600 relay. Rachel Glenn ranks No. 2 in the high jump and 400 hurdles.

"We've got to be mistake-free, we've got to be focused and we've got to take things seriously," Johnson said. "It's head-to-head competition, so the times really don't matter right now.

"Don't think that you've got a ticket already punched. Only the multis have that. Everybody else, we've got to go out and compete and get busy."

Bucknam said having a combined 48 Arkansas athletes competing for the men and women gives the West First Round meet an SEC Championships feel.

"Our team camp looks good, it feels right," Bucknam said. "It's good to have that vibe."

Johnson said the high national rankings and past success at NCAA meets adds pressure for both Arkansas teams.

"Our kids feel that," Johnson said. "But I think they're embracing that because that's what we want to be and that's the level of programs that we have.

"Fortunately for us and on the men's side, our kids have been in big moments. They understand what it is. I think the SEC meet prepares us for these type moments.

"I always tell our young ladies, 'If you do what you did to get to this point, we'll be fine. And if that's not good enough, then it wasn't in the cards for us.' "

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UA track teams treating first round like finals | Arkansas Democrat Gazette - Arkansas Online