FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas teams haven’t simultaneously won the SEC Indoor Men’s and SEC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships since 2003 when the women Razorbacks were still called the Lady Razorbacks
With Lance Harter’s women’s team up and coming, and third-yearcoach Chris Bucknam’s men’s team coming off successive SEC Indoor championships, the Razorbacks have cause to think they can win both championships when Arkansas hosts them Friday through Sunday atthe Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville.
Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, the Florida Gators and Lady Gators and LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers each have cause to believe their schools could take two conference championship trophies back to Gainesville, Fla., or Baton Rouge, La.
“It seems almost a theme,” Harter said. “Florida, Arkansas and LSU on the men’s side and Florida, Arkansas and LSU on the women’sside. We kind of estimate it’s a 10-point meet either way. If somebody falters, false starts or is sick or whatever, it could make a pretty dramatic difference, especially this year. I think we (his team and Bucknam’steam) are both definitely in position to be contenders.”
Asked if he could envision an Arkansas men’s and women’s SECsweep, Bucknam said, “Anything is possible. Obviously (in the men’s national rankings) Florida and LSU rank one and two in the country and we jumped five or six spots and are ranked fifth. We have three SEC teams in the top five. Who knows what will happen? I do know we are putting ourselves in position to contend.” Other than last spring’s forlorn outdoor season, when injuries plus wisely redshirting senior 2010 NCAA Indoor 3,000-meter champion Dorian Ulrey made for his first non-contending team, Bucknam has maintained the incredible conference tradition that retired Hall of Fame Coach John McDonnell set at Arkansas in conference indoor track and outdoor track.
Bucknam’s teams are two for two at the SEC Indoor, as they upset favored Florida in Gainesville to win the 2009 SEC Outdoor and won their first SEC Cross Country title last autumn.
They are minus Ulrey, (outdoors is his lone eligibility left from last year) and 2010 senior NCAA Indoor long jump champion Alain Baileyfrom the individual SEC titles they won in 2010, but Bucknam envisions middle distance men Duncan Phillips and Dey Tauch and junior horizontal jumper Tarik Batchelor stepping out and his whole team stepping up.
“We are going to go to another level and that’s all you can ask,” Bucknam said.
He knows Florida, the defending NCAA men’s indoor champion, and LSU ask that, too, and will step up.
“It’s going to be a heck of a track meet,” Bucknam said.
Ditto on the women’s side says Harter, knowing his team isn’t favored even with solid depth and superstars Tina Sutej, the current NCAA pole vault leader, and quartermiler Shelise Williams. Both are defending SEC Indoor champions, Williams twice, the 400 and on the4x400 relay.
“This could be one of the best indoor teams we have ever had,” Harter said. “But every time we have a real step up with a real impact, our fellow SEC schools do the same.”
Sports, Pages 18 on 02/21/2011