FAYETTEVILLE -- Omar McLeod never got a chance to race for an indoor and outdoor national double in the hurdles last year.
A pulled left quadriceps knocked him out of the 110-meter hurdles in the semifinals of the Outdoor Championships after he won the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
WHEN Today-Saturday
WHERE Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore.
FORMAT CHANGE Men’s events will be held today and Friday with women’s events Thursday and Saturday to accommodate s tighter schedule of events being telecast live on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.
MEN’S DEFENDING CHAMPION Oregon
WOMEN’S DEFENDING CHAMPION Texas A&M
MEN’S TOP 5-RANKED TEAMS Florida, Oregon, Texas A&M, LSU, Arkansas
WOMEN’S TOP-5 RANKED TEAMS Oregon, Arkansas, Kentucky, Texas A&M, USC
NCAA Outdoor Championships
At Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore.
All times Central
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
MEN’S RUNNING EVENTS
400 semis, 6 p.m.
1,500 meters semis, 6:14 p.m.
3,000 steeplechase semis, 6:38 p.m.
110-meter hurdles semis, 7:02 p.m.
100 meters semis, 7:16 p.m.
400 meters semis, 7:30 p.m.
800 meters semis, 7:54 p.m.
400-meter hurdles semis, 8:10 p.m.
200 meters semis, 8:24 p.m.
10,000 meters final, 8:43 p.m.
1,600 relay semis, 9:28 p.m.
MEN’S FIELD EVENTS
Hammer final, 3:30 p.m.
Pole vault final, 6 p.m.
Javelin final, 7 p.m.
Long jump final, 7:15 p.m.
Shot put final, 7:30 p.m.
MEN’S DECATHLON
100 meters, 1:30 p.m.
Long jump, 2:15 p.m.
Shot put, 3:30 p.m.
High jump, 4:45 p.m.
400 meters, 7:44 p.m.
WOMEN’S HEPTATHLON
100-meter hurdles, 1 p.m.
High jump, 2 p.m.
Shot put, 4:45 p.m.
200 meters, 6:28 p.m.
Omar McLeod glance
SCHOOL Arkansas
CLASS Sophomore
HOMETOWN Kingston, Jamaica
NCAA OUTDOOR EVENTS 110-meter hurdles, 400-meter relay, 1,600-meter relay
NOTEWORTHY Won NCAA 60-meter hurdles as a freshman and sophomore … set collegiate record in 60 hurdles at this year’s NCAA meet, running 7.45 … has run national-leading 13.21 in 110 hurdles this year … won 110 hurdles at this year’s SEC Championships.
McLeod aggravated the injury in warmups two days before the competition and tried to run, but pulled up in the semifinals and didn't finish.
"It was devastating," said McLeod, an Arkansas sophomore from Kingston, Jamaica. "You work so hard to make it to nationals. You're amongst the best athletes and you just want to go compete.
"Then to have to sit and watch everybody else go after their dream, it's frustrating."
McLeod is back in a big way at this year's NCAA Outdoor meet, which begins today in Eugene, Ore., with the men's events.
"I feel real, real good," McLeod said. "I'm stronger, I'm healthy, and I'm just ready to run fast."
McLeod again is in position to sweep the Indoor and Outdoor national hurdles titles after running 7.45 seconds to set a collegiate record and win his second consecutive NCAA Indoor title back in February.
McLeod has the fastest time in the 110 hurdles, 13.21, to lead the nation by a large margin. Iowa sophomore Aaron Mallett is second with a wind-aided 13.43.
"It would be a tremendous blessing if I could win both titles," McLeod said. "I want it to happen, and I'm in shape for it to happen.
"It would just show how hard I've worked and what a great coaching staff we have. I'm eager for that moment to come."
McLeod will be in three semifinals within a three-hour span today, starting with a leg on Arkansas' top-ranked 400-meter relay that ran 38.66 at the West prelims, continuing with the 110 hurdles and finishing with a leg on the 1,600-meter relay. Finals are Friday.
"We've planned it out strategically, so it will be like a workout session," McLeod said. "Then we'll have a day's break to recuperate and go after it again."
Workout session? Competing against the nation's top sprinters?
"I respect my competitors, but at the same time, I can't think about them too much," McLeod said. "I know exactly what I've got to do."
Arkansas sprints coach Doug Case said McLeod never has looked faster or stronger than he does this outdoor season and is ready for his triple challenge.
"We've practiced and planned for it," Case said. "We've looked at it a thousand times and made sure it was feasible to do.
"When you're that good of an athlete, you can pull those things off."
McLeod ran 13.21 at the Drake Relays, his first outdoor meet, 13.28 in winning the SEC title and 13.22 at the NCAA West prelims.
"When it gets to national championship season, Omar has another gear that he brings," Case said. "His demeanor changes in practice and changes at the meet. I think that's what sets him apart.
"As long as he's healthy, he's going to run really fast."
Fast enough to have a shot to break another collegiate record -- the 13.00 Renaldo Nehemiah ran in 1979 for Maryland?
"I'm not even going to say it, but I've got a time in my mind and I think he can do it," Case said. "But that's going to depend a lot on the conditions and the competition."
Arkansas junior Jarrion Lawson, who runs on both relays, the 100 meters and will compete in the long jump today, said he admires how McLeod prepares himself to compete.
"He has a great ability to focus and execute every part of his race," Lawson said. "He has talent, but he's got a lot of heart, too."
McLeod said he never sets specific times as goals.
"I think that's putting unnecessary pressure on yourself," he said. "I just know that when I run, it's going to be fast."
McLeod said his positive attitude and confidence stems from his success as a high school sprinter in Jamaica, where track and field is a big-time sport.
"That's where I developed my mental toughness," McLeod said.
McLeod has added physical strength through a weight-lifting program since coming to Arkansas, something he disdained in high school.
"I hated lifting weights," he said. "It was just all raw strength. It was good coming here knowing I wasn't at my peak. I had a lot more in me."
Maybe enough for two national titles this year.
Sports on 06/10/2015