Hog calls

Harter wants to join exclusive track club

Arkansas women's track and field coach Lance Harter watches during the Arkansas Open Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015, at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville.
Arkansas women's track and field coach Lance Harter watches during the Arkansas Open Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015, at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Moving from the central California coast to Fayetteville, Lance Harter knew he would lose a little bit of his suntan.

The Arkansas women's track and field coach just didn't bank on paling in the shadows, Harter jokes at every speech.

The shadows are cast by the 40 national championships won by the Arkansas men's program under retired coach John McDonnell in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track, and the latest won by Chris Bucknam's men at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championship.

Those 40 national championships and 84 conference championships McDonnell's men won comprise a tradition that still helps attract prime recruits for Harter and Bucknam, both will tell you.

They also set an impossible standard.

"All those pennants up there," Harter said, pointing to the national championship banners at the Randal Tyson Indoor Track, "they cast a big shadow in this building and Arkansas in general."

For Harter, who has coached Arkansas' women since 1990-1991, paling against that standard comes even while reigning as the UA's all-time best women's coach of any sport and previously reigning like McDonnell in Division II when he coached at California Poly-San Luis Obispo.

"When I came here, I had won 14 national titles in Division II and I think John was ahead by a few." Harter said. "Then he got on a tear, and we were bringing trophies home, but they weren't gold."

They weren't national gold, but they were close enough when added to his Division II success for Harter to earn induction into the U.S. Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame. Harter has four NCAA cross country runner-up finishes and five podium finishes (top-four national finishes) in track to go with 15 SEC cross country titles and nine SEC indoor and outdoor titles at Arkansas.

Arkansas' SEC indoor championship Feb. 28 cemented a national No. 1 ranking for Harter's team going into the NCAA Indoor Championships that will be held Friday and Saturday at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

Like all great coaches, Bucknam and Harter talk foremost about what championships mean to their athletes. But there is no denying -- even as he jokes that "I had 40 monkeys on my back, so now I am down to 39" -- what that 2013 national title meant to Bucknam and what winning this weekend would mean to Harter.

"Certainly it meant a lot, and I am rooting for Lance," Bucknam said. "He is an outstanding coach. I hope he gets it done, because he does a phenomenal job."

Harter returns the compliment, asserting that Bucknam's men are always among the elite nationally.

"There is nobody else at our university that is always in the conversation," Harter said.

What would it mean to Harter to finish No. 1 this weekend?

"Winning the first national title for women? Good heavens, that would be a dream come true," Harter said.

And if Harter and Bucknam could win one together in front of Hog-calling fans?

"Hopefully we can draw off each other," Bucknam said, "because you are going to call the Hogs whether it's the men or the women."

Sports on 03/11/2015

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