FAYETTEVILLE -- Since March, seniors Dominique Scott and Taylor Ellis-Watson told their Arkansas Razorbacks teammates to step on second place.
Scott and Ellis-Watson took steps Thursday to put Arkansas in position to win today's NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Stalwarts who figured in 36 points of Arkansas' 63-36.5 national championship victory over Oregon at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championship in Fayetteville, Ellis-Watson repeated producing 16 points with repeat runner-ups in the 400-meter dash and anchoring Arkansas' 1,600 relay at the 2016 NCAA Indoor in Birmingham, Ala.
Scott's indoor eligibility was exhausted in 2015 after she won the 3,000 and for the second consecutive year victoriously anchored the distance medley relay.
Her absence left runner-up Arkansas three points shy of Oregon at the 2016 NCAA Indoor.
Scott returned to outdoors because of a redshirt in 2013. In their final Arkansas spring, Scott and Ellis-Watson vow Coach Lance Harter's women will win their first NCAA Outdoor championship.
"We were second to Oregon indoors and brought home the second-place, runner-up banner, and it's on the locker room floor," Scott said before heading to Eugene. "Taylor Ellis-Watson and myself before the outdoor season sat down with the whole team and said, 'We believe in them and that we can get the national title.' Then we put the banner on the floor in our locker room so every day we walk over No. 2 and remind ourselves we never want to be No. 2 again. We only want to be No. 1."
Scott already is a No. 1 for the top-ranked Razorbacks in this 2016 NCAA Outdoor. She won Thursday's 10,000 and returns for today's finale as the favorite in the 5,000.
It's a tough double, but Scott -- with a miler's speed and cross-country strength -- made the first part look easy. Her 32:35.69 won Thursday's 10,000 by 11 seconds.
"It definitely is a tough double, but I'll get a full 48 hours rest and race the 5," Scott said. "I think I have the foot speed to be able to get away from anyone with 400 meters to go."
Combined with freshman phenom Lexi Weeks of Cabot winning Thursday's pole vault at 14-9, and sophomore heptathlete Taliyah Brooks' surprising 20-10 third-place finish in the long jump, Arkansas without Ellis-Watson yet scoring leads 26-16 over second-place Texas A&M.
In Thursday's prelims, Ellis-Watson put herself in position to score big today after running the second fastest 400 to Texas collegiate record-setter Courtney Okolo, and anchoring the 1,600 to second behind only Texas.
Winning the team title comes first, but Ellis-Watson still craves an individual title.
"I definitely want to win as a team, and I want to win individually, too," Ellis-Watson said. "I have had two years being runner-up in the 400 and the 4 by 400. This is my last shot. I am very confident I can do it."
Sports on 06/11/2016