FAYETTEVILLE -- Coaching the best professional men's hurdler in the indoor world and the second-best professional women's pole vaulter in the indoor world doesn't vary considerably from coaching their collection of collegiate national champions, Doug Case and Bryan Compton say.
It does vary some, though, even with the world champion and world runner-up among the University of Arkansas champions they coached.
For Case, the men's sprints coach for Arkansas Coach Chris Bucknam, Omar McLeod in 2014 and 2015 won four national championships, two NCAA Indoor 60-meter hurdles titles with last year's 7.45 a collegiate record, one NCAA Outdoor 110-meter hurdles title and a leg on Arkansas' NCAA Outdoor winning 400 relay.
A 2015 sophomore, McLeod turned pro with Nike last summer but still trains under Case in Fayetteville.
Last week in Portland, Ore., representing his native Jamaica at the IAAF World Indoor Championships, McLeod won the 60-meter hurdles in 7.41, the best in the world for 2016.
Under Compton, the women's field events coach for Arkansas Coach Lance Harter, Sandi Morris concluded her UA senior year in 2015 briefly holding the collegiate indoor record, then won the NCAA Indoor clearing a meet record 15-1 and was the NCAA Outdoor runner-up.
Still trained by Compton in Fayetteville, Morris turned pro with Nike last summer. She represented the U.S. with a fourth-place finish at last summer's World Outdoor Championships after placing second at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. This winter, Morris won the USA Indoor Track and Field Championship vaulting a personal best 16-3, and was second, 15-11, to U.S. teammate Jenn Suhr (16-0 3/4) at the World Indoor event.
McLeod and Morris train like they are still Razorbacks.
"For the most part it's the same structure though it's a little delayed compared to the collegiate season," Case said.
While the Razorbacks prime first for the SEC Outdoor in May, McLeod and Morris train through a schedule geared for their summer Olympic Trials and the Olympic Games.
Both athletes, though with more strategic input as pros, Case and Compton say, assert they trust their coaches implicitly. Apparently so does Nike.
"As long as she is performing, they are not going to say anything," Compton said.
Ditto for McLeod, Case said.
And as long as future Razorbacks turned pro remain as team-oriented like McLeod and Morris, Arkansas will welcome their continuing presence.
"It definitely benefits our team to have a chance to work with a world-class athlete," Case said. "Not many get a chance to do that in their lifetime."
Or firsthand see a championship path to follow.
Lexi Weeks, along with Tori Weeks, Arkansas' freshman twin sister All-American NCAA Indoor pole vaulting tandem from Cabot, cleared 15-2 1/4 not only winning the NCAA Indoor but breaking Morris' meet record the same day that Morris won the USA Indoor championship.
"Lexi broke Sandi's NCAA meet record and all of a sudden sees Sandi is jumping 16," Compton said.
A coach couldn't draw a better blueprint.
Sports on 03/26/2016