Hog Calls

UA track teams aim for triple crown

Arkansas coach Lance Harter watches during the McDonnell Invitation on Saturday, April 23, 2016, at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville.
Arkansas coach Lance Harter watches during the McDonnell Invitation on Saturday, April 23, 2016, at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- It isn't just the horsey set dreaming about triple crowns.

At the University of Arkansas, the men's and women's cross country, indoor track and outdoor track teams not only dream triple crowns but achieve triple crowns.

Former Razorbacks Coach John McDonnell coached five teams to the NCAA triple crown -- which is college track teams' version of horse racing's Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes triple crown.

McDonnell shines above all who have coached track and field. But on the conference triple crown level -- even as he won 20, eight in the Southwest Conference and 12 in the SEC from his 1981-82 SWC first through his 2007-2008 SEC finale --McDonnell is not alone in Arkansas.

Arkansas men's cross country/track Coach Chris Bucknam and Arkansas women's cross country/track Coach Lance Harter, each with one NCAA Indoor championship won, have won five SEC triple crowns between them. Both could win another this week.

The SEC Cross Country and SEC Indoor titles are in their Arkansas autumn and winter barns, and the SEC Outdoor is there for the spring taking Thursday through Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

An SEC triple crown can't rate with an NCAA triple crown, but for college track, it's the next best thing.

Other than not including NCAA Indoor Men's and NCAA Indoor Women's winner Oregon of the Pac-12, it seems this SEC Outdoor in Tuscaloosa could be called the NCAA Outdoor. The field's elite is about the same with five SEC men's teams nationally ranked one through five, while five SEC women's teams are ranked nationally No. 1, 2, 6, 7 and 10.

Harter's women are No. 2 behind Kentucky while Bucknam's men are ranked fourth behind Texas A&M, Florida and LSU and directly above Georgia.

Both coaches talk up the prowess of their league.

"There is a statistical formula showing us double to the next conference and that would be the Pac-12," Harter said.

But neither poor mouth their chance to be Arkansas' second simultaneous men's and women's SEC triple crown winners since the 1999-2000 teams of McDonnell and Harter triumphed.

"I feel good about the athletes we have going," Bucknam said. "We think we are a significantly better team than the team we had last year outdoors that got second."

Harter asserted, "We're bringing 26 and all 26 are capable of scoring."

Harter's women have won six consecutive SEC meets, including last year's triple crown.

To win another and win it with the Arkansas men winning, too would be special.

"I think they would realize this would be a historical event," Harter said. "If we do, appreciate the moment because it's rare. It's hard to do."

Those conference triple crowns always were hard to do even when McDonnell's men made them look easy.

"It would be awesome," Bucknam said. "But you've to go in with your blinders on and your earmuffs on and focus on what you have got to do."

Sports on 05/11/2016

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