Arkansas freshman twin sisters Lexi and Tori Weeks and senior Ariel Voskamp made sure their hometown will be well presented at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
All three Cabot pole-vaulters cleared 13-10 Friday at the NCAA West Regional in Lawrence, Kan., to advance to the NCAA Championships June 8-13 in Eugene, Ore.
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Moving on
List of athletes from Arkansas schools who qualified in Friday’s events at the NCAA West Regional to advance to the NCAA Championships
ARKANSAS MEN
100 1. Marqueze Washington, 10.20; 5. Kenzo Cotton, 10.25; 8. Jarrion Lawson, 10.29
400 5. Obi Igbokwe, 46.32
800 11. Ryan Thomas, 1:48.77
10,000 11. Gabe Gonzalez, 29:52.76
400 HURDLES 7. Larry Donald, 51.17 3,000
STEEPLECHASE 11. Frankline Tonui, 8:49.98
LONG JUMP 1, Jarrion Lawson, 26-0; 6. Kurt Jenner, 24-11; 7. Andreas Trajkovski, 24-10½
HIGH JUMP 1. Ken LeGassey, 7-1
ARKANSAS WOMEN
100 10. Kiara Parker, 11.50; 11. Kristina Knott, 11.52
400 3. Taylor Ellis-Watson, 51.76; 8. Daina Harper, 52.93
10,000 1. Dominique Scott-Efurd, 34:20.35
400 HURDLES 9. Damajahnee Birch, 57.89
3,000 STEEPLECHASE 5. Jessica Kamilos, 10:04.75; 6. Devin Clark, 10:08.35
POLE VAULT 1. Lexi Weeks, 13-10; 4. Tori Weeks, 13-10; 6. Ariel Voskamp, 13-10
LONG JUMP 3. Taliyah Brooks, 20-9¼; 4. Kelsey Herman, 20-5¾
ARKANSAS STATE MEN
100 7. Jaylen Bacon, 10.27
LONG JUMP 2. Roelf Pienaar, 25-7¼
UCA MEN
HIGH JUMP 3. Eric Moore, 7-1
The top 12 finishers in each event at the regional and top six relay teams advance to nationals.
Lexi Weeks, the NCAA indoor champion and national leader outdoors, was Friday's winner because she didn't have any misses at 13-01/4, 13-61/4 or 13-10.
Tori Weeks finished fourth and Voskamp -- who went an inch higher than her season best coming into the meet of 13-9 -- tied for sixth.
"The twins did a great job, like they also do," Arkansas women's Coach Lance Harter said. "Ariel has a tendency to rise to the competition and she did that again."
Arkansas' men were led by senior Jarrion Lawson, who didn't let the 100 and long jump being rescheduled at the same time Friday affect him.
Lawson multi-tasked just fine, first running the 100 meters in 10.29 seconds to take eighth and then winning the long jump. going 26-0 on his only attempt.
Men's Coach Chris Bucknam said Lawson ran the 100 and long jumped within 20 minutes of each other about 9:30 a.m. after the events were rescheduled because of Thursday's weather postponement.
"It was awfully early in the morning to be sprinting and jumping, but Jarrion did a great job," Bucknam said.
"He got his 100 in and then went over to the long jump right about the time he was scheduled for his first attempt.
"It was fortunate he got that first one in and out there, so he didn't have to take anymore jumps."
Bucknam said Lawson -- among 12 qualifiers advancing to nationals in eight events Friday for the No. 5 Razorbacks -- did a good job of making something difficult appear to be easily done.
"You don't jump up out of bed and do that," Bucknam said. "We were up at 5 o'clock in the morning doing a workout in the hotel parking lot to get the metabolism going, so what he did was pretty impressive."
Lawson, who will compete today in the 200 and 400 relay, was one of three Razorbacks to advance in the 100 and the long jump. Also advancing in the 100 were senior Marqueze Washington, who had the fastest time (10.20), and sophomore Kenzo Cotton (10.25). Arkansas State sophomore Jaylen Bacon (10.27) took seventh in the 100 to advance.
Red Wolves junior Roelf Pienaar went 25-7¼ to take second in the long jump, with Razorbacks juniors Kurt Jenner (sixth at 24-11) and Andreas Trajkovski (seventh in 24-10½) also advancing.
Arkansas senior Ken LaGassey cleared 7-1 without a miss to tie for first in the high jump. Central Arkansas sophomore Eric Moore also cleared 7-1 and tied for fourth to advance.
Gabe Gonzalez, an Arkansas senior from Springdale, finished fourth in the 10,000 (29:52.76) to advance.
Other Razorbacks to move on were sophomores Obi Igbokwe (fifth 400 in 46.32) and Larry Donald (sixth 400 hurdles in 51.17), junior Frankline Tonui (11th 3,000 steeplechase in 8:49.98) and senior Ryan Thomas (11th 800 in 1:48.77).
Arkansas' second-ranked women's team advanced 13 athletes in seven events Friday.
"We exceeded all expectations," Harter said. "We kept having one great race after another."
Razorbacks senior Dominique Scott, a three-time NCAA champion and seven-time All-American, won the 10,000 meters, running 34:20.35. She'll run in the 5,000 today,
"Dominique's run in the 10,000 was very casual," Harter said. "She basically didn't have to exert anything to win it."
Arkansas senior Taylor Ellis-Watson, a nine-time NCAA All-American, took third in 400 (51.76) with junior Daina Harper taking eighth (52.93).
Sophomore Taliyah Brooks took third in the long jump (20-9¼) for the Razorbacks with freshman Kelsey Herman fourth (20-5¾).
Other qualifiers for Arkansas included senior Jessica Kamilos (fifth in 10:04.75) and freshman Devin Clark (sixth in 10:08.35) in the steeplechase; freshman Kiara Parker (10th in 11.50) and sophomore Kristian Knott (11th in 11.52) in the 100; and freshman Damajahnee Birch (ninth in 57.89) in the 400 hurdles.
Arkansas' men's team has 16 athletes competing in nine events today, plus two relays. The UA women have 10 athletes in three events, plus the relays.
Sports on 05/28/2016