Arkansas Razorbacks senior Taliyah Brooks won the pentathlon Saturday at the women's SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships in College Station, Texas, but she actually competed in seven events.
Between events of the pentathlon, which she won with 4,422 points, Brooks also competed in the 60-meter hurdles and long jump.
Brooks ran 8.08 in the 60 hurdles to advance to today's final. After the pentathlon she attempted one long jump and went 18-3 3/4, which fell short of advancing.
"We always have high expectations for Taliyah, and she really came through," University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Coach Lance Harter said. "She's a gamer."
The No. 1 Razorbacks leads the team race through five finals with 41 points. Georgia is second with 38.
Brooks started the pentathlon by winning the 60 hurdles in 8.13 seconds and continued to maintain the lead. She also had the top long jump at 20-7. In other pentathlon events she high jumped 5-9 1/4, tossed the shot put 39-11 1/2 and ran the 800 in 2:22.73.
Kentucky junior Oliva Gruver cleared 15-3 3/4 to win the pole vault and set an SEC meet record, breaking the mark of 15-3 by former Razorback Sandi Morris in 2015.
Arkansas juniors Tori Hoggard and Lexi Jacobus -- twin sisters from Cabot -- took second and third in the pole vault. Hoggard cleared 14-7 1/2 and Jacobus 14-4 1/2. Jacobus won the event at the SEC indoors in 2016 and Hoggard won it last year.
Jacobus was limited in training because of an Achilles' tendon injury.
"We've been kind of nursing Lexi along because she's had a little bit of an Achilles issue," Harter said. "But she competed well considering we were ultra-cautious about her training and did a fantastic job."
Junior Desiree Freier was fifth in the pole vault (14-1 1/4) and freshman Elizabeth Ramos Mata took eighth (13-3 1/2) to give the Razorbacks 23 points in the event.
Arkansas got 12 points in the 3,000 from sophomores Taylor Werner (fourth in 9:17.62), Devin Clark (fifth in 9:24.81) and Rachel Nichwitz (sixth in 9:32.17).
Razorbacks junior Payton Chadwick advanced in the 60 hurdles (8.08), but missed advancing in the 200 by .008 seconds. Texas A&M's Diamond Spaulding ran 23.151 to take the final spot in the 200 final with Chadwick running 23.159.
Arkansas advanced four in the mile -- Carina Viljoen, Sydney Brown, Matty Reed and Nikki Hiltz -- along with Jada Baylark and Janeek Brown in the 60 and Morgan Burks Magee in the 400.
"I think we're actually a little bit ahead of where I thought we'd be after the first day with points were scored and everyone we had advance," Harter said. "If we can capitalize on those opportunities we've got today, we can score a lot of points.
"If you can score 100, I think you're going to be untouchable. So hopefully we're on cue to do that."
Sports on 02/25/2018