OPINION

OPINION | NATE ALLEN: Great Britton an empire in track world

FAYETTEVILLE -- Great Britton isn't a geographical misspelling.

Great Britton of Henrico, Va., describes the greatest great that Arkansas women's sprints coach Chris Johnson ever coached.

In two Razorbacks seasons since transferring from Tennessee, Britton Wilson in 2022 was named SEC Outdoor Runner of the Year and Bowerman Award semifinalist winning the SEC and NCAA Outdoor 400-meter hurdles and SEC Outdoor 400 meters and anchoring 49.55 the NCAA third place 400 relay. She was a World Championships gold medalist running a 49.39 split on the U.S. 400 relay, and U.S. Nationals 53.08 400-meter hurdles runner-up.

Indoors she was the SEC 400 silver medalist and SEC 400 relay gold medalist anchoring a 3:24.09 with a 49.83 plus sixth-place 400 NCAA All-American.

Think that was great?

Great Britton runs greater in 2023. For the SEC/NCAA Indoor champion Razorbacks, Wilson set the collegiate and American record 49.48 winning the NCAA Indoor 400-meters after winning the SEC 400. She 49.19 anchored Arkansas' NCAA championship 400 relay.

Arkansas' 3:21.75 shattered Russia's 17-years world record 3:23.23.

At last week's Arkansas victorious SEC Outdoor in Baton Rouge, Wilson twice broke her earlier season 49.51 400 collegiate record. Wilson ran a 49.40 prelim and 49.13 winning final. She then won the 400 hurdles in 53.28, the fourth ever fastest collegiate race time. Her Baton Rouge bests are 2023 world bests.

Johnson, Arkansas' head coach in waiting upon Lance Harter's July retirement, doesn't equivocate naming Great Britton his greatest.

"Absolutely! Johnson said. "She's put herself in a category next to none. She is the greatest sprinter that Arkansas has ever seen on the women's side and may be one of the greatest long sprinters that the NCAA ever witnessed. The numbers say so."

Arkansas sprinted all-time 100 and 200 great Veronica Campbell in 2004.

But 1-year juco transfer Campbell was an Olympic medalist pre-Arkansas.

Wilson's lone Tennessee season produced nothing like her Razorbacks results.

"Nothing against the Tennessee coaches," Wilson said. "But the trust I have in Coach Johnson I've never had with a coach before. The trust I have in him and his training has made the difference."

Harter said Johnson stresses strength powering Wilson through her rigorous 400/400 hurdles/400 relay triple.

Johnson said he's never coached any more coachable.

"She's worked her butt off to get to where she needs to be," Johnson said.

Teammates notice.

"A great competitive role model," Harter said. "She's a phenomenal athlete and even better person. A coach can't ask for anything more."

But they will. The NCAA Outdoor West Preliminary looms Thursday and Saturday in Sacramento, Calif. qualifying for June's NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas.

July comes the U.S. Nationals in Eugene, Ore., the qualifier for the U.S. World Championships team August bound for Budapest.

"Let's just focus meet by meet," Wilson cautions of her 400/400 hurdles West double.

Bet her post NCAA Outdoor focus again finds the U.S. represented by Great Britton.

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