Saturday, April 15, 2017

Razorbacks Collect Top Times In California

BY Joy Ekema-Agbaw April 14, 2017
Robert BlackPhoto : Robert Black


AZUSA, Calif. — Day one of the 2017 Bryan Clay Invitational saw the second-ranked Arkansas women’s track and field team collect several top times on Thursday evening in Azusa.
Sophomore Devin Clark kicked off the day for Hogs, racing to a second-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a season’s best time of 10 minutes, 8.15 seconds. A 2016 All-American in the steeplechase, Clark currently leads the Southeastern Conference and sits at No. 5 in the NCAA.
Clark’s teammates kept the trend of success going as Taylor Werner, Maddy Reed, Abby Gray, Regan Ward and Sydney Brown made Arkansas’ presence felt in the 5,000 meters. An All-American in the 3,000 this past indoor season, Werner took over the 5,000 in a big way as the freshman from Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, cruised to a runner-up finish with a lifetime best of 15:51.08.  Her stellar performance ranks her inside the NCAA top-12, at No. 2 in the SEC and as the sixth-best performer in program history. Fellow freshmen Reed (16:04.43) and Gray (16:06.60) finished not too far behind their teammate, placing fifth and sixth, respectively, both with major PRs.  The Razorbacks’ 5,000-meter dominance was completed by Ward and Brown who also raced to PRs in the event and were rewarded with top-10 finishes.
Over at the Mt. SAC Relays, redshirt senior Logan Bishop and redshirt sophomore Kelsey Schrader took on the 10,000 meter run and also emerged with PRs. Bishop placed 21st with 35:47.20 while Schrader finished 27th with 36:08.99.
“Every one of our athletes ran a lifetime PR,” said head coach Lance Harter. “I’m absolutely just dumbfounded about what they just did. Devin [Clark] had a huge breakthrough mentally and physically, so that was great. Our two 10K runners did well. Our 5K group looked liked they were running cross country, just racing side by side and interchanging. It was unbelievable, I’m ecstatic. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going into the 1,500 on Friday.”
Arkansas’ middle distance squad led by Therese Haiss and Nikki Hiltz will take on the 1,500 today at 4:15 p.m. CT. Haiss and Hiltz completed the 2017 indoor season as two of the best milers in the NCAA and look attain the same regard outdoors.
Bryan Clay Invitational
April 13, 2017
Cougar Athletic Stadium (Azusa, California)
5,000 Meters
2. Taylor Werner – 15:51.08
5. Maddy Reed – 16:04.43
6. Abby Gray – 16:06.60
7. Regan Ward – 16:12.46
9. Sydney Brown – 16:18.38
Steeplechase
2. Devin Clark – 10:08.15
Mt. SAC Relays
April 13, 2017
Murdock Stadium (Torrance, California)
10,000 Meters
21. Logan Bishop – 35:47.20
27. Kelsey Schrader – 36:08.99
For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.


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