Arkansas leads team scoring after first day of SEC Indoor

FAYETTEVILLE – An individual title in the pole vault by Amanda Fassold, combined with 23 team points from the event, has Arkansas leading the SEC Indoor Championships with 45 points after the initial day on the Lance Harter Track at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

The Razorbacks produced 11 points in the 5,000m final behind a bronze medal performance from Sydney Thorvaldson, scored six points with a bronze medal in the distance medley relay, and added five points in the pentathlon with a fourth-place effort by Madison Langley-Walker.

Through six finals on Friday, Arkansas holds the team lead over Florida (32), Kentucky (28.3), Ole Miss (27), Tennessee (23.3), and Alabama (23).

In setting up for Saturday, Arkansas advanced a leading 12 athletes in five events, which included five advancing among eight for the 400m final and three in the mile. Florida advanced seven athletes, with three in the 200m, while LSU advanced six over five events.

Fassold, who won the 2022 SEC Outdoor title, needed a third attempt clearance at the winning height of 14-3.5 (4.36) to avoid a tie with Kentucky’s Siobhan Szerencsits, who missed three attempts at that height. Fassold attempted 15-1 (4.60) to close out the competition with Szerenzsits placing second with a clearance of 14-1.75 (4.31).

The first of three bronze medals claimed by Arkansas went to Kaitlyn Banas as she set a season best of 13-9.75 (4.21). Bailee McCorkle followed in fourth place at 13-5.75 (4.11) and Marin Chamberlin finished seventh with the same 13-5.75 bar.

The 23 points topped the 21.5 tally from last season by the Razorbacks.

Sydney Thorvaldson led the Arkansas crew in the 5,000m, placing third in 16:06.75 with teammate Heidi Nielson finishing fourth at 16:16.56. Just missing scoring in the event was Claire McCune, who was ninth in 16:32.00.

The Razorbacks ran 11:10.45 in the distance medley relay for third place behind Alabama (11:04.99) and Florida (11:06.01) while finishing ahead of Ole Miss (11:11.39) and Kentucky (11:13.18).

Arkansas ran with a crew of Katie McCune (3:37.61), Ashanti Denton (52.18), Lainey Quandt (2:08.40), and Lauren Gregory (4:32.26). A fall on the first leg hindered the Razorbacks, placing them last among the field of 11 at the first exchange. Denton supplied the fastest 400m leg in the field, moving UA up one position.

Quandt’s carry had the team still in 10th place heading into the anchor leg. Then Gregory churned out the laps and moved the Razorbacks into bronze-medal position as her 1,600m split was the fastest of the field by eight seconds.

Gregory ran 4:44.16 to ease through the prelims of the mile as Carmie Prinsloo (4:44.36) and Mary Ellen Eudaly (4:45.96) joined her in the 10-person final.

While Florida’s Talitha Diggs led the 400m prelim field with a 51.25, Amber Anning clocked 51.84 for the second fastest time of the qualifying round. Razorbacks joining Anning the final were Rosey Effiong (52.16), Paris Peoples (52.30), Nickisha Pryce (52.49), and Joanne Reid (52.59).

Just missing advancing in the 400m were the Arkansas pair of Aaliyah Pyatt (53.06) and Denton (53.12) as Reid had the cutoff time.

Reid doubled in the 200m, where her time of 23.17 was 10th overall as the cutoff for the final was 23.07.

Britton Wilson won her 800m prelim heat in a comfortable 2:04.59 to advance to the final. A pair of Razorbacks advanced in the 60m hurdles with Ackera Nugent running 7.91 for the second-best time behind a 7.90 for Kentucky’s Masai Russell.

Yoveinny Mota ran 8.13 to advance while an 8.21 kept Daszay Freeman out of the final. Nugent also reached the 60m final with a career best of 7.22, which is No. 4 on the UA all-time list behind a pair of 7.15s for Kiara Parker and Jada Baylark as well as a 7.20 by Veronica Campbell.