FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2020 – COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT: Shawn Price

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD

Online Version: https://bit.ly/3cMmeko

NEW ORLEANS – Arkansas women’s associate head coach Chris Johnson was named National Indoor Co-Assistant Coach of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Johnson, who shared the 2020 honor with Texas A&M’s Sean Brady, previously claimed a national indoor coaching honor in 2018 along with a national outdoor accolade in 2019.

The event groups coached by Johnson scored in six events at the NCAA Indoor Championships and totaled 28 points. In addition, a trio of school records were set during the national meet in the 60m, 800m and 4x400 relay.

Jada Baylark posted a time of 7.15 in the prelims of the 60, equaling the UA record set by Kiara Parker in 2019.

In the 800m, Shafiqua Maloney clocked 2:01.22, just missing silver by 0.01 of a second, to break the UA indoor record of 2:01.96 set by Aneita Denton in 2005.

Maloney was also part of the 4x400 relay school record of 3:28.07 as she anchored in 50.83 seconds, the second fastest split in the meet. Arkansas is now the No. 5 school in collegiate history and improved upon the previous UA record of 3:28.50 the Razorbacks ran to break the meet record during the SEC Indoor.

While the Razorbacks led the field with 25 entries into the NCAA Indoor meet, a key element was moving into scoring positions by those who were seeded outside the top eight heading into the meet.

In earning a silver medal with a 7.99 career best in the 60m hurdles, Daszay Freeman improved from her seed of 10th (8.07) entering the meet. Tiana Wilson, seeded 15th in the 400 (52.42), clocked a career best of 52.02 for sixth in the final.

Those two examples provided Arkansas with 11 points, equal to the winning margin the Razorbacks had in securing another NCAA Indoor championship by a 68-57 decision over Texas A&M.