FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021 – COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT: Shawn Price
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
Online Version: https://bit.ly/39ouhDk
AUSTIN, Texas – An impressive display of Razorback speed produced three victories in the 100, 400 and 4x400 relay on the final day of the 93rd Texas Relays held at Mike A. Myers Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
In addition, Arkansas alums produced three victories during the showcase portion of the meet in the 100, 400m hurdles and pole vault. For the weekend, current Razorbacks totaled four victories in the meet while alums totaled four wins as well.
Tiana Wilson started off the winning efforts with another 11.12 clocking in the 100m, matching the windy version that led qualifying the previous day. This time, though, with the wind reading at 1.8 mps, it created a career best for Wilson, topping her previous PR of 11.66.
Wilson ran away from a talented field with LSU’s Thelma Davies runner-up in 11.21 while the North Carolina A&T combo of Cambrea Sturgis (11.23) and Jonah Ross (11.30) followed.
In becoming the first Razorback to win the women’s 100m in the history of the Texas Relays, Wilson moved to No. 4 on the UA all-time list. The only three faster Razorbacks than Wilson in school history are Kiara Parker (11.02), Jada Baylark (11.04) and Veronica Campbell (11.10).
Parker claimed the 100m Invitational race in 11.20 seconds to kick off the wins by the alums on the final day of the Relays.
In the 400m, the Razorbacks finished 1-2-5 with trio of Paris Peoples, Shafiqua Maloney and Morgan Burks-Magee. They produced career best times that rank them No. 5-7-12 on the UA all-time list.
Peoples won the race in 51.67 with Maloney a close runner-up at 51.72 while Burks-Magee finished fifth with a 52.61. The time by Peoples is the current outdoor collegiate leader with Maloney ranked second. On the outdoor 2021 world list, they rank fourth and sixth.
That trio along with Kethlin Campbell combined to win the 4x400 relay in an outdoor world-leading time of 3:26.63, the third fastest ever by an Arkansas relay crew.
Smooth baton passing made the difference and enabled the Razorbacks to win by a comfortable margin over Texas (3:28.10) and LSU (3:32.28), who each had issues with the baton in the exchange zone.
Peoples ran the opening leg with Campbell taking care of second leg duties. Burks-Magee, who was clipped from behind halfway through her third leg, split 52.01 and returned to the lead position with 100m left on her carry. Maloney put the victory away with a 50.58 anchor split.
Running in adjacent lanes for the 100m hurdle final, Yoveinny Mota and Daszay Freeman produced another pair of career best times while placing third and fifth in a loaded final.
Mota clocked 12.97 (1.6 wind), moving to No. 4 on the UA all-time list as she equaled the Venezuelan national record set in 2019 by Genesis Romero. Freeman improved to 13.08, moving to No. 8 on the UA all-time list. The previous day Mota ran 13.04 while Freeman registered a 13.27 in the prelims.
LSU’s tandem of Tonea Marshall (12.75) and Alia Armstrong (12.85) finished in the top two spots in the hurdle final while a third Tiger, Milan Young (13.06), placed fourth.
Sandi Morris won the elite pole vault with a clearance of 15-9 (4.80) as she bettered the field of five with Bridget Guy at 15-5 the closest challenger. Morris attempted 16-1 ¾ (4.92) to better the meet record of 16-1 ½ (4.91).
Sparkle McKnight collected the fourth win by an Arkansas alum on the weekend with a 57.27 victory in the 400m hurdles Invitational by a large margin. Colombia’s Melissa Gonzalez ran 58.69 as runner-up.
Shamier Little, who trains in Fayetteville with Razorback associate head coach Chris Johnson, won the 400m Invitational in a career best of 50.19 seconds, the current world-leading time for 2021. A 400m hurdler, Little’s previous PR in the 400m was 50.40 from 2017.