UA piles up SEC awards

FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas men’s and women’s track and field teams, which swept SEC Outdoor titles, combined for seven individual awards announced Wednesday in voting by the SEC coaches.

Chris Bucknam, the Razorbacks’ men’s coach, and Lance Harter, the Razorbacks’ women’s coach, each were SEC coaches of the year.

Bucknam has been SEC Coach of the Year 30 times in 15 years leading the Razorbacks, earning his eighth honors outdoors along with 10 in cross country and 12 indoors.

Harter, who is in his 34th year at Arkansas and retiring at the end of the outdoor season, won his 46th overall SEC Coach of the Year honor and the 10th outdoors. He has received the honor 22 times in cross country and 14 times indoors.

Arkansas triple jumper Jaydon Hibbert was the men’s SEC Field Athlete of the Year and Freshman Field Athlete of the Year.

Hibbert, who won the SEC title and set a collegiate record with a leap of 58 feet, 7 1/2 inches, is the first freshman to claim both field event honors since LSU pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis in 2019. The previous Razorback to sweep both awards was pole vaulter Andrew Irwin in 2009.

Arkansas junior Britton Wilson, who won the 400 and 400 hurdles at the SEC Championships for the second year in a row, is the women’s SEC Runner of the Year. She won the SEC 400 title in a collegiate record 49.13 seconds.

Razorbacks senior Ayden Owens-Delerme, last year’s NCAA decathlon champion who is focusing on the 400 hurdles this season and is the national leader after winning the SEC title in a meet record 48.26 seconds, is the men’s co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year along with Georgia sprinter Matthew Boling.

Arkansas distance runner Ben Shearer is the men’s co-Freshman runner of the Year along with Florida’s Ryan Willie.