UA women roll to another title

Make it 12 consecutive SEC championships for the Arkansas Razorbacks women in the land of the 12th Man.

The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville’s No. 1-ranked women’s track and field team ran away with another SEC title on Sunday in College Station, Texas — home of Texas A&M and the Aggies’ 12th Man tradition — to win with 108 points.

Georgia was second with 84.5 points.

It was the Razorbacks’ 12th consecutive SEC title in cross country and indoor and outdoor track, and eighth indoor championship. Arkansas’ title streak began at the 2014 SEC outdoor meet.

The Alabama men’s team won its first conference indoor championship since 1972 with 91 points to end Arkansas’ title streak at three years. The No. 3-ranked Razorbacks, who have won 22 SEC indoor titles in 27 meets,

were second with 88 points.

Going into the final men’s event — the 1,600 relay — Alabama led Arkansas 87-82.

The Razorbacks needed to win in the relay to overtake the Crimson Tide, but Arkansas finished third in 3:04.53 behind Texas A&M (3:02.35) and Florida (3:02.65).

Alabama scored two points in the relay with a seventh-place finish.

The Arkansas women dominated in the mile, led by senior Nikki Hiltz’s firstplace finish in 4:34.37. The Razorbacks scored 23 points in the event as sophomores Carina Viljoen and Maddy Reed took third and fifth, and junior Sydney Brown sixth.

Freshman Janeek Brown took second in the 60-meter hurdles for the Razorbacks (8.04), with junior Payton Chadwick fourth (8.11). Arkansas senior Taliyah Brooks took seventh (8.22) in the hurdles after winning the pentathlon Saturday.

Sophomore Taylor Werner took third in the 5,000 for the Razorbacks after taking fourth in the 3,000 on Saturday. Sophomore Rachel Nichwitz was fifth in the 5,000 after taking sixth in the 3,000.

Sophomore Jada Baylark took sixth in the 60 for the Razorbacks in 7.24, and junior Kiara Parker was eighth in 7.30.

Arkansas senior Kenzo Cotton won the 60 in 6.59 for his first SEC title, and he took second in the 200 in a

personal-best 20.61. Cotton became the first Razorback to win the 60 at the SEC meet since Arkansas joined the conference in 1992.

Sophomore Cameron Griffith anchored Arkansas to a victory in the distance medley relay (9:37.01) after winning the 3,000 on Saturday night.

Griffith came from behind on the 1,600-meter leg to edge Ole Miss senior Robert Domanic at the finish with the Rebels running 9:37.08.

Razorbacks junior Gabe Moore took second in the heptathlon with 5,650 points. He took no lower than fifth in any of the seven events and had the top time in the 60 hurdles (8.14) and was third in the 60 (7.03) and long jump (23-1¼).