Arkansas track teams add to tradition

FAYETTEVILLE — Congratulations to Arkansas’ NCAA Indoor Championship/SEC championship women’s track and field team and Arkansas’ SEC champion NCAA Indoor runner-up men’s team and apologies to Razorbacks baseball Coach Dave Van Horn.

Last weekend in Boston, Arkansas’ defending NCAA women’s championship team outpointed runner-up NCAA Outdoor champion Florida, 55-50. In a meet long backand-forth with co-favorite Texas Tech, the defending Razorbacks men runner-up fell 50.5-41.

With Razorbacks football crashed 4-8 and basketball 15-16 (6-12 SEC) going into Wednesday’s SEC Tournament, this column last week led ‘It never ceases to amaze. Any University of Arkansas academic year festered by football floundering in the fall and men’s basketball wallowing in the winter prompts urgent lone hope entreaties for baseball Coach Dave Van Horn salvaging a Razorbacks championship.”

The lede’s veracity holds forth but not because of Van Horn shortcomings. In 21 years Hall of Fame Coach Van Horn has taken Arkansas to seven College World Series, three SEC Western titles and an SEC Tournament championship. Of course Van Horn and UA softball coach Courtney Deifel, two SEC championships and a SEC Tourney championship, can restock championships.

But media ignoring the elephants in the room, the track and field programs combining to win all of Arkansas’ national championships other than 1964 football and 1994 basketball, seems ignorantly disrespectful.

The late and greatest men’s track coach, ever, John McDonnell, logged 40 official national championships and 84 conference titles.

Chris Bucknam these last 16 years has 36 SEC crowns and three national championships.

Retired women’s coach Lance Harter in 33 years won 45 SEC and seven national titles.

Chris Johnson, Harter’s brilliant sprints coach helping build those championships teams, debuted last week head coaching a national championship after winning the SEC. Johnson always worked well with field events coach Bryan Compton, and director of operations become distance coach Megan Elliott, and has his brother, former Razorbacks sprinter and coach Lawrence “Boogie” Johnson, assisting with sprinters so Chris can deal with expanded head coaching duties.

Bucknam for much of his 25 years coaching Northern Iowa had sprints coach Doug Case and field events coach Travis Geopfert and brought them thriving to Arkansas.

Both staffs’ consistently successful mesh seems the envy of collegiate track and field.

CONDOLENCES

Condolences to Arkansas basketball sports director Mike Cawood whose father, Tom Cawood, died in his sleep last week.

Tom was well-known in Razorbacks circles as an always likable regular attending the radio show of former Razorbacks coach Mike Anderson and continuing five years and counting at Sassy’s attending “Eric Musselman Live.”

The late Dave Cawood, Arkansas’ excellent SID from 1971 to 1974 before selected to the NCAA’s staff, was Tom’s brother and Mike’s uncle.

Remembered by peers for far greater things, Dave Cawood netted notoriety for bouncing unauthorized actor Jack Nicholson from the press box of the Arkansas vs UCLA national semifinals in Seattle. Nicholson hammed to the hilt.

“Looks like I’m leaving, boys,” Nicholson leered like he distinctively leered in every movie he ever made.

Van Horn