Track Recruits

[pg1862]

I haven't seen anything about new track signees, and maybe nobody cares but me, but here's a list:

Omar Abdi - Charlestown, MA
800 -1:56.93
1500 - 3:54.21
mile - 4:13.83
5k - 15:49

Reid Brasher - Ruston, LA
javelin - 197' 3

Drew Butler - The Woodlands, TX
400 - 49.98
800 - 1:50.83 (#9 in country)
1500 - 3:53.38 (#2 indoors by .06 seconds)
5k xc - 15:46

Max Carroll - Shawnee, KS
javelin - 189' 7

Caleb Cross - Newport, AR
110h - 14.01 (about #25)
300h - 36.99 (new AR record) (about #12)
400h - 53.42
200 - 22.09
400 - 48.47

Cameron Efurd - Rogers, AR
800 - 1:56.83
1600 - 4:14
mile - 4:16.19
3200 - 9:18
5k xc - 15:20

Solomon Haile - Sherwood, MD
2008 Footlocker cross country champ
1600 - 4:17.9
3k - 8:29.29 (#7)
2 mile - 8:56.08 (#2)

Raymond Higgs - Freeport, Bahamas
high jump - 7' 3 (about #3 if in US)
long jump - 24' 2
triple jump - 49' 0.25 (about #25 if in US)

Chris Muncie - El Paso, TX
200 - 21.38
400 - 47.22 (about #5)

[ICEman]

     Several 'good'ens' in the group.  I especially like our homegrown Hurdler, Cross from Newport.  I think he can be a sub 49 sec 400 IM in the not so distant future.  He will also be a integral part of our 4 x 400 relay squad.  A couple of the distance guys easily live up to McDonnell's previous standards.  Booth's combo-jumper, Higgs from the Bahamas, has some very respectable numbers as well. 

     What's not reported here is the potential for a couple of footballers donning the thinclad uni and joining our sprint-crew.  I think Texarkana's Hamilton could be a sub 20.50 sec 200 meter sprinter.

[soccerrunner]

More people are interested than you might think!

Haile won his 2nd in a row Nike Outdoor Nationals 5k last night.  Butler won the  Texas 5A 800 2 weeks ago.  Higgs is supposedly a phenomenal athlete.  And, the others have claimed fame in their own right.  Overall, I think a very good class.

The womens side signed a very good 800 runner from Illinois and another good miler from Texas.

[Huds_HawgTide]

hamilton,gordon, and wingo could all help the track team out tremendously...that would b awesome

[ICEman]

More people are interested than you might think!

Haile won his 2nd in a row Nike Outdoor Nationals 5k last night.  Butler won the  Texas 5A 800 2 weeks ago.  Higgs is supposedly a phenomenal athlete.  And, the others have claimed fame in their own right.  Overall, I think a very good class.

The womens side signed a very good 800 runner from Illinois and another good miler from Texas.

Just trying to keep the thread hot a bit.  It might be noted that Haile set a meet record in the 5K at the NON meet.

[soccerrunner]

Yes he did.  Breaking his own record from last year.

[pg1862]

Yes, all three of them are nationally ranked as well in the 100 and 200. Future is bright for the harrier hogs.

[ruarealhogfan]

I'll admit to not keeping up with the track team, but i have read about Higgs & that he is a great athlete, supposedly he could play Div1 basketball if he wanted to, but that he will run track in college only.  BTW, thanks for the info...

[hawgsav1]

out of curiosity, are any of these JUCO recruits?

[pg1862]

They are all high schoolers.

[Tomhog™]

Good job.  Don't think I have ever seen a track signee thread.

[Oklahawg]

Good set of numbers.

Did we graduate a lot?

[3kgthog]

I hope these guys are topnotch. We have fallen off severely on the national scene. We should be top 3 at nationals every season and nothing less should be accepted.

[tbhogfan]

I hope these guys are topnotch. We have fallen off severely on the national scene. We should be top 3 at nationals every season and nothing less should be accepted.

Some of these guys will be top notch, and frankly, a couple are guys who are projects.   Also, remember that once football is over, Gordon will be able to add much needed help in the sprints and relays.   We will eventually be back on the top of the rankings.   Higgs and Muncie are good bets to help immediately.

[sasnakrafan]

bucknam is doing a really good job considering we are still on probation until october 2009 according to wikipedia ( i know i shouldn't get facts from there).

[VenturaHog]

Isn't the kid from the Bahamas supposedly a beast on the BB court? I think i remember an article about how he has unbelievable natural ability and an insane vertical but has no interest in BB.

[SouthSide Johnny]

Got a couple of Javelin throwers I see, for those that haven't been to a NCAA meet it's the darn even the my wife likes to go and with major indoor and outdoor meets in Fayetteville give it a look.

[The_Bionic_Pig]

I will pin this and also work on baseball recruits...  Hogville Recruiting Forum keeps up with EVERYTHING RAZORBACK!!

[LisaG]

I think Texarkana's Hamilton could be a sub 20.50 sec 200 meter sprinter.

Whoooo! That's a lofty goal......Cobi's good.....but idk! LOL!
His plan is to run track after football......he LOVES running track!

[The_Bionic_Pig]

Who is the fastest football player to run track at the U of A?

guessing Ahmad "Batman" Carrol or Lawrence Richardson?

[RazorBassin]

You Mods never cease to amaze me, great thread and thanks for always having the best coverage on everything Razorback Recruiting related.

[PorkSoda]

Who is the fastest football player to run track at the U of A?

guessing Ahmad "Batman" Carrol or Lawrence Richardson?

Did Michael Grant run track?  He was one fast mofo

[lookhogwardangel]

Great info. Thanks

[Woopigga]

Did Michael Grant run track?  He was one fast mofo

Michael Grant ran track at the UA.  He was on the 2005 4x100 national championship team along with Wallace Spearmon, Tyson Gay and Omar Brown (Veronica Campell-Brown's husband). 

I'm really pumped the Hogs got Haile.  I look forward to watching him race for the cardinal and white.  He's an incredible runner.

[Razorvet]

Does Baker have any eligibility left?

He needs to go the track route.

[Hawginthecovers]

Wingo may help more than any of the other football athletes.  Cobi probably less.  Wingo would pick track by the way if he had to choose between the two sports.  Ask him away from a microphone.  If you are exceptional in track and field, you can make much $$$ and not have the potential injuries you get with other sports.

[Tomhog™]

Thread added to Pertinent Recruiting Threads

[kingoftherapids]

i think the fastest football/track athlete ever at arkansas was clyde scott. silver medal in the olympics in the 110 hurdles.

[COACHINTEXAS]

This will be one of Long's goofs!  Why didnn't he go after the best? I don't know why he didn't go out and get Pat Herny, the best coach in the land. He won multiple track championships at LSU coaching both men and women's and now in his fourth year at Texas A&M, he just accomplished the same. Why some guy from Northern Iowa when we are the Norte Dame of Track and Field. I know for a fact that John wanted to coach to he won 50 National Championships. He didn't get to do it as a coach, and now I don't know if he will see it at all during his lifetime. What a shame!!

[tbhogfan]

This will be one of Long's goofs!  Why didnn't he go after the best? I don't know why he didn't go out and get Pat Herny, the best coach in the land. He won multiple track championships at LSU coaching both men and women's and now in his fourth year at Texas A&M, he just accomplished the same. Why some guy from Northern Iowa when we are the Norte Dame of Track and Field. I know for a fact that John wanted to coach to he won 50 National Championships. He didn't get to do it as a coach, and now I don't know if he will see it at all during his lifetime. What a shame!!

Chris Bucknam was one of two coaches personally named by John as suitable successors (Dick Booth was the other).   His last year at UNI, they tied Oregon and beat Tennessee, Florida,  and South Carolina at NCAA's.  I can assure you that our program is in tremendous hands with Chris.

Pat Henry insists on coaching both men's and women's teams (and taking very high salaries for both), so unless you are willing to also fire your women's coach, you are not going to get him.   While nobody denies that he is an outstanding coach, I think it would be fair to say that he has a well-deserved reputation for rubbing people the wrong way and constantly flirting with other schools to get more $$$.

IMO, right now the best coach in the NCAA is Vin Lananna at Oregon, who also developed Stanford into a power.

[soccerrunner]

Henry specializes in sprints augmented by horizontal jumps.  That may have been market driven as well as climate driven at both LSU & aTm and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.

Arkansas' program has a tradition of balance certainly highlighted by mid-distance/distance and horizontal jumps.  Bucknam, in my opinion, will continue that tradition.

No question Lananna is a great coach but it doesn't hurt that your best (Galen Rupp) has had a personal coach in Salazar.

[pg1862]

Alex Kelly: Ottumwa, Iowa
400 - 47.89
200 - 22.12