Arkansas has tradition on its side at SEC Indoor meet

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Posted 6:24AM on Thursday, February 21, 2002

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - For what it's worth, Arkansas' men's track team will have a couple of things on its side in the Southeastern Conference Indoor track meet this weekend. Pluses for the Razorbacks include tradition and home. Arkansas has won nine of the 10 SEC indoor titles since entering the league in 1992 and this week's meet is on the Fayetteville campus. ``We're really underdogs,'' said Arkansas coach John McDonnell. ``The top four teams in the country are in our conference. ... I'm not playing tricks.'' In the latest Trackwire Online Indoor Track and Field poll, Tennessee is ranked No. 1 in the country, followed by Arkansas, Alabama and LSU. The SEC has eight teams in the top 25 and many of the competitors will be back in Fayetteville in two weeks for the NCAA Indoor. ``LSU has more depth than Tennessee, but Tennessee has a lot of great athletes up front; they're more of a national type team,'' McDonnell said. LSU won the NCAA Indoor last year in Fayetteville when TCU's Anthony Amantine bumped into the back of a Baylor runner in the 1600 meter relay and dropped the baton. One of the favorites in the event - the final one of the meet - TCU only needed a seventh-place to outscore LSU. TCU wound up 12th in the relay and LSU picked up 10 points for finishing first. Alabama has some top-notch individuals, including NCAA champions Ron Bramlett in the 60 meters and David Kimani in the 5,000 meters, Miguel Pate, a junior college transfer, will be one of the favorites in the long jump. He leaped 27 4.75 last month and only two collegians have ever done better. Alabama has not finished in the top three in the SEC Indoor in the past 15 years. McDonnell says distance runners will have to carry the load for the Razorbacks. ``Our field events, which is very unusual for us, are definitely down,'' he said. ``But we have two guys (Maurice Robinson and Ramon Washington) that if they make up their minds to triple jump and long jump, they'll jump far and that's what we need.'' He said the Razorbacks have a pretty good chance, but that many of the athletes are young. ``We don't know if they'll show up or not,'' McDonnell said. ``We've got tradition on our side. The guys from last year have settled them down a bit. ``It's gonna be a dog fight, but that's what it's all about,'' he said. He said the Razorbacks did not like losing the SEC Outdoor last year. ``We have a chance to get this championship back, but it won't take guys out there limping and gimping or looking for a place to hide,'' McDonnell said. ``We need every guy to stand up and be counted and that's where we've been good in the past, but last year we didn't do that. I don't think this team is going to look for a place to hide.'' Arkansas' women have not lost an SEC track title since the 1999 cross country and coach Lance Harter says the Lady Razorbacks will have to beat South Carolina, Florida and LSU to keep that streak alive. The only event on Friday is the pentathlon. A couple of events will be completed Saturday, but much of the day is devoted to prelims. Two dozen finals will be held Sunday.