Britton Wilson (UA Athletics)Arkansas junior Britton Wilson took a significant step towards her goal of sweeping titles in the 400 meters and 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday.
Wilson led the field in both semifinal events at Mike A. Myers Stadium, and helped Arkansas secure a total of seven entries for the finals scheduled for Saturday.
In the 400 meters event, Wilson broke both the meet and facility records with a time of 49.36, surpassing the previous meet record of 49.57 set by Texas A&M’s Athing Mu in 2021. Thirty minutes later, Wilson continued her dominance by posting a time of 54.67 in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing nearly a full second ahead of the rest of the field.
Additionally, Ackera Nugent achieved the second-fastest time in the 100-meter hurdles, clocking in at 12.55, trailing behind LSU’s Alia Armstrong, who recorded a time of 12.54. Masai Russell of Kentucky, the collegiate record holder, finished fifth with a time of 12.76.
Razorback Madison Langley-Walker experienced a fall during her 100-meter hurdles semifinal heat and was unable to finish the race. Consequently, she did not compete in the 400-meter hurdles later in the meet.
In the 400 meters final, Wilson was joined by two other Razorbacks, Nickisha Pryce and Rosey Effiong. Pryce secured second place in the first heat with a personal best time of 50.31, while Effiong finished as the runner-up in the second heat with a time of 50.69.
Furthermore, Arkansas advanced to the final in the 4 x 100 meters relay, where the team of Nugent, Ariane Linton, MeKenze Kelley, and Effiong posted a time of 43.10, placing them eighth overall.
Arkansas faced disappointment in the pole vault event, as the team failed to score for the first time since 2013. Mackenze Hayward tied for 13th place with a clearance of 13-7.25, while Kaitlyn Banas tied for 16th with a height of 13-1.5. Amanda Fassold had a no-height result in her attempts.
