TRACK AND FIELD NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS : Arkansas Favored to Add Yet Another Title to Its Long List of Victories

Arkansas track Coach John McDonnell is not fussy.

“Titles are titles,” he said. “We’ll take them anywhere we can get them.”

Under McDonnell, the Razorbacks have accumulated NCAA titles everywhere--indoors, outdoors and in cross country.

And a victory in the NCAA Indoor Championships in March was No. 18 for McDonnell, an NCAA record by a collegiate coach in any sport.

The Razorbacks are favored to win No. 19 under McDonnell in the NCAA Outdoor Championships which begin today, and will try for a record-tying third triple crown--the cross country, indoor and outdoor titles in the same season.

Only the University of Texas El Paso, under Ted Banks, has done it three times.

Another streaking team, Louisiana State, is the overwhelming favorite to win its seventh consecutive women’s title in the four-day meet at Tad Gormley Stadium, the site of last year’s U.S. Olympic trials.

Arkansas won its first triple crown in 1985 and its second last year.

Those are the only two NCAA outdoor championships for Arkansas, which has dominated the indoor meet, winning a collegiate record 10 consecutive titles, having surpassed the previous mark of nine, shared with Iowa’s wrestling teams from 1978-86 and Southern California’s outdoor track teams from 1935-43.

“If we just decided to win outdoors, we would have a lot more outdoor titles,” McDonnell said. “But we also like cross country and indoors.”

The Razorbacks are loaded in the distance events, with Niall Bruton, John Schiefer, Gilbert Contreras and Michael Morin qualified for the 1,500 meters, Danny Green, DeWayner Miner and David Welsh in the 5,000, and Frank Hanley and Welsh the top two qualifiers in the 10,000.

In addition, the Razorbacks have Erick Walder, defending champion in the long jump and one of the nation’s best triple jumpers; Ray Doakes and Matt Hemingway in the high jump; Derrick Thompson in the 200; Chris Phillips in the 110 hurdles, Calvin Davis in the 400; Vince Henderson in the 100, and relay teams in the 400 and 1,600 events.

The LSU women’s team is also deep and talented.

The battle for second place should be among Wisconsin, Arizona State, Nebraska, Alabama, Florida and UCLA.

In addition to Walder, the men’s defending champions are Tony Parrilla, Tennessee, 800; Jon Dennis, South Florida, 5,000; Brent Noon, Georgia, shot put, and Mika Laaksonen, UTEP, hammer throw.