FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas sophomore Omar McLeod looked strong in the 60-meter high hurdle preliminaries, posting a 7.55 time that was a little better than his own winning mark of 7.576 at last year's NCAA Indoors.
The NCAA record was set by Florida's Eddie Lovatt in 2014 at 7.50, but McLeod ran a 7.49 at the SEC Championships two weeks ago and has that mark in his sights.
"My body feels great and I feel strong right now," McLeod said. "Last year I had a hamstring and a quad injury that bothered me a little, and this year I have really been careful to warm up good and cool down and try to stay healthy."
The second-best qualifying time was Chris Caldwell of Texas Tech in 7.64.
McLeod got a warm ovation from the partisan Razorback crowd and he said it didn't go unnoticed.
"You hear the support and it feels great," McLeod said. "It really makes me want to go out there and do my best tomorrow and not let them down."
Going high
The men's pole vault competition was a crowd pleaser late Friday and Akron's Shawn Barber didn't disappoint, soaring to a collegiate record 19-4 3/4 to win the event.
Barber, the top qualifier entering the meet, broke his own record of 19-4 1/4. He received a huge ovation from the crowd at the Randal Tyson Track Center after making the record height, then got another big round of applause after his third miss at 19-8 1/4, which is 6 meters.
Barber outlasted Tennessee's Jake Blankenship (19-0 1/4) and Arkansas' Andrew Irwin (18-0 1/2), the two-time indoor winner.
Smoking 200s
Baylor's Trayvon Bromell and Oregon's Jenna Prandini took no prisoners in their preliminary heats in the 200 meters.
Prandini, the women's long jump winner, turned in a 22.52, the world's fastest time in the event this year to lead all qualifiers by better than a tenth of a second. Florida's Kyra Jefferson was second (22.64) and Kentucky's Dezerea Bryant was third (22.74).
Bromell crossed the line in 20.23, also the best men's time in the world this year and the third-fastest ever at indoors.
Close Call
With the second best time in the nation in the 800 meters this year, Chrishuna Williams figures to be a big piece of the puzzle if the No.1-ranked Arkansas women's team has a shot at their first NCAA Indoors title.
Williams had to come from back in the pack and off the pace Friday to place second in her her preliminary race to make today's finals. Williams' time of 2:06.41 was considerably off her own best this year of 2:02.95.
"That was a rough race," Williams said. "I got boxed in, I got pushed, I got kicked. I just had to fight through it and get one of those top three spots and get to the final."
Williams has been a solid 400 meter runner, but the coaches tried her out at the 800 this year and she has been a consistent point contributor. Williams' speed from the shorter distances came in handy as she was in fifth place heading to the final turn.
"I heard my coach yell, 'You got time,' " Williams said. "But I was thinking, 'I gotta make my move now.' I used my 400-meter kick and was able to get up there in the top three spots and make the finals."
Hot mile
Nine qualifiers in the men's mile posted times of 4:00 or faster, led by Christian Soratos of Montana State, then the Oregon trio of Daniel Winn, Edward Cheserek and Johnny Gregorek. Soratos ran a 3:57.94, the top qualifying time in NCAA indoor history.
The tenth and final qualifier for tonight's final, Brandon Kidder of Penn State, ran the mile in 4 minutes flat.
Flying High Again
It's been a remarkable year in the pole vault event with records being set and then broken multiple times in both the women's and men's division.
In the women's division, Arkansas' Sandi Morris set a new collegiate record of 15 feet 1 1/4 inches in early January only to have it beaten the next day by Demi Payne of Stephen F. Austin University at another meet. Payne went on to break her own record twice, soaring to the current mark of 15-7.
Morris bested Payne in a meet at the Randal Tyson Track Center three weeks ago and both are looking forward to the rubber match today at 5:30 p.m.
"We bring out the best in each other," Morris said after she won the last matchup. "If we are both on our game [today] I can easily see it taking another record to win."
Also looking to be a factor in the event today is defending NCAA Indoors champion Kaitlyn Petrillose of Texas, who held the record before Morris broke it with a vault of 15-1.
Three-timer
Georgia junior Leontia Kallenou defended her NCAA indoor title by clearing 6-4 to outlast Akron's Claudia Garica Jou (6-2) and claim her third NCAA championship. Kallenou won the NCAA 2014 indoors (6-1 1/2) and outdoors (6-2 1/4).
Minnesota's Luca Wieland scored 3,472 points through the first four events to lead Buffalo's Mike Morgan by 100 points. Georgia's Garrett Scantling, the favorite, is in third with 3,368 points.
The heptathlon 60 meter hurdles opens today's action at 10:45 a.m., followed by the pole vault at 11:30 and the 1,000 meters at 2 p.m.
Sports on 03/14/2015