Arkansas speed on display as Nickisha Pryce leads 400m sweep

FAYETTEVILLE – Fast times by the Razorbacks in the 400m highlighted the first day of the Tyson Invitational inside Randal Tyson Track Center. Nickisha Pryce won the two-lap race in 51.04 seconds, the second fastest collegiate time of the season behind teammate Amber Anning.

Pryce, who improved upon the 51.58 she set two weeks ago in the Razorback Invitational, moves to No. 4 on the Arkansas all-time list and becomes the No. 3 Jamaican indoors. Pryce just missed the meet record of 51.02 set by Rosey Effiong in 2023.

Among the Jamaican all-time indoor list, Pryce only trails the 50.79 by Stephanie Ann McPherson in 2022 and a 50.93 by Sandie Richards from 1993.

Racing in the same section with Pryce, Arkansas freshman Kaylyn Brown clocked a career best of 51.49 as runner-up. Brown moves to No. 6 on the UA all-time list. She misses putting her name on the World U20 all-time top 10 list with a birthday of December 31, 2004.

“I’ve trained so hard for this moment,” said Brown. “I trusted in my coaches, and I gave it all I had. I saw the results and I was so happy. That’s what hard work does for you. To PR is amazing.

“Nickisha is my training partner, so it was just like practice. She just told me to stay with her and push. I gave it all that I had at the end. I’ve learned to run my own race and block everything out. The PR is just crazy to me.”

Brown entered Arkansas with high school best of 53.11 outdoors and 57.62 indoors. In her Razorback debut, she placed second in the 400m with an indoor best of 53.04. Now, she ranks among the top six on a very talented all-time list at Arkansas.

Effiong won another section of the 400m in 51.65 to place third overall for a Razorback 1-2-3. Ashanti Denton posted a time of 52.98 to place eighth overall.

Arkansas currently occupies positions 1-2-5-6 on the 2024 collegiate list with Amber Anning (50.56), Price (51.04), Brown (51.49) and Effiong (51.58).

Razorback freshman Shawnti Jackson displayed her speed over 60m with a 7.21 in the prelims followed by a 7.23 in the final. Jackson defeated a trio of seniors in the final with Florida’s Grace Stark (7.27), Jahniya Bowers of Ole Miss (7.29), and Erin Kinney of South Dakota (7.33) giving chase.

Jackson even bettered the 60m Open field, with the leading time being a 7.25 by Jamaica’s Tina Clayton followed by a 7.28 from Tia Clayton.

Destiny Huven continues to climb up the Arkansas all-time list in the 60m hurdles while chasing her career best of 8.05. In the prelims Huven posted an 8.10 that was third best overall. In the final she finished as runner-up with an 8.07 to a 7.95 by Florida’s Grace Stark.

Huven’s 8.10 moved to No. 8 and then her 8.07 moved to No. 7 on the UA all-time list.

Rachel Glenn clocked a career best of 8.14 in the prelims, moving to No. 9 on the UA all-time list, then finished sixth in the final with an 8.19.

Arkansas alum Taliyah Brooks had an impressive double, winning the long jump with a career best of 21-7.25 (6.58) followed by a 7.97 career best for third place in the 60m hurdles.

Brooks had around 30 minutes from her sixth attempt in the long jump to the finals of the 60m hurdles. She was impressed with getting a mark on each of her six long jump attempts.

“I’m excited with both events,” stated Brooks. “It was the first time to run under eight seconds and in the long jump it was an indoor PR by a centimeter and it was maybe the first time ever I didn’t foul a single jump.

“Two weeks ago I tied my hurdle PR in the first meet. I was so close to getting under eight seconds. I feel it’s been years in the making. Then Lolo Jones told me she’s never seen a heptathlete run under eight seconds. I was super happy about it. It’s easy because I have really fast training partners in Ackera Nugent and Cindy Sember. I battle with them every day, so I’m happy it’s finally on the boards.”

Brooks becomes the top American multi-event athlete to post a sub-8 second time in the 60m hurdles and second best in the world behind a 7.87 by Great Britain’s Jessica Ennis-Hill from 2012. A 7.98 by Erica Bougard in 2018 was the previous best American time.

While Brooks added a half an inch to her previous long jump best from 2018, which still stands as the Arkansas school record, Florida’s Claire Bryant finished runner-up in the long jump with a 21-4 (6.50) while Razorback Nia Robinson placed third with a 21-2 (6.45).

In Boston, Sydney Thorvaldson produce career best 15:43.64 in the 5,000m to place third in her section. Thorvaldson improved upon her previous best of 16:00.14 and now ranks No. 3 on the UA all-time list. Laura Taborda ran 16:11.65 to place 10th in another section of the 5,000m, improving her previous indoor best of 16:58.10.

The only pair of Razorback marks ahead of Thorvaldson are 15:13.09 by Katie Izzo from 2019 and 15:32.95 by Lauren Gregory from 2022.

Mia Cochran set a career best of 9:07.36 to place eighth in her section of the 3,000m. Racing in the mile, Mary Ellen Eudaly finished eighth in her section with a 4:38.70.