Newcomers Poised to Elevate Little Rock Track and Field in 2021-22

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – With the start of the indoor track and field season only weeks away, Little Rock is set to build upon the foundation it has laid the last two years and a strong newcomer class is poised to help elevate the program when the new season begins on Dec. 3.
 
The men's team highlights the newcomers with the nation's fastest hurdles runner in the country joining Little Rock's Team in Barry Richards. The women's team has nine newcomers that are expected to make a big impact this season.
 
"This has to be one of the strongest recruiting classes of my coaching career," said Little Rock Director of Track and Field/Cross Country J.P. Behnke. "Shout-out to my staff for their hard work and commitment during a challenging recruiting year where we were not allowed to meet with recruits on or off campus. Obviously, Barry Richards is a huge addition, being Number One in the country, but I am equally excited about the fact that all twelve of these guys are talented enough to score right away in this conference. This is a small women's class by design. We only graduated one female and have five seniors returning for their fifth year.  We were able to be picky and target the few holes that we have on the women's side."
 
The indoor season starts on Dec. 3 with the Woo Pig Classic in Fayetteville, a trip that starts three straight meets at SEC venues.
 
Barry Richards (Hurdles/sprints)

• Texas 6A state champion in 110m hurdlers.
• Ranked No. 1 in the 110m hurdles in the country with a wind aided time of 13.31, which is also currently the 13th fastest time over 39 inch hurdles in the world.
• Had an undefeated high school season in the 110H.
• Placed 3rd at The 2021 Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon.

 
Hunter Johnson (Pole Vault)

• 2021 Indoor State Champion in the Pole Vault.
• 2021 5A State Champion in the Pole Vault.
• Placed second at the 2021 Arkansas Meet of Champions in Pole vault. 
• Finished the 2021 indoor season ranked 7th in the country with a vault of 16'4.75". 
• Was the 27th ranked senior in the nation during the 2021 outdoor season with a vault of 16'1".

 
Desmond Frasier (Throws)

• Placed 3rd at Texas 5A state championship. 
• UIL 5A Area 11/12 and Region 2 champion in the Shot Put.
• 51^st-ranked senior in shot put with a toss of 58'5.75"

 
Ethan Sorrels (HJ, Multis)

• Ethan will compete in the multi events. 
• Finished his senior season ranked top ten in three different events in the State of Oklahoma. 
• His personal best of 6'8 in high jump ranked 1st in Oklahoma during his junior season.
• Has PRs of 14.92 in the 110mH and 14'0" in Pole Vault.

 
Matthew Fox (Multis)

• Jumped a wind aided 22'7.75", which was the Canadian U20 No. 1 mark in all conditions
• Has a PR of 15.37 in the 110H over 39".

 
Taveion Neal (Sprints)

• Placed 5th at Texas 4A State championship in 200m.
• Won UIL 4A District 15 in the 200m.
• Has a 21.65w PR in the 200m.
• Holds a PR in the 100m with a 10.51.
• Went undefeated in the 100m his senior season.

 
Juan Garza (sprints)

• As a sophomore, finished 1st at Texas 6A District 4 400m dash with a time of 48.22.
• Holds a PR of 22.26 in the 200m.
• 2021 UIL 6A District 8 and Area Champion in the 400m.

 
Casey Griffin (Throws)

• Finished 8th at Texas 6A State Championship in Shot Put with a toss of 53'6.25".
• Won Shot Put in Region 2- 6A with a PR mark of 54'10".

 
Dominic Ward (Distance)

• State Champion at the Arkansas State Cross Country Championships in 2018 and 2019.
• Finished 2nd place at the 2021 Arkansas Meet of Champions in the 800m with a time of 1:57.41.
• 5A West Conference Champion in the 800m in 2021.
• Also ranked 12th in the State in the 1600m with a time of 4:25.
• Finished 4th in the 1600m at the 2021 Arkansas Meet of Champions after placing 2nd at the 5A State Championship.
• Placed 2nd at 2020 5A West Conference XC Meet in the 5k with a PR of 16:00.20.

 
Joel Allen (Distance)

• Placed 3rd at the 2020 LHSAA State XC Championships with a 3mile time of 15:56.60.
• Holds a PR in the 3mile with 15:45.02 which won him the Vermilion Parish CC Championships.
• Ran the 800m, 1600m and 3200m at the LHSAA District 6 3A Championship Meet placing 1st or 2nd in every event. Holds a PR of 10:06.66 in the 3200m.

 
Frankie Grey (Hurdles/Sprints)

• Ranked third in the State of New York in the 400m with a time of 47.88 and 4th in the 200m with a time of 21.24. 
• Battled injuries at Eastern Michigan before transferring to Little Rock.

 
Jordan Wallace (Jumps)

• Transfer from Troy.
• Holds a PR in the Triple Jump with a mark of 48'2.5".
• Placed 7th at the 2021 Sun Belt Outdoor Conference Championships in the Triple Jump.
• Won the 2021 South Alabama Invitational with a mark of 47'7.75".
• Has a PR of 49'3.75" that was jumped at the 2021 Crimson Tide Invitational.

 
Zoa Adams (Sprints)

• Placed 4th in the 100m at the 2021 LHSAA Outdoor State Championships with a PR time of 11.88.
• Placed 5th in the 400m at the 2021 LHSAA Outdoor State Championships with 57.61.
• Her personal best of 55.69 in the 400m ranked 4th in the state during the 2021 track season.
• 2021 LHSAA 5A District 4 and Region 2 champion in the 400m, placed 1st and 2nd in the 100m at the same meets, respectively

 
Ludovica Polini (Pole vault)

• U16 indoor regional record holder placing 4th at the U16 Italian championships in 2017.
• Set U18 outdoor regional record, finished 3rd at U18 Italian Championships with 3.55m clearance in 2019.
• U20 indoor and outdoor regional record holder with 3.65m and 3.70m in 2020.
• Set a new PR of 3.80m in May 2021.

 
Aaliyah Mathis

• Went undefeated in the discus her senior year until placing 3rd at the Region 3-6A Meet.
• Ranked 19th in the state of Texas her senior season in the Discus with a personal best of 142'8". Holds a PR in the Shot Put with a throw of 40'7.5".

 
Gabriella Ayiteyfio (Multis/Sprints)

• 2021 Texas 6A District 20 HJ champion with a PR mark of 5'4". 
• 100m Champion and 200m champion at the same District Meet.
• Holds PRs of 24.82 in the 200m and 11.77 in the 100m.

 
Landri Schreier (Sprints)

• Texas 5A District 14 champion in the 100m.
• Personal best 100m time of 11.93 ranked 65th in the state of Texas. 

 
Allison Stigarll (Throws)

• Champion in the Irving ISA Airlane Relays in both the Shot Put and Discus.
• Placed 3rd at the UIL 6A District 11 Meet in the Discus.
• Holds a PR in the Discus with a toss of 128'5.5".
• Has a PR in the Shot Put with a throw of 37'9.5"

 
Crystal Trowers (Jumps)

• Competed in sprints and jumps in high school, will focus on the horizontal jumps as a Trojan.
• Placed 4th in the 2021 UIL 6A District 6 Championships in the Triple Jump.
• Holds PRs of 16'7.75" in the Long Jump and 35'6.25" in the Triple Jump.

 
Panagiota Lazarou (Distance)

• Ranked second in Greece for the class of 2021 in the 3000m and third-ranked Greek for the 1500m.
• Will vary in the distances she runs as a Trojan.
• She ran a 3000m time of 10:33. In the 1500m she ran a 4:51.
• Capable of going up to the 4000m and 5000m

 
Lindsey Hutcheson (Distance)

• Grad Transfer from Southeastern Louisiana.
• 2018,2019,2020, 2021 Southland Conference Spring Commissioner's Honor Roll
• 2020 Indoor: Helped SLU to a school record and second place finish in the distance medley relay (12:13.28) at the Southland Conference Championships ... Set a personal best in the one-mile race (5:33.41) at the Samford Open.
• 2019 Outdoor: Set personal bests in the 800m and 5k at the Southeastern/Southern Dual ... Finished second at the Southern Miss Invitational in the 3k steeplechase setting a personal best (12:00.68).
• 2019 Indoor: Set a personal best in the 600m (1:45.50) at the McNeese Invitational ... Competed in the distance medley relay at the Southland Conference Championships.
• 2018 Outdoor: Ran a personal best in the 400m (1:03.46) at the Southeastern/Southern Dual ... Set a personal high mark in the 1500m at the LSU Alumni Gold Meet (5:05.71).
• 2018 Indoor: Finished second at the McNeese Invitational 600m ...

 
For the latest information on Little Rock Track & Field, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockTFXC on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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