The Trojans turned in a strong weekend as they split squads across two meets, highlighted by graduate
Jordan Smith's top-10 finish in the 3,000 meters in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Russ Jewett Indoor Gorilla ClassicÂ
Little Rock's distance squad traveled to Pittsburg to compete on day two of the two-day meet, as all Trojans in attendance were distance runners.
Smith led the way with an eighth-place finish out of 50 competitors in the 3,000 meters. The mark was a personal best, the Trojans' fastest 3K time this season, and just four seconds shy of cracking the program's all-time top 10 list.
Other Trojans competing included freshmen
Zach Morin (mile),
Connor King (mile),
Eva Tice (mile),
Maddie Cottier (mile), and
Amidat Olokunola (800m); junior
Shane Fisher (mile, 800m); and sophomore
Aaliyah Joshua (mile). The group posted solid efforts as they continue preparing for the conference meet.
"We ended up at Pitt State for a tune-up, mostly focusing on racing well rather than focusing on times. Our longer distance group went down to the mile/800 to get some faster efforts in and we had Jordan opening up indoor with his 3K. It's always nice to get another opportunity to race and see what else we can work on for our conference meet in 10 days. We trained pretty hard through this week with two hard workouts and two lifts, so I'm excited to see how they finish out the season after a solid taper," said assistant coach Jordyn Naylon.
Full results can be viewed at:
https://milesplit.live/meets/719053/events/35/results/F/F
Arkansas Tyson Invitational
In Fayetteville, Little Rock competed among some of the top-ranked programs in the country, as well as professional athletes representing brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Puma. Competing schools included Penn State, Tennessee, Kansas State, and host Arkansas. In total, 14 schools ranked inside the top 15 nationally on the men's and women's sides were entered in the meet.
Eight Trojans qualified to compete across the two-day event: seniors
Deshawn Roberts (high jump),
Takia Palmer (200m),
Brooklyn Marcee (pole vault), and
Falon Short (long jump); junior
Devin Stevens (800m); sophomore
Morcellous Harris (long jump); and freshman
Colter Maya (400m).
The Trojans held their own against elite competition, gaining valuable experience as they prepare for the postseason.
""The Tyson Invite gave us exactly what we needed heading into conference," said head coach
J.P. Behnke. "Competing at that level sharpened us, and we'll use that experience and momentum as we prepare to compete for a championship."
Full results can be viewed at:
https://flashresults.com/2026_Meets/Indoor/02-13_Tyson/index.htm
Up Next
Little Rock will now have 10 days off before competing at the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 24-25. The Trojan men will look to capture their third consecutive conference title, while the women aim to return to the top after back-to-back runner-up finishes.
For the latest information on Little Rock Cross Country/Track and Field, check out LRTrojans.com. You can also follow the team on social media at @LittleRockTFXC on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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