FAYETTEVILLE, AR – With former M-CHS track star Zander Cruzan in the fold, the Arkansas men’s outdoor track and field team might have the missing piece to their national title formula.
After finishing runner-up at the national championships in two of the past three years, including by just one point to co-champions Texas A&M and University of Southern California last summer, the Razorbacks have a team that once again is on a short list of title contenders.
Cruzan’s arrival in Fayetteville bolstered one of the top sprinting cores in the country, and as the ‘Hogs host the Division I West Regional over the weekend of May 27 to 30, the former Panther looks to make his mark as part of the team’s 4 x 400 relay, as well as in the individual 400 meters.
The M-CHS school record holder in multiple events and state champion in both the 400 and 200 meters, Cruzan joins a collection of Razorbacks – senior TJ Tomlyanovich, sophomore Devyn Wright, and junior Jordan Pierre – who posted a West Region-leading time of 3:00.62. Their mark is the third-best in Division I, behind Louisiana State and Florida (both in the East Region).
Cruzan also owns one of the top 60 times in the country in the open 400 meters (45.92), and enters into the first round of the 400 meters in the West Region as the No. 27-ranked athlete in the event. He’s slated to compete in the first round of qualifying on May 27 at 7:25 p.m., and if he advances to the quarterfinal round, he will run the single-lap again on May 29 at 6:50 p.m.
The Razorbacks take to the track in the 4 x 400 on May 29 at 8:45 p.m., with the top 12 individuals and relays from each event advancing to the national championships in Eugene, Oregon over the weekend of June 10 to 13.
