Carey McLeod last round leap wins long jump, equals Jamaican record
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico – A last round leap which measured 27 feet, 6.75 inches (8.40) secured the NCAA Indoor long jump title for Razorback Carey McLeod by a quarter of an ince, or one centimeter, on Friday evening at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
No. 1 Arkansas finished the first day with 20 team points as Wayne Pinnock placed fourth in the long jump, Patrick Kiprop finished sixth in the 5,000m, and the Razorback distance medley relay added a pair of points by placing seventh.
Through five of 17 finals scored, Ole Miss trails Arkansas in team scoring with 14 and are followed by BYU (12), Northern Arizona (11), and Oklahoma State (11).
In the heptathlon, the Razorback duo of Ayden Owens-Delerme and Yariel Soto Torrado are currently in second and sixth place following the first four events in the competition.
Arkansas also advanced a pair of sprinters to Saturday finals in the 200m and 400m. Chris Bailey led the field in the 400m with a 45.33 over a 45.37 for Florida’s Ryan Willie. In the 200m, Lance Lang ran 20.52 from lane three to place second in his section and eighth overall.
With the top eight fastest times advancing, the final spot had Tennessee’s Javonte Harding, a runner-up in another section, also possessing a time of 20.52. Going to the thousandths of a second, Lang advanced by 0.005 (20.515 to 20.520).
Through three rounds of the long jump, defending champion Wayne Pinnock was the leader with a 27-1.75 (8.27) mark while McLeod occupied third at 26-11.75 (8.22). SEC champion Cameron Crump of Mississippi State had a best of 25-10 (7.87) which stationed him in seventh place.
In round four, though, Crump delivered a mark of 27-6.5 (8.39) to move into first place. Pinnock replied with a 27-4 (8.33) career best to occupy second place.
McLeod then delivered the knock-out blow with a 27-6.75 (8.40), which ranks No. 2 on the UA all-time list. He is just behind the Arkansas school record of 27-8 held by Erick Walder from 1994, and just ahead of Jarrion Lawson’s 27-6.5 (8.39) from 2014.
Among Jamaicans, McLeod equaled the national record set by James Beckford in 1996. On the all-time collegiate list, McLeod is the No. 5 performer with the No. 6 performance. In addition to Walder, the only jumpers ahead of him include Miguel Pate, Carl Lewis, and Juvaughan Harrison.
Pinnock matched his best effort with another 27-4 in the sixth round to finish fourth as Florida State’s Jeremiah Davis hit a final round mark of 27-5.5 (8.37).