Alcide of Razorbacks Track Team Named National Athlete of the Week

Courtesy University of Arkansas Athletics Department
FAYETTEVILLE – On the heels of a school-record and NCAA-leading performance in the pentathlon at the Razorback Team Invitational, University of Arkansas senior Makeba Alcide has been named the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Athlete of the Week.

Alcide became the No. 3 all-time collegiate performer in the pentathlon last Friday with her victory at the 11-team invitational meet in Fayetteville. In the win, Alcide broke the school record and posted an NCAA-leading score of 4,464 points in the five-event competition. With her performance, Alcide established the sixth-highest collegiate score ever. Only Briane Theisen (2008-12) of Oregon and Jacquelyn Johnson (2004-08) of Arizona State have scored higher in NCAA history.

“I’ve had my eye on that record since I got (to Arkansas),” Alcide said following her win Friday. “I missed it by just a few points last year so to do it during my first multi of this year is very important to me.”

In her first pentathlon of the season, Alcide racked up four lifetime-best performance including a school-record effort of 1.89m/6-2.25 in the high jump. Alcide became the first-ever Razorback over six feet in the event and is currently ranked third among NCAA athletes this season. She also had personal-best results of 8.45 in the 60-meter hurdles, 5.88m/19-3.5 in the long jump and 2:16.94 at 800 meters.

The Castries, St. Lucia, native established a national record for her home country of St. Lucia and replaced the previous school record of 4,141 set 11 years ago by former Razorback All-American DeeDee Brown. Alcide added more than 300 points to her pentathlon best, having entered the weekend with a PR of 4,126 points.

Teammate Regina George received honorable mention in Monday’s USTFCCCA release. The Arkansas senior extended her national lead at 400 meters with a first-place performance at the Razorback Team Invitational. Having watched the previous two heats produce NCAA-leading times, George ran the fastest time in the nation by crossing the finish line in a personal-best time of 52.26.

Awarded to six collegiate track and field and cross country athletes (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions) each Monday by the USTFCCCA office, the National Athlete of the Week Award will spotlight exceptional performances by student-athletes from around the nation.

The Razorbacks return to action Feb. 1-2 with the Armory Collegiate Invitational in New York. For more information regarding Razorback track and field or University of Arkansas athletics, please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com. Fans can also keep up with Arkansas cross country and track and field through the team’s sport-specific RazorbackTF Facebook and Twitter pages.