(March 14, 2026) Arkdalephia, Arkansas - The Bucks have had a very good start to their Spring 2026 track season and kept the momentum going this afternoon at the Ouachita Invitational. It was their shortest bus ride of the season and competed mainly against NCAA DII competition. 

The meet kicked off for the Bucks in the 1500 meter run. There were 40 men in the race with UARM's best finish coming from Aiden Kimp (Mena, AR). Kimp placed 19th with a time of 4:21.84. The freshmen duo of Ethan Mazzola (Benton, AR) and Carlos McFadden (Sherwood, AR) were close behind at 21st and 22nd in the race. The men had times of 4:29.60 and 4:31.12. Camren Lynn-Edward Smith rounded out the race with a time of 4:47.08 that was good enough for 31st overall. 

The best finishes of the day came from the freshmen combo of Josiah Jackson (Norman, OK) and Khobee Osborne (De Queen, AR). Jackson placed 3rd in the 400 meter run with a time of 49:58, while Osborne also placed 3rd in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 55:15. 

The sprinters competed in the 100 meter and 200 meter dashess. The 100m had 50 competitors with with Kale Erickson (Lindstrom, MN) and Micah Brooks (Northside, Anguilla) finishing 44th and 45th. The finish was the same in the 200m with Erickson finishing 33rd and Brooks placing 40th. Jackson joined them in the race and placed 14th overall with a time of 22.33. There was a total of 46 men in competition. 

The men's day wrapped up in the 800 meter run. There were 6 sections of the race with a total of 48 competitors. It appeared that the Bucks all ran together with three out of the four UARM runners placing 23rd - 25th. Alfred Rodriguez (Dalhart, TX) led the way with a 2:04.73. He was followed by Mazzola and Kimp with times of 2:05.58 and 2:06.73, respectively. McFadden placed 33rd in the race.

The Bucks will now have a few weeks off before racing again in Nacogdoches, TX at Stephen F. Austin.

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