Bougard goes big in opener, Brooks gets Razorbacks record

Former Mississippi State star breaks Texas Relays heptathlon record, Arkansas junior becomes 25th in Division 1 history to eclipse 6,000-point barrier

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Erica Bougard just missed her personal best, despite it being her first heptathlon of the year.

Taliyah Brooks not only achieved her all-time best performance, but became the 25th female athlete in NCAA Division 1 history to surpass 6,000 points.

The results were a meet record for Bougard, an Arkansas program record for Brooks and the top two scores in the world year Thursday at the 90th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.

Bougard, the USATF Indoor pentathlon champion, made an impressive transition outdoors and won the heptathlon with 6,246 points, eclipsing the 2001 meet standard of 6,217 by Kelly Blair-LaBounty.

Bougard, a Mississippi State graduate representing Chula Vista Elite, fell just short of her 6,288-point effort from the 2015 USATF Outdoor Championships, despite completing the heptathlon with a 2:09.89 in the 800 meters.

Brooks, a junior, accumulated 6,075 points to break the 2013 Razorbacks record of 6,050 by Makeba Alcide. Brooks, the NCAA Indoor pentathlon runner-up, won last year’s Texas Relays heptathlon competition with 5,991 points.