Beginning January 24th, Milesplit Arkansas will feature one inductee in the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame every week leading up to the 2025 ceremony.
[From the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame]: "The Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame, which began honoring athletes in 1995, is dedicated to recognizing Arkansans whose performances and contributions have distinguished them in the world of track and field. Its stated mission is to 'honor and recognize persons who have made significant contributions to the sports of track and field and cross country in the state of Arkansas; and recognize and encourage Arkansas high school track athletes who have excelled in performance and /or academics."
Ballots for this year's Hall of Fame were due on February 4th. Questions concerning the ATFHOF can be directed to their website here, and tickets for the 2025 banquet can be purchased here. This year's banquet is scheduled for Friday, May 30th.
Today's Hall of Fame Friday features one of the winningest athletes in the history of the NCAA, Erick Walder.
Erick Walder, Class of 2014
University of Arkansas (1991-1994)
[Bio from ATFHOF]
Erick Walder's prowess in the long jump and triple jump was so strong that it made him the winningest field eventer in NCAA Division I history, collecting 10 titles. That's no small feat at Arkansas, whose dominance in the LJ/TJ combination has the next two athletes on the list with nine.
Six of Walder's NCAA crowns came indoors with three-straight sweeps in each event from 1994-96, making him the only athlete with three consecutive sweeps in any pair of events at the NCAA DI Indoor championships.
Walder, who also had an LJ/TJ sweep outdoors, had most of his success in the long jump. His second of three-straight outdoor crowns included a second-straight meet record in 1993, which still stands - not only as the meet record, but also the low-altitude collegiate record at 8.53m (28-0). In El Paso of April 1994, Walder set another still-standing collegiate record at 8.74m (28-8ΒΌ).
Walder was a part of Arkansas team titles every time he participated in the NCAA Indoor or Outdoor championships, seven in all. He was the Razorbacks' top scorer in six of those and the meet's top scorer four times.
[More on Walder]
- NCAA Outdoor Long Jump Record Holder
- 3x NCAA Indoor Triple Jump Champion
- 3x NCAA Indoor Long Jump Champion
- 3x NCAA Outdoor Long Jump Champion
- 1x NCAA Outdoor Triple Jump Champion
- 2nd at World Championships in Triple Jump (1997)
- 1st in US Long Jump Rankings (1997-1999)
- 3rd at World Indoor Championships (1995, 2000)