Hood living up to Razorback mystique

Most college athletes just dream about becoming an all-American, but Arkansas track star Graham Hood has made a habit of it. Since joining the Razorbacks, Hood has received all-American recognition eight times. He is one of the featured runners at the upcoming Penn Relays and has a good shot at winning three relay events at the Carnival. Hood, a distance runner, started his track career in high school, mostly because he was the best runner in his gym class while growing up in Ontario, Canada. Eventually he progressed to the point where Arkansas, the top track program in the country, offered him a scholarship. Under legendary coach John McDonnell, the Razorbacks have built a dynasty rarely seen in college athletics. They have won an amazing 12 straight NCAA indoor championships and are gunning for their fourth straight outdoor title. Over the years, Arkansas has relied on its distance runners to lead it to championships. "Because of Coach McDonnell and his training style, Arkansas certainly seemed like the best choice for me," Hood said. The Arkansas mystique is a lot to live up to. The names of past Razorbacks runners can be found throughout the NCAA and Penn Relays record books. Opponents of Arkansas are constantly trying to knock off the top team in the country and are known to say "I got me a Hog" when they defeat a Razorback in a race. "There is definitely a bit of pressure to live up to the past performances," Hood said. "But although there is the pressure, most of the guys on the team now are trying to make their own names." Hood certainly has done just that during his career. As a freshman in 1990-91, he did not expect to make an immediate impact, but he soon became a valuable member of the team. He finished fourth at NCAA indoors in the 800 meters, his time of 1 minute, 48.16 seconds a new Canadian national record. He also ran on Arkansas' winning distance medley relay team at Penn Relays. The following year, Hood continued his success by finishing second at NCAA indoors in the mile and fifth in the 800 at NCAA outdoors. He also was a member of the winning distance medley relay team and 4x1,500 relay teams at the Penn Relays. Hood capped off the year by representing Canada in the Olympics. He qualified for the finals in the 1,500 meters and finished ninth overall with a time of 3:42.55 "I hadn't thought too much about going initially," Hood said. "The fact that I wasn't expected to do well probably helped me at the Olympics." Hood appeared ready to have a great junior year, but saw it end by straining his knee during the cross country season in the fall. Hood was redshirted in 1992-93 to save his eligibility. "It was really tough for me after the sophomore year that I had to lose the next year," Hood said. "I felt that my junior year was going to be my year to shine." Hood came back with a vengeance last year. He was a member of the Razorbacks' winning distance medley relay team at the NCAA indoor competition. During the outdoor season he gained his first individual NCAA championship by winning the 1,500 in 3:42.10. "Last year was very important for me after coming back from the injury," Hood said. "It got me back into my own frame of mind." Now Hood is coming to the 1995 Penn Relays as one of four college athletes to be honored during the Carnival. Penn Relays is especially important to Hood because it was here last year that he finally felt he had reached the level he was at before his injury. He ran three great races as the Hogs won the distance medley relay, in which they set a world record, and the 4x1,500. With the exception of the NCAAs, the Relays represents the biggest meet of the year for Hood. "There is so much atmosphere and excitement with 50,000 fans, all of whom are knowledgeable about track," Hood said. "As coach McDonnell said, 'If you can't get fired up at Penn Relays, you should get out of the sport.' " Hood considers these Relays his first real meet of the season as he gears up to defend his NCAA 1,500-meters title. Despite Arkansas' team title, Hood did not have his best meet at the NCAA indoors event. He finished second to Kevin Sullivan of Michigan in the mile, while the Wolverines defeated the Razorbacks in the distance medley relay. "We really want to win the DMR this weekend because Michigan is going to be there," Hood said. "We want the chance to show everyone that we are the top team in the country." After this season is over, Hood will begin his professional track career. His ultimate goal is to win a medal at the '96 Olympics in Atlanta. If he does, he will add another piece to the Razorback's distance running tradition.