Twin Pharmacy Students Inducted into Arkansas Track & Field Hall of Fame

By Benjamin Waldrum

The sisters were enshrined June 3 as part of the 27th class of the Arkansas Track & Field Hall of Fame, at a ceremony held at the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel in North Little Rock.

“We are extremely excited for Tori and Lexi on this amazing recognition in honor of the significance of their track and field careers,” said College of Pharmacy Dean Cindy Stowe, Pharm.D. “Tori and Lexi are outstanding student pharmacists and we believe that the mindset, discipline, work ethic and commitment to excellence that supported them in their athletic careers is translating well to their careers in pharmacy.”

Hoggard and Jacobus, who announced their retirement from pole vaulting last year, are now squarely focused on their budding careers in pharmacy.

Originally, the sisters planned on attending UAMS in the 2019-2020 academic year, but that was postponed so they could train and compete to qualify for the Olympics before starting school. Ultimately, Hoggard and Jacobus began their postgraduate education in 2020 while also training for and competing in pole vaulting track-and-field meets. They juggled academics and training as undergraduates while completing bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry.

Now, they are at the top of their class as rising third-year students.

“We were both so excited to get the call that we would be a part of this year’s inductees into the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame,” Hoggard said. “We had an amazing track and field journey together and are so honored to be inducted together as well. We are so grateful to our family, coaches and supporters from across the entire state of Arkansas for making our time competing so special.”

“It is an incredible honor to be inducted into the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame,” Jacobus said. “I have lived in Arkansas my whole life, so getting to represent the state not only in high school but also at the collegiate level at the University of Arkansas was an amazing opportunity. Track and field has been a huge part of my life since I was 13 years old, so this honor is so incredibly special to me.”

Both sisters had storied athletic careers studded with multiple titles and awards.

Hoggard was a seven-time state champion at Cabot High School in pole vault, long jump, triple jump, 300 hurdles and 4×400 relay and won the 300 hurdles and 4×400 relay at the Meet of Champs state competition. She broke the national high school indoor pole vault record at 14 feet, 4 inches and was runner-up in the 2015 Arkansas State Heptathlon with 4,480 points.

Specializing in the pole vault at the University of Arkansas, Hoggard won the 2017 Southeastern Conference indoor title and the 2019 NCAA outdoor championship, was a six-time All-American and eight-time SEC top-three finisher. Her best collegiate jump was 15 feet, 1.5 inches.

Jacobus was a six-time state champion at Cabot High School in pole vault, long jump and 100 hurdles and a five-time Meet of Champs winner in pole vault, 400 meter run and 4×400 relay. She was the state record-holder in the pole vault at 14 feet, 2 inches and broke the national high school outdoor record at 14 feet, 7.5 inches. She won the 2015 Arkansas High School heptathlon with 4,481 points and was the 2015 Arkansas Track and Field Gatorade Athlete of the Year.

Specializing in the pole vault at the University of Arkansas, Jacobus was a five-time SEC champion and four-time NCAA champion. She set the SEC indoor record and her best collegiate jump was 15 feet, 5 inches. She finished third in the Olympic Trials and competed for Team USA in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016.