FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — What a year it's been for The Arkansas Razorback athletic program and with 2023 coming to an end, here's our 5NEWS top five moments of the year.
5.) KJ Jefferson breaking all-time passing touchdown record
Starting at number five, KJ Jefferson broke the Arkansas all-time passing touchdown record with 65 against Florida International with a ten-yard pass from Jefferson to Jeadon Wilson. Later in the game, he broke the all-time passing yards record as well. He finished his career with 7,923 passing yards before entering the transfer portal on Dec. 16.
4.) Razorback basketball taking down Duke
Onto number four as the Arkansas Razorbacks took down the 7th ranked Duke Blue Devils 80-75 at Bud Walton Arena on Nov. 29 and the Hogs students partied like no tomorrow on the court, resulting in Arkansas getting fined $100,000 by the SEC. A 47-point second half vaulted the Hogs over the Blue Devils and made the students wait two days outside the arena worth every second.
3.) Jaydon Hibbert awarded Bowerman Trophy
Number three on our list goes to Jaydon Hibbert as he was awarded the most prestigious award in track and field, the Bowerman Trophy on Dec. 15 after his record-breaking season. Hibbert won both the SEC and National Championship in the triple jump, broke decades-old collegiate records, and was the world leader in the triple jump in 2023. That is good enough to place number three on our list.
He is the third freshman overall to win the prestigious honor, joining Sha'Carri Richardson (LSU, 2019), Athing Mu (Texas A&M, 2021) and Sydney McLaughlin (Kentucky, 2018).
2.) Coach Muss shirtless after win over KU during March Madness
For number two let's go all the way back to March as the eighth-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks took down the one-seeded Kansas Jayhawks 72-71 in Des Moines, Iowa to advance to the Sweet 16. But the most iconic moment of it all was when Coach Muss took off his shirt and flung it around in excitement as the Hogs headed to Las Vegas where they met the eventual national champion UConn Huskies.
1.) Hogs volleyball has most successful season ever
And that puts us at number one when the Hogs volleyball squad headed to Lincoln Nebraska for the Sweet 16 and defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 3 sets to 2 to advance to their first Elite Eight in program history. Arkansas had lost to Kentucky two times already but the third time was the charm. They ended the SEC champions' season and would finish 8th in the final AVCA poll, the highest in their history.
And that's our 5NEWS Top 5 Razorback moments of 2023.