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Back in March, Matt Jones of wholehogsports.com reported that Arkansas' veteran superstar Lauren Gregory is expected to miss the remainder of the outdoor track season.
According to the report, Gregory sustained a navicular fracture in her right foot during the NCAA Indoor Championships and underwent surgery for the injury in March 15th, roughly four days later.
At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Gregory noticed the injury during, "...the closing stages of the mile race in Albuquerque. [Coach Lance Harter] said Gregory told her coaches after the race that she felt a pop in her foot."
In a separate article by Nate Allen of Whole Hog Sports, Gregory has signed, "a unique pro contract both to run track and mountain race." It is not yet clear when Gregory signed that contract nor who her sponsor will be.
Gregory may go down as one of the better distance runners in the NCAA history to not win an individual national title. And yet, despite that, this Razorback veteran is easily one of the most decorated distance talents that the Southeastern Conference (SEC) has ever seen.
The Colorado native will end her collegiate career with personal bests of 2:44 (1k), 4:09 (1500), 4:31 (mile), 8:53 (3k), 15:25 (5k) and 32:34 (10k). Between all three seasons, she has amassed a total of nine All-American honors, two of which resulted in silver medals in the mile and the DMR at the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this year.
Gregory entered the spring months listed at TSR #2 in our outdoor track distance rankings. She was expected to be a national title contender in the 1500 meters or the 10,000 meters as well as an All-American favorite in the 5000 meters (depending on which events she entered).
It should also be noted that Isabel Van Camp, another top-tier distance talent for the Razorbacks who was a 5k All-American last spring, has not raced since mid-January. According to the article, Van Camp has also been battling injuries this year.