FLORIDA RELAYS PREVIEW

Over the past couple of years the Florida Relays has become the second string player during this great weekend in track and field. In the past the Florida Relays were one week ahead of the Texas Relays to try and not compete with the major meet. However now the Florida Relays is now scheduled for the same weekend as the Texas Relays. The Florida Relays in the future may bring more professional involvement especially since there are strong amount of individual events but right now it a hot event for southeastern schools.


Men

The men's side bring a host of intriguing stories, from distance to sprints, from jumps to throws and from all levels of competition high school, collegiate and professional.

the sprints the Indoor Champions and host University of Florida look to be the main story coming out this weekend. Jeff Demps will compete in his first outdoor 100 meter race since his injury plagued eighth place finish at last year's SEC Championship at Florida. Demps will race against teammates Jeremy Hall and Terrell Wilks. Also in the race is Gator alum and olympic gold and silver medalist Bernard Williams. Evander Wells from Tennesse should also spark a challenge.

Superstar Florida freshman Tony McQuay will look to lead the way in the men's 400 being joined with teammates Calvin Smith, Christian Taylor and R.J. Anderson. This quartet could possibly put up a record time in the men's 4x400 relay.

Olympic bronze medalist David Oliver and Jamaican star Dwight Thomas will square off in the men's 110 hurdles. Florida is still without sensation William Wynne who is missing in action for an undisclosed reason, rumor on Gator track report is that Wynne is injured. South Carolina hurdle stars Johnny Dutch and Booker Nunley look to headline for the college men.

In the distance events Florida senior Carlos Phillips looks to headline the collegiate ranks competing in the men's 800. After running phenomenal times during the regular seasons of the past this could be the season where Phillips gets his outdoor All-American honor. Phillips will have good competition from Tennesse sophomore Emerson Peacock. The men's mile should also be an interesting with Florida senior Justin Taylor, Wisconsin junior Landon Peacock and middle distance standout junior Ryan Foster of Penn State.

The relay events are obviously the main attraction to the meet. The men's 4x100 looks to be a barn burner. The defending NCAA Outdoor Champions, the Florida Gators, have a stellar team consisting of Jeremy Rankin, Jeremy Hall, Terell Wilks and Jeff Demps. The Gators 4x200 relay looks solid as well, Tony McQuay, Jeremy Hall, Terell Wilks and Jeff Demps look to aid those efforts. The 4x400 relay relay is just as competitive. The 4x400 consists of Tony McQuay, Chrisitan Taylor, R.J. Anderson and Calvin Smith. The Gators should get challenged from Tennesse, South Carolina, South Florida and North Carolina in all three of the sprint relays.


The field events add to the star power of what looks to be a great meet. Talented Florida freshman Omar Craddock will double in both the men's triple jump and long jump, Craddock will look to be the winner in both those events coming off a stellar indoor season. Fellow freshman David Wilson of Virginia Tech will also look to take the crown in the men's triple jump.

Another talented Gator freshman Jeremy Postin will look to again improve on his mark in the men's hammer throw were he last week set a school record. Teammate Kemal Mesic a junior will headline the men's shot put after ending his indoor seasons as an All-American.

Should a great weekend of collegiate action for the men.

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The Women will take a back seat at this meet. The headlines are not as solid as on the men's side. However there a plenty of big names lining up this weekend for some exciting races.

The Sprints always a headline at relay meet, LaKya Brookins of South Carolina will look to avenge his 60 meter title loss this past indoor season in the women's 100. Joining Brookins will be Shavon Greaves of Penn State, high school 60 meter record holder Ashley Owens, Natasha Hastings and Rachelle Smith.

The 400 will star junior LaJada Baldwin of Ole Miss and Jenna Martin of Kentucky. The two college stars will get pushed heavily by former NCAA Champion Shana Cox. Former University of Texas star Moushami Robinson will also compete in a seperate heat.

The women's 100 meter hurdles is loaded with star talent both professional and collegiate. Indoor 60 meter champion Queen Harrison will compete along with Vaniesha Ivy of North Carolina teammate Kristi Catlin. Professionals include former NCAA Champion Nichole Denby, Kelli Wells, Damu Cherry and Andrea Bliss. Penn State's Aleesha Barber is a wild card in the race.

Harrison will look to add a second crown in the women's 400 hurdles as the main headliner, Miami teammates Tierra Brown and Takecia Jameson will provide a strong challenge along with North Carolina junior Latoya James. Former Miami standout Dominique Darden will be competing in a seperate heat.

The Distance events will be very hot this weekend, Florida senior Charlotte Browning is the name everyone will remember at the end of this meet. After winning the women's mile indoors, Browning looks to carry that same success outdoors. However in this meet Browning will step down to the 800. Browning will look to have a number one ranking at the end of the race. Sophomore Tasha Stanley of North Carolina should be the main competitor.

Ironic that Phoebe Wright the indoor 800 meter champion will move up to the mile to led a strong Tennesse contingent in that event. Wright will be joined by teammates Brittany Sheffey and Jackie Areson. Host runners Genevieve LaCaze, Stacy Johnson and Kaitlin Shiver will look to defend Florida in what should be a great mile race.

Senior Mariam Kevkhishvilli of Florida looks to go out on top at her last Florida Relays as Gator. The shot put star is class of all field events this weekend and will look to put up a big mark. Teammate Shara Proctor will look to defeat rival Kim Williams of Florida State in the women's long jump.


Looks to be a great competition at the Florida Relays. This weekend also plays host to a collection of meets throughout the country. The Florida and Texas Relays look to take the cake as the premier meets this weekend. Keep your eye on Flotrack to view some fantastic races.

OUTDOOR SEASON IS HERE

This is the time of the year were track and field fans are glued to the internet checking on all the results throughout the weekend. Unlike football, basketball and baseball, ESPN does not provide a consistent analysis of each weekend's meet. The track and field fan must scout the internet for themselves. This weekend however should provide some headlines in a multitude of events for the college track and field fan. Two major competitions this week include the Texas Relays and the Florida Relays. These two meets don't just provide speed, but great distance and field marks as well.


TEXAS RELAYS 83rd edition

The Texas Relays does not have alot of individual events however it does include two intense sprint events, the 100 meter dash and 100/110 meter high hurdles along with the low 400 hurdles event.

On the women's side in the 100 meter dash should be a race that will produce the national leader. Indoor champion Blessing Okagbare of UTEP will look to claim the title but she must be weary of Jeneba Tarmoh of Texas A&M, Takeia Pinckney of LSU and Porscha Lucas of Texas A&M.

In the 100 meter hurdles Natasha Ruddock of Texas A&M is the main headliner in the event. Ruddock will receive competition from Latoya Greaves of Oklahoma. Ruddock will not have teammate Gabby Mayo in this event so Ruddock is a solid favorite.

The Relays should be the main story at the end of the meet. Pat Henry Texas A&M program is now at the level of LSU program he had winning multiple champions and the relays are a primary reason for his success. The Aggies will be favorites in both the 400 meter relay and 800 meter relay. The Aggies 400 relay of Jeneba Tarmoh, Porscha Lucas, Dominqiue Duncan and Gabby Mayo should challenge the meet record set by Pat Henry's LSU squad in 2003 with a time of 42.63. They will have a strong challenge from LSU now coached by Dennis Shaver. In the 1,600 meter relay the women of Texas look to return to the top, after a strong performance last year in their efforts to rebuild the program back to prominence.

In the women's long jump Okagbare of UTEP is the clear leader after winning the indoor title by almost a whole foot. Okagbare will get a great challenge coming from Chantel Malone a junior from Texas.

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On the men's side sophomore D'Angelo Cherry of Mississippi State is the main story in the men's 100 meter dash. Cherry coming off a 10.0 performance as a freshman last season should stun the crowd with his amazing start. Teddy Williams of UTSA a senior will be great competition after a stellar indoor season.

In the hurdles junior Ronnie Ash of Oklahoma will look to continue his dominance over collegiate track and field in the 100 highs. Ash will see strong competition from Omo Osaghae a senior from Texas Tech and junior Oscar Spurlock of USC. Jeshua Anderson should amaze the crowd with a solid performance in the men's 400 meter hurdles, the two-time defending outdoor champion look for a sub 49 second effort.

In the relay's Texas A&M is a favorite in all sprints relays, 400 relay, 800 relay and 1,600 relay. The Aggies will be headlines by indoor Champion Curtis Mitchell and Gerald Phiri. The Aggies main competition are the Florida State Seminoles, TCU Horned Frogs and the Trojans of USC.

The distance relays look to have solid performances from both Arkansas and Texas. Arkansas will be featuring senior star Dorian Ulrey. LSU looks as though they would be solid favorites for the men's 3,200 meter relay with a team Richard Jones, Jamaal James, Sadiki White and Garrek Thompson.

Alain Bailey of Arkanasas a senior who is coming off a indoor title should break the 27 foot barrier and will received heavy competition from LSU star Zedric Thomas and Ngonidzashe Makusha a junior from Florida State.

Next blog: Florida Relays preview Men.

OREGON DUCKS DOMINATE!!!

Oregon has perhaps the best atmosphere for track and field. Extremely appreciative fans, the facilities and the money. This past weekend at the NCAA Indoor Champions the women of Oregon won the national title in dominating fashion. With the support of the university and it's fans, this may only be the beginning of what could be a consistent title contender or possibly a dynasty.

The Oregon Ducks women's track and field program was in serious trouble. When Vin Lananna and Robert Johnson arrived things definitely began to change. There was a serious change in the atmosphere and the level of recruiting has gone up. The Women of Oregon also have revamped their sprint core and are currently bringing in a stellar sprint class. There performance this past weekend scoring 61 points, 25 points more than Tennessee who finished second was remarkable. The Ducks had championship performances from senior Brianne Theisen in the heptahtlon scoring 4,396 points and the 4x400 meter relay clocking in at 3:32.97. This seems to be a sign of things to come.

Championship Highlights

60 meters - Blessing Okagbare UTEP 7.18

200 meters- Shaniqua Ferguson Auburn 23.09

400 meters- Francena McCrory Hampton 50.54 ( an American record, McCrory who began college with an unfortunate streak of bad luck, has set the track world on fire again in her senior year, hopefully we can see a sub 50 second performance this outdoor season).

800 meters- Phoebe Wright Tennessee 2:02.55

Women's Mile- Charlotte Browning Florida 4:35.66

3000 meters- Angela Bizzari Illinois 8:57.40

5000 meters- Lisa Koll Iowa State 15:39.65

60 hurdles- Queen Harrison Virginia Tech 7.95

Women's DMR- Tennessee ( Phoebe Wright, Ellen Wortham, Chanelle Price, Brittany Sheffey)

Women's 4x400- Oregon ( Jamesha Youngblood, Keisha Baker, Michelle Williams, Amber Purvis)

Long Jump- Blessing Okagbare UTEP 22-6.50 (Okagbare was the only athlete the whole meet that individually doubled having won the 60 along with the long jump. Okagbare's mark was meet record)

Triple Jump- Kim Williams Florida State 45-9.25

Shot Put- Miriam Kevkhishvilli Florida 61-0

Weigh Throw- D'Ana McCarty Louisville 74-8.25

High Jump- Elizabeth Patterson Arizona 6-4

Pole Vault- Kylie Huston Indiana State 14-9

Pentathlon- Brianne Theisen Oregon 4,396


The Outdoor season begins this weekend with some amazing competition around the country. Three meets to keep an eye on are the Hurricane Inviational in Miami, the Oregon Preview and the USC Trojan Invitational.

GATORS FINALLY WIN!!! EATON BREAKS WORLD RECORD!!

This past weekend track and field fans were treated to a myriad of track and field championships at the high school level, collegiate and professional. This blog session is all about college track and field. The Florida Gators were finally able to win a championship. Senior Ashton Eaton set the world record in the men's heptathlon.

The Florida Gators over the past couple years have finished second multiple times. Most notably last year where the men were second at every major championship except for one last year. Both indoor and outdoor, conference and at national saw the Gators come in second. Two weekends ago the Gators unfortunately got a taste of second place again, falling to Arkansas yet again at the conference championships by four points. The Gators entered the NCAA Championship meet as overwhelming favorites. The Gators came in with a very deep team and look to score high in almost all there events.

Highlights*

The Gators were able to do just that, sophomore football star Jeff Demps ran a 6.56 in the men's 60 meter dash to take the crown. Sophomore Christian Taylor was able to defend his title in the men's triple jump leaping to 56-4.50, almost three feet ahead of the next competitor. Freshman Tony McQuay was able to score big points, finishing third in the 400 meters with a personal best of 45.74, eighth in the 200 clocking in at 20.80 and fourth as the second leg on the men's 4x400 relay. Senior Calvin Smith did not have his best meet but was still able to score in all three of those same events. Senior Jeremy Hall was also able to contribute finishing sixth in the men's 60 meter dash clocking at 6.66.

Champions*

60 meters- Jeffrey Demps Florida 6.56

200 meters- Curtis Mitchell Texas A&M 20.38

400 meters- Torrin Lawrence Georgia 45. 23

800 meters- Robby Andrews Virginia 1:48.39

Mile run- Lee Emanuel New Mexico 3:59.26

3000 meters- Dorian Ulrey Arkansas 8:10.52

5000 meters- David McNeil Northern Arizona 13:36.41

60 meter hurdles- Ronnie Ash Oklahoma 7.56

Men's DMR- Oregon ( A.J. Acosta, Chad Barlow, Travis Thompson, Andrew Wheating)

Men's 4x400 relay- Texas A&M ( Demetrius Pinder, Bryan Miller, Tabarie Henry, Curtis Mitchell)

Men's Triple Jump- Christian Taylor Florida 56-4.50

Men's Long Jump- Alain Bailey Arkansas 26-9.75

Men's High Jump- Derek Drouin Indiana 7-5.75

Men's Pole Vault- Scott Roth Washington 18-4.50

Men's Shot Put- Ryan Whiting Arizona State 70-7.25

Men's Weight Throw- Walter Henning LSU 77-3.75

Heptathlon- Ashton Eaton Oregon 6,499 ( This was a world record performance by Eaton. He is arguably the greatest multi-event athlete in Collegiate history look for Olympic Gold Medals in his future, watch out Bryan Clay)

It was great to finally see the Gators pull out the victory. It also great to see Mike Hollway become apart of NCAA History by winning the NCAA Indoor Title he becomes the first black head coach of a men's track and field program to win a NCAA Title.

Next update hopefully we will be able to discuss the women's side of the NCAA Championship prior to the upcoming Outdoor season.

GREAT DAY 1 OF THE INDOOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS AND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS.

Sorry for not posting the men's ncaa preview life got in the way of the that but let us review the NCAA meet so far.


NCAA'S

Men-

On the men's side the usual suspects, Florida and Arkansas had great first days. The Gators picked up 20 points, while the Razorbacks lead it with 24 points. The Gators have a great chance to finally shake the second place jinks that seems to be plaguing them.

Jeff Demps is the top qualifier in the men's 60 meter dash with his personal best time of 6.56. Senior Jeremy Hall will join him in tomorrow's final after running a 6.62 in the prelims to rank as the third qualifier. Fellow teammates freshman Tony McQuay and senior Calvin Smith will compete in the men's 400 final, Smith is third fastest qualifier and McQuay is the fifth. McQuay and Smith added four points to the team's total after their performances in the men's 200 placing sixth and eighth respectively. Curtis Mitchell of Texas A&M took the title with a 20.38 performance. Junior Ronnie Ash of Oklahoma leads the way in the men's 60 hurdles with a time of 7.55.

In the field event's Arkansas Alain Bailey won the men's long jump leaping to 26-9.75, while Florida's Christian Taylor leaped to a 26-0.25, Bailey's teammate Tarik Batchelor finished third with a mark of 26-0. Kemal Mesic of Florida put 8 huge points on the board with a throw of 63-2.25. Ryan Whiting of Arizona State took home the gold with a throw of 70-7.25. Junior Scott Roth of Washington led the way in the men's pole vault reaching a height of 18-4.50.

In the distance events Oregon who looks to make a serious push towards the title picked up 10 big points in the men's distance relay. Oregon's relay included A.J. Acosta, Chad Barlow, Travis Thompson and Andrew Wheating. Wheating was the star of the event walking down Arkansas' Dorian Ulrey to take the lead in the last 60 meters. Arkansas would finish a dissapointing second. David McNeil of New Mexico ran a very smart tactical race to take the crown in the men's 5,000 with a time of 13:36.41 and Sam Chelanga of Liberty took second clocking in at 13:37.01.

In the men's mile the Ducks of Oregon currently have two qualifiers in the final, A.J. Acosta and Mac Fleet. Acosta ranked fifth with a time of 4:03.21, Fleet is currently tenth with a time of 4:05.64. Lee Emanuel a senior from New Mexico is the leader with a time of 4:02.95. The men's 800 is another event where Oregon looks to score big points. Senior Andrew Wheating of Orregon leads the way with a time of 1:49.23, to lead all qualifiers. Freshman Elijah Greer also of Oregon was unable to qualify.

Women's-

It was a great day on the women's side for the Lady Tigers of LSU and a bit of a dissapointing day for the Texas A&M Aggies. The Lady Tigers, looked as if they were the LSU team from the past. The Oregon sit in fourth place and look to be okay for the final day tomorrow. Currently the Auburn Tigers lead the team race with 18 points while Tennessee is second with 16 points.

The women's 60 is where LSU teams of the past would have a serious presence. The past couple of years not so much. This year the Lady Tigers qualified three women to tomorrow's final. Leading the way for LSU is Junior Kenyanna Wilson who is currently ranked third with a time of 7.25, freshman Takeia Pinckney is currently fifth in 7.26 and senior Samantha Henry is sixth with 7.27. Blessing Okagbare currently leads the event with a time of 7.24. For Texas A&M only Gabby Mayo was able to make the final, Mayo's time of 7.242 currently ranks her second.

Henry was the only Lady Tiger to make it to the final's in the women's 200, Henry finished seventh in the event with a time of 23.52. Auburn sprinters Sheniqua Ferguson and Nivea Smith completed a 1-2 finish in the event, Ferguson clocking in at 23.09 and Smith in 23.12. Jeneba Tarmoh was the lone Aggie in the 200 clocking at 23.29 to finish fifth.

Junior Jessica Beard looked to give A&M a lift with a great seed, Beard qualified second in the women's 400 with a time of 52. 25 while defending indoor Champion Francena McCrory leads the way with 52.14. Joanna Atkins of Auburn the outdoor champion currently ranks third with a time 52.47.

Queen Harrison of Virginia Tech leads the way with the only sub 8 second performance with 7.98 as the top time. Junior's Tierra Brown of Miami and Natasha Ruddock of Texas A&M rank number 2 and 3 with times of 8.00 and 8.07.

In the field events senior Elizabeth Patterson of Arizona lived up to the height by winning the women's high jump reaching a height of 6-4. Senior Amber Kauffman of Hawaii is second with 6-2.75.

Okagbare won the women's long jump with a NCAA Meet Record leap of 22-6.50. Mindy McClurkin of BYU was second with a leap of 21-11.50 and junior Shara Proctor of Florida was third with a 21-9.50 effort.

Junior D'Anna McCarty of Louisville claimed the title in the women's weigh throw with a mark of 74-8.50.

The Distance events were full of exciting races, in the women's distance medley relay after a game of cat and mouse Tennessee won the race with a time of 10:58.37 to beat the favorite Oregon Ducks who finished second with a time of 10:58.96. Brittany Sheffey outdid freshman star Jordan Hasay in the final 100 meters of the race. The Volunteers team consisted of Sheffey, Chanelle Price, Ellen Wortham and Phoebe Wright. Senior Lisa Koll of Iowa State who was the overwhelming favorite in the women's 5,000 certainly lived up to billing clocking in a championship time of 15:39.65.

Hasay had a great performance in the preliminary round of the women's mile running a time of 4:41.89 to rank third, while favorite Charlotte Browning of Florida is ranked fifth with 4:43.35 effort. Katie Follet a senior out of Washington leads the event with a time of 4:41.84. In the women's 800 the two Lady Vols currently are at the top of the leader board. Favorite senior Phoebe Wright is currently number one with a time of 2:04.55 and Chanelle Price clocked in at 2:04.68 to rank third. Molly Beckwith is currently inbetween ranked second with a time of 2:04.61.

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The team races are very interesting, number one Florida is in prime position to claim the title, the Gators must be leary of Arkansas, Florida State and the Ducks of Oregon. On the women's side the Ducks had a pretty good first day but need to do more tomorrow for a team title to be possible. Texas A&M didn't have a great first day however tomorrow leaves the opportunity for them to score big points, the Lady Gators share a similar fate. Finally the Lady Tigers of LSU are interesting story for tomorrow's final day they have a pretty good shot to win the title.

NCAA Championship Preview

What a great season for collegiate track and field fans. This has definitely been a great season, especially in a year with no major summer championship. There are great team battles for the crown on both men's and women's side, and on both there are similar characters.

WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

*SPRINTS*

In the 60 meter dash the defending champion junior LaKya Brookins of South Carolina will look to defend her crown, Brookins currently is tied for the top time in the nation at 7.18 with UTEP senior star Blessing Okagbare. Freshman star out LSU Takeia Pinckney is also a runner to keep an eye on.

Junior Shavor Greaves and Senior Porscha Lucas are two sprinters to keep an eye in the women's 200 meter dash. Lucas is the defending outdoor champion and has a season personal best of 23.06, Greaves however is the only runner under 23 seconds this indoor season with a personal best of 22.98

The 400 meter crown has Jessica Beard's name written all over it. Beard it currently ranked number one in the event by more than a second with a season best of 51.15. Beard looks to claim the top spot after finishing second last year. Francena McCrory, a senior at Hampton, will look to defend her title, McCrory currently ranks seventh in the nation at 52.83. Outdoor Champion junior Joanna Atkins of Auburn looks to make her mark this indoor season as well.

In the hurdles Texas A&M looks to add big points through the nation's number two and three hurdlers, junior Gabby Mayo (8.05) and junior Nathasa Ruddock (8.06). The two are currently well behind senior Queen Harrison who leads the nation with a 7.94 in the 60 meter hurdles.

*Distance*

The ladies of Tennessee currently rank 1 and 2 in the women's 800. Senior veteran Phoebe Wright currently leads the country with a time of 2:01.47. Sophomore Chanelle Price clocks in at 2:03.12. The two look to improve upon those times and provide Tennessee with 18 team points.

In the mile senior Charlotte Browning of Florida is the woman to beat, Browning currently leads the country with a time 4:31.24. Pac 10 stars freshman Jordan Hasay of Oregon and Katie Follett a senior from Washington looks to make a competitive race for Browning.

Senior Lisa Koll of Iowa State is alone at the top of the women's 3,000. Koll currently leads the country by 8 seconds and is the only runner in the country under 9 minutes with a season best time of 8:56.09. Koll also leads the nation in the women's 5,000 by 22 seconds with a time 15:29.65. Senior Nicole Blood of Oregon will be a great competitor to Koll in that event. Blood is huge as far as team points for the Ducks.

*Jumps*

Blessing Okagbare of UTEP is not only number one in the 60, but she also number in the country in the women's long jump with a leap of 21'11.75. Senior Shara Proctor of Florida is a close second with a jump of 21'10.75, Proctor is also a close second in the women's triple jump with a jump of 45'6.5. Junior Kim Williams of Florida State currently leads the country in the women's triple jump with a leap of 46'8.25.

In the High Jump Senior Elizabeth Patterson of Arizona leads the nation with a height of 6'3.5" and her freshman teammate Brigetta Barret ranks third with a leap of 6'2.25". Senior Amber Kauffman of Hawaii will look to challenge the two Wildcats, currently ranked second with a height of 6'3.25".

Senior Kylie Huston of Indiana State and SEC Champion sophomore Tina Sutej of Arkansas will battle in the women's pole vault, Huston currently leads the nation with a mark of 14'8.25". However Sutej will have the home crowd on her side making for a great battle.

*THROWS*

In the women's weight throw two Louisville Cardinals lead the way, junior D'Ana McCarty and senior Jere' Summers will duel it out for the women's crown in their respective event. Mc Carty ranked number one with a throw of 74'0.25" and Summers second with a throw of 73'4".

Senior shot put star Mariam Kevkhisvilli leads the nation and will look to defend her crown with a throw of 60'10.75" and is the only woman in the country over 60 feet.

*Relays*

Arkansas women's lead the nation with a 3:32.87 in the women's 4x400 relay and have been number one all season. The lady Razorbacks will be home favorites but will face challenges from Texas A&M, Texas and Oregon. Arkansas women's relay consists of Edina Brooks, Shelise Williams, Whitney Jones and Regina George.

In the Women's Distance Medley Relay, Oregon is currently ranked number one in the country and the current favorites over the ladies of Tennessee and Villanova. Oregon top time clocks in at 10:59.64, the relay includes Jordan Hasay, Keshia Baker, Anne Kesserling and Nicole Blood.

CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND!!!

What a weekend!!!



In track and field, there are weekends that come ever so often where you just happy to be a track and field fan, this is one of those weekends. Today I will discuss one of the big conferece wrap ups.



SEC MEN

We will start off with my favorite conference the SEC. This meet again came down to three schools, Florida, Arkansas and LSU. I will admit that I am a huge Florida Gator fan, mainly of their track and field team. I think Mike Holloway is one of the most underrated coaches and has established a solid staff. Unfortunately however Arkansas again was too much for the Gators.











*Sprints



Jeffrey Demps a sophomore football star from Florida led the nation in the men's 60 meter dash with a time of 6.59 seconds. Another sophomore Marcus Rowland however was the winner clocking in at 6.62 to take the title. Those were points that Florida could have used.



Senior Calvin Smith of Florida was able to put 10 points on the board for the Florida Gators clocking in at 20.73 in the final and running a 20.67 in the preliminary both automatic qualifying times for the NCAA Championships. Rowland clocked in at 20.80 to finish second, also automatically qualifying for the Championship Meet.



Smith was unfortunate in trying to carry that success over to the 400 were he is the defending champion. Torrin Lawrence who currently ranks number four all time in NCAA history, won the men's 400 in a meet record 45.10 and talented freshman Kirani James of Alabama took second in 45.24 and Smith finished third in 45.61.



In a heated sophomore battle in the men's 60 meter hurdles, Barrett Nugent of LSU took the conference title clockin in at automatic 7.65, Booker Nunley of South Carolina was also automatic clockin at 7.68.



The Gators lived up to the hype by continuing their winning ways in the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:05.53. The relay consits of Tony McQuay, Christian Taylor, Jovon Toppin and Calvin Smith.



*Distance



This conference has been for decades been lead by the distance dominance of Arkansas. This year was no different. LSU keep things honest finishing 1-2 in the men's 800 with junior Richard Jones hitting the only auto mark at 1:47.78 and freshman teammate Sadiki White in at 1:49.62. Arkansas was able to pick up nine points with freshman Drew Butler clocking in at 1:50.75 to finish fourth and junior Chris Bilbrew finishing fifth with a time of 1:50.80.



Arkansas continued that success in the men's 1 mile race with senior Dorian Ulrey winning the crown in 4:02.56, junior Michael Chinchar finishing fourth in 4:07.75 and sophomore Rick Elliott to finish eighth in 4:10.56. In the mile alone Arkansas was able to pick up 16 team points. Senior Justin Taylor was able to put 8 team points on the board for the Florida Gators finishing second in 4:06.17.



Ulrey did not stop at the mile, he added another conference crown to his resume by winning the men's 3,000 with a winning time of 8:00.05. Freshman star Solomon Haile finished second for the Arkansas Razorbacks in 8:02.27. Another freshman Eric Fernandez clocking at 8:04.76 to place fourth, senior Scott MacPherson finishing fifth in 8:06.11 and sophomre Lane Boyer finishing sixth with a time of 8:07.91. The Razorbacks were able to pick up 30 total team points.



The Razorbacks would continue their winning ways with similar characters, senior MacPherson took the title in the men's 5,000 the winning time of 13:49.57, Hernandez took fifth in 14:05.45, Boyer placed seventh in 14:08.60 and Haile clocking in at 14:18.76 to finish eighth respectively. Ben Cheryiout of Auburn finished second with a time of 13:54.86.



The Razorbacks were also able to take the title in the Men's Distance Medley Relay with a sensational anchor by Ulrey with their winning time of 9:48.92. Along with Ulrey, Michael Chinchar, Drew Butler and Andrew Pennington.



*Field Events



In the Jumps Christian Taylor added another title to his young resume. The sophomore won the men's triple jump with his second attempt leaping to automatic 55-2 3/4. Freshman teammate Omar Craddock placed third leaping to 53-1 1/2 on his first attempt. LSU jumping star Zedric Thomas placed second leaping 53-3 1/2 on his fifth attempt.



Taylor was not able transfer that success over to the long jump, however he finished third respectively leaping to 25-6 3/4. Arkansas was able to capitalized in the men's long jump finishing 1-2 with senior Alain Bailey leaping to 26-9 3/4 for the win and sophomore Tarik Batchelor in 26-6 1/2. Both Razorbacks made automatic leaps.



It was another 1-2 finish in a jumping competition in the men's high jump. Ricky Robertson and Brian Knight finished 1-2 to give the Ole Miss Rebels 18 team points. Robertson reached a height of 7-4 1/4 while Knight reached 7-3 1/4.



Senior Elliott Hayne led the way in the men's pole with the only 17 foot jump reaching 17-7 1/4 to claim the title for the South Carolina Gamecocks.



Junior Kemal Mesic was able to put 10 points on the board for the Florida Gators hauling the shot put 61-1 1/4 leading freshman Peter Novotny of Georgia who hauled a 58-1 effort.



Junior Walter Herring continued his winning ways for the LSU Tigers throwing the weight throw 78-1 for a meet record winning by more that 10 feet. Teammate Michael Lauro finished third with an effort of 67-2 3/4 and Mike Zajac of South Carolina took second with a throw of 67-3 1/2.



NEXT POST: SEC WOMEN'S REVIEW



(WILL BE SHORTER)