SEC Preview: Men

FLORIDA, SEC CHAMPS AGAIN?

The SEC as usual is stacked with talent from top to bottom. Each program in this conference can bring their own form of dominance depending on event. But, there are still three programs that bring serious strength in every phase of track and field. Those programs are Florida, Arkansas and LSU; they continue to be the conference front runners.

Like the women the sprints in this conference generally will produce the national champion or at least the runner-up. The programs in this conference load the NCAA field with their depth and talent. The headliner is obviously Jeff Demps of Florida. Demps is the defending champion and had a strong indoor season at the NCAA Championships claiming the title in 6.53 seconds. However this season will be a challenge for Demps. Last outdoor season the once invincible Demps did not even make it to the finals of the 100 meter dash citing a slight injury. Auburn's Harry Adams is the threat to Demps title defense, already posting the world's fastest time clocking in at 6.55 to win the Auburn Indoor Meet.

The long sprints present a somewhat cloudy picture. Conventional wisdom will tell you to lean on Tony McQuay. McQuay was the National Champion for USA defeating previous champion Jeremy Wariner last outdoor season. However the season McQuay was riddled with injury. Hopefully this season he focuses on having great health, if that is the case he could win both the 200 and 400. Marek Niit and Ahkeem Gauntlett of Arkansas are capable of defeating McQuay in either event.

In the hurdles two different champions will race to claim the crown. Defending SEC Indoor Champion Eddie Lovett of Florida clocked a 7.73 last season to defeat Barrett Nugent of LSU. Nugent went on to claim the indoor and crown at the NCAA Championship. This is a toss up both are capable of winning on any given day.

Last season in the jumping events it was all about Florida. Thanks to world class coach Dick Booth. The Gators almost swept both the Triple Jump and Long Jump along strong showing the High Jump.

This season will be a little different for the Gators. With Will Claye and Christian Taylor leaving school early the Gators are relying on a young and thin group to provide depth. Omar Craddock the top returning Triple Jumper in the country will look to claim the title after being behind Taylor and Claye most of his of career. He will also look to represent the Gators in the long jump with teammate and true freshman Marquis Dendy. Kyron Blaise and Demar Forbes of LSU are serious threats to recent Florida domination. Blaise and Forbes had strong seasons in 2011 and are performing well currently in 2012 while Florida still has some question marks.

In the High Jump Florida gained transfer Dwight Barbiasz an All-American at the University of Maryland. Currently Barbiasz is one of the top High Jumpers in the country, but he will had to fend off the two headed monster at Mississippi State in Marcus Jackson and James Harris. Also there is the returning champion Ricky Robertson of Ole Miss. Robertson is also hoping to dethrone NCAA Champion Erik Kynard of Kansas State. David Wilkins of South Carolina is also a threat to claim the top spot.

In this conference throwing is a very big deal. With multiple programs with a strong distance reputation it is never a shock when the NCAA Champion comes out of the program. Florida and LSU have produced some of the best SEC throwers in conference history. This season is no different. The Gators have a phenomenal group of throwers led by Shot Put star Kemal Mesic. Mesic is currently ranked number 1 in the nation with a new school record and may improve upon that throw later this season. Jeremy Postin and David Triassi will look to assist Mesic in the throwing events for Florida. Postin and Triassi are currently ranked 1 and 2 in the SEC in the weight throw and will look to add solid points in the Shot Put.

The SEC is one the few conferences that can produce stars in the multi-event heptathlon. Gunnar Nixon of Arkansas and Gray Horn present to very strong cases for the NCAA crown and will be huge in helping their respective programs win the SEC team title an the NCAA team title. Horn has a lot more areas for improvement after an already strong performance this season. Expect for Horn to claim the overall title.

Last but certainly not least are the distance events. Arkansas for years dominated this section of the meet and for the most part still do. However this year nationally Arkansas does not have a real distance threat. They will rely on a solid group of 800 meter runners. The University of Florida will benefit from a bit of down year for the Hogs with there own developmental group. Leading the way is Sean Obinwa. Obinwa busted on to the scene last outdoor season. This indoor season he has already secure his spot at the NCAA Championships with a personal best of 1:47.22. Obinwa currently ranks number 2 in the nation.

SEC Preview: Women

(DEFENDING CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS LSU)

The SEC is arguably the most talked about conference in college athletics. A conference that has produced phenomenal athletes in football, baseball, track and field, swimming and a host of other sports. Track and Field stands out among most other women's sports because of the heavy amount of national champions and championships. LSU produced the most dominant stretch of national titles with 11 straight wins. The Tigers of LSU continue to be the most feared team in the conference. Top challengers as usual will be Florida and Arkansas.

Let us start with the sprints. This is usually the most competitive section of the entire conference. The SEC generally fills half of the lanes at the NCAA Championships. This year will definitely will continue that success.

Headlining the conference is LSU star Kimberlyn Duncan. Duncan burst onto the scene last season with her phenomenal 200 meter performances. Duncan is the defending national champion in the 200 and will look to improve on her 60 meter performance from last season. Teammate Takeia Pickney who was the top freshman on LSU's squad in 2010 will look to add to a solid sprint core for LSU. Pickney missed most of last season with an injury. Another teammate in Semoy Hackett will look to challenge Duncan in both sprints and returns as the most consistent 60 meter sprinter.

In the long sprints the depth definitely falls to Arkansas. In recent years Arkansas has made a habit of having three 400 meter runners in the conference finals along with putting together solid 4x400 relay teams. This season is no different. Junior Regina George looks to lead a strong Arkansas contingent and compete for a conference title. Ebony Eutsey of Florida also has a solid shot for the conference crown after a great freshman season.

The hurdles saw a resurgence last season with a strong performance from true freshman Jasmine Stowers. After the graduation of a strong trio of LSU hurdles in 2008 there has been no national threat in the SEC. Stowers last season became that threat. This season Stowers will headline a group still in development.

The SEC is not all about sprints. The distance programs are also very competitive. Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU have represented strong middle distance and long distance programs.

Sophomore Corey McGee of the University of Florida will look to defend her conference title in the mile and contest a strong field of 6 All-SEC returnees. McGee's teammates Mandy Perkins and Stephanie Strasser will look to add to strong core of distance runners for the University of Florida. Arkansas also has a great core of seniors in Kristen Gillepsie, Samantha Learch and Jillian Rosen to challenge the Florida Gators. We must also keep in mind that the University of Florida is replacing their distance coach Todd Morgan.

Tennessee and LSU represent two schools that focus on having a solid core of 800 meter runners. This season LSU will look to Charlene Lipsey to lead a young group of runners against defending champion Chanelle Price of Tennessee and her teammates Kiana Ruff and Nijgia Snapp. Price now a senior has had a up and down career at Tennessee. Price will look to finally claim a NCAA title and possibly break the 2:00 minute barrier.

The Field events in the SEC stand out as well and help to complete a well rounded conference. In events such as the pole vault Arkansas really shows their presence.

Defending NCAA & SEC champion Tina Sutej leads a great group of vaulters. Sutej last season won by a large margin, more than a foot. Sutej also set a met record with her leap of 14-10 3/4.

Colleen Felix of the University of Georgia had a strong 2011 indoor campaign in the long jump and triple jump. Felix is a multi-event athlete and a strong thrower as well. However her 44 foot jump in the triple jump will allow for her to not only compete for the conference crown but the national title as well. With the loss of Jennifer Clayton who transferred to Central Florida University expect for Felix to complete the double. Freshman Cierra Brewer and Sophomore Lorraine Graham will challenge Felix for the title.

The SEC has been the best overall conference in the NCAA for quite a while and will continue to be. Our next post we will discuss the men of this conference.

Big 12 Preview: Women

TIFFANY McREYNOLDS (BAYLOR)

DEFENDING HURDLE CHAMPION

The conference on the women's side also takes a huge hit with the departure of Texas A&M. Pat Henry arrived at Texas A&M in 2005 after leaving a phenomenal program at LSU. At LSU Henry led the men and women to 25 NCAA titles. He has already brought that success to the Big 12 relinquishing the dominance that Texas has had over the conference. Not that A&M is leaving it is the perfect time for Texas to return to power.

In the sprints Texas has done some seriously rebuilding. After recently getting out recruited by A&M coach Bev Kearney has increased her efforts to have a well rounded sprint program. In the short sprints the advantage still belongs to Texas A&M. The Aggies return All-Americans Dominqie Duncan and Ashley Collier. Texas will look to Chalonda Goodman, Christy Udoh and Allison Peter to compete against the Aggies in the short sprints.

The long sprints has long been an event dominated by the University of Texas. The Longhorns have had serious success in this event with a few national champions, Suzainn Reid and Sanya Richards. The Longhorns also boast a strong 4x400 relay history. This season is no different with serious depth in this event ranging from sophomore sensation Brianna Nelson, Kendra Chambers and Stacey Ann Smith. Nelson may not have the top returning time but shows the most promise. Fellow sophomore Diamond Dixon of Kansas stunned everyone by defeating Jessica Beard last outdoor season to claim the title.

If any event in the conference took a step backward last season it was the hurdles. The days of the dominant Texas 400 hurdler were gone and there was no serious threat in the 100 hurdles from Texas A&M due to injury. However a true freshman stepped up in Tiffany McReynolds from Baylor. McReynolds is early easy favorite with no true competition this season. Angele Cooper and Danielle Dowie of Texas look to bring Texas back to the front in the 400 meter hurdles. They will have to defeat defending champion Ryan Krais of Kansas State to do so.

The Big 12 had one of the best distance programs in the country with Colorado. The Buffaloes have produced some of the best athletes ever to lace them up in the NCAA including World Champion Jennifer Simpson(Barringer). However there are still plenty of great programs such as Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Iowa State that are still producing solid performers.

Natalja Piliusina will represent Oklahoma State as the defending indoor champion in the 800 and will look to add a mile conference title to her collection. Piliusina will have to fend off top returnee in the mile senior Lucy Kennedy of Iowa State. Caroline Jepleting of Texas Tech will also look to compete for the conference title which should be a competitive field.

In the jumps Texas will look to dominate and add to a strong sprint core. The High Jump is the Longhorns most dominate event. Indoors last season they swept the event with a 1-2-3 finish. What makes it even better all three (Shanay Briscoe, Victoria Lucas and Beverly Owoyele) return this season. Briscoe the defending champion will look to continue to eclipse 6 feet.

In the long jump and triple jump the conference took a big hit with graduation and the loss of Nebraska. However Longhorns A'Lexus Brannon, freshman Morgan Snow and Kansas sophomore Andrea Guebelle look to revitalize the conference and keep a great tradition going.

The return of Shade Weygandt in the Pole Vault should serve notice to the rest of the conference. Weygandt missed the 2011 conference outdoor championship after claiming the title in 2010 as a freshman. Laura Asimikas is the top returnee from the conference meet and will challenge Weygandt for the crown.

The University of Oklahoma may have the best core group of throwers in the country. With a strong trio of Karen Schump, Tia Brooks and Brittany Boreman. With a roster of other talented throwers expect for the Sooners to be well represented here. In the shot put Brooks is the top returnee and Boreman is the defending champion in the weight throw. This will be huge for Oklahoma is they compete well as far the team battle is concerned.

Big 12 Preview: Men

TEXAS A&M FAREWELL

Disclaimer: This preview and all other future stories will no longer cover every single event. Only events of note.


The Big 12 conference again is losing more members to a different conference after this season. Texas A&M University and the University of Missouri will be moving on to the SEC. Texas A&M has historically been one of the conference's best programs, recently they have been at a phenomenal level winning three straight outdoor titles. The University of Missouri has been a nationally recognized middle distance program. The Big 12 will gain TCU and West Virginia but the lost of Texas A&M is a heavy blow. This season A&M looks to rebuild after the losses of a phenomenal senior class all while winning another national and conference title.


The Big 12 sprints as always looks to be a barn burner. With a solid core of great sprinting programs that develop national champions and All-Americans this is a stiff competition. Senior Woodrow Randall of Baylor made a name of for himself after transferring from Southwest Mississippi Community College. Running the 3rd leg of Baylor's All-American 4x100 relay he was often a standout. Talented sophomore Prezel Hardy of Texas A&M looks to be the top challenger to Randall after having a sensational freshman season.

The 60 meter hurdles is an event were A&M has strongly increased the presence. Larry Wade an NCAA Champion for A&M in the Aggies was the last great hurdler. Vince Anderson sought to change that upon arrival and recruited the high school record holder out of North Carolina in Wayne Davis. Davis had an All-American season last year.

Keiron Stewart of Texas is the defending champion in the event however. Stewart claimed the crown last season clocking in at 7.60. Stewart a talented sprint hurdler from Jamaica cannot solely rely on his speed this season, defeating Davis technique wise is of the utmost importance. Anderson is better coach than any hurdle coach on the University of Texas's staff. He will have Davis ready to compete for a conference and national title.

In the long sprint Texas A&M has taken the 400 meter crown away from Baylor and Texas Tech has also become a threat to become a the top power in the event. There are a lot questions in this event this year with the graduation of A&M's Demetrius Pinder and Tabarie Henry. Baylor has the answer with Zwede Hewitt. Hewitt is the top returning 400 meter runner and has a decent distance between him and the next 400 meter runner.

The jumping events took a universal hit with the loss of Nebraska. The Cornhuskers was the conference most consistent jumping program. The University of Texas has stepped forward to take over the top spot. With returning champion Marquise Goodwin in the long jump and top triple jump returnee in sophomore Mark Jackson.

The High Jump is an area the Cornhuskers scored big last season with 3 athletes in the top 10. However, Eric Kynard of Kansas State was still the best high jumper in the conference and the nation last season. Kynard also has international experience after making Team USA to compete at the IAAF World Championship the past summer. Kynard is future star for Team USA in this event.

In the shot put Junior Mason Finley of Kansas is the main star of note for the throwers. Finley returns at the outdoor conference champion in the shot put as well as All-American. Finley will find a strong challenge from fellow junior Hayden Baillio of Texas.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State has steadily climbed to the top of the conference in distance running. Colorado's distance dominance had been challenged recently like it never had before. Now the Buffalo's compete for the Pac-12 leaving the distance events to Oklahoma State and Oklahoma to dominate.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys has the most depth in distance racing after having a team of 90% distance runners. The 800 however is not an event that Cowboys have dominated. Texas A&M in recent seasons has stepped to produce some distance runners and have done a even better job with middle distance runners especially in the 800. Returning champion senior Joey Roberts of A&M made some dramatic improvements in the event and will look to defend his title. Roberts has 47 second speed and will look to lower his 1:48 best in thee 800 to possibly 1:47 or 1:46. His teammate Michael Preble took the outdoor 800 and may be the better runner at the end of the season.

In the 1,500 and 3,000 meter races Oklahoma State will look to former NCAA Champion German Fernandez, defending 3,000 meter champion Thomas Farrell, Kuribel Erassa and Shane Moscowitz to lead the way. The Cowboys can go 1-2-3 in either event with their quality core group of runners.

Kevin Schwab and Joe Bosshard of Oklahoma will look to represent for a solid group of Sooner runners in the 5,000. Schwab the defending champion is a heavy favorite to win the event, his teammate Bosshard is the defending champion of the 10,000 outdoors and will be a difficult challenge for Schwab to defeat.


TEAM CHAMPION: TEXAS A&M

Although Texas A&M lost a lot to graduation they did a great job of collecting quality high school recruits and the top Junior College talent. A&M is nationally in a rebuild mode but have enough returning to lead them to victory.