SEC Men's Indoor Track Preview

(Ameer Webb- TEXAS A&M)

THE NEXT SEC SPRINT KING?

Speed, speed and more speed. Just like the women the SEC is loaded with sprinters on the men's side. Depending on who you ask it may be more challenging to qualify for the finals in the SEC than in the NCAA meet. Each year majority of the finalists in the sprints, jumps and hurdles come from the SEC. This year that should not be any different.

Returning this year out of the top 13 returns 60 meter sprinters the SEC returns 7, 3 from Auburn alone. Junior Harry Adams is the front runner for this coming indoor season, with a personal best of 6.55 he looks to lead a strong Auburn contingent that could potentially create a 1-2-3 sweep in the event. Teammates, Keenan Brock and Marcus Rowland help make Auburn hard to ignore in the sprints. Senior Ameer Webb and junior Prezel Hardy of Texas A&M should provide strong challenges and make a great double threat in the 200 meter dash. The wildcard is Michael Granger of Ole Miss, Granger is a under a new coach this season. Brian O'Neal takes over Joe Walker, O'Neal spent the last few seasons developing jumpers and sprinters at the University of Florida. His teammate and 200 meter Olympian Isaiah Young should also provide a serious threat this coming season.

In the long sprints the conference headliners this season take center stage. Arkansas and Florida have earned the preseason ranking of 1 and 2 for the NCAA title. Both programs have solid depth in this event and will be key in who wins the conference title. Returning for Arkansas are talented seniors Ahkeem Gauntlett and Marek Nitt. Both sprinters are talented 200 and 400 meter runners and are ranked in the top 10 in both events. For Florida they will rely on a two talented sophomores in Hugh Graham Jr. and Dedric Dukes. Joining the two will be Arman Hall and Najee Glass who ranked in the top 5 in the country in the 400 meters last outdoor season. Expect a tight battle from these two, not just in the conference champion but at the national championship as well. Conference newcomer Texas A&M will look to 2012 Big 12 Champion Deon Lendore and true freshman Aldrich Bailey who was the nation's top 400 meter runner to challenge Arkansas and Florida.

Eddie Lovett of Florida busted onto the SEC scene as a freshman winning the 60 meter hurdles over then favorite Barrett Nugent of SEC. He know returns this season as the top man  in the conference and number 2 in the nation. Lovett has been fun to watch, the most notable asset that Lovett has is his speed. Each season I have watched as he further grasps the hurdling technique and consistently improved each year. Now his junior year maybe the year he gets to the top of NCAA. Senior Caleb Cross from Arkansas ranks number 3 and will be a strong challenge to Lovett. This battle has strong team championship implications.

The field events are another battleground for the conference title. This would be advantage Florida. Arkansas is no slouch they have quality field athletes, Florida has the most championship ready field athletes. Omar Craddock in the triple jump, Marquis Dendy in the long jump, Dwught Barbiasz in the high jump, Jeremy Postin and David Triassi in the weight throw. Craddock is the defending NCAA Champion in the triple jump and a Bowerman nominee that will lead the strong Florida contingent. Also in the long jump is Demar Forbes of LSU. Forbes represented for his native Jamaica in the London Olympic Games and is the top returning long jump athlete. However Dendy will return with a new coach who has had a history of developing NCAA Champions in Nic Petersen.

Arkansas will rely on their depth in the heptathlon and the pole vault. Kevin Lazas, Gunnar Nixon and Nathaniel Franks will likely sweep the heptathlon. Sophomore Andrew Irwin will add to the Razorbacks field depth, Irwin is the defending NCAA Champion in the Pole Vault and one of 6 athletes returning with a personal best over 18 feet and the only one in the SEC.

The Razorbacks will also put their distance depth to the test for the first time in quite a while. With conference additions Texas A&M, Missouri and a growing distance program at Florida the points will not be so easy to come by. Eric Fernandez, Solomon Haile and Anthony Lieghio will pace a very strong distance core that claimed the conference title at the Cross Country Championships. Fernandez looks to be the leader of this very strong group after earning All-American honors the past cross country season. Fernandez looks to be a fixture in the 5,000 and 3,000 meter races.

(Eric Fernandez- Arkansas)

Can he lead Arkansas to another conference title?

Henry Lelei of Texas A&M will give Fernandez serious chase after earning All-American honors this past cross country season as well. Sean Obinwa of Florida is looking to lead a young Gator squad. Obinwa returns as the 3rd best 800 meter runner in the nation and the best in conference. After missing last outdoor season due to injury, expect for Obinwa to make up for lost time by adding an individual SEC Championship to his trophy case.

This should be an interesting conference championship with Texas A&M and Missouri added. Pat Henry will attempt to recapture the conference title magic he had during his years at LSU.

SEC Preview (Women)

(Kimberlyn Duncan of LSU)

Having LSU as the headliner of your conference has to be a bit intimidating, all those National Championships and Individual Champions. However this is the SEC, there are several national contending programs along with them individual champions in their own right. Over the past several years the conference has grown to be more an more competitive in every section of track and field. This was at one point a conference known just for speed. With the addition of Arkansas in the early 90's, a focus on distance became important, there was consistent growth and improvement in the field events as well. Now the conference is a powerhouse for all events.

This coming season looks to be an exciting one, especially in the sprints. Now that Texas A&M has joined the conference things have heated up even more. Senior Kimberlyn Duncan of LSU is one of the rising young stars for USA Track and Field. Duncan a known 200 meter specialist has shown steady improvement each year in the 100 meters while at LSU. She will need her best to fend off freshman star Shayla Sanders of Florida and  Ashley Collier of Texas A&M.

Florida being no slouch will bring a bevy of talented runners to the competition this season. The Lady Gators have a strong core of 400 meter runners in Ebony Eutsey, Lanie Whitaker and freshman Robin Reynolds. Eutsey was highly sought after recruit in 2010, although she has yet to win a SEC title she is poised for a breakout year. 

Her teammate Cory McGee leads a strong distance contingent that had a solid cross country campaign under first year coach Paul Spangler. McGee is the top returning 1,500 meter runner from last outdoor season and will look to claim her first conference title and continue the success of Florida distance running. Laura Roxberg of Missouri was the Big 12 Champion last season and will look to challenge McGee for the the crown as the conference newcomer. Natosha Rogers of Texas A&M another newcomer will be in the mix for the long distance titles in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter races after claiming both events at the Big 12 Championships last season.

The hurdles are always an intriguing event in the SEC. This season the top three performers from last outdoor season all return, defending champion Jasmine Stowers of LSU, Ivanique Kemp of Arkansas and Ugonna Ndu of Florida. All three have the speed for major improvement this season with their time and will face a strong challenge from conference newcomer Donique Flemings of Texas A&M the 2012 Big 12 Champion. This event should be very exciting this season, if Stowers wants to defend her title she may have to run a personal best to do it.

In the field events the jumps usually takes all the press for this conference. It is quite understandable with recent and pass Olympic and NCAA champions it is hard to not consistently look at all the great talent in the conference year in and year out. This year the throws takes another step to match the jumpers. Sophomore Tori Bliss of LSU and  Junior Hileen James of Georgia look to headline the throwing events. Bliss ironically from a jumping powerhouse in LSU is part of growing throws program at LSU that has had recent NCAA Champions and All-Americans on the men's side and looks to repeat the success on the women's side.

Ciarra Brewer of Florida returns for her second season after a successful freshman campaign that saw her claim All-American honors in the triple jump and the SEC Outdoor title. Brewer will be under a new coach Nic Petersen who guided Whitney Gipson to NCAA titles both indoors and outdoors in the long jump last season. Expect for Petersen to continue the jumping success at Florida and improve Brewer's long jump performance as well. She will face a heavy challenge from Colleen Felix of rival Georgia and Felix's teammate Maria Augutis.

This season SEC Track and Field may have one for the history books, with the addition of Texas A&M and Missouri this should be one of the most competitive seasons ever for the SEC in almost every event.