SEC Championship Preview

(Ameer Webb-Texas A&M)

This upcoming weekend is championship weekend. There were two major conferences that already held their conference championships last weekend in the Big East and Big 12, the ACC held their championship mid-April. So now you are asking why is this weekend championship weekend if so many conferences have already held their championship. The three biggest track and field conferences compete this weekend, Big 10, SEC and Pac-12 along with a host major small conferences such as the Mid American Conference (MAC) and Conference USA. This is the weekend that kicks off the post season. No conference captures headlines like the best, the SEC. The top two teams in the country come from this conference in Florida (1) and Texas A&M (2). Let's preview what should be a fantastic meet.


4x100 Relay:

(W) What a way to start off the meet. Winning this event is familiar territory for Pat Henry. His LSU teams dominated this event in the conference and on a national level in the 90's. He now returns to the SEC with high powered Texas A&M squad featuring some heavy hitters. Already this season his squad has clocked in at 42.56 which set a Texas Relays Record. No other team in the country let alone the conference has even gone under 43 seconds. If Texas A&M can get the baton around this should be an  easy victory.

(M) On the men's side this should truly be entertaining. We begin the battle for the crown between Florida and Texas A&M early. Texas A&M comes in ranked number 1 while Florida is ranked number 3. Texas A&M has not lost this season when the baton gets around the track without error. Their number 1 time of 38.64 is good enough to win the 4x100 relay title. Florida has also already gone under 39 seconds with a time of 38.99. Although they have had a lot injuries this season, expect them to be at their best. Alabama is the number 2 ranked team in the country and has a solid shot of winning themselves.

1,500 Meter Run:

(W) In the top 10 alone the SEC has 4 individual athletes ranked. They are led by University of Florida teammates Cory McGee and Agata Strausa. McGee is currently ranked number 2 in the country with a time of 4:10.55 and will look to earn her first conference title in the event. Strausa is also a threat to win, she has the number 4 ranked time in the nation in 4:11.27.

(M) Arkansas and Kentucky are well represented here. Historically Arkansas has been the conference leader in all things distance, this year is no different with Kemoy Campbell leading the way with a time of 3:41.00. However Kentucky brings in 3 athletes in the top 8 alone led by Matt Hillebrand who is ranked number 2. Campbell is the clear favorite to win this event and has had dominant outdoor season, look for him to continue the championship dominance Arkansas has had in this event.

110/100 Meter Hurdles:

(W-100) The women's hurdles have taken a back seat on the championship stage to other conferences. It seems as if the champions in this event are coming out of Big 10, ACC or the Pac-12. The last time the SEC had the best hurdler in the NCAA was Joyce Bates of LSU in 2000. Junior Jasmine Stowers began her LSU career with a bang as the best freshman hurdler in school history. Over the past two years Stowers has yet to reclaim that magic from back in 2011. However Stowers is the conference leader in 12.88 and will look to win her 3rd straight 100 meter hurdle title. 2012 Big 12 Champion Donique Flemings of Texas A&M will look to repeat her conference success here as well.

(M-110) Eddie Lovett of Florida has been at the top of the conference in this event since arriving as a freshman, now as junior he comes in with a NCAA Indoor title and hopes of an outdoor title. First things first Lovett must finally win the SEC Outdoor title and provide his Gators 10 valuable team points. Wayne Davis of Texas A&M will look to challenge Lovett, Davis has been solid this outdoor season ending the regular season with a strong win at the Penn Relays.

(Eddie Lovett-Florida)

400 Meter Dash

(W) This event is open for the taking. No sprinter has proven to be dominant this outdoor season. During the indoor season Regina George of Arkansas was the talk of the country before true freshman Shaune Miller of Georgia ran a 50.88 at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Neither athlete has broken 52 seconds this outdoor season and will be looking to end their year right. Miller has already posted some impressive 200 meter times and could threaten sub 50.

(M) Deon Lendore of Texas A&M has had an interesting season this year. After dominating most of the indoor season, Lendore had a slight calf injury that allowed to finish in 6th place. This outdoor season he currently leads the NCAA with a time 45.00. His victory is imperative to Texas A&M due to Florida's three headed monster of Hugh Graham, Arman Hall and Najee Glass all ranked 2-4 in the conference looking to provide huge points for the Florida Gators. Expect a sub 45 second performance here and it may not be from just 1 person.

100 Meter Dash

(W) This event is loaded with national championship contenders. There are 4 athletes in this event alone that could challenge for the national title, that makes the conference winner that more special. Senior Kimberlyn Duncan of LSU will look to close out her career with her first title in the 100 meter dash. Duncan has dominated the 200 but still has no 100 meter title. Texas A&M boasts four strong competitors, Ashley Collier, Ashton Purvis, Jennifer Madu and Olivia Ekpone. Collier is conference champion, but a Big 12 conference champion. Collier has a personal best of 11.01 and is the best threat to Kimberlyn Duncan who ranks number 1 this season.

(M) Making the final in this event should be enough for any athlete in this competitive field. Let's just go over a few names, Diondre Batson (Alabama), Isaiah Young (Ole Miss), Ameer Webb (Texas A&M) and Harry Adams (Auburn). All four gentleman are capable of winning this race. Adams has a career best of 9.96 that he ran last season. He has yet to reclaim that form, but he will need it to fend of the likes of Batson who has ran 10.06 to lead the conference and Isaiah Young who made Team USA in the 200 for the London Olympics. Webb has not lost a 100 meter race all season and may pull of his best performance in his first SEC Championship.

800 Meter Run

(W) Natoya Goule of LSU enters the meet ranked number 1 with a time of 2:00.76. Goule has been strong indoors and outdoors this season and has put up some eye-popping times. Goule's only competition will come from teammate Charlene Lipsey who ranks number 2 in the conference with a time of 2:03.13. Goule has plenty of speed and will look to use that speed to propel her to a sub 2:00 minute performance.

(Natoya Goule-LSU)

(M) This 800 has major team implications for Florida and Texas A&M but neither school may have the conference winner. Sean Obinwa was a breakout star last season running 1:47 indoors. Injuries have plagued his career and have slowed his development some. However Obinwa has still had a pretty solid outdoor season with the number 2 ranked time of 1:47.66. Obinwa won the event indoors at the SEC Championships and will attempt to do the same outdoors. Charles Gethren of Georgia has the number 1 ranked time and has the chance to win his first conference title.

400 Meter Hurdles

(W) This event has a lot of new faces this season both men and women. On the women's side two junior college transfers lead the way. Nikita Tracey of LSU and Sparkle McKnight of Arkansas. Tracey came to LSU with championship pedigree after winning the Junior College title in the event. Tracey has a season best of 56.51 compared to McKnight's 56.62. Tracey should be considered as the favorite, especially if McKnight attempts a double by competing in the 400 an event she is ranked number 1 in.

(M) The top competitors in this event are young and inexperienced but do not lack for talent, 6 of the top 8 competitors are underclassmen. Sophomore Drew Branch of Georgia leads the way, his season's best of 50.60 does not scare anyone  but certainly is implication of the potential he has. There are also major team points at stake in this event for Texas A&M. Gregory Coleman currently ranked number 2 and Aikan Graham are being counted on to provide plenty of points.

200 Meter Dash

(W) Senior Kimberlyn Duncan of LSU, the end. Not so fast, although Duncan has dominated this event in conference and on a national level true freshman Shaune Miller is a true threat to claiming the title. This event in recent years has seen amazing growth, adding to that Texas A&M brings a trio of strong competitors who also look to claim the title in Ashton Purvis, Kamaria Brown and Ashley Collier. Duncan has not ran a sensational 200 all season and maybe be an underdog to defend her title for her third straight victory.

(Kimberlyn Duncan-LSU)

(M) Florida suffered a huge blow this season, conference leader Dedric Dukes will not be competing due to injury. This not only hurts their conference title hopes but possibly their NCAA title hopes as well. However Olympian Isaiah Young and indoor champion Ameer Webb of Texas A&M still remain. Young is having a great season so far and will look to being the post season on a positive note by defeating Webb. Webb may not have the top time this outdoor season but his time from the indoor championship is enough to move him to number 1 in the country and puts him in the driver seat for conference champion.

5,000 Meter Run

(W) LSU senior Laura Carelton's performance at the 55th MT Sac Relays in mid-April is proof of the growth of the LSU distance program. Carelton now leads the conference with a time of 15:44.41 and will look to earn her first conference title against a strong Arkansas contingent. Arkansas has four athletes in the top 8 alone in this event and will look to the event for strong team points. Kentucky runners Chelsea Oswald and Cally Macumber will also challenge Carelton for the title in what should be a solid race.

(M) Let's be honest, Arkansas has dominated the distance events since their arrival to the conference in the early 90's. The distance program has also been responsible for so many national and conference titles. This year is no different. Although Arkansas is not ranked number 1 or 2, they still are a top 10 team and a real threat to the title.

Kemoy Campbell leads a strong contingent of 5k runners for the Hogs. Campbell's conference leading time of 13.32.82 puts him more than 10 seconds ahead of the closes competitor, Dan Quigley of Missouri. Teammates Stanley Kebeni and Solomon Haile also look to add crucial team points.

10,000 Meter Run

(W) Only 10 athletes in the SEC have competed in this event this season. Obviously the longest event on the track is not an event many athletes will run multiple times through the year, however with so few competitors the leader is pretty clear, Elizabeth Anderson of Vanderbilt who has a 30 second lead on her closes competitor.

(M) This event is crucial for the University of Florida. Since Mike Holloway became the head coach the distance program has noticeable gotten better year after year. Although Holloway is a sprints & hurdle coach it's pretty clear in order to win a national title you must have a well balanced team.

The Florida Gators have 3 competitors in the top 8, led by true freshman Jimmy Clark who ran 29:08.32 at the Stanford Invitational finishing right behind conference leader Solomon Haile of Arkansas. Haile has been a conference staple for years, after finishing 2nd last season look for the junior to avenge the loss with a conference title.  Josh Isewski and JL Hines will assist Clark in providing big team points for the Gators.

3,000 Meter Steeplechase

(W) This is yet another distance event were Arkansas is well represented. Junior Grace Heymsfiled leads a trio of Razorbacks looking to claim valuable team points for a possible team title. Teammates Shannon Klenke and Jessica Kamilos look to aide Heymsfiled in giving Arkansas as many team points as possible.

(M) For Texas A&M and Florida this another event where points are crucial. A&M has two athletes in this event including conference leader Henry Lelei with a time of 8:32.94 that he ran at the Pepsi Invitational early in the season. Florida's Mark Parrish is currently ranked number 2 and the only real threat to Lelei. Lele's teammate Issac Spencer is also expected to contribute major team points.


4x400 Relay

(W) No other conference is loaded with the talent that the SEC has. There are three teams who have a season best under 3:30. Leading the way is the nation's number 2 ranked team the University of Florida with a time of 3:27.43, ran earlier this year. Ebony Eutsey the outstanding junior is the leader of a strong Gator contingent.

(M) Florida is strong in the 400 as well. As stated earlier they have 3 athletes in the top 5. The Gators lead the nation for majority of the season until Texas A&M ran the top time at the Penn Relays (3:02.52). Dedric Dukes will not be apart of the relay however Leonardo Seymore who ran a great third leg on last year's national championship team will return  to the relay and hopes to help the Gators win what is expected to be an exciting race.

Long Jump

(W) The elite in the SEC are dominated by freshman. There are 4 freshman in the top 8 including conference LaQue Moen-Davis of Texas A&M. Davis is the only athlete who has surpassed 21 feet with a personal best of 21'2 1/2.

(M) Marquis Dendy looks to continue the Florida jumping tradition. Dendy came in as a freshman as the top jumper in the nation. After a rough freshman season Dendy has been at the top of his game. Dendry surpassed 27 feet indoors to win the indoor title. Dendy will face strong competition from Demar Forbes of LSU and should set another personal best.

(Marquis Dendy-Florida)

Triple Jump

(W) Again LaQue Moen-Davis is the leader in conference. Ciarra Brewer of Florida will look to challenge Davis and has expectations to reach 45 feet. Brewer although just a sophomore seems to be the more ready athlete to claim the conference title, albeit Davis is a special freshman.

(M) Omar Craddock of Florida is the defending champion and a leader on a squad contending for a national title.  Craddock has had a successful 4 year run at Florida and will look to cap off his season with a win. This is a major opportunity to get points were Texas A&M cannot, the Aggies do not have an athlete ranked in the top 8.

High Jump

(W) Six athletes have reached 6 feet this season. Three are tied for the number 1 spot with a mark of 6'2, Makeba Alcede of Arkansas, Maya Pressley of Auburn and Jeanelle Scheper of South Carolina. Pressley has had the most success on the championship level challenging Brigetta Barrett of Arizona and is the leading candidate to win the event.

(M) Marcus Jackson of Mississippi State is the conference leader with a mark of 7'5.25. Jackson finished 2nd at the NCAA Indoor and should win easily here.

Pole Vault

(W) Alexis Paine of Alabama leads the conference with a mark of 14'7.75. Paine is one of two athletes who surpassed 14 feet. Morgan Lelux of Georgia is the other athlete currently ranked number 2 with a mark of 14'2.

(M) Sam Kendricks of Ole Miss put the entire conference on notice when he reached 19 feet at the Texas Relays early this season. Kendricks national leading 19'0.75 has practically stamps for a guaranteed victory. Andrew Irwin of Arkansas sitting in 2nd will look to add team points for the Razorbacks.

Shot Put

(W) Hometown favorite Kearsten Peoples of Missouri looks to bring home the conference title in the women's shot. Peoples has the top mark in the conference with 56'10.25.

(M) This could be a potential sweep for the Georgia Bulldogs with three athletes ranked in the top 4. However they are ranked 2-4, the number spot belongs to Matthew Hoty of Tennessee with a mark of 62'8.75.

Discus Throw

(W) Another talented freshman from Texas A&M is Shelbi Vaughan. Vaughan has claimed the top ranking in the women's discus with her mark of 193'4 set at the Pepsi Invitational during the regular season. She will face stiff competition from fellow freshman Becky Famurewa of Kentucky.

(M) LSU junior Rodney Brown is the early favorite in the men's discus. Brown leads the conference with a throw of 206'3, he currently is the only athlete to have thrown beyond 200 feet. Dalton Rowan of Texas A&M is currently ranked 3rd and expected to provide critical team points for the Aggies.

Hammer Throw

(W) For LSU this event is critical for the women. The Tigers have two athletes in the top 5 including conference leader Karen Henning who has a throw of 201'0. Teammate Denise Hinton currently ranks 4th and hopes to improve upon her standing to provide quality team points.

(M) For Florida this another event were quality points are expected. The Gators have the top 2 throwers in the conference and three athletes total in the top 5. A trio of Jeremy Postin, Kyle Strawn and David Triassi look to provide a major boost to the Gator's conference title hopes. Postin leads the conference with his mark of 225'4.

Javelin Throw

(W) The youth movement continues in the women's javelin. The top three performers in conference this season are all underclassmen led by Florida freshman Marija Vucenovic. Teammate Fawn Miller ranks third behind Georgia freshman Vucenovic looks to keep Florida's championship throwing tradition alive.

(M) Texas A&M looks to pick 18 huge points in this event. The Aggies have the two top throwers in conference with Sam Humphreys and Devin Bogert. Humphreys is also the top thrower in the nation and looks to get his post season started off with a major conference win.

Heptathlon

Makeba Alcide of Arkansas is the early favorite. Alcide has the rare blend of speed, strength, explosion and endurance needed to win the event. Her performance at the John McDonnell Combined Events meet earned her 5,882 points, tops in the conference and in the nation.

Decathlon

Arkansas has put together possibly the best decathlon program in recent memory. The Razorbacks have 4 athletes in the top 8. That is an astonishing feat for a multi-event competition, especially with so few scholarships. Over the past few years Arkansas has had a habit of having multiple athletes competing in the decathlon. The team is led by Kevin Lavas who currently ranks number 3 in conference. True freshman from Georgia Maicel Uibo leads a 1-2 Georgia punch to give the Razorbacks a run for their money this year.


The meet begins today Thursday May 9 and will continue until Sunday May 12. There is a live stream on ESPN3.com, please do yourself a favor and check out a fantastic meet.

PENN RELAYS REVIEW

This past weekend the greatest relay carnival produced another successful meet, the Penn Relays. The Penn Relays have a special place inside the hearts of many, it is one of the few track meets were Americans can see the sport in it's true glory. As expected there were plenty of Jamaican fans to show support for their country and their athletes did not disappoint.

(UTech 4x100 relay 38.97)

(Nicholas Watson, Andrew Fisher, Aldophus Nevers and Julian Forte)

The college men's 4x100 relay saw history made. No Jamaican college has ever won the men's 4x100 relay event at the Penn Relays, UTech decided to change that. With solid speed and quality exchanges Nicholas Watson, Andrew Fisher, Aldophus Nevers and Julian Forte held off St. Augustine's and Auburn to claim the 4x100 relay title in 38.92. Their time ties them for 10th all time. This certainly proves that Jamaica is fully capable of taking care of their own athletes.

The women's 4x100 relay say history made as well. No team has ever won the event 5 times in a row. Even the great LSU teams under Pat Henry had no been so lucky, this time Pat Henry would try his luck with his the program he built from the ground up in 2005, Texas A&M.

(Texas A&M Women's 4x100 Relay)

(Lakeidra Stewart, Ashton Purvis, Kamaria Brown and Ashely Collier)

Texas A&M has become a sprinting powerhouse under Henry and has had more success than his stint at LSU. The relay consisted of Lakeidra Stewart, Ashton Purvis, Kamaria Brown and Ashley Collier. Purvis to Brown seems like a perfect combination with the 200 meter dash being their strength and further proof that Henry is still a quality relay coach. His Aggies marched around the track clocking in at 43.05. Their time puts them 6th all time. UTech of Jamaica finished 2nd with a time of 43.32.

In the men's 4x800 relay senior Casimir Loxsom again led his Penn State team to the title. Although not as quality of a group as last year the Nittany Lions where still able to pull of the win with an impressive time of 7:14.14. Loxsom ran the third leg and had the best split clocking in at 1:46.30. Villanova finished 2nd respectively with a time of 7:17.37.

The women of Villanova decided to represent in style. The Lady Wildcats have had amazing history at the Penn Relays in the distance events. Having already won the event 9 times and set countless records they decided to further stamp themselves in the history book with a record setting 4x800 relay win. In a great battle with Oregon the Wildcats were able to outlast the Ducks due to a strong anchor leg from Emily Lipari. Their time of 8:17.45 set a Penn Relays Record, breaking the old record by Tennessee set in 2009. (Emily Lipari, Kelsey Margey, Angel Piccirillo and Nicky Adande).

The Lady Wildcats also claimed another title in the women's distance medley relay. The only different member, Kelsey Margey was replaced for the 400 leg of the relay by Michaela Wilkins. The Wildcats were the only group under 11 minutes with a time of 10:58.04. This was their 12 title in the event.

In the field events Derek Drouin of Indiana continued his domination of the men's high jump. His mark of 7-7.75 set a new Penn Relays record for the first time since 2002. Drouin also ran the first leg of Indiana's 3rd place finishing shuttle hurdle relay team.

The 4x400 relay is the final event of the meet every year and always excites. This year Texas A&M was a top seed enter in both men's and women's races since number 1 ranked Florida for both men and women traveled to Arkansas.

The men's 4x400 relay surprised many with Ameer Webb running the first leg. Webb was able to hold his own with a 46.0 first leg. Without Florida in the race the Aggies never really saw a challenge and won the event by more than a second ahead of St. Augustine. This was Texas A&M 2nd win in the event at the Penn Relays and the time of 3:02.52 easily moved them ahead of Florida in the rankings. The time is a bonus because it was done without Deon Lendore anchoring in the 44 second range. (Ameer Webb, Aldrich Bailey Jr., Carlyle Roudette and Deon Lendore).

On the women's side Texas A&M was not as successful, however their time was stellar. The University of Oregon, who certainly has come along way in women's sprinting was able to outlast UTech of Jamaica with a time of 3:26.73 to set a Penn Relay record. Junior Phyllis Francis ran outstanding anchor clocking in at 49.9 to hold of Stephanie McPherson of UTech who split a 49.6 to lead her team to a 3:27.85 finish. (English Gardner, Chizoba Okodogbe, Laura Roesler and Phyllis Francis)


The Penn Relays always end the regular season well, with it now being May and Championship Season starting this weekend we should expect some major shake-ups in the rankings.

FLORIDA RELAYS REVIEW

THE FLORIDA RELAYS have grown to become one of the premier relay meets in the country. One of the reasons why is because it is surprising not all about the relay events. Plenty of individual races are held at this meet to match the excitement that the relay events provide. I'll recap some of the best performances this past weekend.



5.) OCTAVIOUS FREEMAN at the FLORIDA RELAYS

At the University of Florida one of the best outdoor regular season meets took place, the Florida Relays. This three day meet combines high school, college and professional athletes into one meet. Not only is the meet full of great relay events but also full of great individual events as well.

One of those great individual events is the 100 meter dash. In the women's 100 meter dash super sophomore Octavious Freeman proved why she is capable of claiming the 100 meter NCAA title herself. Freeman won the race clocking in at 11.02 a personal best. Freeman was the only collegiate athlete in her heat defeating six professional sprinters. Freeman's time catapulted her to the number 1 time in the NCAA this year. Freeman had a clear lead from the start and that performance is hinting at a possible sub 11 second performance later this year.

4.) GEORGIA TECH wins the 4x800 RELAY

Georgia Tech has one thing in common with the host Florida, they both hate Georgia other than that these programs have developed some great 800 runners over the past few years. Florida was the heavy favorite entering this race with solid core of 800 runners led by All-American Sean Obinwa and they also had the home crowd to back them up. The race came down to the wire with Georgia Tech edging out Florida with a time of 7:22.37 to 7:22.41. Sophomore Brandon Laster out kicked Obinwa in the final meters to claim the win and shock Gators. 

3.) FLORIDA WOMEN SET 4X400 RELAY RECORD

The 4x400 relay is always an exciting way to end every meet. It's even better when it consists of the best teams in the NCAA like at the Florida Relays. The University of Florida claimed the nations best time and set a school record by winning the 4x400 relay in a time of 3:27.43. Robin Reynolds, Lanie Whitaker, Destinee Gause and Ebony Eustey ran a phenomenal race from beginning to end to hold of the University of Texas who finished third with a time of 3:27.95. Although the Gators lost to a professional club, they have proven they are the team to beat for the rest of the season.


2.) MEN'S 400 METER RACE

This event was loaded. There is no need for a long drawn out preview. This event gathered, Hugh Graham, Najee Glass and Arman Hall of Florida along with David Verburg of George Mason and Bryshon Nellum of USC. All of these men have been ranked near the top in the event at one point or another. Nellum made Team USA in the 400 meter dash for the Olympic Team and has a silver medal from the men's 4x400 relay.

Nellum would arise victorious after seeing the stagger made up on him by true freshman Najee Glass of Florida. The race was one on the 60 meters were Nellum began to seize past Glass to claim the event in a time of 45.54, while Glass finished 2nd in 45.71. Nellum has had to deal with plenty of misfortune at the start of his career at USC, a hamstring injury and being shot in the leg. He just recently learned to compete without pain. This performance should stand to a warning to every 400 meter runner that Nellum's 2012 season was not just due to luck but to hard work and perseverance.

1.) AARON BROWN upsets MARVIN BRACY

Marvin Bracy is one of the most talk about sprinters in NCAA history. As a freshman he set the NCAA on fire early in the indoor season by running the top time in the 60 meter dash in his first race. He held the number one time in the country until the weekend of the regular season. Brown is also known for his phenomenal outdoor performances were he set multiple records and wowed many with his stellar times nearly breaking the 10 second barrier as a high school junior.

Aaron Brown an Olympian from Canada a standout performer as a junior from USC has had his share of success as well by winning the PAC-12 title in the 100 meter dash last season. Bracy was a huge favorite heading into the first heat of the men's 100. Brown of USC overtook Bracy from about 30 meter line and led the rest of the race. Brown's winning time of 10.15 rank him amongst the top 5 performers in the nation.

TRACK CLINIC in DETROIT

 Johnie Drake

Central Michigan All-American Sprinter

Former Central Michigan track and field All-American Johnie Drake is giving back to his community, the city of Detroit. As a former sprint start from nearby Detroit Cass Technical High School Drake is starting a track club to get more kids in Detroit involved in the sport of Track and Field. On April 17 Drake's track club, Courageous, Inc will be hosting a Track and Field Clinic for children ages 8-14.The location is Wayne State University in downtown Detroit. Registration for the event is already open. Please get the word out to help the next great track club from Michigan grow and to help the sport grow in Detroit as well. Below is a copy of the flyer.

As stated in the flyer Johnie Drake can be reached at 313.363.7289 or by email courageous_inc@yahoo.com

NCAA Review

                                                                   
                                             (OREGON WOMEN WIN 4TH STRAIGHT!)

This past weekend at the NCAA Indoor Championship Oregon won their 4th straight women's indoor title and Arkansas ended their title drought and claimed the schools 41st national title in track and field. As expected a meet with great competition and amazing performances. New starts were discovered and old stars reminded everyone who they were in the first place.



Sprints (Women): There were a lot of compelling story lines heading into this meet. The main question, would Kimberlyn Duncan of LSU avenge her loss from earlier in the year. Aurieyall Scott of Central Florida stole the sprint's queen thunder by defeating her in her premiere event, the 200 meter dash at the Tyson Invitational. Duncan proved to be the superior runner clocking in at 22.58. Scott was  no slouch at this meet either. Scott pulled the upset of the meet defeating defending champion English Gardner in the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.13.

True freshman Shaunae Miller of Georgia showed the track and field world what Bahamas can do in the 400. Miller clocked in at 50.88 one of the fastest times ever run indoors by a collegian. Let's hope that Miller can carry that 400 meter talent to the outdoors and put up another amazing time.

The 60 meter hurdles was dominated by headlining favorite Brianna Rollins of Clemson. Since the beginning of the season when she smashed the NCAA record clocking in at 7.78, she has been on a tear. Collins has run under 8 seconds at every meet this season. She was no different at the NCAA Champion running a meet record of 7.79 in the finals nearly a full hurdle ahead most of her competition. Rollins has had to deal with injuries almost every outdoor season. Let's hope her amazing indoor season can translate over.

Sprints (Men): These events had major team implications. Florida and Arkansas would do battle in the long sprints to gather valuable team points for the team title. Florida had two competitors in the 400 and  one in the 200, while Arkansas had two competitors in the 200 and one in the 400. Neither did either schools produce an NCAA Champion but that was not the bigger story. The favorites in both events did not claim the title.

In the 400 meter dash no one has been more on fire this season that Deon Lendore of Texas A&M. After rocketing to a 45.15 performance at the SEC Championships in the preliminaries he left little doubt that anyone could defeat him. However that's what happen, Errol Nolan of Houston claimed the title in a time of 45.75. Lendore did not finish in the top 3.

In the 200 meter dash Aaron Ernest of LSU fell to defending champion Ameer Webb of Texas A&M. Webb was forgotten especially after being defeated by Ernest at the SEC Championships. Webb ran a very strong race in the preliminary round clocking in a world leading 20.37 and followed that up with a 20.42 in the final.

The 60 meter dash really lost steam in the preliminary round. Florida State entered the meet with the two best 60 meter sprinters in the country in true freshman Marvin Bracy and standout Dentaroius Locke. Both athletes were in separate heats and in both heats the athletes false started. This left Mississippi State's D'Angelo Cherry the lone true threat left to claim the title. Although Cherry won the USATF Indoor Title in a time of 6.49 it was not eligible for the NCAA meet. However he did not miss a beat winning the NCAA title with a time of 6.54 over Marcus Rowland of Auburn who clocked in at 6.55.

The 60 meter hurdles may have been the sprint event of the meet with Eddie Lovett of Florida running the 4th fastest time ever by a collegian clocking in at 7.50. Lovett's winning time broke the meet record held by now world record holder Aries Merritt of Tennessee. Lovett a junior at Florida has broken the indoor school record several times this season and should continue that success outdoors.


Distance (Women) 

Abby D'Agistino of Dartmouth College may have been the best athlete the entire meet. She pulled the rare distance double claiming the 3,000 meter run and 5,000 meter run. Her time of 9:01.08 in the 3,000 meter run was more than 5 seconds before than the next competitor. Her performance in the 5,000 was just as stunning clocking in at 15:28.11 another 5 second gap between her and her closes competitor Betsy Saina of Iowa State.

In the 800 LSU again flexed the muscle as a strong 800 program finishing 1st and 3rd with Natoya Roule winning the event in 2:02, teammate Charlene Lipsey clocked in at 2:02.47 to help add six points. Laura Roesler was expected to bring team points for Oregon and she did finishing 2nd behind Roule with a time of 2:02.32 surpassing Lipsey in the final meters of the race.

The women's mile lost a little thunder early on in the meet when Cory McGee of Florida one of the top two milers failed to qualify after a less than stellar preliminary round. Unfortunately for McGee this is the 2nd time as this exact same situation happened last year. However Emma Coburn of Colorado was more than up to the challenge running a strong race clocking in at 4:29.91. Let's hope that McGee can challenge Coburn this outdoor season.


Distance (Men)

Lawi Lalang is a name many distance fans should already be used too. He has potential to be the next great middle distance runner similar to that of Bernard Lagat. In fact, Lalang trains with Lagat on occasion and can challenge the legend during workouts. Lalang just a junior at the University of Arizona was looking to complete a rare double. Like D'Agistino he was more than successful.

The mile perhaps the most intriguing of the events simply because he was not the defending champion or NCAA record holder who just so happen to be in the race. Chris O'Hare of Tulsa had been the talk during the entire season. Like many favorites in this meet he just didn't have it. Lalang put on a show with a meet record time of 3:54.47. Breaking a record that had lasted for 18 years. His main challenger Ryan Hill of NC State also broke the meet record finishing second in 3:55.25.Lalang followed up that gutsy performance by setting another meet record in the 3,000 with a time of 7:45.94 defeating Kemoy Campbell of Arkansas who finished 2nd and gave 8 team points.

Kennedy Kithuka of Texas Tech continues to add to the championship success of Texas Tech with their long distance runners. Kithuka led from the gun and did not look back defeating Diego Estrada of Northern Arizona by 5 seconds with a time of 13:25.38.


Field Events (Women)

Olympic Silver Medalist Brigetta Barrett was the clear favorite entering the event this season. The junior was attempting to become the first ever high jumper to win the event three straight years in a row. She was most certainly successful out jumping her competition by reaching a height 6'4.75.

Senior Andrea Geubelle of Kansas may have been the female field athlete of the meet. Geubelle pulled off the rare double winning the long jump and triple jump. Geubelle had a mark of 21'6 in the long jump and mark of 46'6.25 in the triple jump a top 10 mark. Her teammate Natalya Bartnovskaya also claimed the title in the women's pole vault defeating Jade Riebold of Eastern Illinois with fewer attempts over 14-7'.25.

Olympian Tia Brooks of Oklahoma returned to school for her senior year with big expectations. Brooks met those expectations by setting a NCAA record with a throw of 63'0.75. Brooks' mark was the only mark over 60 feet. Now with an Olympic experience under her belt expect big things from Brooks in the future.

Like Brooks, senior Felisha Johnson was just as dominant in her throwing event the weight throw. Johnson recorded a throw of 77'2. Her mark was nearly four feet farther than her closes competition. This event next season will see a major face lift as every All-American in the field was a senior.

In the pentathlon sophomore Erica Bougard of Mississippi State took down the top two seniors in Keia Pinnick of Arizona State and Makeba Alcide of Arkansas. Alcide was the expected winner after dominating the competition at the SEC Championships including Bougard. She more than made up for it with a well rounded performance scoring a total of 4,399 points.


Field Events (Men)

The field events were critical in the team battle for the men. Both schools have strong jumpers in both long and triple jumping events. The high jump and pole vault is where the edge belong to Arkansas along with the heptathlon. However Florida made sure to make their mark on the event including a new NCAA record holder.

Sophomore Marquis Dendy of Florida made sure to remind everyone why he was such a highly regarded recruit. Dendy set a meet and Indoor NCAA record with a mark of 27'2. New coach for the Gators this season in Nic Petersen who has helped Dendy improve his performance dramatically.

Dendy's teammate Omar Craddock was the defending champion in the triple jump but was flying under the radar due to his 2nd place finish at the SEC Championships. Craddock took an early lead with a personal best leap of 55'1.50. However Bryce Lamb of Texas Tech redeemed himself after an injury filled season in 2012 with a leap of 55'7.75. Craddock however provided a 8 team points for the Gators while Dendy added 5 finishing in fourth with 53'1.75.

Arkansas had their day in the heptathlon and pole vault. Kevin Lazas won the heptathlon on the final event scoring 6,175 points. Lazas defeated Japheth Cato of Wisconsin who gave a solid effort and just came up short. The pole vault had no favorite going in but the home crowd was cheering Arkansas sophomore Andrew Irwin to bring home 10 big team points to help the hogs win the title. Irwin outlasted his competition reaching a height of 18-8.25.

The high jump certainly lived up to the hype with two Olympic Medalists. Erik Kynard of Kansas State and Derek Drouin of Indiana. Drouin was the only standing when the bar reached 7'8.50 and Drouin cleared on his first attempt and was not able to increase the height winning the men's high jump over Kynard. Kynard has jumped higher this year but was not able to at the Championship meet and finished in 3rd with a height of 7'6.  Drouin of Canada and Kynard of USA should continue to provide us with many future great matches.

Jordan Clarke of Arizona State continue the proud championship tradition in the men's shot put that the school has. Clarke saved the best for last with a mark of 67'3.25 on his final throw to increase his lead on 2nd place finisher Kole Weldon of Texas Tech. Arizona State continues to lead the way in developing championship throwers, whose next remains to be seen.

Alexander Ziegler of Virginia Tech did as expected in winning the men's weight throw with a mark 73'8.25. Ziegler gave his best effort on his third throw of the first round claiming the men's title.


Relays (Women)

What great performances we saw at this meet in the relay events. In the distance medley relay Michigan set a facility record with a winning time of 10:56.46 defeating heavy favorite Villanova. The Wolverines quartet consisted Rebecca Addison, Maya Long, Jillian Smith and Amanda Eccleston. Eccleston ran away from the competition in the final leg running the mile in a 4:32 split. 

The 4x400 relay was once a Texas only event. Under Beverly Kearney the Texas Longhorns dominated this event year after year. This season is looked as if they were poised to return to the top but lost their coach to scandal. They have remained a resilient bunch and have had some great performances along the way. Oregon however was just simply too much. The 4x400 relay (English Gardner, Chizoba Okodogne, Laura Roesler and Phyllis Francis) dominated the first heat and placed a stamp on the team race earning the Ducks their 4th straight team title. Oregon clocked in with a winning time of 3:30.22.


Relays (Men)

Just like the women there two great relay competitions at this meet. The distance medley relay was a rematch of the Wilson Invite at Notre Dame the week prior with Penn State winning. However Penn State would not claim the championship title. Arkansas dropped the baton on the final leg and Princeton maintained their lead after the 800 to win the title in 9:33.01. The loss of points for Arkansas would not be a big deal in the long run.

The 4x400 relay is where the hogs would shine and get their redemption. As expected it would be a close battle with the Florida Gators as they matched stride for stride for much of the race with Florida on their heels. Each time the hogs were able to out kick the Gators. In the final lap Ahkeem Gauntlett of Arkansas and Dedric Dukes dueled it out with Gauntlett holding of Dukes to claim the title and break Florida's collegiate record with a time of 3:03.50.

NCAA Championship Preview (Men)

(4-PEAT?)

Can the Gators win it all again?

The best in Division 1 Collegiate Track and Field will be on hand this weekend at the University of Arkansas for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship. This year is another exciting affair with plenty of up and coming stars. The team battle on both men and women's side is more competitive than it has been. On the men's side the host seem to clearly be the favorites with a total of 19 entrants. However Florida brings a lot of young fire power and will remind everyone why they are three time defending champions.


60 Meter Dash- This race has for the past few years seem to always involve Florida State. This year is no different except its headlined by a newcomer in freshman phenom Marvin Bracy. Bracy had a terrific high school career and it is now translating over to the college level. D'Angelo Cherry however ran a 6.49 to claim the US indoor title, but the time will unfortunately not count. However it will stand out and Cherry is a strong contender to claim the title.

200 Meter Dash- Aaron Ernest of LSU has dominated this event all year. After a rough indoor season as a freshman last year Ernest entered this season with a more determined running style. His NCAA leading time of 20.53 may only be beaten by him at this meet.

400 Meter Dash- Deon Lendore of Texas A&M reminded everyone at the SEC Championships why he is the guy to beat. Running a blazing 45.15 in the preliminaries served noticed to all what his intentions were. Hugh Graham of Florida is a close 2nd with a time of 45.67 but will have to run a personal best to defeat Lendore and claim the title.

800 Meter Dash- This event only truly became interesting after Last Chance Weekend were Arkansas had two athletes clock 1:46 performances. Leoman Mohmoh of Arkansas had one of the performances earning a nation leading time of 1:46.07. His time is one of the fastest ran every indoors for a collegiate athlete. What will he do for an encore remains to be seen. Oregon's Elijah Greer is a true dark horse to claim the title in this event.

Mile- What a great year it has been for the mile. There are three athletes under 3:55 mark all lead by Tulsa senior and defending champion Chris O'Hare. O'Hare ran a collegiate record at the Millrose Games with a time of 3:52.98. It will be tough beating a performance like that but O'Hare will be pushed by fellow senior Ryan Hill of NC State and junior Lawi Lalang of Arizona.

3,000- While Lalang may not be the top guy in the mile he is however in the 3k. Lalang is the defending champion in this event and is an easy favorite. Lalang has almost 5 seconds on the next competitor in Henry Lelei of Texas A&M. Lalang truly should have no problem defending his title.

5,000- Kennedy Kithuka of Texas Tech is another great long distance talent out of Texas Tech. Similar to that of Sally Kipyego, Kithuka is well ahead of his competition and should dominate the race from start to finish. Kithuka's 13:26.65 ran at the Tyson Invitational is 11 seconds better than Diego Estrada of Northern Arizona who is ranked number 2.

60 Meter Hurdles- Eddie Lovett of Florida has been hot all season long. He emerged the favorite with a time of 7.54 ran at the SEC Championship to defeat Caleb Cross of Arkansas. Spencer Adams of Clemson held the top time for majority of the season. This will be the first time all season all three will be in a race together. I think Lovett has much more speed than the two and has slight advantage over Adams and Cross. However Adams is a elite performer at Championship meets and Cross was able to defeat Lovett early on in the season.

High Jump- What growth we have seen in this event of the recent years, the competition in this event continues to get more and more challenging. Two Olympians and defending champions will headline the event this year. Erik Kynard of Kansas State and Derek Drouin of Indiana. Kynard leads the nation with a mark of 7'7.75, Drouin is 2nd with 7'7.25. Drouin the former champion will look to avenge himself and claim the title over defending champion and Olympic Silver Medalist Erik Kynard.

Long Jump- Marquis Dendy of Florida is the next great Gator jumper. Dendy leaped to a mark of 27'1. Dendy's mark was a personal best and of the best indoor performances ever by a collegian, certainly one of the best in a while. Damar Forbes of LSU is no slouch with a season best of 26'5.75, however he will need a personal best to surpass Dendy who may still not be done setting personal bests himself.

Pole Vault- A field with a lot of quality performers this season. There are 10 athletes who have surpassed 18 feet. Senior Jack Whitt of Oral Roberts leads the nation with his mark of 18'4.75. Four other athletes tie for second with a mark of 18'4.50. This event has no true favorite and could won by anyone in the field.

Shot Put- Jordan Clarke of Arizona State looks to rep his school proud. Arizona State a strong throwing school is looking to see another champion and may have found one in the senior. Clarke has held the top mark this season since early January. His throw of 67'6.75 is still two feet more than his closes competitor.

Triple Jump- This event has huge team implications. Both Florida and Arkansas are relying on their jumpers to provide valuable points to compete for the national crown. For the Florida Gators defending champion Omar Craddock and Marquis Dendy for the Arkansas Razorbacks Tarik Batchelor. Batchelor has been the top performer all season long and proved it by defeating Craddock at the SEC Indoor Championship. Craddock still has a better personal best and should still be the favorite to win it.

Weight Throw- This event belongs to Alexander Ziegler of Virginia Tech and that is the end. Ziegler has a personal best of 77'8.75 and has more than 3 feet on his next competitor.

Heptathlon- This event is wide open. Jeremy Taiwo of Washington is the top performer so far this season with 6,156 points. Only two other athletes have gone over 6,000 points. Japeth Cato of Wisconsin with 6,090 and Kevin Lazas of Arkansas with 6,042. This should be a great competition and will be huge in the team battle for Arkansas.

4x400 Relay- Those who watched the 4x400 relay at the SEC Championships were treated to a real race with Texas A&M claiming the victory clocking in at 3:04.18 one of the fastest times ever ran by a college. Florida who owns the Indoor NCAA record is a close 2nd with a time of 3:04.31. However Florida did not run with their A team while Texas A&M did. This event has a lot intrigue and will be great to watch.

Distance Medley Relay- This event has never been more competitive and seems to gain more popularity as the year goes on. This race will be a rematch of the Alex Wilson Last Chance Invitational ran last weekend. All 12 qualifiers competed last week to attempt to qualify. Penn State leads the way with a time of 9:26.60 and are the heavy favorites to win the crown.


Team Battle: My heart is certainly with the Gators but my head tells me Arkansas, however plenty of things can happen in the two spectacle. My pick.................The Gators will defend their title for a 4th straight.

Armory Collegiate Review

(Kimberlyn Duncan-LSU)

There were several big meets this past weekend there were several highly contested meets. In New York City there was the weekend headliner, the Armory Collegiate Invitational. The first weekend in February generally always provides us with great sparks and this season was no different. We learned a lot about this the top ranked teams in the country and where they stand.


NEW YORK CITY ARMORY COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL

The LSU women and Texas A&M men claimed the team title at the prestigious event as expected. Leading the way for the lady LSU Tigers was senior sprint sensation Kimberlyn Duncan. Duncan is having a tremendous indoor season especially in the 60 meter dash, thought to be her weakness. Duncan ran a meet and personal record of 7.16. Her performance catapult's her to the number 1 ranking in the country. With Duncan's tall lanky frame if she can perfect her start her room from improvement is phenomenal.

Duncan's teammate Charlene Lipsey continues to shine as a middle distance star. Lipsey, a native a New York really put on a show with setting a meet record in the 1,000 meter run and defending her crown. Fellow distance teammate Laura Carleton claimed a victory herself winning the 5,000 meter race in a time of 16:11.58 ranking her 7th in the nation.

Senior Brianna Rollins of Clemson was the meet MVP and for good reason. Rollins completed an unprecedented double. Rollins won the 60 meter hurdles in 7.93 and claimed the 200 meter dash in 23.22. Rollins time in the hurdles was a new meet record, breaking the previous record held by her last season. Rollins season began with a bang setting the NCAA record in the event and looks to continue that same success later this season.

Texas A&M proved that there a true championship threat by claiming the title over number 1 ranked Arkansas and number 6 ranked LSU. The sprint core performed exceptionally well riding the back of Deon Lendore. Lendore continued his early season dominance at 400 meters with a time of 46.49 over David Verburg of George Mason. Teammate Prezel Hardy finished 2nd in the men's 200 meter dash with a time of 21.23. Henry Lelei led the distance runners with a time of 8:03.71 to win the 3,000 meter race.

The relay events was another area were Texas A&M and LSU were solid. On the men's side Texas A&M did battle with conference foes Arkansas and LSU. All three programs are ranked in the top 5 this season in the 4x400 relay. Deon Lendore led a sensational anchor bringing the Aggies from 3rd to 1st. The winning time of 3:09.62 was not impressive but what was impressive was the victory. The Aggies also added a 3rd place finish in the 4x800 relay.

On the women's side LSU was not as dominant. They were unable to challenge a strong Arkansas team that claimed the title with a time of 3:35.20, anchored by the number 1 ranked Regina George. The distance medley relay saw Villanova claim another title with a time of 10:56.74. Although LSU does not have the relay strength now, expect for it to come later.


Other notable performers were Spencer Adams of Clemson, his time in the 60 meter hurdles of 7.59 keeps him as the number 1 performer in the nation. Hayden Baillo of Texas continues to have strong senior season with a mark of 63'7.75. Aaron Ernest of LSU continues to have a strong indoor season. Ernest was the only sub 21 second 200 meter runner with a winning time of 20.83.



There are only a few more weeks until the conference champions, plenty of great performances to come. The team battle is shaping up to be a SEC showdown on the men's side, on the women's side it is going to come down to who has the more well-rounded team.