Olympic Trials Recap Part 1

 (ASHTON EATON

Decathlon Winner)

This past weekend started one of the more tense and competitive track and field meets in the world. The United States has the toughest rules to qualify for the Olympics. In most countries they allow a wild card or select the team all together depending on whether or not an athlete qualifies for the "A" standard. Each country is only allowed three individuals per event.


In the United States instead of having a wild card only the top three finishers in each event represent the country. To me, this is still questionable. I believe the top two, but I would leave a wild card spot open for third to allow a top athlete to compete in the event that they are injured. However the US Olympic Committee does not seem like they are changing their rules anytime soon so we must deal with the system currently in place.


The first weekend of the trials always catches my attention personally. Not only is the 100 meter dash held but also the 400 meter dash. This year many professional Americans have had up and down performances heading to the trials. Carmelita Jeter has the world's number 1 time in the women's 100, however she has lost two recent competitions and both performances were over 11.00 seconds. Her most recent defeat came at the Adidas Invitational in New York at the hands of Shelly Ann Fraser.


Jeter did not let her recent performances phase her. Running out of lane 6 the strong competitor from California ran a solid race to win 10.92 over Tianna Madison in 10.96. The event however would still not be without controversy and intrigue. The third position as it currently stands is shared. Both Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh are tied for the third position.


No decision has been made on how the tie-break will be made, however the Olympic rules will stand only three competitors in each event per country. In my opinion I would select the athlete who has the best overall potential to represent the US, Allyson Felix.


The men's 100 meter dash had the intrigue but no controversy. 2011 World Silver Medalist Walter Dix pulled up in the semi-finals with what seemed like a hamstring injury. Running out of lane 8 in the finals it was clear the Dix sustained the injury verified by the heavily bandage thigh.


Justin Gatlin who begin the competition with a bang ran a sensational race clocking in at 9.80 in cool temperatures. Gatlin had a strong start, solid drive phase and an amazing finish. His time is only second to Usain Bolt and makes him the best hope to win the 100 meter dash against Bolt. Tyson Gay proved that he was in good form, Gay clocked in at 9.86 to earn the second spot. Ryan Bailey completed the team with a of 9.93 over Michael Rodgers who finished fourth in 9.94.


Sanya Richards lived up to expectation by winning the 400 meter dash in dominating fashion. Running out of lane 5 Richards pushed the pace to about the 140 meter mark. She then ran a relaxed 110 meters and put the meter to the medal in the final 250 meters to clock in at 49.28. Her time in the 400 ties Chandra Cheesebourgh trials record set back in 1984. DeeDee Trotter and Francena McCrory will join her. Trotter clocked in at 50.02 to finish 2nd while McCrory finished third with a time of 50.43.


LaShawn Merritt has ran with a target on his back and plenty of scrutiny since returning from his drug suspension towards the end of 2011. The defending Olympic Champion claims to not be drug cheat since the substance was solely being used for his personal growth in a rather private area. Nonetheless, he still carried that burden. Merritt looked his usual powerful self running a solid well rounded race out of lane 6 to win in 44.12. Merritt used superior strength and speed down the final stretch. McQuay the NCAA Champion from Florida ran a new personal best in 44.49, while Bryshon Nellum of USC finished third in 44.80.


Nellum's story is a great one. To see an athlete who has experienced so much adversity over his career earn a spot on the team was special. The race was not special for the 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist Jeremy Wariner. After beginning the season with so much promise Wariner's lack of speed is what caused him to fail. He was out-kicked in the final 100 meters and finished sixth to miss the qualification for the team. This maybe the last we see of the great 400 meter runner, his career is still an exceptional one.

The hope of American distance fans everywhere rest on the shoulders of prodigy Galen Rupp. The multiple NCAA Champion from the University of Oregon put on quite a show in the men's 10,000 meter run. Rupp set a meet record with a time of 27:25.33. The record was held by the great Meb Keflezighi who set in 2004. The even better news is that all three qualifiers met the "A" standard. Rupp will be joined by Matt Tegenkamp and Dathan Ritzenhein. 

With all the great performances this weekend none more special than Ashton Eaton. Eaton is next in line to join the greats from the United States in the decathlon. Their is Rafer Johnson, Dan O'Brien, Bruce Jenner, Bryan Clay and others who have claimed the gold. Eaton set a world record scoring a total of 9,039 points in the decathlon after the crowd carried him in the mile. Eaton an Oregon alum, certainly made them proud with a awe-inspiring performance. 

The defending champion Clay was unable to qualify for Team USA after his disqualification in the 110 high hurdles after a mis-step. Clay still ended the meet with class and dignity by finishing the competition. Joining Eaton will be Trey Hardee and Florida All-American Gray Horn. 

Our next recap will focus more on the field and distance events. Congratulations to all that have qualified for the London Olympics, please represent USA well.

NCAA Championship Review

 (University of Florida 2012 NCAA Outdoor and Indoor NCAA Champions)

(Photo belongs to the Orlando Sentinel)

So the year for collegiate athletes for the most part has ended. For many seniors it was their last meet as an athlete forever, for a small and blessed few it was a step into the professional circuit. This past season majority of the top programs experienced a myriad of up and downs, based on a single injury or two teams dropped out of the top three discussion into a bottom feeder. No team faced more adversity this outdoor season than the University of Florida.

The season began for the Florida Gators as expected. They were the top ranked program with a solid of group of individual athletes that combined to form a great team. The first major loss of the season was the reigning SEC Champion in the decathlon in Gray Horn. Horn injured himself at the indoor NCAA Championships and that garnered a DUI right before the SEC Outdoor Championships and was suspended from the team.

Jeff Demps the top collegiate sprinter and headliner of the Florida Gators suffered a hamstring strain before the SEC Championships and could not go. After the preliminary round Demps was suffering again from hamstring issues and ended his senior season. The other bad news was that the 4x100 relay was unable to get the baton around at the NCAA preliminaries and dropped the baton to be disqualified.

History seemed like it was going to repeat itself. Florida had been in this position all too often. They begin the season only to stumble across the finish line and miss the gold. Florida has been 2nd at the NCAA meet three straight years in a row. It seemed hopeless, they had to be picture perfect in order to win the title and have a little help along the way.

Tony McQuay the teams most outstanding performer continued to impress. McQuay ran a solid 400 meter race finishing with a strong kick to clock in 44.58 to win the NCAA title and give 10 much needed points to the Florida Gators. The LSU Tigers did not make it easy on the Gators by scoring heavily in the short sprints, including another 4x100 relay victory with a time of 38.38. The team consisted of Barret Nugent, Aaron Earnest, Keyth Talley and Shermund Allsop.

The triple jump proved to be another key event for the Gators. Junior leader Omar Craddock claimed the nations top mark in the Triple Jump leaping to a mark of 55-6 1/4. Fellow jumper freshman Marquis Dendy was unable to score in either the long jump and triple jump leaving the Gators worried because points were at a premium.

Meanwhile the Lady Tigers of LSU made a serious statement. They were reminding everyone that they are the greatest women's track and field program in NCAA history and hears why. The sprints were the teams bread and butter and usually. Star Kimberlyn Duncan again finished second in the women's 100 meter dash running into a strong headwind to clock in at 11.16. Sophomore sensation from Oregon English Gardner lead the way in the 100 clocking in at 11.10. In the 200 Duncan would again display that powerful finish clocking in at 22.85 running into a strong headwind. Duncan also carried the 4x100 relay team to victory in a time of 42.75.

Similar to that of the women's program the LSU men were looking to score major points in the sprints. Freshman Aaron Ernest lead the way, scoring big points in the 200 meter dash by finishing 5th earning four points. Both the Gators and Tigers entered the 4x400 relay event with a chance to win the meet. The Gators had a total of 40 points and LSU had 42 points. If Florida won and LSU finished 2nd they would share the title. If Florida finished less than LSU in any position the Tigers win the title. In order for Florida to win the event outright they had to finish two positions ahead of LSU.

That was going to be a challenge for the Gators since LSU had a formidable 4x400 relay squad that challenged Florida in every meet. However thanks to a solid anchor by Tony McQuay the relay squad set a school record clocking in at 3:00.02 and USC surpassing LSU for 2nd place. This allowed Florida to score a total of 50 points to 48 points score by LSU. The Gators had finally won the title and broke the 2nd place curse.

The Lady Tigers just continued to pour it on. The gathered their top 400 runners and put together a school record breaking 4x400 relay squad. However that was not enough to win the event but enough to add the icing on the cake for another team title. Oregon claimed the event in a meet record of 3:24.54, the quartet including four amazing sophomores in English Gardner, Laura Roesler, Chizoba Okodogbe and Phyllis Francis. With so many graduating from LSU, Oregon seems like the next program to break the 2nd place curse. The Ducks also watched as Brianne Theisen again claimed the title in the heptathlon just shy of the NCAA record.

Other memorable performances from a great meet include Cameron Levins of Southern Utah who out-kicked Paul Chelimo of UNC-Greensboro and Lawi Lalang of Arizona with the top time of 13:40.05. Charles Jock of UC-Irvine led wire-to-wire in the 800 meter run to claim the title in 1:45.59. Brigetta Barrett of Arizona won the high jump with a mark of 6-4 and had a great clearance over the bar, expect for Barrett to earn a personal best this season and make the Olympic team.

Although the meet had all the bells and whistles of great television. There were many dissapointements for me. It was upsetting to know the meet would be placed on ESPNU and no longer on CBS. While on CBS the meet was given  fair airtime and was available on a national television network that everyone has access to with a television. Not only is ESPN cable but ESPNU is premium cable further shrinking the audience to watch such a spectacular meet and taking away an important meet to those who cannot afford ESPNU.

Finally it was disappointing that the NCAA committee again selected Des Moines, Iowa to host the meet. Again the stands look empty and the people of Iowa look disinterested. I hope that the NCAA will open up their eyes and start having the meet placed a track and field location not a football stadium. Locations such as Eugene Oregon Hayward Field, Icahn Stadium in New York, Percy Beard Track at the University Florida and a host of others. Hopefully the committee will wise up and keep the track and field fan's interest at heart and not their hopeful wallets.

(LSU 2012 Women's NCAA Outdoor Champions)

NCAA Regional Review and Other Opinions

                          Jeff Demps (Florida)

                     

This past weekend the NCAA's latest experiment with a Regional Championship for track and field continued. On the campuses of North Florida University and the University of Texas both East and West regions competed to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. This meet has met a lot of criticism as it has robbed track and field fans of a lot of quality competitors. It seems that every year there is always an athlete we do not get to see compete due to injury. The qualification rules are unfair and a waste to the sport. The current system has damaged the sport and has made a mockery of the championship season as well as the outdoor regular season.

The beauty of the indoor season is that every week matters. The sole purpose of each competition is hit the automatic qualifying standard. If not enough individuals qualify, then the NCAA will chose the top athletes who hit the provisional qualifying standard. Prior to 2003 the outdoor season competed the same way. This process is what help to make the NCAA Outdoor Championship such a revered meet. We were still able to see the best athletes compete.

Due to injury we will not be able to see Jeff Demps compete at the championship meet. This is truly a disappointment. Demps, currently the NCAA leader in the 100 meter dash would have likely qualified for the NCAA meet under an automatic standard. Maurice Mitchell  of Florida State and Harry Adams of Auburn will now headline this event. This meet has become yet another opportunity to grab money, but a what cost not all money is good money. The sport is suffering from visibility and the biggest stars not competing on the biggest stage will damage the sport.

Enough of my ranting on the latest NCAA follies lets talk about the good that came out of the weekend. It seems as if Texas A&M will again capitalize of the University of Florida's struggles. The Aggie men have claimed the top spot in the latest USTFCCCA rankings. Texas A&M has a well rounded program that does not solely have to rely on its sprint core. A bit of disappointment for A&M is that none of their 800 meter runners and Ameer Webb not qualifying in the 100 meter dash. However Webb did qualify along with Prezel Hardy for the 200 meter dash. Wayne Davis again proved that he is getting better as the season goes on and will challenge for the title in the 110 high hurdles.

On the women's side LSU and Oregon have made things very interesting with their long list of NCAA Championship competitors. Oregon has qualified a total 31 athletes for both teams. The Ducks qualify athletes in the sprints, distance and jumping events. Three major standouts for the Lady Ducks, English Gardner, Anne Kesserling and Brianne Theisen will be heavily favored to win their respective events at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

For LSU this might just be Dennis Shaver's best team. With a dominating sprint core as usual the Tigers boast an overbearing team that has already claimed the number 1 ranking away from Oregon. Kimberlyn Duncan currently the NCAA leader in both the 100 and 200 meter dash maybe able to put a record setting performance. Semoy Hackett, Rebecca Alexander and Jasmine Stowers add to provide LSU with a formidable team that reminds us of the great LSU teams of the '90's.

                                  Kimberlyn Duncan (LSU)

PREDICTION

MEN: TEXAS &M

WOMEN: OREGON

Penn Relay Review (Women)

It was another banner weekend for the PENN Relays. The 5^th largest crowd in Penn Relay history cheered and jeered along with bracing the horrible weather.  The women and the young girls present provided some solid performances that had many fans on their feet ranting and raving.

SPRINTS

HIGH SCHOOL

In the 4x100 relay Edwin Allen was the favorite entering in. They won Champs with a time of 45.00 and cruised through the preliminaries. However in the finals Long Beach shocked everyone winning with a time of 46.36. Although Holmwood Tech had the best overall time winning the large schools in 46.26, Long Beach Poly’s win is their 4^th ever and the first American team in recent decades to go back to back. The beauty of their win is that two of their relay members will be returning next year and third consecutive title is certainly possible.

The 4x400 relay was all Edwin Allen. They dominated from beginning to end to claim the title with a time of 3:42.06 with Camira Haughton splitting 54.0. Following Edwin Allen was Holmwood Tech and Vere Technical to complete a sweep. Edwin Allen success in the long sprints should not be anything new to anyone, their most noted quarter-miler Ristanannana Tracey set a 400 hurdle record last year and has turned pro one year early and will compete for an Olympic medal. 

COLLEGE

This seemed like it would be the year that LSU was finally retain their crown and the 4x100 relay queens. Texas A&M has won the last three titles under the direction of former LSU head coach Pat Henry. Texas A&M has to replace two major members of the 2011 team and did not seem like they would repeat after losing to LSU at the Texas Relays. In the finals Texas A&M put their foot down and got the baton around successfully and without any errors to claim the 4x100 relay with a time of 43.87.

LSU was able to claim their 12^th 4x200 relay title and exact some revenge on Texas A&M. The Lady Tigers clocked in at 1:31.86 with Kimberlyn Duncan on the end out-kicking Dominique Duncan. Latoya McDermott, Semoy Hackett and Rebecca Alexander joined Duncan in taking down the Aggies.

In the 4x400 relay Texas A&M was able to go out with bang by winning their first ever title in the event. Freshman anchor Olivia Ekpone split a 51.9 to hold sophomore Phyllis Francis of Oregon who split a 52.2. The Aggies clocked in at 3:33.52 with Oregon clocking in at 3:34.08. Oregon should also be a team to fear they were able to finish second with a 57.1 first leg, once the first leg problem is solved Oregon has a team that can compete for the NCAA title.

The Shuttle Hurdle Relay was expected to be dominated by Clemson. Clemson has a strong group of 100 hurdlers totaling 5, two of which have gone under 13 seconds. However during the race one of the girls from Clemson fell leading the way for LSU to claim their 9^th title in the event with a time of 54.68. The group consisted of Jasmine Stowers, Kaitlyn Moreau, Shanekia Hall and Alexandria Gochenour.

DISTANCE

Edwin Allen again represented Jamaica proudly with their dominating performance of the weekend in the 4x800 relay.  Edwin Allen won by more than 10 seconds with a time of 8:52.97. Marleena Eubanks anchored the team with a split of 2:09.3.

The Distance medley relay was more kind the Americans. Tatnall of Wilmington, Delaware had a sensational performance that saw them break a Penn Relay Record. The girls of Tatnall clocked in at 11:28.86 to break the old record by almost six minutes. Haley Pierce who anchored the quartet surpassed North Shore’s anchor with a split of 4:42.9.

COLLEGE

In the College Championship Division the University of Oregon lived up to the hype by winning the 4x800 relay 3 minutes ahead of Tennesse. The Lady Ducks had a winning time of 8:24.16. Laura Roesler the second leg had the teams top split with 2:04.5.

The Lady Ducks carried that same momentum in the 4x1,500 relay. Melanie Thompson, Alex Konsinski, Anne Kesselring and Becca Friday led the charge from start to finish and won by more than 10 minutes against a challenging field that included Georgetown and Villanova. A winning time of 17:29.00 came with a split of 4:16.3 from Anne Kesselring.

Villanova added the 11^th title in the Distance Medley relay. Villanova is number one all time in this event along with a host of others. The race closely contested with Tennessee as both have solid programs with good depth. The anchor leg from Villanova, Sheila Reid outgunned Brittany Sheffey from Tennesse 4:40.8 to 4:43.5 on the mile leg of the race to give the Wildcats their 11^th Penn Relay title.

Penn Relay Preview (Women)

(Long Beach Poly on the right National Record 4x100 44.50)

(Vere Tech on the left Penn Relay Record 44.32)

Sprints

The High School girls unfortunately miss out on the Saturday action by having to compete on Friday. However their performances do not go unnoticed. In the Girls Championship 4x100 relay Jamaica has dominated over the past thirty years. Vere Technical of Jamaica has one this event a record 15 times, no other high school has won more than 4. Long Beach Poly has been America's best representative at this meet and hold the high school national record at 44.50. Edwin Allen is the early favorite with a season's best of 45.00. Edwin Allen has one this event two times, '07 and '08.

The College Women's race has recently been dominated by Texas A&M. Pat Henry brought his relay winning formula from LSU. Dennis Shaver took over at LSU after Henry and the Lady Tigers have not fallen. In fact under Shaver's direction in 2008 LSU set the Penn Relays record in the 4x100 relay with a time of 42.59. They currently lead the NCAA this season with a time of 42.99. Texas A&M is not far behind however with a season's best of 43.21.

LSU posted a rather impressive 4x200 relay time at the Texas Relays clocking in at 1:30.01. However that same quartet is not listed to compete this year. Texas A&M has the 2nd fastest time coming in and will likely claim the title if LSU's b-squad is not up to task. Keep and eye out for the speedy ACC Champions Clemson, they should provide a strong performance.

The High School Girls 4x400 relay is where America has some decent success. However Vere Tech still has won the event 10 times and Holmwood Technical, also of Jamaica holds the meet record a t 3:34.75 set in 2001. Vere Tech is the early favorite currently listed as the only team under 3:40. Just like the 4x100 relay Long Beach Poly has generally been the best American representative and also has the national record with a time of 3:35.49. This year Poly has yet to assemble their best team and must pull the big upset. Other strong American teams include Wakefield from North Carolina and Garden City of New Jersey.

The race amongst colleges does not have the top team competing at the meet. Texas is currently the only women's program in the NCAA running sub 3:30. However Texas A&M and LSU field two very strong teams. LSU is currently ranked 2nd with a season best of 3:30.42.


The Shuttle Hurdle Relay is another event were LSU has dominated. The Lady Tigers have won the event a record 8 times. Most recently Texas A&M has been able to put a couple of strong teams together and have won it the last two years. LSU enters a strong team with sophomore sensation Jasmine Stowers but Clemson has the best hurdling group in the country led by Brianna Rollins and Bridgette Owens.



Distance

Tennessee has won the women's 4x800 relay seven times and currently has the two best times every ran at Penn Relays. This season they are anchored by senior Chanelle Price. Price has not lived up to expectations over her career but has been consistently good all four years. The Oregon Ducks bring a strong group of 800 runners and may have the best squad of the weekend and are also favorites to win the 4x1,500 over Boston College. Villanova, the all time leader in wins in this event enters a solid group that should contend and possibly earn the Wildcats their 10th victory. 

In the Distance Medley relay Villanova again brings a great quartet to compete against Georgetown and Tennessee. Georgetown ran away with the title this past indoor season and will use that same line up. The Oregon Ducks as usual will be a threat to win the event.

As I stated early Oregon boasts the strong group of milers in the NCAA. Boston College will rely on the King sisters Jillian and Caroline to challenge Oregon. Oregon has four athletes that have run under 4:17 and will have a strong veteran superstar in Jordan Hasay to anchor them and likely win another title for Oregon. Villanova is also a team for title consideration. 

PENN RELAYS PREVIEW (MEN)

It is the end of April and my favorite weekend of the year. It is Penn Relay time!!!!

The Penn Relays always brings a certain level of excitement and anticipation for many track and field fans. This year that is especially true with it being an Olympic year. Although the professional athletes take majority of the television time I would like to preview the colleges and high school championship of America races. (Relay events only)


Sprints

The sprint events are always a crowd pleaser. Whether it is a dropped baton, amazing relay leg, sensational anchor or amazing time many simply are fascinated with the challenge the sprint relays bring.

The collegiate men's 4x100 relay is especially interesting this year. Auburn stunned the world on March 31 at the Texas Relays with a time of 38.30. That is one of the fastest opening collegiate times ever. The Tigers will look to eclipse the Penn Relays record of 38.68 set by TCU. The closest team to the Auburn University time wise is the University of Florida which has a season best of 38.67. Unfortunately the Gators will not be competing at the Penn Relays so the main challenge will go to Texas A&M and Florida State.

The School boys 4x100 relay does not have a great recent history for the United States. With the lack of a strong southern presence the United States has to rely on schools from California, Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio to produce top schools for the event. Last season showed how much progress is needed in this event for the United States. Only one team from the United States qualified and they finished last. This year there is potential that no American team will qualify. Long Beach Poly has been the best high school program for America and may be the sole representative come Saturday. For Jamaica, Kingston College leads the way with a time of 40.17 and talented champion Delano Williams will look to lead Munro College to the title.


The 4x200 relay is an odd relay and not ran very much at the top level. However when it is ran it is certainly a sensational event. Texas A&M currently leads the NCAA ranks with a best of 1:21.21 and will look to defend their title. Auburn is also listed in this event with the same 4x100 relay quartet and LSU has a strong squad as well.

In the grand finale the 4x400 relay only one team in the NCAA has stood out all year with a early time and that would be USC. Not South Carolina but Southern California. USC again will not compete at this years Penn Relays. Missisippi State currently ranks 2nd ahead of LSU and Texas A&M. Those three have times with in hundreths of a seconds of each other. Miss St in 3:03.12, LSU 3:03.20 and Texas A&M in 3:03.16. This should be a real barn barner and a great way to end a always phenomenal meet.

The High School Boys race should be interesting as well. The Boys and Girls of New York lit up the track all indoor season long and have yet to run a strong contingent outdoors. It will take at least a 3:11 performance to claim the title. Jamaica brings a strong core of teams including defending champions Munro College and Jamaica Champs winner Calabar which ran a 3:10.19. Hopefeully and eventually an American program in one of the warmer states that compete at the Penn Relays will finally develop a program that can be a consistent threat and win some of the relay events, but for now the Jamaicans will continue to dominate. 

The Shuttle Hurdle Relays is one of my favorite events. Like the 4x200 relay is not ran often and even less so at the College level. Clemson brings a strong quartet of hurdles that include three sub 14 second hurdlers and they are fresh of their strong performance at the Florida Relays. Clemson is really trying to the claim the title of Hurdle University under coach Lawrence Johnson. 



 Distance
 
The Distance events are great to see as well. Traditional distance powers Oregon, Michigan, Villianova, Indiana and Oklahoma will look to bring home titles in respective distance events. However growing power Texas A&M is having a record breaking season in their distance events and will look to represent their university proudly at relays.

The Penn State and Texas A&M bring two very strong 4x800 relay teams. Texas A&M can be considered the early favorite after claiming the title at the Texas Relays with a time of 7:15.99 breaking a meet record that stood for 25 years. Penn State is led by senior star Casimir Loxsom who has a personal best of 1:45.28.

The 4x800 High School race is Boys and Girls race to lose. With a solid 7:41 performance indoors a sub 7:40 performance is all but imminent. Expect for this program to be mentioned a lot this weekend. 

In the 4xmile Texas A&M had another strong showing at the Texas Relays (4x1,500) and will look to capitalize on that performance. However their conference mate, for the last time, Oklahoma brings three sub 4 minute milers to the table and will look to not only claim the 4xmile but the Distance Medley Relay as well.

 

Texas Relays Review and weekend ending 04-01-12

Before we begin a great weekend with the Florida Relays, Arcadia Invitational and Pepsi Team Invitational let us review what a great weekend we recently had. We will mainly look at the Texas Relays and some of the great performances there.

WOMEN

This outdoor season has already started off with a bang. This season looks as if the chase for the top is a little more competitive indoors.

This past weekend at the Texas Relays LSU made their usual strong statement. The Lady Tigers posted some phenomenal times in both the 4x100 relay and 4x200 relay with times of 42.99 and 1:30.01 respectively. Kimberlyn Duncan anchored both relays and ran a strong race in the 100 meter dash. Duncan clocked in at a wind-aided 10.94 over Chelsea Hayes of Louisiana Tech who clocked in at 11.09. Duncan is the recognized leader of the team and has plenty of championship hardware to prove it.

Donique Flemings of Texas A&M brought home the 100 meter hurdle title clocking in a wind-aided 12.88. Flemings has definitely stepped up this outdoor season after a average indoor season.

The University of Texas also had some strong team performances. The Lady Longhorns had two impressive distance victories with a win from Marielle Hall in the 5,000 meter run clocking in at 16:35.63 and Brittany Marches in the 3,000 steeplechase with a time of 10;53.72.

In the sprints Texas claimed the 4x400 relay title becoming the first team to run sub 3:30 this season with a time of 3:29.72 (Stacey Ann Smith, Kendra Chambers, Allison Peter and Briana Nelson).

Chelsea Carrier-Eades of West Virginia maybe the best athlete to challenge defending champion Brianne Theisen of Oregon. Carrier-Eades had a solid all around effort in the heptathlon with a total point score of 5,821. Her score has automatically qualified her for NCAA's.

MEN

The Texas Relays is usually all about speed and this year did not dissappoint. Auburn University scorched the track with their outstanding 4x100 relay team. A team of Marcus Rowland, Harry Adams, Michael DeHaven and Keenan Brock clocked in a world leading time of 38.30. TCU has held the NCAA record of 38.04 since 1998 and held the previous record old record of 38.23 since 1989. That is over 20 years that TCU has held the NCAA record. Auburn has legitimate shot to challenge that record and become the first team under 38 seconds in college.

Jeff Demps won a very fast 100 meter race. Demps clocked in at 10.01, a slightly wind-aided performance. Demps definitely is looking to run in the low 9.9's and if possible sub 9.9 this outdoor season.

Barret Nugent of LSU got off to a fast start in the 110 meter hurdles. Nugent the defending champion clocked in at 13.37 to win the event over Shane Braithwaite of Texas Tech who clocked in at 13.43. Although the performance is wind-aided Nugent is definitely serving notice that he is still the front runner.

Texas A&M normally known as a sprint power was well represented by their distance core. The Aggies won the distance medley and the 4x800 relay. They were also 2nd in the 4x1,500.

Erik Kynard of Kansas State got back to his wining ways in the high jump. Kynard leaped to a height of 7'3. Kynard was the leader all indoor season but was unable to perform up to his championship level at the NCAA Indoor Championship missing out on the title. Kynard was able to Derek Drouin of Indiana the defending NCAA Outdoor Champion and teammate Darius King.

Issac Murphy of Texas also had a strong day in the field, Murphy dominated the men's decathlon with performances that included a 10.47 100 meter dash. Murphy's point total 8,067 will definitely put him the NCAA title discussion with Gray Horn of Florida.

It is now April and expect for the performances to pick up. The Florida Relays should provide some interesting fireworks.

MEN'S 4X100 RELAY AT THE TEXAS RELAYS