USC
USC Men Finish Sixth and Women Seventh at NCAA Track Championships
Williams sets school record in winning the high jump
June 11, 2005
SACRAMENTO, CA--Junior Jesse Williams won the men's high jump with a school-record jump of 7' 6" (2.29m) to lead the Trojan track and field teams in the final day of competition at the 2005 NCAA Track and Field Championships, being hosted by Sacramento State and the Sacramento Sports Commission at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex in Sacramento, Calif.
The Trojan men's team, winners of an NCAA-record 26 team outdoor titles, ended up with 33 points to finish the meet in sixth place, while the Women of Troy earned 25 points and finished in seventh place. Only USC and Stanford had both men's and women's teams finish in the top seven. The USC men's track and field team has had a top 10 finish in 10 of the last 14 seasons. The Trojan women's track and field team, which won their first NCAA title in 2000, has finished in the top 10 in seven of the last 10 seasons.
Williams, the 2005 NCAA indoor high jump champion, becomes the first Trojan to win both the indoor and outdoor titles in the same season. Williams' jump of 7'6" bested the school record of 7' 5 ¾" he co-owned with Dawid Jaworkski (2003). The 2005 Pac-10 and NCAA West Regional champion Williams had tied the school record on May 15 this season to win the Pac-10 crown in the high jump and break a meet record which had stood 18 years. Freshman Manjula Wiejesekara also qualified for the high jump finals, but did not gain any points as he did not finish in the top eight.
Senior Allen Simms had a season-best triple jump of 55' 10.5" (17.03m) to finish second in the finals to Rodrigo Mendez of BYU who out-jumped him by one-half inch (55' 11"). Simms, the 2004 and 2005 Pac-10 triple jump champion, holds the USC record in the event of 56' 7 ½" (17.26m) set in 2003 at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Alexis Weatherspoon ran a personal-best 23.26 in the 200m race to finish in fourth place. The senior's time was the eighth best in USC history and earned the Trojan women five team points.
Senior Iryna Vashchuk finished in seventh place in the women's 1,500m race with a time of 4.16.15. Vashchuk, the 2005 Pac-10 champion in the event, earned the Trojan women's team two points.
In Friday's finals action, scoring points for the Trojan teams were Virginia Powell in the 100m hurdles (1st place, 10 points), Candice Davis in the 100m hurdles (7th, 2 points), Weatherspoon in the 100m race (3rd, 6 points), Wes Felix in the 100m dash (2nd, 8 points), Adam Midles in the hammer throw (6th, 3 points) and Garry Jones, Felix, Phillip Francis and Jeff Garrison in the 4x100m relay race (5th, 4 points).
Stanford
Michael Robertson, Ryan Hall Capture NCAA Titles
Cardinal men and women finish in Top 10 at NCAA's
June 11, 2005
Sacramento, Ca - It had been exactly 40 years since a Stanford athlete had won the NCAA title in the discus. The long streak ended on a hot, sunny Saturday afternoon in Sacramento at the 2005 NCAA Track & Field Championships when junior transfer Michael Robertson captured the national crown with a school record effort of 202-5 (61.70).
Robertson enrolled and immediately became eligible at Stanford this year after he left Southern Methodist University (SMU) after the Mustangs dropped their men's track & field program. Although he was ranked second in the nation behind North Carolina's Vikas Gowda entering the NCAA Championship, Robertson defied the odds and took the lead on his fifth throw of the day. Gowda, the 2004 Olympian from India, had taken the lead in the competition on his second throw at 197-1 (60.08m). However, Gowda couldn't pass Robertson on his final two throws of the day. In fact, Gowda fouled on his final effort of the day, and Robertson walked away with the 2005 NCAA title.
"It was hard on everybody (when SMU dropped track & field)," said Robertson. "But I was excited to go to Stanford. It was a new lift."
Robertson entered the competition with a school record best of 202-5 (61.70m), nearly ten feet behind Gowda, the nation's leader at 212-3 (64.69m).
"It was very satisfying, especially the way it happened," said Robertson. "I felt good throughout the competition, and I had a lot left on my fifth throw," said Robertson. "I was lucky to catch a good throw (the fifth effort). I tried to put it out there in the sixth round, and I got a good throw, but it wasn't farther. I just got lucky that Vikas didn't put it together in his final throw. He's had a great season."
Robertson becomes Stanford's first NCAA discus champion since 1965 when Bob Stoecker captured the national title. Robertson is one of eight Stanford athletes to have now captured the NCAA title in the discus. The list includes Gordon Dunn (1927), Clifford Hoffman (1921), Eric Krenz (1928), Henri Laborde (1933), Dave Weill (1962, 1963) and Peter Zagar (1937, 1939, 1940).
As the four-day meet drew to a close, Ryan Hall and Ian Dobson dueled from start to finish in the finals of the 5,000 meters. Throughout much of the race, both runners took turns grabbing the lead. With three laps to go, Hall and Dobson stretched the lead over the 14 other runners. Then with one lap remaining, Dobson and Hall began the final assault on the finish line. And with 50 meters remaining, Hall overtook Dobson to win in a school record time of 13:22.32. Dobson was clocked in a career-best 13:22.54.
"That was Ian and I working together at the end," said Hall. "We just really respect each other running hard all the time. We train really well together. So I don't see it as 'I won and he got second.' I see both of us as winning. That was our goal all season."
The 28 points generated by Robertson in the discus, and Hall and Dobson in the 5,000 meters gave Stanford a seventh place finish in the final team standings. Arkansas won its 11th NCAA title since 1992 with 60 points.
The Stanford women finished fifth with 29 points. Texas won the NCAA title with 55 points followed by UCLA (48), South Carolina (48) and Tennessee (40).
In the women's 5,000 meters, Megan Metcalfe of West Virginia caught Stanford's Sara Bei in the final 100 meters to win in a time of 16:31.88. Bei was timed in 16:32.42. Teresa McWalters, a redshirt freshman, held the lead through much of the race, and ended up in third place (16:38.44).
"My strength is my final kick, but that is Megan's strength as well," said Bei. "I felt good in the stretch, but Megan just had a little more at the end."
The women's 1,600 meter relay team of Christine Moschella, Janice Davis, Ashley Freeman and Nashonme Johnson broke the school record with a time of 3:29.39.
Erica McLain earned her second All-American honor in her freshman season with a third place finish in the triple jump (44-8 1/4, 13.62m).
Arianna Lambie earned her second All-American honor at Stanford with a third place finish in the 1,500 meters. Lambie toured the course in a season-best time of 4:13.64 which just short of her career-best of 4:13.14 set last year.
UCLA
Henderson and Baucham Break Records En Route to NCAA Titles
Bruins finish second at NCAA Championships
June 11, 2005
Sacramento, CA - UCLA senior Monique Henderson (400m) and senior Candice Baucham (triple jump) won individual event national titles and senior Jessica Cosby earned All-American honors in the hammer throw and shot put to highlight the Bruin women's individual performances on Saturday, the final day of the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Sacramento (Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex). The weather was dry and hot (attendance 10,200).
In the team standings, UCLA, the Bruin women were the defending NCAA Outdoor Championships, picked up 32 points on the final day to finish with a total of 48 points, good for second-place (tied with South Carolina) in the team standings. Texas won the women's team title, followed by (top 5 of 29 teams) - 1. Texas 55, 2. UCLA/South Carolina 48, 4. Tennessee 40, 5. Stanford 29. Monique Henderson
The senior from San Diego (Morse HS) won the 400m in a personal-best time of 50.10 (fifth-fastest all-time collegiate/NCAA Meet Record, old mark-50.18, Alabama's Pauline Davis,1989/Pac-10 Record, old mark-50.33, Arizona State's Maicel Malone, 1991/UCLA Record, old mark-50.53, Monique Henderson, 2004). She becomes the second woman in UCLA history to win the NCAA Outdoor 400m - joining UCLA great, the late Florence Griffith-Joyner, who won the title in 1983 (50.94). Henderson picked up 10 team points for the Bruins.
Henderson's time at the 200m mark of her winning race was 23.5. She dominated the race from start to finish (second-place, Florida's Tiandra Ponteen, had a time of 50.83). It's Henderson's first NCAA individual event championship (as a freshman in 2002, she ran on UCLA's winning DMR at the NCAA Indoor).
"This feels really good," said Henderson, who will compete in two weeks at the USA Outdoor in Carson. "I wanted to end my college career this way. I went out fast in the first 200m - I wanted to finish and I just kept running through it. I never felt that I had it won, Ponteen is a strong finisher - I just kept working and focused on getting to the finish line. It's a race where I put it all together - it's the one thing that's been on my mind the whole season."
The Sacramento track has been good to Henderson. Last summer at the USA Trials, she made the U. S. squad (ran a then-personal-best 50.53) and went on to win a gold medal on the U. S. 4 X 400m relay at the Athens Olympics.
"I'm very happy with my time today, it's definitely a bonus," Henderson said. "In my mind, I was not thinking about a time, I wanted to come out to win."
After the race, Bruin head coach Jeanette Bolden said, "Monique has handled the pressure all season like a true champion." Candice Baucham
The senior from Inglewood (Long Beach Poly) wins her first NCAA event championship, placing first in the triple jump with a personal-best and U. S. leading 46-2(0.7w, on her last jump). Her mark is fifth on the all-time collegiate list and ties for sixth on the all-time U. S. charts.
Baucham's leap was a meet record (old mark, 46-0.75, California's Shelia Hudson, 1990), Pac-10 record (Hudson's 46-0.75) and school-record (old mark, 44-10.25, Roshanda Glenn, 1994). She came into the meet as the No. 4 seed (season-best 44-6). During her four-day NCAA stay, she picked up 14 team points for the Bruins -10 in the triple jump and four in the long jump (Baucham placed fifth in the long on Wednesday, 20-9.25). Baucham's 10 points in the triple jump did momentarily put the Bruins in first -place with 48 points (to Texas' 45)
"It was a good competition," said Baucham, who in her career had earned three All-American triple jump honors. "I was not on the board early in the competition, so I just kept moving up and slowly getting better and better. My second jump was a (then) personal best (45-3), but my coach told me I had more in me and they just kept coming (her fifth jump was 45-5.75 and then her final leap was 46-2).
"It's been a long journey," she said. "Ever since I got here-I've been thinking how this is my last collegiate competition. That's why I wanted to double (long jump/triple jump), because I knew I'd never have another opportunity like this. I gave it everything I had.
"I knew it (a jump over 46 feet) was there-I'd been patient and waiting," said Baucham. "This is the first time I've scored in both events. I couldn't ask for anything better." Baucham becomes the first woman in UCLA history to win the NCAA Outdoor triple jump title. Cosby Gets 12 points for Bruins
Senior Jessica Cosby picked up 12 points for the Bruin women on Saturday- placing third in both the hammer throw and shot put. Her hammer throw mark was 209-6 and in the shot put, Cosby had a 55-1.50. The Pac-10 record-holder in the hammer throw (219-5) who won the NCAA Outdoor shot put in 2002, Cosby ends her Bruin career as a six-time All-American.
On Saturday, sophomore Nastassja Hall completed her second day of competition in the heptathlon, finishing in 20th-place (5,115 points/Hall came into the competition as the No. 20 seed/5,362 points). In the final three events of the heptathlon on Saturday, Hall's marks were - 18-5.75(-0.8w/13th overall) in the long jump, 107-00 in the javelin(16th overall) and 2:19.82 in the 800m (eighth overall).
Johnson and Williams Earn All-American Honors in 400m Hurdles
Bruins Finish 33rd at 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships
June 11, 2005
Sacramento, CA - Sophomore Brandon Johnson and senior Jonathan Williams capped off UCLA's NCAA Outdoor National Championships with All-American finishes in the 400m hurdles on Saturday as Johnson finished fourth and Williams was seventh.
The Bruin men finished tied for 33rd overall (out of 71 scoring teams) with eight points, while Arkansas won the meet with a total of 60 points.
Final Team Scores: 1. Arkansas, 60 points; 2. Florida, 49 points; 3. LSU, 36 points; 4. BYU, 34 points; 4. Florida State, 34 points.
Johnson, running in lane seven, ran a lifetime-best 48.59 to finish fourth overall, while Williams, running in lane two, finished seventh with a time of 49.76. Williams's 49.76 was the second fastest time he has ever run in his career.
Johnson on his run: "I'm pretty happy because I finally pr'd this season. I wanted to run in the 47's like the other guys, but I'll take fourth-place any day opposed to not making the finals last year."
At last year's NCAA Championships, Johnson finished 17th overall and did not advance to the finals. He did earn All-American honors with the 4x400m relay team that placed seventh overall.
Last season at NCAA Outdoor, Williams finished 11th overall in the 400m hurdles and did not advance to the finals in that event.
Williams on his first All-American honor: "It feels so good. I wish I could have come in harder down the stretch, but my hamstring was cramping."
This is the first All-American hurdle honors for any of Sprint Coach Tony Veney's athletes. Veney, a second-year coach at UCLA, coached the Bruins to All-American honors in the 4x400m relay at last year's NCAA Outdoor meet, as well as helped coach UCLA to a second-place finish in the DMR at this year's NCAA Indoor.
"I think that both Brandon and Jonathan put forth great effort in today's race," said Veney.
On Brandon Johnson: "Brandon wanted to run faster and finish in the top-2, but he still pr'd and I'm pleased with how courageous he was."
On Jonathan Williams: "Yesterday Jon was cramping and the trainers worked on him to get him ready for today's race. Even with the cramping, he ran the second-fastest performance of his career and that is a gutsy performance.
On both: "This is the first ever championship final for both Brandon and Jonathan and I'm pleased with their maturity and ability to stay focused during this whole process."
Both Johnson and Williams plan to continue their season at the USATF Senior National meet at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA June 23-26.
It was the first individual All-American accolade for both men and the second and third athletes for UCLA to garner All-American honors at this year's meet. Johnson and Williams join junior Erik Emilsson as 2005 NCAA Outdoor All-Americans.
In yesterday's steeplechase final, junior Erik Emilsson earned his first All-American honor of his career after an eighth-place finish. Emilsson dropped his lifetime-best by six seconds during the national competition (old best 8:40.40), running 8:37.07 in the semifinals and 8:34.80 in the final race. He picked up the first points for the Bruins at this year's NCAA Outdoor meet.
Arizona
Track & Field Closes Out Season at NCAA Championships
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The 2005 season came to a close for the Wildcat track and field program on Saturday night at Sacramento State’s Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex. The Wildcat men scored eight points in the final day to finish in a tie for ninth place with a total of 23 points. The women came up short in their final bid to move up in the standings as they dropped into a tie for 60th place with three points.
Sophomore Adam Kuehl led the way for the men on Saturday with his fourth-place finish in the men’s discus final. Kuehl’s throw of 192 feet, 11 inches (58.81m) scored five points for the Wildcats. Junior Sean Shields, who finished fourth in the shot put on Friday, finished just out of the scoring in ninth place. Shields posted a best attempt of 182 feet (55.47m) in the final.
In the men’s 5,000-meter final, junior Robert Cheseret toed the line in his bid for a second national title at this year’s championships and to defend his title from 2004. The Kenyan native ran a hard-fought race into the last lap, but he was unable to mount a final surge for the title. Cheseret crossed the line in sixth place, clocking a time of 13:41.88.
The Wildcat women rested their hopes on freshman Megan Howard in the final day. Howard, competing in her first ever NCAA Championship meet, qualified for the women’s shot put final with a personal record throw on Thursday. In the final, she hit her best throw on her first attempt, which measured 52 feet, 7 ½ inches (16.04m), which was good for ninth place in the standings and narrowly missing her chance to score for the UA women.
The men’s and women’s track and field squads head into the offseason after one of their most successful campaigns in recent history. Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Fred Harvey is set to bring in a number of sensational recruits to join the mix in 2006 as the program continues to add to its rich history and tradition
University of Washington
Kate Soma Wins NCAA Pole Vault Title
Dockendorf sixth; UW finishes NCAAs with four All-Americans.
June 11, 2005 -- UPDATED 9:14 p.m. with final team scores.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Husky senior Kate Soma became the most decorated women's track and field athlete in UW history Saturday, winning the NCAA pole vault title at the 2005 NCAA Track and Field Championships.
The Portland, Ore., native is the 24th Washington track and field athlete, and fourth UW woman, to win an NCAA title all-time, and the first Husky to do so outdoors since 1988. Soma is the second Husky athlete to win an NCAA individual title in the past two weeks, joining NCAA men's golf champion James Lepp.
Soma was one of five Huskies to win All-America honors at this year's NCAA meet, which concluded Saturday. Washington's women finished among the top-20 teams for the second-straight year, their 17 points earning a tie for 15th place, its best finish since 1988. Texas captured the women's title with 55 points, while Arkansas won its 11th NCAA men's title since 1992 with 60 points. Washington's men did not score.
Soma led the field through 14 feet, 1 ¼ inches, clearing each of the first four heights on her first attempt. Things nearly turned ugly when Soma's pole snapped in half on her first attempt at 14-5 1/4, her fourth broken pole this year and the fifth of her UW career. Moved to the end of the jumping order as a result of the equipment failure, Soma was able to watch as each of the three remaining competitors missed all three of their attempts, crowning the Husky champion.
Soma says she knew after clearing her second height, 13-6 ¼, that she would win the competition.
"I felt so good going over that bar," she said afterward. "I just knew right then that this was my competition to win."
Dockendorf, meanwhile, moved into the top-10 in Pac-10 history with a third-attempt clearance at 13-9 ¼, before narrow misses on all three attempts at 14-1 1/4. Dockendorf's vault equaled the Pac-10's ninth-best all-time, and was the fifth-best vault ever by a Canadian woman.
"Kate's been runner-up twice, so for her to win at her final meet is just awesome," said vault coach Pat Licari. "It's also exciting to see Carly realizing her potential. This was just a great day all around for us."
Licari has coached at least one UW vaulter to an NCAA title in each of the past three seasons, adding Soma's win Saturday to back-to-back NCAA indoor crowns by Brad Walker in 2003 and 2004.
During Soma's four-year career, Washington's women's vault unit has evolved into the nation's most accomplished. Five Husky vaulters boasted marks over 13 feet in 2005, and four competed at the national championships, both firsts for any NCAA institution.
"We've been blessed to be able to enjoy watching Kate on a daily basis over these past four years," said third-year head coach Greg Metcalf. "We'll hopefully someday have another 14-foot vaulter, and another five-time All-American," Metcalf said. "But we'll be hard-pressed to replace Kate's impact on our program. She's proven that you can become a star at Washington, and that's a legacy that will live on for years to come."
Soma's legacy includes 2005 NCAA, 2004 Pac-10 and 2005 West Regional titles, as well as five All-America honors, the most-ever for a UW woman. Only three UW men have earned more, including Ja'Warren Hooker (10), Scott Neilson (7) and Rick Noji (6).
As Soma made her first attempt at 13-6 ¼, sophomore Amy Lia sprinted past in the finals of the 1,500 meters, The Bothell, Wash., native, making her NCAA Championships debut, placed 12th in the event, crossing the line in 4 minutes, 27.89 seconds. Seeded 18th entering the meet, Lia qualified for Saturday's 12-woman final with a third-place preliminary finish, her time of 4:18.19 a four-second personal best and the third-fastest in Washington history.
The sophomore returned to the track barely two months ago after missing nearly a year due to injury, and has run just 11 1,500-meter races in her collegiate career.
"Amy's overcome a lot of adversity in the last year to put herself in this position, competing in the finals at the NCAA Championships," said Metcalf. "I think this experience has really opened her eyes as to what she's capable of. She'll be back here soon for sure."
A record 16 Huskies competed at this year's NCAA meet, with seven earning top-10 finishes. Soma, Dockendof, hurdler Ashley Lodree and half-miler Ryan Brown all earned All-America honors - UW's most outdoor All-Americans since 2000 - adding to the 10 such honors earned by Husky athletes indoors in March.
"I tell you, it felt great to go into that stadium every night knowing that we had a bunch of folks out there competing, going after All-America honors," Metcalf said. "The past couple of years we've been laying the foundation, and this year we've started to build. Eleven of these 16 folks are coming back next year, and we have a bunch more who feel like they should be here, too. Washington track is again becoming the nationally-renowned name it used to be, and that's a credit to everyone involved in our program."
While the collegiate season is officially concluded, several UW athletes will continue to compete throughout the month of June. Numerous Huskies will be entered in next week's Harry Jerome Classic in Burnaby, B.C., while others are qualified to compete at the U.S. Junior and Senior National Championships, with berths at August's World Championships up for grabs.
Arizona State
Men's 4x400m Relay Finishes as National Runners-Up at NCAA Meet
Sun Devil relay sets school record while finishing second on the final day of competition
June 11, 2005
Results
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The 2005 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships came to a close in grand fashion for the Arizona State University track and field team Saturday night as the men's 4x400m relay clocked a school-record time to place second in the national on the final day of the meet that was held inside the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex in Sacramento, Calif.
With the eight points the relay earned, the ASU men moved up to 17th place in the overall standings with 16 points while Arkansas won the team race with 60 points. On the women's side, the Sun Devils failed to score points during the meet that Texas won by edging out UCLA, 55-48.
On the track, the relay of Rich Allen, Seth Amoo, Domenik Peterson and Lewis Banda combined to run 3:00.57 and become the first ASU relay to run under 3:01 in the event. Allen opened the race with around a 46 second leg followed by a 44 split for Amoo prior to Peterson's 45. Banda, the anchor on the relay, also clocked a 44 and nearly caught the race winner, LSU, who set the collegiate mark at 2:59.59. The Sun Devils' previous best in the event had been 3:01.26 that the group of Steve Fitch, Amoo, Peterson and Jason Barton ran at the 2004 Pac-10 Championship meet in Tucson, Ariz.
Prior to the relay, Amoo also competed in the finals of the 200m dash where he finished in sixth place at 20.63 while race winner Wallace Spearmon of Arkansas clocked a 19.91.
Two Sun Devils also were in competition in the field events on the final day of action. For the women, Jessica Pressley advanced to the finals of the hammer throw with a toss of 60.71m (199-03) to finish just out of the scoring in ninth place. The final competitor of the day was Ryan Zimmerman in the men's triple jump, who placed 10th with a leap of 15.52m.
All four members of the relay and Pressley each earned All-America honors at the meet. The relay members automatically attained the honor by finishing among the Top 8, giving Amoo two awards on the day, while Pressley earned her first career All-America accolade as she was the seventh-highest finishing American in the hammer. For the week, Trevell Quinley in the long jump and 3,000m steeplechase runners Aaron Aguayo and Ryan Warrenburg each earned the national accolade.
Historically, Amoo's addition of two All-America honors this week brings his total to seven in his stellar career with the Sun Devils and ties him with Marcus Brunson and Herman Frazier for the most in ASU men's history. Peterson, who now has six awards to his name, moved into a tie for third with Tony Berrian and Nick Hysong.
Washington State University
Picklers and Diles Earn All-America at NCAA Track Championships
Julie and Diana Pickler finish fifth and sixth in heptathlon while Tamara Diles is seventh in pole vault.
June 11, 2005
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Washington State pole vaulter Tamara Diles joined heptathletes Julie Pickler and Diana Pickler as All-Americans by placing in the top eight scoring positions during the final day of the NCAA Div. I Track & Field Championships at Hornet Stadium, part of the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex at Sacramento State University.
In the heptathlon, Julie Pickler finished fifth with a lifetime-best 5,650 points and her twin sister Diana Pickler was sixth with a lifetime-best 5,595 points. Lela Nelson, a senior from Eastern Michigan, won the heptathlon with 5,878 points. In WSU all-time records, Julie Pickler's heptathlon total of 5,650 points is third best and Diana Pickler's 5,595 points is fourth-best. Idaho's Manuela Kurrat finished fourth with 5,714 points.
The Picklers, redshirt sophomores from Sachse, Texas, finished one-two in the 2005 Pac-10 heptathlon with Julie claiming the title. This was Julie's first NCAA Outdoor Championship meet. Diana earned indoor All-America accolades with her 10th place finish in the 2005 NCAA Indoor pentathlon.
Coming into Saturday's competition, Diana Pickler was in third place and Julie Pickler was in sixth place among the 27 competitors. In the long jump, Julie Pickler's leap of 19-feet, 2 3/4 inches (5.86m) kept her in sixth but Diana Pickler's long jump of 18-9 3/4 (5.73m) dropped her to fifth in the standings after five events.
In the javelin, Diana Pickler tossed the spear 127-1 (38.74m) and moved back up to third place. Julie Pickler's javelin throw went 125-0 (38.11m) and she moved into fourth place.
The seventh and final event of the heptathlon, Julie Pickler ran a time of 2:23.98 and Diana Pickler finished in a time of 2:29.53.
"I thought Julie and Diana competed really well today," Cougar Head Coach Rick Sloan said. "They worked hard to get their marks in the long jump and struggled a bit in the javelin. The 800 meters was a very fast race but Julie moved up at the end. On the whole, they competed very well, reaching lifetime-bests. They scored in the 5400s at the Texas Relays, scored in the 5500s at the Pac-10s and both bettered those totals at the NCAAs with Julie reaching 5600 and Diana just missing. They both got better with every heptathlon and learned from each occasion."
Diles, a junior from Bellevue, Wash., finished in a tie for seventh in the women's pole vault final. Diles cleared heights of 12-9 1/2 (3.90m), 13-1 1/2 (4.00m), and 13-5 1/4 (4.10m) on her first attempts. She missed all three attempts at the next height, 13-9 1/4 (4.20m). Washington senior Kate Soma won the event clearing the bar at 14-1 1/4 (4.30m).
"Tamara looked solid today after she struggled to get into the final," Sloan said. "Her first three jumps were clean but she moved up to bigger pole at 4.20m (13-9 1/4) which was stiffer and didn't have the same movement as the lighter pole. This was a good meet for her. She made nice adjustments and made All-America."
Texas won the women's national team title with 55 points. The Washington State women scored eight team points and finished in a 13-way tie for 29th. The Arkansas men won the team title with 60 points while WSU's four points resulted in an eight-way tie for 46th.
UC Berkeley (6/11 release not available Sunday morning)
Teinert Earns All-American Honors in Javelin
Meredith Closes First Day of the Heptathlon as Teinert Places Seventh
June 10, 2005
Results
Sacramento, CA -
MEREDITH TAKES ON DAY ONE
Senior Brooke Meredith would start off in 21st in the women's heptathlon before dropping down to 23rd and then rebounding back up to 22nd. The senior started off the day with a decent performance in the 100mH where the two-time All American finished eighth in her heat and 21st overall in a time of 14.51, only .13 seconds behind her PR of 14.38, which was set this year at the Pac-10 championships. The difference between the two marks being only 18 points. The best time was 13.49 by Lela V. Nelson of Eastern Michigan who ran 13.49 for 1,052 points. Meredith's PR would have tied her for 20th after one event.
At the high jump Meredith suffered a much more critical blow as she scored over 120 points below her lifetime best. Meredith had an excellent series without missing a single height in clearing 5-3, but ran into trouble at 5-4.25. Meredith was unable to clear the bar and had to settle for 736 points. Meredith's best of 5-7.25 would have been worth roughly 860 points and put her near 15th overall after two events, but instead the senior would fall back to 23rd.
The shot put saw Meredith make up some ground as the senior moved up to 21st. Meredith's opening throw of 41-2.5 put her in fifth place for the event where she would finish. Her second throw was fouled intentionally while her third and final throw failed to improve on the first. Her mark was good enough for 698 points, but still below her potential as her lifetime best stands at 43-1, which would have earned 736 points.
Meredith had the same problems in the 200m. With a best of 25.33, Meredith was only able to produce a time of 26.14 for 785 points, falling back to 22nd after her high water mark of 21st. Meredith best time of 25.33 would have earned her 857 points.
After the first days events Meredith stands 22nd with 3,126 points and will need to make up a 250 points deficit if she has any hope of moving into scoring contention. Tomorrow's long jump and javelin pose excellent opportunities for the senior to make up ground on the field as Meredith consistently competes strongest on her second day. At the Pac-10 championships Meredith moved into third place on the last event after finishing the first day in fourth.
TEINERT BECOMES ANOTHER FIRST AFTER FINISHING SEVENTH
Junior Paul Teinert beckoned as the Bear's next opportunity for an All-American. Teinert's first throw of 217-2 did not bode well for the junior who usually produces his best throw early in the series. That mark did put him in fifth after the first round, but Teinert would have to improve if he was going to make the finals which only accepted eight throwers out the original 12. Teinert improved slightly on his second throw, but had plenty of comfort space to make the final. In the final round before the finals Teinert made a try for a big throw, but missed the sector and nearly struck a group of referees officiating the triple jump. Gabrield Wallin of Boise State, who is also the defending NCAA champ, lead going into the finals with his first throw of 258-5. Teinert improved twice in the finals throwing 223-10 and 228-2 in the fourth and fifth rounds respectively. It looked as though Teinert would finish as high as sixth until Bobby Smith of Monmouth moved into fifth with a fifth round throw of 229-7. Teinert attempted another big throw in the final round, but failed to execute and fouled deliberately. Teinert's seventh place finish makes him Head Coach Chris Huffin's first male All-American at Cal and his second ever in the javelin. Teinert's PR of 235-11 would have given Teinert fourth place, which he threw at the Pac-10 championships last May, "I'd be crazy to say I was disappointed; I'm happy with scoring seven points for the team, I finished seventh and I'm All-American."
STRICKLAND FINISHES SEVENTEENTH
Freshman triple jumper Cassandra Strickland, who came into the meet with an outdoor mark of 41-7, posted a lifetime best of 42-1.5 on her last attempt. After opening up with a respectable 41-2.5 and following that attempt with a foul, Strickland came up with jump that looked as through it would get her into the finals. That is, until a group of athletes came up with 43-0 plus marks, knocking Strickland down to 17th overall. The last mark to advance was Brooklyn Hann of Kansas at 43-1.
DAY FOUR
Tomorrow Brooke Meredith will finish up in the heptathlon, freshman Alysia Johnson competes in the final of the 800m and junior Antonette Carter runs in the final of the 200m
University of Oregon
4x400 Relay Smashes School Record & Takes Third in NCAA Chase
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – In final day action in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Cal State Sacramento’s Hornet Stadium, the University of Oregon men’s 4x400 relay stole the show in a run after the NCAA title.
In the team races, the Men of Oregon scored 23 points and tied for ninth for the third time in five years after similar finishes in 2001 and 2004. The UO women tied for 32nd with eight points courtesy of Sarah Malone’s javelin second-place finish Friday.
Overall in the team chases, Arkansas won the men’s title with 60 points, ahead of Florida (second, 49), LSU (third, 36) and BYU and Florida State (fourth-tie, 34). Texas claimed the women’s team crown with 55 points, ahead of UCLA and South Carolina (second-tie, 48), and Tennessee (fourth, 40).
The men’s 1,600 relay combination of redshirt sophomore Jordan Kent, senior Kedar Inico, and juniors AK Ikwuakor and Matt Scherer took third in a time of 3:00.81 – a school record by 2.46 seconds over their previous mark from the 2005 Pac-10 Championships (3:03.27).
The Duck unit crossed the line only .82 seconds behind event champion LSU (first, 2:59.59) who broke the former NCAA meet and collegiate record of 2:59.91 by UCLA from 1988. Arizona State squeezed ahead of the Ducks in the final 50 meters to take second (3:00.57), .24 seconds ahead of UO.
“Every one of the guys did an amazing job,” assistant coach Dan Steele said. “The all ran personal bests, and ran exactly like they were supposed to. That is a school record that could stand for a while and will be hard to replicate. I told them before the race, that this is the most exciting event in track and field, and here’s the chance to be at the center of the universe for a few moments. You rarely get a chance like this in life so you have to go for broke, and they pulled it off.”
In his first appearance on the 4x400 since his freshman year finale in the NCAA Championships prelims, Kent reeled off a 46.1-second opening split, and was followed by a 44.4 leg by Inico who had the Ducks in second place at the end of his leg. On the third leg, Ikwuakor added a 45.4-second effort and handed off to Scherer in a tight race for second place. The Sumner, Ill., native Scherer raced off just behind LSU anchor Kelly Willie who opened up a quick 8-meter lead after the first 150. Scherer ran equally hard and maintained a nearly equal deficit much of the leg’s remainder and entered the last 100 meters still in second, before ASU anchor Lewis Banda edged past slightly in the final 50 meters.
Comparing times with previous NCAA finales in the 4x400 since its event debut in 1964, the Ducks ran faster than every NCAA champion since then, except for UCLA in 1987 (3:00.55) and ’88 (2:59.91) and Georgia Tech in 1992 (2:59.95).
“Coming in we had played with the numbers and splits, but only one time had I ever thought we could run sub-3:01,” Steele said. “But these guys took it upon themselves to make a statement. Oregon hasn’t received a lot of respect for its sprint group and they showed today that they deserve to be recognized as one of the nation’s best.”
The Ducks’ clocking Saturday completely erased their school record of 3:03.27 from their runner-up Pac-10 finish in mid-May at UCLA. That same prior season best ranked the unit fifth coming into the NCAA meet as UO made its third straight NCAA appearance. Travis Anderson, Brandon Holliday, Kent and Scherer took 11th with a then-school record on the same Sacramento State track in the prelims in 2003 (11th, 3:06.73), and Anderson, Holliday, Inico and Scherer claimed fifth in the 2004 finale in Austin, Texas (3:03.88).
Two days before on Thursday, the Ducks ranked sixth in the prelims (3:04.10) with their sixth-best time in school history and featured the combo of junior Travis Anderson on lead-off followed by Inico, Ikwuakor and Scherer. Since 2003, Duck 4x400 relays have now run 10 of the top 12 times in school history, including times in 2005 of 3:00.81 (first), 3:03.27 (second), 3:04.10 (seventh), 3:05.72 (eighth) and 3:07.79 (12th).
Going back in school history, Oregon’s third-place finish Saturday was its highest in more than 20 years, after prior combos took finished fifth in 2004, second in 1971, and fourth in 1970 and ’65.
Just as impressive as the quality of the Ducks’ times was also the quantity during the four-day meet. Inico ran seven races for the Ducks (three open 400s, two 4x400 relay second legs, and two 4x100 third legs), Scherer ran six races (two open 400s, two 4x400 relay anchor legs and two second 4x100 legs), Ikwuakor ran four races (two 110 hurdle rounds and two 4x400 third legs), Kent ran three legs (two 4x100 anchor legs, and one 4x400 lead-off leg) and Anderson ran one leg (one 4x400 first leg).
“Matt, Jordan, AK and Travis are back next year, but losing someone like Kedar won’t be easy to replace,” Steele said. “When I watched them race here in Sacramento three years ago, I thought they had the makings of a great team. It’s been a gradual process that has required a lot of work, but they’ve met the challenge and continued to improve every step of the way. The feelings of nervousness before and joy afterwards pretty much surpass anything I ever felt as an athlete (he was an Olympic medalist in the bobsled and an NCAA champion in the 400 hurdles at Eastern Illinois).”
Earlier in the day in the men’s 400, Inico claimed his first outdoor All-America honor in the 400 (eighth, 45.85). The Queens, N.Y. native entered the meet seeded 11th with a prior personal best of 45.61 that he bettered in Friday’s semifinal with a .29-second personal best (45.22). That clocking from the semis moved him to second all-time for UO, and only .15 seconds behind former world record holder Otis Davis (45.07, 1960).
Overall in the event, Olympic 4x400 gold medal anchor Darold Williamson won by .24 seconds (44.51) over Mississippi State senior Jamel Ashley (second, 44.75) and Texas Tech junior Andrae Williams (third, 44.90).
In the 5,000, redshirt senior Eric Logsdon made his third appearance in the NCAA outdoor 5,000 (12th, 14:20.21) and ran virtually the whole second half of the race near his final placing.
Overall in the event, the Stanford pair of juniors Ryan Hall and Ian Dobson escaped the field before the halfway point en route to a comfortable 1-2 finish in times of 13:22.32 and 13:22.54, respectively, five seconds ahead of Michigan junior Nick Willis (third, 13:27.54).
The Canby, Ore., native Logsdon entered the meet seeded eighth with his personal best of 13:40.21 from the Cardinal Invitational in late April – a mark that also ranked him eighth all-time for UO. In prior NCAA Championships, he had posted top-eight finishes as a sophomore (eighth) and junior (seventh) in 2003 and ’04. He qualified for the NCAA showdown as an at-large invite based on his seventh-place regional finish, while in prior Pac-10 Championships, he scored for the Ducks in the 5,000 in (sixth in ’05, fourth in ’04, sixth in ’03 and fourth in ‘02) and in the 10,000 in ’05 (fourth).
In the women’s heptathlon, junior Lauryn Jordan took 14th with a 168-point career best score of 5,367 points, and finished eight places higher than her pre-meet seed.
Jordan posted second marks of 19-6 1/4 in the long jump (w:0.6, fifth), 111-7 in the javelin (15th) and 2:31.15 in the 800 (22nd). In comparison to her heptathlon bests, her long jump was a nine-inch hep season best, her javelin mark was less than 10 feet off her personal best (121-5), her 800 was a 2.36-second personal best over her former best (2:33.51) and her second day tall of 2,336 point smashed her former best of 1,975 from the league finale.
The Stockton, Calif., native entered the day in 14th place after a first-day, four-event total of 3,031 points that was only 23 points shy of her first-day personal best from the Pac-10 Championships in early May (5,324). Her first day marks from Friday included 14.38 in the 100 hurdles (PR, w:0.4, 20th), 5-5 1/4 in the high jump (11th), 41-7 1/4 in the shot put (PR, fourth), and 25.25 in the 200 (PR w:-1.6, 13th).
Overall in the competition, Eastern Michigan senior Lela Nelson climbed one spot on the final day to win the title (5,878) by 84 points over Georgia junior and first-day leader Jessica Stockard (second, 5,794) and Nebraska junior Ashley Selig (third, 5,775).
Jordan earned her first NCAA invite thanks to her fourth-place mark and previous best from the Pac-10 Championships in mid-May at UCLA (5,299). She climbed one spot on the UO all-time list Saturday to fifth and passed recent two-time NCAA qualifier Abby Andrus who previously ranked fifth with 5,325 points.
In the women’s shot put, redshirt senior Bree Fuqua wrapped up her collegiate career and took 12th (50-4) – 2 feet and 7 1/2 inches from the eighth and final scoring position.
The Polson, Mont., native qualified for Saturday’s final after she ranked seventh in the prelims Thursday (53-3 3/4). Fuqua’s Thursday best was only 7 1/4 inches off her school record (53-11) that seeded her 12th coming into the meet and came in the Pepsi Team Invitational in Eugene in early April. Fuqua had made her NCAA discus debut the first day of the meet on Wednesday, and took 22nd in the prelims (151-6) – five places better than her pre-meet seed.
Overall in the shot put final, Miami senior won by 3 feet, 8 3/4 inches (59-8 1/2), over Texas sophomore Michelle Carter (second, 55-11 3/4) and UCLA senior Jessica Cosby (third, 55-1 1/2).
In the hammer, redshirt junior Brittany Hinchcliffe wrapped up her first appearance for the Ducks in the NCAA finale (12th, 189-11). On her three throws in Saturday’s prelims, the first-year Duck posted marks of 189-3 (57.69m), 189-11 (57.88m) and 186-9 (56.92m) and was 8 feet, 8 inches from qualifying for the final based on the eight-best mark in the opening three rounds (198-7). Two days before in the event qualifying round, she also ranked 12th and claimed the final qualifying spot (194-8).
The Olympia, Wash., native entered the meet seeded 17th with her season best and school record of 199-2 from the Pepsi Team Invitational – a heave that broke the former Duck mark set by another recent NCAA qualifier, Jordan Sauvage, from 2003 (191-4).
Overall in the event final Saturday, top seed and Colorado State senior Loree Smith won (224-8) by 5 feet, 9 inches over Georia sophomore Jenny Dahlgren (second, 218-11) and UCLA senior Jessica Cosby (third, 209-6).
ADDITIONAL 4X400 RELAY QUOTES
“It doesn’t matter how many races I run,” Kedar Inico said. “Coach has trained me for it and I actually felt looser in the relay than in the open 400. This is my last year here, so I wasn’t going to leave anything out there.”
“If someone had told me we would run 3:00 at NCAA’s I wouldn’t have believed that we would get third,” AK Ikwuakor said. ”We have nothing to be ashamed of. There was so much emotion out there with the national championship. Coach predicted exactly what happened. He said when they passed me at 200, not to worry, and come back on them on the homestretch, and that’s what I did. I was pretty nervous coming in, but once I got the baton I felt fine.”
“This was a great achievement for the team, and I want to call special attention to Travis Anderson (the normal first leg) who helped get us there,” Jordan Kent said. “Going first made it really easy for me, since I had a lane all to myself. Lane 8 was certainly fine by me – better than lane 1 or 2. I only saw the shadow of one other person out there, so I wasn’t sure how I was doing until after I handed off. (After I redshirted last year) I always expected to be back here, and it’s a wonderful feeling to have been a part of this relay two years ago, and see how far we’ve come.”
“Everybody ran perfect legs, so it made it easy for me,” Matt Scherer said. “I went out harder than normal, but felt pretty strong on the way home. LSU got out really well, so going into the far turn, I was looking up but also concerned who was behind, too, since there were some great teams from Baylor and Florida to watch out for. During the race, I couldn’t hear the crowd at all – all I heard was the footsteps of the ASU guy who came up on me at the end. I gave it my all and had my best split of the year, so I’m not disappointed with the place
Arkansas
Arkansas Claims National Title No. 41; Spearmon Defends NCAA 200 Crown
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Arkansas reigned supreme once again as the Razorbacks
captured their third-straight NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship and
12th outdoor national crown in front of a crowd of 10,200 at the Alex G.
Spanos Sports Complex. Arkansas now owns an unprecedented 41 NCAA titles,
the most of any NCAA Division I track program.
The Razorbacks’ outstanding performances racked up 60 points for the
first-place team trophy, while Southeastern Conference opponents Florida and
LSU finished second (49) and third (36), respectively. BYU and Florida
State rounded out the top five and tied with 34 points each.
“It’s nice to have No. 41,” Arkansas head coach John McDonnell said.
“Florida gave us a great meet and really pushed us with everything they
had. I would rank this meet as a close second to the NCAA indoor meet
(earlier this year). We were so well-balanced and everyone gave a 100
percent, but that’s what I’ve come to expect. We don’t like to lose. It’s
a tradition that’s been handed down by teams from the past. I think this
team is one of the great ones and people will compare them to the squads
from 1984-85 and 1994-95.”
The convincing victory came after the 200-meter dash when UA’s trio of
fantastic sprinters earned 17 points with a 1-3-8 finish and clinched the
meet. Sophomore Wallace Spearmon Jr., led the crew as he successfully
defended his 200-meter title and reclaimed the school record from senior
Tyson Gay with a new world-leading time of 19.91. The winning time is
seventh on the all-time collegiate list and is the third-fastest ever run at
an NCAA meet.
“I knew I had to get out, so once I came around that turn I knew I had it,”
Spearmon said. “I had to step up when it counted and help the team. On the
straight-away I looked over and saw Tyson and (Xavier) Carter, so I knew I
was in a good spot. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending. It’s like a
Disney movie.”
“It was awesome and it sealed the meet,” Brauman exclaimed. “Wallace has
been banged up for the past month and he was able to put a good one together
in the finals of the NCAA Championships.”
Spearmon is now a four-time NCAA champion and seven-time All-American.
There is little doubt that the Fayetteville, Ark., native will leave an
indelible mark on the University of Arkansas as he announced after his
performance that he would more than likely turn professional based on the
advice of his coaches, McDonnell and Brauman.
Gay had recorded the previous school record on Thursday night when he put up
a 19.93 in the semifinals, besting Spearmon’s 19.97 from April. During
Saturday night’s final he finished third with a time of 20.16, while LSU’s
Xavier Carter took second place (20.08).
“I wasn’t shocked at all that Wallace won,” Gay said. “He has a tendency to
put it together when it counts. I’m happy for him.”
Senior Omar Brown was the next Hog to finish when he came in eighth. Brown
turned in a time of 22.38 after he cramped up towards the end of the race.
All three runners earned All-America honors by virtue of their finishes in
their final races in an Arkansas jersey. Gay closed his career as a
two-time NCAA champion and seven-time All-American, while Omar will go away
as a member of the national championship relay team and a four-time
All-American.
“That was terrific,” McDonnell said. “I’ll remember those guys for a long
time. They are great athletes and great friends.”
Senior Terry Gatson picked up Arkansas’ first two points of the day when he
finished in seventh place in the 400-meter dash with a clocking of 45.68.
It was Gatson’s fourth-career All-American honor. In the semis he
registered the second-fastest overall time and a career-best clocking of
44.93 and was hoping to carry that performance over to the finals, but it
was Baylor’s Darold Williamson who took the tape with a time of 44.51.
The 1,500 meters was next on the schedule and sophomore Adam Perkins was
coming off a five-second personal-best time of 3:39.82 from the prelims on
Thursday. The Liberty, Mo., native put up a strong performance down the
final stretch and passed four runners to finish in fourth place with another
career-best time of 3:38.54. More importantly, he crossed the line one
place ahead of Florida’s Shane Stroup (3:38.57), while the winning time of
3:37.13 was turned in by Texas freshman Leonel Manzano. Perkins’ time
finally placed him in UA’s all-time outdoor top list at ninth, slightly
ahead of former Razorback great Alistair Cragg (3:39.24).
“I went out hard and I felt it,” Perkins said. “I saw the guys from Florida
(Shane Stroup) and Florida State (Tom Lancashire) and knew I had to finish
ahead of them, so I gave it one last lean at the end. I wanted to win, but
the way the race was run it didn’t work out.”
Perkins’ five points gave UA a total of 39, while Florida increased their
tally to 32. The Gators earned more points in the 400-meter hurdles after
Kerron Clement won the event in an NCAA meet record time. Those 10 points
moved UF past the Hogs into first with 42 points as UA did not have an
athlete entered in the event.
The Razorbacks wasted little time firing back with three of the nation’s top
sprinters in the blocks for the 200-meter dash. The 17 points vaulted
Arkansas back into first with 56 points, while Florida sat with 44 points.
Senior Jaanus Uudmae tacked on UA’s final four points for the night when he
registered a fifth-place finish in the triple jump. Uudmae put up his best
mark of 53-2.25 on his second-to-last attempt to garner his third-career
All-America honor.
The 5,000 meters was the final running event and junior Josphat Boit was
representing Arkansas. He was running in his third race for the weekend and
was gunning for another point-earning finish after he came in sixth in the
10,000 meters on Thursday night. Unfortunately, a sore hamstring flared up
and he had to drop out of the race.
For the weekend two national titles, including the 200-meter dash and
4x100-meter relay, were earned by Arkansas in record times and 11 Razorbacks
gained 15 All-America honors.
The conclusion of the 2005 outdoor campaign also marked the final time that
nine Razorback athletes would compete in an Arkansas jersey. This year’s
large and talented group included Omar Brown, P.J. Brown, Terry Gatson,
Tyson Gay, James Hatch, Jason Sandfort, Wallace Spearmon Jr., Robbie Stevens
and Jaanus Uudmae.
Together they have amassed 36 All-America honors, 12 SEC championships and
72 All-SEC honors. Their presence on the roster will be missed, but with
one of the nation’s top recruiting classes coming in the fall and decorated
returnees Arkansas will look to continue its reign on top of the collegiate
track and field scene in 2006.
LSU
An exclamation point was put on the evening's festivities when the speedy
foursome of Reginald Dardar, Kelly Willie, Bennie Brazell and Xavier Carter
ran a world-leading time of 2:59.59 to claim the long relay title.
The order, a new one for the Tiger relay team that has been anchored by
Willie all season, paid dividends in the outcome as school, NCAA meet and
collegiate records were all surpassed.
"That's the order all along we have wanted to run in the end. I knew it
would give us the best chance to win," said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver,
who has now coached athletes to three collegiate records during his career.
"I knew the race was over when Xavier got the stick," Shaver added.
Running the anchor leg for the first time this season, Carter clocked a
blistering 44.0 split to hold off runner-up Arizona State (3:00.57) and
secure the victory.
"Because I had such good 400 runners behind me, I felt like I had to get
out in the first 200, as if they were going to come get me anyway," said
Carter. "So I was going to break then down in the first 200. They seemed
like they wanted to whip me, so I had to just hold on."
The time put the Tigers in elite company, as LSU became just the third
school in NCAA history, and the first since the 1988 season to break the
three minute barrier in the event.
The performance came after a pair of outstanding individual efforts by
Brazell and Carter in the 400-meter hurdles and the 200 meters,
respectively.
Brazell became the first Tiger in school history to run under 48 seconds in
the 400-meter hurdles, clocking a sizzling 47.67 to earn runner-up honors
for the second straight season, and the third time in his career. The time,
a personal best by .38 seconds, bettered his previous school record mark of
48.05 set last year at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
"I looked up at the scoreboard and was real happy with my time, but I did
want to win," said Brazell who finished his Tiger career as a five-time
national champion and 14-time All-American.
"I am real happy for Bennie," said Shaver. "He finally got in the record
books. He has done a great job for LSU and he has always been a great team
guy."
Also earning runner-up honors for the Tiger squad was freshman phenom
Xavier Carter. Carter turned in his fastest race of the week, crossing the
line in 20.08, by was outlasted by Arkansas' Wallace Spearmon who finished
with a world-leading time of 19.91.
Willie tacked on an additional three points towards the Tigers' team total
earning his third straight All-America honor in the outdoor 400 meters. The
now 14-time All-American clocked 45.17 in placing sixth overall.
With 14 All-America awards each, Brazell and Willie now stand atop the
Tigers' all-time All-America awards list, surpassing former Tiger great
Pete Coley who previously held the school record with 12 honors.
The SEC sweep the top-three spots in the men's standings with Arkansas
taking the overall crown (60), Florida finishing second (49) and the Tigers
following in third (36).
University of Florida
Clement ran neck and neck with LSU's Bennie Brazell until the ninth
hurdle when Brazell surged ahead while Clement stutter-stepped on the
final two hurdles. But Clement closed the gap after the 10th hurdle and
moved into the lead, crossing the line in a NCAA meet record time of
47.56. He became the first collegian since Kevin Young in 1987-88 to win
the 400m hurdle title in back-to-back seasons and just the sixth to ever
accomplish the feat in school history. His win also moved the Gators
into first place in the meet with 42 points, while Arkansas was second
with 39 after 16 events were scored.
"It's amazing - it feels good to win a national title again," Clement
said. "I was focus today and my goal was to win and break my own record,
which I did. I wasn't really worried when Bennie was in the lead after
the 10th hurdle because I knew my speed would kick in after that."
Ponteen raced around the oval in a school record time of 50.83 in the
400m to finish second to UCLA's Monique Henderson who broke the NCAA
meet record clocking in at 50.10, a mark that stood since 1989. Saturday
marked the first 400m final in which Ponteen did not finish first during
the indoor or outdoor season in 2005. Ponteen has now collected six
All-American honors while at Florida and is the school record holder in
both the indoor and outdoor 400m. Ponteen's time on Saturday is the
seventh fastest in the world in 2005.
"I'm really happy for Tiandra," women's head coach Tom Jones said. "She
has been really banged up all year and to come out and run like that, I
couldn't be more proud."
Picking up his third All-America honor of the meet and ninth of his
career was Morrison in the high jump as he finished fourth. He was one
of only two competitors to clear the first five heights on his first
attempt, but Morrison couldn't clear the bar at 2.26m/7-5, which would
have been a career best. He did jump 2.23m/7-3.75 in the fifth round,
which tied his previous outdoor best at Florida. After picking up an
All-America honor in the long jump on Friday by taking fifth, Morrison
became the first Gator in school history to earn All-America status in
both events at the same meet. Following the event, Florida narrowed the
gap to 34-28 after 14 events in the race for the team title.
Stroup came up with late heroics in finishing fifth in the 1,500m.
Following his race at East Regionals where he went from last to second
in the final 400m, Stroup was 11th out of 12 runners entering the final
lap. He again raced past the back of the pack and slowly worked his into
the leap group where nudged into fifth place in 3:38.57 - breaking
current Florida coach Jeff Pigg's school record, which was set in 1987.
Stroup's time was also more than eight seconds faster than his previous
best of 3:46.74. The All-America honor was the second of his career.
After the event, Arkansas led 39-32 after 15 events.
Collecting three points for the women on Saturday was Knight who placed
sixth in the 200m final in a time of 23.29 garnering the third
All-American honor of her young Gator career.
"I very pleased with Natalie's run," Jones said. "That is a heck of a
run out of lane two. She was really stretched this week and she did a
heck of a job."
Knight also collected All-American honors on Friday as a member of
Florida's sixth place 4x100m relay team.
"This whole experience has been overwhelming," Knight said. "I'm happy
with where I finished. I've been banged up a little so I don't think I
could have done much better."
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