SEC Men’s Runner of the Week: Jeff Demps, Florida
• Running his first race of the 2012 season, captured the men’s 60-meter dash at the Virginia Tech Elite Meet this past weekend in Blacksburg with a time of 6.59.
• Defeated current NCAA leader Harry Adams of Auburn in the process, becoming just the second SEC athlete and fifth athlete nationally to turn in an NCAA automatic-qualifying mark in the men’s 60m.
• Ran the second-fastest 60m time in the SEC this year and the third-fastest in the NCAA.
• Is one of only three athletes nationally (Adams of Auburn and Kemar Hyman of Florida State) to have run sub-6.60 in the 60m this season.
SEC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week: Damar Forbes, LSU
• Swept both the men’s long jump and the men’s triple jump at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational this past weekend in New York, finishing with top-10 national marks in both events.
• Was LSU’s top-point scorer for the meet with 20 points, helping the Tigers to a second-place overall finish among a talented field that included athletes from nine of the nation’s top-25 teams.
• Recorded a season-best leap of 26-0.75 in the men’s long jump to log the top-ranked performance in the SEC and the No.2-ranked performance nationally in 2012 to take the event.
• Followed with a collegiate victory in the triple jump with the SEC’s second-best performance and the ninth-best nationally with a leap of 51-10.50.
SEC Men’s Freshman of the Week: Chris Foster, Georgia
• Sped to his third consecutive personal-best time in the 400-meter dash at the Virginia Tech Elite Meet in Blacksburg this past weekend to finish second overall in that event.
• Helped his school’s 4x400-meter relay team clock a season-best time of 3:09.88 en route to a victory over second-place Florida, which finished almost three seconds behind.
• The 4x400-meter relay time is the 16th-best in the nation this year and the ninth-fastest time for the Bulldogs in program history.
SEC Women’s Runner of the Week: Kimberlyn Duncan, LSU
• After entering the weekend with the NCAA’s leading women’s 200-meter dash time, followed the fastest time of the qualifying round (23.34) with a new NCAA-leading effort of 23.22 to take the title over Texas A&M All-American Dominique Duncan (23.63), who currently ranks fifth nationally.
• Also cracked the NCAA’s top-10 in the women’s 60-meter dash at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York after running back-to-back seasonal bests of 7.35 and 7.34 en route to a sixth-place finish and a No. 9 national ranking with her performance.
• Helped LSU finish third overall as a team at the event that featured athletes from 13 of the nation’s top-25 teams.
SEC Co-Women’s Field Athlete of the Week: Morgann Leleux, Georgia
• Leaving her previous personal best of 13-8.50 far behind, Leleux cleared a career-best height of 14-4.50 on her first attempt to win the pole vault at the Virginia Tech Elite Meet this past weekend in Blacksburg.
• Turned in an NCAA automatic-qualifying mark, making her one of only four in the country to have achieved that feat in the women’s pole vault.
• The true freshman was named the meet’s Outstanding Women’s Performer after cruising past the former meet record of 14-1.25.
• Rocketed to No. 2 on Georgia’s all-time top-10 list with the best mark for the program in the last 11 years.
• Trails only Arkansas’ Tina Sutej in both the SEC and NCAA standings this season.
SEC Co-Women’s Field Athlete of the Week: Jeannelle Scheper, South Carolina
• Broke her own school record in the high jump at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in what was the final bar cleared by any competitor at 1.83m/6-0.
• Puts her in a tie for fourth on the NCAA list this season and marks the second time this year that she has broke the school record after originally claiming it in the first week of the season with a leap of 1.82m/5-11.50.
• Now only of seven women ever to clear 6-0 in the women’s high jump in the 11-year history of the New Balance Collegiate Invitational.
SEC Women’s Freshman of the Week: Morgann Leleux, Georgia
• Leaving her previous personal best of 13-8.50 far behind, Leleux cleared a career-best height of 14-4.50 on her first attempt to win the pole vault at the Virginia Tech Elite Meet this past weekend in Blacksburg.
• Turned in an NCAA automatic-qualifying mark, making her one of only four in the country to have achieved that feat in the women’s pole vault.
• The true freshman was named the meet’s Outstanding Women’s Performer after cruising past the former meet record of 14-1.25.
• Rocketed to No. 2 on Georgia’s all-time top-10 list with the best mark for the program in the last 11 years.
• Trails only Arkansas’ Tina Sutej in both the SEC and NCAA standings this season.