Notes submitted by each school’s respective media relations contact
Alabama
The University of Alabama track and field team was led by its jumpers and throwers last weekend at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the Armory Indoor Track … Krystle Schade won the women's high jump by clearing 6-0 for the second time this season while Tyler Campbell finished fourth in the men’s high jump with a season-best height of 7-1.75 … UA also got a pair of solid finishes in the women's weight throw as Amethyst Holmes finished fifth with a throw of 63-7 while Angelica Howard posted another personal best with a mark of 63-2 to finish sixth. In the shot put, Wilamena Hopkins was eighth with a throw of 48-10.75 … For the men in the horizontal jumps, Jonathan Reid recorded a mark of 49-1 to finish 13th in the triple jump while Kamal Fuller had a leap of 23-8 in the long jump to finish 12th. Fuller also finished 26th in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.16 … The Crimson Tide will continue its indoor season next Saturday at the Texas A&M Challenge in College Station, Texas.
Arkansas
Men
Competing at the Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Ind., the top-ranked Razorbacks came away with a victory at 800 meters and a pair of runner-up finishes in the 800 meters and 60-meter hurdles. Leoman Momoh, with a personal-best time of 1:49.51, led a 1-2-3-6 finish for Arkansas at 800 meters. In the finals of the 60-meter hurdles, Caleb Cross posted a time of 7.88 to finish in second place. Last week, Akheem Gauntlett was named the SEC Runner of the Week and Gunnar Nixon was named the league Co-Field Athlete and Freshman of the Week. Nixon went on to be named the USATF Athlete of the Week and awarded a spot on The Bowerman Watch List. The Razorbacks held on to their No. 1 ranking in the USTFCCCA national poll for the second straight week. After a weekend on the road, Arkansas returns home Feb. 10-11 to host the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville. The Randal Tyson Track Center will also play host to the USATF Classic on Saturday, beginning at 5 p.m. (CT).
Women
The No. 4 Razorbacks set two school records and had an NCAA automatic-qualifying effort last weekend at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York. Regina George broke the school record, meet record and ran the sixth-fastest time in NCAA history (1:09.81) with her first-place run at 500 meters. In the distance-medley relay, the foursome of Kristen Gillespie, Gwendolyn Flowers, Samantha Learch and Stephanie Brown combined for a school-record and NCAA auto time of 11:01.01 to win the event. For her performance at the Razorback Invitational the week prior, Tina Sutej was named the SEC Field Athlete of the Week. For the third-straight week, Arkansas was ranked third in the USTFCCCA national poll. Up next, the Razorbacks host the Tyson Invitational (Feb. 10-11) in Fayetteville. The Randal Tyson Track Center will also play host to the USATF Classic on Saturday, beginning at 5 p.m. (CT).
Auburn
Auburn enjoyed a successful weekend in the team’s first trip outside the borders of the state of Alabama in 2012 … Sophomore Stephen Saenz became the second member of the squad to achieve the automatic mark to qualify for NCAA Indoor Nationals in Boise, Idaho next month … Saenz recorded a throw of 64’5” (19.63m) in the shot put on Saturday to book his trip to Boise … It’s the second-straight trip for the native Texan … Saenz will join sprinter Harry Adams (60m) at the national championship meet … The throw set a new PR for Saenz and ranked as the third-best throw in program history … CeCe Williams set new personal bests in both the 200 and 400 meter races in Blacksburg. The senior from Birmingham recorded a win in the 400m with a new PR of 55.10 and finished second in the 200m in 24.14. Williams’ time in the 400m also ranked as the eighth-fastest time in Auburn history … Nivea Smith also had a strong showing in the 60m as she set a new personal best with a time of 7.49 seconds and in the 200m with a third place finish and time of 23.92 … Alissa Fisher debuted in the 3000m with a bang and earned the win in 9:34.01, all while posting the fourth-fastest time in Auburn history. The victory was Fisher’s first of the spring season … Auburn qualified four men for the finals of the 60m with Keenan Brock (6.63) and Jeremy Hardy (6.71) setting new PRs in the process … The Tigers have showcased quite a quartet of sprinters thus far in 2012 … Brock and Adams have recorded six of the top 10 indoor 60 meter times in Auburn history so far in 2012 … Adams, Brock and Marcus Rowland own eight of the top 10 times in Auburn history … Freshman Siobhan Ford Holland set a big PR in the triple jump and finished fourth with a final jump of 41 feet, 0.5 inches (12.51m). Her jump ousted her mark from two weeks ago as the tenth-best mark in Auburn history … In the men’s jumps, DJ Smith (2.18m, high jump) and Cameron Holt (7.09m, long jump) both set new personal-best marks on Saturday … Smith’s jump ranks as the third-best jump in Auburn indoor history.
Florida
The Gators had a stellar weekend at the Virginia Tech Elite Meet, as the Orange and Blue garnered 11 victories and two NCAA automatic qualifying marks. On the men's side, junior sprinter Jeff Demps and junior jumper Omar Craddock automatically qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in Nampa, Idaho. Demps, competing in his first meet of 2012, finished first in the men’s 60 meters with a time of 6.59. Craddock, the nation's top returning triple jumper, leapt an NCAA-leading 16.34m/53-7.50 on Saturday, earning third place on the afternoon and leaping to the best mark in the NCAA this year. Junior sprinter Tony McQuay earned two 400-meter titles on the weekend after capturing both the men’s 400 meter invitational title on Friday night (47.94) and the men’s 400 meter open title on Saturday afternoon (47.60). Fellow junior sprinter Jovon Toppin finished right behind McQuay on Saturday with a time of 49.05. Freshman Marquis Dendy won the second event of his rookie campaign, taking the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.69m/25-2.75, a personal-best and tied for ninth all-time at Florida. Sophomore hurdler Eddie Lovett took the men’s 60 meter hurdles title with a time of 7.72, just two-hundredths of a second away from an NCAA automatic qualifying time. Junior sprinter Leonardo Seymore earned his first victory of 2012 on Friday evening, as he won the men’s 200 meter open with a time of 21.61. Junior throwers Jeremy Postin and David Triassi finished 3-4 in the men’s weight throw, recording marks of 21.18m/69-6 and 20.77m/68-1.75, respectively. Triassi’s throw was a personal best and improved his standing at third all-time in Florida school history. The Gators swept the high jump for the third straight meet, as senior Dwight Barbiasz and freshman Taylor Burke turned in collegiate-best performances to take the high jump titles. Barbiasz tied his all-time career best with a mark of 2.23m/7-3.75, registering his best indoors performance of his collegiate career and moving to fifth all-time in Florida school history. Fellow senior Frankie Hammond came in right behind Barbiasz in second place, clearing an indoor career best 2.18m/7-1.75 and moving to seventh all-time at UF. Burke earned her third straight high jump title with a jump of 1.82m/5-11.50, her collegiate best and a personal best indoors. On the women’s side, senior thrower Keely Medeiros continues her recovery from injury, throwing a season-best 15.85m/52-0 in the shot put to finish second. Junior thrower Fidela James moved into the Florida record books with a personal-best toss of 20.27m/66-6, good for seventh all-time in the weight throw at UF. Junior hurdler Ugonna Ndu moved to second all-time at Florida in the 60 meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 8.43, earning her a second-place finish on Friday evening. Fellow hurdler Ashley Favors turned her best performance of the season, finishing fifth with a personal-best time of 8.52, good for fifth all-time in Florida school history. Junior sprinter Lanie Whittaker won the women’s 400 meter invite with a time of 53.44. Sophomore sprinter Darshay Davis ran an indoor personal best on Saturday, winning the women’s 200 meters with a time of 23.91. The women’s 4x400 meter relay, comprised of Lanie Whittaker, Ugonna Ndu, Bria Goodson and Ebony Eutsey, earned the fifth victory of the day on Saturday with a time of 3:35.18, the Gators’ best 4x400 meter time of the season and a victory by more than nine seconds. The distance corps will travel to Seattle this weekend for the Washington Invitational while the jumps and sprints will take to Albuquerque to compete in the New Mexico Invitational. This is the final weekend of competition for the Gators before the SEC Championships.
Georgia
Men
The 22nd-ranked Bulldogs posted a host of personal-best and season-best marks to highlight the Virginia Tech Elite meet in Blacksburg, Va. Senior Torrin Lawrence sped to his fastest time of 2012 in the 200-meter dash (21.12) to win his event and move to eighth on the national performance list, which is where he is in the 400 as well. Lawrence also anchored the Bulldog 4x400 relay team (freshmen Chris Foster and Drew Branch, sophomore Waymon Storey) to a victory with a season-best time of 3:09.88. This is ninth-best time in program history. Storey was the runner-up in the 200 with a season-best time of 21.26. Sophomore Justin Welch also moved to ninth on the Bulldogs' top-10 list after launching an effort of 67 feet, 8 inches in the weight throw. Also in the throws, sophomore Caleb Whitener recorded personal-best efforts in the shot put (59-2.25) for second place and in the weight throw (60-7) for ninth place. In the pole vault, freshman Cameron Meyer continued his stellar campaign by tying for third in the pole vault with a career-best mark of 16-8.75, which is No. 9 in school history. Chris Foster also had his third straight personal best in the 400 (48.10) to earn runner-up honors. In addition, sophomore Graylin Ward cleared the top height of his career in the high jump (6-9.75) to take sixth at the competition. Georgia splits squads for the coming weekend as members travel to the Tyson Invitational (Fayetteville, Ark.), the Tiger Paw Invitational (Clemson, S.C.) and the Husky Invitational (Seattle, Wash.).
Women
Freshman Morgann Leleux highlighted the Lady Bulldogs' fourth weekend of competition by registering the squad's first NCAA automatic qualifying mark of the season and topping a meet record at the Virginia Tech Elite meet in Blacksburg, Va. The New Iberia, La., native cleared 14 feet, 4 1/2 inches on her first attempt to win the meet and earn Outstanding Women's Performer honors following the final event. Leleux shot to No. 2 on the Lady Bulldogs’ all-time top-10 list with the best mark for the program in the last 11 years. She trails only Arkansas’ Tina Sutej in both the SEC and NCAA standings for this season. Also in the jumps, junior Saniel Atkinson equaled her personal-best effort in the high jump (5-11.50) to bring second-place honors back to Athens and move into the top 10 nationally. Senior Latroya Darrell managed the other individual victory for Georgia after soaring a season-best distance of 41-7.25 in the triple jump. The Lady Bulldog 4x400 relay team of freshmen Quintunya Chapman, Tynia Gaither and Taylor Hollingsworth as well as junior Keisha Spates clocked a season-best time of 3:50.19 to take third at the meet. Another season best came from sophomore Hilenn James in the shot put. James watched her third throw travel 50-7.50, which was good enough for fifth place. Georgia splits squads for the coming weekend as members travel to the Tyson Invitational (Fayetteville, Ark.), the Tiger Paw Invitational (Clemson, S.C.) and the Husky Invitational (Seattle, Wash.).
Kentucky
The Kentucky men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in their third meet of the indoor season Friday and Saturday, as they headed north for the Notre Dame Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Ind. Keilah Tyson, the reigning SEC Women’s Freshman of the Week, broke her second UK freshman record in as many weeks. Tyson competed in her first 200-meter dash of her collegiate career, winning the race with a time of 23.93. Tyson’s time is the third best 200m dash in UK history. The Norfolk, Va., native also had the seventh best long jump mark (6.08m/19-11.50) in school history. Junior Walter Luttrell shattered his career-best time in the 5,000m run Friday en route to winning the event with a 14:14.35, the fifth fastest time in UK history. Luttrell’s time is the top time in the SEC this season. Junior Darryl Bradshaw ran a career-best time in the finals of the 60m hurdles, finishing sixth with a time of 8.01. Bradshaw’s time is the sixth fastest in Kentucky history. After running the ninth best 3,000m in school history one week ago, junior Luis Orta bettered himself Saturday by running the eighth best 3,000m in school history, crossing the finish line in 8:08.09 to finish ninth.
LSU
Men
The No. 3-ranked Tigers took home a second-place finish in the team standings at the 2012 New Balance Collegiate Invitational over the weekend after scoring a total of 75 points in two days of competition at The Armory Track & Field Center in New York City. The Tigers were led during the meet by a pair of event champions in senior Michael Lauro and junior Damar Forbes, as well as a pair of additional NCAA Top 10 performers in seniors Kyron Blaise and Barrett Nugent. Forbes proved to be the team’s leading scorer with 20 points during the meet after sweeping collegiate event championships in the long jump and triple jump with two of the nation’s leading performances on the season. Forbes moved into a tie for the No. 2 spot on the NCAA’s performance list in the long jump with his seasonal-best of 26 feet, 0 ¾ inches to take the title over the NCAA’s No. 6-ranked mark of 25-4 ½ in a runner-up finish by Blaise on Friday night. Forbes followed by claiming the collegiate triple jump crown on Saturday afternoon with the NCAA’s No. 9-ranked performance this year at 51-10 ¾. Blaise again followed Forbes in second place with a mark of 51-3 ¾ that ranked No. 15 on the national list for the 2012 indoor season. Lauro also helped lead the Tigers on the weekend by taking home the weight throw title with a seasonal-best effort of 68-7 ¾ that ranks No. 10 on the NCAA’s performance list this season. While competing in just his second weight throw competition of the year, Lauro moved into the Top 10 of the national rankings on his sixth and final throw of the afternoon. Nugent also shot up the NCAA list in the 60-meter hurdles with his performance over the weekend after clocking back-to-back seasonal bests of 7.74 seconds in the preliminary round and 7.72 in the final en route to a third-place finish in the championship division. Nugent’s 7.72 in the final moved him into a tie for the No. 4 spot in the NCAA rankings for the 2012 season. The Tigers return to action this weekend with a return trip to the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., as they compete in the 2012 Tyson Invitational being held Friday and Saturday at the University of Arkansas.
Women
The No. 2-ranked Lady Tigers certainly solidified their NCAA Championships roster at the 2012 New Balance Collegiate Invitational over the weekend after scoring a total of 60 points in two days of action at The Armory Track & Field Center in New York City to take home a third-place finish in the final team standings. Junior standout Kimberlyn Duncan led the way once again for the Lady Tigers with an easy victory in the women’s 200-meter dash championship as she lowered her NCAA-leading performance this season with a winning time of 23.22 seconds in Saturday’s final. Duncan also cracked the NCAA’s Top 10 with her performance in the 60-meter dash as she clocked back-to-back seasonal bests of 7.35 in the preliminary round and 7.34 in the final to take sixth place in the championship section with the No. 9-ranked performance nationally for the 2012 indoor season. Senior Rebecca Alexander took one step closer to NCAA qualification with her runner-up finish in the 400-meter dash after running the nation’s second-fastest time this season with a lifetime personal record of 52.66 to finish behind only Clemson’s Marlena Wesh (52.21) for the event title. Alexander eclipsed her previous lifetime best of 53.03 set at the SEC Indoor Championships a year ago. Sophomore Jasmin Stowers also cracked the NCAA’s Top 5 with her performance in the 60-meter hurdles as she finished runner-up in the consolation final with a personal best of her own at 8.11. That performance gives Stowers the No. 5 ranking for the 2012 indoor season as she finished just .01 seconds off the NCAA qualifying standard of 8.10 in the event. For the second week in a row, Lady Tiger sophomore Denise Hinton set the school record in the women’s weight throw while cracking the NCAA’s Top 15 this season as her lifetime best throw of 66 feet, 7 inches on Friday moved her into the No. 14 position on the national list this season. While the 1,000 meters is not contested at the NCAA Championships, junior Charlene Lipsey enjoyed a record-setting performance in the event on Friday afternoon as she captured the event title with a blistering run of 2 minutes, 44.34 seconds to set the New Balance Collegiate Invitational meet record in the event. Lipsey eclipsed the previous mark of 2:45.73 set by BYU’s Sarah Edwards in 2011. The Lady Tigers return to action this weekend with a return trip to the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., as they compete in the 2012 Tyson Invitational being held Friday and Saturday at the University of Arkansas.
Ole Miss
Men
Ranked No. 17 in the latest USTFCCCA poll, the Ole Miss men will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., for this weekend’s Tyson Invitational after being off last weekend. Led by four-time All-American and SEC Champion Ricky Robertson, several Ole Miss athletes rank among the nation’s best in their events. Robertson currently ranks nationally in three different events, including third in the NCAA in his specialty, the high jump (7-4.25). He also ranks 30th in the triple jump (50-7.5) and 31st in the long jump (24-5.5). Following a sprint double victory at the Rod McCravy Memorial meet in Lexington, senior Isiah Young ranks him seventh in the nation and third among SEC runners in the 60 meters (6.62), while his 200 meter time of 21.28 ranks him 19th in the nation and fourth in the SEC. Both marks have vaulted him into the top five in the school record books. Junior All-American Mike Granger ranks 14th in the 60 meters (6.68). The jumps have been an especially strong area for the Rebels this year, as senior All-American Caleb Lee ranks 21st in the long jump (24-8.25), sophomore Kentrell Sanders is 25th in the triple jump (50-9.25) and junior All-American Morris Kersh is right behind him at 28th in the triple jump (50-8.25). Freshman Sam Kendricks ranks 28th nationally in the pole vault (17-0.75) and already ranks second in school history after just three collegiate meets. The Rebels’ 4x400 meter relay team (Carson Blanks, Brian Word, Creighton Serrette, Montez Griffin) ranks 24th among NCAA schools (3:12.23). An impressive 19 out of 26 total athletes who have competed for the Rebels this year have achieved a personal best in one of their events. Competition in Fayetteville runs Friday-Saturday at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
Women
The Ole Miss women will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., for this weekend’s Tyson Invitational after being off last weekend. Five Ole Miss upperclassmen rank among the nation’s top 48 in their individual events, while three more Rebels are members of the nationally ranked 4x400 meter relay team. Senior Aria Gaines ranks 17th in the NCAA and fourth in the SEC in the triple jump with a mark of 41-7, just off her personal-best 41-7.75 from last year. Junior Neal Tisher is 24th in the country and fifth in the SEC in the pole vault (13-3.5). Bursting onto the national scene this year is junior Jazmin Miller, who recently recorded a personal-best 64-4 in the weight throw to rank her 27th nationally and fourth among SEC throwers and improve her standing as the second-best in school history. Senior Kristin Bridges is 28th nationally and ninth in the league in the 400 meters (54.54). Junior Deonna Walton ranks 39th in the NCAA and second in the SEC in the long jump (19-9.5), while junior The 4x400 meter relay team that ranks 22nd among NCAA schools (3:41.01) includes Bridges, junior Sofia Hellberg-Jonsen, freshman Taryn Hartfield and junior Lauren Hollingsworth. An impressive 24 out of 36 total athletes who have competed for the Rebels this year have achieved a personal best in one of their events. Competition in Fayetteville runs Friday-Saturday at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
Mississippi State
Leading the charge for the Lady Bulldogs was Erica Bougard (19-07 ½), who picked up her second career victory as she took top honors and posted a personal best in the long jump, finishing just ahead of teammate Keisha Wallace (19-00 ¾) who was second. Racquel Farquharson joined Wallace in the second place category with her time of 8.62 in the 60-meter hurdles. A pair of 400-meter dashers closed out the Lady Bulldog Top 10s as Ocian Archer (56.69) placed eighth in the college division, while Jody-Ann Muir (54.81) was 10th in the championship division and earned a spot in the finals on Saturday. Jessica Merriweather jumped 5-08 ¾ to finish fourth in the high jump and set a new all-time record for MSU. Following Merriweather’s impressive finish was Favian Cowards (59-03) who finished 11th in the weight throw. Finishing one spot better than Cowards was Muir whose time of 54.81 placed her tenth in the 400-meter dash. Closing out the day were the women’s 4x400-meter relay squad Archer, Brittney Covington, Bougard and Muir who ran 3:43.50 to finish 10th.
South Carolina
Men
Dorian Johnson led the Gamecock men at the New Balance Collegiate with a personal best mark in the long jump and season best mark in the triple jump. Johnson set his long jump PR at 22'8 3/4 (6.93m) to place eighth before taking second in his marquee event - the triple jump - at a season best mark of 48'8 1/4 (14.84m). Senior Marvin Reitze earned a runner-up finish in the pole vault at 17'4 1/2 (5.30m), and sophomore Chris Royster had a strong weekend with a season best 21.51 in the 200m dash to take seventh in the championship final. South Carolina will send split squads to Clemson and Arkansas this weekend before competing in the final home meet of the indoor season on February 18.
Women
South Carolina traveled to New York City to compete in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational and came away with a school record performance in the high jump by sophomore Jeannelle Scheper. The St. Lucian cleared 6'0 (1.83m), surpassing her own previous record of 5'11 1/4 (1.82m) and moving closer to the St. Lucia Junior National Record of 1.86m. The sophomore now ranks fourth in the NCAA to stay alongside fellow event top-15 teammates in Kierre Beckles (No. 11, 60m hurdles) and the women's 4x400m relay team of Erika Rucker, Nadonnia Rodriques, Tamera Harris and Amber Allen that ran a season best of 3:38.30 to move to No. 14 in the NCAA. South Carolina will send split squads to Clemson and Arkansas this weekend before competing in the final home meet of the indoor season on February 18.
Tennessee
Men
The Vols participated in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York City last weekend…Freshman Jamol James had Tennessee’s top showing, placing fifth in the college division of the 60m dash…He ran personal-record times in both the preliminary round (6.75) and final (6.74)…Redshirt freshman Matthew Hoty also turned in a fifth-place effort, tossing the shot 59-9 in the championship division…The Vols got a sixth-place effort from Varick Tucker, Jarael Nelvis, Terry Benson and Michael Williams in the 4x400-meter relay, as that group covered the distance in 3:17.81…Daniel Tobin added a sixth-place outcome, finishing the Eastern 3000 meters in 8:41.67…Chase Brannon cleared 17-0 ¾ and wound up eighth in the championship division of the pole vault…Desmond Brown matched that finish with his 23-10 ¾ leap in the championship long jump.
Women
Like the UT men, the Lady Vols participated in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York City last weekend…Chanelle Price posted her best readout of the season in the 800 meters and automatically qualified for the NCAA Indoor meet…Her 2:04.25 reading was good for third place in the championship section Saturday afternoon and was the fastest time she has run in that event outside league or national competition…Brittany Sheffey cranked out a career-best 4:40.28 clocking to finish second in the championship division of the mile…Her time moved her to No. 4 on UT’s all-time indoor performers list in that event…Ellen Wortham added a strong showing in the 400 meters, placing fourth in the championship division in 53.49…That time catapulted her to No. 6 on UT’s all-time indoor performers list….Annie Alexander added a runner-up finish in the championship shot put (55-10 ½) and Ashley Harris produced a runner-up finish in the college 200 meters for the second straight season (24.66).
Vanderbilt
Kristen Findley and Meagan Martin’s new school records highlighted the weekend for the Vanderbilt Commodores at the Meyo Invitational at Notre Dame. Findley now holds the No. 1 all-time record at Vanderbilt with a 1000m time of 2:49.64, while Martin cleared the bar in the pole vault at 12-7.98 (3.86m) for the No. 1 spot in Vanderbilt’s history. Freshman Erin Edmonds had a solid performance in her three events, including the 200m, 400m, and high jump. The Commodores split three ways this coming weekend, heading to Seattle, Wa., Birmingham, Ala., and St. Louis, Mo.