FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The top-ranked Lady Tigers dominated the competition on the final day of the 2008 SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships as they piled up 119 points Sunday to end a nine-year drought with their first SEC Indoor title since the 1999 season.
The Lady Tigers, who entered Sunday’s action in sixth place with 14 points, racked up 133 points during the three-day meet to win their 11th indoor conference title in program history and finish 17 points clear of runner-up Tennessee in the team standings.
The men scored 94 points of their own on the final day of the competition and scored a total of 108 points for the meet to finish runner-up to the Arkansas Razorbacks (124).
This marks the best performance for the Tigers at the SEC Indoor Championships since earning a runner-up finish in 2001. They improve upon their fourth-place finish in the meet a year ago.
“It’s like I’ve said all season long. I’m very proud of the way our kids showed up to the meet ready to compete,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “It was a great team effort by both the men and the women this weekend, and I believe we really helped ourselves at this meet looking ahead to the NCAA meet in two weeks.
“I’m proud of our seniors, especially. They’ve shown tremendous improvement at this meet each year since they joined the program in 2005, and for the women to win their first indoor title since 1999 and the men to finish second for the first time in seven years says a lot about this group.”
LSU sent shockwaves through the rest of the league and made its presence felt Sunday as a total of seven athletes and one relay team won SEC Indoor titles at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
In fact, the Tigers and Lady Tigers combined for nine conference titles on the weekend, which is the most since LSU totaled nine wins at the SEC Indoor Championships in 1999.
Perhaps none were more impressive than sophomore distance runner John Kosgei, who followed his win the 3,000 meters on Saturday with a first-place finish in the mile run on Sunday. Kosgei became just the second LSU athlete in the history of the program to break the four-minute barrier in the mile as he crossed the finish line with a time of 3 minutes, 59.85 seconds.
Kosgei improved his already established NCAA provisional qualifying time in the event with a new personal best as he is LSU’s first SEC indoor champion in the mile since former Tiger great Passmore Furusa won gold in 1994.
For his efforts, Kosgei was presented with the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy as the top individual scorer on the men’s side. He is the first LSU athlete to receive the prestigious honor since Derrick Brew was the recipient of the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy in 2000.
“I felt better running the race today than I did last night. I felt stronger,” Kosgei said. “My strategy was to take over with two laps to go, but I moved earlier because I felt comfortable doing that. I knew I had it in the last 200 meters. The guy behind me (Andrew McClary of Arkansas) got close on the last lap, so I found it in myself to run harder.”
The Lady Tigers set the tone early in the afternoon by sweeping the top three spots in both the 60-meter hurdles and 60-meter dash to jumpstart their championship run.
Senior Jessica Ohanaja defended her conference title in the 60 hurdles as she beat teammate Nickiesha Wilson to the finish line with a seasonal best time of 8.11 seconds. Wilson earned All-SEC honors in the event by stopping the clock in 8.15, while freshman Tenaya Jones took third in her first career SEC final with a new personal best time of 8.30.
With the crowd still buzzing following the Lady Tigers’ domination in the hurdles, senior Kelly Baptiste kept everyone on their feet with a record-setting performance in the 60 meters as she set a new school record and meet record for the SEC Indoor Championships with second-fastest time in the world this season at 7.13.
Baptiste, who equaled the school record of 7.15 in her preliminary heat on Saturday, won her first career SEC title in the event and became the first Lady Tiger to take the top spot since former school record holder Muna Lee accomplished the feat during the 2003 season.
Like their teammates in the hurdles, the Lady Tigers finished 1-2-3 in the 60-meter dash as sophomore Samantha Henry earned her first of two All-SEC honors on the day with a runner-up finish at 7.21, while senior Juanita Broaddus took third after crossing the finish line in 7.27.
“It was great to see our team come out the way we did and finish top three in both races,” Baptiste said. “It gave us a boost as a team to come out and make a statement like that. We set the momentum early, and I think that carried us to victory. Now isn’t the time to get complacent. We’ve got to refocus ourselves for nationals because everyone is going to be coming for us.”
LSU continued its dominance in the middle distances as senior Elkana Kosgei and sophomore LaTavia Thomas swept men’s and women’s titles in the 800-meter run.
Kosgei outlasted the rest of the field to win his first career SEC title as he stopped the clock with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 1:48.18. His time currently ranks sixth in the NCAA this season and is the second-fastest time ever run indoors by an LSU athlete.
Kosgei was not the only Tiger to shine in the half mile as sophomore and defending SEC Indoor champion Jamaal James won All-SEC honors with a runner-up finish and an improved NCAA provisional qualifying time of 1:48.73 and junior Reuben Twijukye took third with an improved provisional time of his own at 1:49.02.
Thomas won her third career SEC championship and successfully defended her indoor crown from a year ago with a top time of 2:06.56 on the afternoon. The Tigers and Lady Tigers have owned the 800 meters the last two seasons as they have combined to win all six conference titles, including sweeps by James and Thomas during the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2007.
“The 800 is an event where we’ve really dominated the last two seasons,” Shaver said. “Coach (Mark) Elliott does a great job of getting his kids ready to run, and their performance today really gave a boost to our team in the standings much like the dash and the hurdles on the women’s side earlier in the day. Those guys came up big for us today.”
The hits just kept on coming for LSU with senior sprinter Richard Thompson being crowned SEC champion in the 60 meters for the first time in his career after beating teammate Trindon Holliday (6.62) to the finish line with a time of 6.59 in the final.
Senior Andrea Linton was the Lady Tigers’ top performer in the field events at this year’s SEC Indoor Championships as she won her second career SEC title in the triple jump with a new overall personal best and an improved NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 44 feet, 6 ¼ inches.
Linton, who is also the reigning SEC outdoor champion in the event, is the first Lady Tiger to win the indoor title since former LSU standout Bianca Rockett did so during the 2001 season.
The Lady Tigers wrapped up the meet by winning their fifth straight indoor conference title in the 4x400-meter relay. The foursome of senior Brooklynn Morris, Wilson, Thomas and senior Deonna Lawrence recorded their first NCAA automatic qualifying time of the season by carrying the stick around the track with the No. 1 time in the NCAA this season at 3:31.89.
“The two most important things that happened at this track meet were getting our guys in the 800 qualified for NCAAs and having both of our 4x400 relays run the way they did to put themselves in a position to compete at the NCAA meet,” Shaver said. “Those are two big event areas for us if we’re going to have success at the NCAA Championships in two weeks.
“I’m also very impressed with the way Andrea Linton just keeps getting better and better each time she steps on the runway in either the long jump or the triple jump. Her points are going to be huge for the women if we hope to compete for the team title at the NCAA meet.”
Five other athletes earned all-conference honors on the final day of the competition as Henry added a runner-up finish in the women’s 200 meters to her second-place effort in the 60-meter dash; while sophomore Armanti Hayes, James, Elkana Kosgei and senior Reggie Dardar took second in the 4x400-meter relay with a seasonal best time of 3:07.79.
In addition, six other athletes enjoyed personal best performances on the final day of the meet, including Hayes in the 200 (21.10) and 400 (46.97), Lindsay Day in the 800 (2:09.32), Zedric Thomas (50-5 ½) and Nedra Gross (41-8 ½) in the triple jump, Adam Wilcox in the shot put (54-10 ¼) and Kim Williams in the weight throw (55-7 ½).
Any LSU athlete who has not qualified for the national meet will have one final opportunity to do so as the Tigers and Lady Tigers return to Baton Rouge to host the LSU NCAA Indoor Qualifier at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse on Friday. The NCAA Indoor Championships return to the Randal Tyson Track Center on March 14-15.
SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships Results
Sunday at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark. (All race distances in meters)
Men’s
60
1. Richard Thompson, LSU, 6.59; 2. Trindon Holliday, LSU, 6.62; 3. Jeremy Hall, Florida, 6.65; 4. Rubin Williams, Tennessee, 6.68; 5. J-Mee Samuels, Arkansas, 6.69; 6. Evander Wells, Tennessee, 6.72; 7. Matthieu Pritchett, Tennessee, 6.78; 8. Mychael Stewart, Arkansas, 6.83.
200
1. Rubin Williams, Tennessee, 20.68; 2. Evander Wells, Tennessee, 20.78; 3. Antonio Sales, South Carolina, 20.83; 4. Calvin Smith, Florida, 21.00; 5. Armanti Hayes, LSU, 21.10; 6. J-Mee Samuels, Arkansas, 21.19; 7. Jose Acevedo, Kentucky, 21.39; 8. Rickie Bratton, Ole Miss, 21.40.
400
1. Justin Gaymon, Georgia, 45.94; 2. Calvin Smith, Florida, 46.04; 3. Reuben McCoy, Auburn, 46.95; 4. Armanti Hayes, LSU, 46.97; 5. Jose Acevedo, Kentucky, 47.08; 6. Jussi Heikkila, South Carolina, 47.09; 7. Nathan Browning, Kentucky, 47.10; 8. Quentin Moore, South Carolina, 47.37.
800
1. Elkana Kosgei, LSU, 1:48.18; 2. Jamaal James, LSU, 1:48.73; 3. Reuben Twijukye, LSU, 1:49.02; 4. Yarrick Kincaid, Tennessee, 1:49.37; 5. Ross Ridgewell, Georgia, 1:50.14; 6. Axel Mostrag, Tennessee, 1:50.25; 7. Carlos Phillips, Florida, 1:50.76; 8. Andrew Dawson, Tennessee, 1:50.96.
Mile
1. John Kosgei, LSU, 3:59.85; 2. Andrew McClary, Arkansas, 4:00.38; 3. Micky Cobrin, Arkansas, 4:01.14; 4. Emmanuel Bor, Alabama, 4:04.01; 5. Tyley Miller, Georgia, 4:04.88; 6. Felix Kiboiywo, Auburn, 4:06.45; 7. Michael Hendry, LSU, 4:06.46; 8. Duncan Phillips, Arkansas, 4:09.62.
5,000
1. Tyson David, Alabama, 13:52.20; 2. James Strang, Arkansas, 13:53.06; 3. Chris Barnicle, Arkansas, 13:56.43; 4. Tyler Hill, Arkansas, 13:58.30; 5. Shawn Forrest, Arkansas, 14:14.63; 6. Andrew Kirwa, Alabama, 14:19.94; 7. Joseph Simuchimba, LSU, 14:24.46; 8. Jeremy Criscione, Florida, 14:25.33.
60 hurdles
1. Ty Akins, Auburn, 7.71; 2. Jason Richardson, South Carolina, 7.74; 3. Jangy Addy, Tennessee, 7.77; 4. Ryan Fontenot, LSU, 7.79; 5. Dennis Martin, Florida, 7.83; 6. Delon Isom, Tennessee, 7.86; 7. Johnny Dutch, South Carolina, 7.87; 8. Kallinka Pitt, Florida, 7.88.
4x400
1. South Carolina, 2. LSU, 3:07.79; 3. Tennessee, 3:09.26; 4. Kentucky, 3:11.48; 5. Georgia, 3:12.51; 6. Ole Miss, 3:14.07; 7. Auburn, 3:19.34.
DMR
1. Arkansas, 9:45.71; 2. Georgia, 9:48.42; 3. Florida, 9:52.14; 4. Tennessee, 9:55.71; 5. LSU, 9:59.03; 6. Auburn, 10:00.90; 7. Kentucky, 10:01.70; 8. Alabama, 10:15.89.
Pole Vault
1. Michael Hogue, Tennessee, 17-6 ¼; 2. Joseph Berry, Tennessee, 16-10 ¾; 3. Wess Fuller, Georgia, 16-10 ¾; 4. Mike Morrison, Florida, 16-10 ¾; 5. Spencer McCorkel, Arkansas, 16-10 ¾; t6. Justin Semeyn, Florida, 16-4 ¾; t6. Brad Holtz, Tennessee, 16-4 ¾; 8. Eric Foran, Florida, 16-4 ¾.
Triple Jump
1. Nkosinza Balumbu, Arkansas, 53-5 ¾; 2. Daniel Quinn, Arkansas, 52-5 ½; 3. Jamaal Parker, Georgia, 51-8 ½; 4. Wale’ Odetunde, Ole Miss, 50-10 ¾; 5. Zedric Thomas, LSU, 50-5 ½; 6. Akeem Hardnett, Tennessee, 49-5 ½; 7. Reggie Haslom, LSU, 48-7 ½; 8. Asaph Levy, Georgia, 47-3.
Shot Put
1. Beau Burroughs, Florida, 60-9 ½; 2. Rashaud Scott, Kentucky, 60-7 ¼; 3. Ricky Jean-Francois, LSU, 59-1 ½; 4. Kyle Helf, Georgia, 58-4 ¾; 5. Andy Fryman, Kentucky, 58-0 ¼; 6. Jacob Dunkleberger, Auburn, 57-0 ¾; 7. Jason Cook, South Carolina, 56-9 ¼; 8. Geno Atkins, Georgia, 56-3 ¾.
TEAM STANDINGS (17 events scored)
1. Arkansas, 124; 2. LSU, 108; 3. Tennessee, 99.5; 4. Florida, 79.5; 5. Georgia, 72; 6. Kentucky, 48; 7. South Carolina, 42; 8. Auburn, 37; 9. Alabama, 30, 10. Ole Miss, 21.
Women’s
60
1. Kelly Baptiste, LSU, 7.13; 2. Samantha Henry, LSU, 7.21; 3. Juanita Broaddus, LSU, 7.27; 4. Courtney Champion, Tennessee, 7.29; 5. Lynne Layne, Tennessee, 7.29; 6. Brittney Reese, Ole Miss, 7.29; 7. Lakecia Ealey, Florida, 7.35; 8. Jeneba Tarmoh, Tennessee, 7.42.
200
1. Courtney Champion, Tennessee, 23.23; 2. Samantha Henry, LSU, 23.25; 3. Natalie Knight, Florida, 23.35; 4. Jeneba Tarmoh, Tennessee, 23.39; 5. Lakecia Ealey, Florida, 23.56; 6. Juanita Broaddus, LSU, 23.71; 7. Brooklynn Morris, LSU, 23.78; 8. Nickiesha Wilson, LSU, 23.86.
400
1. Trish Bartholomew, Alabama, 52.10; 2. Brandi Cross, South Carolina, 52.12; 3. Jenna Martin, Kentucky, 52.32; 4. Latonya Loche, Tennessee, 53.22; 5. Joanna Atkins, Auburn, 53.38; 6. Lajada Baldwin, Ole Miss, 53.60; 7. Dominique McLeggan, Florida, 54.20; 8. Tominque Boatright, Arkansas, 54.74.
800
1. LaTavia Thomas, LSU, 2:06.56; 2. Lorain McKenzie, Florida, 2:07.09; 3. Phoebe Wright, Tennessee, 2:07.61; 4. Lavera Morris, Kentucky, 2:07.87; 5. Kayann Thompson, LSU, 2:08.45; 6. Lindsay Day, LSU, 2:09.32; 7. Kimarra McDonald, Tennessee, 2:09.42; 8. Brittany Hall, LSU, 2:10.78.
Mile
1. Sarah Bowman, Tennessee, 4:37.16; 2. Natalie Picchetti, Georgia, 4:38.66; 3. Dacia Barr, Arkansas, 4:42.74; 4. Brittany Sheffey, Tennessee, 4:47.26; 5. Jessica Ortman, Kentucky, 4:47.94; 6. Rita Jorgensen, Vanderbilt, 4:48.41; 7. Jillian Rosen, Arkansas, 4:50.71; 8. Jenna Ortman, Kentucky, 4:53.39.
5,000
Denise Bargiachi, Arkansas, 16:25.34; 2. Betty Rotich, Alabama, 16:26.76; 3. Rebecca Lowe, Florida, 16:27.07; 4. Sarah Madebach, Georgia, 16:33.89; 5. Katie Van Horn, Tennessee, 16:37.84; 6. Jacy Kruzel, Florida, 16:40.79; 7. Christine Kalmer, Arkansas, 16:43.55; 8. Catherine White, Arkansas, 17:00.67.
60 hurdles
1. Jessica Ohanaja, LSU, 8.11; 2. Nickiesha Wilson, LSU, 8.15; 3. Tenaya Jones, LSU, 8.30; 4. Makeatha Cooper, Arkansas, 8.33; 5. Danielle Gilchrist, Auburn, 8.40; 6. Kimberley Laing, Alabama, 8.45; 7. Tia Thompson, Arkansas, 8.48; 8. Brittney James, South Carolina, 8.52.
4x400
1. LSU, 3:31.89; 2. South Carolina, 3:33.34; 3. Tennessee, 3:37.26; 4. Florida, 3:38.01; 5. Kentucky, 3:38.10; 6. Ole Miss, 3:38.89; 7. Auburn, 3:39.00; 8. Alabama, 3:41.70; 9. Arkansas, 3:42.15; 10. Georgia, 3:46.64; 11. Mississippi State, 3:49.49; 12. Vanderbilt, 3:54.78.
DMR
1. Tennessee, 11:26.26; 2. Kentucky, 11:40.25; 3. Florida, 11:41.11; 4. Vanderbilt, 11:51.61; 5. Auburn, 11:57.95; 6. LSU, 12:04.06; 7. Ole Miss, 12:15.21; 8. South Carolina, 12:18.82; 9. Mississippi State, 12:52.65.
High Jump
1. Brittney Reese, Ole Miss, 6-2; 2. Chealsea Taylor, Alabama, 6-0 ¾; 3. Raevan Harris, Auburn, 5-10 ½; 4. Leine Karsuma, Florida, 5-9 ¼; 5. Brittani Carter, LSU, 5-9 ¼; 6. Carmia Carroll, Ole Miss, 5-7 ¾; t7. Shaquita Young, Georgia, 5-5 ¾; t7. Kayla Blake, South Carolina, 5-5 ¾.
Triple Jump
1. Andrea Linton, LSU, 44-6 ¼; 2. Brittney Reese, Ole Miss, 42-8 ¾; 3. Shara Proctor, Florida, 42-3 ¼; 4. Nedra Gross, LSU, 41-8 ½; 5. Kathy Coleman, LSU, 41-1 ½; 6. Celriece Law, Tennessee, 41-0 ¼; 7. Peter-Gaye Beckford, Arkansas, 40-8 ¼; 8. Amelia Anderson, Auburn, 40-8 ¼.
Weight Throw
1. Shawneise Williams, Florida, 62-8 ½; 2. Shanna Dickenson, Tennessee, 62-4 ½; 3. Valentina Srsa, Auburn, 60-4 ½; 4. Ashley Muffet, Kentucky, 59-4 ¾; 5. Michelle Rossio, Arkansas, 56-11 ½; 6. Kim Williams, LSU, 55-7 ½; 7. Kristin Smith, Kentucky, 55-4 ¾; 8. Emily Bernhardt, Kentucky, 54-8 ¾.
TEAM STANDINGS (17 events scored)
1. LSU, 133; 2. Tennessee, 116; 3. Arkansas, 93; 4. Florida, 90; 5. Kentucky, 57; 6. Ole Miss, 49; 7. Alabama, 43; 8. Auburn, 27; 9. South Carolina, 20.5; 10. Georgia, 14.5; 11. Mississippi State, 12; 12. Vanderbilt, 8