Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Baseball

                                     South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends vs. Charleston RiverDogs

What: Three-game series

When: Wednesday through Friday (7:05 each night)

Where: Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park, a.ka. The Joe (Charleston, S.C.)

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), New York Yankees

Cruz

Alaniz

Foltynewicz

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Wednesday, RH Mike Foltynewicz (5-7, 4.19) vs.  RH Jose Ramirez (4-3, 4.50); Thursday, RH Ruben Alaniz (5-7, 4.74) vs. RH Zach Nuding (6-6, 4.58); Friday, LH Luis Cruz (1-2, 4.27) vs. RH Nathan Forer (1-4, 4.50).

Bryce Lane

Legend to watch: OF Bryce Lane (6-foot, 180 pounds, from Phenix City, Ala.) is having his best month at the plate, batting .286 (8-for-28), with two homers, three RBI and nine runs scored over nine games. Lane, who has seen action at all three outfield positions this season, is batting .222 overall over 43 games and has stolen five bases in six attempts. He also played five games for the High-A Lancaster JetHawks during a late May/early June callup, going hitless in 14 at-bats. A right-handed batter and thrower, Lane was selected by the Astros in the 41st round of the 2010 draft. A junior-college All-American for Gulf Coast Community College, he opted to sign with the Astros rather than continue college ball at Auburn. With Gulf Coast, he set school records of 26 homers and 90 RBI his sophomore season. Last year, he played for three Astros affiliates – Gulf Coast League Astros (.333 over eight games), Greeneville Astros (.202 over 37 games) and Lancaster (.356 over 15 games. His overall totals for 2010 included a .268 average, a homer, 20 RBI, 17 runs and four stolen bases.

Gary Sanchez

RiverDog to watch: 18-year-old C Gary Sanchez (6-2, 220, from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is batting .243 with nine homers, 34 RBI and 35 runs over 65 games. Sanchez, who bats and throws righty, came into the season ranked by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in the Yankees system. MLB.com put him No. 32 among the top 50 prospects. Sanchez signed for $3 million — the largest bonus ever given by the Yankees to a teenager — in July 2009. He made his pro debut last year, playng 31 games with the Gulf Coast League Yankees and 16 games with Staten Island of the New York-Penn League. Combined, he batted .329 with eight homers, 43 RBI and 33 runs scored, earning GCL all-star honors.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Baseball (REVISED Greenville pitching rotation)

                                    South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends vs. Greenville Drive

What: Four-game series

When: Thursday through Sunday (7:05 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 5:05 p.m. Sunday)

Where: Whitaker Bank Ballpark

Tickets: Call (859) 422-7867

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Boston Red Sox

Alaniz

Cruz

Sogard

Quevedo

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Thursday, RH Ruben Alaniz (5-4, 4.78) vs. RH Keith Couch (2-1, 3.34); Friday, LH Luis Cruz (1-0, 2.04 vs. RH Chris Martin (4-0, 2.74); Saturday, RH Carlos Quevedo (5-3, 4.62) vs. RH Miguel Celestino (5-4, 4.43); Sunday, LH Alex Sogard (1-2, 4.58) vs. LH Manuel Rivera (4-3, 3.75).

Brandon Jacobs

Drive to watch: All-star LF Brandon Jacobs (6-foot-1, 225 pounds, from Snellville, Ga.) is batting .323 with nine homers, 39 RBI, 36 runs and 14 stolen bases over 57 games. He also has a .397 on-base and .529 slugging percentage. Selected by the Red Sox in the 10th round of the 2009 draft out of Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ga., he had been committed to play football (running back) for Auburn University. As a high school senior, he hit .511 with seven homers 16 RBI and a 1.307 slugging percentage. The Red Sox offered $750,000 to win out over Auburn and assigned him to their Gulf Coast League team, where he went 6-for-24 (.250) in eight games. Last year, with the Lowell Spinners of the New York-Penn League, Jacobs hit .242 with a team-leading six homers and 18 doubles. He also had 31 RBI and 30 runs over 64 games. Coming into this season, Baseball America rated him as the 27th-best prospect in Boston’s system.

Jorge DeLeon

Legend to watch: RHP Jorge DeLeon (6-0, 182, from La Cega Azua, Dominican Republic) saved 10 of the Legends’ 35 first-half wins. With a 1-3 record and 2.43 ERA, DeLeon has worked 29 2/3 innings over 21 games, with a 1.04 WHIP and 25 strikeouts to six walks. All this while holding opponents to a .214 batting average. His last eight appearances, spanning nine innings, he has not given up an earned runs, striking out nine and walking two. DeLeon has been toughest at home, where he is 1-1-4 with a 0.71 ERA. Signed by the Astros on May 30, 2006, as a non-drafted free agent, DeLeon played shortstop for his first four pro seasons before moving to the mound last year. His infielder days included a 43-game tour with the Legends in 2009, when he hit .187 and drove in nine runs. With the New York-Penn League’s Tri-City ValleyCats last season, DeLeon went 2-1 with six saves and a 0.64 ERA over 23 relief appearances. Armed with a top-end 98 mph fastball, he struck out 29, walked 12 and earned a spot on Houston’s 40-man roster. Coming into this season, Baseball America rated him as the 20th-best prospect in the Astros system.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

The women’s and men’s watch committees for The Bowerman have named the 10 semifinalists for collegiate track and field’s biggest award. The Bowerman, track and field’s version of what college football has in the Heisman Trophy, is presented in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

A 10-person Bowerman Advisory Board will trim the list to three finalists, to be named July 13 (men) and 14 (women).

Women’s semifinalists

Name, year, school, events, hometown
Nia Ali, sr., Southern Cal, hurdles/jumps, Philadelphia
Brigetta Barrett, so., Arizona, jumps, Duncanville, Texas
Jessica Beard, sr., Texas A&M, sprints, Euclid, Ohio
Emma Coburn, jr., Colorado, distance, Crested Butte, Colo.
Kimberlyn Duncan, so., LSU, sprints, Katy, Texas
Jordan Hasay, so., Oregon, distance, Arroyo Grande, Calif.
Sheila Reid, jr., Villanova, distance, Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Tina Sutej, jr., Arkansas, pole vault, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Jeneba Tarmoh, jr., Texas A&M, sprints, San Jose, Calif.
Brianne Theisen, sr., Oregon, combined events, Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada

Nia Ali

Nia Ali – Winner of the NCAA outdoor 100-meter hurdles with a wind-aided 12.63. Ali clocked a personal-best time of 12.77 to win Pac-10 title and is ranked seventh in the world in 2011. Finished sixth at the NCAA outdoor meet in the high jump; had a season best of 6-1¼ to finish second in the Pac-10 to Arizona’s Brigetta Barrett. Ali was also an NCAA qualifier indoors in the 60-meter hurdles.

Brigetta Barrett – Claimed NCAA high jump titles in both the indoor and outdoor seasons to join six others that have accomplished the feat (most recently, Texas’ Destinee Hooker in 2009). Barrett cleared six feet or more in each of her 11 competitions and notched an all-around personal best of 6-4 to win the Pac-10 title. Barrett won 10 of 11 meet crowns in the high jump during both indoor and outdoor seasons.

Jessica Beard

Jessica Beard – Became the third female in NCAA Division I history, and first since 1999, to win both 400 national titles in the same year and run on both winning 4-by-400 relays at the NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor Championships. Beard, four-time Big 12 indoor 400-meter champ, recorded the world’s fastest 400 time indoors with a 50.79 clocking to win the national crown. Outdoors, Beard clocked 51.10 for the NCAA win and split 49.13 for the Aggies as anchor of the winning 4-by-400 relay.

Emma Coburn – Won the NCAA 3,000-meter steeplechase title in a wire-to-wire 9:41.14 and bettered the field by more than six seconds. Coburn was undefeated in the steeplechase during the season and clocked a 9:40.51 personal best to win the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational -– a mark that ranks sixth among collegians all-time. Coburn also finished eighth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the mile.

Kimberlyn Duncan

Kimberlyn Duncan — Swept the NCAA 200-meter titles and, in both seasons, notched world-leading times. Duncan became the sixth woman in NCAA Division I history and the first since Auburn’s Kerron Stewart in 2007 to sweep 200-meter titles in the same season. Indoors, Duncan won the SEC title in 22.78 for the world’s best time of the season. Outdoors, Duncan was undefeated in the 200 and clocked a low-altitude collegiate record (and the third-best overall) with a 22.24 run. Duncan was also the NCAA 100-meter runner-up and anchored the Lady Tigers to an NCAA title in the 4-by-100 (42.64).

Jordan Hasay – Won NCAA indoor titles in the mile and 3,000 meters, becoming the fifth overall and the first since Northern Arizona’s Johanna Nilsson (2006) to claim such a double. Hasay also led the Ducks to a runner-up finish in the distance medley relay at the national indoor meet. Outdoors, Hasay finished fourth nationally in the 5,000 meters and eighth in the 1,500.

Sheila Reid

Sheila Reid – Tallied three NCAA crowns and five Big East titles during the 2011 seasons. Outdoors, Reid became the first woman in Division I history to win the NCAA 1,500 and 5,000 in the same championship. Indoors, Reid anchored the Wildcats to the NCAA crown in the distance medley relay and was second nationally in the 3,000 meters. In the Big East, Reid won the 1,500-5,000 double outdoors and was a three-time titlist indoors with wins in the 1,000 meters, 4-by-800 and DMR.

Tina Sutej

Tina Sutej – Set collegiate records indoors and outdoors. Indoors, Sutej vaulted a best of 14-10¾ to set the all-time collegiate best in winning the SEC crown and went on to win the NCAA title. Outdoors, Sutej again won the SEC league title with a collegiate-record vault – a clearance of 15-1½. Overall, Sutej collected 13 straight meet victories before finishing runner-up at the NCAA outdoor meet, but tied the championship-meet record with Oregon’s Melissa Gergel, who took the crown on virtue of misses.

Jeneba Tarmoh

Jeneba Tarmoh – Was twice the NCAA’s runner-up in the 200 meters, matching performances both indoors and outdoors. Tarmoh won NCAA titles indoors and outdoors on the Aggie 4-by-400-meter relays and collected another silver as a member of the 4-by-100 squad. Tarmoh recorded top-five world times both indoors and outdoors in the 200, running 22.34 in the national finals to move into the collegiate all-time top 10 in the event. Tarmoh swept Big 12 outdoor 100- and 200-meter sprint titles and was on Texas A&M’s winning 4-by-100 relay.

Brianne Theisen – Twice set the collegiate record in the pentathlon during the indoor season and won her second straight NCAA crown in the event. Her score of 4,540 bettered her previous all-time collegiate best mark of 4,507, set in January at the UW (Washington) Invitational and ranked among the world’s top five in the event for the season. Theisen also scored at the NCAA indoor meet for the second straight year as a member of Oregon’s 4-by-400 relay team. Outdoors, Theisen did not compete as a result of injury.

Men’s semifinalists

Name, year, school, events, hometown
Jeshua Anderson, sr., Washington State, hurdles, Woodland Hills, Calif.
Robby Andrews, so., Virginia, distance, Englishtown, N.J.
Sam Chelanga, sr., Liberty, distance, Nairobi, Kenya
Will Claye, jr., Florida, jumps, Phoenix
Kirani James, so., Alabama, sprints, Gouyave, Grenada
Leonard Korir, jr., Iona, distance, Iten, Kenya
Ngoni Makusha, jr., Florida State, jumps/sprints, Zimbabwe
Maurice Mitchell, jr., Florida State, sprints, Kansas City, Mo.
Scott Roth, sr., Washington, pole vault, Granite Bay, Calif.
Christian Taylor, jr., Florida, jumps, Fayetteville, Ga.

Jeshua Anderson

Jeshua Anderson – Joined Brigham Young’s (and former University of Kentucky faculty member) Ralph Mann (1969-70-71) and Iowa State’s Danny Harris (1984-85-86) as the only three to win a third NCAA-championship title in the 400-meter hurdles. Won the title in 48.56, over a half-second ahead of the rest of the field. Earned the season’s collegiate best, and current American-leading, 400-hurdle time of 48.13 in winning a fourth-straight Pac-10 crown. Clocking also ranks second in the world so far in 2011 and ranks among the collegiate all-time top five.

Robby Andrews

Robby Andrews – Won his first NCAA outdoor 800-meter title with a memorable, come-from-behind 200-meter sprint to the finish. Sitting in last place at the 600-meter mark, Andrews used a 26.44-second final 200 to pass the field and grab the win from UC Irvine’s Charles Jock by only four hundredths of a second. Final time at the NCAA meet of 1:44.71 equaled the best collegiate and current best American mark of the year (Cory Primm, UCLA). 

Sam Chelanga

Sam Chelanga – NCAA champion outdoors in the 5,000 meters and national runner-up indoors in the 5K and outdoors in the 10K. His title  in the 5K was won in a season’s best time of 13:29.30 which included a 58.15 final-lap split. Recorded the collegiate-season’s best 7:48.24 indoors in the 3,000 meters at the professional-laden New Balance Games in Boston in February.

Will Claye

Will Claye – Claimed the NCAA indoor national championship in the triple jump and was the nation’s runner-up indoors in the long jump and outdoors in the triple. Also finished third outdoors in the long jump. Outdoors, notched SEC victories in both horizontal jumps, the first to do so since 2004. Wind-legal performances during the outdoor season of 27-2½ and 56-11¼ are among the world’s top five in 2011. Wind-aided triple jump of 57-9¾ at the NCAA outdoor meet is the third-best all-conditions collegiate mark of all time.

Kirani James

Kirani James – Claimed NCAA outdoor title in the 400 meters for the second straight year, becoming the first back-to-back titlist in the event since Auburn’s Avard Moncur in 2000 and 2001. Swept SEC crowns in the 400 with indoor and outdoor wins and recorded an all-time world junior indoor best with a 44.80 clocking in taking the league’s indoor crown in February. Clocked 44.6 split as the second leg of Grenada’s 4-by-400-relay team that finished third in the USA vs. The World race at the Penn Relays.

Leonard Korir –Indoor 5,000-meter and outdoor 10,000-meter NCAA champion. Split a 56.18 final lap to claim the outdoor national title. Also finished third outdoors nationally in the 5,000 and sixth indoors at 3,000. In clocking 27:29.40 in the 10K at Stanford’s Payton Jordan Invitational in May, he moved to second all-time in collegiate history in the event (Sam Chelanga, 27:08.39, 2010).

Ngoni Makusha

Ngoni Makusha — Won NCAA outdoor titles in the 100 meters and long jump, joining Carl Lewis, Jesse Owens, and Michigan’s DeHart Hubbard as the fourth man in NCAA Division I history to claim such a double at a single championship. Also claimed NCAA long jump title during the indoor season, becoming the first since 2006 to sweep the event’s two titles (Arturs Abolins, Nebraska, 2006). Notched a third NCAA title as second leg of 4-by-100-meter relay. Run of 9.89 in the NCAA 100-meter final broke the 1996 collegiate- and championship-meet record of 9.92 set in 1996 by UCLA’s Ato Bolden. Clocked 9.97 to win ACC crown and swept league titles in the long jump. Season’s best in the long jump and 100 meters rank amongst the world’s top five this year.

Maurice Mitchell – NCAA outdoor 200-meter champion in a wind-aided 19.99 and third leg of Florida State’s national champion 4-by-100-meter relay team. Was national runner-up indoors in the 200 and was only bested by Oklahoma’s Mookie Salaam who took the title by two thousandths of a second in a different section. Placed third at the NCAA meet indoors in the 60 and outdoors in the 100 meters. Did not lose a 200-meter race in 13 tries during the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Scott Roth – Claimed a sweep of NCAA pole vault crowns during the year, becoming the fourth to do so since 2000. Marked indoor personal best of 18-1 during the indoor season and an overall personal best of 18-9¼ to take victory at the Mt. SAC Relays. At the end of the collegiate season, season’s best mark ranked among the world’s top five.

Christian Taylor

Christian Taylor – Winner of the NCAA outdoor triple jump title with an all-time, all-conditions collegiate best mark of 58-4¾. The wind-aided title clincher came on the final attempt of a back-and-forth battle with teammate Will Claye. Marked wind-legal 57-1 in the competition’s fourth round to claim the season’s collegiate best mark and current American-leading mark. Finished second nationally indoors to Claye in the triple jump and qualified for both meets in the long jump. With Florida’s 4-by-100- and 4-by-400-meter relay teams, qualified for the national finals in both events outdoors. At Penn Relays, 4-by-100 squad finished second in the Championship of America race.

The women’s watch list for The Bowerman, released Thursday, saw the addition of Colorado’s Emma Coburn, Southern Cal’s Nia Ali, Arizona’s Brigetta Barrett, LSU’s Semoy Hackett and Texas A&M’s Jeneba Tarmoh to the top 10.

The Bowerman is collegiate track and field’s top award, first presented in 2009 by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Ten semifinalists will be named June 21 and three finalists will be listed July 14.

The women’s watch list, in alphabetical order, includes the athlete, class, school and events.

Nia Ali, sr., Southern Cal, hurdles/jumps
Brigetta Barrett, soph., Arizona, jumps
Jessica Beard, sr., Texas A&M, sprints
Emma Coburn, jr., Colorado, distance
Kimberlyn Duncan, soph, LSU, sprints
Semoy Hackett, jr., LSU, sprints
Jordan Hasay, soph., Oregon, distance
Tina Sutej, jr., Arkansas, pole vault
Jeneba Tarmoh, jr., Texas A&M sprints
Kim Williams, sr., Florida State, jumps

Also receiving mention

Jackie Areson (sr., Tennessee) distance; Marie Louise Asselin (sr., West Virginia) distance); Joanna Atkins (sr., Auburn) sprints); Gwen Berry (sr., Southern Ill.) throws; LaKya Brookins (sr., South Carolina) sprints; Ti’erra Brown (sr., Miami, Fla.) hurdles; Dominique Duncan (jr., Texas A&M) sprints; Colleen Felix (jr., Georgia) jumps; Sheniqua Ferguson (sr., Auburn) sprints; Melissa Gergel (sr., Oregon) pole vault; Anna Jelmini (rs-frosh, Ariz. State) throws; Amber Kaufman (sr., Hawaii) jumps; Liz Lawton (sr., Chicago) distance; Lindsay Lettow (jr., Central Missouri) combined events; Chantel Malone (sr., Texas) jumps/sprints; Gabby Mayo (jr., Texas A&M) sprints/hurdles; Chantae McMillan (sr., Nebraska) combined events; Lauryn Newson (jr., Oregon) jumps; Holly Ozanich (sr., Wisconsin-Oshkosh) throws; Ashton Purvis (frosh, Miami, Fla.) sprints; Sheila Reid (jr., Villanova) distance; Brianna Rollins (soph-i, frosh-o, Clemson) hurdles; Faith Sherrill (sr., Indiana) throws; Karen Shump (soph., Oklahoma) throws; Neely Spence (jr., Shippensburg) distance; Brianne Theisen (sr., Oregon) combined events; Kate Van Buskirk (sr., Duke, mid-distance); Lucy Van Dalen (sr., Stony Brook) distance; Lea Wallace (sr., Sacramento State) mid-distance.

The pre-season roster of athletes on the Women’s Watch List for The Bowerman is made up entirely of juniors and seniors.

The Bowerman is the most prestigious individual award for collegiate track and field. The men’s watch list was released Wednesday.

Three of the 10 women listed are from Texas A&M — sprinters Jessica Beard, Gabby Mayo and Jenebe Tarmoh. Mayo also hurdles.

The first women’s watch list of the season, with name, class, school, event(s) and hometown:

Joanna Atkins, sr., Auburn, sprints, Stone Mountain, Ga.
Jessica Beard, sr., Texas A&M, sprints, Euclid, Ohio
Ti’erra Brown, jr., Miami (Fla.), hurdles, Hampton, Va.
Semoy Hackett, jr., LSU, sprints, Scarborough, Trinidad & Tobago
Amber Kaufman, sr., Hawaii, jumps, San Jose, Calif.
Gabby Mayo, jr., Texas A&M, sprints/hurdles, Raleigh, N.C.
Sheila Reid, jr., Villanova, distance, Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Jeneba Tarmoh, jr., Texas A&M, sprints, San Jose, Calif.
Brianne Theisen, sr., Oregon, combined events, Humboldt, Sask., Canada
Kim Williams, sr., Florida State, jumps, Kingston, Jamaica

Gay, Phillips among T&FN’s top 10 in world

Tyson Gay

Dwight Phillips

Lexington’s Tyson Gay finished fourth in Track & Field News magazine’s voting for Men’s Athlete of the Year. Former University of Kentucky competitor Dwight Phillips ranked ninth.

Kenyan middle-distance runner David Rudisha was a unanimous pick for the men’s award.

Croatian high-jumper Blanka Vlasic took women’s honors.

Other winners included hurdler David Oliver (U.S. men’s athlete), sprinter Allyson Felix (U.S. women’s athlete), Rudisha for his 800-meter world-record 1:41.01 (men’s performance of the year) and Polish hammer-thrower Anita Wlodarczyk for her world-record 256-11 (women’s performance).

After Rudisha, the men’s rankings saw Americans take the next three spots: Oliver, shot-putter Christian Cantwell and Gay. Gay’s long-time rival, Usain Bolt of Jamaica, finished 15th.

Felix was the top American woman, second to Vlasic.

Event-by-event world rankings had Gay first in the 100 meters and fourth in the 200 globally, 1-3 nationally, where he also was seventh in the 400.

Reese Hoffa

Danielle Carruthers

Phillips ranked No. 1 in the world and nation in the long jump, while Louisville native Reese Hoffa was second to Cantwell in the shot put.

Paducah Tilghman graduate Danielle Carruthers ranked fifth in the nation and ninth in the world in the women’s 100-meter hurdles.

Other men’s national rankings had St. Xavier graduate Bobby Curtis fourth in the 5,000 and 10,000, and Ballard graduate Ray Sharp fourth in the 50-kilometer walk.

Former UK standout Allison Grace ranked ninth nationally in the 10,000.

Kentucky’s men are picked seventh and the women eighth in the Southeastern Conference cross country coaches’ pre-season polls.

Alabama’s men and Florida’s women are the top picks.

Florida was an overwhelming No. 1, taking all 11 first-place votes.

Two-time defending champion Alabama edged Arkansas in the men’s poll, taking seven first-place votes to the Razorbacks’ four. Arkansas also is No. 2 in the women’s poll.

Points were tabulated according to ranking — one first-place vote equals one point, a second-place vote equals two points, etc.

The SEC Championships are scheduled Nov. 1 at South Carolina.

The coaches’ poll follows.

MEN
1. Alabama (7) 13
2. Arkansas (4) 16
3. Florida 34
4. Georgia 41
T5. Auburn 49
T5. Tennessee 49
7. Kentucky 67
8. Mississippi State 72
9. Ole Miss 73
10. LSU 95
11. Vanderbilt 96

WOMEN
1. Florida (11) 11
2. Arkansas 24
3. Georgia 35
T4. Alabama 52
T4. Tennessee 52
T4. Vanderbilt 52
7. Auburn 67
8. Kentucky 78
9. Mississippi State 96
10. South Carolina 97
11. LSU 113
12. Ole Miss 117

Rondel Sorrillo

Kentucky landed six athletes on the list, topped by three-event honoree Rondel Sorrillo. He won the NCAA 200-meter dash and was runner-up in the 100. Sorrillo, Sean Lange, Kwasi Obeng and Alex Williams all earned All-America status in the 4-by-100 relay. 

The Wildcats also were represented by Colin Boevers in the men’s discus and Ashley Muffet in the women’s discus and shot put.

Forty-nine SEC men earned 65 honors, while 34 women garnered 51 awards.

Florida led the men’s list with 11 individuals, while LSU was first among the women with eight individuals.

Sorrillo was one of two men to earn awards in three events. The other was South Carolina’s Johnny Dutch (110-meter hurdles, 400 hurdles, 4-by-400 relay).

Three women earned three-event honors: Auburn’s Joanna Atkins (400, 4-by-100, 4-by-400), Auburn’s Sheniqua Ferguson (100, 200, 4-by-100), LSU’s Samantha Henry (200, 4-by-100, 4-by-400) and LSU’s Takeia Pinckney (100, 200, 4-by-100).

Florida led SEC teams in the NCAA Championships, placing second in the men’s standings and third in the women’s standings. UK, with Sorrillo doing all the scoring, placed 13th in the men’s events. The UK women tied for 51st in the nation.

Bowerman candidate Lists of 10 announced

The USTFCCCA has released the lists of 10 men and 10 women that will be considered for The Bowerman Award. The Bowerman is college track and field’s version of football’s Heisman Trophy, presented to the top athlete in the sport on an annual basis.

The groups of 10 will be trimmed to three men and three women by a 10-member Bowerman Advisory Board. The board, chaired by Herman Frazier, senior associate athletics director for sports administration at Temple University, will release its selections July 12.

Then, Bowerman Voters — a group of about 100 national and regional media members, statisticians, administrators and presidents of affiliated organizations — will cast the final votes. Voters include this writer and last year’s winners: Galen Rupp and Jenny Barringer.

The winners will be announced at the USTFCCCA Convention, Dec. 13-16, at San Antonio Texas.

The top 10 lists, in alphabetical order, follow.

WOMEN

Semoy Hackett

Queen Harrison

Kylie Hutson

Semoy Hackett, Lincoln (Mo.) — Sophomore sprinter from Trinidad & Tobago won five NCAA Division II titles, setting three meet records.

Kylie Hutson, Indiana State — Senior from Terre Haute, Ind., swept NCAA pole-vault titles indoors and outdoors, setting a meet record outdoors, and was undefeated in collegiate competition.

Mariam Kevkhishvili

Lisa Koll

Porscha Lucas

Mariam Kevkhishvili, Florida — Senior from the nation of Georgia swept NCAA shot-put titles indoors and outdoors, was undefeated and surpassed 60 feet four times.

Lisa Koll, Iowa State — Senior from Fort Dodge, Iowa, won the NCAA 5,000 and 10,000 meters outdoors, 5,000 meters indoors and set a 10,000-meter collegiate record of 31:18.07.

Porscha Lucas, Texas A&M — Senior from Plano, Texas, won NCAA titles in the 200 and 4-by-100 relay, running the second leg on an undefeated relay, and placed second in the 100.

Francena McCorory

Blessing Okagbare

Francena McCorory, Hampton — Junior from Hampton, Va., won the indoor and outdoor 400-meter titles, setting an American indoor record of 50.54.

Blessing Okagbare, Texas-El Paso — Senior from Nigeria is the first woman to win the 100 meters and long jump in the same NCAA Championships; also swept 60 meters and long jump indoors.

Brianne Theisen

Phoebe Wright

Brianne Theisen, Oregon — Junior from Canada swept NCAA multi-event titles (pentathlon indoors, heptathlon outdoors) and led off the winning 4-by-400 relay.

Phoebe Wright, Tennessee — Senior from Signal Mountain, Tenn., swept NCAA 800 crowns, was undefeated at that distance, led off the NCAA Indoor-champion distance medley relay and ran on three Penn Relays championship teams.

MEN

Sam Chelanga

Johnny Dutch

Jeff Demps

Sam Chelanga, Liberty — Red-shirt junior from Kenya won the NCAA 10,000 meters and, earlier in the season, sliced 20 seconds off his own collegiate record in the event.

Jeff Demps, Florida — Frosh (indoors)/soph (outdoors) from Winter Garden, Fla., won NCAA sprint titles indoors at 60 meters and outdoors at 100, and anchored the winning 4-by-100 relay outdoors.

Johnny Dutch, South Carolina — Junior from Clayton, N.C., won the NCAA 400-meter hurdles, running the fourth-best time in the world (48.12) in the quarterfinals, and also was a finalist in the 110-meter hurdles and 4-by-400 relay.

Ashton Eaton

Kirani James

Walter Henning

Ashton Eaton, Oregon — Senior from Bend, Ore., won a second straight NCAA heptathlon title indoors, setting a world record in the process, and took his third straight decathlon championship outdoors.

Walter Henning, LSU — Junior from Kings Park, N.Y., won national crowns in the 35-pound weight throw indoors and in the hammer throw outdoors, the first such double since 2006.

Kirani James, Alabama — Freshman from Grenada, at 17, won the NCAA 400 meters in 45.01.

David McNeill

Christian Taylor

David McNeill, Northern Arizona — Senior from Australia swept NCAA 5,000-meter titles indoors and outdoors, clocking 13:25.63 in the latter.

Christian Taylor, Florida — Sophomore from Fayetteville, Ga., is the first to sweep NCAA triple jump titles, indoors and outdoors, since 2002, and also was runner-up in the long jump at both meets.

Ryan Whiting

Andrew Wheating

Andrew Wheating, Oregon — Senior from Norwich, Vt., is the first man to sweep the NCAA Outdoor 800 and 1,500 crowns since 1984; also anchored the Ducks’ first-place distance medley relay indoors.

Ryan Whiting, Arizona State — Senior from Harrisburg, Pa., won the NCAA shot put indoors and outdoors, recording eight puts beyond 70 feet, and added the discus crown outdoors.

Latest rankings of NCAA Division I teams from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association have Kentucky and Louisville in a tight race.

With the regular season completed, the NCAA field is to be set Friday. The first round of the NCAA Championships will be held May 27-29 at Greensboro, N.C., and Austin, Texas.  

The Florida men and Oregon women have the No. 1 spots in the latest rankings.

Louisville’s men are 31st, two spots ahead of Kentucky. Western Kentucky is 56th.

UK’s women are rated No. 29, one spot ahead of U of L. WKU is No. 145.

Florida, winner of the Southeastern Conference championship, is among nine SEC men’s teams ranked in the nation’s top 25. The others: 5. LSU; 9. Auburn; 10. South Carolina; 12. Mississippi State; 15. Mississippi; 16. Georgia; 24. Alabama; 25. Arkansas.

The Big 12 leads the women’s top 25 with five ranked teams. The SEC has four in the top 25: 3. LSU; 6. Florida; 11. Auburn; 13 Arkansas.

For more on the rankings and links to guideline and rationale information, see:

http://www.ustfccca.org/rankings/division-i-rankings

Louisville’s men have a pair of athletes ranked among the nation’s top 10 in their events. Steve Hnat has the fourth-best mark in the shot put and Matt Hughes is No. 5 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

UK also has two men in the top 10: Rondel Sorrillo, seventh in the 200, and Sharif Webb, ninth in the 800. Sorrillo also ranks 11th in the 100 and is part of UK’s 20th-rated 4-by-100 relay.

Western’s Gavin Smellie is ranked No. 2 in the 200. He also is No. 48 in the 100 and runs on both the No. 16 4-by-400 relay and No. 27 4-by-100 relay.

Rankings in the Southeast Region have U of L fourth, UK 14th, Western eighth, Eastern Kentucky 36th and Morehead State 40th. (With rankings based on potential points, Western flip-flopped with UK from the national rankings. In other words, Western likely would score more points in regional competition, but UK would score more in nationals.)

UK’s ranked women are topped by Kristin Smith, fifth nationally in the hammer throw. Ashley Muffet is No. 6 in discus and No. 12 in shot put.

Louisville’s Jere’ Summers is ranked No. 1 in the discus, 7 in the hammer and 31st in the shot.

Regional team rankings have UK fifth, Louisville seventh, Western 11th, Eastern 38th, Murray State 42nd and Morehead 47th.

Virginia Tech’s men and Clemson’s women are the No. 1 teams in the Southeast Region.

National rankings

MEN

1. Florida; 2. Oregon; 3. Texas A&M; 4. Southern California; 5. LSU; 6. Arizona State; 7. Texas Tech; 8. Florida State; 9. Auburn; 10. South Carolina; 11. Brigham Young; 12. Mississippi State; 13. Stanford; 14. Oklahoma; 15. Mississippi; 16. Georgia; 17. Virginia Tech; 18. Baylor; 19. Kansas; 20. Nebraska; 21. Washington; 22. New Mexico; 23. Penn State; 24. Alabama; Arkansas.

WOMEN

1. Oregon; 2. Texas A&M; 3. LSU; 4. Oklahoma; 5. Virginia Tech; 6. Florida; 7. Penn State; 8. Clemson; 9. Florida State; 10. Texas; 11. Auburn; 12. Miami (Fla.); 13. Arkansas; 14. Texas-El Paso; 15. Southern California; 16. Indiana State; 17. Arizona; 18. Brigham Young; 19. Indiana; 20. Illinois; 21. Texas Tech; 22. Stanford; 23. New Mexico; 24. Southern Illinois; 25. Kansas.

Cats on SEC Community Service teams

Distance runners Andrea Halasek-Richardson, a senior, and Josh Nadzam, a junior, are UK’s selections to the SEC Community Service teams, which highlight an athlete from each school “who gives back to (the) community in superior service efforts.”

Women’s selection Halasek-Richardson, out of Scott County High School, compiled 124 1/2 hours of community service dating to 2006. She mentored at Johnson Elementary School and also contributed at Lansdowne Elementary, Cassidy Elementary, Habitat for Humanity and Wildcat Track Club.

Nadzam, the men’s selection, served 89 1/2 hours in 2009. Nearly half of that time was spent at the Ronald McDonald House. He also served at the Kentucky Refugee Ministry, Hope Center, Catholic Action Center, Monaca (Pa.) High School and Calvary Baptist Church.

Johnson will play for USA in Canada, Japan

UK's Molly Johnson

Kentucky senior Molly Johnson has been named to Team USA rosters for an international softball series coming this summer. The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America made the announcement.

Johnson, who plays primarily at shortstop, will play in the Canadian Open Fast Pitch International Championships, July 7-11, at Surrey, British Columbia, as well as exhibitions July 13-14 at Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. (Lexington hockey fans may recall Whitehorse as hometown of Kentucky Thoroughblades captain Jarrett Deuling.)

Then, Johnson and Team USA will head to Sendai City, Japan, to play in the Japan Cup, Aug. 3-9.

For the third time in four years, Eastern Kentucky has the Male Outdoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Here’s a look at that item, along with EKU’s third-place finishes at the OVC Championships and what’s up with the University of Kentucky, which a conference Runner of the Week.

Track and field fans in the Lexington area will want to mark Thursday on the calendar. That’s when the public schools will gather at Paul Laurence Dunbar for the City High School Championships, starting at 6 p.m.

OVC Freshman of the Year

Soufiane Bouchikhi, from Antwerp, Belgium, is the OVC Male Freshman of the Year for the outdoor season, replicating what he achieved indoors.

Soufiane Bouchikhi

He follows in the footsteps of teammates Elkana Kurgat and Shannon Davis, who won OVC Male Freshman honors for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The award was created in 2005.

Bouchikhi posted the fastest 5,000 meters in the conference this season, 14:01.74, to place second at the Penn Relays – a mere two-hundredths of a second behind Lewis Woodard of William & Mary.

The full list of OVC award winners: Megan Gingerich, Eastern Illinois (Female Track Athlete of the Year); Kandace Arnold, Eastern Illinois (Female Field Athlete); Elizabeth Bond, Jacksonville State, and Jerika Lewis, Southeast Missouri (Freshman Co-Athletes); Chris Gill, Southeast Missouri (Male Track Athlete); Brandon Colbert, Southeast Missouri (Male Field Athlete), and Bouchikhi. 

OVC Championships

EKU’s men and women both placed third in last weekend’s rain-shortened OVC Championships at Tennessee Tech, winning eight individual titles.

Heading the list was Bouchikhi, who took the 5,000 in 15:00.37.

Eastern Illinois won the men’s title with 261 points, followed by Southeast Missouri with 128, EKU with 106, Tennessee State with 61 and Morehead State with 22.

EKU’s other male champions were Christopher Rengifo in the 1,500 (3:54.19), Joseph Maina in the 10,000 (30:23.75) and David Mutuse in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:39.72).

Eastern Illinois’ women prevailed with 212 points, followed by SEMO (155 1/2), EKU (131), Jacksonville State (73 1/2), Tennessee Tech (67), Austin Peay (66 1/2), Tennessee State (42 1/2), Murray State (30) and Morehead State (1).

EKU winners were Diamond Benjamin in the 100 (11.94), Lydia Kosgei in the 1,500 (4:39.99), Kat Pagano in the 5,000 (17:29.35) and the 4-by-100-meter relay team of Benjamin, Lutisha Bowen, Jazzmin Jeter and DanHeisha Harding (46.65).

Sorrillo, Banks win at Ohio State

Victories by Rondel Sorrillo, David Banks, Kristin Smith and Ashley Muffet highlighted Kentucky’s showing in the Jesse Owens Track Classic at Ohio State.

Rondel Sorrillo

Sorrillo, an Olympian from Trinidad and Tobago, showed that his progress is continuing after suffering a hamstring injury late in the indoor season. His winning time of 10.33 for 100 meters — his first try at the distance this season — puts him among the top 20 collegiate performers this season. Yet, he had to recover after stumbling out of the starting blocks.

No wonder the senior was named Male Runner of the Week in the Southeastern Conference.

Banks eclipsed his school record in the triple jump by half an inch, winning the event with a distance of 51 feet, 5 1/2 inches.

Ashley Muffet

Smith notched the second-best mark in school history to win the hammer throw at 208-7. That moved her from 12th in the national rankings to No. 4.

Muffet uncorked her best effort in nearly four years to take shot-put honors at 53-11 1/4. That improved her national ranking from No 16 to No. 11.

Other top performers for UK including Josh Nazdam, fourth in the men’s 1,500 (3:47.07) and Samantha Stenzel, who matched her school record (12-7 1/2) to tie for third in the women’s pole vault.

Aggies on top

Texas A&M is No. 1 in both the men’s and women’s rankings compiled by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Aggies are defending NCAA champions in each.

The SEC has eight of the top 25 men’s teams (3. Florida; 7. LSU; 8. Auburn; 12. Mississippi; 13. Mississippi State; 16. South Carolina; 23. Georgia; 25. Arkansas) and four of the top 25 women’s squads (2. LSU; 9. Arkansas; 10. Florida; 14. Auburn).

Among area men’s teams, Louisville is No. 29, Kentucky is No. 43 and Western Kentucky is No. 54

On the women’s side, UK is 30th, U of L 32nd and Western 131st.

In-state individuals with top 10 rankings are U of L men Matt Hughes (4. steeplechase), Steve Hnat (8. shot put) and Tone Belt (9. long jump) and woman Jere’ Summers (6. discus and hammer throw); UK men Sharif Webb (8. 800) and Colin Boevers (10. discus), and women Kristin Smith (4. hammer throw) and Ashley Muffet (5. discus); and WKU male Gavin Smellie (3. 200).

For more details, see: http://www.ustfccca.org/featured/dual-defending-champion-aggies-move-to-nation%e2%80%99s-top-spot-once-again

For team-by-team reports, see: http://www.ustfccca.org/rankings/division-i-rankings

Louisville and Kentucky both have squads among the top 25 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) pre-season rankings for the Division I outdoor track season.

The Florida men and Texas A&M women have the No. 1 spots. Florida won last month’s NCAA Indoor Championships. A&M’s women are defending NCAA outdoor champs.

U of L came in at 14th in the men’s poll and 20th on the women’s side.

UK’s men are unranked, but the women are No. 21.

The Southeastern Conference leads the men’s rankings with eight teams ranked: 1. Florida; 7. Auburn; 8. LSU; 11. South Carolina; 12. Mississippi State; 15. Arkansas; 21. Tennessee; and 23. Mississippi. The Pac-10 is next with six, followed by the Big 12 with five.

The SEC also tops the women’s rankings with six teams: 3. LSU; 4. Florida; 13. Auburn; 21. UK; 22. South Carolina; and 23. Tennessee. The Pac-10 and Big 12 have five each.

For more on the rankings and links to guidelines and rationale, visit

http://www.ustfccca.org/rankings/division-i-rankings

Men’s rankings

(School, points, 2009 final ranking)

1. Florida, 371.37 (2); 2. Texas A&M, 347.88 (1); 3. Oregon, 258.41 (2); 4. Florida State, 226.14 (2); 5. Texas Tech, 219.96, — (unranked).

6. Southern California, 186.25 (10); 7. Auburn, 173.46 (12); 8. LSU, 171.22 (5); 9. Arizona State, 153.53 (8); 10. Nebraska, 149.76 (17).

11. South Carolina, 149.65 (6); 12. Mississippi State, 149.35 (17); 13. Oklahoma, 134.71 (25); 14. LOUISVILLE, 127.17, –; 15. Arkansas, 125.37 (9).

16. UCLA, 114.84, –; 17. Virginia Tech, 110.86 (16); 18. California, 105.42 (25); 19. Baylor, 104.89 (20); 20. Minnesota, 104.02, –.

21. Tennessee, 91.26, –; 22. Washington State, 88.01 (17); 23. Mississippi, 85.03, –; 24. Brigham Young, 84.99 (13); 25. Wisconsin, 83.10, –.

Women’s rankings

(School, points, 2009 final ranking)

1. Texas A&M, 347.28 (1); 2. Oregon, 274.57 (2); 3. LSU, 266.69 (6); 4. Florida, 186.92 (9); 5. Florida State, 186.57 (4).

6. Baylor, 177.14 (10); 7. Southern California, 176.22 (8); 8. Oklahoma, 170.55 (23); 9. Virginia Tech, 154.08 (12); 10. Brigham Young, 144.51 (15).

11. Texas-El Paso, 140.48 (25); 12. Washington, 133.80 (19); 13. Auburn, 122.01 (25); 14. Penn State, 121.97 (14); 15. Miami (Fla.), 116.87 (16).

16. Nebraska, 116.34, –; 17. Texas, 102.76 (5); 18. UCLA, 97.46 (16); 19. Stanford, 95.99, –; 20. LOUISVILLE, 88.22, –.

21. KENTUCKY, 86.23, –; 22. South Carolina, 85.29, –; 23. Tennessee, 84.00 (10); 24. North Carolina, 82.61, –; 25. Illinois, 82.05 (12).