Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Cleaning up some post-vacation track and field notes …

Southeastern Conference rivals Alabama and Florida have plucked two assistant coaches from Don Weber’s staff at Kentucky.

Alabama hired throws coach Doug Reynolds in June, and Florida took sprints coach Erin Tucker this month.

Cory Young

While the search is on for Tucker’s replacement, Reynolds’ spot at UK has been taken by Cory Young.

Young, a 2005 University of Indianapolis graduate, was named Division II National Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year this season at Grand Valley State. In five seasons with the Lakers, Young’s throwers totaled 33 all-America honors and four national championships.

Doug Reynolds

Erin Tucker

Reynolds spent six seasons at UK, where his throwers set seven school records and won nine SEC titles. A Pac-10 discus champion for Arizona, where he graduated in 1998, Reynolds was named Mideast Region Throws Coach of the Year in his first season at UK.

Tucker returns to his alma mater, where he was a four-time SEC champion and six-time all-American from 1994 through 1999. He spent eight seasons at UK and in 2006 was named Mideast Region Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year. At UK, he coached 27 all-Americans, 26 all-SEC performers, 15 all-region athletes, six SEC champions, four Olympians, three NCAA runner-ups and one NCAA champion (Rondel Sorrillo, 2010, 200 meters).

And the ESPY goes to …

Tyson Gay

In case you missed it, the ESPY Awards included a winner from Lexington: Tyson Gay. The American record-holder in the 100 meters (9.69) and second-fastest ever in the world, the Lafayette High School graduate won the ESPY for Best Track and Field Athlete.

* One of Gay’s biggest rivals from his high school days, Owensboro’s Casey Combest, will be featured Saturday in a 90-minute documentary carried on ESPN Classic. The documentary, Lay It On The Line: The Casey Combest Story, is scheduled to air at 4 a.m. and again at 6:15 p.m.

Combest set national high school indoor records for 60 meters, 100 yards and 100 meters. The documentary follows his comeback in an attempt to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

Finalists named for The Bowerman

The Bowerman Advisory Board, in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, has named The Bowerman finalists. The award is considered collegiate track and field’s top honor, on par with football’s Heisman Trophy.

Tina Sutej

Kimberlyn Duncan

Jessica Beard

Women’s finalists are Texas A&M senior sprinter Jessica Beard, LSU sophomore sprinter Kimberlyn Duncan and Arkansas junior pole-vaulter Tina Sutej.

Men’s finalists are Washington State senior hurdler Jeshua Anderson, Florida junior jumper Christian Taylor and Florida State junior sprinter/jumper Ngoni Makusha.

Ngoni Makusha

Jeshua Anderson

Christian Taylor

Finalists were chosen by the 10-person Bowerman Advisory Board, based on performances during the 2011 indoor and outdoor collegiate seasons. The award will be presented Dec. 14, during the USTFCCCA convention at San Antonio, Texas.

The winners will be determined by Bowerman Voters, who consist of: Bowerman Advisory Board; media; statisticians; collegiate administrators; and past winners Galen Rupp, Ashton Eaton, Jenny (Barringer) Simpson and Queen Harrison. Also, online voting (Aug. 1-16) by the public will constitute one collective vote, as will online voting by USTFCCCA members.

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.

Oklahoma’s Mookie Salaam has rejoined the men’s watch list for collegiate track and field’s biggest award, The Bowerman.

The sixth update of the year was released Wednesday by the men’s watch committee in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Mookie Salaam

Salaam, who won the 60- and 200-meter sprints at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, swept the 100 and 200 at last weekend’s Big 12 Outdoor Championships. Salaam’s time of 20.05 in the 200 set a meet record and is the second-fastest in the world this year. He won the NCAA title at that distance indoors.

The Bowerman, named for legendary Oregon coach Bill Bowerman, debuted in 2009 and is presented annually to the top male and female collegiate track and field athletes in the nation. Oregon’s Ashton Eaton and Virginia Tech’s Queen Harrison won last year.

The 10 semifinalists for this year’s award will be named June 20. Three finalists will be named July 13.

The men’s watch list, in alphabetical order, with class, school and events:

Jeshua Anderson, sr., Washington State, hurdles
Miles Batty, jr, Brigham Young, distance
Sam Chelanga, red-shirt sr., Liberty, distance
Will Claye, jr., Florida, jumps
Jeff Demps, soph.(i)/jr.(o), Florida, sprints
Kirani James, soph., Alabama, sprints
Ngonidzashe Makusha, jr., Florida State, jumps/sprints
Omo Osaghae, sr., Texas Tech, hurdles
Mookie Salaam, jr., Oklahoma, sprints
Christian Taylor, jr., Florida, jumps

Also receiving mention

Robbie Andrews (soph., Virginia) distance; Andy Bayer (rs-soph., Indiana) distance; Charles Clark (sr., Fla. State) sprints; Derek Drouin (jr., Indiana) jumps; German Fernandez (so., Okla. State) distance; Mason Finley (soph., Kansas) throws; Eric Flores (sr., Cal Lutheran) throws; Marquise Goodwin (soph., Texas) jumps/sprints; Leford Green (jr., Johnson C. Smith) sprints; Walter Henning (sr., LSU) throws; Tabarie Henry (sr. Texas A&M) sprints; Leonard Korir (jr., Iona) distance; Erik Kynard (soph., Kansas State) jumps; Torrin Lawrence (jr., Georgia) sprints; Marcel Lomnicky (jr. Va. Tech) throws; Maurice Mitchell (jr., Fla. State) sprints; Demetrius Pinder (sr., Texas A&M) sprints; Dorian Ulrey (sr., Arkansas) distance; Craig Van Leeuwen (jr., Ramapo) pole vault.

The University of Louisville has been recognized with the U.S. Olympic Achievement Award.

Swimmers Elaine Breeden of Lexington and Caroline Burckle of Louisville earned recognition for their respective universities, Stanford and Florida.

The U.S. Olympic Committee, U.S. National Governing Bodies for Sport and National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics joined together to create the award, which recognizes the colleges and universities whose student-athletes and coaches have won Olympic medals.

Ron Mann

A total of 43 colleges and universities contributed to U.S. medal successes at the last two Olympics — the 2008 Beijing Summer Games and 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. Schools are recognized based on two criteria: having a current student-athlete who was part of a medal-winning performance or a coach who was a credentialed member of the U.S. Olympic Team delegation and his/her athlete or team won a medal. Ten schools met both criteria, 16 had a student-athlete and 22 had a coach.

U of L’s Ron Mann was part of the U.S. coaching staff in athletics (track and field) at Beijing.

The U.S. Olympic Achievement Award will be presented every two years following the Olympic Games.

Below are the lists of the universities, athletes and coaches that will be honored.

Colleges/universities — Alabama, Arizona, Boston College, Cal-Berkeley, Cal-Irvine, Concordia, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Harvard, Humboldt State, Illinois, Iowa, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northeastern, Northern Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Pepperdine, San Diego State, Santa Monica College, Seton Hall, Shelton State, South Carolina, Southern Illinois, St. John’s, St. Mary’s, Stanford, Syracuse, Tennessee State, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, Southern Cal, Wesleyan, Wisconsin.

Coaches (with sport and school) — Harvey Glance, athletics, Alabama; James Li, athletics, Arizona; Frank Busch, swimming, Arizona; Mike Candrea, softball, Arizona; Teri McKeever, swimming, Cal-Berkeley; Jamie Morrison, volleyball, Concordia; Mike Krzyzewski, basketball, Duke; Gregg Troy, swimming, Florida; Jack Bauerle, swimming, Georgia; Sue Woodstra, volleyball, Humboldt State; Jon Valdez, gymnastics, Illinois; Terry Brands, wrestling, Iowa; Ron Mann, athletics, Louisville; Kerry McCoy, wrestling, Maryland; Bob Bowman, swimming, Michigan; Dave Flint, hockey, Northeastern; Myles Avery, gymnastics, Ohio State; Mark Williams, gymnastics, Oklahoma; Randy Jepson, gymnastics, Penn State; Erica Walsh, soccer, Penn State; Marv Dunphy, volleyball, Pepperdine; Kim Keenan-Kirkpatrick, athletics, Seton Hall; Dawn Staley, basketball, South Carolina; Connie Price-Smith, athletics, Southern Illinois; Yury Gelman, fencing, St. John’s; Rob Browning, volleyball, St. Mary’s; John Rittman, softball, Stanford; Jim Boeheim, basketball, Syracuse; Chandra Cheeseborough, athletics, Tennessee State; J.J. Clark, athletics, Tennessee; Bubba Thornton, athletics, Texas; Eddie Reese, swimming, Texas; Gail Goestenkors, basketball, Texas; John Speraw, volleball, Cal-Irvine; Jeanette Bolden, athletics, UCLA; Jillian Ellis, soccer, UCLA; Jodi McKenna, hockey, Wesleyan; Mark Johnson, hockey, Wisconsin.

Athletes — Lacey Nymeyer, swimming (one silver), Arizona; Kelly Stack, hockey (silver), Boston College; Molly Schaus, hockey (silver), Boston College; Nathan Adrian, swimming (gold), Cal-Berkeley; Tim Hutton, water polo (silver), Cal-Irvine; Caroline Burckle, swimming (bronze), Florida; Walter Dix, athletics (two bronze) Florida State; Emily Cross, fencing (silver), Harvard; Jonathan Kuck, speedskating (silver), Illinois; Tobin Heath, soccer (gold), North Carolina; Joceyln Lamoureux, hockey (silver), North Dakota; Monique Lamoureux, hockey (silver), North Dakota; Adam Wheeler, wrestling (bronze), Northern Michigan; Jonathan Horton, gymnastics (silver, bronze), Oklahoma; Stephen Strasburg, baseball (bronze), San Diego State; Ronda Rousey, judo (bronze), Santa Monica College; Deontay Wilder, boxing (bronze), Shelton State; Elle Logan, rowing (gold), Stanford; Julia Smit, swimming (silver, bronze), Stanford; Elaine Breeden, swimming (silver), Stanford; Jessica Steffens, water polo (silver), Stanford; Ricky Berens, swimming (gold), Texas; David Walters, swimming (gold), Texas; Christine Marshall, swimming (bronze), Texas A&M; Lauren Cheney, soccer (gold), UCLA; Amy Rodriguez, soccer (gold), Southern Cal; Klete Keller, swimming (gold), Southern Cal; Rebecca Soni, swimming (gold, two silver), Southern Cal; Kameryn Craig, water polo (silver), Southern Cal; James Krumpholz, water polo (silver), Southern Cal; Meghan Duggan, hockey (silver), Wisconsin; Hilary Knight, hockey (silver), Wisconsin.

Jackie Areson

Tennessee’s Jackie Areson is the latest addition to the women’s “watch list” for The Bowerman. Collegiate track and field’s top award is sponsored by the United States Track & Cross Country Coaches Association, which provides this background information.

Areson leads the NCAA in the 5,000 meters this season. She is undefeated in the mile, 3K and 5K this season. Last weekend, she won the 5,000 and anchored the Lady Vols’ first-place distance medley relay.

The 10-deep watch list follows, in alphabetical order.

Jessica Beard

Jessica Beard, Texas A&M, sr., from Euclid, Ohio
IN 2011: Beard won an unprecedented fourth straight indoor Big 12 title at 400 meters last weekend and did so in a collegiate-leading time of 51.68. Beard was named Big 12 Performer of the Year as she also scored second-place honors in the 200 meters at the conference meet and anchored the Aggies to a fifth straight crown in the 4-by-400. Her season-best 200 time of 22.95 ranks fourth in the NCAA. Beard is undefeated in the 400 meters this season.

LaKya Brookins

LaKya Brookins, South Carolina, sr., from Seneca, S.C.
IN 2011: Brookins has the nation’s leading time in the 60 meters with a 7.14, achieved in winning the SEC title Sunday. All told, Brookins has won five-out-of-six finals at the distance this year and has clocked sub-7.20 performances on four occasions, including the last three. Brookins also won 60-meter titles at the Tyson Invitational, the New Balance Collegiate Invitational and the Texas A&M Challenge.

Ti'erra Brown

Ti’erra Brown, Miami (Fla.), jr., from Hampton, Va.
IN 2011: Known mostly for her 400-meter hurdle prowess, Brown has overall had a light indoor season. However, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been competitive. Most recently at the ACC Indoor Championships, Brown placed second overall in the open 400, and won her section of the finals, in a time of 53.25. The time currently stands as the No. 16 time in the NCAA this year and is on the “bubble” to be selected for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Semoy Hackett

Semoy Hackett, LSU, jr., from Scarborough, Trinidad & Tobago
IN 2011: In her first season as a Division I participant, Hackett has achieved marks in the 60 and 200 that among the nation’s top five in both events. Her season best in the 200 meters of 22.84 is just off the 22.78 leader set by teammate Kimberlyn Duncan in winning the SEC title. In the 60, Hackett is tied with the fifth-best mark of the 2011season at 7.24. Hackett finished runner-up in the SEC in both the 60 and 200.

Sheila Reid

Sheila Reid, Villanova, jr., from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
IN 2011: In one of the more impressive showings by anyone at a conference championship this year, Reid won three Big East titles this indoor season. Starting off, she was the winner of the 1000 meters in a very fast 2:43.70, was the third leg of the Wildcats’ winning DMR, and anchor of the squad’s 4-by-800 team that won a conference crown. Reid holds claim to the second-best mark among collegians this year in the 3,000 meters, having run 8:56.92 in competition against collegians. At the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, Reid ran a would-be NCAA-leading mark in the mile with an impressive showing against a bevy of professionals in the event’s 3,000-meter run. Reid would finish third in that event with a 4:35.30 clocking.

Tina Sutej

Tina Sutej, Arkansas, jr., from Ljubljana, Slovenia
IN 2011: After having achieved the chance to break the collegiate record in her last four competitions, Sutej was relieved to finally break through with a clearance of 14-10¾ (4.54m) to reset the record in winning the SEC title. Sutej broke the 2002 record of Amy Linnen. Undoubtedly the most consistent in the vault this season, Sutej has cleared more than 14-6 (4.42m) four times this season and has won six straight events.

Jeneba Tarmoh

Jeneba Tarmoh, Texas A&M, jr., from San Jose, Calif.
IN 2011: Tarmoh has been busy to start the 2011 season. Including relays and all rounds, Tarmoh has contested 22 races in the 60, 200, and 4-by-400. Like Hackett, Tarmoh is also in the nation’s top five in the 60 (7.24, tied fifth) and 200 (22.88, third). Tarmoh was the Big 12 Champion in the 200 meters, runner-up in the 60, and helped the Aggies to another conference victory in the 4-by-400. Additional winning credits from 2011 include a victory in the 200 at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational and in the 60 at the Texas A&M Conference Challenge on Jan. 15.

Brianne Theisen

Brianne Theisen, Oregon, sr., from Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada
IN 2011: Theisen has already claimed a collegiate record this season. On Jan. 28 at the Washington Invitational, Theisen scored 4,507 points in the heptathlon to top the previous mark of 4,498 set by Arizona State’s Jacquelyn Johnson in 2008. With a high jump of 6-0 (1.83m) in the record-setting pentathlon, Theisen also ranks in seventh in the NCAA this season in that event. In addition, Theisen has won nine straight combined-event competitions against collegiate competition with the win at the UW Invitational. At the MPSF Championships, Theisen sat out the pentathlon, but competed in four other events, including the leadoff leg on the Ducks first-place 4-by-400, placing second in the high jump and third in the 60-meter hurdles.

Kim Williams

Kim Williams, Florida State, sr., Kingston, Jamaica
IN 2011: Netted impressive performances in both long and triple jumps at the ACC Championships. In becoming the first in ACC Championship history to win an event for a fourth time, Williams triple jumped to a collegiate-leading mark of 45-9¾ (13.96m). In addition, the previous day, Williams won the ACC long jump title with a leap of 21-6 (6.55m) -– a performance that ranks No. 2 in the NCAA this year.

The Bowerman Advisory Board appointed four of its members to comprise The Bowerman Women’s Watch Committee and another four of its members to make up The Bowerman Men’s Watch Committee. The committee will release its next women’s update on Thursday, March 17. The three men and three women finalists will be named late June.

Neely Spence (Photo by Mark Maloney)

South Carolina’s LaKya Brookins, Shippensburg’s Neely Spence and Arkansas’ Tina Sutej have been added to the women’s watch list for The Bowerman, while Marquise Goodwin of Texas and Florida junior Will Claye have joined the men’s watch list.

The Bowerman is presented annually to the top male and female athlete in collegiate track and field.

All the watch-list additions are collegiate leaders in their events this season.

Brookins has the leading collegiate time for 60 meters (7.18); Spence is the world leader at 5,000 meters (16:01.09); and Sutej is the collegiate leader in the pole vault (14-7 1/4).

Goodwin is the collegiate leader in the long jump, Claye in the triple jump.

The women’s watch list, with name, yr. (school) events and hometown:

LaKya Brookins, sr. (South Carolina) sprints; Seneca, S.C.
Jessica Beard, sr. (Texas A&M) sprints; Euclid, Ohio
Ti’erra Brown, sr. (Miami, Fla.) hurdles; Hampton, Va.
Semoy Hackett, jr. (LSU) sprints; Scarborough, Trinidad & Tobago
Neely Spence, jr. (Shippensburg) distance; Shippensburg, Pa.
Tina Sutej, jr. (Arkansas) pole vault; Ljubljana, Slovenia
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, Saskatchewan, Canada
Kim Williams, sr. (Florida State) jumps; Kingston, Jamaica

The men’s watch list:

Jeshua Anderson, sr. (Washington State) hurdles; Woodland Hills, Calif.
Robby Andrews, soph. (Virginia) distance; Englishtown, N.J.
Sam Chelanga, sr. (Liberty) distance; Nairobi, Kenya
Will Claye, jr. (Florida) jumps; Phoenix, Ariz.
Jeff Demps, soph./jr. (Florida) sprints, Winter Garden, Fla.
Mason Finley, soph. (Kansas) throws; Salida, Colo.
Marquise Goodwin, soph. (Texas) sprints/jumps; Garland, Texas
Walter Henning, sr. (LSU) throws; Kings Park, N.Y.
Kirani James, soph. (Alabama) sprints; Gouyave, Grenada
Christian Taylor, jr. (Florida) jumps; Fayetteville, Ga.

Wesley Korir runs the straight path

Former University of Louisville standout Wesley Korir will try for his third consecutive Los Angeles Marathon title next month (March 20).

About a year ago, Korir married Tarah McKay, former captain of the U of L women’s track and cross country teams. The couple, living in McKay’s Canadian hometown of St. Clements, Ontario, have since had a daughter, named McKayLA in recognition of the McKay family and the “LA” Marathon.

Korir, who won $160,000 in cash and a Honda Accord EX-L for his first Los Angeles win alone, is using some of his earnings to help the needy in his homeland. Included is a project to fund a mission hospital. Korir notes that when he was young, a brother was killed by a snakebite because proper medical care wasn’t readily available. (For details about the project, see:

http://thestepsfoundation.org/26-2-challenge/

A Fresh Air approach

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent non-profit agency that provides free summer vacations to New York City children from low-income communities, is seeking runners and sponsors for its team in the NYC Half-Marathon on March 20.

The Fresh Air Fund also is in need of host families for summer vacationers next summer.

For more information, see:

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.

Of course, I’m talking about the indoor track and field season kicking into gear.

The University of Kentucky Invitational is set for Friday and Saturday inside Nutter Field House.

Along with UK, men’s and women’s teams from Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky State, Louisville, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Michigan State, Western Carolina and Alabama will compete. Florida A&M will compete in men’s events only. Central Florida, Marshall and Vanderbilt will send only women’s teams.

Friday’s competition, limited to the weight throws and triple jumps for men and women, plus men’s high jump and women’s pole vault, begins at 6 p.m.

Saturday’s schedule starts at 10:30 a.m. with the women’s high jump and long jump. The first track event, semifinals of the women’s 60-meter hurdles, is set for 12:30 p.m. The final event, the men’s 4-by-400-meter relay, is scheduled for 5:05 p.m.

First Bowerman Watch List released

The Bowerman Men’s Watch Committee, in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, released its first crop of candidates for collegiate track and field’s most prestigious award. All three of last season’s finalists have graduated.

The list of possible successors includes 2009 finalist German Fernandez and three sophomores. Washington State’s Jeshua Anderson is on the list for a record ninth time.

One, Alabama’s Kirani James, is scheduled to compete at UK this weekend.

The preliminary watch list, in alphabetical order, with athlete, year, school, event(s) and hometown:

Jeshua Anderson, sr., Washington State, hurdles, Woodlands, Calif.
Robby Andrews, soph., Virginia, distance, Englishtown, N.J.
Sam Chelanga, sr., Liberty, distance, Nairobi, Kenya
Charles Clark, sr., Florida State, sprints, Virginia Beach, Va.
Jeff Demps, soph./jr., Florida, sprints, Winter Garden, Fla.
German Fernandez, jr./soph., Oklahoma State, distance, Riverbank, Calif.
Mason Finley, soph., Kansas, throws, Salida, Colo.
Walter Henning, sr., LSU, throws, Kings Park, N.Y.
Kirani James, soph., Alabama, sprints, Gouyave, Grenada
Christian Taylor, jr., Florida, jumps, Fayetteville, Ga.

Kentucky connections on T&FN annual list

Tyson Gay at the Beijing Olympics.

Track & Field News magazine’s annual lists of Top 40 performers in the nation for the 2010 season is loaded with Kentucky connections. In addition to the top 40 nationals, T&FN tacks on a list of foreign collegians.

Event leaders included Lexington’s Tyson Gay in the men’s 100 and former UK competitor Dwight Phillips in the men’s long jump. Gay had six of the 10 fastest times by an American in 2010, including the top three. Phillips had the top 11 best jumps by an American last season, ranging from 27-9 1/4 to 27-2.

Here are the Kentucky connections listed.

WOMEN
100-meter hurdles — 5. Danielle Carruthers (Paducah Tilghman) 12.68.
Mile — (foreign collegian) Janet Jesang (WKU) 4:41.57.
3,000 — (foreign collegian) Janet Jesang (WKU) 9:11.09.
5,000 — 24. Allison Grace (UK) 15:49.10.
10,000 – 11. Allison Grace (UK) 32:54.99.
Half-marathon — 22. Allison Grace (UK) 74:20.
4-by-200 relay — 18. UK 1:35.23.
4-by-400 relay — 32. UK 3:35.14.
Shot put — 8. Ashley Muffet (UK) 57-3 1/2; 17. Jere’ Summers (Lvl.) 55-9 1/4; 36. Chinwe Okoro (Russell, Lvl.) 52-7 1/4.
Discus — 8. Jere’ Summers (Lvl.) 188-1; 13. Ashley Muffet (UK) 181-10; 32. Mary Angell (UK) 173-0; 37. D’Ana McCarty (Lvl.) 171-5.
Hammer throw — 11. Kristin Smith (UK) 212-7; 19. Jere’ Summers (Lvl.) 207-4; 29. D’Ana McCarty (Lvl.) 204-2; 40. Lindsey Cook (Lvl.) 195-9.
Javelin — 10. Dana Pounds Lyon (Lexington) 172-6.
Heptathlon — 22. Precious Nwokey (UK) 5,543.

MEN
100 — 1. Tyson Gay (Lafayette) 9.78; (foreign collegian) Rondel Sorrillo (UK) 10.19 (10.05 wind-aided).
200 — 1. (tie with Walter Dix) Tyson Gay (Lafayette) 20.29; (foreign collegians) Rondel Sorrillo (UK) 20.29; Gavin Smellie (WKU) 20:46.
400 — 7. Tyson Gay (Lafayette) 44.89.
800 — 36. Sharif Webb (UK) 1:47.64.
3,000 — 29. Bobby Curtis (St. Xavier) 7:57.28; (foreign collegian) Soufiani Bouchikhi (EKU) 7:59.20.
5,000 — 10. Bobby Curtis (St. Xavier) 13:18.97.
10,000 — 4. Bobby Curtis (St. Xavier) 27:33.38.
20K walk — 15. Ray Sharp (Ballard) 1:46:24.
50K walk — 4. Ray Sharp (Ballard) 4:31:04
3,000 steeplechase — (foreign collegian) Matt Hughes (Lvl.) 8:34.18.
4-by-100 relay — UK 39.62.
4-by-200 relay — 18. WKU 1:24.36; 21. UK 1:24.72.
4-by-400 relay — 34. WKU 3:06.99.
Triple jump — 19. Andre Black (Lvl.) 53-4 1/4.
Long jump — 1. Dwight Phillips (UK) 27-9 1/4; 23. Wesley Smith (Lvl.) 25-8; 28. Tone Belt (Lvl.) 25-6 1/4; (foreign collegian) Rudon Bastian (Lvl.) 25-10.
Discus — 10. Chase Madison (UK) 201-0; 22. Rashaud Scott (UK) 193-8; 28. Colin Boevers (UK) 192-1.
Shot put — 2. Reese Hoffa (Lvl. native) 72-8 1/2; 11. Jeff Chakouian (UK) 65-11; 29. Steve Hnat (Lvl.) 62-6 3/4.
High jump — 30. Grant Lindsey (UK) 7-2 1/2.

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).

Former University of Louisville star Angel McCoughtry is among 12 players added Wednesday to the 2010-12 USA Basketball Women’s National Team roster.

The 12 additions brings to 20 the player pool from which this year’s World Championships team and 2012 Summer Olympics teams will be chosen. Team USA first must qualify for the latter tournament.

McCoughtry, reigning Rookie of the Year in the WNBA, plays for the Atlanta Dream. She also was part of Team USA’s gold-medal squad at the 2007 Pan American Games.

Others added to the roster by the five-member Player Selection Committee are: Alana Beard (Washington Mystics), Swin Cash (Seattle Storm), Tina Charles (University of Connecticut), Shameka Christon (New York Liberty), Candice Dupree (Chicago Sky), Lindsey Harding (Washington Mystics), Asjha Jones (Connecticut Sun), Renee Montgomery (Connecticut Sun), Maya Moore (University of Connecticut), Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx) and Candice Wiggins (Minnesota Lynx).

UConn’s Geno Auriemma is head coach.

Players previously named the team are: Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky), Kara Lawson (Connecticut Sun), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks), Cappie Pondexter (Phoenix Mercury) and Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury).

Monkey business

By the way, you may have noticed that I’m baaaccckk.

Back from the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, a working vacation. For details, see my personal blog:
www.monkeyalarm.com

SEC has most track teams nationally ranked

The Southeastern Conference dominates the latest Indoor Track & Field national rankings of NCAA Division I teams, compiled by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The SEC has seven men’s teams among the top 25 and six women’s teams. The Big 12 is second in both categories with six men’s teams and five women’s squads.

Louisville is the lone in-state representative, with the 13th-ranked women’s program.

The top seven men’s rankings in the Southeast Region, in order: Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Louisville, South Carolina, Clemson, Kentucky and Virginia.

The Southeast Region top seven women’s teams: Clemson, South Carolina, Louisville, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Duke and Virginia.

Men’s rankings
Rank  Team (Points)                 Previous rank
 1. Texas A&M (141.69)                           1
 2. Florida (136.89)                                   4
 3. Oregon (134.27)                                  2
 4. LSU (109.18)                                        3
 5. Arizona State (107.75)                        5
 6. Arkansas (91.80)                                 6
 7. Texas Tech (91.19)                             9
 8. Virginia Tech (80.81)                        15
 9. Oklahoma (75.10)                             12
10. Indiana (71.67)                                   7
11. Nebraska (69.31)                              8
12. Minnesota (65.06)                            17
13. Penn State (64.53)                           11
14. Florida State (63.65)                        13
15. Stanford (62.08)                                14
16. California (55.78)                              24
17. Northern Arizona (53.64)                 19
18. Auburn (50.94)                                  16
19. Baylor (50.91)                                    10
20. South Carolina (46.02)                     –
21. Arizona (45.76)                                  18
22. New Mexico (44.69)                          22
23. Mississippi (44.02)                            –
24. Georgia (44.00)                                 25
25. Texas (43.78)                                      –

Women’s rankings
Rank  Team (Points)                 Previous rank
 1. Oregon (185.55)                                 1
 2. Texas A&M (158.94)                           2
 3. Florida (113.51)                                  3
 4. Clemson (108.53)                              7
 5. Tennessee (108.03)                          4
 6. LSU (102.35)                                       5
 7. Penn State (99.38)                           10
 8. Arkansas (97.84)                                6
 9. Villanova (79.07)                                 8
10. Texas-El Paso (78.12)                   17
11. Auburn (72.23)                                   9
12. Southern Illinois (59.52)                12
13. Louisville (59.11)                            13
14. Arizona (58.62)                                16
15. Brigham Young (58.15)                 11
16. Indiana State (57.93)                      18
17. Florida State (56.64)                       20
18. Nebraska (56.02)                            14
19. Oklahoma (53.27)                           15
20. Indiana (49.90)                                19
21. Iowa State (49.57)                            –
22. Virginia Tech (49.04)                      21
23. South Carolina (46.35)                    –
24. Texas Tech (42.52)                          –
25. Miami (Fla.) (38.98)                          –

Louisville 1-2 in women’s weight throw

D'Ana McCarty

Highlighting individual rankings is the women’s weight throw, where Louisville’s D’Ana McCarty (74-0 1/4) and Jere’ Summers (73-4) are 1-2 and UK’s Kristin Smith (67-6) is No. 8.

Event-by-event leaders, plus in-state representatives among the top 25, follow.

Men
60 meters — Jeff Demps (Fla.) 6.59; tie 2. Rondel Sorrillo (Ky.) 6.60; tie 20. Justin Austin (Ky.) 6.69.
200 — (tie) Calvin Smith (Fla.) and Charles Clark (Fla. St.) 20.67; 5. Rondel Sorrillo (Ky.) 20.77.
400 — Torrin Lawrence (Ga.) 45.03.
800 — Andrew Wheating (Ore.) 1:46.3.
Mile — Lee Emanuel (N.M.) 3:57.62.
3,000 — David McNeill (Northern Ariz.) 7:47.52.
5,000 — David McNeill (Northern Ariz.) 13:39.32.
60 hurdles — Ronnie Ash (Okla.) 7.59.
4×400 relay — Texas A&M 3:04.86.
Distance medley relay — Oregon 9:29.82.
High jump — (tie) Paul Hamilton (Neb.) and Derek Drouin (Ind.) 7-5; tie 12. Tone Belt (U of L) 7-2 1/4.
Pole vault — Scott Roth (Wash.) 18-9 1/4.
Long jump — Alain Bailey (Ark.) 26-9 3/4; tie 7. Rudon Bastion (U of L) 25-10; tie 13. Tone Belt (U of L) 25-6 1/4; 16. Wesley Smith (U of L) 25-4 1/2.
Triple jump — Christian Taylor (Fla.) 55-2 3/4; 14. Andre Black (U of L) 52-7 1/4.
Shot put — Ryan Whiting (Ariz. St.) 70-7 1/4.
Weight throw — Walter Henning (LSU) 78-1.
Heptathlon — Ashton Eaton (Ore.) 6,256.

Women
60 — (tie) Blessing Okagbare (Texas-El Paso) and Layka Brookins (S.C.) 7.18.
200 — Shavon Greaves (Penn St.) 22.98.
400 — Jessica Beard (Texas A&M) 51.15; 25. Jenna Martin (Ky.) 53.76.
800 — Phoebe Wright (Tenn.) 2:01.47.
Mile — Charlotte Browning (Fla.) 4:31.24; 17. Janet Jesang (Western Ky.) 4:41.57.
3,000 — Lisa Koll (Iowa St.) 8:56.09; 8. Janet Jesang (Western Ky.) 9:11.09.
5,000 — Lisa Koll (Iowa St.) 15:29.65; 13. Janet Jesang (Western Ky.) 16:04.48.
60 hurdles — Queen Quedith (Va. Tech) 7.94.
4×400 relay — Arkansas 3:32.87; 15. Kentucky 3:37.90.
Distance medley relay — Oregon 10:59.64.
High jump — (tie) Elizabeth Patterson (Ariz. St.) and Amber Kaufman (Hawaii) 6-3 1/2; tie 25. Rachel Gehret (U of L) 5-10 3/4.
Pole vault — Kylie Hutson (Ind. St.) 14-8 1/4.
Long jump — Blessing Okagbare (Texas-El Paso) 21-11 3/4.
Triple jump — Kimberly Williams (Fla. St.) 46-8 1/4.
Shot put — Mariam Kevkhishvilli (Fla.) 60-10 3/4; 6. Jere’ Summers (U of L) 55-9 1/4; tie 14. Ashley Muffet (Ky.) 53-9 1/4; 21. Chinwe Okoro (U of L) 52-7 1/4.
Weight throw — D’Ana McCarty (U of L) 74-0 1/4; 2. Jere’ Summers (U of L) 73-4; 8. Kristin Smith (Ky.) 67-6.
Pentathlon — Liane Weber (Clemson) 4,262; 16. Precious Nwokey (Ky.) 3,967.

Three new names on The Bowerman watch list’s top 10

The men’s ”watch list” for the USTFCCA’s Bowerman Award has three new names among the top 10 this week: LSU’s Walter Henning, Georgia’s Torrin Lawrence and Northern Arizona’s David McNeill. The Bowerman is college track and field’s version of the Heisman Trophy in football. For more information, see www.TheBowerman.org

The Bowerman Watch List top 10 through March 3, in alphabetical order:

Name (school, class) event, hometown
Jeshua Anderson (Wash. St., jr.) hurdles, Woodland Hills, Calif.
Ronnie Ash (Okla., jr.) hurdles, Raleigh, N.C.
Sam Chelanga (Liberty, jr.) distances, Nairobi, Kenya
Ashton Eaton (Ore., sr.) combined events, Bend, Ore.
German Fernandez (Okla. St., so.) distances, Riverbank, Calif.
Walter Henning (LSU, jr.) throws, Kings Park, N.Y.
Torrin Lawrence (Ga., so.) sprints, Jacksonville, Fla.
David McNeill (Northern Ariz., sr.) distances, Melbourne, Australia
Andrew Wheating (Ore., sr.) distances, Norwich, Vt.
Ryan Whiting (Ariz. St., sr.) throws, Harrisburg, Pa.

Also receiving mention — Aaron Braun (Adams St.); Charles Clark (Fla. St.); Will Claye (Okla.); Jason Colwick (Rice); Lee Emanuel (N.M.); Ricky Flynn (Lynchburg); Ryan Foster (Penn St.); Ramon Gittens (St. Augustine’s); Tabarie Henry (Texas A&M); Trindon Holliday (LSU); Bryce Lamb (Texas Tech); Ngonidzashe Makusha (Fla. St.); Scott Roth (Wash.); Ramon Sparks (Abilene Christian).

Campbell is Athlete of the Week

Amber Campbell is USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week, having won the women’s weight throw with a season world-leading and a meet-record mark of 81 feet, one-half inch at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships at Albuquerque, N.M.

Campbell, a 2008 Olympian, won here fourth consecutive national title with the third-best throw ever. She earned 1,213 points to earn the title of Visa Champion by one point over sprinter Carmelita Jeter, worth $30,000.

The best performances by American in the week ending Feb. 28 follow. AL = American leader; OT = oversized track; WL = world leader.

MEN
60 — Ivory Williams (Nike) at Albuquerque, 6.49 WL; 200 — Charles Clark (Fla. St.), Blacksburg, Va., and Calvin Smith (Fla.), Fayetteville, Ark., 20.67 WL; 400 — Torrin Lawrence (Ga.), Fayetteville, 45.10; 800 — Nick Symmonds (Nike/Ore. TC Elite), Albuquerque, 1:47.59; Mile — Andrew Wheating (Ore.), Seattle, 3:58.20 OT; 3,000 — Mark Matusak (Calif.), Seattle, 7:59.67 OT; 5,000 — Elliott Heath (Stanford), Seattle, 13:47; 5K walk — Tim Seaman (NYAC), Albuquerque, 20:57.47; 60 hurdles — Terrence Trammell (Trackstar Appeal), Albuquerque, 7.41 WL; High jump — Jesse Williams (Nike), Albuquerque, 7-8; Pole vault — Scott Roth (Wash.), Seattle, 18-9 1/4; Long jump — Bryce Lamb (Texas Tech), Ames, Iowa, 26-8 1/2); Triple jump — Lawrence Willis (unattached), Albuquerque, 55-3 3/4; Shot put — Christian Cantwell (Nike), Albuquerque, 69-4; Weight throw — A.G. Kruger (Nike), Albuquerque, 82-0 WL; Heptathlon — Nick Adcock (Mo.), Ames, Iowa, 5,938.

WOMEN
60 — Carmelita Jeter (Nike), Albuquerque, 7.02 AL; 200 — Shavon Greaves (Penn St.), State College, Pa., 22.98 WL; 400 — Debbie Dunn (unatt.), Albuquerque, 50.86 WL; 800 — Anna Pierce (Nike), Albuquerque, 2:00.84 AL; 1,500 — Morgan Uceny (Reebok), Albuquerque, 4:19.46; Mile — Jordan Hasay (Ore.), Seattle, 4:35.01 OT; 3,000 — Lisa Koll (Iowa St.), Ames, Iowa, 8:56.09 OT; 5,000 — Lisa Koll (Iowa St.), Ames, Iowa, 15:41.57 OT; 3K walk — Maria Michta (Walk USA), Albuquerque, 13:51.33; 60 hurdles — Ginnie Powell (Nike), Albuquerque, 7.87; High jump — Chaunte Lowe (Nike) Albuquerque, 6-6 AL; Pole vault — Lacy Janson (unatt.), Albuquerque, 15-3; Long jump — Brittney Reese (Nike) Albuquerque, 22-7 1/4 WL; Triple jump – Erica McLain (Nike) Albuquerque, 46-1 1/2 AL; Shot put — Jill Camarena (Nike/NYAC), Albuquerque, 61-1 1/2; Weight throw — Amber Campbell (Nike), Albuquerque, 81-0 1/2 WL; Pentathlon — Chantae McMillan (Neb.), Ames, Iowa, 4,151.