Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

… And a clarification

However, a later check of UK’s meet notes, as well as the media guide listings of “top 10 marks” in each event, showed that Buncic threw 217-4.

And now …

You’ve got to love how the Kentucky men stepped up to take third place in the team standings. The top five in individual events, as well as the top three relays, automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships, June 10-13, at Arkansas.

The 20th-ranked Wildcats have been snake-bitten with injuries for most of the outdoor season, particularly in the sprints.

But there was Rondel Sorrillo, who didn’t even compete outdoors until the Southeastern Conference meet because of injuries, taking third place in the 200 meters and anchoring the second-place 4-by-100-meter relay.

Rondel Sorrillo

“Better than SEC, but it still hurts,” said Sorrillo, who ran the 200 for Trinidad and Tobago at last summer’s Beijing Olympics — beating eventual gold-medal winner Usain Bolt in the first round. “It hurts, but I’m back.”

What hurts?

“My butt, my hamstrings, my calves,” he said. “Both legs.”

Jose Acevedo

There was Jose Acevedo, who also ran the 200 at Beijing, representing Venezuela.

He ran second on the 4-by-100 relay, then anchored the third-place 4-by-400 relay. That despite a foot injury that, Coach Don Weber said, would have kept a less-determined sprinter out of the meet.

When Justin Austin went down at the Penn Relays, the Cats had to plug holes on both relays.

Also missing was Mikel Thomas, a 2008 Olympian for Trinidad and Tobago in the 110-meter hurdles. He suffered a broken collarbone during practice, a week-and-a-half ago.

Kwasi Obeng

Stephan Smith

Saturday, Kwasi Obeng did the job on the relays, running the third leg on the quick relay and leading off the 4-by-4.

Stephan Smith, a half-miler, filled in on the second leg of the 4-by-4.

“Considering the way we’ve been for most of the outdoor season, especially in our sprint group — hurt and banged up as much as we have been — it’s a great day,” Weber said. “Especially for those guys.”

Now, being off next weekend, the Cats will try to “maintain” fitness and continue the healing process.

Erin Tucker

Don Weber

“We can get a little bit better,” Weber said, “so that’s encouraging.”

In the 4-by-100, UK led through three legs. Obeng’s handoff to Sorrillo didn’t go too well, though, allowing 100-meter champion Trindon Holliday of LSU to be first out of the final exchange zone.

“Trindon … had the baton first because (Sorrillo) had to wait on Kwasi to get the baton,” said Erin Tucker, UK’s sprints and hurdles coach. “Anytime, the four-by-one, when you have to wait a little bit, you lose that acceleration and then you’ve got to start back up from square one. … You want to get the baton going full speed.”

The good news is that the problem was due in part to Sorrillo accelerating, finally, through the zone. By his own admission, Sorrillo had been deficient in that area during practice. And now Obeng and Sorrillo have nearly two weeks to work on the final exchange.

Gordon McKenzie

Tucker said Gordon McKenzie “ran an awesome leadoff leg. … Jose built off it. … Kwasi just looked like a superstar because he’s out in front. And then we had the little thing with Rondel.”

As good as the sprint results were, UK came out best in the weights.

Rashaud Scott, who won the shot put on Friday, added the discus title Saturday. Having successfully defended his regional title, Scott will try to repeat as national champion at Arkansas.

And consider this: all six of his throws Saturday were better than second-place finisher Greg Pilling of Central Michigan.

Pilling threw 197-2, two feet ahead of UK’s Chase Madison.

Rashaud Scott

Madison, a senior who transferred in 2007 from Iowa State, can relate to UK’s sprinters.

At Iowa State, he broke a bone in his left foot. A titanium screw was inserted to fix the bone. It didn’t work.

Chase Madison

When he arrived at UK for his entrance physical, “they said, ‘well, you’re either going to have to have another surgery on that thing to fix it because they did it totally incorrect, or you’re never going to throw again,’” Madison said when interviewed before last winter’s SEC Indoor Championships.

He opted for surgery, which involved taking bone from his ankle and grafting the bone to his foot. Oh, and four screws and a plate.

He went from June 2006 until April 2008 without throwing a disc in competition.

Now, he throws in pain. Look at his foot and you can actually see the plate and a screw sticking out from the bone. Pain limits his practice time, but he’s a believer in quality workouts over quantity. When he does throw, he throws with purpose.

Saturday, he said his pain was controlled as well as could be expected: “I had quite a bit of Aleve in me.”

“It’s nice to be back to a national meet. I haven’t been since 2006, since I’ve been hurt,” he said. “It was a decent day, I guess. Could have expected a lot more, could have been a lot worse. So, regroup and get ready for two weeks.”

U of L: A crown of Thorne’s

Corey Thorne

Louisville’s highlight Saturday came from Corey Thorne, who outkicked Eastern Michigan’s Josh Karanja to win the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a stadium-record 8:36.98. Karanja finished in 8:37.20.

“It’s going to be just like that at nationals,” Thorne said. “Whether it goes fast or slow, it’s going to come down to who has the best kick. So coming out here, it’s kind of like a trial.”

Ron Mann

Head coach Ron Mann and distance coach Brice Allen prepared Thorne well.

“One of the things that Coach Allen and I have done over the last 10 days is doing a lot of speed work over the barriers, preparing for that last quarter,” Mann said. “Those barriers come up very quickly and you’ve got to be ready for it. He did a nice job of executing that.”

Tarah McKay

Jere' Summers

U of L also had two automatic qualifiers in women’s events.

Tarah McKay ran fourth at 1,500 meters. Jeré Summers, the surprise winner of Friday’s discus, took second in Saturday’s shot put.

McKay, a junior from St. Clements, Ontario, Canada, improved one spot from her regional finish of a year ago.

Summers, a junior from Oakland, Calif., is a two-time Most Outstanding Field Event Performer in the Big East.  She transferred to U of L after competing two indoor seasons and one outdoor season at Cal State Northridge.

WKU: Smellie is good

Gavin Smellie

Western Kentucky senior Gavin Smellie won the men’s 200 meters, tying the Cardinal Park record of 20.45 seconds. (Auburn freshman Marcus Rowland was runner-up, followed by Sorrillo. Earlier, Rowland false-started out of the 100 meters, an event in which he was ranked No. 2 in the region and No. 4 in the nation.) 

Smellie, a Canadian, also led off the Hilltoppers’ second-place 4-by-400 relay and anchored the eighth-place 4-by-100 relay. The first seven spots in the quick relay went to Southeastern Conference schools, led by LSU and Kentucky.

Western’s women placed third in the 4-by-100 relay.

EKU: I go, you go, we all go for Mugo

Stanley Mugo

Eastern Kentucky’s top finish of the day came from Stanley Mugo in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

 

A junior from Kenya and the Ohio Valley Conference’s Co-Male Track Athlete of the Year, Mugo placed 10th.

By placing among the top 12 in the region, he still has a chance of receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships (bids to be announced Tuesday). His time Saturday was 9:00.89. However, he ran 8:52.07 in April at the Penn Relays.

Regions and records

The Mideast, one of four regionals, is comprised of 167 teams from 12 states (Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin).

Cardinal Park records were set in 22 of Saturday’s 28 events. Two others were tied, and another was negated because it was wind-aided.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UK’s Scott was among five athletes setting regional records, and the only male.  

Phoebe Wright

Women’s meet records went to: 

* U.S. Olympic Trials champion Kara Patterson of Purdue, who won javelin for the fourth year in a row, this time at 192-1.

* Two-time defending NCAA champ Tiffany Ofili of Michigan, 12.96 in the 100-meter hurdles.

* Tennessee former walk-on and now top-ranked Phoebe Wright, 2:02.20 in the 800.

* Middle Tennessee State’s Sarah Nambawa, ranked second nationally, with a triple jump of 45-9.

And there are plenty of Kentucky connections on the pre-season rankings compiled by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Kentucky is No. 6 in the men’s team rankings, 41st on the women’s side. Louisville is No. 24 in both men’s and women’s rankings. (See chart at the end of this post.)

UK is at the Florida Relays this weekend. U of L has split squads between the Texas Relays and Purdue.

Here’s a look at top 20-ranked individuals from the commonwealth.

MEN

Jose Acevedo

100 meters –

tie 11. Gordon McKenzie (UK) 10.23 seconds.

200 – 9. Jose Acevedo (UK) 20.58; t16. Shannon Davis (Eastern Ky.) 20.68.

10,000 – 6. Michael Eaton (U of L) 28:41.96.

110 hurdles – 3. Mikel Thomas (UK) 13.57.

4-x-100 relay – 17. Kentucky 39.69.

4-x-400 relay – 3. Kentucky 3:02.00; 18. Western Ky. 3:05.93.

Andre Black

Long jump –

t 9. Rudon Bastian (U of L) 25-10; 11. Andre Black (U of L) 25-9 1/2.

Triple jump – 1. Andre Black (U of L) 54-7 1/2.

Shot put – 5. Rashaud Scott (UK) 62-1 1/4.

Discus – 3. Chase Madison (UK) 202-9; 6. Rashaud Scott (UK) 199-10; 20. Josh Greenwald (U of L) 182-4.

WOMEN

Ashley Trimble

100 hurdles –

t 15. Ashley Trimble (UK) 13.40.

4-x-400 relay – 19. Western Kentucky, 3:35.37.

High jump – t 8. Rachel Gehret (U of L) 5-11 1/4; t 19. Victoria Dunlap (UK) 5-10.

Triple jump – 12. Seidre Forde (U of L) 43-9 3/4.

Shot put – 6. Jere’ Summers (U of L) 55-5 1/2; t 16. Ashley Muffet (UK) 52-6.

Discus – t 2. Jere’ Summers (U of L) 189-3; 12. Emilee Strot (UK) 174-7; 17. Ashley Muffet (UK) 170-0.

Hammer throw – 9. Jere’ Summers (U of L) 200-6.

Heptathlon – 16. Danielle Sampley (UK) 5,377; 19. Ashley Trimble (UK) 5,295.

2009 Outdoor, Pre-season

WOMEN

1. Texas A&M; 2. Virginia Tech; 3. Oregon; 4. Tennessee; 5. Penn State; 6. LSU; 7. Southern California; 8. UCLA; 9. Arizona State; 10. Michigan.

11. Florida; 12. Minnesota; 13. Auburn; 14. Texas; 15. Oklahoma; 16. Miami (Fla.); 17. South Carolina; 18. Texas Tech; 19. Arkansas; 20. Baylor.

21. Texas Christian; 22. Arizona; 23. North Carolina; 24. LOUISVILLE; 25. Nebraska.

Also: 41. KENTUCKY; 108. WESTERN KENTUCKY; 182. MURRAY STATE.

The title is the 12th in 13 years and 16th in 18 years for Arkansas, but the first under Coach Chris Bucknam — successor to the legendary John McDonnell.

Tennessee rallied to edge defending champion LSU for the women’s championship, 111-105. Arkansas was third with 97 points.

Kentucky placed seventh in both the men’s (48 points) and women’s (49 1/2) competition.

“We’ve got a lot of holes to fill, and it’s trying to balance the scholarship money across the event areas so that we’re more competitive across the board,” UK Coach Don Weber said. “But for what we had out there today, especially on the men’s side but even on the women’s side, I was really pleased with the way they competed. Their will to win.

“So we’re not where we want to be. We’ve got have more depth, more balance. But the way they competed, I was pretty pleased.”

Mikel Thomas

UK’s top efforts came from Mikel Thomas, runner-up in the 60-meter hurdles, and Jose Acevedo, who was third in the 400, seventh in the 200 and anchored the Wildcats’ third-place 4-by-400 relay.

“Man, there’s nobody that wanted it more than me,” Thomas said after running second to South Carolina’s Jason Richardson. “I got out great. I had it for like three hurdles, smashed that No. 4, but I stayed in there and fought all the way across the line and gave it all I had.”

Richardson clocked 7.72. Thomas, a senior who competed for Trinidad and Tobago at last summer’s Beijing Olympics, was timed in 7.77.

Jose Acevedo

Acevedo won his 400 heat in 46.85, but was upstaged by second-heat winner Robert Simmons of LSU (46.22). Acevedo’s 200 of 21.14 placed him just behind teammate Justin Austin (20.99). Georgia’s Torrin Lawrence won in 20.81.

The 4-by-400 went to Florida (3:05.82), followed by South Carolina (3:06.11) and the Wildcats (3;06.78).

“It was a really good day,” said Acevedo, a senior who ran the 200 for Venzuela at last summer’s Beijing Olympics. ”I ran 46 (seconds) twice in the 400. I haven’t run under 47 in like three years, so I was pretty pleased about that. The 200, after running the 400, believe me, I was really tired and I couldn’t give more. But I still ran good, 21.1 indoors.”

Arkansas’ Bucknam credited his assistant coaches and the Razorback seniors who made it all possible.

“They came with a first-year coach with just a short period of time left,” Bucknam said. “I asked them to lead the program and to help us get through this this year. And, of course, they did. With flying colors.

“So my hat’s off to the seniors that stepped it up another level. When there was adversity, when there was a coaching change, they continued to train hard. And this is the end result.”

Dorian Ulrey, who came with Bucknam from Northern Iowa, led a 1-2-4-8 Arkansas finish in the mile. Bucknam finished in 3:59.77. Duncan Phillips came in second (4:01.30), Michael Chinchar took fourth (4:03.52), with Rick Elliott eighth (4:08.33).

“We train all year round for this meet and one other particular indoor meet,” Ulrey said, nodding to the NCAA Championships. “We just ran smooth. We ran relaxed. Our whole plan was to just blanket the finish with Razorbacks, and that’s exactly what we did.”

Arkansas’ other wins Sunday came from Alex McClary in the 800 and in the distance medley relay (Chinchar, Jake Stephens, McClary and Phillips). With the team title in hand, Ulrey opted out of the relay in order to spread the event titles around.

Ulrey tipped his hat to McDonnell, saying he was pleased “to be able to continue that excellent tradition with the new coach and the new athletes, and kind of usher in a new era for Arkansas. And we’ve done a pretty good job this weekend.”

The Razorbacks got a 2-3 finish in the triple jump from Nkosinza Balumbu and Tarek Batchelor. as well as second-place finishes by J-Mee Samuels in the 60, Niit Marek in the 200 and Shawn Forrest in the 5,000. Samuels, who also took fifth in the 200, got things rolling.

“It energized our team when J-Mee busted out that great 60,” Bucknam said. “He’d been struggling all year. To see him come through like he did and hit an auto-qualifier (6.63) against (LSU’s) Trindon Holliday, a world-class sprinter in his own right, that was a big start for us. Then it just built from that point on.”

Florida freshman Christian Taylor, who won the long jump Saturday, added the triple jump Sunday, knocking off defending champion Balumba with a fifth-round distance of 52-10 1/4. Taylor scored 22 1/2 points to win the Commissioner’s Trophy.

Tennessee’s women blanketed the results sheet, scoring in 14 of 17 events.

Sarah Bowman led the Vols completing a third consecutive trifecta with wins in the mile, 3,000 meters and as anchor of the distance medley relay. That added up to 22 1/2 points and the Commissioner’s Trophy as the high scorer of the meet.

Tennessee also got wins from a pair of former walk-ons: Celriece Law in the 60-meter hurdles and Phoebe Wright in the 800. Law also placed third in the triple jump. Lynne Layne placed second in the 60 and 200, adding an eighth-place finish in the long jump.

Quoteworthy

Christian Taylor, Fla., triple jump winner – “I was happy I came through, … happy to get out on the fifth jump and then just watch. … That (5) is my new number. I’ll take it. I’m blessed with good health and strong training. I’ll carry this to nationals.”

Jason Richardson, S.C., hurdles winner – “It went OK. … I’m blessed that I came out as champion. That’s all I can ask.”

Richardson, on trailing Kentucky’s Thomas out of the blocks – ”I usually come on at the end, so I didn’t panic and I didn’t fret. I just stayed confident in my training and I was able to come out on top at the end.”

Trindon Holliday, LSU, 60-meter dash winner – “I didn’t have the start that I wanted to have. I kind of stumbled a little bit, but I was able to maintain what I was doing and finish the race.”

Holliday on having the second-best qualifying time, behind Kentucky’s Rondel Sorrillo, Sunday’s fourth-place finisher – ”It wasn’t any cause for concern. It was more motivation than anything. So I just told myself to come out and ‘I’m gonna be ready to go when the gun’s shot.’”

Tennessee Lady Vols Coach J.J. Clark – ”We had a couple things go our way and had some youngsters come through. We had some SEC champions come through with big points for us, and that’s what really helped to pull us through. It was a great meet for our Lady Vols, really something to remember.”

Catherine Kalmer, on leading Arkansas’ 1-2-3 finish in the women’s 5,000 – ”We’re very excited. We just decided to come out here today and try to get a national (qualifying) mark. Unfortunately we didn’t run as fast as we’d hoped for, but I still think we made a point that Arkansas distance running is something to be reckoned with.”

Earlier coverage from Sunday’s meet

Update: Newspaper duties call, but here are the final team standings. I’ll update this blog once I’m done with my Herald-Leader paper duty!

Men – Arkansas 130; Florida 102; Tennessee 78; South Carolina and Auburn 65; LSU 64; Kentucky 48; Georgia 47; Alabama 35; Ole Miss 29. Commissioner’s Trophy (for points leader): Christian Taylor, Florida.

Women – Tennessee 111; LSU 105; Arkansas 97; Florida 84; South Carolina 57; Auburn 54; Kentucky 49 1/2; Ole Miss 32; Mississippi State 28; Alabama 26 1/2; Georgia 14; Vanderbilt 5. Commissioner’s Trophy: Sarah Bowman, Tennessee.

*With the men’s team championship in hand, Arkansas gave 3,000-meter and mile champion Dorian Ulrey a rest, having him set out the distance medley relay. No matter. The Razorbacks still won in 9:47.31.

Michael Chinchar led off, followed by Jake Stephens, 800-meter champion Alex McClary and Duncan Phillips.

Phillips outkicked Alabama’s Emmanuel Bor on the final straightaway. Bama came in at 9:47.66.

After 16 events, Arkansas has 127 points. Florida has 92, Tennessee 77, Auburn 65, LSU 60 and South Carolina 57. Kentucky and Georgia are tied for seventh with 42 points.

Christine Kalmer, Denise Bargiachi and Catherine White gave Arkansas a 1-2-3 sweep in the women’s 5,000. Kalmer won in 16:20.06, followed by Bargiachi, the defending champion.

Through 13 events, LSU leads Tennessee 92-83 in the women’s standings. Arkansas has 81, Auburn 48. Kentucky is seventh with 31 1/2.

* 200-meter wins go to Georgia’s Torrin Lawrence (20.81) and LSU’s Samantha Henry (23.45). Kentucky’s Justin Austin and Jose Acevedo placed 6-7 in the men’s race.

Through 15 men’s events, Arkansas leads Florida 117-87. Tennessee has 73, LSU 60, Auburn 59. UK is eighth with 40.

Through 12 women’s events, LSU leads Tennessee 92-80. Arkansas is next with 57, then South Carolina with 46, Auburn with 44, Florida 41 and UK 31 1/2.

* Winners at 800 meters were Arkansas’ Alex McClary (1:49.37) for the men and Tennessee’s Phoebe Wright (2:02.31) for the women.

Arkansas leads the men’s standings 105-87 over Florida. Tennessee has 72, LSU 60. Kentucky is seventh with 35.

With a 2-4-5 finish in the 800, LSU has taken a 76-72 lead over the Tennessee women. Arkansas has 55, South Carolina 46. UK is seventh with 31 1/2.

* More winners include Dorian Ulrey of Arkansas in the mile (3:59.77), Robert Simmons of LSU in the 400 (46.22) and Tyson David of Alabama in the 5,000.

Through 13 events, the Arkansas men hold a 95-77 lead over Florida. Tennessee is third (64), followed by LSU and South Carolina (57 each), Auburn 48 and Kentucky 35.

Auburn’s Joanna Atkins prevailed in the women’s 400 (52.61).

Through 10 women’s events, Tennessee and LSU remain tied with 59 points. Arkansas has 53, South Carolina 46. Kentucky is seventh with 31 1/2.

* Quick update: Through nine events, Tennessee and LSU are tied to the women’s lead with 59 points. Then it’s Arkansas (48), Florida (35), South Carolina (33) and Kenutcky (31 1/2).

LSU’s Samantha Henry took the 60 meters (7.21) over Tennessee’s Lynne Layne (7.22).

Tennessee’s Sarah Bowman, winner of Saturday’s 3K, won the mile in 4:41.35. She is the first woman ever to sweep the SEC mile and 3K three years in a row.

* South Carolina’s Jason Richardson just edged Kentucky’s Mikel Thomas in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, 7.72 seconds to 7.77.

Results are rolling in now. My duty as a newspaper reporter call first, so updates will be less frequent. However, results are availalbe very quickly online at ukathletics.com.

A 23-point bonanza in the pole vault has put Tennessee on top of the men’s standings.

The Vols jump from third place to first, leading Arkansas 62-51. Florida is third with 45, followed by South Carolina’s 37 and LSU’s 32. Kentucky is 10th with 13 points.

Tennessee went 1-2 in the vault, Joe Berry and Brad Holtz each topping 17-3. Michael Ayers, winner of the heptathlon, cleared 17-0 for fourth place.

Taylor gets his second win for Gators

Florida freshman Christian Taylor picked up his second win, taking the men’s triple jump just the way he won Saturday’s long jump.

Christian Taylor

David Banks

Defending champion Nkosinza Balumbu of Arkansas led through four rounds.

But Taylor, just as happened Saturday, came up with a winning effort on his fifth attempt, 52 feet, 10 1/4 inches.

Balumbu, jumping last, finished with a 52-footer in the fifth round and 52-1 1/4 on his last try. Teammate Tarek Batchelor finished third at 50-2 3/4.

Kentucky’s David Banks, seeded 11th, popped a season-best 49-8 1/4 to place fifth.

Arkansas leads the men’s points race with 51 points. Florida has 43, Tennessee 39, South Carolina 27. UK is 10th with 13 points.

Auburn senior Raevan Harris took top honors in the women’s high jump at 6-0 3/4. LSU’s Brittani Carter was runner-up at 5-11 1/2.

For UK, pentathletes Ashley Newby and Precious Nwokey finished seventh (5-5 1/4) and 15th (5-3 1/4). Natalie Wise no-heighted.

Arkansas leads the women’s standings with 45 points. LSU has 40, Kentucky 29 1/2 and Tennessee 25.

LSU’s Henning dominates in weight throw

The first title to be won Sunday, the final day of the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, goes to LSU’s Walter Henning.

Walter Henning

The sophomore from Kings Park, N.Y., dominated the men’s 35-pound weight throw with a winning distance of 75-feet, 5 1/2 inches at the University of Kentucky’s Nutter Field House.

Henning, who transferred from North Carolina, where his junior world record of 72-3 earned him third place in the NCAA Indoor Champs.

Saturday, he had four throws beyond 22 meters. No other thrower reached 21 meters.

South Carolina sophomore Mike Zajac was second at 20.67 meters — 68 feet, 1 1/2 inches.

Kentucky’s Rashaud Scott slipped from fourth place in flight competition to sixth in the finals. His best mark, 63-11 3/4, came in the third round. He fouled all three attempts in the finals.

Through six men’s events, Arkansas leads Tennessee 37-34. Florida has 33, South Carolina 27, and LSU is tied with Auburn at 25. Kentucky is 10th with nine points.

Sarah Bowman, Tenn., on her unprecedented three-peat sweep of the mile, 3K and distance medley relay: “Each year you have to go in with your right, and you can’t expect to be handed anything. You have to work for everything. So I came in ready to work.”

Arkansas leads both the men’s and women’s standings heading into Sunday’s final day of competition.

The Razorback men have 37 points, followed by Florida (33), Tennessee (32), Auburn (25), South Carolina (19), Alabama (14), Ole Miss (12), Georgia (11), then Kentucky and LSU (6 each).

The Arkansas women lead LSU 45-32, with Kentucky next at 28. Then it’s Tennessee (25), Mississippi State (19), Florida (18), Alabama (10 1/2), Ole Miss (10), Auburn (3), South Carolina (2 1/2) and Georgia (2).

The final two events on Saturday’s schedule saw Tennessee’s Sarah Bowman win the women’s 3,000 meters for a third consecutive year, holding off teammate Jackie Areson 9:21.66 to 9:24.34. Bowman will go for three-peats Sunday in the mile and distance medley relay.

Tennessee sophomore Michael Ayers, after taking over first place in the pole vault, finished strong in the 1,000 meters to take the men’s heptathlon with 5,717 points. Gray Horn of Florida was second (5,586), followed by 1,000-meter winner Scott Pierce of South Carolina (2:33.46, 5,325) and first-day leader Curt McGill (5,292) of Carolina.

Ulrey sprints away in 3,000 meters

 A Nutter Field House record fell as Arkansas junior Dorian Ulrey won the men’s 3,000 meters in 7:55.56.

That broke the Nutter record of 7:59.25 set in 2004 by another Arkansas distance dominator, Alistair Craig, and missed the SEC record by a mere half-second.

Shawn Forrest made it a 1-2 finish for the Razorbacks, timed in 7:56.45. Alabama’s Tyson David was third in 7:57.07. Kentucky freshman Luis Orta took 11th in 8:22.34.

Ulrey was content to sit in the middle of the pack for most of the race. He was still in fourth with one lap left on the 290-meter oval. With a little more than 200 meters left, he burst off the curve to gain the lead, never to be caught.

The Razorbacks lead through four men’s events with 35 points. Florida is second with 25, one ahead of Auburn. Tennessee is fourth with 22. Kentucky remains eighth with six points.

Meanwhile, Tennessee’s Michael Ayers won the heptathlon pole vault by clearing 16-10 3/4.

Picking up 957 points, Ayers leads Florida’s Gray Horn, 4,919-4,784, with only the 1,000 meters left. South Carolina’s Curt McGill dropped from first to third place with 4,729, clearing 13-3 1/2 for eighth in the vault.

Henry advances with season-best 200

Top-seeded Samantha Henry of LSU notched a season-best 23.61 to lead nine qualifiers into Sunday’s finals of the women’s 200 meters. Florida freshman Alishea Usery qualified second in 23.62.

Kentucky’s lone entrant, Jazmyn Shorter, did not advance. She finished 16th overall in 24.68.

Lawrence rocks; 2 Cats in 200-meter finals

Fabulous freshman Torrin Lawrence of Georgia lived up to his top billing in men’s 200-meter preliminaries, blasting a 20.90 to lead the way into Sunday’s finals

Justin Austin

Two more freshmen followed — Auburn’s Marcus Rowland (20.96) and Arkansas’ Marek Niit.

Withthe nine fastest times from nine heats, regardless of heat placement, advancing to the finals, Kentucky put two sprinters in the finals. Freshman Justin Austin won his heat in 21.08 and senior Jose Acevedo took second in his heat (behind Florida’s Evander Wells) in 21.11, placing the Wildcats sixth and seventh overall.

Rondel Sorrillo, UK’s Olympian from Trinidad and Tobago, easily won his heat in 21.25. Due to not having a qualifying mark, though, he was placed in the slowest heat and was unable to advance, 12th overall. Runner-up Neil Danville of Auburn finished more than a seconed behind in 22.44.

Thomas cruises into 800 finals

Defending champion LaTavia Thomas of LSU breezed through qualifying in the women’s 800, fourth overall in 2:08.03.

Sofie Persson of Ole Miss led the rounds in 2:07.08, followed by Chanelle Price of Tennessee in 2:07.16.

Kentucky’s Jessica Ortman, who advanced in the mile earlier Saturday, made it 2-for-2 with the seventh-best 800 time, 2:08.95.

Franklin sets pace in 800 trials

Tennessee’s Joe Franklin led qualifying for Sunday’s finals in the men’s 800 meters.

Franklin finished in 1:49.35. Carlos Phillips was next in 1:49.35, leading a group of three Florida Gators to the finals.

Kentucky failed to advance a runner. Freshman Mike Knisley and Trent Halasek placed 15-16 in 1:53.31 and 1:53.92; sophomore Matt Frawley was 19th in 1:54.70.

Ole Miss soph leads 400-meter trials

Ole Miss sophomore LaJada Baldwin posted the fastest qualifying time in the women’s 400 meters, 53.38.

Auburn’s Joanna Atkins was next (53.42), followed by Nadonnia Rodriques, who led a pack of four South Carolinians into Sunday’s finals.

Kentucky’s Jazmyn Shorter was fastest of the non-qualifiers, 10th overall in 55.16. Freshman Brittany Cabbler tied for 17th in 56.84.

Acevedo advances to 400 finals

Jose Acevedo

Calvin Smith

of Florida turned in the fastest qualifying time in the men’s 400 meters, 46.64.

Robert Simmons of LSU and Jose Acevedo of Kentucky, 1-2 in their heat at 46.74 and 46.98, rank 2-3 overall. Next is defending champion Justin Gaymon of Arkansas in 47.29.

Bowman is fastest in mile prelims

To no surprise, Tennessee’s Sarah Bowman led qualifying in the women’s mile. Bowman is attempting to win the mile, 3,000 and distance medley, each for a third consecutive year.

She won Saturday’s heat in 4:49.46, followed by teammate Rolanda Bell in 4:50.94.

Kentucky’s Jessica Ortman advanced, placing second in the other heat in 4:52.97. Florida’s Charlotte Browning won that race in 4:51.98.

Panezich moves Vols into second

A win in the shot put by Nick Panezich has moved Tennessee into second place in the men’s team standings.

Florida now leads the Volunteers 25-22. Arkansas is third with 14. Kentucky notched its first six points of the meet, good for eighth place.

Panezich won with the first of his six attempts, measured at 60-10 1/2. South Carolina’s Jason Cook was second at 6-3.

For Kentucky, Rashaud Scott placed fifth (59-5 1/2), Chase Madison seventh (58-8). Colin Boevers fouled all three of his qualifying attempts.

Scott and Madison both got their best throws in the first round. Scott fouled four of his final five chances, while Madison fouled all of his final five tries.

Arkansas men dominate mile prelims

The Arkansas men took a big step in their title chase, qualifying four individuals for Sunday’s finals in the mile.

Top-seeded Dorian Ulrey led Saturday’s preliminaries in 4:06.51. Teammates Duncan Phillips (4:06.63) and Michael Chinchar gave the Razorbacks a 1-2-3 sweep in the heat. Sixth in that race went to Arkansas frosh Rick Elliott (4:12.18). Auburn’s Felix Kiboiywo took the second heat in 4:09.07.

Kentucky advanced one of its three entrants to the finals, Adam Henken (4:11.77). Eliminated were Josh Nadzam (13th, 4:15.47) and Will Rover (15th, 4:17.09).

Through two men’s finals, Florida leads Arkansas 16-14. Tennessee and Ole Miss are tied with 12.

After three women’s finals, Kentucky leads LSU 27-23, followed by Arkansas with 16.

Sorrillo debuts with fastest 60-meter time

A couple more winners and a sensational qualifier have things hopping in Nutter.

Rondel Sorillo

Florida

Another defending champ from Arkansas, Katie Stripling, came far shy of her season-leading 14-3 1/4 in the pole vault. She came in at 12-9 1/2, then missed all three tries at 13-1 1/2, placing eighth.

LSU freshman Rachel Laurent won the vault with an NCAA automatic qualifier of 14-0 1/2. Tara Diebold and Tina Sutej of Arkansas placed 2-3, each clearing 13-5.

The sensational qualifier?

Rondell Sorrillo, a junior transfer who was making his Kentucky and NCAA debut.

Sorrillo, who competed for Trinidad and Tobago in the 200 meters at the Beijing Olympics, exploded in 60-meter prelims with an NCAA-automatic time of 6.60 seconds. LSU football player Trindon Holliday, ranked second in the NCAA,  was next fastest in 6.65.

Sorrillo, Holliday, Auburn’s Marcus Rowland (6.68) and South Carolina’s Jonathan Hancock (6.68) were the heat winners. UK freshman Justin Austin was among the others advancing to Sunday’s finals, timed in 6.73. Gordon McKenzie came up two places short of advancing, timed in 6.78.

The women’s 60 featured NCAA-automatic times in each of three heats: LSU’s Samantha Henry (7.19) and South Carolina teammates Kya Brookins (7.22) and Shayla Mahan (7.23).

Gamecocks roll in heptathlon hurdles

Friday, South Carolina heptathletes won three events outright and tied for first in another.

The Gamecocks have kept it going Saturday. Teammates Curt McGill and Eddie Stoudemire each cleared the 60-meter hurdles in 8.21 seconds, winning the event with 930 points each.

McGill continues to lead the overall standings with 4,098 points. Florida freshman Gray Horn is second with 4,009, followed by Tennessee’s Michael Ayers with 3,962.

Kentucky freshman Kevin Carney withdrew due to a leg injury that occurred Friday.

Preliminary races saw South Carolina’s Jason Richards qualify first in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, 7.78. Kentucky’s Mikel Thomas was next at 7.81, a hundredth of a second ahead of Florida’s Dennis Martin.

South Carolina’s Ronnetta Alexander had the quickest time in the women’s hurdles, 8.20. Kentucky’s Ashley Trimble, winner of Friday’s pentathlon, just missed advancing to the nine-woman finals. Her time of 8.61 ranked 10th.

Vols’ Wilson lifts off in high jump

Tennessee junior Brenard Wilson became the first men’s champion of the SEC meet, edging Auburn freshman Ryan Fleck in the high jump.

Brenard Wilson

Wilson and Fleck each cleared 7-0 1/2, with Wilson winning because of fewer misses.

Three more freshman placed 3-4-5, all clearing 6-11 — Florida’s Frankie Hammond, Ole Miss’ Brian Knight and Alabama’s Tyler Cambell.

UK freshman Spencer Patterson placed 12th, clearing 6-5.

Through one men’s event, Tennessee leads Auburn 10-8. Points are awarded to the top seven finishers — 10-8-6-5-4-3-1.

After two women’s finals, Kentucky leads Mississippi State 27-14. Ole Miss is third with 10, one ahead of LSU.

One Ole Miss Smith upends two UK Smiths

Kentucky was hoping to get off with a bang Saturday, the second day of the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Juliana Smith

Kristin Smith

The Wildcats came in with the top two seeds in the women’s 20-pound weight throw, Heather and Kristin — the unrelated Smiths.

Through four rounds in UK’s Nutter Field House, Kristin led (61-11 1/4) and Heather was in second (59-11 3/4).

But it was yet another Smith, Ole Miss sophomore Juliana, stealing the top spot with her fifth-round toss of 62-2 3/4.

Kristin Smith fouled her final two attempts and finished second.

Heather Smith

Heather Smith finished with a pair of 60-footers, the best a 60-10 3/4 in the fifth round, and placed third.

Olympic rings.

Jose Acevedo

First-place finishes by Jose Acevedo and Mikel Thomas, both veterans of the Beijing Olympics, led Kentucky. Chase Madison made it a UK hat trick, winning the shot put.

Top female performer at UK’s Nutter Fieldhouse was double-winner Hyleas Fountain, the Olympic silver-medalist in the heptathlon from Dayton, Ohio.

The meet was the second and last home competition for UK before it plays host to the Southeastern Conference Championships, Feb. 27-March 1.
Acevedo, who competed at 200 meters for in the Olympics, tied the Venezuelan national record for 60 meters in Saturday’s finals, placing third. He later won the 200 in 21.22, an NCAA provisional qualifying mark.

In all, 20 collegiate performances met NCAA provisional standards. Twelve non-collegians also reached provisional standards and four hit automatic qualifing marks.

“It was good. The 60, I opened with my PR (personal record). I was impressed about that - 6.79,” Acevedo said. “It was awesome. And I was trying to do better in the finals. My start wasn’t as good as the prelims, so that cost me a chance to run under 6.70. That was the goal, but I still feel really good about 6.76.”

Rondel Sorillo

His 6.76 matched the Venezuelan record set by Victor Castillo, who placed 15th in the long jump at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

D’Angelo Cherry, who set a national high school record for 55 meters last year, won the 60 in 6.64. UK senior Gordon McKenzie took second, with a personal-best and NCAA provisional mark of 6.68. Acevedo was among three runners timed in 6.76. Going to ten-thousands of a second, Acevedo’s 6.7511 edged unattached David Dickens’ 6.7547 and Eastern Kentucky’s Shannon Davis’ 6.7575.

UK freshman Justin Austin ran a provisional-qualifying 6.74 preliminary, but did not test a sore leg in the finals.

In the 200, Acevedo topped UK newcomer Rondel Sorillo, 21.22 to 21.33. EKU’s Davis took third in 21.55.

“I was feeling a little bit tight just because of the 60,” Acevedo said. “That (60) is not my event; I’m not used to it. … But I tried to do my best. I got out with Rondel. He’s a really good competitor. He’s a really good runner.

“I was just trying to run with him more than run my race, and I think that was my mistake in the 200. But 21.22 is a provisional mark. It’s a pretty good day.”

Sorillo, from Trinidad and Tobago, competed in the same Olympic qualifying heat as Acevedo. That August day, Sorillo won in 20.58; Acevedo was fifth in 21.06. Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, the eventual gold-medal winner and world record-setter, ran second in the heat.

Mikel Thomas

Sorillo, who has two years of college in Trinidad under his belt, ran unattached as he is not yet eligible for UK.

Thomas, also a Trinidad Olympian last summer, met the NCAA provisional standard by winning the 60-meter hurdles in 7.80. Runner-up Terence Somerville of Cincinnati matched the provisional cut of 7.91.

“In the trials, I didn’t really get out of the blocks,” Thomas said of his 7.95 prelim. “I got out better (in the finals). This one was cleaner, but in between (hurdles) it’s not really where I need to be. A little tight. A little slow.”
UK’s Madison, a senior, won the shot put by more than four feet over Louisville’s Steve Hnat. Madison’s mark of 61 feet, 7 3/4 inches is an NCAA provisional qualifier.

“That’s definitely the best series of my life,” said Madison, who had efforts of 59-6 3/4, 59-0 1/4, foul, 60-2, 59-10 1/4 and 61-7 3/4. “Building consistencey now through SECs and through the national meet, that’s what I want.”

Chase Madison

Madison beat his previous best (59-2 3/4) four times.

“A lot more technical work,” he said in explaining his improvement. “A lot more quality work. Not just quantity, but quality.

“Focus on technique, not distance. … Let the distance come in competition, not practice.”

UK’s Colin Boevers placed eighth in the shot. Teammate Rashaud Scott, the NCAA discus champion and a provisional qualifier in Friday’s weight throw, fouled twice and passed his third turn.

Fountain, who won SEC titles for Georgia in the high jump, long jump and pentathlon (collegiate-record 4,417 points) here in 2004, was the Saturday’s quality performer among the women.

Hyleas Fountain

Fountain set a meet record of 21-5 1/2 in the long jump, then beat the meet and fieldhouse record with an 8.02 in the 60-meter hurdles.

“Right now, training for USAs (championships) and just trying to retain my title in the long jump there,” Fountain said of her 2009 goals. “The biggest meet, of course, is the World Championships in Berlin.”

A timing malfunction made it necessary to re-run Fountain’s preliminary heat of the hurdles. She won both times, 8.13 in the one that counted.
“I just kind of looked at it as a good warmup,” she said.

Furman’s Patrick Morgan, a former standout for Boyle County High School, came off the final turn to kick past Middle Tennessee State’s Festus Chemaoi and win the men’s mile in a personal-best and school-record 4:05.90. Chemaoi, timed in 4:065.29, caught Morgan by surprise and surged to a big lead with about two laps left.

Patrick Morgan

“He made a really good move there,” Morgan said. “I didn’t think I could catch him. I started to kick with about 300 to go, and he just slowly came closer, so I knew I had to (catch him).”

Eastern Kentucky’s Joseph Maina edged UK’s Luis Orta by three-hundredths of a second for third place, finishing in 4:10.59.
Former EKU all-American Jacob Korir, like Maina a Kenyan, used similar tactics to win the 3,000 meters in a meet-record 8:07.09. Mississippi State’s Matt Cameron, competing unattached, led until the final 200 meters.

Western Kentucky swept the 4-by-400 relays for men (3:12.90) and women (NCAA-provisional 3:37.97). Janet Jesang (9:26.68) and Eimear O’Brien gave the Hilltoppers a 1-2 finish in the women’s 3,000, and Valerie Brown snared the 400 (53.58). Jesang and Brown both met NCAA provisional standards.

Janet Jesang

Jesang, a junior from Uganda, hopes to qualify for NCAAs at 5,000 meters next week.

Kelly McNeice, from Northern Ireland, swept the women’s 800 (2:09.45) and mile (4:45.71), followed each time by Zamzam Sangau, a Middle Tennessee State junior from Uganda.

Saravia Richardson gave Louisville its lone win with a provisional qualifying time of 7.44 in the women’s 60.

Other female winners included Chandra Brewer in the shot (55-5 1/2), Chelsea Taylor in the high jump (5-11 1/2) and Trish Bartholomew in the 200 (23.64).

Brewer, a South Florida graduate, placed fourth at last summer’s U.S. Olympic Trials.

Taylor, a top-20 ranked jumper and multi-eventer, is scheduled to return here in three weeks, competing for Alabama.

Jeff Chakouian

Ohio Northern’s James O’Brien scored one for the smaller schools, taking the lead with 50 meters left en route to winning the men’s 800 in a provisional qualifying time of 1:49.70.

Elvis Forde

Carl Morgan upheld Middle Tennessee’s reputation as a perennial power in the jumps, taking the long jump (24-3 3/4).

Other winners were unattached Jamil Hubbard in the 400 (46.58) and Cincinnati’s Shane Shockey in the pole vault (16-0 3/4).

Louisville held its spot at No. 11, while Kentucky dropped from 16 to 21 in the latest men’s indoor track and field rankings, released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

On the women’s side, U of L dropped one spot to No. 22, while UK dropped out of the poll from No. 25.

Jose Acevedo

U of L is scheduled to send split squads this weekend to UK’s Rod McCravy Memorial meet and to Notre Dame’s Meyo Invitational.

UK’s Jose Acevedo was a double-winner last weekend at the Penn State National Invitational. The Olympian from Venezuela took the 200 in 21.35 seconds, then led off UK’s winning 4-by-400 relay (3:13.90). Justin Austin, Mikel Thomas and Brandon Austin joined Acevedo on the relay.

Thomas, an Olympic hurdler for Trinidad and Tobago, is joined at UK this season by Olympic teammate Rondel Sorillo, a junior transfer from the University of Trinidad. Sorillo made it to the second round of the 200 meters last summer at Beijing, running

Rondel Sorillo

20.58 to win his first-round heat — over eventual gold-medal winner Usain Bolt of Jamaica. Acevedo placed fifth in the same heat.

As for the weekly rankings, Arkansas’ men remain No. 1, led by back-to-back winner of the Southeastern Conference Track Athlete of the Week Dorian Ulrey. Ulrey and Shawn Forrest ran 1-2 in the Washington Invitational 3,000 meters, with Ulrey posting the best time in the nation this season.

Arizona State remains No. 2, while Oregon moves up a spot to No. 3, trading places with Florida.

Oregon Olympian Ashton Eaton scored 6,174 heptathlon points at the Washington Invitational, the second-best score in NCAA history. Eaton won six of seven events: 60 meters (6.84), long jump (24-11), high jump (6-10.5), 60m hurdles (7.91), pole vault (16-3.5) and 1,000m (2:39.92). Eaton thus earned Athlete of the Week honors from USA Track & Field.

UK, which will host the SEC Indoor Championships, Feb. 27-March 1, is among six ranked SEC men’s teams. The others: Arkansas (1), Florida (4), LSU (10), Georgia (12) and South Carolina (14).

 Texas A&M, Tennessee and Michigan remain 1-2-3 in the women’s ratings.

Tennessee leads six SEC teams in the rankings. The others: LSU (5), South Carolina (11), Arkansas (12), Florida (17) and Auburn (23).

USTFCCCA Division indoor track and field rankings (Feb. 4, 2009) 

SEC teams underlined.

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