Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

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. 

UK calls on DH Braden Kapteyn to close things out in the ninth. He gets pinch-hitter Jeff Lockwood to fly to left and Zach Osborne to take a called third strike. Kentrail Davis draws a walk, bringing the potential tying run to the plate. A wild pitch moves Davis to second base. But Kapteyn runs down a short pop foul off the bat of Blake Forsythe to end the game. FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 6, Tennessee 4.

Cats take 6-4 lead into ninth

Tennessee goes to the bullpen again to open the bottom of the eighth. Left-hander Will Locante comes in, with righty Matt Ramsey moving to right field in place of Jarred Frazier. Locante beans Bryan Rose with a 3-2 pitch, strikes out Chad Wright, walks Andy Burns and fans Chris Bisson. The Vols go to their bullpen again, calling in right-hander Stephen McCray. He strikes out Gunner Glad. Heading to the ninth inning: Kentucky 6, Tennessee 4.

Paxton strikes out side in 8th

UK lefty James Paxton strikes out the side, in order, in the eighth. Going to the bottom of the inning: Kentucky 6, Tennessee 4.

Cats leave ‘em loaded in 7th

In the seventh inning, a leadoff single by Kentucky’s Chris Bisson and a walk by Gunner Glad brings an end to Nick Hernandez’s night on the mound for Tennessee. Coach Todd Raleigh calls for right-hander Ryne Simpson. Marcus Nidiffer bunts the runners to second and third, and Raleigh replaces Simpson with lefty Adam Adkins. Keenan Wiley walks on four pitches, loading the bases. Adkins exits and right-hander Matt Ramsey enters the game for Tennessee. Ramsey fans Braden Kapteyn and gets Chris McClendon on a comebacker. At the end of seven innings: Kentucky 6, Tennessee 4.

Vols score 1 in 7th; Cats lead 6-4

A one-out single by Kentrail Davis ignites a Tennessee rally in the seventh inning. Blake Forsythe walks and both runners advance on a James Paxton wild pitch. Davis scores on Cody Haven’s sacrifice fly to center, Forsythe taking third. P.J. Polk grounds out on a tough play by third baseman Chris McClendon. Seventh-inning stretch time: Kentucky 6, Tennessee 4.

Cats roar back with six-run sixth

Chad Wright

For a second inning in a row, Kentucky opens with back-to-back singles, this time by Andy Burns and Chris Bisson, to put runners on the corners. Gunner Glad’s fly to center is too shallow to score Burns. A wild pitch moves Bisson to second base before Marcus Nidiffer draws a walk to load the bases. Keenan Wiley, who singled to open the previous inning, fouls off a couple of 3-2 pitches before lining a two-run single down the third-base line. Nidiffer holds at second. Braden Kapteyn brings Nidiffer home with the tying run and moves Wiley to third with a double to left. Vols lefty Nick Hernandez spears Chris McClendon’s bullet-comebacker to notch the second out, but Bryan Rose walks to load the bases. Chad Wright, 0-for-3 to this point, clears the bases with a double down the line that glances off the glove of left-fielder P.J. Polk. Wright goes to third on a wild pitch. Burns flies to deep left. At the end of six innings: Kentucky 6, Tennessee 3.

Cats trail 3-0 in middle of 6th

Tennessee gets a two-out single from Cody Grisham, but nothing else in the sixth inning. Going to the bottom of the inning: Tennessee 3, Kentucky 0.

Cats threaten but don’t score in fifth

Kentucky mounts its strongest threat in the fifth, starting with back-to-back singles by Keenan Wiley and Braden Kapteyn. Chris McClendon’s bunt moves runners to second and third with one out. But Vols left Nick Hernandez retires Bryan Rose on a pop foul and gets Chad Wright on a groundout to second. Going to the sixth inning: Tennessee 3, Kentucky 0.

Vols go down in order in fifth

A correction on the fourth-inning scoring for Tennessee (see revised information below).

In the top of the fifth, Tennessee goes down in order. In the middle of the fifth: Tennessee 3, Kentucky 0.

Vols lead Cats 3-0 through 4th

Tennessee left-hander Nick Hernandez sets Kentucky down in order in the fourth. Going to the fifth: Tennessee 3, Kentucky 0.

Vols push lead to 3-0 in fourth

Zach Osborne

UK lefty James Paxton strikes out the first two batters in the fourth inning, but the second of those – Tyler Horne — reaches first on a wild pitch. Cody Grisham’s single to left advances Horne to third and Grisham takes second on the throw to third. Paxton comes back to strike out Jarred Frazier. But Zach Osborne, a freshman out of Pleasure Ridge Park, singles up the middle drives in both runners. In the middle of the fourth: Tennessee 3, Kentucky 0.

Vols lead Cats 1-0 through third

Kentucky’s No. 9 hitter, Bryan Rose, is hit by a pitch to start the third inning. But Chad Wright grounds into a 4-6-3 doubld play and Andy Burns lines out to center. Going to the fourth inning: Tennessee 1, Kentucky 0.

Tennessee strands two in 3rd inning

In the top of the third inning, Tennessee’s Blake Forsythe reaches first on a two-out fielding error by shortstop Andy Burns. Cody Hawn draws a walk, but James Paxton catches P.J. Polk looking at a third strike. In the middle of the third: Tennessee 1, Kentucky 0.

Cats waste Nidiffer’s second-inning single

Kentucky gets a leadoff single from Marcus Nidiffer but can’t move him past second base. After two complete innings: Tennessee 1, Kentucky 0.

Tennessee down in order in 2nd inning

James Paxton

Kentucky left-hander James Paxton retires the Tennessee Volunteers in order in the second inning. Going to the bottom of the second: Tennessee 1, Kentucky 0.

Tennessee leads Kentucky 1-0 through 1st

Kentucky threatens in the bottom of the first but gets nothing. Andy Burns laces a one-out single to left. As Chris Bisson strikes out, Burns steals second. Gunner Glad hits a ball hard, but right at third baseman Cody Brown, who tags Burns for the third out. After one inning: Tennessee 1, Kentucky 0.

Tennessee gets a run in first

Blake Forsythe

Tennessee strikes in the top of the first, doing all its damage after the first two batters are retired. Blake Forsythe singles through the right side of the infield, then goes to second as Cody Hawn reaches on a third-strike wild pitch. P.J. Polk’s single to right scores Forsythe, Hawn stopping at second. After half an inning: Tennessee 1, Kentucky 0.

Late lineup change puts Wade on bench

A late lineup change for Kentucky. SS Chris Wade will not start due to a sore hamstring. Andy Burns, originally set to DH, moves to short. Braden Kapteyn goes in as DH. The revised lineup is listed below.

SEC baseball: Tennessee at Kentucky

Getting ready for Friday’s opener of a three-game Southeastern Conference baseball series at Cliff Hagan Stadium, with Kentucky (22-22 overall, 8-13) playing host to Tennessee (20-25, 6-15).

UK comes in 10th overall in the SEC, Tennessee 11th. Only the top eight teams will qualify for the SEC Tournament, May 20-24, at Hoover, Ala.

The top eight entering weekend play, in order: LSU, Georgia, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Florida, Alabama, Vanderbilt and South Carolina. Auburn is No. 9.

The weather 30 minutes before the scheduled game time is 72 degrees, overcast, an 18 mph wind blowing from right field to left, with gusts to 25 mph.

The lineups:

Tennessee — Zach Osborne, ss; Kentrail Davis, cf; Blake Forsythe, c; Cody Hawn, 1b; P.J. Polk, lf; Cody Brown, 3b; Tyler Horne, dh; Cody Grisham, 2b; Jarred Frazier, rf. Pitching: LH Nick Hernandez (2-4, 5.26).

Kentucky — Chad Wright, lf; Andy Burns, ss; Chris Bisson, 2b; Gunner Glad, 1b; Marcus Nidiffer, c; Keenan Wiley, cf; Braden Kapteyn, dh; Chris McClendon, 3b; Bryan Rose, rf. Pitching: LH James Paxton (4-2, 5.53).

Umpires — Tony Maners, home; John Whitaker, 1b; Owen Butts, 3b.

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.

The top 10 in order (Legends underlined): Jason Castro, C; Bud Norris, RHP; Ross Seaton, RHP; Brian Bogusevic, OF; Chris Johnson, 3B; Jordan Lyles, RHP; Felipe Paulino, RHP; Drew Sutton, SS/2B; Collin DeLome, OF; Jay Austin, OF. Castro, Norris and Johnson have invitations to major-league spring training with the Astros. Castro is Houston’s top draft pick of 2008, out of Miami (Fla.).

Baseball America’s “Best Tools” designees in the Astros system include: Bogusevic (a converted pitcher), best hitter for average; Johnson, best power hitter and best infield arm; Sutton, best strike-zone discipline; and Norris, best fastball. Other ex-Legends on the Best Tools list are Sammy Gervacio, best slider; Polin Trinidad, best control; Tommy Manzella, best defensive infielder; and Josh Flores, best defensive outfielder.

* More ex-files – Houston signed RHP Paul Estrada; reclaimed 2B Jonny Ash from Milwaukee in the 3A Rule 5 draft; and sent OF Jordan Parraz to Kansas City as the “player to be named” in a deal that sent LHP Tyler Lumsden to the Astros.

* The Brewers signed former Clark County High School RHP Matt Ginter.

Cats not included in Baseball America pre-season Top 25

Kentucky cracked pre-season polls released by Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (23) and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (19), but not with Baseball America. Louisville checked in at No. 23 in the BBA rankings. Texas A&M is No. 1, followed by LSU, the first of five Southeastern Conference teams listed. The other four: Mississippi (6), Georgia (14), Alabama (21) and Arkansas (22).

The Reds are coming! The Reds are coming!

A reminder that the Cincinnati Reds Winter Caravan is scheduled to stop at Fayette Mall in Lexington on Saturday, 6-8:30 p.m.

Scheduled to make the trip are Gold Glove second baseman Brandon Phillips, No. 1 draft pick Devin Mesoraco and Reds Hall of Famer Lee May. Fans also will have the chance to meet Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman, TV analyst Chris Welsh, Chief Executive Officer Bob Castellini and Assistant General Manager Bob Miller, as well as team mascot Gapper.

Lexington is part of the Caravan’s “Southern Tour” stops. Simultaneous “Northern” and “Western” tours will feature others in the Reds family.

All the stops are free to the public, and two tickets to opening day (April 6 vs. New York Mets) will be raffled at each stop.

The full Southern Tour:

Thursday, Jan. 22 — 3:15-4:45 p.m., Charleston (W.Va.) Towne Center; 6:30-8:30 p.m., Huntington (W.Va.)/Ashland, Ky., Fannin Motors.

Friday, Jan. 23 — 7-8:30 p.m., Bowling Green, Ky., Greenwood Mall.

Saturday, Jan. 24 — 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Nashville, RiverGate Mall; 6-8:30 p.m., Lexington, Fayette Mall.

Sunday, Jan. 25 — 12:15-1:45 p.m., Maysville (Ky.) Conference Center.

The Northern Tour will stop at Vienna, W.Va.; Athens, Ohio; Lima, Ohio; and Columbus, Ohio. General Manager Walt Jocketty, broadcaster Thom Brennaman, Chief Operating Officer Phil Castellini, Reds Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Browning, Reds Minor League Player of the Year Chris Valaika, infielder Jeff Keppinger, pitcher Mike Lincoln, coach Billy Hatcher and mascot Mr. Redlegs will take part in all or parts of the Northern Tour.

The Western Tour includes one Kentucky site, Louisville Slugger Field, home of the Louisville Bats (Jan. 22, 4:30-7 p.m.). Also on the circuit are Indiana stops in Evansville, Bloomington, Indianapolis and Muncie, as well as the final leg at Dayton, Ohio. Western  participants include Manager Dusty Baker, broadcasters George Grande and Jeff Brantley, outfielder Chris Dickerson, utility player Jerry Hairston Jr., 2008 top draft pick Yonder Alonso and mascot Rosie Red. 

In addition to Lexington, CEO Bob Castellini will visit Louisville and Columbus.

More details are available online at: www.reds.com/caravan.