Official Site of the Southeastern Conference

ARKANSAS MEN, FLORIDA WOMEN WIN 2010 SEC INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD TITLES

   
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas men and Florida women won the 2010 Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Randal Tyson Track Center, in Fayetteville, Ark., on Sunday.

With 123 points, the Arkansas Razorbacks captured their sixth-consecutive SEC indoor title on Sunday. The Florida Gators won their sixth SEC Indoor title with 110 points.

Florida’s Charlotte Browning and Shara Proctor shared the Commissioner’s Trophy for most points scored by an individual (20 each). Browning won the mile and the 3,000 meters while Proctor won the long and triple jumps.

"I’m so pleased this is my second medal this weekend," Browning said after the mile. "My team also did really well in this event too. I think having such good runners here at Florida before really helped me to train better, and push myself more."

Arkansas’s Dorian Ulrey was awarded the men’s Commissioner’s Trophy after his wins in the mile, the 3,000 meters and as the anchor of the distance medley relay earned him 22.5 points.

"I felt I had the wheels to go and I went," Ulrey said after the distance medley relay. "This is my last SEC Indoor Championship as a Razorback and I really wanted to get one for a couple of the younger guys."

Kimberley Laing, an Alabama senior, won the first final of the day, the women’s 60-meter hurdles, with a time of 8.23.

"It feels amazing to be a SEC Champion," Laing said. "I’ve worked really hard to get this done. I’ve tried to focus a lot on just powering home, using what I have and what I’ve learned and just taking it to the next level. I did that today."

Barrett Nugent, a sophomore from LSU, won the first men’s final of the day, the 60-meter hurdles, with a time of 7.65.

"That was my motivation," Nugent said. "This shows just how much I’ve improved and how far I’ve come since last year. My goal isn’t just to make the final. My goal is to go out there and win it. Pretty much everything I’ve been working for finally came together today. It’s good that I’ve been consistent, but I wanted to break that and drop a fast time. It was a great race between me and Booker (Nunely). He’s a great hurdler and a great competitor. It’s an incredible what I’m feeling right now. Now, it’s time to get ready to come back for NCAAs."

Arkansas junior Shelise Williams won the women’s 400 meters in a time of 53.21. She also ran the second leg of the SEC Champion 4x400-meter relay from Arkansas. The quartet that also included junior Edina Brooks, sophomore Whitney Jones and freshman Regina George clocked a time of 3:34.61.

"I felt I could have run better but I am so glad I got 10 points for my team and the SEC Championship," Williams said. "I worked hard to get here, and this has been a good season for me. Now we have the NCAAs left."

Torrin Lawrence, a sophomore from Georgia, won the men’s 400-meter dash with a time of 45.10, also setting a new SEC meet record. Alabama freshman Kirani James finished second in 45.24, a new World Junior Indoor record in the event.

Florida won the men’s 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:05.53 run by freshman Tony McQuay, freshman Jovon Toppin, sophomore Christian Taylor and senior Calvin Smith. Taylor also won the men’s triple jump with a leap of 55-2.75 and led a 1-3 finish for Florida in the event.

"I tried to run as fast as my teammates did before me," Smith said. "Next we are going to practice really hard for the NCAAs."

Tennessee senior Phoebe Wright clocked a new SEC meet record in the 800 meters. She won the final in a time of 2:01.47, also the fastest collegiate time ever run by a woman.

"The SEC is the toughest conference in the nation, and it’s really special to beat my best time," Wright said. "I had to give my best effort to win."

LSU’s Richard Jones won the half-mile race on the men’s side. He clocked an 800-meter time of 1:47.78. He led a 1-2-8 finish for LSU in the event.

"Our strategy was to go out hard from the start, but I wasn’t expecting 50 (seconds) for my first 400," Jones said. "That was a few seconds faster than what we talked about, but I felt great and didn’t look back. We couldn’t have asked for more. I’m proud of our young guys for coming here and performing how they did. That was big for Sadiki (White) and Garrek (Thompson) to score those points for us."

Tennessee won the women’s distance medley relay. Wright, sophomore Chanelle Price, junior Kim White and senior Jackie Areson combined for a time of 11:14.59, a new SEC meet record.

 "I felt good when I was running so I wanted to go for it," Areson said. "We all ran less than an hour ago and we just really wanted to win."

Arkansas won the men’s distance medley relay. Junior Michael Chinchar, sophomore Andrew Pennington, freshman Drew Butler and senior Dorian Ulrey finished in a time of 9:48.92.

The ESPNU championship highlight show will air Thurs., March 11 at 8 p.m. CST on ESPNU. SEC Weekly TV will also be devoting a show to the championship. SEC Weekly TV airs Tuesdays at 5 p.m. CST on ESPNU and repeats a few times during the week. Some of the clips from SEC Weekly TV are also posted on SECSports.com.

For more information on the 2010 SEC Indoor Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Championships, visit SECSports.com or ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

FINAL WOMEN'S TEAM STANDINGS 17 OF 17
Florida 110
Arkansas 82
LSU 79.5
Tennessee 77
Georgia 65.5
Auburn 55
South Carolina 53
Alabama 51
Kentucky 38
Ole Miss 30
Mississippi State 16
Vanderbilt 5

FINAL MEN'S TEAM STANDINGS 17 OF 17
Arkansas 123
Florida 119
LSU 108.5
South Carolina 67
Georgia 61
Auburn 50
Alabama 47
Ole Miss 37
Kentucky 26
Tennessee 24.5