Official Site of the Southeastern Conference

2009-10 Track and Field Weekly Notebook (week ending 2/15)

Team Notes

Alabama
Men
For the second consecutive week, freshman Kirani James led the Alabama men's track and field team at the Texas A&M Challenge at Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, Texas on Saturday. Across the country, junior Fred Samoei did much of the same at the Husky Classic. James' NCAA provisional qualifying time of 20.94 in the 200m dash is the second-fastest time in school history and his new personal-best in the event. It is the sixth-fastest time in the world this year. In the high jump, freshman Mike Edwards also earned a provisional mark, his first of the season. Edwards tied his personal-best with a clearance of 7-1. Sophomore Tyler Campbell finished fourth with a mark of 6-11. Coming within an inch of his season-best leap, Shaun Gaiser hit a mark of 23-10 in the long jump to finish seventh overall. The Crimson Tide also sent a small group of its distance squad to the Husky Classic, held on Feb. 12-13 at Dempsey Indoor, in Seattle, Wash. Samoei ran a personal best in the 800m that was also good enough for a NCAA provisional mark with a time of 1:48.86 that placed him 13th overall in the invitational portion of the meet. The time by Samoei puts him as the second fastest performer in school history. In the 3000m invite, Joel Rop finished 42nd overall with a time of 8:14.76. Up next, Alabama has a week off from competition to prepare for the SEC Championships, which will be held in Fayetteville, Ark. on Feb. 26-28.

Women
The Alabama women's track and field team continued to post NCAA provisional marks as the Crimson Tide inches closer to the Southeastern Conference Championships. Alabama claimed three more NCAA marks Saturday at the Texas A&M Challenge in the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium. In the 60m hurdles, Kim Laing and Audra Frimpong advanced to the finals where they posted times of 8.30 and 8.68 to finish second and fourth, respectively. Laing's time is a personal-best and her fourth provisional qualifier of the season. Talaya Owens set a new season-best time of 8.85 in the prelims, finishing 11th. Owens set another season-best in the 400m dash later when she posted a time of 55.60 to place fifth. Heather Matherson shaved .12 seconds off her season-best in the 60m dash with a time of 7.62, just .02 seconds from her personal-best. Matherson nearly set another personal-best in the 200m dash, coming just .05 seconds away with her time of 24.46. The Tide had four ladies run under five minutes in the mile. Kelsey Johnson led the group with her fifth place finish and time of 4:49.90. She was followed by Leigh Gilmore (4:55.10), Katlyn Will (4:57.19) and Elsbeth Denton (4:58.10) who placed seventh, 10th and 12th, respectively. Johnson, Gilmore and Denton all posted personal-best times, while Will was just two seconds from a personal-best herself. Sophomore Sara Vaughn ran a season-best time of 10:14.82 in the 3,000m race to finish ninth overall. Fellow sophomore Andrea Torske ran a time of 10:16.41 in her first 3,000m run. In the shot put, freshman Wilamena Hopkins posted a fourth place finish for the Tide with a heave of 47-5. Amethyst Holmes threw a personal-best by over four feet with a mark of 44-4 1/4. Alabama turned in a 1-2 finish in the high jump as Krystle Schade earned the victory and Chealsea Taylor finished runner-up. Both cleared a NCAA provisional qualifying height of 5-10, which is a season-best for Taylor. Up next, Alabama has a week off from competition to prepare for the SEC Championships, which will be held in Fayetteville, Ark. on Feb. 26-28.

Arkansas
Men
Seniors Alain Bailey and Dorian Ulrey picked up NCAA automatic-qualifying marks in their respective events on day one of the Tyson Invitational for No. 8 men's track and field. Ulrey was running for the collegiate record in the mile (3:55) but fell just short with his time of 3:57.80 to finish fourth. He did clock an NCAA auto time, ranks No. 2 is the NCAA and leads the SEC. Senior Scott MacPherson led a trio of Razorbacks to provisional qualifiers in the 5,000 meters. He finished second with a time of 13:51.43. Freshman Solomon Haile was fifth in 13:58.03 and freshman Eric Fernandez was sixth in 14:08.46. All three were under the NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 14:10. In the invitational flight of the long jump, Bailey won the event with an NCAA automatic jump of 26-2.75. His mark is a personal best, ranks No. 2 in the NCAA and the SEC and is the No. 6 jump in school history. Sophomore Tarik Batchelor finished fourth in the event. His best jump of the day measured 25-7.25 and is an improved NCAA provisional-qualifying mark. Freshman Cobi Hamilton and senior Scott MacPherson picked up NCAA provisional qualifiers for on day two of the Tyson Invitational. Hamilton finished 11th in the 200 meters. He clocked a personal-best and NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 21.16. His time ranks No. 5 in the SEC and second among freshmen. Junior LaShawn Butler, also competing in the 200 meters, finished 20th with a season- and personal-best time of 21.36. MacPherson finished second overall and first among collegians in the invitational 3,000 meters. He clocked an improved NCAA provisional-qualifying and personal-best time of 7:58.18. His time ranks No. 2 in the SEC and No. 8 in the NCAA.

Women
For the second time in as many weeks, the No. 11 women's track and field team clocked a new school record in the 4x400-meter relay on Saturday at the Tyson invitational. The quartet of junior Edina Brooks, junior Shelise Williams, sophomore Whitney Jones and freshman Regina George combined for a time of 3:32.87 to win the 4x400-meter relay. They clocked a new school record, the NCAA and SEC leading time and an NCAA automatic-qualifying time. On day one of the Tyson Invitational on Friday, Williams set her third school record of the week. She finished second in the 400 meters with a new Arkansas school record of 52.43. Her time is a personal best, ranks No. 2 in the NCAA and leads the SEC. Her time is an improved NCAA provisional qualifier and is just off the auto qualifier of 52.43. In the invitational 3,000 meters, junior Miranda Walker picked up a fifth-place finish with a time of 9:40.53. Her clocking is a nine-second personal best and ranks No. 9 in the SEC. In the invitational sections of the mile, sophomore Kristen Gillespie clocked a personal-best and NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 4:43.91 to finish fifth. Also in the 400 meters, freshman Regina George finished ninth with a personal-best and improved NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 53.73.

Auburn
Men
The Auburn men’s team posted five provisional qualifying marks while competing at the Tyson Invitational last weekend. Marcus Rowland led the way, finishing first among collegians and second overall in the 200 meters, and also placing second overall in the 60 meters. In the 200, Roland had a personal-best time of 20.89 seconds that ranks second in Auburn indoor history, while his 60-meter time of 6.62 was just .01 off his personal best. Also in the 60, Harry Adams finished fourth with a time of 6.70 after clocking a 6.69 in the prelims. In the high jump, Ryan Fleck tied for third overall and placed second among collegiate athletes with a mark of 2.20 meters (7-2.5), which is just one centimeter off his season best. Auburn’s first-time NCAA qualifier was Ben Cheruiyot in the 5,000 meters. Cheruiyot finished fourth with a time of 13:56.60 which ranks third best in Auburn indoor history. The Tigers will take next weekend off prior to competing at the SEC Indoor Championships Feb. 26-28 in Fayetteville.

Women
The Auburn women’s team posted eight provisional qualifying marks while competing at the Tyson Invitational last weekend. Sheniqua Ferguson had a strong meet, finishing second in the 60 meters with a time of 7.30, and placing seventh overall and third among collegians in the 200 meters with a time of 23.47. In the 200, she was one spot behind teammate Nivea Smith, who clocked a time of 23.44. In the 400 meters, Joanna Atkins placed third overall and second among collegians with a time of 52.86 seconds that was just off her season-best mark of 52.79 that ranks No. 3 in the nation this year. In the 60-meter hurdles, Krystal Bodie finished eighth in the prelims with a provisional time of 8.37 seconds, but did not run in the finals. Senior Danielle Gilchrist was 14th in the prelims to advance to the consolation finals, where she was third with a provisional time of 8.39 seconds. Maya Pressley earned her first qualifying mark of the year in the invitational high jump, placing fourth overall with a leap of 1.81 meters (5-11.25), which ranks fifth in school indoor history. The final provisional mark came in the 4x400-meter relay, where the Tigers finished fourth among collegiate teams in 3:36.06. Although she just missed the NCAA provisional time, Holly Knight also ran well in the invitational 3,000 meters, placing third in 9:33.93 which ranks third in school indoor history. The Tigers will take next weekend off prior to competing at the SEC Indoor Championships Feb. 26-28 in Fayetteville.

Florida
Men 
The No. 3 Florida men's track and field team traveled to three meets across the country - the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa, and the Husky Classic in Seattle - to serve as a final regular-season tune-up before the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships in two weeks. The Gators turned in three NCAA automatic-qualifying marks, including a highly-impressive performance by freshman sprinter Jeff Demps, the reigining SEC Male Freshman of the Week, who tied the UF school record in the men's 60-meter dash in a winning time of 6.59 at the Tyson Invitational. Demps' time is the fastest in the nation so far this season and currently ranks 12th-best in the world. The Florida men’s 4x400-meter relay team clocked the third-fastest time in school history to claim the event in a season-best automatic-qualifying time of 3:05.52 at the Tyson Invitational. It went down as the fastest 4x400-meter relay time by a Gator team since the 2005 campaign and ties for the second-best time in the nation so far this season. Senior sprinter Calvin Smith clocked the fourth-fastest indoor 400-meter time in school history at 45.98 to automatically punch his ticket to the upcoming NCAA Indoor Championships. Smith, a 13-time All-American, bested his previous personal-record indoor time of 46.04 to finish third among a talented 400-meter field and qualify for his second event at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships. Florida has a week off from competition before traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., Feb. 26-28 for the SEC Indoor Championships hosted by the University of Arkansas.
 
Women 
The No. 5 Florida women's track and field team traveled to three meets across the country - the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa, and the Husky Classic in Seattle - to serve as a final regular-season tune-up before the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships in two weeks.  The Gators turned in a highly successful weekend with four NCAA automatic-qualifying marks/times and two school records. At the Husky Classic, sophomore Rebecca Lowe claimed an NCAA automatic time and broke the UF school record in the 5,000m at 15:59.46, while Charlotte Browning won the women's mile in an NCAA automatic time of 4:31.24 to break the school's mile record. At the Iowa State Classic, senior thrower Mariam Kevkhishvili won her 11th consecutive indoor women's shot put competition with an NCAA automatic-qualifying toss of 18.28m/59-11.75.  At the prestigious Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., senior jumper Shara Proctor, the two-time reigning SEC Female Field Athlete of the Week, turned in an NCAA automatic-qualifying mark of 6.51m/21-4.25.  The Florida women's 4x400-meter relay team shaved nearly a second-and-a-half off of its season-best time, recording the school's fastest time in that event since 2005 with an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 3:38.50. Florida has a week off from competition before traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., Feb. 26-28 for the SEC Indoor Championships hosted by the University of Arkansas.

Georgia
Men
Sophomore Torrin Lawrence stole the show for the Bulldogs at the Tyson Invitational after crossing the finish line with the fastest 400-meter dash time in the world this year.  Lawrence, who has already broken the collegiate record in the 300 and has an NCAA automatic qualifying time in the 200 this season, sped to an NCAA automatic qualifying finish of 45.03 to win the 400 with the third-best collegiate time in history and the seventh-best time ever in the world.  Lawrence broke Georgia’s school record by nearly a second with what is the world’s fastest time since Kerron Clement set a new world record time of 44.57 in 2005.  In addition, Lawrence also ran a 45.1 split in the 4x400 relay as the Bulldogs clocked a 3:10.42 for eighth place.  Georgia also had a pair of NCAA provisional qualifiers in the weight throw.  Senior John Freeman reached 68 feet for the second straight meet and finished third with a mark of 68 feet, 1/2 inches.  Fellow senior Branislav Danis launched a career-best effort of 66-4.50 on his sixth and final attempt to move to No. 10 on Georgia’s all-time list.  In addition, senior David Schiedt recorded his fourth consecutive meet with a PR after having a fifth throw of 61-4.25 to finish eighth.  Other notable performances including the Bulldogs finishing with a time of 10:02.16 in the distance medley relay and sophomore Matt Cleaver taking fourth in the 3000 (8:25.80).  The Bulldogs will take the weekend off before returning to Fayetteville for the SEC Indoor Championships on February 26-28.

Women
The Lady Bulldogs finished with four NCAA provisional qualifying marks to go along with a win in the weight throw following a dominant performance by Nikola Lomnicka at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.  Lomnicka had her fourth consecutive meet with a personal-best mark after launching a top throw of 67 feet, 6 3/4 inches to win the weight and take over the SEC lead.  Lomnicka moved to No. 2 on Georgia’s all-time top-10 list and is now holding down the fifth spot on the NCAA performance list.  On the track, sophomore Kristie Krueger clocked a career-best and NCAA provisional qualifying time of 4:41.64 to take second in the mile and move to third on Georgia’s all-time list.  Her senior teammate Bridget Lyons also recorded a personal-best effort after finishing the 5000-meter run in an NCAA provisional qualifying 16:36.03 for fourth place.  The Lady Bulldogs final NCAA provisional qualifying mark came from freshman Jade Riebold, who had her third straight meet with a PR.  Riebold cleared 13-3.75 to finish 10th in the pole vault invitational, improving her No. 4 mark in school history.  Other notable performances included Krueger leading Georgia to a third-place finish in the distance medley relay (11:45.97) and junior Alesha Asijie picking up a career-best toss in the weight throw of 61 feet to take fifth.  The Lady Bulldogs will take the weekend off before returning to Fayetteville for the SEC Indoor Championships on February 26-28.

Kentucky
The Wildcats traveled to the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., and the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash. The sprints and jump squad competed in the Tyson Invitational, while the throws and distance runners competed in the Husky Classic.

Men
Senior Matt Sonnenfeldt finished with a season best time of 14:32.37 and solid fifth place showing in the 5,000m run. Steve Crouse led the UK men's jumpers with a fifth-place finish and jump of 14.94m/49-0.25. Fellow jumper David Banks followed in sixth place with a leap of 14.88m/48-10.00 and Keenan Hall who competed in the "Invitational" triple-jump section, finished in 15th place with a 14.3m/48-8.00 leap.  Senior thrower Colin Boevers claimed fourth place in the shot put for his throw of 17.04m (55 feet, 11 inches).  The team will return to action Feb. 26-28 for the SEC Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.

Women
Sophomore pole-vaulter Samantha Stenzel headlined the team results Friday when she not only finished in fifth place but put up the best mark in school history. Stenzel soared past the school record of 12-06.25 with a vault of 12-10.00. Kristin Smith claimed her second weight throw victory of the year. Smith's throw of 19.79m (64 feet, 11.25 inches) makes this her fourth NCAA provisional qualifying throw this season. Senior Ashley Muffet took third place with a NCAA provisional qualifying throw of 16.69m (53 feet, 09.25 inches). Mary Angell followed right behind in fourth place with a throw of 14.76m (48 feet, 05.25 inches), while Jennifer Svoboda finished tied for fifth with a mark of 14.65m (48 feet, .75 inches). High jumper Zan Morgan finished in third place, her highest finish of the season with a jump of 1.70m (5 feet, 7 inches). The team will return to action Feb. 26-28 for the SEC Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.

LSU
Men
Freshman sprinter Caleb Williams led the way for the LSU men’s track and field team on Friday and Saturday at the Tyson Invitational as he set two indoor personal bests to become an NCAA provisional qualifier in both the 200 meters and 400 meters. After setting a new indoor PR of 47.19 in the 400 meters on Friday, Williams returned to the track on Saturday and set a new indoor PR of 21.10 in the 200 meters to qualify provisionally for the NCAA Championships for the first time this season. His time of 21.10 ranks in a tie for the No. 7 spot on LSU’s all-time indoor performance list in the 200-meter dash. If that were not enough, Williams ran a 46.08-second split on the anchor leg of LSU’s 4x400-meter relay team that improved its NCAA provisional qualifying time with the fourth-fastest time in the country this season. He teamed with senior Armanti Hayes, junior Richard Jones and sophomore Robert Simmons to run a seasonal-best time of 3 minutes, 7.22 seconds. Hayes also became an NCAA provisional qualifier in the 400-meter dash for the first time this season with a time of 47.08. Jones led a pair of LSU Tigers who improved their NCAA provisional times in the 800-meter run with a new indoor PR of 1:48.41 to rank No. 4 on LSU’s all-time indoor performance list in the event. Senior Jamaal James also improved his provisional time in the 800 meters with a seasonal best of 1:48.73 at the Tyson Invitational. Through four meets of the 2010 indoor season, the Tigers boast two automatic and 12 provisional qualifiers into the 2010 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships to be held at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., from March 12-13. The Tigers will be back in action on Friday as they play host to the LSU Twilight at the Carl Maddox Field House.

Women
The Lady Tigers added a third NCAA automatic qualifier to their postseason roster this past weekend at the Tyson Invitational as senior LaTavia Thomas ran a seasonal-best time of 2 minutes, 4.55 seconds in the 800-meter run to finish runner-up in the invitational event on Friday night. Thomas’ performance ranks No. 4 overall in the NCAA this season and is the second-fastest time in the country run on a banked track. She then ran the anchor leg on LSU’s 4x400-meter relay team that improved its NCAA provisional qualifying time with a seasonal-best effort of 3:34.11 on Saturday at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark. Thomas teamed with senior Kayann Thompson, junior Brittany Hall and sophomore Cassandra Tate to run the third-fastest time in the NCAA this season. The Lady Tigers also added a trio of NCAA provisional qualifiers in the 200-meter dash during Saturday’s competition. Senior Samantha Henry led the way with a seasonal-best time of 23.76 seconds, while Tate (23.82) and freshman Kimberlyn Duncan (23.86) each recorded indoor personal bests in the event to qualify provisionally for the NCAA Indoor Championships for the first time this season. Through four meets of the 2010 indoor season, the Lady Tigers boast three automatic and 14 provisional qualifiers into the 2010 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships to be held at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., from March 12-13. The Tigers will be back in action on Friday as they play host to the LSU Twilight at the Carl Maddox Field House.

Ole Miss
Ole Miss distance runner Barnabas Kirui set a new school record in the 3000 meters with a time of 8:08.17 en route to a first place finish Saturday afternoon in the SEC/Big 12/Conference USA Challenge from the Giliam Indoor Track Stadium.  Women's distance runner Logan Waites set a new school record of her own in the 3000 with a time of 9:57.72 on her way to a fifth place finish.  Juniot LaJada Baldwin took third in the 400 meters with a time of 55.33 on her way to a third place finish.  Senior Jasmine Dacus finished in seventh in the event with her time of 55.78, marking the fifth-fastest mark in school history.  Middle distance runner Sofie Persson placed second in the 800 meters with an NCAA provisional mark of 2:07.77.  Juliana Smith picked up an NCAA provisional mark in the weight throw with a distance of 61-10.25 en route to a second place finish.  Freshman Jazmin Miller posted the third-furthest distance in school history with a mark of 56-04.00 on her way to a seventh place showing.  Junior Betty Williams finished in second place in the shot put with an NCAA provisional distance of 50-06.75.  It was also the second-furthest mark in school history.  Freshman Ricky Robertson won the individual title in the high jump with an NCAA provisional height of 7-01.00, which also marks the third-best mark in school history.  Ole Miss returns to action Feb. 26-28 when the Rebels take part in the SEC Indoor Championships from Fayetteville, Ark.

Mississippi State
Mississippi State women's track team traveled to Fayetteville, Ark., this past weekend for the Tyson Invitational. The Lady Bulldogs had a weekend filled with top performances both on the track and in the field. On the opening day of competition, Lady Bulldogs Chloe Phillips and Crystal Wilson shined on the track. Phillips, a freshman, ran a personal-best 5 minutes, 2.13 seconds to finish third in the mile run, while Wilson, recorded a personal-best 55.06 in the 400-meter dash. Wilson's time was good to move her to second all-time in MSU history. All-time performances continued throughout the competition, with Wendy Copeland's fifth-place long jump finish. Copeland jumped 20-09.25 to move her to second all-time in MSU history and earned provisional qualifying marks for the NCAA Indoor Championships.  Copeland also finished twelfth in the triple jump with a season long leap of 39-05.75. Sophomore thrower Favian Cowards broke the first school record of the weekend with her 59 feet, 1.50 inch throw in the 20 lb. weight throw to place sixth. The Lady Bulldog 4x400-meter relay team (Keisha Wallace, LaQuinta Aaron, Taneisha Baker and Brittany Covington) also found out what it feels like to set a school record with their 3 minute, 43.44 second effort.  A young Lady Bulldog distance medley relay team finished in 11:57.53, which was good enough for 6th-place in the event and fifth all-time in MSU history. In the women's 200-meter dash Lady Bulldog Taneisha Baker ran a personal-best 24.57 seconds in the event to place her third all-time in MSU history. The Lady Bulldogs return to action Feb. 26 when they return to Fayetteville, for the SEC Indoor Championships.

South Carolina
Lakya Brookins ran the nation's third-fastest 60m dash and Vica Shobe broke her pole vault school record for the second consecutive meet to lead South Carolina at the Tyson Invitational. Michael Zajac won the weight throw at the Tiger Paw Invitational to lead the Gamecock men. Brookins earned her fourth win of the season after running 7.23 in the 60m, making her one of four women in the nation with an automatic ticket to the NCAA Indoor Championships Shobe set a school record with her jump of 13-9 3Ž4 (4.21m) in the pole vault, hitting her second provisional mark of the year. Elliott Haynie, Shayla Mahan and Nadonnia Rodrigues also hit provisional marks over the weekend. Haynie cleared 17-0 3/4 (5.20m), Mahan ran 7.37 in the 60m and Rodrigues ran 53.47 in the 400m. South Carolina returns home Saturday to host the Gamecock Invitational at the USC Field House.

Tennessee
Men
The Volunteers joined Alabama and Ole Miss in aiding the Southeastern Conference to a runner-up finish at the Texas A&M Challenge on Saturday…The Big 12 finished first, followed by the SEC and Conference USA…Tennessee supplied 15 points to the league cause in the 3000 meters, 14 in the 60m dash and 11 in the 800 meters…Kyle Stevenson (6.81 – 6.803) and Evander Wells (6.81 – 6.809) finished second and third, respectively, in the 60-meter dash…Stevenson also placed ahead of Wells in the 200m, matching his indoor best of 21.38 to place eighth…Michael Spooner’s season-best, third-place effort of 8:23.91 led the Big Orange charge in the 3K, while Peter Sigilai’s third-place, career-best mark of 1:51.10 was Tennessee’s finest performance in the 800…There were five indoor career bests in the 3K for UT…The Vols also picked up runner-up performances from Desmond Brown (24-4 ½) in the long jump and the distance medley relay (10:05.07)…Carrying the baton for UT’s DMR were Emerson Peacock, Alan Bachman, Joe Franklin and Michael Spooner…The Big Orange men also added a third-place showing in the 4x400m relay at 3:13.38…Running that event for UT were John Hewitt, Samdi Fraser, Nathan Grace and Varick Tucker.

Women
The sixth-ranked Lady Volunteers posted some productive marks over the weekend at two different meets…Senior Jackie Areson automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in her second event this season, running an indoor school-best 15:53.54 readout in the 5000 meters to finish second at the Husky Classic in Seattle…That mark is No. 3 nationally, No. 1 in the SEC and snapped a 19-year-old UT record by 18 ½ seconds…It also was a 1:17.24 improvement over her year-old personal best in that event indoors…She also has an auto mark in the 3K, which ranks No. 2 nationally…Already an auto qualifier and NCAA leader in the 800 meters, Phoebe Wright improved her No. 1 NCAA mark to 2:02.84 in her victory at the Texas A&M Challenge…That is the fourth-best indoor readout in UT history and appears to put Wright into position to pursue the collegiate and UT record of 2:00.75, set by Nicole Cook in 2005…Tennessee also got provisional marks from Brittany Sheffey (4:43.05) and Chanelle Price (4:46.87) in the mile en route to first-and third-place finishes as well as a 4x400m relay provisional time of 3:39.07 from the combination of Ellen Wortham, Wright, Martinique Octave and Price…Tennessee joined Alabama and Ole Miss in helping the SEC finish second at the Texas A&M Challenge behind the Big 12 and ahead of Conference USA.

Vanderbilt
The Vanderbilt Commodores split to compete in the Tyson Invitational and the ISU Classic this weekend. The VU distance corps headed to the University of Arkansas to compete in the Tyson Invitational and the sprinting and field units headed to Iowa State for the ISU Classic. It was a big weekend for the Vanderbilt pole vaulters as junior Katherine Hendricks and sophomore Meagan Martin not only tied for first place at the ISU Classic with jumps of 11-11.75, but they also now share the Vanderbilt indoor pole vault record. Former Commodore Paige Roberts set the previous record in 2002 with a jump of 11-9.75. The VU sprinters set season highs and distance corps ran personal bests at their respective meets. Sophomore Teegan Hill ran a season best 57.37 in the 400 meter dash, good for 5th place. Sophomore Louise Hannallah finished the 3000 meter run invitational with a time of 9:51.44, a personal best. The Commodores will spend the next two weeks training before competing in the SEC Indoor Championships at the University of Arkansas, Feb. 26-28.