OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI, May 12-14—Arkansas scored its second consecutive triple crown at the SEC Championships, Chris Bucknam’s Razorbacks having won every conference title in cross country, indoor and outdoor track for the past two years. To do so, the team first had to come from behind on the final day to top a strong challenge from Alabama, 120–114.
Said Bucknam, “We try to be a complete team and we do it in honor of Coach [John] McDonnell. It’s in our DNA to try to win all three. This is a huge accomplishment.” Altogether, the program has now won 17 triple crowns, most of them under the leadership of the legendary McDonnell.
At the start of the final day, Tennessee led by a point over Alabama (55–54), with Arkansas in 3rd at 45. The first big boost on Saturday came in the 4×1, where Florida won big with a Joe Fahnbulleh-anchored 38.66 but Arkansas managed 2nd in 39.24. That it was a rough-and-tumble event showed in that fully half the teams failed to finish.
The 1500 featured a clash of the titans, with Mississippi’s NCAA Indoor mile champ, Mario García Romo, proving himself against recent CR setter Eliud Kipsang of Alabama. The difference came in the last lap, which the Spaniard covered in 56.88 to the Kenyan’s 58.56, to take the win, 3:36.91–3:39.09. Arkansas’s Amon Kemboi ran 3rd in 3:39.93. “I’m just happy to win it here at home,” said the victor.
Then came the 110H, where LSU’s Eric Edwards took the win in a zippy 13.28, but Arkansas went 2-3-5-6 for 21 points. A 1-2-3 sweep of the 5000 behind Patrick Kiprop (13:41.05) sealed the deal for the Razorbacks. Said Bucknam, “We knew it wasn’t a playground 5K, so we had some of our guys take the pace out early, and try to get the rust out of our legs, and maybe take something out of Alabama.”
In between were plenty of other hot events. Florida’s Champion Allison took the 400 in 44.74, catching early leader Elijah Godwin of Georgia (44.81) in the stretch. “He got out pretty good,” said Allison of Godwin. “I give it to him. He made me work pretty good.”
Tennessee’s Favour Ashe took the 100 in 10.04, ahead of Florida’s Dedrick Vanover (10.10), LSU’s Dorian Camel (10.11) and Georgia’s Matthew Boling (10.13). Jamaican Ashe broke the Tennessee frosh record held by Justin Gatlin at 10.08.
Mississippi State took a zippy 800 as Jamaican Navasky Anderson triumphed in 1:45.89 in a race where 7 of 9 finalists PRed. In the 400 hurdles, A&M’s Moitalel Mpoke ran a collegiate leader 48.84 as teammate James Smith placed 2nd in 49.41. LSU’s Sean Burrell remained far off last year’s form, running 8th in 51.57.
Boling came out on top of a 200 match-up against Florida’s Fahnbulleh, 20.01–20.13, with Camel well back in 20.43 for 3rd. For the much-touted Boling, it was a first SEC outdoor win.
With Arkansas not needing the 4×4 after getting its 5000 sweep, the attention focused on the front of the race, a wise call in this case. Jacory Patterson set the Gators up with a nice lead on the first leg. Ryan Willie stayed in front, bringing the baton to halfway in 1:29.33. With Kentucky chasing hard (Kennedy Lightner 44.55), Jacob Miley produced a 45.32 to keep Florida in front. Then 400 winner Allison produced a 44.79 to deliver the win at 2:59.44, the No. 5 collegiate performance ever.
Kentucky, on a Brian Faust 44.50 anchor, ran 2:59.93 to move to No. 7 among schools. It was only the third time in history that two schools had broken 3:00 in the same race.
SEC MEN’S RESULTS
(5/12—10K, HT, JT; 5/13—St, LJ, SP)
Teams: 1. Arkansas 120; 2. Alabama 114; 3. Tennessee 83; 4. Florida 78; 5. Georgia 75; 6. Texas A&M 70; 7. LSU 69; 8. Kentucky 47; 9. Missouri 38; 10. Auburn 33; 11. Mississippi State 31; 12. South Carolina 30; 13. Mississippi 25.
100(0.6): 1. ***Favour Ashe’ (Tn-Ngr) 10.04; 2. Dedrick Vanover (Fl) 10.10; 3. *Dorian Camel (LSU) 10.11;
4. **Matthew Boling (Ga) 10.13; 5. ***Godson Oghenebrume’ (LSU-Ngr) 10.16.
200(0.3): 1. Boling 20.01; 2. **Joe Fahnbulleh’ (Fl-Lbr) 20.13; 3. Camel 20.43; 4. *Evan Miller (SC) 20.46;
5. *Demetrius Jackson (Al) 20.48.
400: 1. *Champion Allison (Fl) 44.74; 2. *Elija Godwin (Ga) 44.81; 3. *Jacory Patterson (Fl) 45.12; 4. ***Emmanuel Bamidele’ (TxAM-Ngr) 45.23; 5. **Ryan Willie (Fl) 45.69.
800: 1. *Navasky Anderson’ (MsSt-Jam) 1:45.89; 2. ***Sam Whitmarsh (TxAM) 1:46.09; 3. *Clayborn Pender (Ga) 1:46.71; 4. *Baylor Franklin (Ms) 1:46.83.
1500: 1. *Mario García Romo’ (Ms-Spa) 3:36.91; 2. **Eliud Kipsang’ (Al-Ken) 3:39.09; 3. Amon Kemboi’ (Ar-Ken) 3:39.93; 4. *Martin Prodanov’ (Mo-Bul) 3:40.42; 5. *Shane Bracken’ (Ms-Ire) 3:41.43.
St: 1. *Andrew Kibet’ (Ar-Ken) 8:42.87; 2. ***Hillary Cheruiyot’ (Al-Ken) 8:48.67; 3. Alex Crigger (Tn) 8:52.31; 4. **Teddy Radtke (TxAM) 8:54.70.
5000: 1. **Patrick Kiprop’ (Ar-Ken) 13:41.05; 2. Amon Kemboi’ (Ar-Ken) 13:43.02; 3. Emmanuel Cheboson’ (Ar-Ken) 13:43.66; 4. ***Victor Kiprop’ (Al-Ken) 13:45.95; 5. Kipsang’ 13:54.12.
10,000: 1. V. Kiprop’ 29:16.07; 2. P. Kiprop’ 29:22.20; 3. **Myles Richter (Ar) 29:29.38; 4. *Karl Thiessen (Tn) 29:32.36; 5. Cheruiyot’ 29:44.82.
110H(0.5): 1. Eric Edwards (LSU) 13.28; 2. **Phillip Lemonious’ (Ar-Jam) 13.55; 3. *Tre’Bien Gilbert (Ar) 13.60; 4. **Corde Long (Al) 13.76; 5. *Ayden Owens-Delerme’ (Ar-PR) 13.84.
400H: 1. Moitalel Mpoke’ (TxAM-Ken) 48.84 (CL);
2. *James Smith (TxAM) 49.41; 3. Long 49.59; 4. **Caleb Cavanaugh (Ga) 49.75; 5. **Jakwan Hale (Tn) 50.57;
6. ***Bryce McCray (Ga) 50.96; 7. Kenroy Williams’ (Ky-Jam) 51.31; 8. **Sean Burrell (LSU) 51.57.
4 x 100: 1. Florida 38.66 (Vanover, Davis, Austin, Fahnbulleh’); 2. Arkansas 39.24; 3. South Carolina 39.50; 4. Tennessee 39.52;… dnf—Kentucky, LSU, Texas A&M, Alabama.
4 x 400: 1. Florida 2:59.44 (5 C) (Patterson, Willie, Miley 45.32, Allison 44.79); 2. Kentucky 2:59.93 (12 C; #7 school) (St. Hillaire’, Lang, Lightner 44.55, Faust 44.50);
3. Alabama 3:02.31 (Jackson 44.34, McRae 45.11); 4. Texas A&M 3:02.70 (Zamzow 45.81, Etiwe 46.01); 5. LSU 3:05.92; 6. Mississippi State 3:06.12.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Darius Carbin (Ga) 7-4¼ (2.24); 2. *Dontavious Hill (Aub) 7-3 (2.21); 3. **Jackson Marseille (SC) 7-1¾ (2.18); 4. *Roberto Vilches’ (Mo-Mex) 7-1¾.
PV: 1. **Keaton Daniel (Ky) 18-2½ (5.55); 2. *James Courson (Aub) 17-10½ (5.45); 3. Matthew Peare (Ky) 17-4½ (5.30); 4. ***Carson Lenser (SC) 17-2¾ (5.25).
LJ: 1. ***Wayne Pinnock’ (Tn-Jam) 26-5 (8.05); 2. Carey McLeod’ (Tn-Jam) 25-11½ (7.91); 3. ***Malcolm Clemons (Fl) 25-8¾ (7.84); 4. Cameron Crump (MsSt) 25-4 (7.72).
TJ: 1. **Sean Dixon-Bodie (LSU) 53-8¼ (16.36); 2. ***Apalos Edwards’ (LSU-Jam) 53-3½ (16.24); 3. *Georgi Nachev’ (Mo-Bul) 53-1¾ (16.20); 4. Jalen Tate (Tn) 53-1½ (16.19).
SP: 1. *Jordan West (Tn) 66-6½ (20.28); 2. **John Meyer (LSU) 66-2¼ (20.17); 3. Isaac Odugbesan’ (Al-Ngr) 65-9 (20.04); 4. *Josh Sobota (Ky) 65-0 (19.81); 5. *Santiago Basso’ (Al-Chl) 64-2¼ (19.56).
DT: 1. **Mitchell Weber (Mo) 197-10 (60.30); 2. **Alan de Falchi’ (Al-Bra) 191-10 (58.49); 3. Jerimiah Evans (Al) 189-3 (57.68); 4. Sobota 188-2 (57.37); 5. ***Rece Rowan (Mo) 186-3 (56.77).
HT: 1. *Bobby Colantonio (Al) 238-2 (72.59); 2. *Alencar Pereira’ (Ga-Bra) 230-7 (70.28); 3. Georgios Korakidis’ (Tn-Gre) 228-6 (69.64); 4. Kieran McKeag (Al) 228-4 (69.60); 5. Jake Norris’ (LSU-GB) 227-6 (69.35).
JT: 1. **DJ Jonsson’ (MsSt-Ice) 250-7 (76.39); 2. *Ahmed Magour’ (Ga-Qat) 244-1 (74.40); 3. **Tzuriel Pedigo (LSU) 241-7 (73.63); 4. *Nick Mirabelli (TxAM) 228-1 (69.52); 5. Mark Porter (Fl) 226-8 (69.08).
Dec(5/12-13): 1. Johannes Erm’ (Ga-Est) 8132 (10.50w, 23-6/7.16, 47-10¾/14.60, 6-3¼/1.91, 47.52, 14.58, 148-3/45.18, 16-2¾/4.95, 172-9/52.65, 4:38.61); 2. *Daniel Spejcher (Ar) 7695; 3. **Yariel Soto’ (Tn-PR) 7600. ◻︎
