BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, May 11-13 — Britton Wilson was Britton Wilson, and that meant must-see racing at the SEC Women’s Championships.
The Arkansas junior started in the heats of the 400 on Friday with an eye-opening Collegiate Record 49.40 — winning comfortably by more 2 seconds — that took down her 49.51 from April’s Tom Jones Memorial.
A final-day double with the 400H in the span of some 80 minutes might seem daunting to most, but this was repeat territory for Wilson, who conquered both last year with then-PRs of 50.05 and 53.75.
Wilson started off her double this year in full force, lowering her 400 CR to 49.13 in winning by more than a second. She added a second-straight 400H title in 53.28, winning by almost 2 seconds.
The list of collegians who have run faster in the 400H is short: Kentucky’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (52.75), Stanford’s Kori Carter (53.21) and Wilson herself (53.23 last year). Wilson is the only one who’s done so with a fast 400 already in her legs on the same day.
“I felt good,” said Wilson of her hurdles effort. “I mean, my steps were a little off. I think that’s what kind of threw off my rhythm. I think I could have gone faster if everything fell into place, but those are things we can work on at practice. I’m not upset about it at all. I’m looking forward to the rest of the NCAA season.”
Wilson got a smidgen of help in her big double from a half-hour weather delay on Saturday. “That was so good,” she said. “I was over there praying. I’m so glad we got a little 30 minutes. It was nice.”
Another hurdles race also had high expectations. A loaded field included CR holder Masai Russell of Kentucky and Ackera Nugent of Arkansas, the only woman who could best Russell indoors — and break her 60H CR.
Local favorite Alia Armstrong of LSU made sure not to be forgotten. The reigning NCAA champion, she’d been quiet all year until a narrow loss to Nugent two weeks ago on this very same track.
Armstrong roared in the prelims on Friday with a 12.31w aided by a 2.2 wind — bettering the fastest ever recorded by a collegian (Armstrong herself at 12.33w in last year’s Texas Relays). The mark matched her all-time best of 12.31w, achieved post-collegiately in finishing 4th in last year’s World Championships.
Saturday’s final delivered a classic, and thankfully with a legal wind reading of 0.4. Armstrong won a close race in 12.40 — moving to =No. 3 all-time collegiately — as Nugent followed in 12.43 to reach No. 6 all-time. Russell was 3rd in 12.47, her second-fastest time ever.
Jasmine Moore of Florida won twice, the fourth time in a row she’s done so at the SEC indoors and out. Her long jump came first with a 22-7 (6.88) the farthest of 5 legal marks over 22-feet.
A repeat in the triple jump seemed in danger for Moore, who set an absolute AR in winning the NCAA Indoor in March at 49-7¼ (15.12). After a first-round foul she took control with the first of three 14-meter jumps — her farthest coming in round 6 at 46-4¾ (14.14).
Jacious Sears of Tennessee and McKenzie Long of Mississippi took the 100 and 200 titles. Sears set a PR 10.96 in the 100, and her 200 PR of 22.45 was second only to Long, who won in 22.39 (she set a PR 22.31 last month).
Locals enjoyed LSU’s Michaela Rose — still just 19 years old — winning the 800 by over 4 seconds in 1:59.73. That’s the No. 8 performance in collegiate history, and she joins former CR holder Raevyn Rogers of Oregon with two sub-2 collegiate races all-time.
Parker Valby of Florida held off a fast-closing Mercy Chelangat of Alabama in the 5000. Chelangat — 2-time defending champ in the 5000 and 10,000 — missed victory by 0.04, 15:25.03–15:25.07.
Team honors went to Arkansas with 134 points over Florida (112). The victory marked soon-to-retire Razorback coach Lance Harter’s 45th SEC crown (outdoor, indoor, XC).
SEC WOMEN’S RESULTS
(5/11—10K, 400Hh, HT, JT; 5/12—400h, St, 100Hh, PV, LJ, SP)
Teams: 1. Arkansas 134; 2. Florida 112; 3. Texas A&M 86; 4. Mississippi 73½; 5. Tennessee 67; 6. Georgia 57; 7. LSU 53; 8. tie, Alabama & Kentucky 50; 10. Missouri 45; 11. Vanderbilt 39; 12. Auburn 25; 13. South Carolina 19; 14. Mississippi State 8½.
100(0.9): 1. Jacious Sears (Tn) 10.96 (AmCL) (=10, x AmC); 2. ***Kaila Jackson (Ga) 11.04 (=7, x AJ);
3. McKenzie Long (Ms) 11.04; 4. *Ackera Nugent’ (Ar-Jam) 11.13; 5. *Favour Ofili’ (LSU-Ngr) 11.17.
200(0.0): 1. Long 22.39; 2. Sears 22.45; 3. Jackson 22.65; 4. *Talitha Diggs (Fl) 22.72; 5. Karimah Davis (Ky) 22.84;
6. Ofili’ 22.89.
400: 1. *Britton Wilson (Ar) 49.13 CR (old CR 49.40 Wilson in heats) (WL, AL) (17, x W; 4, 9 A);
2. Tierra Robinson-Jones (TxAM) 50.54; 3. Diggs 50.74; 4. **Jermaisha Arnold (TxAM) 50.98; 5. ***Aaliyah Butler (Ga) 51.32; 6. **Aaliyah Pyatt (Ar) 51.42.
Heats: II–1. Wilson 49.40 CR (old CR 49.48i Wilson ‘23) (AL, out WL) (=5, x A).
800: 1. **Michaela Rose (LSU) 1:59.73 (x, 9 C);
2. ***Sylvia Chelangat’ (SC-Ken) 2:03.98; 3. Imogen Barrett’ (Fl-Aus) 2:04.48; 4. *Jenna Schwinghamer (Ky) 2:05.01.
1500: 1. **Silan Ayyildiz’ (SC-Tur) 4:17.67; 2. *Lorena Rangel Batres’ (LSU-Mex) 4:17.91; 3. Gabrielle Wilkinson (Fl) 4:18.81; 4. Loral Winn (Ms) 4:19.87.
St: 1. Kristel van den Berg’ (Ms-Neth) 9:56.56; 2. *Gracie Hyde (Ar) 10:03.05; 3. *Laura Taborda’ (Ar-Por) 10:07.19; 4. Kathryn Nohilly (Fl) 10:14.29.
5000: 1. **Parker Valby (Fl) 15:25.03; 2. Mercy Chelangat’ (Al-Ken) 15:25.07; 3. **Hilda Olemomoi’ (Al-Ken) 15:28.12; 4. ***Heidi Nielson (Ar) 16:15.14.
10,000: 1. **Sydney Thorvaldson (Ar) 35:07.50; 2. *Julia Paternain’ (Ar-GB) 35:07.76; 3. *Jasmine Fehr’ (Tn-Can) 35:24.89; 4. *Jenna Schwartz (Mo) 35:40.66.
100H(0.4): 1. *Alia Armstrong (LSU) 12.40 (=3, =3 C; 3, 3 AmC); 2. *Ackera Nugent’ (Ar-Jam) 12.43 (6, 6 C); 3. Masai Russell (Ky) 12.47 (x, =10 C; x, =5 AmC);
4. Charisma Taylor’ (Tn-Bah) 12.84; 5. *Rosealee Cooper’ (MsSt-Jam) 13.00; 6. *Grace Stark (Fl) 13.01; 7. ***Jaiya Covington (TxAM) 13.18.
Heats: I(2.2)–1. Armstrong 12.31w (a-c AL, CL) (a-c: x, =9 A; 1, 1 C).
400H: 1. Wilson 53.28 (x, 4 C);
2. Russell 55.21; 3. *Vanessa Watson (Fl) 55.59; 4. Langley-Walker 56.60; 5. Brooke Overholt (Vand) 56.98; 6. ***Abasiono Akpan’ (Aub-Ngr) 57.11; 7. ***Allyria McBride (Vand) 57.71; 8. Bellamy 57.97.
Heats: II–1. Wilson 53.76 (x, 10 C).
4 x 100: I–1. Tennessee 43.48.
II–1. LSU 42.92 (Armstrong, Ofili’, Lyston’, Davies); 2. Kentucky 42.93 (Perrow, Charlton’, Russell, Davis); 3. Georgia 43.20; 4. Mississippi 43.43; 5. Florida 43.48.
4 x 400: 1. Texas A&M 3:26.64 (Wade, Robinson-Jones, Jallow 52.09, Arnold 50.42); 2. Arkansas 3:27.91 (Peoples, Pyatt, Reid’ 51.62, Anning’ 50.79); 3. Tennessee 3:29.98; 4. Kentucky 3:30.03; 5. Georgia 3:30.20; 6. Florida 3:30.86; 7. LSU 3:31.73.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Lamara Distin’ (TxAM-Jam) 6-3¼ (1.91); 2. **Elena Kulichenko’ (Ga-Rus) 6-2 (1.88); 3. ***Cheyla Scott (Tn) 6-¾ (1.85); 4. **Claudina Diaz’ (Mo-Mex) 6-¾.
PV: 1. *Amanda Fassold (Ar) 14-3¼ (4.35); 2. **Heather Abadie’ (TxAM-Can) 14-3¼; 3. *Mackenzie Hayward (Ar) 14-3¼; 4. *Marin Chamberlin (Ar) 13-9¼ (4.20); 5. Kaitlyn Banas (Ar) 13-9¼.
LJ: 1. *Jasmine Moore (Fl) 22-7 (6.88) (out CL) (22-4½, 22-4¼, 22-4¼, f, 22-3¾, 22-7) (6.82, 6.81, 6.81, f, 6.80, 6.88);
2. ***Anthaya Charlton’ (Ky-Bah) 22-1½ (6.74); 3. *Claire Bryant (Fl) 21-11 (6.68); 4. Taylor’ 21-4¼ (6.51); 5. *Morgan Smalls (LSU) 21-1½ (6.44); 6. Titiana Marsh (Ga) 20-10 (6.35).
TJ: 1. *Jasmine Moore (Fl) 46-4¾ (14.14) (out CL) (f, 46-1½, 44-9¾, 46-2½, 45-7¼, 46-4¾) (f, 14.06, 13.66, 14.08, 13.90, 14.14);
2. Taylor’ 45-10¾ (13.99); 3. *Mikeisha Welcome’ (Ga-StV) 44-10¾ (13.68); 4. Arianna Fisher (Mo) 44-4¼w (13.52) (43-1/13.13); 5. Marsh 44-2½ (13.47); 6. *Mirieli Santos’ (Mo-Bra) 44-1¼ (13.44).
SP: 1. ***Alida van Daalen’ (Fl-Neth) 59-3½ (18.07); 2. Jalani Davis (Ms) 58-10¼ (17.94); 3. Cherisse Murray’ (Al-Tri) 57-¾ (17.39); 4. *Veronica Fraley (Vand) 56-6½ (17.23); 5. Chelsea Igberaese (Al) 56-1 (17.09).
DT: 1. Fraley 206-2 (62.84) (AmCL) (10, x AmC) (204-8 [AmCL], f, 199-2, 204-3, 200-9, 206-2) (62.39, f, 60.71, 62.26, 61.20, 62.84);
2. van Daalen’ 193-8 (59.02); 3. Igberaese 190-2 (57.97); 4. *Kaia Harris (Mo) 188-8 (57.52); 5. *Maura Huwalt (Aub) 180-1 (54.90).
HT: 1. Madi Malone (Aub) 225-4 (68.69); 2. Davis 220-8 (67.27); 3. Shey Taiwo (Ms) 220-3 (67.13); 4. Igberaese 213-7 (65.10); 5. Jasmine Mitchell (Ms) 209-11 (63.99).
JT: 1. **Lianna Davidson’ (TxAM-Aus) 189-1 (57.65); 2. Sophia Rivera’ (Mo-PR) 183-8 (55.98); 3. **Katelyn Fairchild (TxAM) 183-1 (55.81); 4. **Valentina Barrios Bornacelli’ (Mo-Col) 168-1 (51.23); 5. Hailey Poole (Al) 163-3 (49.77); 6. Atina Kamasi’ (Mo-Ser) 162-6 (49.55).
Hept: 1. Beatričė Juškevičiūtė’ (Vand-Lit) 6079 (13.34w, 5-6/1.68, 45-5¾/13.86, 23.86w, 19-9½/6.03, 134-0/40.85, 2:17.83); 2. **Joniar Thomas’ (TxAM-Grn) 5941 NR; 3. Sterling Lester (Fl) 5778; 4. *Jada Sims (Vand) 5638; 5. Sara Van Aken (Ms) 5456. ◻︎