KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Senior Florida jumper Shara Proctor won her second straight Southeastern Conference women’s long jump Saturday on the third day of the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Tom Black Track/LaPorte Stadium on the University of Tennessee.
Saturday’s schedule was interrupted by inclement weather for nearly 4½ hours. Competition was suspended at 6:06 p.m. and did not resume until 10:30 p.m. The day’s competition did not conclude until well after midnight.
Florida’s women surged into second place after the third day of competition with 40.5 total points. Arkansas leads the women’s team race with 42.5 points, while Georgia is third (39.5 points) and LSU fourth (39 points). Georgia and LSU are tied for the lead on the men’s side with 45 total points, while Auburn is third with 40 points. The Gators are tied with Ole Miss for fourth place with 35 points.
“I thought we had a very good day today,” Florida coach Mike Holloway said. “I was very, very proud of our team’s effort. I talked to the team this morning and told them that it was very important for them to engage in the meet, after what happened yesterday, and I thought we did a great job of that today. We are in the mix to compete for a title on both sides tomorrow and it’s going to come down to the team that wants it the most. There are a lot of really good teams and talented athletes in this league, but we also have a great team and some very talented athletes.”
Proctor became just the sixth multiple-time winner of the event. Proctor’s winning leap of 21 feet, 11½ inches came on her fifth attempt. That was Proctor’s collegiate-best mark in the long jump, second only to her leap of 22 feet, 0¼ inches recorded at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany.
“I am really proud of the way Shara competed today,” said Brian O’Neal, assistant coach for women’s jumps. “Any time you can win an SEC title, it’s big. But in the chase for a team title, it’s great when you can come out and win the first event on Saturday. Putting 10 points on the board for the team is a nice way to start out the day.”
In a thrilling finish to the men’s long jump that featured athlete-after-athlete notching his personal best on the sixth attempt, sophomore jumper Christian Taylor placed second with the second-best leap in school history at 26 feet, 10½ inches on his final attempt. Taylor recorded a PR of more than a foot-and-a-half, shattering his previous personal-record of 25-4 recorded at the War Eagle Invitational on April 18, 2009.
“Christian had a tremendous breakthrough in the long jump,” said Dick Booth, assistant coach for men’s jumps. “It’s not his favorite event, but I told him to hang in there and, before long, he won’t know what his favorite event is. It was a tremendous competition environment out there today and he rose to the occasion. We have been working hard on running hard and jumping far and he hadn’t quite been able to put those two things together – today he sprinted hard, hit the right check marks and really just kicked the door open. I’m really proud of him because it’s so hard to hang in there when you’re struggling. It was great to see him overcome that and we’re really looking forward to tomorrow.”
The Florida women went 2-3 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to pick up 14 points. Senior Julie Northrup ran a personal-record time of 10:23.53 – the second-fastest time in school history. That shattered her previous personal-best of 10:25.79, achieved at this year’s Penn Relays. Sophomore Genevieve LaCaze was third in 10:30.12.
The Gators added 11 points from the women’s discus with freshman Ashley Miller placed second with a toss of 164 feet, 5 inches. Sophomore Keely Medeiros was sixth with a 157-4 effort, while freshman Kaitlin Davis just missed a scoring opportunity, placing ninth with a personal-best toss 153-0. Junior Daisy Glasser tied for eighth in the pole vault, soaring 12 feet, 2 ¾ inches.
Junior thrower Kemal Mesic finished second in the men’s shot put to score eight points with his toss of 60 feet, 1¼ inches. Mario Ariet was fifth in the javelin with a heave of 214 feet, 7 inches, while Doug Nelson won his flight with a toss of 199-10, but failed to score in the meet. Michael Anderson added two points in the men’s steeplechase, finishing in a personal-best time of 9:08.77.
Sophomore sprinter Jeff Demps had the fastest time in the men’s 100-meter dash prelims, finishing in 10.18. Junior Terrell Wilks also qualified in 10.35. Jarius Cooper advanced to the finals 110-meter hurdles in 14.39.
Senior sprinter Calvin Smith placed fifth in the prelims of the 400 meters in 46.34. Freshman Tony McQuay also qualified by winning his heat in 46.67. Senior R.J. Anderson just missed qualifying for the finals, finishing ninth in 46.67.
Senior Justin Taylor advanced to the men’s 1,500-meter finals by finishing third in the preliminaries in 3:48.22.
Sophomore Madison McNary advanced to the finals of the women’s 100 with a time of 11.70 in the preliminaries, while freshman Lanie Whittaker qualified in the women’s 400 in a time of 53.89.
Florida qualified both of its women’s competitors for the finals of the 1,500-meter run. Senior Charlotte Browning placed third in the preliminaries in a time of 4:26.07, while senior Stacey Johnson was fifth in 4:27.01.
SEC OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium / University of Tennessee / Knoxville, Tenn. / Saturday, May 15 results
MEN
Team standings (7 events): 1. (tie) Georgia and Louisiana State 45 points; 3. Auburn 40; 4. (tie) Florida and Mississippi 35; 6. Arkansas 23; 7. Tennessee 18; 8. South Carolina 16; 9. Mississippi State 9; 10. Alabama 7.
Finals
Javelin: 1. Brian Moore (Georgia) 239 feet, 4 inches (10 points); 2. Aaron Moore (Louisiana State) 226 feet, 8 inches (8); 3. Colin Moleton (Mississippi) 217 feet, 4 inches (6); 4. Matt Maloney (Tennessee) 217 feet, 3 inches (5); 5. Mario Ariet (Florida) 214 feet, 7 inches (4); 6. Bryce Willen (Mississippi) 213 feet, 9 inches (3); 7. Mark DeBlanc (Louisiana State) 206 feet, 6 inches (2); 8. Luke Laird (Arkansas) 202 feet, 11 inches (1). Others: 10. Doug Nelson (Florida) 199 feet, 10 inches.
Long jump: 1. Alain Bailey (Arkansas) 27 feet, 4¾ inches (10 points); 2. Christian Taylor (Florida) 26 feet, 10½ inches (8); 3. Will Coppage (Louisiana State) 26 feet, 3¾ inches (6); 4. Damar Forbes (Louisiana State) 26 feet, 0¼ inches (5); 5. Desmond Brown (Tennessee) 25 feet, 9¼ inches (4); 6. Zedric Thomas (Louisiana State) 25 feet, 8¾ inches (3); 7. Caleb Lee (Mississippi) 24 feet, 10 inches (2); 8. Aaron LaGarde (Georgia) 24 feet, 9¼ inches (1).
Shot put: 1. Israel Machovec (Georgia) 60 feet, 10½ inches (10 points); 2. Kemal Mesic (Florida) 60 feet, 1¼ inches (8); 3. Eric Werskey (Auburn) 56 feet, 2½ inches (6); 4. Ed Wesela (Mississippi State) 54 feet, 8 inches (5); 5. Petr Novotny (Georgia) 54 feet, 5¼ inches (4); 6. Ben Bartholomew (Tennessee) 53 feet, 3¾ inches (3); 7. Louis Day (South Carolina) 53 feet, 0 inches (2); 8. Walter Henning (Louisiana State) 52 feet, 10¾ inches (1).
3,000-meter steeplechase: 1. Martin Kirui (Mississippi) 8:50.08 (10 points); 2. Barnabas Kirui (Mississippi) 8:51.31 (8); 3. Scott Novack (Auburn) 8:51.68 (6); 4. Andrew Kirwa (Alabama) 9:00.11 (5); 5. Rick Elliott (Arkansas) 9:01.87 (4); 6. Michael Spooner (Tennessee) 9:07.33 (3); 7. Michael Anderson (Florida) 9:08.77 (2); 8. Daniel Simpkins (Mississippi State) 9:11.49. Others: 9. James Uthmeier (Florida) 9:12.93.
Preliminaries
100 meters: 1. Jeff Demps (Florida) 10.18; Marcus Rowland (Auburn) 10.20; Rondel Sorrillo (Kentucky) 10.32; Terrell Wilks (Florida) 10.35; Michael Granger (Mississippi) 10.34; Evander Wells (Tennessee) 10.35; Kendall May (Mississippi State) 10.45; Kyle Stevenson (Tennessee) 10.47. Did not qualify: Jeremy Hall (Florida) 10.56; Jeremy Rankin (Florida) 10.60; Chris Rainey (Florida) 10.76.
400 meters: 1. Tavaris Tate (Mississippi State) 45.65; Armanti Hayes (Louisiana State) 46.21; Kirani James (Alabama) 46.22; O’Neal Wilder (Mississippi State) 46.26; Calvin Smith (Florida) 46.34; Tony McQuay (Florida) 46.67; Obakeng Ngwigwa (South Carolina) 46.33; Dwight Mullings (Mississippi State) 46.54. Did not qualify: R.J. Anderson (Florida) 46.67; Preston Wilson (Florida) 47.75; 21. Jovon Toppin (Florida) 48.06.
110-meter hurdles: 1. Barrett Nugent (Louisiana State) 13.66; Johnny Dutch (South Carolina) 13.90; Booker Nunley (South Carolina) 14.02; Emanuel Mayers (Mississippi State) 14.43; Jarius Cooper (Florida) 14.39; Andrew Pennington (Arkansas) 14.82; Darryl Bradshaw (Kentucky) 14.55; Cory Holman (Georgia) 14.68. Did not qualify: Gray Horn (Florida) 15.07.
1,500 meters: 1. Felix Kiboiywo (Auburn) 3:48.11; Patrick McGregor (Kentucky) 3:48.74; Justin Taylor (Florida) 3:48.22; Peter Sigilai (Tennessee) 3:49.32; Patrick Russell (Arkansas) 3:48.77; Julius Bor (Alabama) 3:49.47; Michael Chinchar (Arkansas) 3:48.89; Duncan Phillips (Arkansas) 3:49.61; Josh Nadzam (Kentucky) 3:49.28; Alan Sticker (Louisiana State) 3:49.39; Joel Rop (Alabama) 3:49.98; Danny Neff (Georgia) 3:50.13.
WOMEN
Team standings (8 events): 1. Arkansas 42.50 points; 2. Florida 40.50; 3. Georgia 39.50; 4. Louisiana State 39; 5. Kentucky 36; 6. Auburn 28; 7. Alabama 23; 8. South Carolina 20.50; 9. (tie) Mississippi and Mississippi State 17; 11. Vanderbilt 5; 12. Tennessee 4.
Finals
Long jump: 1. Shara Proctor (Florida) 21 feet, 11½ inches (10 points); 2. Wendy Copeland (Mississippi State) 20 feet, 10 inches (8); 3. Brittany Bozeman (Mississippi) 20 feet, 5¼ inches (6); 4. Melissa Ogbourne (Louisiana State) 20 feet, 4¼ inches (5); 5. Whitney Jones (Arkansas) 20 feet, 3½ inches (4); 6. Brittany Porter (Louisiana State) 20 feet, 1½ inches (3); 7. Rachel Jenkins (Mississippi) 19 feet, 11½ inches (2); 8. Shantel Thompson (Arkansas) 19 feet, 10¾ inches (1).
Pole vault: 1. Tina Sutej (Arkansas) 13 feet, 9¾ inches (10 points); 2. Janice Keppler (Arkansas) 13 feet, 9¾ inches (8); 3. Vica Shobe (South Carolina) 13 feet, 6½ inches (6); 4. Katie Stripling (Arkansas) 13 feet, 6½ inches (5); 5. Rachel Laurent (Louisiana State) 13 feet, 2½ inches (4); 6. Katelyn Rodrigue (Louisiana State) 13 feet, 2½ inches (3); 7. Neal Tisher (Mississippi) 12 feet, 8¾ inches (2); 8. Sallie Gurganus (South Carolina) 12 feet, 2¾ inches (1); Others: 9. Daisy Glasser (Florida) 12 feet, 2¾ inches; 10. Claire Spurling (Florida) 12 feet, 2¾ inches.
Discus: 1. Samia Stokes (Louisiana State) 168 feet, 5 inches (10 points); 2. Ashley Miller (Florida) 164 feet, 5 inches (8); 3. Mary Angell (Kentucky) 164 feet, 2 inches (6); 4. Davina Orieukwu (Mississippi) 161 feet, 2 inches (5); 5. Aslynn Halvorson (Tennessee) 159 feet, 10 inches (4); 6. Keely Medeiros (Florida) 157 feet, 4 inches (3); 7. Aimee Kodat (South Carolina) 154 feet, 9 inches (2); 8. Rachel Travis (Georgia) 153 feet, 10 inches (1). Others: 9. Kaitlin Davis (Florida) 153 feet, 0 inches.
High jump: 1. Maya Pressley (Auburn) 5 feet, 10 ¾ inches (10 points); 2. Brittani Carter (Louisiana State) 5 feet, 10 ¾ inches (8); 3. Krystle Schade (Alabama) 5 feet, 10 ¾ inches (6); 4. Saniel Atkinson (Georgia) 5 feet, 8 ¾ inches; 5. Chealsea Taylor (Alabama) 5 feet, 8¾ inches; 6. (tie) Shaquita Young (Georgia) 5 feet, 7 inches (2.5) and Kayla Blake (South Carolina) 5 feet, 7 inches (2.5); 8. Jessica Merriweather (Mississippi State) 5 feet, 5 inches (1).
3,000-meter steeplechase: 1. Beatrice Biwott (South Carolina) 10:20.14 (10 points); 2. Julie Northrup (Florida) 10:23.53 (8); 3. Genevieve LaCaze (Florida) 10:30.12 (6); 4. Stephanie Barnes (Auburn) 10:44.00 (5); 5. Andrea Richardson (Kentucky) 10:44.55 (4); 6. Cali George (Arkansas) 10:44.58 (3); 7. Leslie Boozer (Georgia) 10:50.40 (2); 8. Taylor Johnson (Arkansas) 10:53.98 (1).
Preliminaries:
100 meters: 1. Samantha Henry (Louisiana State) 11.43; Sheniqua Ferguson (Auburn) 11.47; Takeia Pinckney (Louisiana State) 11.58; Kenyanna Wilson (Louisiana State) 11.63; Madison McNary (Florida) 11.70; Gabrielle Glenn (South Carolina) 11.71; Nivea Smith (Auburn) 11.78; Georgina Nembhard (Georgia) 11.79. Did not qualify: Alishea Usery (Florida) 12.10; Amani Bryant (Florida) 12.32.
400 meters: 1. Joanna Atkins (Auburn) 52.03; Shelise Williams (Arkansas) 52.23; Regina George (Arkansas) 52.62; Jody-Ann Muir (Mississippi State) 52.95; Brandi Cross (South Carolina) 53.35; LaJada Baldwin (Mississippi) 52.72; Lakeshia Williams (Auburn) 53.71; Lanie Whittaker (Florida) 53.89. Did not qualify: Ije Iheoma (Florida) 55.67; Michelle Stegall (Florida) 55.79.
100-meter hurdles: 1. Krystal Bodie (Auburn) 13.48; Tenaya Jones (Louisiana State) 13.48; Kimberley Laing (Alabama) 13.66; Brittany Hyter (Arkansas) 13.53; Keisha Wallace (Mississippi State) 13.60; Kettiany Clarke (South Carolina) 13.76; Amelia Anderson (Auburn) 13.54; Janica Austin (South Carolina) 13.61.
1,500 meters: 1. Brittany Sheffey (Tennessee) 4:25.01; Kristie Krueger (Georgia) 4:26.11; Samantha Learch (Arkansas) 4:25.91; Stacey Johnson (Florida) 4:27.01; Charlotte Browning (Florida) 4:26.07; Rita Jorgensen (Vanderbilt) 4:27.77; Jackie Areson (Tennessee) 4:27.06; Charlene Lipsey (Louisiana State) 4:30.19; Kristen Gillespie (Arkansas) 4:27.84; Chloe Phillips (Mississippi State) 4:30.56; Leigh Gilmore (Alabama) 4:33.81; Katlyn Will (Alabama) 4:35.98.