2013 SEC Championships - Quotes

2013 SEC Indoor Championships || Quotes
February 22-24, 2013
Randal Tyson Track Center
Fayetteville, Ark.

SUNDAY

Jessie Harrison (Tennessee) - Weight Throw / 62-01.25
“Last year, it was all nerves. This year, I was a little bit nervous, but I just came in and wanted to have fun. That’s really what I did. Today was a lot of fun. I know my technique, and that just overshadowed my nerves. It was a lot of fun throwing today.”

Eddie Lovett (Florida) - 60m Hurdles / 7.54
“Yesterday was a fun day, I had a great day. We wanted to come in here and let everyone know that Florida was here. It’s kind of like a rivalry against Arkansas indoors and its fun. I wanted to come out here and get better and have fun. I feel like I set the example for everyone else to follow.”

Jasmin Stowers (LSU) - 60m Hurdles / 8.06
“I focused on getting out of the blocks quick and scoring points for my team. It’s important getting those 10 points for my team in the hurdles. I’m very happy. It’s my third time winning, so I’m ecstatic.”

Markesh Woodson (Missouri) - 60 Meters / 6.60
“It was a fast race.  I did what my coach told me to do, and executed. You have to turn it up and can’t let anybody pass you. It feels great to be an SEC champion.”

Kimberlyn Duncan (LSU) - 60 Meters / 7.24
“I was trying to pop the start. My coach told me to pop the start. I’ve been working on that all year and saw on the video that I needed to work on my ending, but I scored for my team so I’m happy about that. It’s been a long time and I feel like the hard work has paid off.”

Matt Hillenbrand (Kentucky) - Mile / 4:01.55
“I went out a little faster than expected but I had to stick with it. I knew if it was going to come down to that last 200, I could get him and come up with the win. I knew to wait till the home stretch to make my move.”

Cory McGee (Florida) – Mile / 4:35.33
“I love the mile. The mile is my race. I was focused on this race for weeks. There are more fast girls in this race than ever. I almost pushed too hard and had to sit back and run my race.”

Deon Lendore (Texas A&M) - 400 Meters / 45.23
“My mindset was to come in and keep my time under 44 seconds. I got 45, so I missed it by a little bit but I’m happy to score points for Texas A&M.”

Tarik Batchelor (Arkansas) - Triple Jump / 54-02.75
“I did a really good job today of executing what I wanted to do. It’s a big boost for the team. Getting the 10 points for Arkansas is what I came to do. I’ve been training hard for this meet and it just came together today.”

Henry Lelei (Texas A&M) - 5,000 Meters / 13:54.33
“I knew it would be a slow place and I would have to push it myself. I had some help with teammates assisting with the pace early in the race. Then at 2,000 meters,  I took over to the finish. It was hard to do, especially pushing the pace by yourself for that long. It’s very special to win another SEC title.”

Sean Obinwa (Florida)    - 800 Meters / 1:48.40
“I was behind after 400 meters and just had to stay focused and relaxed on those last two laps. I gave it everything I’ve got. I’ve been praying all day and just left it in God’s hands. You have to trust your training and come out and give everything you’ve got.”

Charlene Lipsey (LSU) - 800 Meters / 2:02.48
“It’s a big deal for us as a team.  For us to get 18 points and finish 1-2, it really means a lot.”

Andrew Irwin (Arkansas) - Pole Vault / 18-4.5
“It was a long and stressful day since I didn’t make anything on my first attempt. I had to battle against the freshman from Tennessee all day. It seems like he’s having a pretty good freshman year. It was fun to go out and compete like that.”

Kimberlyn Duncan (LSU) - 200 Meters    / 22.54
“Today worked out well for me. I listened to my coaches and it all worked out well. My goal is always to stay fresh and improve as an athlete and I think I did that today.”

Aaron Ernest (LSU) - 200 Meters / 20.53
“It’s my first time back in Fayetteville since I came in second last year. I put a lot of time in during the offseason and worked a lot with my coaches. I’m glad I get to come back in two weeks for the (NCAA) championships. What better place to do it than Fayetteville?”

Stephen Saenz (Auburn) - Shot Put / 64-07.75
“I knew there would be good completion from Georgia coming in. My season average wasn’t the best. It was low 19s. I knew I needed a big throw to win and on my third throw,  I came around on it, hit it solid and got the win. Whenever I feel pressure, it’s good because it gets my adrenaline up. If I don’t feel pressure, it’s harder for me to get a big throw. I think me being behind was a good thing. I focused more and my arm was ready to go and I connected on it.”

Jeanelle Scheper (USC) - High Jump / 6-01.50
“It felt great. This is what I came here to do today, I hoped to get a PR and qualify for worlds, but I guess you can’t do everything in one day, right? The 10 points is great for my team. I’ve never won before and I just love being able to contribute.”

Laura Carleton (LSU) - 5,000 Meters / 16:18.20
“I try to turn it on at the end of the race and I guess I just had it in me. It feels great. Being champion was never really on my mind. It was on my coaches, but it feels great.”

Arkansas Men’s DMR / 9:50.67   
Patrick Rono (anchor leg)
“On the last lap it got so loud in here and I was just pumped. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and the crowd, as well.”

Anthony Lieghio (lead leg)
“We wanted to hold them off and clinch the SEC’s here at home in Fayetteville.  Hearing that Hog Call when we finished was special.”

LaQue Moen-Davis (Texas A&M) - Triple Jump / 44-02.00
“It feels good to be a champion. Yesterday didn’t go too well for me, so I had 24 hours to get over it and be ready for my next event. It feels great to come out and contribute to our team. Since we are new members we are trying to set the standard for A&M’s future.”

Florida Women’s DMR    / 11:13.45
Cory McGee (anchor leg)
“I love the Gators and my team. I was injured during the fall and I think that makes you realize how much you love it. It’s good to work with the distance group and work together as a team. Go Gators”

Texas A&M Men’s 4x400m / 3:04.18
Ricky Babineaux (lead leg)
“Coming into the race, I knew we had a good chance. Having guys like this on my team, you couldn’t ask for any more. We’ve got a great anchor and I think he makes our team.”

Arkansas Women’s 4x400m / 3.29.60
Regina George (anchor)
“If you want it this bad, you have to go for it. It helped a lot having it at home and the fans really lifted our spirits. I couldn’t be more excited to win an SEC title at home during my senior season.”

(5 races over 2 days)
“I feel stronger than I thought. Mentally it was tough, but I knew the training I’ve been doing would help me. We train hard every day so it’s just like practice. You have to compete.”

Men’s Team Champion (Arkansas) – Head Coach Chris Bucknam
 “I love the way our guys competed on the final day. We have had a really intense schedule this year, probably more intense than what we have had in the past, simply because we have had five meets in a row and scored a lot of those meets, but I think it hardened our shell a little bit mentally. To come down on the final day and compete like we did in the DMR and with Andrew Irwin in the pole vault and Tarik Batchelor in the triple jump and the way we competed across the board, really impressed me and hopefully we can carry this forward into the national championships.”

Women’s Team Champion (Arkansas) – Head Coach Lance Harter
“It came down to the last event which is perfect for us. We knew it was going to be a four-team battle. We just didn’t know what order it was going to be. We kept the people in the stands and kept the meet exciting when it came down to the last event. Makeba was huge for us over the weekend and we picked up some points in the high jump and then the 5K runners were big for us. Then obviously picking up the DMR and 4X4 at the end was big for us.”

SATURDAY

Marquis Dendy (Florida) – Long Jump/27-1
“All season I have been fouling huge jumps, so my coaches and I have been working on my approach to a tee. Every day in practice it was just approaches, approaches, approaches, then today I came out and executed like I do in practice. I just wanted to go out there, put my foot in the board and compete hard for my team.”

Hilenn James (Georgia) – Shot put/55-0.75
“Any points we can get are really good for our team, I am really happy with my last throw to win the competition. Just any points we can get right now in this meet really boosts our confidence moving on and It just show that our team has a lot of potential.”

Henry Lelei (Texas A&M) – 3,000 Meters/7:57.57
“I knew it was going to be a fast race so I tried to hold onto my pace throughout the race. At the end of the race on the last couple of laps I knew I needed to make my move, so I passed the Arkansas runners and held on for the win.”

Cally Macumber (Kentucky) – 3,000 Meters/9:15.66
“I was feeling kind of tired in the middle of the race, but I could feel them coming back to me at the end of the race. I just took off to finish it. Going into the race my coach wanted me to stay in the middle of the pack and using my closing speed to try and win. I knew it was going to be a close finish so I just leaned in and just got her at the end.”

Alexis Paine (Alabama) – Pole Vault/13-8.50
“I didn’t really expect to be an SEC Champion.  I have had a really tough year. I came to the competition today to just work on some technical aspects of my event. I am happy I was able to win for my team. We didn’t get to compete yesterday, so to be able to come out today and start with a win for my team is awesome. We have a lot of really great athletes ready to compete today, and I hope everyone else gets a win for my team.”

Chanice Porter (Georgia) – Long Jump/21-0.5
”Well I’m excited because it is my first time competing indoors and my first time competing on the collegiate level, so I am very happy with my jump. This jump helps me along with my goal of jumping for a professional career.”

Ricky Robinson (Ole Miss) – High Jump/7-5
“It’s always good to be an SEC champion. I came out with a little energy coming from the long jump, and I just executed what I’ve learned since I’ve been at Ole Miss. I was feeling good throughout the event. As I kept progressing and kept clearing heights, I got my confidence. Overall, I felt really good. It means a lot to my team to help us come out on top. It was a long day today and hopefully I can get some points tomorrow in the triple jump as well.”

Garrett Scantling (Georgia) – Heptathlon/5,889 points
“It’s wonderful. I came in the first day with the 60m and a 6.95 for a big PR for me. After that I just kept it going and kept the energy going, I didn’t end the day the way I wanted to though in the high jump though. Then I came out for a big day two, I finished with a big PR in the hurdles then I tied my PR in the pole vault. Then the 1,000m was just all guts, but it feels great and it feels awesome. I have never been that nervous before a race before, but it felt great I pushed it to the end and got what I wanted.”

David Triassi (Florida) – Weight Throw/70-10
“I came into today really relaxed. I wanted my last one (SEC Indoors) to be my best one. I knew that if I didn’t throw a PR on my first throw, there was no way that I could beat Jeremy and that’s what I did. The great thing about this group of guys is that all four of us (Triassi, Postin, Strawn, Levin) are a brotherhood and we’re there for each other in our successes. We’re so pumped to get 18 points for Florida to start the meet.”

FRIDAY

Makeba Alcide (Arkansas) - pentathlon/4,569 points
“I wasn’t going for a record. I just want to win and give my team 10 points. It just happened. I had four (personal bests) again which is good but I didn’t have a PR in my best event.”

“In an interview earlier this year, one of the reporters asked me if I had peaked and I said no. Today just shows I didn’t.”

“I was just playing it safe for the first three laps (of the 800 meters) because of my quad to make sure that I could finish. When I felt that I could, I just kicked it in.”

(on giving herself a birthday gift Sunday)
“Win the high jump and I hope my team wins the SEC meet. That would be a wonderful gift.”