No. 3 Razorbacks lead the field at SEC meet

FAYETTEVILLE – The No. 3 University of Arkansas women's track and field team stand in first place Saturday at the end of day two of the 2013 SEC Indoor Championships in Fayetteville. Through the first five scored events, the Razorbacks have 37 points and a nine-point lead over Georgia in the team standings. Arkansas also racked up eight qualifiers in preliminary competition for Sunday's event finals.

Individually, the Razorbacks were led by a runner-up finish in the pole vault from Sandi Morris. Collectively, Arkansas scored in three events Saturday with 18 more scoring entries scheduled for the final day of competition. During the preliminary rounds, Regina George broke her own school record at 400 meters to pace the Razorbacks’ group of finalists.

“Today was a great day,” head coach Lance Harter said. “We led off in the pole vault and we scored right where we thought we would. We had an opportunity to jump at a winning height with Sandi Morris. Regina George probably stole the day as far as other teams talking within their own camps about what she did in the quarter. We got qualifiers through. The people were counting on to get through, got it. Tomorrow is the big day and we find out what people can do on double duty, and some even on a triple. We’ll see how it goes.”

Arkansas’ first points of the day came from Morris and Danielle Nowell in the pole vault. Morris finished the day with a final clearance of 4.18m/13-8.5 and was joined in the scoring by Nowell who finished in fourth place after tying her lifetime best with a clearance of 4.10m/13-5.25. Morris and Alexis Paine of Alabama were the final two jumpers with misses at the final bar but Paine took the title with fewer misses during the day.

The Razorbacks got a personal-best performance from Tamara Myers in the long jump which saw the sophomore get out to a mark of 6.16m/20-2.5 on her first jump of the competition. The effort was good enough for fourth place and five points toward the team total. Myers is set to return to action Sunday with the event final of the triple jump.

In the final event of the day, Arkansas racked up nine points from a 4-6-8 finish at 3,000 meters from Diane Robison, Grace Heymsfield and Dominique Scott, respectively. Robison was the team’s top performer with a personal-best time of 9:19.19. Coupled with Makeba Alcide’s win in the pentathlon Friday and other scoring from day two, the Razorbacks’ team total stands at 37 points through five events scored.

George continued her standout season at 400 meters as the top qualifier into Sunday’s final. The Razorback senior eased past her heat-two competition with a school-record time of 51.47, surpassing the previous mark of 51.67 she ran two weeks ago at the Tyson Invitational. With the performance, George extended her NCAA lead in the event and moved into the No. 9 spot on the all-time collegiate performers’ list. She returned to the track to post a personal-best of 23.00 at 200 meters to qualify for a second event final.

The Razorbacks will have two runners in Sunday’s 400-meter final with Sparkle McKnight making her conference debut with a personal-best time of 53.74. She will enter the event final as the fifth-fastest qualifier from Saturday’s preliminary round. Arkansas’ first qualifier of the day was Ivanique Kemp who navigated the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.31 to advance to the championship race.

Prior to her run at 3,000 meters, Heymsfield earned a spot in Sunday’s event final of the mile as the top qualifier during the event’s preliminary heats. She crossed the line in a time of 4:43.15 and will be joined by teammates Keri Wood (4:44.59) and Jessica Kamilos (4:47.05) in the final. Arkansas’ middle-distance crew was led by Martine Borge. She was the sixth overall qualifier for the 800-meter final in a time of 2:08.31.

In addition to Saturday’s qualifiers, the Razorbacks will have entries in the 5,000 meters, 4x400-meter relay, distance-medley relay, high jump and triple jump. With single entries in the relay events, Arkansas is scheduled to have five entries at 5,000 meters, two in the high jump and one in the triple jump.

For tickets, visit the Razorback Ticket Center on Razorback Road by Baum Stadium, log on to the online ticket office at ArkansasRazorbacks.com or call 800/982-HOGS (4647).

ESPN3.com will carry the SEC Indoor Championships with coverage set for all of Sunday’s running events. Commentary duties will be handled by Dwight Stones (play-by-play), Larry Rawson (color analyst) and Lewis Johnson (sideline reporter). ArkansasRazorbacks.com will stream early coverage. A tape-delay television broadcast of the conference meet will air March 13 at 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

The official hash tag of the 2013 SEC Indoor Championships is #SECTF. For more information regarding Razorback track and field or University of Arkansas athletics, please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com. Fans can also keep up with Arkansas cross country and track and field through the team’s sport-specific RazorbackTF Facebook and Twitter pages.

Saturday Results
Team Standings
1. Arkansas – 37 points
2. Georgia – 28
3. Florida – 27.5
4. Kentucky – 15
5. LSU – 13.5
6. South Carolina – 13
6. Tennessee – 13
8. Alabama – 12
9. Missouri – 11
10. Texas A&M – 10
11. Mississippi State – 8
12. Auburn – 7

Individual Events

60 Meters (preliminary)
29. Shekara Boakye – 7.77
30. Alexa Vessell – 8.35 (PR – prev: 8.45)

200 Meters (preliminary)
3. Regina George – 23.00Q (PR – prev: 23.43)

400 Meters (preliminary)
1. Regina George – 51.47Q [SR] (PR – prev: 51.67)
5. Sparkle McKnight – 53.74Q (PR – prev: 53.94)
9. Gwendolyn Flowers – 54.08
14. Chrishuna Williams – 54.68 (PR – prev: 54.74)
29. Phyllis George – 57.09

800 Meters (preliminary)
6. Martine Borge – 2:08.31Q
17. Caitlin Noonan – 2:11.91 (PR – prev: 2:15.57)
23. Hannah Wrigley – 2:20.41
--. Paige Johnston – DNF

Mile (preliminary)
1. Grace Heymsfield – 4:43.15Q
4. Keri Wood – 4:44.59Q (PR – prev: 4:48.90)
7. Jessica Kamilos – 4:47.05Q (PR – prev: 4:52.43)

3,000 Meters (final)
4. Diane Robison – 9:19.19 [5 points] (PR – prev: 9:19.79)
6. Grace Heymsfield – 9:21.88 [3]
8. Dominique Scott – 9:30.94 [1]

60m Hurdles (preliminary)
5. Ivanique Kemp – 8.31Q

Pole Vault (final)
2. Sandi Morris – 4.18m/13-8.5 [8 points]
4. Danielle Nowell – 4.10m/13-5.25 [5] (t-PR)
10. Megan Zimlich – 3.85/12-7.50

Long Jump (final)
4. Tamara Myers – 6.16m/20-2.5 [5 points] (PR – prev: 20-1.5)

SR – school record; PR – personal best; Q – qualified for final