No. 1 Razorbacks Win Fifth #SECTF Indoor Crown
LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the fifth time in program history, the No. 1 University of Arkansas women’s track and field team has won an indoor conference crown with its first-place performance at the 2015 SEC Indoor Championships at Nutter Field House in Lexington, Ky. The Razorbacks finished the two-day meet with 130 points behind six individual titles. Overall, Arkansas now has 24 SEC team titles (15 cross country, five indoor, four outdoor).
Dating back to last year’s SEC outdoor meet, the Razorbacks have won three-consecutive conference titles and five of the past seven SEC competitions. This weekend’s meet marks the program’s second title performance in Lexington to go along with its win at the 2011 event. Arkansas’ six individual titles are a program best for a single SEC meet.
#RazorFacts | #SECTF Championships Edition
• Five SEC indoor team titles (2000, 2001, 2003, 2013, 2015)
o Also won 2001 team title in Lexington
• 24 SEC team titles overall
o 15 cross country
o 5 indoor track and field
o 4 outdoor track and field
• Won five of the past seven SEC competitions overall
• All SEC team titles have come under head coach Lance Harter
• 2015 SEC Champions
o Sandi Morris – pole vault
o Dominique Scott – mile (meet record – 4:32.49)
o Dominique Scott – 3,000 meters
o Chrishuna Williams – 800 meters
o Rebekka Simko, Brianna Swinton, Therese Haise, Jessica Kamilos – DMR
o Daina Harper, Sparkle McKnight, Taylor Ellis-Watson, Chrishuna Williams – 4x400m
• Program has now won 63 SEC event titles
Scott completed a double-win weekend with Saturday’s title run in the mile; she won the 3,000-meter race Friday night. In securing the race, she established a new SEC meet record and finished just .01 shy of the school record she set on the same track earlier this season at the McCravy Memorial. Scott is the fifth Razorback in program history to complete the mile-3K double at the SEC indoor meet.
An SEC participant at 400 meters in the first three years of her career, Williams moved up to the 800 meters for her senior season and came away with the win in a personal-best time of 2:02.95. Arkansas has won back-to-back SEC indoor titles at 800 meters with Stephanie Brown taking the crown last year. With Saturday’s performance, Williams vaulted to the No. 2 spot on the NCAA season list and became the second-fastest performer in program history.
The Razorbacks capped the weekend with victories by their distance-medley and 4×400-meter relay teams. The DMR quartet of Rebekka Simko, Brianna Swinton, Therese Haiss and Jessica Kamilos combined for a winning time of 11:19.85 for the program’s first win in the event since 2001 and fourth overall.
For the first time in program history, Arkansas coupled its win in the DMR with a first-place effort in the 4×400-meter relay. Williams was back on the track with teammates Taylor Ellis-Watson, Daina Harper and Sparkle McKnight to capture the program’s fourth 4×4 title in the last six years. The team combined for a time of 3:30.79, just off its season-best time set in Lexington earlier this season.
Arkansas’ remaining points Saturday came from Ellis-Watson (400m/third), Kamilos (mile/fourth), Haiss (mile/fifth), Harper (400m/eighth), Shannon Klenke (5,000m/third), Diane Robison (mile/third), Valerie Reina (5,000m/fourth), Regan Ward (5,000m/fifth) and Tamara Myers (triple jump/fifth). The team’s 130 points are its most since scoring 137 to win the team title in 2001, also in Lexington.
The 2015 SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships will air as part of a 90-minute ESPNU highlights show March 9 at 6:30 p.m. Dwight Stones and Larry Rawson will handle the play-by-play and color commentary duties, respectively, with Jill Montgomery reporting from the competition area.
This weekend marked the beginning of the indoor championship season for Arkansas. The Razorbacks will now return to Fayetteville where they will host the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships on Feb. 13-14 at the Randal Tyson Track Center. A two-day, all-session ticket for the national meet is $40 for reserved seating and $30 for general admission.
NCAA tickets are available for purchase HERE, by contacting the Razorback Ticket Center at 800-982-HOGS (4647) or visiting the Ticket Center located just east of Baum Stadium at 1295 S. Razorback Road in Fayetteville.
For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.
2015 SEC Indoor Championships | Day 2
Team Standings (final)
1. #1 ARKANSAS – 130
2. #3 Florida – 86
3. #7 Texas A&M – 81.9
4. #9 Kentucky – 76
5. #21 LSU – 51
6. #2 Georgia – 50
7. #18 Mississippi State – 36.7
8. Alabama – 34
9. #20 Missouri – 32
10. Tennessee – 22
11. Auburn – 21
12. Vanderbilt – 18.2
13. Ole Miss – 14.2
14. South Carolina – 9
400 Meters
3. Taylor Ellis-Watson – 52.03 [6 points]
8. Daina Harper – 53.77 [1]
800 Meters
1. Chrishuna Williams – 2:02.95 (PR) [10 points]
Mile
1. Dominique Scott – 4:32.49 (MR) [10 points]
3. Diane Robison – 4:38.99 (PR) [6]
4. Jessica Kamilos – 4:41.48 [5]
5. Therese Haiss – 4:43.17 [4]
5,000 Meters
3. Shannon Klenke – 16:29.08 (PR) [6 points]
4. Valerie Reina – 16:34.94 [5]
5. Regan Ward – 16:36.71 (PR) [4]
11. Kaitlin Flattmann – 16:46.05
–. Dominique Scott – DNS
4x400m Relay
1. Harper/McKnight/Ellis-Watson/Williams – 3:30.79 [10 points]
Distance-Medley Relay
1. Simko/Swinton/Haiss/Kamilos – 11:19.85 [10 points]
High Jump
13. Leigha Brown – 1.67m/5-5.75
Triple Jump
5. Tamara Myers – 12.91m/42-4.25 [4 points]
