Track & Field Notes – Red Wolves Retain Rankings; Razorbacks in SEC Championships

 

Red Wolves men’s and women’s outdoor track and field team enter championships ranked

JONESBORO, Ark. – The 2013 men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams of Arkansas State University will compete in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend (May 10-12) at Miramar, Fla., ranked among the current NCAA Division I South Central Region’s top teams.

Arkansas State, which is led by second-year head coach Jim Patchell, was able to maintain its current South Central Region placings in both the men’s and women’s polls through completed meets of May 6th.  The latest national and regional NCAA Division I polls were released this Wednesday (May 7).

The A-State women’s team managed to hold onto its ninth-place position with a 214.38 team score in the latest computer rankings, which are administered by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).  The Red Wolves are 37.18 points behind Texas State (251.56 points) for eighth place and 10.45 points in front of 10th-place Rice (203.93 points).  The number one spot in the region’s rankings continues to be occupied by Arkansas, which compiled an 869.58 team total.

The ASU men’s squad is in 10th place for the second consecutive week among the 15 teams to be ranked as the Red Wolves recorded an 188.78 team score, 12.81 points more than 11th-place Rice (175.97 points).  Arkansas State trails ninth-place Houston (230.73 points) by a 41.95 points margin.  Texas dethroned Arkansas for first-place honors this week as the Longhorns racked up a 997.88 team score to the Razorbacks’ second-place 911.24 points.

Following this weekend’s Sun Belt Conference Championships meet, qualifying A-State athletes will be competing in the 2013 NCAA Division I West Preliminaries from May 23-25 at the University of Texas’ Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field in Austin, Texas.

Sun Belt Conference Track and Field Championships Set

JONESBORO, Ark. – The Arkansas State University men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams are midst a productive 2013 season, but nevertheless remain focused on achieving their primary goal of winning a conference title to be awarded at this weekend’s (May 10-12) 2013 Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Miramar, Fla.

red wolves track and field sun beltThe annual league meet is being held this spring at the Ansin Sports Complex with FIU serving as the host institution.  The three-day meet commences this Friday (May 10) morning, starting with the first half of the decathlon and heptathlon multi events at 9 a.m. (ET) and 9:30 a.m. (ET), respectively.  The discus throw and women’s pole vault is scheduled for the afternoon while the 10,000-meter run for both the men and women takes place in the evening to conclude the opening day’s action.  Action this Saturday (May 11) will consist of multi-events, field events, and running events throughout day two.  Third and final-day action on Sunday (May 12) gets underway with the field events at 10 a.m. (ET) and the running events starting at 5 p.m. (ET).

All 12 Sun Belt Conference-member schools will participate in the 2013 SBC Championships.  The women’s field will be comprised of 11 schools and the men’s competition consists of 10 teams.

Arkansas State is poised for success at this upcoming weekend’s conference meet as the women’s team features top five marks in 13 conference events with nine athletes earning such distinction, including four Red Wolves in multiple events.  Junior Sharika Nelvis, who was the 2013 SBC Women’s Indoor Championships Most Outstanding Track Performer and helped lead the Red Wolves to the 2013 conference indoor title, has recorded the league’s top outdoor times this season in the 100-meters, 200-meters, and 100-meter hurdles.  Junior Kristina Aubert is tops in the 5,000-meters and 10,000-meters while senior Julia Agawu has produced the league’s top throws in the discus and hammer to date.

The A-State men’s squad presently is listed 18 times among the first five performances in 12 individual events to go along with the 4×100 and 4×400-meter relays.  Senior Solomon Williams is currently first among the SBC’s leaders in the 110-meter hurdles and junior Richard Chavez ranks first in the shot put as does junior Will Oliver in the decathlon.

“We are looking forward to competing in the (conference) outdoor championships this weekend,” said ASU head coach Jim Patchell, who’s presently in his second season at A-State.  “We have had a good outdoor season and I believe we are ready for the championship meet.  The Sun Belt Conference is a quality track conference and we hope to turn in good performances for both our men’s and women’s teams.”

A season ago at the 2012 SBC Championships (May 11-13) in Lafayette, La., the A-State women’s team finished fourth with 101 points and the men’s squad placed fifth by accumulating 84.83 points.  The A-State women’s team would capture first-place honors in seven events, highlighted by Sharika Nelvisbeing recognized as the conference meet’s top female track performer.  Nelvis would win four 2012 SBC Championship events – 100-meter hurdles (13.30), 100-meter dash (11.39), 200-meter dash (23.49), and the long jump (20-01.34/6.13m) en route to garnering first-team all-conference accolades.  A pair of first-place showings were recorded by the ASU men’s squad.

Razorbacks Trio in Scoring Position

COLUMBIA, Mo. – After day one of the decathlon at the SEC Outdoor Championships, the University of Arkansas men’s track and field team has three athletes in scoring position in the two-day, 10-event competition. Junior Kevin Lazas is the Razorbacks’ top performer and currently sits in third place with 4,030 points. The top-eight in the decathlon also includes Nathanael Franks in fourth place and Matt Kirbos in seventh.

“Kevin did a good job today,” assistant coach Travis Geopfert said. “We wanted to be smart with him, save jumps and pass some bars. That’s exactly what we did and he executed the plan perfectly. Nathanael had a phenomenal day with significant PRs in the long jump and high jump and was solid in everything else. He put himself in the mix so it was fun to see him breakthrough.

“Anytime you put three guys in scoring position at SECs, that’s a good thing. Obviously, we’re disappointed that Julius had three fouls in the long jump. That stings a little bit but we have depth with four guys in the field. The other guys just have to step up and they’re doing that.”

After a pair of runner-up finishes at 100 meters and in the long jump to open the day, Lazas established a personal-best mark in the shot put with a day’s best of 14.52m/47-7.75. The throw was half an inch beyond his previous outdoor best which had set at last year’s SEC meet. At the end of day one, Lazas is 126 points behind event leader, Garrett Scantling of Georgia.

Franks posted personal bests in three of the five events contested Friday. He finished day one with 3,979 points and is 177 points behind the first-place competitors. The redshirt sophomore collected personal bests of 7.07m/23-2.5 in the long jump, 1.97m/6-5.5 in the high jump and 49.20 at 400 meters. Franks finished in the top five of four events Friday.

In seventh place after five events, Kirbos had 3,634 points. He had the second-best marks of his career in the long jump at 7.00m/22-11.75 and shot put at 12.68m/41-7.25. The Razorback senior has a career-best overall finish of seventh place at the SEC Championships back in 2011. Despite his mishap in the long jump, Julius Sommer responded with a pair of personal bests in the final two events of the day. He closed out the day with a time of 51.80 at 400 meters.

In addition to the conclusion of the decathlon, Friday’s schedule is set to feature preliminary action at 200 meters, 800 meters and in the 400-meter hurdles. The first running final of the weekend will also be contested with the 10,000 meters in which the Razorbacks have two entries.

The 2013 SEC Championships will be streamed live by ESPN3 on Saturday, May 11 from 3:40-6:45 p.m., and Sunday, May 12 from 2:50-6:45 p.m. Competition outside of the ESPN3 coverage windows will be made available on MUTigers.com. The 2013 SEC Outdoor Championships will air as part of a 90-minute show on ESPNU on Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m.

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.

Thursday Results
Decathlon (Day 1)
3. Kevin Lazas – 4,030 points
2. 100 Meters – 10.93 [876 points]
2. Long Jump – 7.39m/24-3 [908]
2. Shot Put – 14.52m/47-7.75 (PR – prev: 47-7.25) [760]
4. High Jump – 1.97m/6-5.5 [776]
8. 400 Meters – 52.33 [710]
4. Nathanael Franks – 3,979 points
6. 100 Meters – 11.13 [832 points]
3. Long Jump – 7.07m/23-2.5 (PR – prev: 21-10) [830]
4. Shot Put – 13.36m/43-10 [689]
5. High Jump – 1.97m/6-5.5 (PR – prev: 6-3.75) [776]
2. 400 Meters – 49.20 (PR – prev: 49.23) [852]
7. Matt Kirbos – 3,634 points
7. 100 Meters – 11.24 [808 points]
5. Long Jump – 7.00m/22-11.75 [814]
6. Shot Put – 12.68m/41-7.25 [648]
9. High Jump – 1.85m/6-0.75 [670]
9. 400 Meters – 52.70 [694]
10. Julius Sommer – 2,865 points
9. 100 Meters – 11.32 [791 points]
–. Long Jump – NM
7. Shot Put – 12.62m/41-5 [644]
8. High Jump – 1.88m/6-2 (PR – prev: 6-0.75) [696]
6. 400 Meters – 51.80 (PR – prev: 52.63) [734]

Razorbacks women’s track and field senior sets SEC meet record

COLUMBIA, Mo. – With the help of an SEC Championships meet record in the high jump and two additional personal-best marks, University of Arkansas senior Makeba Alcide is in first place after day one of the heptathlon at the conference meet. Through the first four events of the two-day competition, Alcide has 3,756 points which improves upon her own school record for a day-one score.

“I had an excellent day one with two PRs and a consistent high jump,” Alcide said. “I was a little off in the shot put because of the weather. I had to throw in my tennis shoes which I had never done before but it was a good day overall. My aim is to qualify for the World Championships and I’m on pace to do that. Hopefully, the weather is good tomorrow to get a good long jump. I just need to stay consistent.”

Alcide opened the day with a personal-best performance in the 100-meter hurdles. Running in the second of five sections, she ran to a time of 13.60 which was worth 1,036 points in the first event of the two-day competition. With her hurdle performance, Alcide replaced her previous lifetime best of 13.87 which she set at the 2012 NACAC U-23 Championships in Guanajuato, Mexico.

The Razorback senior followed up with a record-breaking effort in the high jump. Alcide won the event with a final clearance of 1.88m/6-2, establishing the SEC Championships meet record in the process. She replaced the old mark of 1.86m/6-1.25 set by Levern Spencer of Georgia in 2007. Alcide’s performance also broke the Audrey J. Walton Stadium facility record and equaled the school mark she set earlier this season at the John McDonnell Combined Events.

Competing in wet conditions, Alcide had a day’s best throw of 12.42m/40-9 to finish third in the shot put. The throw equaled the third-best throw of her career and the best she’s had during an SEC Championship meet, seven inches beyond the mark of 40-2 she had at last year’s meet.

Alcide closed out the day with another personal-best effort, this time at 200 meters. Running in section one of two, the Castries, St. Lucia, native posted a time of 24.31 to replace her previous best of 24.38 which she ran earlier this year at Texas Relays. At the end of day one of the heptathlon, Alcide leads the field by 201 points with Erica Bougard of Mississippi State in second place with 3,555 points.

In addition to the completion of the heptathlon, Friday’s schedule will also feature preliminary action at 200 meters, 800 meters and in the 400-meter hurdles. Points will also be up for grabs with the final of the 10,000 meters which will include five Razorbacks. Alcide is also scheduled to compete in the open high jump competition Saturday afternoon.

The 2013 SEC Championships will be streamed live by ESPN3 on Saturday, May 11 from 3:40-6:45 p.m., and Sunday, May 12 from 2:50-6:45 p.m. Competition outside of the ESPN3 coverage windows will be made available on MUTigers.com. The 2013 SEC Outdoor Championships will air as part of a 90-minute show on ESPNU on Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m.

Thursday Results
Heptathlon (Day 1)
1. Makeba Alcide – 3,756 points
3. 100m Hurdles – 13.60 (PR – prev: 13.87) [1,036 points]
1. High Jump – 1.88m/6-2 (t-SR) [1,080]
3. Shot Put – 12.42m/40-9 [689]
2. 200 Meters – 24.31 (PR – prev: 24.38) [951]

SR – school record; PR – personal best

Hendrix Warriors track and field athlete Elizabeth Krug gets conference honors

CONWAY, Ark. – Hendrix College junior Elizabeth Krug was named the Southern Athletic Association Women’s Field Athlete of the Year. The Heber Springs, Ark. native was the high-point scorer with 44.75 at last weekend’s SAA Championships in Sewanee, Tenn., winning two events and placing in the top five in four others. Krug won the javelin with a throw of 35.07 meters (115 ft.-1 in.) and recorded a season-best time of 57.98 seconds in the 400 meter finals to win her second event of the day. Krug also placed second in the 200 finals in 25.54 and was third in the high jump, clearing 1.52 meters (4 ft.-11.75). She also finished third in the shot put and fifth in the long jump.

Krug was named the 2012 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Year last season.

Krug will be back in action on May 9-10 at the North Central College Dr. Keeler Invitational in Naperville, Ill.

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