Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships Results
JONESBORO, Ark. - The University of South Alabama men's track and field team tied with host school Arkansas State (129 points) for a share of its second Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championship title in three years on Sunday. Senior Vincent Rono, the No. 1-ranked miler in the nation, was named the meet's Most Outstanding Performer (track) for the second straight year and head coach Lee Evans was named Coach of the Year for the second time in his tenure. The women's side did well with their chances, but did not have enough firepower, finishing fifth with 62.25 pts. Western Kentucky (126) successfully defended their title.
"It hurts to be this close to owning the title outright," head coach Lee Evans said, "These guys really worked hard to get another championship after being the runner-up last year. But two titles (2004) in three years is still an accomplishment that we can be proud of because it shows that our program is achieving great things through hard work and perseverance."
The 19th-ranked men's squad began the day with a four-point lead over the host team, by virtue of a 1-2-3 finish from Vincent Rono, Micah Tirop, and Tonny Okello in the 3000m, a successful defense of the distance medley relay title, and a sixth-place performance by Timothy Williams in the high jump.
The Indians picked up 29 points early after the completion of heptathlon, going 1-2-3-4 in the two-day multi-event competition.
Rono, Okello, and senior Harry Larubi answered back for the Jags in the meet's first running event of the day, completing their second 1-2-3 finish, this in the mile. The trio posted times of 4:11.15, 4:15.32, and 4:15.88, respectively. Tirop (4:21.55) was fifth after Louisiana-Monroe's Matt Brophy (4:17.34) broke up the sweep. Rono, the defending champion in the event, ran his winning time from the slow heat because, by rule, athletes entering the competition without a time are placed in the unseeded section.
South Alabama had but two sprinters in the Sunday's finals. Jag newcomer Oluwagbenga Awoleye posted a second-place in the 400m with a time of 48.76, behind ASU's Jason Brooks and his 48.71. Ahmed Awesu failed in his attempt retain his short dash crown. The junior finished eighth in 55m, timed in 6.80.
Christophe DuMee and Kendrell Bonner picked up the slack and earned the most crucial points in the Jags bid for victory. DuMee ran two personal best races in the 55m hurdles, with Saturday's preliminary round run of 7.58 and the Sunday final of 7.54 in the sprint hurdles, good for fifth place and four points. Bonner, the sophomore from Pensacola, Fla., pole vaulted over the 4.30m (14' 1.50") bar to break up Arkansas State's massive netting of points, taking sixth place and three points.
Despite going scoreless in the rest of the day's field events, the Jaguars went back to the distance well, getting a third podium sweep in the 5000m. Tirop (14:41.30), the transfer from Moi University (Kenya), took the individual title, followed by former champions Okello (14:50.10), and Rono (14:50.16).
Rono defended another of his four individual titles from 2006, the 800m, giving the Jags their fifth event-win of the weekend. His time of 1:55.61 defeated Andrew Charles (1:56.08) of Florida International. Larubi was third in the half-mile, clocked in 1:56.20.
Down to Arkansas State, 123.5 to 121, with one event remaining, Jags Timothy Johnson, DuMee, Rono, and Awoleye combined to run 3:19.49 and finished second to Western Kentucky (3:17.53) in the 4x400m relay. ASU placed fourth, clocking in at 3:21.07.
The women were led on Day-1 of the competition by Nicole Knox's school record (1.78m/5' 10") leap to win the high jump and senior Erin Kinnear's win in the pole vault, clearing 3.80m (12' 5.50"). Latoria English chipped in as well with the Saturday scoring, finishing in a tie for second in the high jump, and Emily Sawyer added her tied for seventh-place performance in the pole vault.
Sunday's action was led by Clarisse Moh's attempt an 800m/200m double. The Paris, France native, came in to the final day in the No.1 position in both events. She took the title in the first of the two events, winning the 800m in a time of 2:16.6. Defending champion, Jaguar Jessica Miller, was third in 2:17.99, while junior Cassandra Perkins (2:19.99) scored in sixth.
Moh, posted the fastest time by a Sun Belt athlete this season in the women's 200m preliminary. But with just 20 minutes between the middle distance event and the sprint, her unprecedented bid fell short as she finished 10th in the finals.
The team's only other Sunday scores came with senior Ajoke Odumosu's 400m title defense, holding off Western Kentucky's Alecia Brown, and the third-place 4x400m relay finish from Miller, Perkins, Moh, and Odumosu.
The Jags open the outdoor season at home Saturday, March 3, hosting the Jaguar Premier Invitational.
