Posted: March 13, 2007

Athletics: USATF News and Notes, Volume 8, Number 19

Wisconsin, Arizona State bring home the hardware at DI Champs Wisconsin scored 40 points to win its first NCAA title in track and field and the first ever for a Big Ten Conference school at the 2007 NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Randall Tyson Track Center at the University of Arkansas. Florida State was second with 35 points. Arizona State won its first women's indoor title with 38 points, inching out LSU who took second with 33. Highlights of the event included South Carolina's Natasha Hastings setting a collegiate record in the women's 400, finishing in 50.80, breaking Sanya Richard's 2004 record of 50.82. Kerron Stewart of Auburn won the women's 60m in 7.15 seconds after taking the 200m (22.58) the previous night. Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech won the 3,000 in 9:02.05 after winning the 5,000m (15:27.42) Friday. Southern Illinois' Brittany Riley had the best mark in women's weight throw history Saturday, with a toss of 25.56 meters/83 feet 10.25 inches smashing her previous record of 24.57m/80-7.5. Louisville's Tone Belt, who took silver at the 2006 World Junior Championships, won the men's long jump with a leap of 7.97m/26-1.75. Andre Black, also competing for Louisville, won the men's triple jump with 16.29m/53-5.5. Donovan Kilmartin of Texas won his third national championship in the heptathlon, finishing with 5,998 points. Highlights of the championships will be televised on Tuesday, March 13 from 2:30-4:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2. St. Augustine's steals the show at DII Champs St. Augustine's claimed both the men's and women's team titles at the 2007 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Reggie Lewis Track & Field Center in Boston. Abilene Christian was the runner-up on the men's side with 48.5 points, while Lincoln was second on the women's side with 64 points. Head Coach George Williams guided St. Augustine's men to a repeat performance of last year's championship and the school's 10th national title overall. Senior Jamaal Torrance led the way by setting a meet record in the 200 meters with his time of 21.19 seconds while also winning the 400 meters in 46.58. Ashland senior Kibwe Johnson shattered the Division II record in the men's weight throw with a mark of 25.08/82-3.5 meters, besting the previous mark by 4.50 meters while setting an American collegiate record in the process. Minnesota State-Mankato sophomore Katelin Rains also set a meet and Division II record in the women's pole vault, posting a mark of 4.27m/14-0 meters to erase the previous mark of 4.00m/13-1.5 set during last year's championship. Lincoln, Williams College run away with DIII titles Lincoln University won the men's team championship with 59 points, while Williams College claimed the women's title with 42 points at the 2007 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. For the men, Wisconsin La Crosse was second with 48 points and Wisconsin Oshkosh was third with 43.5. On the women's side, City College of NY was second with 35 points and Wisconsin Eau Claire was third with 32. Will Leer of Pomona-Pitzer topped his own national mark in the men's mile with a 4:08.19 to earn his second straight national title. In women's action, Rachel Anderson of Illinois Wesleyan tied the women's 400-meter all-time mark with a 55.46 to earn the victory. Marcia Taddy of Wisconsin-Platteville took home two national titles, winning the 800m in 2:10.14 and the 1,600m in 4:49.38. Alecia Watson from the City College of New York earned her second national title of the weekend with a leap of 12.17m/39-11.25. She also won the long jump with an effort of 5.85m/19-2.5. For more information and completes results of the NCAA Championships, visit www.ncaasports.com. Azusa Pacific, Oklahoma Baptist win NAIA's Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) claimed its fifth NAIA men's indoor track and field national title while Oklahoma Baptist University secured its second women's crown at the 2007 SunTrust NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Johnson Center, Tenn. Azusa Pacific brought home the men's title after accumulating 83 total team points. Oklahoma Baptist was second in the men's competition with 62 points and Dickinson State University (N.D.) finished third with 59 points. The women's team competition came down to the wire as Oklahoma Baptist finished with 52.33 total points, edging out Wayland Baptist University (Texas) which finished the day with 51 points. Simon Fraser University took third in the women's competition with 48 points. The Men's Outstanding Meet Performer award went to sophomore Aron Rono of Azusa Pacific while junior Ruky Abdulai of Simon Fraser was named the Women's Outstanding Meet Performer. In addition to participating in Azusa Pacific's national champion distance medley relay team, Rono claimed individual national titles in the men's 5000 meter and 1 mile runs. Abdulai won the women's long jump and high jump events and placed second in the women's 60 meter dash. For more information and complete results, visit naia.cstv.com. Records fall at National Scholastic Indoor Championships The 2007 National Scholastic Indoor Championships saw records topple over the course of the three day meet at the Armory Track & Field Center in New York City. St. Anthony's senior Walter Henning won the 25-pound weight throw with a national high school record distance of 26.35m/86-5.5, breaking his own mark of 26.28m/86-3. Henning also won the shot put with his heave of 19.55m/64-1.75. Ke'Nyia Richardson of Holy Name High School demolished the women's triple jump national high school record with her winning hop, skip and a jump of 13.57m/44-6.25. Tiffany Townsend, a senior from Killeen, Texas, took home both the 60m and 200m titles with her times of 7.32 and 23.34. More information and complete results can be found at www.nsictf.org and www.dyestat.com. Fast times at Nike Indoor Nationals Three athletes completed a double win at the 2007 Nike Indoor Nationals at Prince George's Sports Complex outside Washington, D.C. Sean Holston (Springfield, Va.) took home the gold in the 200m and the 400m, racing to the finish in 21.53 and 47.12 respectively. Terry Prentice (Pomona, Calif.) scored top honors in the long jump with his leap of 7.27m/23-10.25, and the pentathlon with 3,966 points. Victoria Jordan (Desoto, Texas) sprinted to the finish to claim gold in the women's 60 (7.33) and 200m (24.26). Two-time Nike Outdoor Nationals shot put champion Kamorean Hayes (Charlotte, N.C.) won the women's shot put with her heave of 16.01m/52-6.5. Patience Coleman (Durham, N.C.) won the women's high jump with her clearance of 1.75m/5-8.75. More information and complete results of the 2007 Nike Indoor Nationals can be found at nikeindoor.nationalscholastic.org and www.dyestat.com . Reebok Grand Prix receives IAAF Grand Prix status The IAAF has announced that the Reebok Grand Prix, held annually in New York City, has been upgraded to IAAF Grand Prix status and is now part of the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Tour. The decision was announced by the IAAF World Athletics Tour Working Group following recent meetings in Birmingham, England. The third event of USA Track & Field's 2007 Outdoor Visa Championship Series, the Reebok Grand Prix will take place June 2 at New York's Icahn Stadium. The Reebok Grand Prix joins the Prefontaine Classic (June 10 in Eugene, Ore.) as the two IAAF Grand Prix events to be held in the U.S. this year. The inclusion of New York brings the 2007 World Athletics Tour up to a total of 24 meetings. This year's Tour began on March 2 with the Telstra Melbourne Track Classic in Melbourne, Australia, and will conclude with the 5th IAAF World Athletics Final, September 22-23 in Stuttgart, Germany. For more information on the 2007 World Athletics Tour, visit: www.iaaf.org . For more information on the 2007 Visa Championship Series, visit: www.usatf.org.