Aggies Cinch Win With Men's 4x400 Relay Victory On Home Track; Arkansas Women Dominate To Record 15th SEC Indoor Title

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

RESULTS

The battle for the men's SEC Indoor Championship went down the final carry of the 4x400 relay on Saturday and the Aggies of Texas A&M had enough to get past Arkansas in both the race and the meet. 

The Aggies, coached by legendary Pat Henry, won their first SEC indoor title since joining the conference a dozen years ago.

Texas A&M ran a time of 3:03.09 to Arkansas' 3:04.28. 

The relay win was expected. After all, the Aggies scored 21 points in the 400 meters with Aumad Robinson running a facility record at Fasken Indoor Track with 45.07. Teammates Antonie Nortje (fourth), Hossam Hatib (fifth) and Cutler Zamzow (seventh) also scored. 

Arkansas dominated the women's competition and won its 11th straight conference indoor title with 117.5 points. Georgia was next with 62. 

The Razorbacks scored in 14 of 17 events and pulled 21 points out the 800 meters, where LSU's Michaela Rose won it in 2:00.25 but Arkansas went 2-3-4-7 in the event with Sanu Jallow (2:00.61), Analisse Batista (2:01.60), Anna Podojil (2:02.12) and Ainsley Erzen (2:05.62). 

As usual, the SEC Championships reshaped the NCAA leaderboard. 

In the women's 400 meters, Georgia's Aaliyah Butler became the sixth-fastest woman ever in the indoor 400 meters as she won in 49.78, not far ahead of second-place Isabella Whittaker of Arkansas, who ran 49.90. Kaylyn Brown, last year's NCAA outdoor runner-up was third in 50.70. 

With Butler on the anchor and splitting 49.87, Georgia got the victory in the 4x400 as well, running an NCAA-leading time of 3:26.42. The top six women's 4x400 teams in the country are from the SEC.

In another sensational performance, Rachel Glenn of Arkansas jumped 6-6 (1.98m) and took attempts at a new collegiate record height of 6-7 (2.01m). Elena Kulichenko of Georgia was second with 6-4.75 (1.95m), a personal best. 

Auburn freshman Israel Okon ran the fastest 60-meter dash in the country this winter when he ran 6.51 in the prelims. Okon finished second in the final behind Arkansas' Jordan Anthony, who won the title with 6.54 to Okon's 6.55.

In the men's 200 meters, Makanakaishe Charamba of Auburn ran an NCAA-leading time and meet record 20.13 to win. Carli Makarawu of Kentucky was second in 20.20 and Florida's Wanya McCoy was third in 20.25. Those are three fastest times in the NCAA this season. 

The Aggies' Sam Whitmarsh won the 800 meters for the second year in a row with 1:47.69. 

Auburn's JaKobe Tharp, the NCAA outdoor champion in the 110-meter hurdles, won the 60 hurdles with 7.48 seconds to break the facility record and come within .04 of Grant Holloway's meet record. 

Ole Miss standout Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan broke the meet record in the weight throw with 24.35m (79-10.75) and then came back to win the shot put with a facility record 20.81m (68-3.25). 

Oklahoma's Kyren Washington won the men's high jump with 2.25m (7-4.50).

Texas A&M took a hit in the men's pole vault when NCAA leader Aleksandr Solovev decided to come into the competition at 5.50m (18-0.50) and missed all three attmpts. Tennessee's Blake Sifferlin was the only vaulter to make 5.50m, which was the winning height. 

Missouri's Jonathan Seremes won an epic men's triple jump competition with 16.97m (55-8.25) as the top four jumped beyond 16.60m and now occupy the top four spots in the NCAA.

Georgia's Kaila Jackson won the women's 60 meters in a time of 7.12 seconds as LSU's Tima Godbless, the NCAA leader, took fourth. Jackson also took fourth in the 200 meters. South Carolina's JaMeesia Ford won the 200 in 22.44. 

Tia Wilson of Florida ran a meet record time of 4:30.10 to win the mile, edging out LSU's Lorena Rangel Batres, who ran 4:30.25. 

Alabama's Doris Lemngole got the best of former teammate Hilda Olemomoi of Florida in the 3,000 meters, running 8:55.27 to 8:57.50. Arkansas' Paityn Noe was in the picture as well and took third with 8:58.47. 

Noe was coming back from winning the 5,000 meters on Thursday in a meet record time of 15:11.27. 

Tennessee's Myreanna Bebe matched the NCAA lead in the women's 60-meter hurdles with her victory in 7.95 seconds. 

Treneese Hamilton of Alabama won the women's shot put with a personal best 18.14m (59-6.25). 

Oklahoma's Jasmine Akins won the women's long jump with 21-8.75 (6.62m) as NCAA leader Anthaya Charlton of Florida finished fourth. 

Another Sooner, Pippi Lotta Enok put together the most points in the pentathlon in the NCAA this year and won the conference title with 4,593 points.