University of Georgia Athletics
Bulldog Men Tie For Fifth At SEC Outdoor Championships
May 18, 2009 | Track & Field
GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- The Georgia men’s track and field team tied for fifth place following the final day of the Southeastern Conference Championships in Gainesville, Fla., on Sunday.
The 20th-ranked Bulldogs scored 72 points to tie with Auburn as Arkansas won the men’s team title after tallying 141 points, which marks the Razorbacks’ fifth outdoor SEC title in the last six years. This gave Georgia seven top-five team finishes out of the last nine years as the Bulldogs finished with one individual champion (Chris Hill-javelin).
On the women’s side, the Lady Bulldogs wrapped up the meet in ninth place with 45.50 points. Florida won on its home track after piling up 135.50 points to LSU’s 113.
"The highlight for me was the significant improvement the men had from last year's 10th-place finish to this year's finish. We didn't perform miraculously, but we had a workman-like attitude all weekend. I think our finish on the men's side kind of brought us back into the upper half of the conference after slipping a little the last couple years," said head coach Wayne Norton, who singled out Justin Gaymon, Michelle Thompson and Israel Machovec for their Sunday performances. "Although the women finished only one spot better than last year, we competed so much better. This group turned out to be a much more hard-working group . The progress they made may be hard to see on paper, but we are much better off than after our 2008 experience. We had a great effort out there and now we need to add some more talent to the group."
Senior Justin Gaymon led the Bulldogs on Sunday after taking second in the 400-meter hurdles. Gaymon, who had the SEC’s top time this season and was gunning for his third straight championship in the event, was the runner-up to South Carolina’s Johnny Dutch (48.58) in the finals after clocking a season-best time of 48.86.
This was the third-fastest time in Gaymon’s career as he now prepares to go for his third straight All-America certificate in the event. Gaymon’s pursuit of his third All-American certificate in the 400 hurdles will also coincide with him trying to win his third NCAA East Regional title.
Gaymon returned to the track with senior Michael Proctor, freshman Phillip Adams and sophomore Baron Brown for the final men’s event, the 4x400 relay. Georgia recorded a season-best and regional qualifying time of 3:08.79 to finish fifth.
Junior Michelle Thompson scored eight points for the Lady Bulldogs after also finishing second in the javelin during the first SEC meet of her career. After fouling during two of her first four throws, Thompson recorded the second-longest mark of her career (171-5) on her fifth attempt. But Florida’s Evelien Dekkers, who was also last year’s winner, watched her own fifth throw travel 173-11 to clinch the title.
Although Thompson, who was the top-ranked thrower going into the competition, did not win, Georgia picked up an unexpected five points from junior Emily Sanders in the event. Sanders was ranked seventh in the league coming into the meet but managed a fourth-place finish after unleashing a personal best and regional qualifying mark of 145-6 on her final attempt. This improved Sanders’ No. 7 spot in the school record books.
This is Georgia’s second straight year taking runner-up honors in the women’s javelin after senior Sigrun Sveinsdottir finished second in 2008. Former Georgia All-American Krista Woodward won the women’s crown from 2005 to 2007 and also during her freshman season in 2003.
The Bulldog throwers continued their success as junior Israel Machovec scored in the discus for the first time in his career at a conference meet. Machovec had a top throw of 173-3 on his fourth attempt to take fifth place and score four points for Georgia.
Senior Nate Rolfe, who had a third-place finish in the hammer on Friday, was 10th in the discus after his second of three throws traveled 161 feet.
A pair of Lady Bulldogs, both competing for their first time at an SEC outdoor meet, managed to combine for nine points in the 1500 finals. Freshman Kristie Krueger, who finished just behind eventual winner Sarah Bowman from Tennessee in the prelims, completed the distance in 4:24.55 to take fourth place.
McKayla Plank saved the best performance of her career for the finals as she clocked a time of 4:26.24 for fifth place in the 1500. Her time was the eighth-fastest time in school history.
Freshman Carin Walker matched her career-best mark in the high jump (5-7) to take fifth place. After tying for the sixth-best effort in the conference going into the meet, Walker cleared her top height on her second attempt to add four points to the Georgia women’s total.
Also in the high jump, sophomore Shaquita Young tied for sixth place after reaching a clearance of 5-5.
Scoring for the third straight year in the event and extending his collegiate career to at least the NCAA East Regionals, senior Ryley Miller finished sixth in the men’s 1500. Miller’s career-best finish of 3:46.74 bettered his No. 10 spot on the school’s all-time top-10 list.
The Lady Bulldogs had another pair of scorers in the 400. Sophomore Odeika Bent finished sixth after crossing the finish line with a time of 55.59 while senior Kim House took seventh with a time of 55.61 to score at her final SEC meet.
Three freshmen Omari Barrow, Torrin Lawrence and Phillip Adams combined with senior Michael Proctor in the 4x100 relay to finish eighth. The Bulldog foursome clocked a season-best 39.75 to improve the team’s 2008 finish by one spot and add a point to Georgia’s total.
Freshman Georgina Nembhard, Bent, House and freshman Lakeisha Spates finished just out of scoring after finishing ninth in the 4x100 relay with their top time of the season (46.06).
In the 200 finals, Nembhard improved from her 14th-place finish in 2008 to take seventh with a time of 24.16. She returned to the track in the 100 finals to score a point after taking eighth place with a time of 11.73.
She added two points in the 10,000 earlier in the weekend, but junior Bridget Lyons finished outside of the scorers in the 5000. Lyons had a personal-best time of 17:01.74 to take ninth.
Sophomore Asaph Levy took off in the triple jump and set a new personal-best mark of 47-7.25. Although Levy had a pair of eighth-place finishes at the 2008 and 2009 SEC indoor meets, he finished 11th on Sunday after more than 49 feet was the minimum mark to score. Georgia’s Jamaal Parker, who reached a distance of more than 52 feet during the indoor season, did not compete as he recovers from a leg injury.
In addition, sophomore Tierra Bagby had a career-best effort of 37-11.25 on her third attempt in the triple jump to take 12th. Teammate Tiffany Trotman, who had the third-best mark in the conference coming into the meet, had three fouls at the meet.
Full results and recaps from each day of the SEC Outdoor Championships will be located at www.georgiadogs.com.
Friday’s scorers
Name Event / Mark Place
Branislav Danis Hammer / 215-11* 2nd
Nate Rolfe Hammer / 214-9* 3rd
Tommy Barrineau Decathlon / 6,987 pts. 3rd
John Freeman Hammer / 211-5* 4th
Cory Harris Decathlon / 6,236 pts. 7th
Bridget Lyons 10,000m / 36:02.60 7th
David Schiedt Hammer / 199-8* 8th
Saturday’s scorers
Name Event / Mark Place
Chris Hill Javelin / 261-4 * 1st
Kevin Dickson High Jump / 6-10.75* 3rd
Josipa Jelicic Discus / 165-11* 4th
Adam Sarafian Pole Vault / 16-10.75* 6th
Kevin Dickson Long Jump / 24-8.50* 6th
Ilana McQuinn Steeple. / 11:13.86 7th
Geno Atkins Shot Put / 56-11.50* 7th
Sunday’s scorers
Name Event / Mark Place
Justin Gaymon 400mH / 48.86* 2nd
Michelle Thompson Javelin / 171-5* 2nd
Emily Sanders Javelin / 145-6 * 4th
Kristie Krueger 1500m / 4:24.55* 4th
Israel Machovec Discus / 173-3* 5th
McKayla Plank 1500m / 4:26.24* 5th
Carin Walker High Jump / 5-7 5th
Men’s 4x400 relay 3:08.79* 5th
Ryley Miller 1500m / 3:46.74* 6th
Odeika Bent 400m / 55.59 6th
Shaquita Young High Jump / 5-5 T6th
Kim House 400m / 55.61 7th
Georgina Nembhard200m / 24.16 7th
Georgina Nembhard100m / 11.73* 8th
Men’s 4x100m relay39.75*