Seniors have UA sitting pretty after first day of NCAAs
Posted on Saturday, March 11, 2006
An Arkansas team favored in no event won two Friday night and may be headed for its third straight national team championship as the two-day NCAA Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships conclude tonight at Arkansas’ Randal Tyson Indoor Track.
Arkansas seniors Josphat Boit, winning the 5,000 meters, and Said Ahmed, anchoring the Razorbacks’ distance medley relay to triumph after running a 4:02 open mile to advance to tonight’s mile final, contributed 20 first-place points Friday night.
Senior long jumper Jaanus Uudmae’s surprising three sixth-place points plus an eighth-place point from Peter Kosgei in the 5,000 give Arkansas a meet-leading 24 points.
Top challenger Florida State is second with 20 but suffered a major blow when FSU second-ranked quartermiler Ricardo Chambers failed to advance in Friday’s 400-meter prelims.
LSU, 14 points, and Texas, only seven points but with many athletes competing tonight including two 1-2 in the heptathlon, also are in contention, Arkansas coach John McDonnell said.
But the coach’s Irish eyes were smiling as he seeks national championship No. 42 among the Hogs’ indoor, outdoor and cross country titles. "We are ahead of where I thought we would be by two points," McDonnell said. "Florida State has a lot of great bullets and Texas and LSU, but we are on line to do what we are capable of doing."
The DMR of Adam Perkins on the 1,200, Jeremy Dodson on the 400, Brian Roe on the 800 and Ahmed on the mile prevailed in 9:37.02 to Brigham Young’s 9:37.92 in Friday night’s last men’s event. "What a way to finish the meet on a high note!" McDonnell said.
Roe, a walkon who gave up his open 800-meter qualifier to concentrate on the DMR, busted it open and Ahmed kept the hammer down as best he could after running such a fast open mile only hours earlier. "Brian Roe ran a great race," McDonnell said. "Then Said ran that first 800 in 1:55. He was hurting at the end but he did it."
The DMR was especially sweet to Ahmed who anchored last year’s DMR to an apparent victory only to see it taken away on a controversial disqualification. "I kind of forgave but didn’t forget what happened last year," Ahmed said. "They took it away from us so I’m glad I got it today. It wasn’t just me. There were three guys fighting through before me. Brian Roe gave up his spot in the [open] 800 and he made it happen tonight."
Roe, a walkon transfer from Missouri Southern, said, "This is what I came here for."
With a decisive move starting the second to last lap, Boit upset favorite Richard Kiplagat of Iona to win the 5,000-meters Friday night in the two-day meet concluding tonight at Arkansas’ Randal Tyson Indoor Track Center.
Boit avenged a Tyson Invitational defeat to Kiplagat here last month while winning his first-ever NCAA title in a slowpaced tactically run race. Boit won in 13:49.93 with Kiplagat second, 13:51.96. "It was real slow," Boit said, "but John told me don’t ever lead until the end. When I made a move, I really made a good one. I didn’t want him to come back to me. At the Tyson Invitational I made a move too soon and not strong enough. I knew he was strong and has a lot of speed. I didn’t want to make a move like he did at Tyson. I’m a champion now."
McDonnell said Boit’s move was an "explosion." "He put 11 yards on him in 10 yards," McDonnell said. "And that’s what he had to do with a runner of that caliber."
A Razorback has consecutively netted at least one championship at the NCAA Indoor since 1982. "We are a team with no names," McDonnell said. "But I have a feeling after tomorrow night we’ll have a few names."
Razorbacks Boit and Kosgei return with teammate Marc Rodrigues for tonight’s 3,000-meter run while Ahmed runs the mile and Uudmae triple jumps.
Shortly before Boit’s triumph, Uudmae, on his final jump, long jumped a personal record 25-10 for three team points and an All-American sixth place. "That’s a Razorback right there!" Arkansas field events coach Dick Booth yelled as Uudmae landed in the sand. "All right! I’m thrilled to death."
The long jump is Uudmae’s off event as he’s ranked second and freshman teammate Nkosinza Balumbu fifth going into tonight’s triple jump. "My dream for him was three points," Booth said. I told him don’t hold back. Go all out and he did!"
Uudmae had fouled twice but didn’t fret fouling his final attempt. He competed as hard Friday night as he likely will triple jumping tonight. "I wasn’t planning on taking all six jumps," Uudmae said, "but it’s the national meet and I did all I could. Doing two events is something new for me but it gives us a better chance to win the national championship again. I’m very excited about tomorrow now. I can’t wait."
Ahmed won his mile prelim heat in 4:02.42 with Stanford’s Russell Brown, 4:02.66, second and Florida State’s Tom Lancashire, the favorite heading into the meet, qualifying third, 4:092.73.
Perkins looked like he would qualify for most of his mile prelim but faded rounding the final turn. He got passed by several in the home stretch, clocking 4:03.72. It was sixth in his heat and a nonqualifying 12 th with 10 advancing to tonight’s final.
Lady’Back Boatright sets
school mark
Lady Razorback sophomore Tominique Boatright ranked 16 th out of the 16 400-meter dash qualifiers going into the NCAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships, but she’ll be one of eight finalists assured of All-American 400-meter honors tonight.
On Friday, Boatright set a school record 53.17 to qualify second in her heat and seventh among top times from the four prelim heats.
Boatright sort of surprised herself but not her coach getting to the final despite not nabbing the final qualifying spot until running a 53.5 at last weekend’s Last Chance meet in Ames, Iowa. "I am surprised in a way," Boatright said "and in a way I’m not. Throughout the whole season I believed I had it in me but yet again it is a surprise, come in ranked 16 th and make the final. I’m just happy. Running 53.5 at Iowa gave me confidence."
Her confidence took a little jolt when she trailed the field through a blistering first 200. "Coming down the backstretch," Boatright said "I thought, they are really out there, but coming around the curve, I could see them get tight and come back to me and I started to get confidence."
Texas A&M’s Clora Williams won the heat in 52.53.
Tennessee’s Patricia Hall, 52.10, clocked the fastest prelim winning the third heat.
Lonnie Greene, the Lady Razorbacks’ sprints coach and assistant to head coach Lance Harter, said he never doubted his sophomore from Aurora, Ill. "Was it a surprise?" Greene said, repeating a question, "No. I thought from the beginning she could run 52-point. At no point in the race did I worry she would make it to the final. At 19 years old making to the NCAA final, that’s special. It couldn’t happen to a better kid."
Boatright now has both the 400-meter final and running the 4x400 relay with teammates Jessica Cousins, Shasha Rolle and anchor Paige Farrell of Springdale tonight. "To come back and run it," Boatright said, "after you do something big in the 400 gets you more hyped."
Lady Razorback senior Penny Splichal was 13 th, 16:38.05, and did not score in Friday night’s 5,000 meters won by Arizona State’s Amy Hastings, 15:51.63.
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