LEXINGTON, Ky. ? The Arkansas men?s track and field team captured its 81st Southeastern Conference indoor title, while the Tennessee women claimed their second indoor crown in three years Sunday on the final day of the 2007 SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by the University of Kentucky in E.J. Nutter Field House.
UT tallied 120 points to hold off defending champion Georgia (103) for the Big Orange’s third-ever SEC Indoor trophy to go along with titles in 1984 and 2005. LSU was third with 101, followed by Arkansas (83), South Carolina (52), Florida (42), Kentucky (40), Auburn (39.50), Ole Miss (36), Alabama (21.50), Vanderbilt (15) and Mississippi State (10).
“I can definitely say this [victory] was not from one area,” UT Head Coach J.J. Clark said. “We put a good team effort together, and they showed today how you should win championship meets. I am very, very proud of this team and what they have done.
?They [SEC Championships] all have special meaning. The first time [in 2005] was very exciting. This time, most people thought we couldn’t do it because of last year[(team dropped to third indoors/fifth outdoors]. They probably had written us off, but we definitely showed them that we are very tough.?
On the men?s side, Arkansas had only one individual crowned an SEC Champion, but used a total team effort to win end its drought in Lexington by scoring 126 points. Tennessee scored 115.5 points for a second-place finish. The point margin is the smallest since Arkansas defeated the Vols by seven points at the event in Fayetteville in 2002. Florida rounded out the top three with 93.5 points.
?This is a really special win because we have really been up and down this season,? Arkansas head coach John McDonnell said. ?This was a great time to put it together. We had the talent and we put it together this weekend.
?This is a very tough conference and we needed a total team effort. They don?t give away first places very easily. If you falter a little bit, there are too many good teams in this conference, one of them is going to come after you. We never showed a weakness at any time and that?s what won the title.?
Complete results are available at secsports.com and ukathletics.com.
