July 2002 Issue

There's No Place Like Home

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, May 28-June 1- LSU coach Pat Henry obviously would have been happier if he had directed both of his squads to team titles at the 81st NCAA Championships, but he was suitably thrilled just to see his men's unit win. Henry, of course, is the only coach ever to win both titles in the same year, having turned the trick in '89 and '90.

It was especially pleasing for Henry to win at home. Surprisingly, that too has been a rare occurrence. Only 8 times previously-USC in '35, '40, '49 & '55, Minnesota in '48, Oregon in '62, '64 and '84-did the men's host win. And only once in 21 editions has a women's team done so: LSU in '87, the year before Henry came on board in the bayou.

"Winning at home made it special," Henry told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "I hope we helped educate people that track can be a great sport to watch. The stands were full of a lot of people who will talk about the meet for a long time."

Talk they should, for they saw four days of...

(for more, read the July issue of Track & Field News)

NCAA Men: LSU Edges Vols

by Garry Hill

Defending champ Tennessee was tabbed as the early-line favorite to win the men's team title over LSU and became a convincing choice when Tiger quartermile star Alleyne Francique was declared ineligible in late May. The hosts would take yet another huge hit, but the Vols suffered an even worse one shortly thereafter.

In the final analysis the whole shebang was settled in about a 45-minute period on Friday night:

•7:00, 4x1 final-Tennessee is favored, LSU is picked for 4th. When LSU wins and Tennessee is just 3rd, it's a 9-point swing.

•7:20, 400H final-Favored Tiger Lueroy Colquhoun falls and doesn't score, but...

(for more, read the July Issue of Track & Field News)

NCAA Women: The Other SC

As predicted early, the NCAA women's team battle once again came down to USC vs. UCLA. But the "SC" in question wasn't defending champ Southern California-tabbed in our May issue as the probable winner- rather, it was South Carolina, the Curtis Frye-led team (see sidebar) that roared ever up-wards in the formcharts as the season progressed.

UCLA had a narrow 44-40 lead as the final day began, but the Bruins were playing Titanic to a Gamecock iceberg that loomed in the 400, 200 and 4x4. South Carolina had...

(for more, read the July issue of Track & Field News)

Gatlin Everywhere Again

Second verse, nearly the same as the first. Last year, frosh Justin Gatlin dazzled the NCAA with victories in the 100 and 200 and a leg on the runner-up 4x1 to pace Tennessee's team triumph.

This year, he repeated his dash double, contributed his usual second carry as the Vols ran 3rd in the 4x1 and capped his visit to the bayou by chipping in a 44.7 third leg on the 5th-place 4x4. All in the line of duty for the supersoph.

"Just a job to me," said the 20-year-old Pensacola native. "Been doing it since high school."

But not at the rarefied level of the past two seasons. As the '02 campaign began, Gatlin admitted, "I want to be recognized with all the legends: Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson, Maurice Greene... Justin Gatlin."

But only Owens among those others ever won an NCAA dash double. Not Lewis; not Johnson; not Greene. Gatlin added to his legend with a second sprint double, becoming just the sixth in meet history to repeat in both.

Gatlin is taking his time rushing toward greatness. While he certainly thinks about the Olympics...

(for more, read the July Issue of Track & Field News)

You Can Quote Rickey Harris

Rickey Harris promises to be even better than this year's 44.84 and 48.16 PRs when next year rolls around

by Jon Hendershott

A lifetime best 48.16 to win the NCAA title puts Rickey Harris in high-quality 400H company: the only 1-lap hurdlers ever to run faster during the collegiate season are Olympic champions Kevin Young (47.85) and Angelo Taylor (48.14).

And collegians to run faster out-side the school year-names the class of Samuel Matete, Edwin Moses, Danny Harris, Winthrop Graham and Andre Phillips-also claim a classy pedigree: all are Olympic and/or World Champs medalists.

The other Baton Rouge accomplishment by Harris, taking 2nd in the 400, has been achieved only once before in the NCAA meet-by Rex Cawley in '63. The next year, of course, Cawley won the Olympic long-hurdle gold.

Harris is happy that his name joins such distinguished company, is pleased to meet the stringent demands he puts on himself...

(for more, read the July issue of Track & Field News)

Sage Has No Regrets

by Ruth Laney

In winning the NCAA 1500 , Donald Sage proved that he can learn from experience.

"Last year, with 200m to go, I thought about going for it, and then I pulled back," he explains. "I kind of regretted that after the race. This year I wanted to have no regrets." Last year's moment of indecision left him in 5th, although he produced a PR 3:39.27. It also left him with questions about whether he could have won the race-or at least placed higher, even though only one yearling, teammate Gabe Jennings, had placed any higher in the meet's previous 16 editions.

This year there would be no second-guessing, only exultation. "I'm still a little in shock, but I feel really good," says the Stanford soph, who won a "tactical" race in 3:42.65, the slowest low-altitude winning time sincethe meet converted from the mile in '76. "I was fortunate to get excited and get the adrenaline going at the right time."...

(for more, read the July issue of Track & Field News)

The Pass: Legal Or Not?

The Pass-Legal Or Not?

Tennessee filed a protest after the Pete Coley-Bennie Brazell exchange in the 4x1, but even if meet referee John Chaplin had seen a late pass-and he isn't saying whether he did or not-under NCAA rules he could "only act upon the information provided by the appropriate meet officials."

In other words, he could only ask the umpires to review their original judgment. Chaplin did so, but the umpires stood by their white flags. Close exchange-zone calls are difficult to make as...

(for more, read the July issue of Track & Field News)

Walter Davis's Scoring Spree

Walter Davis keyed LSU's team title by winning both horizontal jumps... and leading off the 4x1

by Ruth Laney

The day before the NCAA meet opened on his home track, Walter Davis laid out his ideal scenario for the Baton Rouge newspaper: to win the long and triple jumps and lead LSU to the team title. Oh, yes, and "it would be nice to win the relay, too," he said.

Done.

In the final meet of his college career, Davis indeed won both jumps (26-6 1/4 , PR 56-10 3/4 to move to No. 9 on the all-time U.S. list) and ran the lead leg on the winning 4x1 relay. With 22 1/2 points, he led LSU to its first men's title since '90.

Five other jumpers (see box) have won the LJ/TJ double in the past, but none of them have run on a winning relay (Mike Conley did run on 5th- and 6th-place squads).

Not bad for a man who didn't take up track until his junior year at Beau Chene High School in Arnaudville, Louisiana. A native of Leonville (pop. 825) in the heart of Cajun country, Davis played basketball until...

(for more, read the July issue of Track & Field News)

Gamecock Frosh-Wow!

by Ruth Laney

As the NCAA meet wrapped up a piercing scream split the air in the interview zone at LSU's Bernie Moore Stadium.

Had rival athletes gone postal? Had an errant javelin nailed a TV reporter? Had a Yankee scribe just swallowed his first taste of Cajun pasta at the media freeload? None of the above. It was merely South Carolina's Tiffany Ross letting her excitement out.

Fresh from the team-trophy presentation and unable to contain herself another minute, Ross let out a shriek of delight and grabbed coach Curtis Frye in a bear hug as he talked to the press about SC's first team title in any sport.

Meanwhile, teammate Lashinda Demus was so stove up from her efforts in the 4x4 that she couldn't even climb to the top of the awards stand to help claim the hardware.

"I ran as fast as I could, and I started cramping up afterwards," she said. "I could barely walk. It hurt, but it also felt really good. I couldn't even make it up on the podium, but I didn't care.

We won, and that's all that matters."...

(for more, read the July issue of Track & Field News)

High School News

CAL STATE WOMEN

Felix Dominates Dashes

Norwalk, May 31-June 1-Junior Allyson Felix (Los Angeles Baptist, North Hills) established herself as the fastest sprinter of the season, racing to nation-leading times in both the 100 (11.55 after an 11.40 heat) and 200 (22.83 after a windy 22.69 in the heats) at the California State Meet...

OREGON STATE

Kent Captures Quartet

Eugene, May 24-25-Even though Jordan Kent (Churchill, Eugene) will attend Oregon primarily as a basketballer (his father Ernie coaches the Duck hoops team), he again showed scads of track talent at the Oregon State Meet.

He made history by winning four events: the long jump Friday night (24-1/2 ), then all three sprints within 80 minutes on Saturday with efforts of 10.54w, 47.22 and 21.29...

PRE CLASSIC

Richards: 51.16

Eugene, Oregon, May 26-Florida prep Sanya Richards showed maturity beyond her 17 years in her first 400 shortly after gaining U.S. citizenship.

At the Pre Classic, former Jamaican Richards (Aquinas, Ft. Lauderdale) led the world-class field at halfway (24.2) before...

(for more, read the July issue of Track & Field News)

And in the August issue...

Whose Turn To Surprise?

One of the best things about the USATF Championships every year is the absolutely-out-of-the-blue winners who shock everyone-usually including themselves-with their gold-medal performance. People like last year's unlooked-for 1500 winner, Andy Downin (l).

Who's going to fill that role this year? Sorry, we're good, but we're not that good. At this point we don't have any idea either. But if you want all the details on the people of mystery-how they got there and what makes them tick-be sure to read the August issue of Track & Field News.

And if it's Nationals time, that also means that the European season will have erupted, spewing forth no end of surprises of its own.

So whether it's domestic or international competition that piques your interest, be on the lookout for the next T&FN.