Outdoor Track and Field DIVISION I WOMEN’S Highlights Texas A&M women rally with track scoring blitz: The best 400-meter relay time in two decades first put Texas A&M on the scoreboard at the Division I Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships, then a surprise finish in the triple jump gave the Aggies the points they needed on the meet’s final day to win their first team champion- ship in the sport. The Aggies broke LSU’s 1989 collegiate and meet records in the relay, then a 200-meter-dash victory by Porscha Lucas and Yasmine Regis’ unexpected showing in the triple jump helped the women join Texas A&M’s men in a sweep of the 2009 outdoor team crowns. “This is a special championship for us,” said head coach Pat Henry, who was in his fifth year at Texas A&M after leading the LSU women to 12 Division I team outdoor track and field titles. “This is our first graduating class.” For all the speed that the Aggies displayed in the final 24 hours of competition at Arkansas’ John McDonnell Field (during which they scored 44 of 50 points in track events), it was a senior’s best jump of the year that made the difference. “I knew I was the last event to go on,” Regis said. “I was trying to rack up the most points I could for my teammates.” Texas A&M trailed Oregon by a point and Regis had managed only sixth place entering her event’s last three rounds – which as it turned out, would have been enough to give the Aggies a two-point victory, combined with Lucas’ 200 victory. But Lucas hadn’t yet run, and the Aggies trailed the Ducks by 19 points when the triple jump began at noon on the final day. “It started off pretty rocky, but I dug deep and I pulled out what I needed to do,” she said of her fourth-round leap that edged Middle Tennessee’s Sarah Nambawa for second place. “I placed the highest I’ve ever placed in my senior year,” Regis said. “I’m grateful and thankful. Our team won the national championship. We’re very happy. It’s an amazing feeling.” Meanwhile, Lucas, who ran the second leg of the record-breaking relay the previous night, also knew what she needed to do early Saturday afternoon in the 200. “Coach has just been telling us to do what we do,” she said. “After we picked up eight points in the (400-meter run), I knew I needed to hold up my end and come out and win this to keep us in the hunt. I did what I could. I gave it everything I had.” It took Texas A&M until the third day of the four-day meet to get on the scoreboard, but it did so in spectacular fashion with the record-setting win in the 400-meter relay. Anchor Gabby Mayo finished a second ahead of runner-up Florida State with a 42.36 time – 0.14 seconds better than LSU’s 20-year-old mark. Henry also was coach of that LSU relay squad in 1989, which was anchored by 1992 Olympic relay gold medalist Esther Jones. “To run that fast, it’s a tremendous effort,” he said. “When (LSU) ran 42.50, we ran it at BYU at altitude. When you look at this one, it’s pretty darn good.” The relay mark was one of two meet records in Fayetteville. The other record may have been the least surprising outcome of the meet as Colorado senior Jenny Barringer topped her own year-old mark in the 3,000-meter steeple- chase to win the event for the third time in four years. Her 9:25.54 time was the best in the world to that point in 2009. “I’m happy to have it behind me,” she said. “It’s tough to come in and be a heavy favorite. I just had to keep my mind right and go out there and take care of business. It felt great.” In other meet highlights, Destinee Hooker of Texas cleared 6 feet, 4¾ inches (1.95 meters) to join Arizona’s Tanya Hughes as the only three-time outdoor high jump cham- pion. “It’s a blessing to come out here and compete, but to win my fourth title truly is a great feeling to have,” said Hooker, who also won the Division I indoor high jump champi- onship in March and could claim a fourth outdoor crown in 2010. “I think I got a good rest after redshirting last year and was ready to come off that strong.” Florida State’s Kimberly Williams swept the long and triple jumps, actually topping Candice Baucham’s four-year-old mark for UCLA in the latter event by more than an inch, though the leap was wind-aided. “This was the first time I’ve jumped all four days (with the long jump) and I took all of my jumps in each round, so today I just had to refocus and concentrate,” she said after her leap of 47 feet, 2¼ inches (14.38 meters). 2009 TEAM STANDINGS 20. Akron ..................................................13 40. South Carolina...................................7 East Tenn. St. ......................................3 1. Texas A&M ........................................50 Michigan St. .....................................13 Tulsa .......................................................7 Washington St. ..................................3 2. Oregon ..............................................43 Purdue ...............................................13 Villanova ..............................................7 62. Harvard .............................................2½ 3. Arizona St. ........................................41 23. Oklahoma .........................................12 43. Hampton .............................................6 Nebraska ..........................................2½ 4. Florida St. ..........................................40 24. Notre Dame .................................11½ Houston ...............................................6 64. Boston U. .............................................2 5. Texas ...................................................36 25. Arizona ..............................................11 Middle Tenn........................................6 Cornell...................................................2 6. LSU ..................................................29½ Auburn ..............................................11 Stanford................................................6 Duke ......................................................2 7. Michigan ...........................................28 San Diego St. ...................................11 47. Connecticut ........................................5 Iowa St. .................................................2 8. Southern California ......................24 UTEP ...................................................11 Georgetown .......................................5 Kansas St. .............................................2 9. Florida ................................................23 29. Arkansas ............................................10 North Carolina ...................................5 Seton Hall ............................................2 10. Baylor .................................................21 Colorado ...........................................10 N.C. A&T ...............................................5 70. Charleston So. ...................................1 Tennessee .........................................21 Indiana ...............................................10 West Virginia ......................................5 Mississippi ...........................................1 12. Illinois .................................................18 Indiana St..........................................10 52. Fresno St. .............................................4 Mississippi St. .....................................1 Virginia Tech ....................................18 Providence .......................................10 Kent St...................................................4 New Mexico........................................1 14. Penn St...............................................17 Texas Tech ........................................10 Missouri ................................................4 Rhode Island ......................................1 15. BYU ..................................................15½ 35. TCU .........................................................9 Rice .........................................................4 16. Miami (FL).........................................15 36. UC Riverside .......................................8 SMU ........................................................4 UCLA ...................................................15 Hawaii ...................................................8 Western Ky. .........................................4 18. Minnesota ....................................14½ North Dakota St. ...............................8 58. Air Force ...............................................3 19. Washington .....................................14 Virginia ..................................................8 Cal Poly .................................................3 2 Women’S Division I Outdoor Track and Field—Individual Results 2009 INDIVIDUAL RESULTS Washington, 33:43.33; 4. Clara Grandt, West Virginia, 33:45.16; 6.52 (21-4¾); 7. Jeomi Maduka, Cornell, 6.26 (20-6½); 8. 5. Alex Becker, Tulsa, 34:00.82; 6. Catherine White, Arkansas, Blessing Okagbare, UTEP, 6.18 (20-3½). 100‑meter dash: 1. Alexandria Anderson, Texas, 11.20; 2. 34:15.26; 7. Mattie Bridgmon, Oregon, 34:18.20; 8. Michelle Jessica Young, TCU, 11.22; 3. Kenyanna Wilson, LSU, 11.30; 4. Triple jump (w indicates wind‑aided): 1. Kimberly Corrigan, New Mexico, 34:20.24. Porscha Lucas, Texas A&M, 11.31; 5. Gabby Mayo, Texas A&M, Williams, Florida St., 14.38w (47-2¼); 2. Yasmine Regis, Texas 11.35; 6. Charonda Williams, Arizona St., 11.37; 7. Murielle 100‑meter high hurdles: 1. Tiffany Ofili, Michigan, 12.96; A&M, 13.82w (45-4¼); 3. Sarah Nambawa, Middle Tenn.,