Outdoor Track and Field DIVISION I MEN’S Highlights Aggies emerge from men’s track pack for first crown: The term “4x1” nearly took on new meaning at the Division I Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships, as the final event offered the possibility that four teams could tie for the team title. Texas A&M made the most of the opportunity and won its first national championship in the sport June 13 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term “4x1” normally refers to the 400-meter relay, but the title actually was decided in the meet-ending 1,600-meter relay, where the Aggies finally caught Oregon and held off two other rivals to spoil those teams’ title hopes. The win clinched a rare double victory since Texas A&M had captured the women’s track and field title moments earlier. “We’re the national champions,” said Justin Oliver, who anchored the Aggies to a second-place finish in the 1,600-meter relay to lock up the title. “Texas A&M, no one else. That’s all I could say when I finished the race. We did it! We did it!” Oliver is a member of coach Pat Henry’s first graduating class, which brought the former LSU coach – who led the Tigers to three men’s and 12 women’s national track and field titles – his first crowns in five seasons at Texas A&M. “We’re extremely pleased. My staff worked very hard, and this is a very gratifying pair of championships for this team,” Henry said. Texas A&M needed a big comeback to catch Oregon, which was bidding to add the outdoor crown to the cross country and indoor track team titles it claimed during the school year. The Ducks built a lead entering the last day on Ashton Eaton’s decathlon win and Galen Rupp’s double victory in the 10,000- and 5,000-meter run. The Ducks then kept alive their hopes of fending off the surging Aggies with Andrew Wheating’s come-from-behind win in the 800-meter run. It wasn’t enough, though, as the Aggies scored big with four finalists in the triple jump to position themselves within striking distance entering the final relay. They then surged from sixth place midway through the race to claim the points they needed. “The position the rest of the relay put me in, I was second and I wanted to maintain that position,” Oliver said. “When it got to the 300 mark and I saw that I’m still in second place, I see the finish line and I can see the trophy waiting on me. Drive, that’s all I thought, just drive. Put them up and put them down, and pump my arms. When I finally crossed the line a million tons came off my back from all the hard work I’ve been putting in over the years.” Four Aggie triple jump finalists combined for 18 points just before the final track event. Julian Reid led the parade with a runner-up finish, followed by Zuheir Sharif in fourth, Tyron Stewart in sixth and Melvin Echard in seventh. “When we got into that final, from that point on it was just maintaining and building the momentum we had,” Sharif said. “It’s all about the endurance. But it was nerve- racking watching the outcome of the 4x400. I’m at a loss for words. I can’t believe what we jumped today. I can’t believe we are national champions.” While Oregon fell short in its bid for a cross country/track sweep, Rupp became the first Division I man to claim five individual championships in a year, adding the first 10,000/5,000 outdoor sweep since 2000 to his cross country title last fall and a sweep of the 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs at the indoor championships in March. He also was a member of Oregon’s victorious indoor distance medley relay team. The win in the outdoor 5,000 was especially dramatic, as Rupp stopped on the track to put a shoe back on after tangling with another runner, then recovered from behind the pack to take the lead with about a lap and a half to go. “I was trying to do what I could to help the team out,” he said. “I was pretty tired. I tried to slow it down a little bit, but it’s hard. I’m not going to go out of my way to get behind everybody.” The Ducks finished in a three-way tie for second with Florida and three-time defending champion Florida State, which after winning the 1,600-meter relay would have tied Oregon, Texas A&M and the Gators for the team title had the Aggies finished third rather than second in the race.“We won it, but credit A&M for coming up big as well,” said Florida State’s Charles Clark, who helped power his relay squad to a commanding lead in the event after winning the 200-meter dash. 2009 TEAM STANDINGS Washington .....................................13 Liberty ...................................................6 Tex. A&M-Commerce .....................2 1. Texas A&M ........................................48 23. Arizona ..............................................11 New Mexico........................................6 67. Central Mich. ......................................1 2. Florida ................................................46 Bethune-Cookman ......................11 UNI ..........................................................6 Cornell...................................................1 Florida St. ..........................................46 25. Boise St. .............................................10 Hampton .............................................1 Oregon ..............................................46 UTEP ......................................................6 Northeastern ......................................1 5. LSU ......................................................37 California ...........................................10 48. Manhattan ..........................................5 Oklahoma .........................................10 Notre Dame ........................................5 Northwestern St. ..............................1 6. South Carolina............................33½ Oklahoma St. ..................................10 Tennessee ............................................5 Syracuse ...............................................1 7. Stanford.............................................30 TCU .........................................................1 Rice ......................................................10 Virginia ..................................................5 8. Arizona St. ........................................29 30. Missouri ................................................9 Texas Tech ...........................................1 9. Arkansas ............................................27 52. Iona ........................................................4 10. Southern California ......................26 North Carolina ...................................9 Louisville ..............................................4 32. Georgia Tech ......................................8 Purdue ..................................................4 11. Georgia ..............................................19 Iowa St. .................................................8 Western Ky. .........................................4 12. Auburn ..............................................18 Middle Tenn........................................8 56. Delaware St. .......................................3 13. BYU ......................................................16 Northern Ariz. ....................................8 Kansas St. ..........................................16 Eastern Mich. .....................................3 15. Kentucky ...........................................15 Wake Forest ........................................8 Georgetown .......................................3 37. Illinois ....................................................7 Harvard .................................................3 16. Virginia Tech ................................14½ Minnesota ...........................................7 Md.-East. Shore .................................3 17. Mississippi St. ..................................14 Villanova ..............................................7 Ohio St. .................................................3 Nebraska ...........................................14 40. Albany (NY).........................................6 Washington St. ...............................14 62. Air Force ...............................................2 20. Baylor .................................................13 Brown ....................................................6 Alabama ...............................................2 Butler .....................................................6 Michigan ..............................................2 Texas ...................................................13 Clemson ...............................................6 Penn St..................................................2 2 Men’S Division I Outdoor Track and Field—Individual Results Ledwith, Iona, 29:10.97; 6. James Strang, Arkansas, 29:11.65; Triple jump (w indicates wind‑aided): 1. Will Claye, 2009 INDIVIDUAL RESULTS 7. Girma Mecheso, Auburn, 29:12.99; 8. Jake Riley, Stanford, Oklahoma, 17.24w (56-6¾); 2. Julian Reid, Texas A&M, 100‑meter dash: 1. Trindon Holliday, LSU, 10.00; 2. Ahmad 29:14.53. 17.10w (56-1¼); 3. Christian Taylor, Florida, 16.91w (55-5¾); Rashad, Southern California, 10.10; 3. Gerald Phiri, Texas 4. Zuheir Sharif, Texas A&M, 16.76w (55-0); 5. Nkosinza 110‑meter high hurdles: 1. Ronnie Ash, Bethune- A&M, 10.18; 4. Terrell Wilks, Florida, 10.19; 5. Rondel Sorrillo, Balumbu, Arkansas, 16.40w (53-9¾); 6. Tyron Stewart, Texas Cookman, 13.27; 2. Jason Richardson, South Carolina, 13.49; Kentucky, 10.22; 6. D’Angelo Cherry, Mississippi St., 10.22; 7. A&M, 16.27w (53-4½); 7. Melvin Echard, Texas A&M, 16.07 3. William Wynne,