Tennessee, Georgia, and Arkansas Dazzle At SECs With Historic Performances
Tennessee, Georgia, and Arkansas Dazzle At SECs With Historic Performances
At the 2024 SEC Championships, the Tennessee women, Georgia's Christopher Morales Williams and the Arkansas men stole the show in the sprints and relays.
This year's NCAA conference championships were one for the record books.
It seemed that everywhere you looked, there were historic performances both on and off the track.
However, Gainesville was the place to be, as the powerhouse sprint programs threw down some of the best performances the NCAA had seen this spring.
Here are three of the biggest performances from conference championship weekend.
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Tennessee Women Dominate Relays At SEC's
LADY VOLS GO OUT ON TOP 🥇
— Tennessee Track & Field (@Vol_Track) May 12, 2024
4x400m Relay SEC Champions!
⏱️ 3:24.44
🍊 School Record by more than 3 seconds
🏆 Collegiate Lead
🌎 World No. 5
7️⃣ 7th-fastest program record in collegiate history#GBO pic.twitter.com/vwTEhsnnD8
The Volunteer women have showcased their sprint prowess over the last month or so.
They put an exclamation point on their season at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Starting their dominance with a combined 42.42 in the 4x100m -- as Jacious Sears, Dennisha Page, DaJour Miles and Joella Lloyd took down Ole Miss and LSU who were right on their heels in 42.47 and 42.49 -- Tennessee's 400 meter women's relay didn't just get crowned SEC champions, but they also became the seventh-fastest program in NCAA history.
Their bookend performance from SECs came in the highly anticipated 4x400m showdown, where they held off South Carolina and became the first quartet under 3:25 this season.
Javonya Valcourt, Kyla Robinson-Hubbard, Miles and Brianna White now sit No. 5 in the world this year and Tennessee is one of just seven teams to break the 3:25 barrier.
Additionally, the Volunteers cracked the all-time NCAA top 10 list, moving up to No. 7, just like they did in the 4x100m. If that wasn't enough, it also lowered the school record by more than three seconds.
Christopher Morales Williams Nearly Breaks 44 Seconds, Snags World Lead
Fastest in the 🌎 this year‼️
— Georgia Track + Field (@UGATrack) May 11, 2024
Christopher Morales Williams runs a 44.05 to capture 🥇 in the 400m with a school, Canadian, meet, and facility record 💨 The time makes him the No. 6️⃣ all-time collegiate performer 📈#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/o8sQX1Ekfk
Just like he did in February, the Bulldog quarter-miler had a breakthrough performance in the 400m, this time clocking 44.05 as he won his second SEC title this year.
The sophomore from Canada led three more men under 45, but he had more than half-of-a-second behind him as he comfortably stopped the clock with the fastest time in the world.
In collegiate history, only four men have ever broken 44 seconds and the NCAA indoor record-holder was three-hundredths of a second away from becoming number five.
Morales Williams has yet to lose in a 400m final since late January and he could very well keep that streak alive over the next two weeks as the stakes get higher. The young star also heads into the championship season as the new Canadian record-holder.
Arkansas Men Lead Three Teams Under 3:00 At SEC Championships
Members of the Razorback 4 x 400m relay reflect on the victory that secured the SEC Championship team title for Arkansas
— Arkansas Track & Field (@RazorbackTF) May 14, 2024
TJ Tomlyanovich | Lance Lang
Steven McElroy | James Benson II
Along with associate head coach Doug Case pic.twitter.com/247OBU1O9k
Heading into the weekend, the SEC's reputation for 4x400m mania was evident, but Arkansas' performances over the weekend made it even more clear.
In one of the closest finishes you could possibly see in a track and field meet's finale, the Razorbacks held off a charging Alabama squad, winning 2:59.03-2:59.06.
Florida finished third in 2:59.48, as Texas A&M and LSU rounded out the top five in 3:00.38 and 3:01.28, respectively.
When the dust had finally settled, TJ Tomlyanovich, Lance Lang, Steven McElroy and James Benson II had successfully led Arkansas to the SEC team title over Alabama, with the final score being 110-104.
Remarkably, Benson II was able to hold on just long enough in spite of Khaleb McRae's blistering 43.7 anchor leg for the Crimson Tide.
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