Posted: April 12, 2005

Athletics: USATF News & Notes, Volume 6, Number 25

Wariner stars at Texas Relays

A rambunctious crowd of 22,500 got their first taste of 2004's American Olympic stars Saturday at the Texas Relays in Austin, led by 400-meter gold medalist Jeremy Wariner anchoring the winning USA Red team in the invitational 4x400m relay.

Wariner cruised to a 45.3 second split on the final leg to tidy up a 3 minutes,1.91 seconds world-leading effort that saw him team up with relay gold medalist Andrew Rock, 400 bronze medalist Derrick Brew and Bershawn Jackson, who placed Jackson placed fourth at the Olympic Trials in the 400MH in Sacramento.

The USA Red team also romped to a world-leading 3:28.53 win in the women's invitational 4x400, thanks in part to a 50.2 anchor by local favorite Sanya Richards. The squad also featured Debbie Dunn, former Texas star Raasin McIntosh and Kia Davis.

Long-time crowd favorite Maurice Greene, who burst onto the world scene in 1995 with a win over Carl Lewis in the meet's invitational 100, anchored two impressive relay wins for his HSI team, holding off J.J. Johnson and his USA Red team down the stretch for a 38.48 world leader in the 4x100. The 4x200 was a runaway win for the HSI quartet in 1:21.54.

Olympic 100m silver medalist Lauryn Williams had a successful return to the track where she won NCAA gold last year, helping USA Red to a 43.36-43.44 win over USA Blue in the women's invitational 4x100. Williams ran with Angela Daigle, Inger Miller and Latasha Colander, with Colander staving off a late challenge by USA Blue's Muna Lee on the final carry.

World leading marks also came from Texas hurdler Ashlee Williams, who sped to a 12.83 in the 100H, and from Williams and her Texas teammates in the women's 4x100 (43.25). Those performances, along with an impressive 6.65 meters/21 feet, 10 inches long jump win by Marshevet Hooker, helped the Lady Longhorns earn Most Outstanding Team honors.Gusting winds helped push the sprint times into rarified territory. Florida State freshman Walter Dix used a 4.5 tailwind to clock 9.96 in the second heat of the invitational men's 100, the second fastest time ever under any conditions by a junior athlete. NCAA Indoor 200 champ Tremedia Brice of Texas Southern blazed an 11.00 with a 5.7 wind in the university women's century, easily the fastest all-conditions time of the year thus far.

In other collegiate action, Florida's Kerron Clement, who set a world indoor record in the 400 at the NCAA meet last month, anchored his school to victory in the men's 4x400 at 3:02.47, while LSU's men edged Arizona State in the 4x100, 38.94-38.96.

Cinco Ranch High School's Scott Sellers was the top high school performer with a 7-5 clearance in the high jump. He had close misses at what would have been a U.S. prep and junior record 7-7.25. Sellers also ran a leg on Cinco's national-leader 4x200 relay.

For more information on the 2005 Texas Relays, including the complete results, visit: TexasSports.com.

Record win at More Marathon

Susan Loken ran away from the field and set a Central Park course record timein winning the second annual More Marathon for women only over the age of 40 on Sunday.

Loken, 41, of Phoenix, Ariz., took the lead at about the seven-mile mark on the secondlap of the five lap courseto steadily pull away from runner-up Janet Robertz to win in two hours, 45 minutes, 35 seconds, bettering theprevious Central Park course record of 2:46:14 set by Kim Merritt in 1975,the last year that the New York City Marathon was held entirely in Central Park before moving to its present five-borough course in 1976.

"Kicking at the end is not my strength so I knew I had to have a lead," said Loken, the mother of three, who won $2,000. "This was a great course and I don't know how you couldn't run well over this course. Life begins at 40."

Robertz, 45, of Shorewood, Minn., was the runner-up in 2:48:59. "She just had fresher legs and I didn't," said Robertz, the 2003 and '04 USA Masters Marathon champion."I ran a marathon about nine weeks ago and I was a bit fatigued and I could tell by about mile-16 that I wasn't catching up."

Corinna Cortes, 44, of New York took third in 3:07:44.

A field of nearly 3,500 runners turned out for the world's only race open only to women over 40 that featured a full marathon and a 13.1-mile half-marathon according to New York Road Runners officials.

ESPN's Merron names Razorbacks #3

ESPN.com columnist Jeff Merron recently named his top ten "Power Rankings" of the best teams in the world right now, with the University of Arkansas men's track and field team placing third.

To be considered for the rankings teams must either be great now, or have been great recently, or will be in the near future. Merron's #1 ranked squad is the University of North Carolina's NCAA men's basketball championship team, followed by the NBA's Phoenix Suns.

The Razorbacks earned their lofty status after winning the team title at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships, with the expectation that they will make a strong challenge for the 2005 NCAA Outdoor title later this spring in Sacramento, Calif. In winning the 2005 NCAA Indoor team title, the Razorbacks tallied 54 points, 10 more than their nearest competitors. It was the 40th NCAA national team title for longtime Arkansas head coach John McDonnell. During the Championships, 10 of McDonnell's athletes earned a combined total of 14 All-America honors.

For Merron's complete list of top teams, visit: ESPN.com.