Davis, McWilliams Double Up At SEC Championships
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Junior Marquis Davis and sophomore Tiffany McWilliams both took home two SEC championships on the final day of the 2003 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
The three-time, all-American Davis won both the 100 and 200 meter dashes in 10.13 and 20.50 on Tom Black Track. He becomes the fourth Bulldog ever to have two wins at the conference championships.
"I just knew I had to be focused today," Davis said. "It's really tough to win just one of these races, so I'm very happy to take home two wins."
The SEC indoor mile champion McWilliams won both the 800 and 1500 meter running events. The Red Bay, Ala., native set a new SEC meet record in the 1500m with her time of 4:12.17, then followed that with the victory at 800m in 2:02.74. An all-American indoors, McWilliams now holds half of State's SEC women's individual titles.
"It feels great," said McWilliams. "I'm didn't know (the 1500m time) was a record until I heard it over the intercom. I feel really good about my performances."
Senior sprinter Pierre Browne finished second in both the 100m and 200m behind Davis, with times of 10.16 and 20.89. The duo leads the nation in the two short sprints.
LaChristopher Lewis placed in two events in Sunday's finals, placing fifth in the 200m dash (21.03) and finishing third in the 400m dash (45.82). The Coldwater, Miss., sophomore also was a part of the 4x100m relay team's record run. Lewis, Davis, Glenn McFadden and Browne clocked a 39.09 in a second-place showing and a new school record in the event.
Sophomore Matthew Denton finished second in the high jump, tying his personal-best clearance of 6-11 1/2. He did not miss before the bar went over seven feet.
"We're pretty happy with our finishes here this weekend," head coach Al Schmidt said. "Our guys did what they came to do in the sprints. We couldn't be happier about Marquis' and Tiffany's wins today. Hopefully, we'll continue to improve and be a force at nationals."
Florida's women won the team title for the first time in five years, scoring 149 points. Arkansas' men took home their 10th SEC outdoor track championships, scoring 159 points. State's men came in eighth with their most points since a second-place showing in 1975, scoring 69 points. MSU's womens came in 10th with 22 points.
State's next meet is set for May 30-31 at the NCAA Mideast Regional at Columbus, Ohio.
2003 SEC OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
May 18, 2003 - Tom Black Track
Final Team Scores
Men: 1. Arkansas, 149; 2. Tennessee, 111.5; 3. Georgia, 89; 4. Auburn, 85; 5. Florida, 84; 6. South Carolina, 75; 6. LSU, 75; 8. Mississippi State, 69; 9. Alabama, 32.5; 10. Kentucky, 27; 11. Mississippi, 16
Women: 1. Florida, 159; 2. Arkansas, 130; 3. LSU, 110; 4. South Carolina, 86; 5. Auburn, 77; 6. Georgia, 66; 7. Tennessee, 55; 8. Kentucky, 49; 9. Alabama, 38; 10. Mississippi State, 22; 11. Vanderbilt, 19; 12. Mississippi, 5.
Men's Individual Results:
100-Meter Dash - 1. Marquis Davis, 10.13; 2. Pierre Browne, 10.16
200-Meter Dash - 1. Marquis Davis, 20.50; 2. Pierre Browne, 20.89; 5. LaChristopher Lewis, 21.03
400-Meter Dash - 3. LaChristopher Lewis, 45.82
4x100-Meter Relay - 2. Lewis, Davis, McFadden, Browne, 39.09
High Jump - 2. Matthew Denton, 6-11 1/2
Discus - 8. J.D. Erickson, 165-5
Javelin - 10. Clay Garner, 188-8
Women's Individual Results:
800-Meter Run - 1. Tiffany McWilliams, 2:02.74
1500-Meter Run - 1. Tiffany McWilliams, 4:12.17
5000-Meter Run - 16. Meggan Hodge, 17:49.28
4x400-Meter Relay - 11. Lau. Johnson, Magloire, McPherson, McWilliams, 3:54.85
Javelin - 13. Michelle Kinney, 114-04; 15. Jennifer Johnstone, 109-8