COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS

     The women's title race was very close. Hazel-Ann Regis, a 2004 Olympic 400m semi-finalist from Grenada, running for LSU, had already set a meet and track record 51.62 earlier in the day in the 400 (breaking her own record from last year). When she came from behind to pass fellow Olympian (Jamaica) South Carolina's Shevon Stoddard in the final leg of the women's 4x400 relay, LSU was ahead in the team scoring by one point. If LSU lost the race, they would lose the meet title by one point -- to South Carolina. South Carolina got the baton first on the final leg, but Regis passed Stoddart (pictured right) on the second lap and LSU's 4x4 set a meet and track record of 3:31.73, establishing the fastest collegiate time in the nation by some six seconds. Regis received the meet's outstanding women performer award.

     Arkasas' women tied for second place with South Carolina, highlighted an exciting New Balance Armory Collegiate Invitational which saw meet records broken in 9 events.

     The Arkansas men's team, in its first visit ever to the meet won the men's team championship in a close team race over Georgia, LSU and Tennessee; Arkansas took victories in the mile, 800 and 400.

      Andre Manson repeated as the men's high jump winner for Texas. For the first time, the finals of the hurdles and dashes were held Friday night at Madison Square Garden as part of the Millrose Games.

      Terry Gatson from Arkansas won the men's 400, but Columbia sophomore Erison Hurtault (pictured right) from Aberdeen, N.J. continues to re-write the Columbia record book as he broke his own school record in the indoor 400 meter dash with a 47.01. Hurtalt, who now owns the six fastest times in Columbia history, is being coached by Columbia 's new Assistant Coach, Derrick Atkins, the Olympic 400 Meter hurdle gold medalist from the 1996 Games in Atlanta. Speaking of Olympians, Andrew (Kippie) Keino, son of Olympic gold medalist Kip Keino, competed in the men's college mile for Villanova, finishing second to winner Joe Thorne from Texas. Thorne's time: 4:07.15; Keino's time: 4:07.63.

Individual Highlights

    • Xavier Carter, now an LSU freshman, broke the men's meet record in the 200m and was named outstanding men's competitor. His time, 20.67 broke the meet record first set by 2004 Athens Olympic Champion Justin Gatlin of Tennessee three years ago (20.84).
    • In the men's 800m, James Hatch of Arkansas ran 1:48.24, again the fastest collegiate time in the country this year breaking the 2003 meet record set by South Carolina's Otukile Lekote.
    • Keira Carlstrom of American broke the women's record of 9:18.30 in the 3K run in a personal best 9:17.96, but the big meet record was
    • Columbia 's Caroline Bierbaum in her 5,000 meter debut. In the first 5k of her life and only her second track race ever Bierbaum ran 15:52.17 to break the old meet record by 25 seconds.
    • In the women's DMR, Duke, Villanova , Arkansas, North Carolina and Stanford competed,with the first four finishing teams under 11:10; Marina Muncan anchored Villanova's winning team in coming from behind to beat North Carolina. Both teams broke Georgetown's meet record of 11:08.56, running 11:05.23 and 11:05.30 respectively.
    • Abe Jones of Illinois won the men's 500 breaking the meet record of 1:03.35 set last year by Paul Cawley of James Madison. Jones' winning time: 1:02.77.
    • In the women's triple jump, Stanford freshman Erica McLain jumped a lifetime best 44-11 (13.69m) to set new Armory and meet records. She missed the American junior record by less than an inch.
    • Richard Kiplagat of Iona who won the 5,000 two years ago won the 3k this time, defeating three great Arkansas runners including second-place finisher Peter Kosgei. Kiplagat's time: 8:00.32; Kosgei's time: 8:00.98.
    • On her last put, Katie McKeever of LSU set a lifetime best to win the shot put and helped give LSU the team championship.
    • New Jersey 's Deborah Vento, a sophomore at Duke, won the women's championship division high jump, at 5-11 1/4. In the college division high jump, Maryland's Toni Aluko jumped 5-10 (1.78m).