Razorbacks secure fifth straight sweep of indoor championships and 11th overall, with women’s team extending streak to 10 in a row and men’s program capturing 27th SEC crown; Morales-Williams runs 44.49 to eclipse 2018 effort of 44.52 by Norman, Distin achieves 6-6.75 (2.00m) clearance for Jamaican all-time mark and South Carolina’s Ford clocks 22.36 in 200 and runs 49.80 split on victorious 4x400 

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Errol Anderson and SEC

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The most consistent female high jumper in collegiate history became the all-time greatest competitor Saturday.

The brightest young sprinter in Canada made an impactful global statement for Georgia at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships.

The most impressive throws program in the country achieved a memorable sweep in the ring not seen in nearly three decades.

And the conference’s most decorated program punctuated two exceptional days of competition by extending one of the nation’s most remarkable dynasties at Randal Tyson Track Center.

INTERVIEWS | RESULTS | PHOTOS by Lily Dozier

Arkansas swept SEC men’s and women’s team titles for the fifth consecutive year, the 11th overall indoor sweep in program history.

The Razorbacks won their 10th straight women’s team championship and 14th overall, scoring in 13 of 17 events to accumulate 131 points, ahead of runner-up Florida with 80 points.

Arkansas’ fifth consecutive men’s crown made it 27 SEC indoor team titles overall after earning points in 16 of 17 finals and amassing 163 points.

In addition to Arkansas’ team dominance, Georgia sophomore and Canadian competitor Christopher Morales-Williams won the men’s 400-meter crown in a world indoor record 44.49 seconds, eclipsing the 2018 performance of 44.52 achieved by former USC star Michael Norman in College Station, Texas.

Morales-Williams is coached at Georgia by Caryl Smith-Gilbert, who also mentored Norman during his USC career.

Texas A&M senior Lamara Distin produced the absolute collegiate record in the women’s high jump, delivering a clutch third-attempt clearance at 6-6.75 (2.00m), becoming the 48th female athlete all-time globally to achieve an indoor 2-meter clearance.

Distin, who joined Florida’s Maria Galloni (1990-92) as only the second female athlete in conference history to win three in a row in the indoor high jump, eclipsed the indoor all-time collegiate mark of 6-6 (1.98m) shared by Kansas State’s Akela Jones and Texas athlete Destinee Hooker.

The Jamaican national record holder, Distin also surpassed the 6-6.25 (1.99m) outdoor all-time collegiate performance from 2013 by Arizona standout Brigetta Barrett.

Arkansas’ Rachel Glenn was second at 6-4.25 (1.94m), with Georgia athlete and Cyprus competitor Elena Kulichenko taking third at 6-3.25 (1.91m). Glenn was also seventh in the 60-meter hurdles final in 8.15 and 11th in the 200 in 23.03 for the Razorbacks, in addition to running on the runner-up 4x400-meter relay.

Ole Miss became the first program since South Carolina in 1996 to sweep the men’s and women’s shot put and weight throw titles in the same championship meet.

Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan became the first male competitor in conference history to capture both men’s shot put and weight throw crowns in the same year.

Robinson-O’Hagan unleashed a personal-best effort of 66-10.50 (20.38m) in the fifth round to prevail in the shot put after securing the first men’s weight throw crown in program history with a third-round mark of 77-3.25 (23.55m).

Jalani Davis followed her successful defense of the weight throw title and lifetime-best 82-3.75 (25.09m) effort in the second round by capturing her second shot put crown in three years with a personal-best mark of 61-0.75 (18.61m) in the fifth round to edge reigning champion and Dutch competitor Alida Van Daalen of Florida and her sixth-round performance of 61 feet (18.59m).

Davis joined Florida’s Candice Scott, who achieved the feat in 2002 and 2005, as the only female athletes in conference history to capture both shot put and weight throw championships in the same year.

South Carolina freshman JaMeesia Ford matched her own American Under-20 record in the indoor 200 by winning the championship in 22.36, which still ranks No. 2 all-time among World U20 competitors.

Ford also helped South Carolina establish an American collegiate record in the 4x400-meter relay, producing a 49.80-second anchor leg to rally the Gamecocks past host Arkansas by a 3:26.05 to 3:26.33 margin. Zaya Akins, Jahnile Registre and Jayla Jamison also contributed to the relay win for South Carolina.

Ford’s split ranks No. 4 all-time among global indoor competitors, trailing fellow American stars Britton Wilson (49.19) and Athing Mu (49.54), as well as Dutch athlete Femke Bol (49.58).

Florida received individual titles from Parker Valby in the women’s 3,000 in a meet-record 8:42.29, with her personal-best effort elevating to No. 5 in collegiate indoor history, along with Kenyan athlete Flomena Asekol prevailing in the mile in 4:38.35 and Grace Stark securing the 60-meter hurdles crown for the second time in three years in 7.90.

Stark also finished fifth in the 60-meter dash for the Gators in 7.25.

LSU’s Brianna Lyston, representing Jamaica, triumphed in the 60-meter dash final in 7.08, ahead of reigning champion Jacious Sears of Tennessee clocking 7.12.

Michaela Rose repeated in the women’s 800 for the Tigers, running 1:59.25, the No. 2 all-time collegiate indoor performance, trailing only the meet-record 1:58.40 achieved in 2021 by Mu during her Texas A&M career.

Romaine Beckford, the reigning NCAA Division 1 champion, helped Arkansas secure its first men’s high jump crown since 2016 with a first-attempt clearance at 7-4.50 (2.25m). Beckford completed a Jamaican sweep of the high jump titles, along with Distin.

Amber Anning, representing England, led an Arkansas sweep of the top four spots in the women’s 400-meter final, clocking a personal-best 50.43, followed by Jamaican competitor Nickisha Pryce and freshman Kaylyn Brown both running 50.83 in their respective sections, in addition to Rosey Effiong adding a 51-second effort.

Effiong was second to Ford in the 200 in 22.51, with McKenzie Long of Ole Miss running 22.60 for third, followed by Pryce (22.62) and Anning (22.76).

Yariel Soto Torrado of Puerto Rico led an Arkansas sweep of the top three spots and four Razorbacks finishing in the top five in the men’s heptathlon with 6,017 points.

Soto Torrado was followed by Marcus Weaver at 5,970 points, Daniel Spejcher with 5,965 points and Dutch competitor Gabriel Emmanuel taking fifth at 5,600 points.

Peter Maru, a Ugandan athlete, followed his 5,000-meter title Friday by doubling up in the 3,000 in a meet-record 7:47.26 for the Razorbacks. Kenyan teammates Kirami Yego (7:53.23) and Patrick Kiprop (7:53.72) were fourth and fifth for Arkansas, which also earned a win in the 4x400 relay in 3:03.07 after Alabama (3:02.62) was disqualified for a lane violation.

Mikeisha Welcome, representing Canada, triumphed in the women’s triple jump for Georgia, producing an opening-round effort of 44-1.25 (13.44m).

Kentucky’s Luke Brown, a Jamaican competitor, captured the first men’s triple jump crown for the Wildcats since 1971 with a sixth-round effort 54-5.25 (16.59m).

Texas A&M won its first men’s 60-meter hurdles title in SEC history, with teammates Connor Schulman (7.59) and Jaqualon Scott (7.60) taking the top two spots for the Aggies.

Sam Whitmarsh helped Texas A&M capture its sixth men’s 800 crown in the past seven years by clocking 1:47.39 in the final

Parvej Khan, a freshman from India, won the first men’s mile title for Florida since 2011 by rallying past two-time winner and Moroccan athlete Anass Essayi from South Carolina to triumph by a 4:00.18 to 4:00.76 margin.

Kanyinsola Ajayi, a freshman from Nigeria competing for Auburn, captured the men’s 60-meter dash title in 6.60.

Florida sophomore Wanya McCoy, representing the Bahamas, emerged victorious in the 200 by a 20.29 to 20.31 margin against Gators’ teammate Robert Gregory. McCoy was also second in the 60 in 6.63.