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LAST UPDATED ON Friday October 31 2003 |
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LEJOUR HELPS LADY 'BACKS WIN SIXTH CONSECUTIVE SEC TITLEMAY 15 2001
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Led by Southeastern Conference Commissioner's
Trophy winner, Marie LeJour, the Arkansas Lady Razorback track team
scored 182 points and won their second consecutive SEC outdoor and
sixth consecutive SEC title on Sunday night at the Weems Baskin Track
in Columbia, S.C. LeJour scored 23 points in four events to earn the Commissioner's trophy, which is given to the individual high point scorer at the meet. On Sunday afternoon LeJour won the Lady Razorbacks first ever outdoor throws title in the discus with a toss of 169 feet. Busy on Sunday, LeJour also scored in the javelin, sixth, and the shot put, third. LeJour added points on Saturday morning when she finished fifth in the hammer throw. Marie LeJour of Arkansas took a surprise lead in the women's discus Saturday at the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships before a lightning storm suspended the event until today. LeJour, a Montreal, Quebec, native, took advantage of the wind to throw a school-record 169 feet, 4 inches -- four feet beyond her previous personal record -- moments before lightning suspended the event for the night. "I kept watching the lightning come toward me, and I wanted to hurry up and get a throw before they suspended," LeJour said. "There was only one throw after mine." The Lady Razorbacks stayed ahead of schedule in their quest to win a second-straight SEC triple crown, as DeeDee Brown of Little Rock tied for second in the high jump at 5-8 3/4 for eight points. Through four events, Arkansas led with 54 points, followed by Georgia with 25, Alabama with 20.50, LSU, Kentucky and Auburn with 9 each. Ole Miss and Florida had 8 points each and host South Carolina had 6. The women's long jump was postponed until 10 a.m. today, and the discus will also resume this morning. "It could be a good thing or it could be a bad thing," LeJour said. "I've been real consistent lately and would have liked to finish tonight, but I'm definitely in the best position." Diane Slinden of Tennessee, who entered the meet ranked No. 3 nationally in the discus with a throw 20 feet farther than anyone else in the SEC, had one throw remaining when the suspension came at 6:24 p.m. EDT and still had not qualified for the final round. "Slinden is an awesome thrower," LeJour said. "She can throw 170 feet in her sleep. But the conditions worked against her." The wind shifted into the throwers' faces after the discus began -- which is a favorable development in that event. "My first throw was 140-something," LeJour said. "On the second one, I didn't even use the wind properly. I could have used it a lot better if I had thrown more to the right. But the wind still helped a lot." LeJour said she planned to "play a lot of Tetris" Saturday night to take her mind off the competition. The original discus field of 21 discus thowers will be reduced to 9 for the final round. Arkansas women's coach Lance Harter, while pleased with Saturday's early results, crossed his fingers that all the evening preliminaries in the women's 1,500, 100-meter hurdles, 400-meters and 100-meters, as well as the steeplechase final, could be completed. LeJour had already given Arkansas four points Friday with her fifth-place finish in the hammer throw. "Marie is very, very intense," Harter said. "Sometimes that intensity works against her in competition. But she's really giving us a lift in this meet. She's one of our best students, too -- she got her degree in three years and is working on her master's in kinesiology." During the three-hour delay Saturday night, coaches and athletes used the opportunity to eat and meet in the dining facilities. Check out the Jumpstart Athletics Canadian National Throws Rankings for complete rankings in the throws. If you have news, results or info please let us know by using our submission form or emailing Larry Steinke [ MEET INFORMATION ] [ ANALYSIS & TIPS ] [ THROWS ARTICLES ] [ INTERVIEWS ] [ RECORDS ] [ RESULTS ] [ CLASSIFIEDS ] [ HOT LINK ARCHIVE ] [ DISCUSSION FORUM ] [ SUBMISSIONS ] [ THROWERS QUIZ ] [ GUESTBOOK ] | ||