AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Florida closed with a victory in the 4×400-meter relay Friday night to overtake Arkansas for its second straight NCAA men’s outdoor track and field championship and fourth in seven seasons.
The Gators finished in 2 minutes, 57.74 seconds to edge Arizona State, with Ryan Willie anchoring the Gators after finishing second behind teammate Emmanuel Bamidele in the 400.
Five points behind Arkansas entering the relay, Florida finished with 57 points, Arkansas was second with 53, followed by Stanford with 44, LSU with 43 and Arizona State with 51. Arkansas with eighth in the relay.
Florida jumped up the standings when Bamidele (44.24) and Willie (44.25) placed 1-2 in the 400.
Arkansas stayed in front for most of the day on the strength of freshman Jaydon Hibbert’s winning triple jump of 57 feet, 7 1/2 inches. The Razorbacks got another victory from Phillip Lemonious in the 110 hurdles in 13.24 seconds.
LSU jumped up the standings to begin the final day when it won the 4×100 relay in 38.05 seconds. Florida was second.
Washington sophomore Nathan Green (3:42.78) and junior Joe Waskom (3:42.93) finished 1-2 in the 1,500.
Texas Tech senior Courtney Lindsey (9.89) edged LSU sophomore Godson Oghenebrume (9.90) and Houston junior Shaun Maswanganyi (9.91) to win the 100.
Alabama had a 1-2 finish in the 400 hurdles behind Chris Robinson (48.12) and Corde Long (48.53).
Stanford, which began the day in second place, six points behind Arkansas, got a win from Udodi Onwuzurike in the 200 with a time of 19.84. The Cardinal picked up 10 more points when Ky Robinson clocked in at 14:04.77 to win the 5,000.
BYU’s Kenneth Rooks won the steeplechase in 8:26.17; Georgia freshman Will Sumner took the 800 in 1:44.26; South Florida’s Romaine Beckford cleared 7-5 1/4 to win the high jump; Arizona State’s Turner Washington took the discus at 217-3.
Ball State junior Jenelle Rogers led the women’s decathlon after the first four events with 3,840 points. Vanderbilt’s Beatrice Juskeviciute (3,675) was second.
