2018 Sun Belt Indoor Track & Field Championships:
Championship Central | Results | Heat Sheets | Photos | Highlights
Birmingham, Ala. – The opening day of the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships saw Arkansas State men and South Alabama women take the lead following an exciting day of competition at Birmingham CrossPlex.
On the men’s side, the Red Wolves amassed 45 points with UTA second with 32 points. On the women’s side, the Jaguars totaled 40 points with Texas State just behind with 38 points.
After the morning events in the heptathlon, the field events took center stage with two record-breaking performances. ULM’s Alton Clay Jr. wowed the crowd with a record-breaking performance in the weight throw, topping the championship mark on his first throw and resetting the championship mark on his final throw of 22.99m (75-5.25). Clay’s throw ranks as the third-best in the nation this season. Over at the women’s high jump, Texas State’s Chelsie Decoud made it four conference indoor titles in four years with a winning mark of 1.88m (6-2) to surpass the previous championship record of 1.87 by Middle Tennessee’s Ann Dudley at the 2013 championships.
More medals werre passed out in the afternoon as ULM’s Jemal Parharm repeated as the men’s high jump champion (7.53m, 24-8.5), South Alabama’s Michaela Preachuk won the women’s weight throw (19.44m, 63-9.50), Texas State’s Arabriaun Mack won the women’s long jump (5.93m, 19-5.5) and Arkansas State’s Michael Carr won the men’s pole vault (5.28, 17-3.75).
Nightfall came and four more champions were crowned.
UTA’s Joel Duren, the Outstanding Men’s Track Performer and Top Scoring Performer at last year’s championships, blew past the field to win his second-straight men’s 3,000-meter run title in a time of 8:20.17. Texas State’s Devina Schneider crossed the line first in the women’s 3,000-meter run in a time of 9:55.63 to redeem her second-place finish from a year ago.
In the distance medley relays, Coastal Carolina won its first women’s title as member of the Sun Belt with a time of 11:51.28, while South Alabama captured its third men’s distance medley relay title in four years with a time of 10:02.18.
The Day 1 prelims in the remaining running events went off mostly true to form, highlighted by Arkansas State’s Jamil Peeples breaking his own championship record in 60-meter hurdles by 0.01. The two-time indoor champion ran a 7.93 in the second heat to top his 7.94 in the prelims at the 2017 championships. In the men’s 60-meter dash prelims, Arkansas State’s Jaylen Bacon tied his own championship record from a year ago with a time of 6:60 in the third heat.
The second and final day of competition gets underway Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. (CT) with multi-events in the pentathlon and heptathlon. Live coverage on ESPN3 is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. (CT).
2018 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships
| MEN |
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
| 1. |
Arkansas State |
45 |
| 2. |
UTA |
32 |
| 3. |
South Alabama |
30 |
| 4. |
Louisiana |
23 |
| 4. |
ULM |
23 |
| 6. |
Appalachian State |
21 |
| 7. |
Texas State |
20 |
| 8. |
Little Rock |
1 |
| WOMEN |
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
| 1. |
South Alabama |
40 |
| 2. |
Texas State |
38 |
| 3. |
UTA |
23 |
| 4. |
Arkansas State |
20 |
| 5. |
Georgia State |
19 |
| 6. |
Coastal Carolina |
18 |
| 7. |
Louisiana |
14 |
| 8. |
Appalachian State |
13 |
| 9. |
Georgia Southern |
6 |
| 10. |
ULM |
3 |
| 11. |
Troy |
1 |
| 12. |
Little Rock |
0 |