Lawson's long jump lifts Arkansas men at SEC Indoor meet

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) Arkansas' Jarrion Lawson won the long jump with a leap of 26 feet, 7 ¼ inches to give the top-ranked Razorbacks the lead after the first day of the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday.

Lawson's teammate, Andreas Trajkovski, finished second to help Arkansas to 42 points overall after the first day of competition - ahead of Texas A&M's 34.83 points and Mississippi's 27.5.

The Georgia women lead defending national champion Arkansas, bolstered by Kendell Williams' second straight championship in the pentathlon. The Bulldogs have 25 points after the first day, while the Razorbacks are second with 22 points and Tennessee third with 18.

Florida is the defending men's SEC indoor champion, while the Arkansas women won both the conference indoor and national titles last year.

The pentathlon, men's and women's shot put, long jump, 3,000-meter run and men's pole vault and high jump were the only events completed on the opening day of the two-day meet.

In addition to Lawson's victory in the long jump, the Arkansas men earned another 10 points thanks to a win in the high jump by junior Ken LeGassey. The junior jumped 7-2 ¼ to narrowly defeat Auburn's Shawn Johnson, who took second at 7-1.

Texas A&M's men took the top two spots in the pole vault, with Audie Wyatt clearing 18-1 to win and Chase Wolfle 17-9 ¾ for second - with Tennessee's Jake Blankenship taking third.

The Rebels scored the bulk of their points by taking the top three spots in the 3,000-meter run, with Ryan Walling's time of 8:08.55 narrowly winning over teammate Sean Tobin's 8:09.42. Wes Gallagher was third with a time of 8:11.64.

Georgia's Ashinia Miller won the men's shot put with a throw of 65 9 ¾, the senior's first SEC title.

Texas A&M's Lindon Victor leads the two-day men's heptathlon with 3,424 points with three events remaining, with Georgia's Garrett Scantling - the record holder in the SEC indoor meet - in second with 3,402 points and Kentucky's Ibn Short third with 3,259.

On the women's side of the action, Williams' continued her career of dominance in the pentathlon. The Georgia junior, the national indoor champion in the event the last two years, won the long jump portion of the event with a leap of 20 feet, 6 ½ inches and finished with 4,420 points overall.

Arkansas' Taliyah Brooks was second in the event with 4,376 points, while Texas A&M's Annie Kunz took third with 4,277.

Alabama's Quanesha Burks won the women's long jump with a leap of 22 1 ¾, while Georgia's Chanice Poter was second at 21 9 ½ and Kentucky's Sha'Keela Saunders third at 21 7 ½.

Raven Saunders won the women's shot put with a throw of 56 8 ½, and Tennessee's Chelsea Blaase won the 3,000-meter run in 9:20.57.