Hogs Win Seventh Straight; WSU’S Lagat Falls In 1,500 Waltz Takes Fifth In Shot Put; UW’S Hooker Third In 100

It’s Arkansas again - and Texas for the first time since 1986.

The Razorbacks won their seventh consecutive men’s title in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Saturday night.

Keys to victory were a gutsy 1,500-meter victory from Seneca Lassiter, in a race in which Washington State’s Bernard Lagat fell and finished eighth; a second consecutive long jump-triple jump double from Robert Howard; and a clutch performance by 5,000-meter runner Mike Power.

Arkansas finished with 58-1/2 points to extend its men’s domination. Stanford, seeking its first title since 1934, was second with 51.

Washington State, with 16 points, tied Colorado and Colorado State for 14th place.

The Razorbacks trailed Stanford 39-25-1/2 going into the final day of the four-day championships at the State University at Buffalo.

Arkansas began chopping into Stanford’s lead when Lassiter successfully defended his title, holding off freshmen Gabe Jennings of Stanford and Bryan Berryhill of Colorado State down the stretch. Lassiter’s teammate, Jeremy Huffman, finished fifth.

After Lassiter crossed the finish line in 3:42.34, he collapsed from the tiring duel.

The victory apparently was a surprise to Lassiter. He figured that 1995 champion Kevin Sullivan of Michigan and Lagat, the 1998 indoor 3,000 runner-up, were the favorites.

But Sullivan and Lagat got tangled with about 850 meters gone and both went down to the track. Lagat got up and wound up eighth. Sullivan staggered in last in the field of 12.

“Kevin and Bernard were the two good contestants in the race,” Lassiter said. “Once they fell, I saw the opportunity to go for the win.

“I almost fell, too. I just jumped over the top of them. I thought, ‘I better go while I can.”’ Lagat tried to come back in the 5,000, but finished a distant 16th.

Washington State teammate Ian Waltz, who was third Friday in the discus, placed fifth Saturday in the shot put at 60 feet, 11-1/2 inches.

Saturday’s best local showing came from Zimbabwe countrymen Chris Kwaramba of Idaho and Hilary Mawindi of WSU, who finished 3-4 in the triple jump with bests of 54 feet and 52-11-1/2, respectively.

Colorado freshman Jennifer Smith, from Ferris High School, finished eighth in the women’s 3,000 meters in 9:27.60.

Leonard Myles-Mills of BYU ended the unbeaten season of Washington freshman Ja’Warren Hooker by winning the men’s 100-meter dash.

Myles-Mills was timed in a wind-aided 10.20 seconds, with TCU’s Jarmiene Holloway clocked in 10.24 and Hooker third in 10.25.

Arkansas’ Howard, winner of the long jump on his final attempt Thursday, wasted no time in asserting his superiority in the triple jump Saturday, soaring 55 feet, 7 inches on his first try, assuring the Razorbacks of another 10 points and giving them a 52-51 lead over Stanford.

It then came down to the 5,000, in which Stanford had four runners and Arkansas only two. But Power warded off all the Stanford challengers to place third.

The Texas women, who finished one point behind 11-time champion LSU last year, clinched their first title in 12 years by winning the final 1,600-meter relay in 3 minutes, 28.65 seconds. The 10 points gave Texas 60, five ahead of runner-up UCLA.