The Warm-Up Lap: Loaded SEC Championships Headline Final Regular Season Weekend

NEW ORLEANS – Even on a weekend brimming with top-shelf Division I outdoor track & field conference championship meets, one in particular stands out among the rest.

Seventeen top-25 teams, with six in the top five between men and women. Two defending national men’s team co-champions. Both current No. 1 teams. Eighteen individuals or relay teams atop the national descending order lists. Eight members of the Watch Lists for The Bowerman Trophy, collegiate track & field’s highest individual honor.

All that only scratches the surface of what is expected to unfold this Thursday through Sunday at the SEC Championships in Lexington, Ky. – this week’s USTFCCCA National Meet of the Week.

Before delving too deeply into the details of SECs, it should be noted that there are other exceptional conference meets taking place around the nation this weekend.

Defending indoor men’s and women’s national champions Oregon – both ranked No. 3 – will take on a strong field at the Pac-12 Championships this Saturday and Sunday in Pullman, Wash., while the No. 2 Texas women, along with the No. 5 Oklahoma State and No. 6 Texas Tech men, are the top-ranked teams entering the Big 12 Championships this Friday through Sunday in Lubbock, Texas.

A full listing of this weekend’s Division I conference championships action can be found below, along with a listing of where each top-10 team will be competing.

An overall list of meets around the country this weekend — including high school championships and professional meets — can be found on the USTFCCCA InfoZone This Weekend’s Meets page.

Outside of Division I, the regular season has drawn to a conclusion in Division II, with accepted entries into the national championships in Allendale, Mich., on May 22-24 having been announced Tuesday afternoon.

The NAIA regular season is also in the books, with accepted entries to be posted Friday by 11 a.m. ET.

Division III, however, has until Friday to record any last-chance performances at 11 approved meets around the nation. Accepted entries will be released Sunday by 9 a.m. ET.

Pre-championships USTFCCCA National Team Computer Rankings, based solely on entries into their respective championship meets, will be out Monday for both Divisions II and III, and the NAIA.

USTFCCCA InfoZone: Broadcast Schedule

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Friday, May 16, 2014

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Sunday, May 18, 2014

SEC Championships

Thu. May 15 – Sun. May 18 | Lexington, Ky. – Host: Kentucky
LIVE RESULTS | Meet Home | Meet Schedule

Where to begin with the SEC Championships? So many plot lines, so many match-ups. How about the ranked teams involved?

In many ways, the meet is setting up to be a dress rehearsal for the national championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 11-14. Six of the top eight women’s teams in the USTFCCCA National Team Computer rankings, including No. 1 Florida, will be duking it out for the league crown, while the always-intense rivalry between the defending men’s national team co-champion No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Texas A&M headlines a men’s field with six top-11 teams.

But while it may feel like a national championship-caliber meet, the results of this meet over this past decade have been anything but predictive of NCAA finish – adding yet another wrinkle to the rivalries between these top-flight programs later this summer in Eugene.

Not counting vacated NCAA titles, only four women’s teams (2013 Texas A&M, 2007/2008 LSU and 2005 South Carolina) have won the SEC crown and went on to finish the highest of SEC teams at NCAAs with only LSU in 2008 winning both.

Men’s SEC winners have fared even more poorly at NCAAs over the past 10 years (not counting vacated titles), without a team winning both the SEC and NCAA title even though the past five NCAA champions have come from the SEC.

Historical NCAA implications aside, this meet promises to excite in virtually every single event.

Though every event has the potential to be a must-see event, here are a few individuals to watch (by event with national rank):

And that’s without even mentioning the relays. The 4×400 rivalry between top-ranked Florida and No. 2 Texas A&M is perhaps the most intense in the nation, regardless of event. With Florida’s Arman Hall and Texas A&M’s Deon Lendore set to duel on the anchor leg with the potential for an SEC title on the line and LSU’s indoor champion squad also in the field, an already excellent meet could very well finish with fireworks.

Both top-ranked 4×100 squads — the Florida men and Texas A&M women — are in action with multiple top-10 squads also on the start lists.

You can see the full TFRRS performance list for the conference here.

This Weekend’s Div. I Conference Championships Click on each conference logo to be directed to more info about the meet. The full listing of Division I conference championships can be found here. Atlantic Sun May 16 – 17 Big 12 May 16 – 18 Big Sky May 14 – 17 Big Ten May 16-18 Big West May 16 – 17 Conference USA May 15 – 18 MAC May 15 – 17 MVC May 16 – 18 Mountain West May 14 – 17 Pac-12 May 17 – 18 SEC May 15 – 18       Summit League May 15 – 17 WAC May 14 – 17