COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, February 26–28 — Unlike last season’s blowout, this year’s team battle was tight. Florida’s 77 points just edged out Arkansas’s 73, with Georgia lurking close at 68. Florida did it the hard way, with no wins — just a steady accumulation of points, led by silvers from frosh Claire Stegall in the mile (4:30.81), senior Hilda Olemomoi in the 3000 (8:46.33) and 5000 (15:12.13), and the DMR (10:46.45, anchored by Stegall). Third-place showings came from Asia Phillips in the TJ (43-7/13.28) and Alida Van Daalen in the shot (59-5¾ /18.13).
That was enough to render a spectacular 4 x 400 moot. Arkansas won a narrow 3-way battle in 3:26.81, a come-from-behind victory that edged South Carolina by 0.04 and Georgia by 0.07. Its win secure, Florida did not put a squad on the track.
The title was head coach Mike Holloway’s 19th conference title overall. The Gator women also won the cross country crown this past fall. It was a remarkable turnaround from last year, when an injury-plagued Florida finished a miserable 11th.
“It was a total team effort,” Holloway said. “We scored in all event areas. I think the biggest thing was we didn’t win an event. We just fought, fought and fought all weekend. The ladies just kept coming, and big kudos to the ladies in the 3K, they sealed the deal for us.”
Key to rebounding from last year was to just put it behind them, Holloway said.
“I forgot we were 11th,” he said. “We walked out of this building a year ago, I left that here. I know we’re better than that. And so I challenged my staff, I challenged myself, and we just went out and we got better.”
Individually, there were no major records, but two sprinters grabbed collegiate leaders.
In the 60, Ole Miss senior Alicia Burnett blitzed a PR 7.08 to take the co-lead with Tarleton State soph Victoria Cameron. Burnett is now =No. 10 on the all-time collegiate performers list.
Also a meet record, her clocking easily turned back Kentucky soph Sharmelle Holmes (7.14).
The other — and arguably more impressive, since it came from a frosh — was the 22.32 in the 200 from Georgia’s Adaejah Hodge. The time landed her at No. 5 all-time performer and No. 8 all-time performance. World-level ramifications are huge. Only seven women ever have dashed faster indoors. Hodge took down South Carolina’s defending champ JaMeesia Ford (22.61), the ’25 NCAA outdoor titlist.
Hodge arrived on campus as the 2024 World U20 champ in the 200 (representing the British Virgin Islands). She added big firepower to coach Caryl Smith Gilbert’s substantial arsenal, but the Georgia native admitted the Bulldogs were not her first choice.
“I actually didn’t want to go to Georgia,” Hodge said. “But just the program that Coach Caryl has, and the program is so family-like, when I went on my visit, it was no doubt Georgia.”
In the 5000, Sydney Vaught’s 15:02.52 put her at No. 9 all-time, yet it’s not a collegiate leader due to the remarkable bevy of distance talent this season. She sits fourth this year behind the BYU pair of Jane Hedengren and Riley Chamberlain and conference rival Doris Lemngole of Alabama, who sat out the 5K in favor of an 8:45.90 victory in the 3000.
Vaught held off a strong field that included Olemomoi and Alabama’s Caren Kiplagat (15:12.56).
The winners of the throws also set themselves up well for podium finishes in Fayetteville in two weeks.
In the shot, Auburn senior Megan Hague launched a big PR of 61-5½ (18.73) in the second round and improved to 61-11¾ (18.89) in frame 6, putting her second on this collegiate year’s list. She held off a strong challenge from Alabama’s Akaoma Odeluga, who threw 61-4 (18.89), also in the final round.
In the weight, Texas junior Giavonna Meeks easily won at 80-2¼ (24.44), backed up by an 80-even (24.38). It was just short of the 80-4¼ (24.49) that currently has her at No. 2 nationally.
SEC WOMEN’S RESULTS
Teams: 1. Florida 77; 2. Arkansas 73; 3. Georgia 68; 4. Kentucky 63; 5. South Carolina 60; 6. Alabama 58; 7. Texas A&M 51; 8. Ole Miss 38.5; 9. Tennessee 34; 10. Auburn 33; 11. Texas 30; 12. LSU 23; 13. Oklahoma 21.5, 14. Vanderbilt 18; 15. Missouri 8; 16. Mississippi State 7.
60: 1. Alicia Burnett (Ms) 7.08 (=CL) (=10, x C);
2. **Sharmelle Holmes (Ky) 7.14; 3. ***Athaleyha Hinckson’ (LSU-Guy) 7.16; 4. ***Adaejah Hodge’ (Ga-BVI) 7.18; 5. Kaila Jackson (Ga) 7.20; 6. Alexis Brown (SC) 7.21; 7. **Reign Redmond (Ga) 7.22; 8. **Carleta Bernard’ (Tx-Jam) 7.23.
Heats: III–1. Redmond 7.15. IV–1. Holmes 7.19. VI–1. Burnett 7.14; 2. Jackson 7.19.
200: I–1. Camryn Dickson (TxAM) 22.76; 2. ***Elise Cooper (Tx) 22.80; 3. ***Sydney Sutton (Fl) 22.93; 4. **Carleta Bernard’ (Tx-Jam) 23.19.
II–1. Hodge’ 22.32 (CL) (8, x W; 5, 8 C);
2. *JaMeesia Ford (SC) 22.61; 3. *Keliza Smith’ (LSU-Guy) 23.08; 4. Gabrielle Matthews’ (Fl-Jam) 23.19.
400: I–1. Dejanea Oakley’ (Ga-Jam) 51.21; 2. Hannah Douglas (Ky) 51.41; 3. ***Sydney Sutton (Fl) 51.46. II–1. Ella Onojuvwevwo’ (LSU-Ngr) 50.96; 2. **Kaylyn Brown (Ar) 51.72; 3. Javonya Valcourt’ (Tn-Bah) 51.74.
800: 1. *Analisse Batista (Ar) 2:01.10; 2. *Sanu Jallow-Lockhart’ (Ar-Gam) 2:01.12; 3. ***Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera’ (Ky-Ken) 2:01.40.
Mile: 1. *Salma Elbadra’ (SC-Mor) 4:30.72; 2. ***Claire Stegall (Fl) 4:30.81; 3. ***Mary Ogwoka’ (Tn-Ken) 4:33.60; 4. Tia Wilson’ (Fl-GB) 4:35.52.
3000: 1. *Doris Lemngole’ (Al-Ken) 8:45.90; 2. Hilda Olemomoi’ (Fl-Ken) 8:46.33; 3. Sydney Vaught (Ar) 8:51.97; 4. ***Caren Kiplagat’ (Al-Ken) 8:54.82; 5. ***Monica Wanjiku’ (Mo-Ken) 8:59.03.
5000: 1. Sydney Vaught (Ar) 15:02.52 (9, x C);
2. Olemomoi’ 15:12.13; 3. ***Caren Kiplagat’ (Al-Ken) 15:12.56; 4. Chepkoech’ 15:16.77; 5. ***Monica Wanjiku’ (Mo-Ken) 15:23.44.
60H: 1. *Emmi Scales (Ky) 7.85; 2. Danae Nembhard’ (Aub-Jam) 7.93; 3. Myreanna Bebe’ (Tn-Hai) 8.02; 4. *Akala Garrett (SC) 8.04; 5. Jaiya Covington (TxAM) 8.04; 6. *Ana-Liese Torian (Aub) 8.05; 7. ***Maddi Cooper (Ga) 8.05.
4 x 400: II–1. Tennessee 3:30.12 (Joseph 51.22); 2. Texas A&M 3:30.38 (Dickson 51.96).
III–1. Arkansas 3:26.81 (Brown 52.58, Batista 51.14, Jallow-Lockhart’ 52.09, Butler 51.00); 2. South Carolina 3:26.85 (Garrett 52.85, James 52.46, Ford 50.46, Butler 51.08); 3. Georgia 3:26.88 (Oakley’ 52.34, Brazzell 51.44, Maisvorewa’ 51.84, Foote’ 51.26).
DisMed: 1. South Carolina 10:45.64 (9, 10 C) (Mast’ 3:21.92, Garrett 52.30, Chelangat’ 2:05.67, Elbadra’ 4:25.75);
2. Florida 10:46.45 (Morley 3:21.91, Campbell 53.21, Haynes 2:04.33, Stegall 4:27.00); 3. Texas A&M 10:58.39; 4. Alabama 10:58.96; 5. Tennessee 11:00.44.
Field Events
HJ: 1. ***Kemarah Howard (Ky) 6-1½ (1.87); 2. *Hannah Pfiffner (Ok) 6-1½; 3. ***Maria Arboleda Angulo’ (Ar-Col) 6-1½; 4. Miracle Ailes (Al) 6-1½.
PV: 1. **Jathiyah Muhammad (SC) 14-5¼ (4.40); 2. Alyssa Quinones-Mixon’ (Aub-PR) 14-5¼.
LJ: 1. *Morgan Davis (TxAM) 21-6¾ (6.57); 2. Machaeda Linton’ (TxAM-Jam) 21-4¼ (6.51); 3. **Heidi Hudson (Ar) 21-4 (6.50); 4. Caelyn Harris (Al) 21-3½ (6.49); 5. ***Tristen Harris (SC) 21-2½ (6.46); 6. ***Ava Kitchings (Ga) 21-1¼ (6.43).
TJ: 1. **Skylynn Townsend (Ga) 44-3½ (13.50); 2. Nembhard’ 43-7¾ (13.30); 3. **Asia Phillips’ (Fl-Can) 43-7 (13.28); 4. Linton’ 43-4¼ (13.21); 5. ***Endia Smith (Tn) 43-2¼ (13.16).
SP: 1. Megan Hague (Aub) 61-11¾ (18.89) (CL) (9, x AmC);
2. *Akaoma Odeluga (Ms) 61-4 (18.69); 3. *Alida Van Daalen’ (Fl-Neth) 59-5¾ (18.13); 4. *Nina Ndubuisi’ (Ga-Ger) 57-2 (17.42).
Wt: 1. *Giavonna Meeks (Tx) 80-2¼ (24.44); 2. *Akaoma Odeluga (Ms) 74-6½ (22.72); 3. *Skylar Soli (Ms) 72-1½ (21.98); 4. Kennedy Clarke (Ok) 71-2 (21.69).
Pent: 1. ***Janie Ford (Vand) 4373; 2. **Katelyn Adel’ (Al-Swi) 4312; 3. Miracle Ailes (Al) 4295; 4. Marta Sivina’ (Vand-Lat) 4269; 5. **Tabea Eitel’ (Tx-Ger) 4261; 6. *Julia Gunnell (Ky) 4155; 7. **Pauline Bikembo’ (Fl-Fra) 4140; 8. Ella Rush’ (Ga-GB) 4137; 9. ***Bradie Menegatti (TxAM) 4131.
