Curtis Mitchell takes NCAA 200 with world-best time; Arkansas, Auburn lead team races

Emotional Mitchell wins NCAA 200

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Curtis Mitchell crossed the finish line and kept on going, around the turn and along the backstretch. For a moment, he seemed ready to run all the way home — to celebrate with someone special.

“My mom back at home, she’s working two jobs,” Mitchell said. “It’s been me and her since I was 7 years old. She put me through junior college these last couple years. Every athlete has their story when they say it’s a struggle, but this really is a struggle. My mom, she’s all I got.”

Mitchell won the 200 meters Friday night at the NCAA indoor track and field championships. A former junior college standout who now competes for Texas A&M, Mitchell finished in 20.38 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year. Mitchell, of Daytona Beach, Fla., needed the big race because in the previous heat, Brandon Byram of Florida State had established his own world best of 20.46.

After finishing, Mitchell ran for a while before falling to the track on his stomach. Mitchell was still emotional a short while later when talking about his mother.

“I cannot wait to get to my phone and call her right now,” he said. “I just want to talk to her, hug her, kiss her and tell her her baby did it. My birthday was (Thursday). This has got to be the best birthday present of my life, besides being born.”

Also on Friday, Texas-El Paso’s Blessing Okagbare won the women’s long jump with a leap of 22 feet, 6½ inches. She broke the meet record twice during the event.

Earlier, Okagbare was the top qualifier in the 60.

In the men’s 60, Florida’s Jeff Demps posted the fastest time. Demps, who also plays football for the Gators, finished his heat in 6.56 seconds, part of a Southeastern Conference sweep of the top three spots. Auburn’s Marcus Rowland was second in 6.58, and Jeremy Hall of Florida was third in 6.62. They’ll all compete in Saturday night’s final.

Florida is in good shape in the men’s team race. The Gators are second with 20 points and plenty of sprinting power to come. The Arkansas men, who have won 40 national championships in cross country and track and field, are first with 24 points. They nearly added more but had to settle for second place in the distance medley relay.

Oregon took that event in 9:36.87 when Andrew Wheating passed Dorian Ulrey a few feet from the finish line. Arkansas was second to the Ducks in last year’s indoor DMR as well.

“Teammates ran the best races I’ve seen them run all year,” Ulrey said. “They leave it to me, and the second year in a row I’ve left them high and dry.”

Oregon is trying to defend its men’s team title from a year ago. The Ducks’ Ashton Eaton took a commanding lead in the heptathlon after four events. Eaton, the defending champion, has 3,561 points. The difference between Eaton and second-place R.J. McGinnis of Minnesota is 361 points, which is bigger than the gap between McGinnis and 16th place.

Oregon is also considered a contender on the women’s side with 16 entries — two relays and 11 athletes, three of whom were scheduled for two events. The Oregon women are fourth after the first day of the two-day meet with 13 points, five behind first-place Auburn. Tennessee is second with 16.

Arizona State’s Ryan Whiting took his third straight title in the shot put with a toss of 70-7¼. Kemal Mesic of Florida was second, earning eight big points for the Gators in their bid for their first men’s team title at this event.

Louisville’s D’Ana McCarty won the women’s weight throw for a second straight year with a toss of 74-8¼, and Elizabeth Patterson of Arizona won the high jump at 6-4.

Lisa Koll of Iowa State won the women’s 5,000 in impressive fashion, finishing in 15:39.65, almost 11 seconds ahead of the field.

“Training has been going really great,” Koll said. “I’ve been able to build my strength from the ground up this season.”

In a battle of less prominent programs, David McNeill of Northern Arizona edged Sam Chelanga of Liberty to win the men’s 5,000 in 13:36.41.

Alain Bailey of Arkansas took the men’s long jump with a leap of 26-9¾.

Auburn’s Shaniqua Ferguson won the women’s 200 in 23.09, and Tennessee took the women’s DMR in 10:58.37.

Scott Roth of Washington won the pole vault at 18-4½.