AUBURN, Ala. — No way the Arkansas Razorbacks were going to be denied Sunday night. Not with Arkansas Coach John McDonnell leading the team in a conference competition for the final time. The Razorbacks made sure McDonnell ended another conference meet with the team calling the Hogs as Arkansas won the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

1 Arkansas won with 131 / 2 points. LSU was second with 122 points and led the 1 Razorbacks 115-114 / 2 going into the 5, 000 meters, the next-to-last event.

The Razorbacks needed to outscore the Tigers by at least 11 points in the 5, 000 to clinch the title before the 1, 600 relay. They finished with a 17-4 advantage as senior James Strang won in 13 minutes, 44. 18 seconds junior Shawn Forrest took fourth and senior Tyler Hill was seventh. “We like the pressure, we wouldn’t want it any other way,” Strang said of the feeling before the 5, 000. “We were going to pull through for Coach McDonnell.” It was the 84 th conference title for McDonnell, who is retiring at the end of the outdoor season. “We’re on a high, we’re on a cloud right now,” said Arkansas junior Nkosinza Balumbu, who won his fifth SEC triple

1 jump title by going 53 feet, 1 / 2 inches. “We really wanted to do this for Coach Mac.” 1 The 9 / 2-point final margin was the closest for Arkansas in winning 14 SEC Outdoor titles, surpassing an 11-point victory over Tennessee in 2006.

“I wouldn’t want to run the meet over again, that’s for sure,” McDonnell said.

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McDonnell said Sunday night’s celebration was as sweet as the first conference title the Razorbacks won in 1974 at the Southwest Conference cross country meet.

“It means an awful lot to me, and I think it means more to the team because they were so determined to win this meet,” McDonnell said. “Before the [5, 000 ], I told myself that even if we lose I’ll be sorry for the kids, but I won’t be sorry for myself, because I have nothing to be sorry about.

“ I’ve had such a great career, and the kids have always laid it on the line for more than 30 years.

“ I would have hated for them to feel, ‘Oh, we let him down.’ I was really happy I didn’t put that burden on their shoulders.”

LSU Coach Dennis Shaver said the meet’s turning point came in Sunday’s first two events, when Arkansas freshman Luke Laird was a surprise winner in the javelin (228-4 ) and freshman Spencer McCorkel took second in the pole vault (17-2 3 / 4 ).

“The Razorbacks stepped it up,” Shaver said. “We tried to knock them off, but I have to give all the credit to Coach McDonnell and his staff as well as their team. They just compete so well.”

Shaver said he expected Arkansas to be at the top of its game for McDonnell’s final SEC meet.

“I knew coming in that would be a factor, because he’s so well respected by his athletes,” Shaver said. “That’s what it’s all about.

“ They certainly wanted to do it for him, and that’s the little extra they needed to get them over the top.”

Laird had planned to redshirt this season, but he threw so well competing unattached in recent meets that he agreed when Arkansas’ coaches suggested he should throw the javelin at the SEC meet.

“The coaches were like, ‘You might be able to score a couple points at conference and make it to [NCAA ] regionals,” Laird said. “So I decided to do it.”

Laird’s best mark coming into the meet was 216-10, but he said he wasn’t shocked he was able to surpass 228 feet. He just didn’t expect that to win the SEC title.

Georgia sophomore Chris Hill came into the meet as the SEC leader at 268-1, but fouled on all three of his preliminary throws and missed the final.

Another strong contender, Florida junior Adam Montague, didn’t throw because of a back injury. His season best is 242-3.

“That knocked off two really big guys I wasn’t even thinking about beating,” said Laird, who moved from third to first after his final throw. “I don’t think it’s sunk in yet that I won.

“ I’m just starting to fathom it — kind of.”

Balumbu cheered on Laird before winning the triple jump.

“The performance of the SEC meet goes to Luke Laird in my eyes,” Balumbu said. “He really came through for us and motivated me.

“ I was really happy to see him do that and I just wanted to keep snowball effect rolling.”

McDonnell said the Razorbacks executed their strategy to perfection in the meet-clinching 5, 000 by going out fast to wear out LSU’s John Kosgei, who was among the race’s favorites after taking second in the 1, 500. He was fifth in the 5, 000.

“Our guys said they were going to get the job done, and they kept taking the pace from one another and kept the pressure on,” McDonnell said. “We made sure nobody got any cheap points.

“ There are so many times we’ve clinched a meet at the end in the 5, 000, so it was a fitting finish to it.” Hogging the titles Arkansas Coach John McDonnell has won 23 outdoor track and field conference titles, including Arkansas’ time in the Southwest Conference: SWC 1981-82 1982-83 1983-84 1984-85 1985-86 1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 1990-91

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