Kiprop extends Alabama men’s 10,000 streak to five in a row, Chelangat captures back-to-back crowns, Jonsson helps Mississippi State win four straight javelin titles, Auburn doubles up with victories from Carter and Malone, and Colantonio makes hammer history for Crimson Tide

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

OXFORD, Miss. – The opening day of the Southeastern Conference Championships was a study in multiplicity.

Whether it was the distance dominance of the Kenyan stars at Alabama, the throwing prowess of the Auburn women, the men’s javelin legacy of Mississippi State or a sweep of indoor and outdoor titles for Bobby Colantonio, it was all showcased despite a lengthy weather delay Thursday at Ole Miss Track and Field Complex.

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

Victor Kiprop made it five consecutive championships for Alabama in the men’s 10,000 meters, breaking away from Arkansas’ Patrick Kiprop – no relation – to produce a 56.35-second split on the final lap to prevail in 29:16.07.

Arkansas, the reigning team champions, secured 16 valuable points from Patrick Kiprop (29:22.20), third-place Myles Richter (29:29.38) and seventh-place Jacob McLeod (30:03.22).

Mercy Chelangat repeated as women’s 10,000 champion for the Crimson Tide in 33:15.66, becoming the first female athlete to defend her title since Angela Homan of Auburn secured three straight crowns from 2004-06.

Jeni Nielson was the last Alabama female competitor to achieve back-to-back 10,000 championships in 1986-87.

Skyler Boogerd of Ole Miss ran 34:11.87, with defending team champions Arkansas accumulating 10 points, with Isabel Van Camp taking third in 34:18.83 and Sydney Thorvaldson finishing fifth in 34:51.06, with Tennessee’s Sydney Seymour also completing her first career 10,000 in 34:39.37.

Auburn won the women’s hammer and javelin titles in the same year for the first time in program history, and became the first school to achieve the feat since Georgia in 2012.

Madi Malone captured the first hammer throw championship for the Tigers since Valentina Srsa in 2008 with a second-round mark of 227-8 (69.39m).

Ashley Carter overcame a lightning delay of more than an hour to produce a personal-best 180-1 (54.90m) on her first throw, securing the first javelin crown for Auburn since Kylee Carter – no relation – in 2019.

DJ Jonsson punctuated his second consecutive men’s javelin title for Mississippi State with a sixth-round effort of 250-7 (76.39m). Jonsson, representing Iceland, followed former Bulldogs’ star Anderson Peters by achieving back-to-back championships, helping Mississippi State become the first program since LSU in 1945-48 to win four in a row in the men’s javelin.

Ahmed Magour of Georgia, representing Qatar, was second at 244-1 (74.40m), with defending NCAA Division 1 champion Tzuriel Pedigo of LSU taking third at 241-7 (73.63m).

Colantonio, the reigning Division 1 indoor champion and conference winner in the weight throw, captured the first men’s hammer throw title in Alabama history with a personal-best 238-2 (72.59m) in the sixth round.

Johannes Erm of Georgia, representing Estonia, took the first-day lead in the men’s decathlon with 4,248 points.

Florida’s Sterling Lester held the advantage following the opening day of the women’s heptathlon with 3,537 points.

Britton Wilson of Arkansas lowered her own collegiate-leading mark in the women’s 400 hurdles to 54.23 seconds in the prelims, with Anna Hall of Florida following her U.S. national title May 7 in the heptathlon in Arkansas by clocking a personal-best 54.91 to produce the second-fastest NCAA performance this year.

Favour Ofili of LSU, the collegiate record holder and world leader this season in the women’s 200 at 21.96, ran 22.21 in the prelims, with Kentucky’s Abby Steiner clocking 22.38.