Duplantis’ pole vault victory supported by Grey winning long jump and Harrison capturing high jump title for Tigers; Arkansas sweeps 5,000-meter championships, with Comenentia securing another shot put crown and David getting breakthrough in women’s long jump

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

When Armand “Mondo” Duplantis decided to attend LSU this year instead of pursuing a potential professional track and field career, it immediately gave the Tigers significant credibility as one of the elite men’s field event groups in the country.

Duplantis and his teammates demonstrated just how impressive they could be Friday night at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.

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Led by Duplantis setting the collegiate indoor men’s pole vault record with a first-attempt clearance at 19 feet, 5 inches (5.92m), LSU also added individual titles in the men’s long jump and high jump, with all 36 of the Tigers’ first-day points coming from the three events to trail Alabama (38) for the overall lead at Randal Tyson Track Center.

“When I decided to come to LSU, there were three big things on my mind and three things that I wanted to accomplish while I was here,” Duplantis said. “I wanted to win SECs indoor and outdoor, and I wanted to win NCAAs indoor and outdoor. But one of the most important of them all was to break the collegiate records, indoor and outdoor, of course.”

Duplantis, the reigning European outdoor champion representing Sweden, took over the world indoor lead this year and equaled the No. 18 all-time performer in the global indoor rankings. His vault eclipsed the collegiate indoor record of 19-4.75 (5.91m) set by Shawn Barber of Akron in the same building at the 2015 NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships.

Duplantis took three attempts at 19-8.50 (6.01m), which would been the best overall clearance in collegiate history. Tennessee’s Lawrence Johnson remains the collegiate outdoor record holder at 19-7.50 (5.98m) from 1996.

“After this being my fourth competition in a row trying to take some shots at it, I’m very happy to make it,” Duplantis said. “Going into the meet, the goal was just to win the gold and get the 10 points for LSU. If I was feeling good and depending on how the competition was going and if I was the only one left and I could pick what I wanted to go, I was going to put it at 5.92m and take some shots at it.

“I was fortunate enough that the competition went well for me and I was clean until 5.92m, so I could take a nice jump at it while I’m fresh. It worked out and I got the collegiate (indoor) record and I’m satisfied.”

Sophomore JuVaughn Harrison capped the night for LSU with a personal-best 7-5.75 (2.28m) clearance on his first attempt in the high jump, outlasting Georgia’s Keenon Laine, who set the indoor program record by clearing the same height on his third try.

Junior Rayvon Grey edged Florida junior Grant Holloway by a 25-9.50 (7.86m) to 25-8.75 (7.84m) margin in the long jump, with the second-round effort leading three LSU athletes placing in the top seven, along with Harrison in fifth at 25-3.50 (7.71m) and Kenan Jones finishing seventh at 25-0.75 (7.64m).

Florida senior Yanis David won her first SEC title in seven career conference championship meets, leaping 21-2.50 (6.46m) in the final round to capture the women’s long jump crown.

Georgia senior Denzel Comenentia won the men’s shot put for the second time in three years with a sixth-round effort of 66-9.75 (20.36m).

Alabama senior Portious Warren prevailed in the women’s shot put, also producing the winning mark on her final attempt with a personal-best 56-9.25 (17.30m) for the Crimson Tide, which holds a 35-30 first-day lead over Arkansas.

The host Razorbacks swept the men’s and women’s 5,000-meter titles, with junior Taylor Werner capturing her second championship in three years by dominating the field to prevail in 16:18.39 and junior Gilbert Boit providing the most thrilling finish of the night.

Boit surged ahead of Alabama senior Gilbert Kigen in the final 250 meters, but needed a well-timed lean at the finish line to secure the victory by a 14:09.84 to 14:09.87 margin.

Junior Kelsey Herman survived a late surge from Georgia sophomore Aliyah Whisby in the 800 to secure the women’s pentathlon title for the Razorbacks with 4,330 points, the second in a row for Arkansas following Taliyah Brooks last year.

Whisby, the collegiate leader this year at 4,372 points, ran 2:20.33 to 2:20.81 for Herman in the 800, but came up just short of the championship at 4,305 points.

Arkansas also won the women’s distance medley relay for the first time since 2016, with Devin Clark, Paris Peoples, Meghan Underwood and Carina Viljoen clocking 11:21.98.

After being edged by Arkansas by a 9:37.01 to 9:37.08 margin last year, Ole Miss rebounded to win its fifth conference men’s DMR title in six years, with Mario Garcia Romo, James Burnett, Waleed Suliman and Derek Gutierrez running 9:43.91.