AUBURN, Ala. - Arkansas sophomore Alain Bailey used a strong passing strategy to win the long jump Saturday at the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
"We talked about, 'Just kick their rears and get it over with,' " Arkansas field events coach Dick Booth said. "Then pass, pass, pass if you can."
Bailey was able to pass on his final three attempts after going a 1 career-best 26 feet, /4 inches on his second jump to take the lead for good.
Passing helped save Bailey for today's high jump competition, in which he's also expected to score big points.
"It puts the pressure on everybody else," Bailey said of hitting a big mark early. "That's really nice."
Bailey has won two SEC titles, including the long jump in indoor track, after finishing second last year in each conference meet.
"I lost by one centimeter twice last year," said Bailey, who came to Arkansas from Jamaica. "So I came back with blood in my eyes."
While Bailey was pleased to surpass 26 feet for the first time, he has higher goals.
"Lots of guys are in the 26-foot club," he said. "Next is the 27-foot club. God willing, I'll do that soon."
Booth said the next goals for Bailey are to win the NCAA long jump title and hit the Olympic qualifying mark of 26-10.
"He is a so capable of jumping 27 feet," Booth said. "But 26 feet has been a goal.
"Today we kind of got it dialed in and he carried more speed [down the runway], he hit the board for a change, and he got it."
LSU junior Jeremy Hicks went 25-8 on his final attempt to take second, but still trailed Bailey by 3 4 /4 inches.
Bailey, whose previous career best was 25-8 3/4 earlier this season, let out a loud yell when hit his first 26-footer.
"It was joyful," Bailey said. "That's a personal best and won the competition and was 10points for the team."
Booth said he believes Bailey will take no lower than second in the high jump and clear at least 1 6-10/2. Kentucky freshman Grant Lindsey has a best of 7-3 1/2 this season.
"Alain's a great athlete and a great competitor," Booth said. "I think he'll do down as one of our best athletes.
"He'll scare people in the high jump, too."
Bailey also is running a leg on the Razorbacks' 400-meter relay team.
"I feel pretty good," Bailey said. "I want to score as many points as I can."
The Razorbacks scored 13 points in the long jump, including a sixth-place finish by Mychael Stewart, and were second in the team race through five finals with 32 points behind first-place Auburn, which had 36.
Stewart, a junior from Bentonville, went 24-2 1/4 despite aggravating a right ankle injury.
"Michael will always give it a go," Booth said. "You'd have to jump over the fence and wrestle him to the ground to make him stop. He's a warrior."
Booth had hoped for a few more points in the long jump, but junior Daniel Quinn failedto make the final after coming into the meet ranked second in the SEC with a best of 25-4 1/2.
Quinn fouled slightly on his first two attempts - which Booth said were in the 26-foot 3 range - and then went 22-7 /4 on his third attempt when he had to play it safe to get a mark that counted.
Booth said he expects Quinn to come back strong in the triple jump today, when the Razorbacks will try and send out Arkansas Coach John McDonnell with his 84th conference title.
McDonnell, who also has coached 42 NCAA championship teams at Arkansas, is retiring at the end of the outdoor season.
"We've talked a lot this week about being accountable to each other, don't let each other down," said Booth, McDonnell's veteran assistant who is interviewing for the head coaching job with Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long on Tuesday. "And don't let Coach McDonnell lose his last conference meet.
"The greatest coach ever in any sport in NCAA history doesn't deserve to lose his last conference meet, and I think if we have the same attitude this weekend as we did in our first meet in our new stadium, we won't lose."
Arkansas rallied to beat Tennessee for the 2006 SEC Outdoor title in the first meet at the new John McDonnell Field.
"That team refused to lose," Booth said. "They just did what they had to do, and now we've got to do the same thing."
Also Saturday night, three Razorbacks advanced to the 12-man 1,500 final with senior Andy McClary winning his heat in 3 minutes, 50.47 seconds and freshman Duncan Phillips (3:45.86) and sophomore Daniel LaCava (3:50.92) making it based on time.
Ole Miss' Chad Berry, a redshirt freshman from Little Rock Central, ran 4:06.90 and failed to advance.
Sports, Pages 46 on 05/18/2008