Solinsky Leads Wisconsin To First-Ever Track Title

Badgers edge Florida State with 40 points to capture indoor championship

March 11, 2007

By Brett Hess

Special to CSTV.com

	Brett Hess Brett Hess covers Cross Country for CSTV.com E-mail here!

        ---   Column Archive   --- TRACK/CROSS COUNTRY 11/19: Kipyego, Stanford Win As Expected 11/19: Blow For Blow To The Finish 11/16: Practically A Sure Thing 11/16: Championship Field Is A History Lesson In Motion 11/6: Irish Hope Shay Is An Inspiration 10/30: Louisville's Emergence Continues 10/23: No Margin For Error 10/16: Kuijken, FSU Race Toward Postseason 10/09: Liberty's McDougal Begins Run For Title 10/02: Rice Women Surprise At Notre Dame 9/25: Invitational Season In Full Swing 9/19: Still Pinching Herself 9/11: Kipyego, Barringer Are Favorites 9/4: Lomong and Rupp Lead Returnees 6/8: Texas Tech's Kipyego Closes In On History 6/7: Arizona's Arnold Sets Record in Decathlon 6/5: FSU Isn't Feeling The Pressure 6/5: Throwers Lead Sun Devils to Sacramento 5/29: Stars Shine at NCAA Regional Meets 5/26: Florida State Primed For East Regional Title 5/26: Top-Ranked LSU Women Trailing At Mideast Regional 5/22: Hastings Does It Her Way 5/15: Wisconsin, Omole Make History at Big Ten Meet 5/8: Notre Dame's Huddle Finishing Strong 5/1: Drake or Penn? Why Not Both? 4/24: Hokies Show Courage In Competing 4/17: Senioritis is Good for Diana Pickler 4/10: Little Longhorn With Big Heart 3/26: Patience Pays Off For Duke's Rowbury 3/20: Just Like The Movies 3/11: Solinsky Leads Wisconsin To First-Ever Track Title 3/11: Front-Running Sun Devils 3/11: Saluki Strong 3/9: The Dual Is On 3/9: Stevens Helps Pace Sun Devils To Early Lead 3/6: Outdoor Champ FSU Favored Indoors 3/5: Sun Devils Look to Take Next Step 2/20: As Belt Leaps Higher, So Does L'ville 2/6: Huskies Running Out In Front 11/19: Stanford's Aiming For Repeat 11/19: Wisconsin Favored To Defend Title

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Talk about finding the positive in a negative. As Chris Solinsky watched Lopez Lomong stride away with the 3,000-meter title, the Wisconsin star was smiling deep down inside.

Sure, Solinsky wanted to win his third career 3,000-meter NCAA Indoor title, but his valiant performance assured the Badgers of the team title Saturday at the University of Arkansas.

Wisconsin, a longtime cross country powerhouse, won its first indoor track championships. The Badgers had 40 points, five more than co-favorite Florida State. If the Seminoles had won the meet's final event, the 4x400-meter relay, they would have won. Instead, Florida State finished fifth in the relay.

Solinsky scored 18 of the Badgers' points; he won the 5,000-meter run on Friday night at the Randal Tyson Track Center. A double victory (5,000 and 3,000) likely would have earned Solinsky the meet's Most Outstanding Performer. The senior was happy enough to help hoist the team trophy.

"The race went just how we wanted it to go," Solinsky said of his taking the lead early on. "But I knew Lomong was coming at some point. When he passed me (300 meters to go) I tried kicking it into another gear, but it wasn't there. I gave it all I had."

Wisconsin coach Ed Nuttycombe said he expected nothing less from his leader.

"Chris is our captain, he's our quarterback," Nuttycombe said. "Chris gave it his all. He had a great meet."

 Nuttycombe also credited Demi Omole for his second-place finish in the 60-meter run.

"I really wanted Demi to win for Demi," Nuttycombe said. "He's come so close and he deserved a championship. But I know he's very happy for the team."

Florida State was led by Ricardo Chambers' win in the 400. The Seminoles suffered a mishap in the 60-meter finals when Walter Dix stumbled coming out of the blocks. Dix, who had won the 200 on Friday, was seeded in the top four of the 60 but finished eighth.

The victory by Chambers was a long time coming according to the Seminole junior.

"I really wanted to win because in this event my freshman year, I got bumped and last year I was injured and wasn't able to compete," Chambers said. "I was able to get the break on the others and hang on to win. I know my strength and felt like if I ran like I was supposed to, then I would win."

Another team with strong hopes of taking the team title was Texas, which finished third with 34 points. The Longhorns were led by champions Donovan Kilmartin (heptathlon) and Leonel Manzano (mile). Trey Hardee placed second in the long jump.

"To win this event in three out of the last four years, well I am pretty proud of that," Kilmartin said. "I guess that I didn't do too bad. It feels really good and I was happy to do my part for our team."

Mansano, who was the favorite to win the mile, said he was a little concerned on Friday night after finishing his anchor leg in the distance medley relay.

"I felt pressure since I did not perform up to my ability (Friday)," Manzano said. "I knew I had to get out to the front because the middle of the pack was not a good place to be if you wanted to win. On the last lap I decided to make my push and I felt (Russell Brown) from Stanford make a run on me but I decided that I had worked too hard to lose it at the end."

Other track event winners included Clemson's Travis Padgett (60-meter), Michigan's Jeff Porter (60-meter hurdles), Washington's Ryan Brown (800) and Baylor in the 4x400 relay.

Other field event winners included Auburn's Donald Thomas (high jump), McNeese State's Brad Gebauer (pole vault), Louisville's Andre Black (triple jump) and USC's Noah Bryant (shot put).

A day after Tone Belt (long jump) won Louisville's first national championship of any kind since the 1986 men's basketball team, Black matched him.

"I really wanted a big jump on my first or second attempt. Instead, I was fourth going into the finals. But, Coach Jacobs calmed me down, and I kept progressing each jump," Black said. "This is putting Louisville on the map in track and field."

Louisville, which had never before sent one athlete to the NCAA Indoor Championships, scored 21 points to finish in a tie for 10th in the team standings.

Thomas, competing in his first national meet, did not miss a jump until all other high jumpers were out of the competition. He then requested the bar be raised to 2.37 meters so he could attempt to tie the meet record. He then missed on his three attempts to record a winning height of 2.33 meters.

"I was doing great until everyone else was done," Thomas said. "I love competition and think when it came down to just me, I lost that edge. I wished someone else had been with me, maybe I could have (cleared)."