The Arizona State University men's and women's track and field teams won the 2008 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in impressive fashion over the weekend at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark. The victory was the first indoor team crown for the men while the women successfully defended the title they earned last year.

The ASU men's squad, who also won the 1977 NCAA Outdoor Championships, earned their second team crown while the women captured their third national title in a row as the were victorious last year outdoors. The win was the seventh in a row for the women as they have also won two MPSF Indoor Championships, three NCAA crowns and one NCAA West Region (outdoor) title dating back to last year.

In the team standings, the ASU women scored 51 points to out-distance runner-up LSU (43 points) for the second year in a row while Michigan (39), Texas (35) and Stanford (32) rounded out the Top 5. On the men's side, the Sun Devils scored 44 points to edge Florida State (41 points) while Texas (34), LSU (33) and Tennessee (26) rounded out the Top 5 in the men's standings. The women were helped along by Jacquelyn Johnson's (http://www.ncaa.com/sports/c-track/mtt/johnson_jacquelyn0 0.html) third national heptathlon title indoors while the men saw Kyle Alcorn (http://www.ncaa.com/sports/c-track/mtt/alcorn_kyle00.html) set the pace with his national title at 3,000m.

Johnson became the first three-time winner of the indoor pentathlon and just the ninth woman in NCAA history to win the same event three times in a career. Johnson scored 4,496 points to not only win for the third year in a row, but also break both the meet and collegiate records. Johnson, who nearly broke the collegiate pentathlon 800m record of 2:13.40 (she ran 2:13.45), needed to win by four seconds or more over Michigan's Bettie Wade and easily took the race and the overall title.

Johnson's score broke the previous NCAA record mark of 4,439 points by Austra Skuyte of Kansas State in 2002, and bettered the previous meet record of 4,412 points scored by Hyleas Fountain of Georgia in 2004, the year she defeated Johnson and the only time Johnson has not won the national title in the multi-events.

ASU was led in the men's competition by Kyle Alcorn, who stepped onto the track ranked 14th of the 16 competitors and hung with the pack for much of the race. Midway through, the senior took the lead and held it for a while before several runners passed him. But, with two laps remaining, Alcorn surged to the lead and held on for the win to tie the team score and set up a showdown in the 4x400m relay. The Sun Devil quartet of Jimmie Gordon (http://www.ncaa.com/sports/c-track/mtt/gordon_jimmie00.ht ml) , Darryl Elston (http://www.ncaa.com/sports/c-track/mtt/elston_darryl00.htm l) , Justin Kremer (http://www.ncaa.com/sports/c-track/mtt/kremer_justin00.ht ml) and Joel Phillip (http://www.ncaa.com/sports/c-track/mtt/phillip_joel00.html) needed to finish only ahead of FSU to secure the team title. They finished the race in 3:06.34 to place third overall and take the team title as FSU finished sixth in the race.

Adams State wins first ever NCAA DII team crown
Using 19 All-America performances while scoring points in all but one running event, the Adams State College Grizzlies women's team won the school's first ever track and field title at the NCAA Division II level Saturday at Minnesota State University-Mankato's Myers Field House.

The indoor crown is ASC's first track and field title for either gender in either season since 1985 when the then Indians won an NAIA indoor crown. Adams State tallied 55 points for the win, followed by St. Augustine's (2nd-48 points), Lincoln (3rd-38.33 points), Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (4th-38 points) and Ashland (5th-37 points).

The Grizzly men also claimed a trophy with a third place finish (39 points), led by senior Nick Lara's (Alamosa, Colo.) third straight 800-meter title, his seventh overall career national crown. St. Augustine's easily defended the men's title and collected its 11th national championship overall in totaling 68 points. They were followed by Abilene Christian (2nd-49 points); Grand Valley State (4th-37 points) and Ashland (5th-35 points).

Adams State won just one event& Friday's distance medley relay& during the two-day meet but racked up a ton of other point-scoring finishes. Finishing as high as second numerous times over the last several years, the Grizzlies finally clinched the elusive women's team title when junior Heather Wood (Los Alamos, NM) and senior Tanya Gaurmer (Westminster, CO) finished seventh and eighth in the 5,000 meters giving the Grizzlies an 11-point cushion over St. Augustine's (NC), which had won the indoor title in every odd year since 2001.

Wisconsin-La Crosse, Illinois Wesleyan win DIII team titles
The Wisconsin-La Crosse men's team won its 15th Indoor National Championship and the Illinois Wesleyan women's team captured its first team title on Saturday at the 2008 NCAA III Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Ohio Northern University Sports Center in Ada, OH.

The Eagles used wins by junior Bobby Riley in the shot put (16.94 meters/55 feet, 7 inches) and the 4x400-meter relay to capture its seventh indoor team title in eight years with 43 points.

Illinois Wesleyan senior Rachel Anderson captured her third straight individual 400-meter dash title and overcame a 10-meter defecit on the anchor leg of the 4x400-meter relay to give the Titans the victory and the overall team title with 30 points.

Hamilton sophomore Peter Kosgei used powerful kicks to win the 1-mile run and 800-meter run and earn Men's Track Athlete of the Meet.

Bates senior Noah Gauthier threw a distance of 19.24m/63-1.50 to win the men's 35-pound weight throw by nearly a foot on Friday to earn Men's Field Athlete of the Meet.

Anderson won the 400 in an ONU Sports Center record and DIII season-best time of 55.66. She teamed with Ali McCoy, Mackenzie Clemens and Brooke Halcott to win the 4x400 in 3:52.21.Anderson's performances earned her Women's Track Athlete of the Meet.

For more information on the 2008 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, visit: http://www.ncaa.com/track-and-field-indoor/default.aspx?id= 508