Akeem Bloomfield stormed to the 2018 SEC Indoor Championships men’s 400m title on Sunday (25 February) in College Station, Texas.
Bloomfield was aggressive from the gun, maintaining a swift pace throughout and pulled to the lead coming off the stagger in the final lap. In the final meters, he had to hold off a surging Nathan Strother of Tennessee (45.59), but was still able to cross the line comfortably in 45.22.
Jamaican Nathon Allen, also representing Auburn, placed third with his 46.07 performance from the first heat.
In the 60m, Cejah Greene of Antigua & Barbuda
took silver for Georgia, hundredth of a second (6.62) ahead of Auburn’s and Jamaica’s Raheem Chambers, who placed third, in 6.63. Kenzo Cotton of Arkansas won the event in 5.69
In the hurdles over the same distance, Trinibagonian Ruebin Walters in his senior season for Alabama, came in second to Florida’s collegiate record holder Grant Holloway – 7.53 to 7.69.
Bahamian Xavier Coakley also made and competed in the 60 meter hurdle final, coming in eighth at 7.95 for Auburn.
In the Men’s 4x400m, Allen and Bloomfield ran individual splits of 44.82 and 45.82 respectively, to lead Auburn to a fourth place finish of 3:06.09
Auburn women, Jonielle Smith and Natalliah Whyte, were third and fourth in the 60m final, running 7.18 and 7.19 respectively.
Mikiah Brisco of LSU was the women’s 60m champion.
As expected, Jasmine Camacho-Quin defended her 60m hurdles title in 7.98. She also qualified and placed seventh in the 200m final in 23.29.
In the field events, Jah -Nhai Perinchief of Bermuda placed seventh in the high jump two spots behind Florida’s and Jamaica College alum Clayton Brown, who also cleared the same height.
