Conley Ties NCAA Meet Record in Winning Second Long Jump Title

Arkansas’ Michael Conley overcame a leg cramp and won the men’s long jump title for the second straight year in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Friday with a leap of 27 feet, 2 inches, equaling his meet record.

The victory gave the Razorbacks a big boost in their battle with Washington State for the team title.

The long jump was the first of three finals in which Conley was entered Friday. The others were the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter relay.

He also will defend his title in the triple jump final today.

Conley said he suffered a “fatigue cramp” in his left leg when he ran through the pit for a foul on his first jump in the final, after leading the 11-man field through the prelims with a jump of 26-6.

After that aborted attempt, Arkansas trainer Kent Caulfield quickly massaged Conley’s ailing leg. And the Razorbacks’ senior, the team captain, responded perfectly, hitting his winning jump on his next try.

The 27-2 matched the meet record Conley had set in 1983, when he finished second to Ralph Spry of Mississippi, the winner with a wind-aided 27-5. Wind-aided marks do not qualify for meet records.

He is the first long jumper to win two consecutive NCAA outdoor titles since Carl Lewis of Houston did it in 1980 and 1981 with jumps of 27-4 3/4, wind-aided, and 27-0 3/4.