NCAA Track and Field Championships : SDSU’s Sheffield Fails to Repeat as 400 Champ

San Diego State’s LaTanya Sheffield, the defending national champion in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles, could manage only a third-place finish in the event Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Indianapolis.

Texas Southern’s Maria Usifo set an outdoor record with a time of 55.16 seconds. The former mark of 55.47 was set by the Soviet Union’s Anna Kastelyskaya in 1982.

Leisa Knowles of Oklahoma State and Sheffield both had times of 55.90, but Knowles was given second place because track officials felt she appeared to edge Sheffield in a photo finish.

In the 800 meters, the Aztecs’ Renee Ross finished ninth with a time of 2:13.06, 11 seconds off her personal best. Karen Bakewell of Miami of Ohio won the 800 with a time of 2:00.85.

The only other SDSU athlete still competing is Mark Sanders in the decathlon. After a two-hour delay and three events, Sanders was in sixth place. The final five events of the decathlon will begin at 2:15 p.m. today.

Iowa State’s Danny Harris, the 1984 Olympic silver medalist, became the second athlete in NCAA history to win the men’s 400-meter intermediate hurdles title three straight years.

In matching the feat of Ralph Mann of Brigham Young accomplished from 1969-71, Harris was clocked in a meet-record 48.33 seconds, beating UCLA sophomore Kevin Young by three meters. Young was clocked in 48.77, a personal best. Harris’ old meet record was 48.42.

Texas Christian’s 400-meter relay team of Roscoe Tatum, Andrew Smith, Byron Morrow and Greg Scholars broke the collegiate record with a winning time of 38.46. The old mark of 38.53 was set by Houston in 1982.

After 10 events, the University of Texas was leading in both men’s and women’s team scoring. The Longhorn men had 36 points, followed by Washington State with 32, and Southern Methodist, Texas A&M; and Fresno State with 22 apiece. USC had 19 1/2 points and UCLA 12.

Texas’ women had 34 points, with surprising Texas Southern second with 30 and Alabama third with 23. USC had 19 and UCLA 10.

Joey Bunch of USC took fourth in the men’s 800 meters in 1:47.24 and teammate Mike Dexter was fifth in the 200 in 20.56. The winner of the 800 was Abiliene Christian’s Freddie Williams, a native of South Africa, in 1:46.1. The surprise winner of the 200 was Floyd Heard of Texas A&M; in 20.34.

Heard, clocked in 20.34, beat a field that included heralded freshman Roy Martin of SMU, Chidi Imoh of Missouri, world junior record holder Lorenzo Daniel of Mississippi State and Harvey McSwain of North Carolina State.

McSwain wound up third in 20.53, Imoh was sixth in 20.63. Martin seventh, also in 20.63, and Daniel eighth in 20.64.

The women’s 200 also was a close finish, with Texas’ Juliet Cuthbert of Jamaica defending her title in 22.71, edging indoor 60-yard champion Gwen Torrence of Georgia.

Nigerian Maria Usifo became the first women’s champion from Texas Southern in NCAA meet history, winning the 400-meter hurdles in 55.16. The time broke the stadium record of 55.47, set by Anna Kastelskaya of the Soviet Union in 1982.

Leisa Knowles of Oklahoma State and defending champion Latanya Sheffield of San Diego State both were clocked in 55.90, but Knowles was given the runner-up place.