NCAA Indoor Track Championships : USC’s Bates Sets U.S. Women’s Record

Roddie Haley of Arkansas broke the one-minute barrier in the men’s 500 meters, and Yvette Bates and Wendy Brown of USC both set American records in the women’s triple jump Saturday during the NCAA Indoor track and field championships at Oklahoma City, Okla.

Haley’s time of 59.89 seconds broke the world indoor record of 1:00.17 set by Ken Lowery of the Chicago State Track Club in January.

Haley came back to anchor Arkansas to a second-place finish in the 1,600-meter relay as the Razorbacks won the team title for a record fourth year in a row. They scored 39 points.

Bates won with a mark of 45-3, breaking the record of 44-8 established by teammate Brown earlier in the competition. Brown previously held the record at 44-3. The world record is 45-10 1/2, set last year by Galina Chistyakova of the Soviet Union.

“I’ve been having problems in the last phase because I’m bent too forward,” said Bates, who set the record on her final attempt. “It helped having Wendy here to compete against. You usually don’t find too many good triple jumpers on the same team.”

Lousiana State won the women’s title with 49 points. USC was eighth with 19.

Gwen Torrence of Georgia broke her own world mark in the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.56. Her old mark was 6.60.

Torrence’s time is considered a world record although it is slower than the world mark of 6.54 shared by Evelyn Ashford and Jeannette Bolden over 60 yards, which is a comparable distance. Fifty-five meters is 5.35 inches longer than 60 yards.

Linetta Wilson of Nebraska, formerly of Muir High School in Pasadena, broke the American indoor record in the women’s 500 meters with a time of 1:08.89 seconds. Her clocking was only .03 of a second off the world indoor record of 1:08.86 set this year by Irina Nazarova of the Soviet Union.

Other men’s winners included James Lott of Texas in the high jump at 7-6, equaling the meet record; Pittsburgh’s Lee McRae in the 55-meter dash in 6.13; Georgetown’s Mike Stahr in the mile in 4:02.33; Houston’s Frank Rutherford in the triple jump for the second straight year, at 56-1; Alabama’s Keith Talleyin the 55-meter high hurdles in 7.13; Southern Methodist in the 1,600 relay in 3:07.63; SMU’s Lars Nilsen in the shotput at 66-5, and Louisiana State’s Robin Van Helden in the 1,000 in 2:20.51.

Other women’s winners included Tennessee’s LaVonna Martin in the 55 hurdles in 7.57; Wisconsin’s Suzy Favor in the mile in 4:41.69, and Villanova’s Vicki Huber in the 3,000 in 9:06.45.