Texas Women Keep NCAA Lead

All it took to transform Marshevet Hooker of Texas into a one-woman wrecking crew Friday at the NCAA championships was a lecture from her coach, Bev Kearney.

Determined to keep Hooker focused after she had three bad jumps and a foul in finishing second in the long jump on Thursday, Kearney sternly took her aside.

“She told me, ‘Vet, what are you doing?’ ” Hooker said. “She let me know I had to have my mind in the right place.”

Hooker’s mind and legs carried her to victory twice at Hornet Field and kept Texas ahead of Tennessee, 31-28, for the women’s team title. Barely an hour after she anchored Texas’ 400-meter relay team past South Carolina in 42.87 seconds, the precocious sophomore won the 100 in 11.16 seconds.

“I can’t complain. I’ve been blessed,” said Hooker, who powered past Cleo Tyson of Tennessee (11.29) and a gallant Alexis Weatherspoon of USC (11.35) in the sprint.

Weatherspoon’s performance, which she considered redemption for mishandling a pass from Tracee Thomas in the 400-meter relay and the relay’s failure to finish, was among a series of gutsy efforts for the Trojans. The women are third in the team standings with 18 points -- two ahead of defending champion UCLA -- and the men are tied for seventh with 15 points.

USC junior Virginia Powell, the NCAA indoor champion, won the 100-meter hurdles title in 12.80 despite grazing two hurdles and hitting her leg hard enough on the seventh hurdle to twist her body around. Nebraska’s Priscilla Lopes (12.82) was second and UCLA’s Dawn Harper was third.”When I hit that [seventh] hurdle I knew a lot of people would be with me,” Powell said. “I knew I just had to go straight.”

And in a surprise, Wes Felix came out of Lane 9 to finish second in the 100 in 10.25. He had a dynamic start and lost only when Florida State phenom Walter Dix overcame a slow beginning and outleaned him at the tape to win in 10.21.

“I figured if I could stay with everyone the first 40 meters I’d be in position to have a shot,” said Felix, who ran the second leg on the Trojans’ 400-meter relay team, which finished fifth in 39.17. Arkansas won the 400-meter relay in a Hornet Stadium-record time of 38.49, with senior anchor Omar Brown holding off Florida’s Kerron Clement down the stretch .

UCLA senior Monique Henderson effortlessly won her semifinal in the 400 in 51.28, moving her closer to the title she has never won. She will get that chance today, the last day of the championships.

Still troubled by a sore right hamstring, she has no regrets over skipping the 200 to concentrate on the longer race. “I have a deep love for it and I have a high pain threshold,” she said. “I don’t have any extra nerves. I’ve just got to think of it as another 400.”

In another noteworthy performance, Baylor senior Darold Williamson, who anchored the triumphant U.S. 1,600-meter relay at Athens, ran a world-leading and personal-best 44.27 to win his heat of the men’s 400.

Bruin junior Erik Emilsson set a personal best of 8:34.80 in finishing eighth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and sophomore Kamaiya Warren finished third in the women’s discus throw, with a toss of 178 feet, two inches. Candice Baucham of UCLA, fifth in the long jump, qualified fourth for today’s triple jump final. USC sophomore Adam Midles finished sixth in the hammer throw with a throw of 208 feet, 11 inches.

UCLA sophomore Brandon Johnson and senior Jonathan Williams advanced to the men’s 400-meter hurdles final.