Lafayette, La. - The Western Kentucky University men's track and field team wrapped up a perfect academic year Sunday at the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship. After winning the 2011 SBC cross country championship, 2012 SBC indoor track championship, the Hilltoppers completed the first men's triple crown in league history Sunday with a 25-point victory over Louisiana-Lafayette.
The Lady Toppers placed second in the team standing behind champion North Texas in a meet that was not decided until the 4x400-meter relay after the teams were tied following the 5,000-meter run.
David Mokone was named Most Outstanding Track Performer after winning both the 800 meters and 1,500 meters with times of 1:55.67 and 3:50.77, respectively.
Monteka Flowers was named Most Outstanding Field Performer after winning the women's shot put and hammer throws and taking second in the discus. In today's hammer competition, Flowers used a final-round throw of 200-9 to take home the victory and move to 20th in the NCAA rankings in the event.
The Hilltoppers locked up the men's team race by scoring 28 points in the 5,000-meter run. Joseph Chebet set a new championship record with the victory in 14:00.64. Taking runner-up honors in the race was Deus Rwaheru in 14:11.77 and completing the all-SBC sweep in the event with a third-place showing was Peter Okwera at 14:49.25. Kyle Chettleburgh also scored a fifth-place finish with a time of 15:07.32. In the 1,500 meters, Chebet and Okwera placed fifth and eighth with times of 3:52.53 and 3:56.40, respectively.
De'Myco Winston won the 400-meter dash with a personal-best time of 46.29 seconds. Monica Akello won the women's 800-meter run with a time of 2:11.31.
Gelela Cooley took runner-up honors in the 400-meter dash at 54.76 seconds and was third in the 200-meter dash at 24.28 seconds.
Marcus Pope had a pair of all-Sun Belt finishes in the hurdles Sunday, taking second in the intermediates with a personal-best time of 50.72 and was third in the high hurdles at 14.16 seconds.
The men's 4x100-meter relay team of Karlis Daube, Marcus Winstead, Cailean Robinson and Winston earned all-SBC honors with a third-place time of 40.91 seconds.
Irma Maciukaite earned all-league honors in the women's 400-meter intermediate hurdles with a third-place time of 1:01.20, while Kristina Volfova was fifth in 1:02.25.
To close the meet on the track, the women's 4x400-meter relay team of Sherria Hester, Maciukaite, Akello and Cooley earned all-league honors with a third-place time of 3:47.14.
Ignacio Guerra won the men's javelin throw for the second-straight year with a toss of 237-2.
Michelle Finn placed second in the 5,000 meters with a time of 17:04.87 and third in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:37.94.
In the men's hammer, Buddy Price and Houston Croney finished fourth and fifth with throws of 187-6 and 178-9, respectively. Also scoring in the women's hammer was Adesola Adeduro, who placed fifth with a personal-best toss of 176-3. Karleigh Parker scored an eighth-place finish in the women's javelin with a throw of 123-11.
Cyrus Johnson scored in a pair of events Sunday, taking fourth in the high jump with a 6-9 clearance and seventh in the triple jump at 48-6.75.
Next up for the WKU track & field teams will be the NCAA East Preliminaries in Jacksonville, Fla., May 24-26.
