Georgia freshman Torrin Lawrence captured the Bulldogs’ first indoor 200-meter dash title in school history at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships to lead his team on Sunday.

Lawrence later anchored Georgia’s 4×400 relay team that broke the school record after clocking an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 3:07.45.

The 12th-ranked Bulldogs finished eighth with 47 points while the Georgia women took 11th (14) in the meet’s final day. Arkansas won the SEC men’s team title after piling up 130 points as the Lady Volunteers (111) left Lexington with the women’s team championship.

“We had limited bright spots and we all know we have to get better outdoors,” said head coach Wayne Norton. “Individually, I am excited that Torrin has been able to come in and move right to the top, which is phenomenal in this conference. We are looking for a whole lot more from him over the next three years. Kiah (Vernon) and Sarah (Madebach) did a good job in their final indoor meet and we are going to truly miss them. I also thought Ross Ridgewell was one of the highlights for us after he fought through some adversity this season to accomplish what he did. And I was proud of the nice (personal best) that John Freeman had in the weight.”

Lawrence, who has the nation’s No. 2 time in the event after recording a time of 20.77 during the season opener in Lexington, pulled ahead of the pack to clinch the win with his second NCAA automatic qualifying time of the season (20.81). He was able to hold off Arkansas freshman Marek Niit (20.90) in the second of two flights to lock down his victory. Lawrence is three-for-three in 200 races this season and he has won at least one event in all six of the meets that he has raced in.

His championship in the 200 marked Georgia’s first SEC indoor 200 title in school history. This is the second straight year that the Bulldogs have won an SEC indoor sprints title (Justin Gaymon, 400, 2008) and the 35th SEC individual crown for the men’s program. The last time the Georgia men won a conference 200 championship was when Mel Lattany finished first at the 1981 outdoor meet.

“I feel great right now and happy that I came through for the team,” said Lawrence. “I could see all of the (other teams) coming for me at the curve. I thought all of them in the finals ran really well. It wasn’t too easy to win this one, but I’m glad I pulled it out. I don’t think it has kicked in yet, but I might be jumping around in a little while.”

Lawrence later joined senior Justin Gaymon, senior Michael Proctor and freshman Phillip Adams as they finished fourth in the 4×400 relay with the No. 1 time in school history. The Bulldog foursome topped UGA’s former top time in the relay by .48 seconds (3:07.93, 2004). The top four finishers in the relay – Florida (3:05.82), South Carolina (3:06.11), Kentucky (3:06.78) and Georgia – now have four out of the top five times in the nation for 2009.

Another highlight came from senior Ross Ridgewell in the 800-meter run finals. Ridgewell, who made his season debut in the event’s prelims on Saturday after battling a leg injury, sped to a second-place finish in the finals after clocking a 1:50.33. The Australian native made up four spots in the final straightaway to edge Tennessee’s Joe Franklin (1:50.43) for runner-up honors. A 2008 indoor All-American, Ridgewell was fifth at last year’s conference meet and third at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Junior John Freeman grabbed a third-place finish in the weight throw after opening with an NCAA provisional qualifying and personal-best throw of 66 feet, 4 � inches. Freeman’s throw improved his No. 9 spot in the record books and bettered his 2008 SEC finish by five places. He had the seventh-best throw in the conference coming into the meet.

Also scoring in the weight for the Bulldogs was junior Branislav Danis. Danis recorded his top throw on his first attempt and finished with a career-best mark of 62-8 to finish eighth and add an additional point to Georgia’s total. This was Danis’ first SEC meet after redshirting with an injury in 2008.

Sophomore Asaph Levy repeated his performance from last year’s meet by taking eighth in the triple jump. Levy, who had an effort of 47-3 in 2008, tallied a top mark of 48-10.25 on his seventh attempt to finish eighth.

Also of note, senior Jamaal Parker, who was No. 3 on the SEC performance list and 13th on the NCAA list in the triple jump, fouled on his first attempt and had to draw out of the competition because of an ankle injury.

Gaymon, the conference’s defending champion in the 400, finished fifth in the event after crossing the finish line in a provisional qualifying 47.11. Gaymon, who was fourth overall in the prelims, had the third-fastest time in the league coming into the meet (46.63).

Gaymon also nearly scored in the 60 hurdles after landing the ninth and final qualifying spot on Friday. Gaymon clocked a 7.9273 to finish behind eighth-place finisher Kallinka Pitt (7.9204) from Florida.

Georgia managed one more point after taking eighth place in the distance medley relay. Freshman Miles Svoboda, freshman Daniel Black, senior Kris Ward and senior Bejan Abtahi tied the school’s 10th-fastest time in the event (10:08.34) to hold off LSU for the eighth and final scoring spot.

On the women’s side in the distance medley relay, freshman Kristie Krueger, freshman Carin Walker, junior Taylor Adams and senior Kiah Vernon combined to have the third-fastest time in school history with a time of 11:39.71 for third place. Vernon, who was competing at her last SEC indoor meet, ran down Vanderbilt’s anchor leg to assure the Lady Bulldogs six more points.

Senior Sarah Madebach ran her final race in a Georgia uniform and came away with a fourth-place finish in the 5000. Madebach’s time of 16:46.81 was a season best for the Georgia women after she had already scored two points for the Lady Bulldogs in the 3000 on Saturday. She finishes her career as a three-time SEC champion (cross country and two steeplechase titles) and a 2008 All-American in the steeplechase.

After Georgia had a win and two runner-up finishes in the women’s mile over the past three years, freshman Kristie Krueger kept the scoring alive after taking eighth. Krueger finished her final lap with a time of 4:54.33 to score her first point at an SEC meet after also taking eighth in the prelims.

In the women’s high jump, freshman Carin Walker tied her personal best after clearing 5-5.25 to finish 10th in her first SEC meet.

Sophomore Rachel Travis and freshman Eve Machovec registered season-best marks in the shot put to take 11th and 13th, respectively. Travis had one legal throw of 46-7.50 and Machovec improved on all three throws, finishing with a mark of 45-0.25.

- Georgia Sports Communications