Nation’s elite get set for 2013 campaign

One of the most dominant sprinters in the history of collegiate track and field, Kimberlyn Duncan is a five-time NCAA champion, nine-time All-American and seven-time SEC champion. She defended her national indoor and outdoor titles in the 200-meter dash while claiming four All-America honors last season. Duncan’s long list of accolades from 2012 included being named Division I National Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, the SEC Co-Women’s Runner of the Year and a finalist for the Bowerman Award for the second year in a row. She scored 11 points at the NCAA Indoor Championships to lead LSU to a third-place finish in the final team standings. She currently holds an 18-competition winning streak in the 200-meter dash.

Oregon’s English Gardner is a three-time national champion in 100 meters, 4×400 meter relay and 60 meters. From Voorhees, N.J., Gardner is entering her junior year at Oregon after becoming a finalist at the 2012 London Olympic Trials at 100 meters. She is a four-time Pac-12 champion and holds three school records for the three-time defending champion Ducks.

Arkansas senior Regina George opened her season a year ago with first-place finishes at 400 meters and the 4×400 meter relay at the Kentucky Invitational. At the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York, George set the school and meet records at 500 meters with her time of 1:09.81. It marked the sixth-best all-time performance by a collegiate runner. George helped Arkansas’ 4×400 relay to a time of 3:33.29 and a fourth-place national finish.

Brianna Rollins ranks first in Clemson history in the 60 hurdles, first in the 100 hurdles, sixth in the indoor 400 and ninth in the indoor 200. She was the 2011 NCAA champion in 60 Hurdles. Rollins was named to the 2012 USTFCCCA First-Team All-America in 100 Hurdles, is a three-time First-Team All-American in 60 Hurdles (2010-12) and a First-Team All-American in indoor 4×400 (2010). In her freshman campaign, Rollins was named ACC Indoor Freshman of the Year (2010). She captured ACC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year honors in 2012.

Georgia’s Morgann Leleux made her collegiate debut last season and matched her indoor personal-best in the pole vault (13 feet, 8 ¼ inches) to take second at the Kentucky Invitational. She was the top collegiate finisher (second overall) at the Auburn Invitational after hitting a mark of 13-7.25. Leleux set a meet record and was named the Outstanding Female Performer at the VT Elite meet after winning the pole vault with an NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 14-4.50, which is the best mark for the Lady Bulldogs in 11 years.