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AUBURN, Ala. - Tennessee hit hard early but didn't have enough to hang on to its SEC Outdoor title.

The Vols made a run at defending their title but fell short, landing in third place with 97.5 points at the SEC Track and Field Championships on Sunday at Hutsell-Rosen Track. Arkansas won with 131.5 points, while LSU was second with 122.

The Lady Vols finished in fourth with 84 points. No. 2 LSU won the women's meet with 157.5 points and Florida was second with 128.

Tennessee had 21 points at the start of the day but started strong early as freshman Joseph Berry won the pole vault, clearing 17 feet,

2 3/4 inches.

Junior Matt Maloney was second in the javelin and junior Akeem Hardnett was second in the triple jump.

Those finishers helped the Vols score 31 points in the first three field events. Unfortunately for Tennessee, Arkansas won the javelin and triple jump and finished second in the pole vault and actually increased its lead.

In the end, Arkansas' running depth helped coach John McDonnell win his 84th and last conference championship. McDonnell has announced he will retire at the end of the year.

"We had a good meet," Tennessee coach Bill Webb said. "There were so many places we competed and scraped for points. I'm proud of our guys.

"LSU and Arkansas are tough teams and the three of us battled. This was one of the toughest SEC meets at the top."

The Vols were without senior pole vaulter Michael Hogue, who has won three indoor and one outdoor conference titles. Berry picked up the slack and earned Tennessee's sixth consecutive SEC pole vault title.

"It feels amazing, putting my heart and soul into it," Berry said. "We were seizing the moment. That's exactly what it was, setting the tone. We're going out and saying, 'We're Tennessee.' "

The Lady Vols picked up championship performances (again) from junior Sarah Bowman and freshman Annie Alexander.

Bowman won her sixth individual conference championship after passing Arkansas' Dacia Barr with 60 meters left in the 1,500. Barr tried to put Bowman to the test by charging to the lead with 600 remaining, but Bowman was able to hang with Barr, the defending champion, until the last stretch.

"She made the move really quick and, when she went, she went really hard,"

Bowman said. "I stayed with it mentally. You only have a split second to respond. You can't say, 'Oh, hi, where are you going?' You can't second-guess it."

Alexander followed Saturday's shot put victory with the discus title Sunday. Alexander's winning distance of 187-6 set the Trinidad and Tobago national record.

"Obviously, Annie winning two events was very welcomed and very special to do it as a freshman," Lady Vols coach J.J. Clark said. "Sarah showed her consistency at the SEC meet. It's something I've grown to depend on."

The Lady Vols had a few miscues, including a dropped baton on an exchange in the 400 relay. Clark said he was pleased with the top-end performances of athletes such as Alexander and Bowman. Celreice Law (100 hurdles), Phoebe Wright (800) and Shanna Dickenson (discus) had third-place finishes Sunday.

"This is more of an NCAA-type of team," Clark said. "The depth wasn't there, but the quality of performances was. That's OK."

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.