Arkansas' Stanley Kebenei on his way to winning the Mt. SAC Relays steeplechase. 

By Kayleigh Skinner for FloTrack

This year competition begins Thursday in Starkville, Mississippi as the Mississippi State Bulldogs host the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. With some of the best athletes in the country competing in this conference, competitors will have to be at the top of their game to see who is truly the best. Here are six events you definitely shouldn’t miss:

 

Men's 800m Saturday, 4:40 p.m. CT (final)

Championship races often go out slow, but we think these guys will get after it this weekend. With less than a second between Alabama's Alex Amankwah (1:45.91), Mississippi's Craig Engels (1:46.13), and Mississippi State's Brandon McBride (1:46.28), it's anyone's race. 

 

Women’s 100m hurdles Saturday, 3:50 p.m. CT (final)

Kentucky's Kendra Harrison is really good at the hurdles. So good that she leads the nation in the 100m hurdles (12.62) and 400m hurdles (54.94). But Florida's Bridgette Owens, who is second in the nation, has the chance to dethrone the NCAA leader this weekend if she can better the 12.75 she ran at the Florida Relays in April. 

 

Men's Steeplechase Friday, 6:45 p.m. CT

Who doesn't love watching people jump over barriers into pits of water? We’re pretty sure Razorback Stanley Kebenei has the title locked down with his nation-leading time of 8:23.93, but the real race will be for second, and it should be fun to watch. 

 

Women’s 4x100m Saturday, 3:10 p.m. CT

The Texas A&M Aggies (43.03), Florida Gators (43.14), and LSU Tigers (43.23) are all contenders for the national title. With the three fastest times in the country right now, who will claim the SEC title?

 

Men's 4x400m Saturday, 6:35 p.m. CT

Florida (3:01.78), Texas A&M (3:02.19), and LSU (3:02.61) are not only 1-2-3 in the SEC, they're also the best in the nation right now. This race could make or break a championship for the Gators or the Aggies, so we think this race is going to be ferocious. 

 

Women's 1500m Saturday, 3:30 p.m. CT (final)

Dominique Scott of Arkansas ran away with the mile title at the indoor championship, but Mississippi State's Rhianwedd Price was less than a second behind. This time Price comes in as the favorite with her solid 4:11.67. Will there be another photo-finish on Saturday?

 

Team Predictions

Men 

Favorite: It’s tough to say, but right now it looks like Florida has a slight edge over Texas A&M. Every point matters this weekend, because the teams are closely matched. 

 

Dark Horse: Texas A&M. They’re not technically an underdog, but to win the SEC title this team is going to need a strong showing from their relay teams and field athletes like junior Latario Collie and sophomore Olabanji Asekun in the triple and long jump.

 

Flotrack’s Pick: Texas A&M. The Aggies won last year, so they’ve got pressure on their backs to repeat the past. 

 

Women

Favorite: The Florida Gators have a points powerhouse from senior sprinter Kyra Jefferson, and their 4x400m is a force to be reckoned with. This team is strong in a variety of events, so it’ll be tough for other teams to score enough points to overthrow them. 

 

Dark Horse: Texas A&M. Their sprint game is strong, and they’ve got scoring potential from senior Hillary Montgomery and sophomore Karis Jochen in the 10k and 5k.

 

Flotrack’s Pick: Florida. Last year the Gators took second, but it looks like this year they’re strong enough to clinch the title.