May 9th Weekly Recap

10.07/20.39!!

(Christopher Belcher-left-)

North Carolina A&T

This past weekend for majority of the nation was a lay off in preparation for Conference Championship Weekend. However there were some conferences who started the championship early and some schools who decided to use this past weekend as an opportunity to improve their ranking before the regional meet. This recap will focus solely on the performance of this past weekend.

WOMEN

BRONZE: LAURA ROSE  DONEGAN (NEW HAMPSHIRE)- Donegan joins our list after a solid indoor season where she won the 5,000 at the Amerian East Indoor Championships. She joined the top 10 list in the women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase with a mark of 9:49.16 to win the America East Conference Title adding to her championship hardware. Her mark solidified her as number 4 in the nation and as a legitimate contender for the NCAA title.

SILVER: KELSEY CARD (WISCONSIN)- Card has truly stepped into the spotlight as the nation’s best thrower. She is ranked in the top 3 in two events both the Shot Put and Discus. This past weekend she joined defending champion Raven Saunders as one of only two athletes with marks over 60 feet. She launched the shot to a mark of 60’10.75 to win the Wisconsin Twilight and move her to the number 2 ranking in the NCAA.

BRONZE: AMALIE IUEL (USC)- The Pac-12 does things a little differently in regards to their conference championships. They have the multi-event athletes compete in their own conference championships a week before the rest of the athletes compete at the Conference Championship. This allows for the multi-event athletes to compete in consecutive weekends in multiple events outside of the heptathlon or decathlon.

Iuel proved this weekend that she will be able to compete and score in a myriad of events at the general conference championship. Iuel joined Akela Jones as the only other athlete to score over 6,000 points this season. Iuel scored a total of 6,011 points at the Pac 12 Combined Events Conference Championships. She is ranked in several individual events in the conference and similar to Jones has become high level multi-event athlete. Do not be surprised to see if Iuel walks away with another individual title at the general Pac 12 Championships this weekend.

MEN

BRONZE: AARON FLETCHER (BYU)- During the outdoor season BYU is without a conference to compete in. The school is independent in most sports. During the indoor season BYU competes as a member of the MPSF which consists of West Coast schools competing during the Indoor Season. That makes weekends like this past one just as important as all of the other regular season weekends. It becomes an opportunity to improve upon your rankings. Aaron Fletcher took the opportunity and literally ran with it. Competing at the Oxy Invite Fletcher earned the number 6 mark in the nation with a time of 8:39.10 in the men’s steeplechase. Without the challenge of a conference championship Fletcher will be able to compete in the post season with a little more rest than his competitors.

SILVER: RUDY WINKLER (CORNELL)- The Ivy League held their conference championship this past weekend. Winkler had the big mark from the weekend with a throw of 246-5 in the men’s hammer throw. His mark places his in the number 1 position for the outdoor season so far. With conference championship weekend taking place this weekend it remains to be seen if he is able to hold up his ranking. Nonetheless his performance is quite special and gives the Ivy League 2 number 1 rankings in throwing events.

GOLD: CHRISTOPHER BELCHER (NORTH CAROLINA A&T)- Christopher Belcher is having himself quite the season, especially outdoors. His name should garner more attention after the weekend he had at the MEAC Outdoor Championships. Belcher dashed out to quick 100 meter time of 10.07, wind legal. He followed that up with a time of 20.39 to win the 200. His time in the 100 moved him into the number 3 spot in the nation and the fastest wind legal time of the season. Belcher just like Winkler will have to wait and see where he ranks after the dust settles following Conference Championship Weekend but his time definitely proves he is able to compete with the best. 

As you've noticed throughout this article. This coming weekend is one of the biggest weekends on the collegiate calendar for track athletes. It is conference championship weekend. The Pac 12-, Big 12. Big 10, SEC, ACC, American Athletic, Mid-American, Conference USA and a host of others will be holding their outdoor conference championships this weekend. The post season is here and we start to separate the contenders from the pretenders. Expect a preview post this Wednesday.