Weekend Recap

10.85!!!

(Aleia Hobbs- LSU)

(Franklin Field-Penn Relays)

It is as if this season is hell bent on breaking every available record in the NCAA Division 1 Record Book. There have been impressive and record breaking performances every week and this week continued this trend. I also will include in this post an opinion on my first Penn Relays experience and guarantee you it will not be the last, I will most certainly be back next year. This post will follow our traditional format of the top five performances of the past weekend.

Women

5. Shakima Wimbley (Miami)- Shakima Wimbley is most likely not having the outdoor season she expected. She has yet to throw down in the 400 like she did this past indoor season. However, she has been quite sensational in the 200 meter dash. This past weekend amongst Olympian Tori Bowie she ran the fastest collegiate time of the outdoor season with a time of 22.47. It remains to be seen if she will try the long sprint double or if she will even run the 200 at all.

4. Kellion Knibb (Florida St)- Knibb by way of Jamaica has recently joined a long list of talented throwers from Florida State. This past weekend I witnesses Knibb launch the nation’s new number 1 mark with a throw of 203’8 amongst a quality field. She is currently the only athlete with a mark over 200 feet and has 6 feet on her closest competitor.

3. Elinor Purrier (New Hampshire)- Purrier has been mentioned with the best milers and 1,500 meter runners in the nation every time we draw close to the championship season. She is a small school athlete with big time talent. Amongst a stellar field at the Penn Relays Purrier ran the number two ranked time in the NCAA this season in the 1,500. Her time of 4:11.90 was just a few tenths of the national leading mark. Just as expected going into the championship season Purrier is a name we expect to hear more of.

2. Quanesha Burks (Alabama)- Burks clearly seems to have returned to championship form. This past weekend at the Inaugural SEC Relays Burks competed against Sha’Keela Saunders of Kentucky who won the Indoor National Championship in the long jump and defeated Burks. Burks launched a season’s best to beat Saunders with a mark of 22’7 ¾. She has been so close to jumping 23 feet this may be the season to do so.

1. Aleia Hobbs (LSU)- Perhaps the most stunning performance of the weekend was Hobbs NCAA leading mark in the 100 meter dash. Dawn Sowell of LSU has the NCAA record with a time of 10.78 which was ran at high altitude, she also owns the NCAA record at low altitude with a time of 10.93. Well that was until this past Saturday at the SEC Relays were Hobbs launched a time of 10.85 to win the 100 meter dash. Perhaps the best part of her time is not only being it wind legal but it was the best time ever at low altitude for a collegian and the new world number 1.

Men

5. Brian Williams (Ole Miss)- Williams seems to be the next throwing star to come from Connie Smith’s stellar program at Ole Miss. Williams launched the discus this past weekend 210’4 at the SEC Relays. His mark moved him to the number one spot in the nation and cemented his status as a legitimate threat to win this event.

4. Kemar Mowatt (Arkansas)- Mowatt is one of the fast 400 hurdlers in the nation speed wise. He proved that last season earning a spot on Arkansas 4x100 relay team that clocked a time of 38.49. Mowatt this year has noticeably approved his technique and endurance. He was a talented 400 meter runner that needed more tuning in the hurdles. He has gotten that now with his nation leading mark of 49.09 ran this past weekend at the SEC Relays. Eric Futch the defending champ from Florida will most certainly have his hands full.

3. Keandre Bates (Florida)- This talented jumper continues to impress and improve. He has had a knack for showing up at big moments. Against a quality field at the Tom Jones Memorial on his home track he began the new NCAA leader in the triple jump with a mark of 54’9 ½. His mark is not a personal best which should be a testament to his talent. Bates could very well complete the jumping double.

2. Christian Coleman (Tennessee)- It seems anytime he competes we hear his name. Coleman set the field ablaze at the SEC Relays this past weekend in the 100 meter dash. What is perhaps more impressive is that in that same race Lawrence Crawford of Mississippi State clearly false starts. Coleman still able to catch him clocked in at 9.93. Although his time was wind-aided it is his first time under 10 seconds this outdoor season. For now, he sits atop the 100 meter list where he should be.

1. Emmanuel Korir (UTEP)- What a season this talented freshman is having. He has already run under 45 seconds in the open 400 and has now ran the second fastest time in NCAA history in his signature event the 800. Korir clocked a time of 1:43.73 at the Brutus-Hamilton Challenge on the campus of Cal-Berkeley. What is perhaps even more impressive is the dominant fashion in which he won. Korir defeated the field by more than 8 seconds. No other athlete went under 1:51 in that race proving just how impressive he ran.

RELAYS OF THE WEEK

Women- LSU 4x100 Relay. A team of Mikiah Brisco, Kortnei Johnson, Jada Martin and Aleia Hobbs just tied the NCAA record that Oregon set this year. This returns the NCAA record back to LSU for the first time since 2009.

Men- Texas A&M 4x400 Relay. It seems that no one will be able to defeat this year they will go undefeated indoors and out. Their time is weekend of 3:00.74 kept them in the number one position and gave them more than a two second lead on their closest competition.

PENN RELAYS

This past weekend I ventured to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to attend the Penn Relays. I must say it was perhaps one of the greatest experiences of my life. At the end of the meet on Saturday I was utterly exhausted. The support for the Jamaican times by the Jamaican people is good as advertised, perhaps better. They support their own in every event, shouting their name and in unison showing love and support. That is something that is most certainly missing amongst the fans of USA Track and Field. Jamaican athletes have long since turned this meet into their own and proved that to me personally this past weekend.

I expect 2018 to be even better amongst the professional athletes since there will be no World Relays. However, I am curious to see how it will ever be possible for the American High Schools to compete. Majority of the high schools competing are from the Northeast and on rare occasions do we see a team from California. Calabar boys set the field on fire with their 4x100 relay time of 39.00. That time defeats every American college that competed this weekend. The women from Edwin Allen were just as impressive with a time of 43.96 become the first high school under 44 seconds. With no high schools from Florida, Texas, Georgia or Louisiana it seems that this string of dominance will continue unless there are some changes. I also hope that many SEC teams will eventually return to the Penn Relays to add more competition to the Collegiate fields. 

I cannot wait until next year and the years beyond that. I, like many other Americans who make this annual trek will be there every year I am physically able to do so. Thank you, Penn Relays, for an amazing weekend.