44.52!!!
(Michael Norman-USC)
What a meet! I expected to be entertained but wow. The NCAA
Indoor meet was far more entertaining than the IAAF Indoor World Championship.
There were world records broken, NCAA records broken and all-time collegiate
bests. The future of this sport is bright if it is nurtured and allowed to
flourish.
World Records
There was at least one world record we predicted to be
broken and that was the 4x400 relay. USC nearly broke a couple weeks back as
they went toe to toe with Florida and clocked a time of 3:01.98, just shy of
the world record but still a new NCAA record. This past weekend add Texas
A&M into the fold and you have a race for the ages. All three teams broke
the previous world record and the new one set by Poland. USC clocked in a
stunning 3:00.77. Their time will not be ratified as a world best since one of
the members of USC’s 4x400 relay (Rai Benjamin) is a citizen of Antigua and
Barbuda. Texas A&M was second in 3:01.39 and that will be ratified as the
world record with all members from the United States. Florida rounded out the
top three with a time of 3:01.43. All three times ahead of Poland’s 3:01.77,
just remarkable.
On the USC 4x400 relay team was talented sophomore Michael
Norman. Norman was top a recruit coming out of high school and was a high level
200-meter sprinter as well as 400. His 200 times in high school earned a
qualifying mark to US Olympic Trials in 2016 and he made the finals. Under the
tutelage of 1992 Olympic Gold medalist Quincy Watts, former NCAA record holder
he is blossoming in his second year. He won the 400-meter dash in world record
time of 44.52 removing Florida’s Kerron Clement from the record book. His performance was also recognized as number nine of SportsCenter top ten. This is
also only his second race this indoor season meaning we could be in for an even
better performance this outdoor season.
On the men’s side of the 200-meter dash senior Elijah Hall
of Houston was fresh of his 60 meter dash win of 6.52 when he decided the crowd
needed another great performance. In a heat with freshman stud Devine Oduduru
of Texas Tech he got off to great start following Oduduru around the track.
With the last 70 meters or so he blazed past his to an NCAA and world record
time of 20.02.
NCAA Records
Just like this season it has been one record broken after
another. Records are truly not safe anymore. In the women’s 60-meter dash senior
Aleia Hobbs of LSU who ran a star studded 10.85 in the 100-meter dash last
outdoor season began this season as the number one 60-meter sprinter. She was consistently
challenged by her teammate senior Mikiah Brisco who the 100-meter dash last
outdoor season with a time of 10.96 and led the NCAA in the 60 with a time of
7.10. Hobbs clearly was not fazed by the performance of her teammate, in the
60-meter final Hobbs led a 1-2 finish by LSU clocking a NCAA record time of
7.07. Her time ties Hannah Cunliffe of Oregon.
The 200-meter dash gave us excitement in both the men and
women’s race. On the women’s side senior Ashley Henderson of San Diego State ran
a blazing first heat clocking in at 22.41. She had nearly missed the NCAA
record and was pretty much expected to be the victor. However, in the second
heat Gabrielle Thomas of Harvard, yes Harvard, ran a sensational race winning
in a NCAA record time of 22.38. Running out of lane five she left little doubt
following true freshman Lynna Irby of Georgia around the turn.
The 400-meter dash was exciting on the women’s side too.
Senior Kendal Ellis of USC used her fresh legs and strong lift to prove her
early season loss was just a fluke. Two freshman, Sydney McLaughlin of Kentucky
and Irby of Georgia were the perceived highlight of the meet. McLaughlin was
considered the meet favorite with her NCAA leading time. However as stated here
Ellis has fresh legs having only ran the 400 once this indoor season. She had
Lynna Irby chasing both laps but used her signature leg lift in the final few
meters to power pass her winning in a time 50.34 a new NCAA/American record.
Michael Saruni of UTEP led the NCAA this season with his
performance of 1:44.89 early this on an over sized track. He had such an enormous
gap that it was almost a forgone conclusion that he would easily win the title.
He did not instill a lot of confidence in the preliminaries where he finished fourth
and had to get an at-large bid to make it to the final. He left little doubt in
the final winning with a time of 1:45.15 nearly a second ahead of runner-up
Isaiah Harris of Penn State who ran 1:46.08. His time was an NCAA meet record
and still leaves just a bit shy of the overall NCAA record.
Keturah Orji began the season breaking the collegiate record
in the triple jump. The talented senior was looking to win her third indoor
NCAA title in a row. It was her fourth-round jump of 46 feet 10 inches that
helped her secure the victory. Her mark is a NCAA meet record and she won by a
full foot over runner Yanis David of Florida. She has proven to be the triple
jumper in American history and more maybe coming this outdoor season.
We thought Kentucky was finally going to break the strangle
that Arkansas has had on the Pole Vault. That was not to be, after having lost
the SEC title junior Alexis Jacobus of Arkansas got her revenge winning the
NCAA title. The talented junior launched to an NCAA meet record mark of 15 feet
3 ½ inches. Number one ranked Olivia Gruver of Kentucky finished in a disappointing
third.
It is not necessarily a record individual performance but a
record by a team. The Georgia Bulldogs pulled for the first sweep of the Long
Jump in NCAA history finishing 1-2-3. Kate Hall surpassed 22 feet with her
winning mark of 22 feet 1 inch. Orji was second with 21 feet 4 ¾ inches and
freshman Tara Davis was third with 21 feet 4 inches. This event helped to
propel them to a NCAA team title, 24 big points in one event.
GOING for the DOUBLE
Senior Karissa Schweizer of Missouri had big aspirations for
this championship meet. She is no stranger to championship hardware, but had
yet to double at a NCAA Championship. After just coming up short last season by
finishing in the 3,000 and winning the 5,000 Schweizer was determined to be a
champion in both races. Schweizer completed the rare double winning the 5,000 Friday
night and coming back Saturday to win the 3,000. Her times of 15:43.23 for
5,000 and 8:53.36 for 3,000 are not NCAA records but instead great times that
propelled her to victory.
Junior Justyn Knight of Syracuse got a taste of what
Schweizer went through last season. Knight won the 5,000 Friday night with a
time of 14:14.47. He finished second in the 3,000 to Andy Trouard of Northern
Arizona who won in 8:04.94, Knight’s runner up time was 8:05.76. Knight and
Trouard played a great game throughout the last few laps of the race. Knight
attempted to take the lead from Trouard who had too strong of a kick for Knight
to close. Knight still leaves with a NCAA title however.
Senior KeAndre Bates of Florida has had an up and down season
all year long. After winning the long jump last season and finishing runner-up
in the triple jump Bates began the season on the Bowerman Preseason Watch list
and was a candidate for the jump double. Bates performance at the meet was
indicative of his season. Finishing sixth in the long jump with his season best
mark of 25 feet 11 inches and finishing runner up in the triple jump with a
mark of 54 feet 8 ¼ inches. Bates is talented and although this indoor season
was up and down he can rebound outdoors and continue to be a major producer of
points for the Gators. Winning the long jump in an outstanding competition was
senior Will Williams of Texas A&M in 26 feet 10 ½ inches. In the triple
jump O’Brien Wasome of Texas in 55 feet 2 ¼ inches.
Elinor Purrier of New Hampshire was also attempting a
distance double competing in the mile and the 3,000. Her race in the mile was a
success winning 4:31.76 over Dani Jones of Colorado who was a close second. Purrier
took that momentum from the very first race of the day to the 3,000 which was
two hours later. The competitive mile race may have taken too much out of her
as Purrier finished 14th in the race with a time of 9:25.93 well off
her sub nine-minute season’s best.
As stated previously senior Eli Hall was successful in his
short sprint double winning the 60-meter dash in a time of 6.52 over Raheem
Chambers who clocked 6.53. Oduduru’s runner up time in the 200-meter dash was
20.21.
Senior Mikiah Brisco of LSU also fell short of her attempt
to double. Brisco finished second in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.11 and
failed to qualify in the 200 after stumbling coming off the final turn in her
preliminary race.
Freshmen Lynna Irby of Georgia and Sydney McLaughlin of
Kentucky both fell short of championship hardware in their races. Irby finished
third in both the 200 and 400 running times of 22.55 and 50.87 respectively.
While McLaughlin finished second in the 400 and fourth in the 200 with times of
50.36 and 22.80. McLaughlin’s 400 time however is a world junior record.
Taliyah Brooks of Arkansas fell short of her goal of a
double as well. The talented senior got her meet started right winning the
pentathlon in a season’s best performance with a total of 4,572 points. Having
to compete in the pentathlon and turn around and compete in the long jump may
have been too much for her as she was unable to earn points by placing 14th
with a mark of 19 feet 6 ¼ inches.
Grant Holloway of Florida is the last of the top tier
athletes that were in legitimate consideration to attempt a double. Holloway
nearly claimed his first NCAA title on day one in the long jump. He leaped to a
personal best of 26 feet 8 ¼ inches on his fifth jump and lead the competition.
Senior Will Williams of Texas A&M surpassed him in his final jump with 26
feet 10 ½ inches. Holloway still claimed a title by winning the 60-meter
hurdles in 7.47 tying the third fastest time in history. Holloway was the lone
victor for the NCAA team title winning Florida Gators.
LIST OF CHAMPIONS
(Below is a list of champions not mentioned in our recap)
Men
Mile- Josh Kerr (New Mexico) 3:57.02
Shot Put- Sr Mustafa Hassan (Colorado State) 68-5 ¼
Weight Throw- David Lucas (Penn State) 78-9 ¾
Pole Vault- Hussain Alhizam (Kansas) 18-8 ¼
High Jump- Sr Randall Cunningham Jr (USC) 7-6
Heptathlon- Sr Tim
Duckworth (Kentucky) 6,188
DMR- Virginia Tech 9:30.76
Women
800- Sabrina Southerland (Oregon) 2:01.55
60 Hurdles- Payton Chadwick (Arkansas) 7.93
4x400 Relay- USC 3:27.45
Shot Put- Maggie Ewen (Arizona State) 60-8
Weight Throw- Kaitlyn Long (Minnesota) 76-5 ½
High Jump- Nicole Greene (North Carolina) 6-1 ½
DMR- Oregon 10:51.99
The Indoor season is officially finished and next up should
be an exciting outdoor season. This weekend is the first outdoor action
following the indoor season and athletes who missed the NCAA Indoor
Championships can use this as a meet to test the fitness before the outdoor
season is in full swing.
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