The senior men had an outstanding season in 2020 before the
pandemic. Five out of six field athletes had a senior ranked number one. The
long exception being the long jump. The depth of the performances last year was
impressive, and we seem poised to have another year were a historic NCAA record
fell. The pandemic did take a way a chance but there is one-star athlete
returning.
Cary McLeod of Tennessee set the long jump world on fire
last season. The talented Jamaican led a banner year for Tennessee jumps as
well as Jamaican jumps. McLeod leaped to a national leading mark of 26 feet 10 ½
inches. The Division 2 transfer led a new group of jumpers at Tennessee to
challenge the jumps domination of Florida, Arkansas, Georgia, and LSU. With the
growth of Texas A&M in the jumping events, the conference has become not
only competitive in sprints and distances but in their field events too.
Florida has an impressive list of newcomers but will be hard-pressed
to challenge McLeod in the long jump. He will be joined by high school star
Wayne Pinnock of Jamaica, who will perhaps be the top freshman in the NCAA this
season.
In the triple jump a new face will emerge as the leader. Ironically,
McLeod is the top returnee with the expired eligibility of Jordan Scott of
Virginia, who is also from Jamaica. McLeod had a personal best of 54’8 ¾ . The
last athlete to compete the jumps double would be Marquis Dendy of Florida.
Winning the double would truly signal the beginning of the new Jumps U.
The High Jump was going to be one of the highlighted events last
Indoor Championship. This season even though Darryl Sullivan of Tennessee has
expired eligibility during the indoor season we still will have quite the
field. Earnie Sears of USC and JuVaughn Harrison of LSU are both big time championship
level performers. Both schools will be competing for a team title and a victory
here will definitely tip the scales. Sears has the luxury of this being his
only event while Harrison will have to concern himself with a challenging long
jump field. I think Sears who has the top returning mark in 7-6 ½ is a shoe in
for victory.
The Pole Vault should be a treat this coming indoor season. Even
with Chris Nilsen of South Dakota moving onto the professional ranks, we have
three athletes returning who have gone over 19 feet. KC Lightfoot of Baylor is
the top returning athlete with a mark of 19-1 ½. Zach Bradford of Kansas and Branson
Ellis of Stephen F. Austin both come up tied for number two with ther mark of
19-0 ¼. Nilsen of South Dakota had an entertaining and successful career, but
it is time for a new star. Perhaps Lightfoot is ready to be that guy.
The Shot Put brings 2019 NCAA Outdoor Champion Adrian Piperi
of Texas back to the front. He was second to Andrew Liskowitz of Michigan last
indoor season but is the top returnee thanks to Liskowitz expired eligibility.
Piperi has a leading mark of 69-3 ¼. Texas has been quite successful over the
years with great throwers and Piperi looks to not only add to their legacy but
his as well.
The Weight Throw will have a little SEC flavor to it. Two of
the top three returning athletes are both from the SEC. Leading the way is Bobby
Colantonio of Alabama. He had a mark of 77-2 ¾ last season. Thomas Madral of Florida
will start the season ranked third with his mark of 75-1 ¼. Madral will be
counted on in a big way for team title points for the Gators and although
Alabama is a top tier program this season is does not look as if they will have
the athletes to compete for a team title. But Colantonio will proudly
represent.
On the women’s side the jumping events had been dominated by
Florida and Georgia. Both schools recruited extremely well last year and have
some talented freshman to replenish their ranks and some top returning
sophomores already in contention but in the long jump it looks like a new
champion will be crowned.
Taisha Pryce of Kansas State led the nation last season with
a mark of 21-10. She nearly broke 22 feet indoors and had quite the impressive
indoor season. Expect for more of that to continue this year. Kansas State has
done quite the impressive job of developing their field event athletes. Pryce
is simply next in line.
Jasmine Moore of Georgia is
entering her sophomore campaign with all eyes on her. Although she was not the
top threat in the long jump she was in the triple jump. After Keturah Orji
dominated the NCAA for four years, Georgia found another jumps star to lead the
way. Moore returns with a NCAA leading mark of 45-7 ¼. The super sophomore will
look to put Georgia back on top, but she will be challenged by Deborah Acqua of
Texas A&M who had a mark of 45-2 ¼. Moore has already beaten Acqua before
but do not assume that is the end all to be all, Acqua can jump and will give Moore
a run for her money.
Abigail O’Donoghue is the latest
star of the resurgent LSU jump core. The talented high jump is the top returnee
with her mark of 6-2 ¼. She leads a strong field of SEC jumpers which last
season had the top four marks in the country and four the five jumpers that
went over 6 feet. O’Donoghue is going to be relied upon for team points and LSU
has a strong team that will be in serious contention. She has beaten everyone returning
and should be able to do it again.
Rachel Baxter of Virginia Tech is
the top returnee with her mark of 14-10 ¼. Baxter will step into the spotlight
with Olivia Gruver having expired her eligibility. Baxter does not come from
Arkansas or Stephen F. Austin but can make a name for herself and Virginia Tech
as a budding pole vault power.
Perhaps the biggest throws story
line is not that Samantha Noennig is returning. It perhaps that she is
returning as a defending champion at now a different school, Arizona, awkward.
This is after having won nationals titles as Arizona State. She almost broke 60
feet last season with a mark of 59-7 ½ in the shot put. 60 feet is within her
grasp. However, she was beaten at the MPSF Indoor Championships last year by
Alyssa Wilson of UCLA. Wilson returns and will be a stiff challenge for Noennig
to overcome.
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