23-5 1/4!
The Outdoor season is officially here. After missing all of
outdoor season in 2020 it is quite nice to see athletes on the track again. We
were treated to some great performances this past weekend at a few big meets.
Meets are different as they lack fan attendance due to the Pandemic, but the
times and marks are a sign that athletes did not skip their training. In this
recap we are going to look at a few of the bigger meets (Texas and Raleigh
Relays) and the record-breaking performances. Yes, our NCAA record breaking theme
remains.
Texas Relays
What is perhaps my favorite early season meet still produced
the noticeable marks. Full of great competitive teams the Texas Relays did not disappoint.
In the women’s long jump Tara Davis of Texas is having a
resurgence. After losing a year due to her transfer from Georgia and then
another outdoor season due to Covid-19, Davis has proven to be quite the
persistent champion. Davis broke the NCAA indoor record at the NCAA Indoor
Championship a few weeks ago. She decided on her new home track to begin the
outdoor season the same way. After an eye popping third attempt at 22 feet 10 ½
inches, her fourth attempt jump was 23 feet 5 ¼ inches. That broke the historic
NCAA record held by Olympic Champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Davis has clearly
taken over as the favorite and it looks like it won’t even be close.
Our next NCAA record was Division 2 NCAA record. Benjamin
Azamati of West Texas A&M by way of Ghana. The 100 Meter Dash is always a
highlight but especially when a record is broken. Azamati shot out of the blocks
like a cannonball and held on to win his heat with a time of 9.97. He is the
first Division 2 athlete to have gone under 10 seconds wind legal. He has also
punched his ticket to the Olympic Games held later this year.
There were also two big times amongst men’s sprinters.
Terrance Laird of LSU clocked a 200-meter time of 19.81 to win against a strong
field. His time is now top three all-time. Bryce Deadmon began the outdoor season with a
bang as well winning the 400-meter dash with a time of 44.62. Like Laird Deadmon
is ranked number one in the world and is currently the only sub 45 second 400
runner in the world.
In the hurdles LSU continued their impressive performances.
Tonea Marshall who had to miss this past indoor season due to NCAA rules
regarding the pandemic, made a big splash. The senior clocked in at 12.75 to
win the 100 hurdles. Teammate and fellow senior Damion Thomas also made a big
splash winning the 110 hurdles with a time of 13.22. His time places him in the
top-10 list all time.
The Relay races of course were a great part of the weekend.
In the 4x100 relay Houston was able to avenge that fateful 2019 loss that
sparked a conversation on sportsmanship. The Carl Lewis trained quartet got the
baton around in a time of 38.49. LSU was second with a time of 38.70. Perhaps
what was so impressive was not only Laird’s anchor for LSU but perhaps the fact
that they ran a great time with such poor exchanges. In the 4x400 Relay North
Carolina A&T continued to their winning ways. Running a meet record time of
3:00.23 to a dominate victory.
On the women’s side LSU women were a little more prepared
then the men in the 4x100 relay. LSU clocked the winning time at 42.87. They
are currently the only team in the NCAA under 43 seconds. Arkansas again begins
the season with a strong 4x400 relay time. They claimed the 4x400 relay title with
a time of 3:26.63. This team includes two 51 second open 400 runners in Paris
Peoples and Shafiqua Maloney who is also the team’s top 800 runner.
Raleigh Relays
The Raleigh Relays held at North Carolina State University in
Raleigh, North Carolina provided us with some impressive performances. This meet
has grown in popularity over the past few years with attendance being pulled
heavily from North Carolina schools as well as schools from the Northeast.
The home team has their own sprint star NC State. Cravont
Charleston wowed the crowd winning both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash with
impressive times, 10.10 and 20.37. His 100 time is the fastest wind-legal time
in Division 1.
The distance races gave us all are new primary number one
rankings, granted it is very early in the outdoor season there were some
impressive times. Finley McLear of Miami of Ohio nearly claimed the NCAA Indoor
800 title in an upset. He was edged at the line. He begins his outdoor season
in impressive fashion winning in a time of 1:47.43.
Yared Nuguse of Notre Dame, who is the defending champion in
the 1,500; won the 5,000-meter run with a time of 13:40.62. The 1,500 was won
by Sean Dolan a true freshman from Villanova with a time of 3:39.45. Dolan’s
time is a solid time this early in the season, especially for a freshman.
On the women’s side the Raleigh Relays provided similar
distance success. In the 800 Micaela Mayer of Virginia ran to victory with a
time 2:02.20 to highlight what was a strong day for Virginia. In the 1,500
senior Lotte Black of Rhode Island University garnered the top time with
4:16.40. Black is the latest talented miler to come out of Rhode Island.
Katie Wasserman was another positive win for Notre Dame.
Like Nuguse she claimed the 5,000-meter race. Her winning time was 15:33.35. Wasserman
is a transfer from Ivy League Columbia University. She still had eligibility
but because of the Ivy League’s response to the pandemic it was smart for her
to attend school elsewhere, especially if she wanted to continue to compete.
Mercy Chalangat of Alabama competed in the 10,000 and has
become the first sub 33-minute runner of the season. Her winning time was 32:31.43.
She had a full minute lead on her closest competitor.
*Mark of Note
Marie-Therese Obst of Georgia had an impressive throw in the
Javelin. Senior hit a mark of 201 feet even. She is the only athlete over 200
feet so far this season. Obst is another field event athlete that has developed
and performed well for Georgia.
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