10.92! 22.38!
As we head towards the middle of the month we have been
treated to some great performances over the course of this season. Each week it
is exciting to see what the new top times are along with what are the noteworthy
performances. In this post I will highlight the new number one performances, there
were eight in total, along with discussing the new Division 1 NCAA rankings.
SPRINTS
Women
On the women’s side it was all about senior Abby Steiner of
Kentucky. The sprint queen already has an NCAA Indoor record in the 200 meters
and has started the outdoor season with a bang. She clocked the fastest wind
legal 100-meter time in the nation competing at LSU. She stopped the clock in a
time of 10.92. In that same race was past NCAA Champion Aleia Hobbs. She
followed that up with a NCAA leading 200 time of 22.38. The most impressive part
of that 200-meter time it was against a strong headwind of -5.6.
Men
Sophomore Jenoah McKiver had a strong outdoor debut in the
men’s 400 at the Jim Click Shootout at the University of Arizona. He led a
strong contingent from Iowa in the 400 to win with a impressive time of 44.74. After
a strong indoor season that saw him finish 2nd in the nation, he is
clearly carrying that success outdoors.
DISTANCE
Our lone top distance performance came on the men’s side in
the 1,500 at the Duke Invitational. Junior Thomas Vanoppen of Wake Forest led
all competitors with his winning time of 3:38.34. Vanoppen is one of seven
athletes on the season who has run sub 3:40. That list will likely grow but for
now at least Vanoppen is the leader of the pack.
JUMPS
The jumps events were also a one-sided affair with the lone
number one performance coming on the men’s side in the triple jump. Like Vanoppen
leading the 1,500 and unfamiliar name leads the triple jump, Russell Robinson
of Miami. The super sophomore has been steadily climbing up the leader boards all
year long. This past weekend was his best performance yet, on his home track at
the Hurricane Alumni Invitational. He leaped to mark of 53 feet 11 ¾ inches
(16.45m). When we think of the best jumpers, we tend to think of Tennessee, Arkansas,
Florida, Oregon, Texas A&M and LSU. We may have to add Miami to the group.
THROWS
The women dominated the throwing events and saw most of
their number one ranking happen in this space. First in the shot put there is Payden
Montana of Oklahoma. She tied defending NCAA Champion Adelaide Aquilla’s NCAA
leading mark of 58 feet 8 inches (17.88m). For Montana that is great mark at
this point in the season and to tie the defending champion is an indication of
her quality development.
In the discus our new number one is from the woman that beat
Aquilla indoors, Jorinde Van Klinken of Arizona State. Every year it never fails,
Arizona State finds away to produce a new star thrower. Van Klinken had an
impressive throw this weekend at the Jim Click Shootout, she launched the disc
a total of 204 feet 8 inches (62.38m). She is currently the only athlete in the
country with a mark over 200 feet. She is clearly clicking on all cylinders and
may pull of the double in both the Shot Put and Discus, like her teammate
Turner Washington.
Defending champion Camryn Rogers is here again after
improving upon her mark in the hammer throw. The senior stud had an impressive
mark of 245 feet 5 inches (74.80m). Rogers has over a 10-foot lead on the
closest competitor in the field. As the defending champion she certainly would
be the favorite, but she continues to further distance herself from the field
it may just be a formality that she wins.
MULTI’S
Our last number one performance came in the men’s decathlon.
Kyle Garland of Georgia picked up where he left off from this past indoor
season. He led all collegiate competitors at the Tennessee Relays with a point
total of 8,133. That mark is just 63 points off his personal best of 8,196
points that helped win the SEC Outdoor title last season. However, he cannot
rest on that performance, Leo Neugebauer of Texas is only two points behind
him.
TEAM RANKINGS
The top of the team leaderboard is the same for both men and
women, Texas. Hats off to Eldrick Floreal. He has the top men’s and women’s
programs and both well rounded. It has been a long time since the Texas women
have had such a strong well-rounded team, you must go back to when Beverly
Kearney was the head coach. The men have never been this good, they certainly
have earned their ranking. With all that being said I think Texas A&M is a
real threat. They may have beaten them one on one in a dual meet but winning a
championship is different. A&M is just as capable in each area as the Longhorns,
perhaps even more so on the men’s side. As the season progresses, we will see.
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