2022 NCAA Outdoor Recap 8

3:21.93! 

(Kentucky Women's 4x400 Relay)

Conference Championship weekend did not disappoint and as I predicted we have a new NCAA record and quite a few changes to the national list. This past weekend there was a total of 14 new number one performances. In this recap we will review the top performances from the weekend and discuss what the new rankings mean heading into regionals.

SPRINTS/HURDLES

Women

Melissa Jefferson continues to shine this season. After a stunning win at the NCAA Indoor Championships, the star from Coastal Carolina claimed the top wind legal time of the year with a 10.88 100-meter victory at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships. Jefferson continues to perform at a high level and deserves mentioned more from every publication. Regardless of what everyone runs, she shows up against top competition.

Also, you cannot ignore the time Julien Alfred of Texas ran this weekend at the Big 12 Championships. Her time was wind-aided, but she ran 10.81 in the preliminaries and 10.80 in the finals. Alfred like always had her rocket start in both races. Texas has become so dominant in the sprints, look for them to continue this trend further in the post season.

Demisha Rowell of Texas Tech was another positive highlight from the Big 12 Championships. Battling with her fellow Jamaican Ackera Nugent of Baylor, Rowell closed in on Nugent in the final few hurdles and out leaned her at the line. Her winning time was a wind-aided 12.44. The 100 hurdles is hot again this year and will be a highly anticipated event come nationals.

In the 400 hurdles Britton Wilson of Arkansas is proof that a change a scenery can be a big help. Wilson claimed a rare double this past weekend at the SEC Championships. In the 400 hurdles she claimed a new number one time with 53.75. She also claimed the 400 open title with a mark of 50.05. That double is extremely rare and very challenging to do. Wilson’s open 400 time proves there is a lot of room of improvement in 400 hurdle race, we may potentially see her dip under 53 seconds!

Men

The wind was blowing strong at the Big 12 Championships because the top tier marks from the men’s side were too hard to ignore as well. Texas men are having their best season in school history. The number one ranked Longhorns have talent all over the track and especially in the sprints. On the men’s side Micaiah Harris had quite the double. He ran a wind-aided 100 time of 9.93, he came back in the 200 to run another wind-aided time of 19.79. That is the time that puts him at the top of the NCAA performance list. With all the performances coming out of the Big 12 Championships by the Texas Longhorns is the SEC ready for them to join in a few years?

In the 400 the Texas Longhorns had their Mr. Everything star step in her premiere event. Jonathan Jones broke the school record with a time of 44.43. His mark immediately vaulted to the top spot in the nation. He is also ranked in the top three in the 800 meters as well making this quite the interesting decision come regionals and potentially nationals.

The final top mark in the sprints and hurdles section comes from true freshman Nathaniel Ezekiel of Baylor. Yes again, the Big 12. Ezekiel outdueled senior Isaiah Livingston of Oklahoma to claim the event title in a time of 48.42. His mark is now the number one ranked time in the nation, and he has the top spot for majority of the season. Pretty impressive season so far for the true freshman.

DISTANCE

Our top performers on the distance side came from the women. At the ACC Championships Katelyn Tuohy of NC State was a name that many expected to be mentioned. The talented young star certainly did not disappoint running 4:06.84 in the 1,500 in route to the ACC title. She was the standout in a field that included three top 10 performances in the year. Touhy was one of the dark horses to contend for the NCAA title and this is further evidence of that.

Abby Nichols of Colorado continues to have a great season. It seems every year we are talking about a Colorado athlete at the top of the performance list fresh after Conference Championship weekend. Nichols competed in a highly competitive 10,000-meter race at the Pac-12 Championships and came away with a solid performance with a time of 32:27.25 that garnered her a Pac-12 title. In the Pac-12 championships the top three times ran in the nation were ran in that race making her time and performance more special.

JUMPS

Just like the distance events the top jumping performances this past weekend came from the women’s side. In the long jump the Big 12 produced another number one ranking with Monae Nichols of Texas Tech. She has been the leader majority of the outdoor season and here she is claiming sole control of the list. She leaped to a mark of 22 feet 10 ½ inches (6.97m). In a year with a highly competitive long jump competition, Nichols is finding ways to stand out.

In the triple jump Jasmine Moore of Florida continues her reign as queen. She reclaimed her national lead after briefly loosing it to her teammate. Moore leaped to a mark of 47 feet 5 ¼ inches (14.46m). Moore was dominant at the SEC Outdoor Championships this past weekend claiming both the triple jump and long jump titles. She like Nichols always finds a way to stand out.

THROWS

The top throwing marks from this weekend came from the men. In the discus true freshman Mykolas Alekna of California scored his first Pac-12 title with a winning throw of 225 feet 6 inches (68.73m). Alekna is one two throwers who are top ranked from the California Golden Bears and could be the next Bear in line for a long successful career.

In the Javelin Ethan Dabbs of Virginia had a big performance at the ACC Championships. When it has come to the Javelin other years we have relied heavily on SEC and Pac-12 performers. This time it is a senior from Virginia who had a mark of 272 feet even (82.92). Dabbs has dominated the ACC since 2019 but it was his number one ranked throw this past weekend that put him on the map.

RELAYS

Both top relay marks come on the women’s side. Texas women continue their dominance in the 4x100 relay with a time of 42.35. I fully expect for the Longhorns to become the first team under 42 seconds in NCAA history. Have two athletes that run sub 11 seconds and two other athletes who are close, it is only a matter of time.

In the 4x400 relay we had our only NCAA record change here. It was the SEC Championships where Kentucky clocked a time of 3:21.93. In that same field two other teams ran 3:22 (Texas A&M and Arkansas) for what has been a banner year in the 4x400 relay. Texas did not field a team after wrapping up the team title. I expect for Texas to reclaim their national record and for all teams to improve upon their times ran this weekend.

RANKINGS

Texas is the number one ranked team for both men and women, this weekend was further proof of why that ranking is totally accurate. It is their depth, and their championship performances meet after meet. Florida women earned the number two ranking after winning the SEC Championship and that’s without points from Grace Stark or their 4x1 relay. Arkansas and Oregon cannot be ignored on the men’s side, but I am not sure they have enough to challenge Texas.

NCAA Outdoor Recap 7

 8,720!!

(Kyle Garland-Georgia)

The regular season has officially ended. I set the expectation last weekend that is may potentially be quiet, there maybe no new number one performances. Well, I was wrong, there were three new number one performances and two NCAA records. Outside of those performances there was no new number one performance but a few performances of note. In this post we will look at the new number one marks and discuss Conference Championship Weekend.

NCAA Records

Kyle Garland of Georgia decided to stay behind and continue his education and athletic development after previous coach Petros Kyprianou was not retained. While many athletes in the program left to find greener pastures Garland chose to stay which makes his performance more special. He was a highly sought-after recruit and has consistently performed at a championship level.

This past weekend at the USATF Multi’s Championship that will qualify for the World Championships in Eugene later this summer, Garland scored a total of 8,720 points. That mark is a new NCAA record and in that very competition he had four personal bests in individual events (100 meters, long jump, javelin and 1,500 meters). He finished second overall and will not only be at the NCAA Championships in June but also at the World Championships.

Abdihamid Nur of Northern Arizona had quite the weekend. He competed at the Sound Running Track Meet against top tier professional athletes and was able to hold his own. Nur ran a time of 13:06.32 to finish fourth overall but as the top collegian. His time was also a new NCAA record breaking the 44-year-old record held by Henry Rono. After an incredible indoor championship where he won the 3,000 ad 5,000 he is having one of the best individual seasons ever.

ALL-TIME GREAT

Anna Hall of Florida continues to climb up the all-time list. Like Garland she competed at the USATF Multi’s Championship this weekend. She scored a total of 6,458 points which is second all-time and claimed the event title. She had another 2:03 800-meter performance along with personal best marks in the 200, LJ and 100 hurdles. Hall is quite the season and maybe the transfer was the best thing for her because she has consistently stood out throughout the entire season.

UPCOMING WEEKEND

This will be a busy weekend. We are headed for what should be an exciting Conference Championship weekend. All Power 5 conferences will be competing along with the mid major conferences that pack quite the punch. In the SEC we will get another chance to see Joe Fahnbulleh of Florida against Matthew Boling of Georgia in the 200. They are currently tied for the number one ranking in the nation with a time of 19.92 but the last match up Fahnbulleh came out on top.

We will also see the full might of the Texas women. They are expected to dominate the Big 12 Championships it will be interesting to see what they can do in terms of point total. Especially what Julian Alfred does in the 100 will be a time to watch. On the men’s side we have perhaps the strongest Texas team ever formed. This has gotten the attention of the instate talent as they have nabbed a few high school All-Americans for next season.

There will be such a high level of competition throughout the weekend the national performance list will certainly shake up after this weekend. I would like to guarantee that at least one national record will fall this weekend and that there will be a different team rankings list come Monday.

2022 NCAA Outdoor Recap 6

6-5 1/2! 

(Lamara Distin-Texas A&M)

April has come to an end, and we now enter May. Championship season is quickly approaching. This past weekend was not only a great weekend for relay carnivals, especially the Penn Relays, but perhaps may be the last weekend many top tiers athletes compete during the regular season. The weekend was exciting with a total of 14 new number one performances and all-time mark by a non-collegiate athlete that we must talk about.

SPRINTS/HURDLES

Men

The new number one performances in the sprints are all on the men’s side and will start with the 100-meter dash. Favour Ashe a true freshman by way of Nigeria blasted a wind-aided quick time of 9.79. The wind reading was +3.0 but was still the fastest time ever for a Nigerian and the all-time any conditions NCAA top 10 list. Ashe finished third indoors in the 60-meter dash and was the favorite to win the SEC title but false started. This young raw talented speedster has proven that he truly should be considered a threat.

John Fahnbulleh of Florida was another highlight at the LSU Invitational along with Ashe. Fahnbulleh is the defending NCAA outdoor champion and was a bit quiet indoors. After his performance this past weekend it’s clear that he is in great shape. The star sophomore talent tied the number one time in the country with 19.92 in the 200-meter dash. In that same race however super high school star Erriyon Knighton clocked a time of 19.49.

Fahnbulleh is clearly being prepared for a strong outdoor season beyond the NCAA season so he will learn from this race but running 19.92 is no slouch time either. Fahnbulleh has already beaten Matthew Boling before, and it will be quite the rematch come SEC Championship time.

Senior Trey Cunningham of Florida State continues to have a dominant record-breaking season. This past weekend at the North Florida Invitational Cunningham not only beat top collegiate hurdlers but also professional athletes to claim the 110-meter hurdle race. He clocked in at 13.10, one of the fastest times in NCAA history. The NCAA record is 12.98 set by Olympic Medalist Grant Holloway, Cunningham continues to draw closer to this mark and will continue to challenge that mark throughout the season.

In the 400-meter hurdles Moitalel Mpoke of Texas A&M continues to carry the torch for the Aggies in an event that they have become so dominant in. Mpoke name has been near the top of the list during his entire career as a student at Texas A&M. This past weekend on his home track he finally dipped under 49 seconds for the season with a time of 48.99. Mpoke is multi all-American and is the top returnee based on time. This was his first big statement win of the season, right on time for the championship season. I am sure this will not be his only sub 49 second performance when he ran better last season.

DISTANCE

Women

Our lone top performance in the distance events on the women’s side came from Julia Heymach of Stanford. At the Payton Jordan Invitational against professionals Heymach finished third overall and as the top collegiate athlete with a time of 4:11.00. Heymach has been at the top before but there is no denying that impressive time in a strong race. Expect more from Heymach this season.

Men

This was a solid weekend for men in the distance events, two strong number one performances. Adrian Wildschutt of Florida State has been mentioned here before. Well, he is back after running the top time in the 10,000-meter run this past weekend at the Payton Jordan Invitational. His time of 27:38.54 was good enough for second in the race but tops amongst collegiate athletes including two strong Stanford runners. Wildschutt was a favorite during the indoor season but a less than stellar finish at the Indoor Championships took a little of the shine off. However, against a strong field Wildschutt proved he is still a name worth remembering.

In the steeplechase we have seen the top time change routinely throughout the season. It has been hard for anyone to maintain the top spot. This weekend Ahmed Jaziri of Eastern Kentucky competed at the Payton Jordan Invitational against a top tier field and came away the victor with a new national leading time of 8:24.33. The number two ranked time of 8:26.44 by Duncan Hamilton of Montana State was ran in that same race, proving how quality of a win this was for Jaziri.

JUMPS

Women

Lamara Distin of Texas A&M by way of Jamaica continues to excel this season. She has been the most consistent high-level jumper throughout the year. This past weekend she improved upon her number one mark with a jump of 6 feet 5 ½ inches (1.97m). The mark is a new school record and a new Jamaican national record. The jumps program at Texas A&M continues to perform at a high level. It would not shock me if she broke the record again.  

Florida is no stranger to having top marks in the triple jump. Natricia Hooper of Florida has been in second to her teammate Jasmine Moore all season long. Moore was outstanding this past indoor season and broke an NCAA record. This past weekend Hooper overtook Moore and her top mark to become the new number one with a leap of 46 feet 6 ¼ inches (14.18m). Hooper has been consistently strong all year long, this past weekend at the LSU Invitational she was just a bit stronger.

Men

Darius Carbin of Georgia is proof that although there is a new coaching regime at Georgia, they still have taken advantage of having top tier field athletes. Corbin tied the number one mark in the high jump with his leap of 7 feet 6 ½ inches (2.30m) to win the Torrin Lawrence Memorial Invite. There are now three athletes with that mark including the indoor champion, Vernon Turner. Each are in different conferences so we will have to wait until the Outdoor Championships to see who the best is.

THROWS

Women

Jorinde Van Klinken of Arizona State seems to make this blog every single week. She has had a phenomenal outdoor season in the discus, and she continued her improved number one mark this past weekend with a throw of 212 feet 5 inches (64.75m). Van Klinken has improved upon her number one marks routinely every weekend she competes. She certainly carries the flag for throws U (Arizona State).

Men

Mykolas Alekna of California is having a great freshman season. The true freshman competed in his first Stanford versus Cal dual and a had a winning mark in the discus of 222’0 feet even (67.68m). Alekna is one of three freshmen at the top of the performance list and still will have a lot to learn entering championship season.

In the hammer throw Logan Bloomquist of Southeast Missouri had a dominating victory at the Memphis Tiger Invitational. His winning throw of 240 feet 1 inch (73.18m) was almost 26 feet ahead of the second-best throw. His throw vaulted him to the top of the performance list. Nationally Bloomquist has a 4-foot lead. I expect with a throw this good that we will be hearing more from him in the future.

PENN RELAYS

It was nice to see the Penn Relays back in action. I missed seeing the World vs USA relay races, but I am sure they will be back soon. I along with many of you have noticed that some of the top teams have stopped going on go sparingly throughout the year. My hope is that the meet returns to being a major event on the NCAA calendar. What an amazing crowd and atmosphere the event is.

REGULAR SEASON

There is one week left in the regular season and that is this coming weekend. For a few conferences the season has technically ended, and they are heading towards conference championships now but for the majority this is still the last week. I do not expect a ton of number one performances this coming weekend, but we will still discuss the weekend and prepare for conference championship weekend.