What a season we had. The regular season gave us exciting stories seemingly every week. The post season has been even more intense. The conversations and speculation throughout the weekend have been fun. The expectation I set was that it would be an incredible record-breaking weekend and it certainly was. In this post we are going to recap the entire NCAA Championship, fair warning this will be a long post.
SPRINTS
Women
My prediction for the champion of the 100-meter dash was
Julian Alfred of Texas and to my joy it was Alfred who claimed victory in
11.02. She blasted off with a strong start, but Kemba Nelson of Oregon was able
to go with her all the way to the line. Alfred won by mere thousandths of seconds,
but the victory was hers.
In the 200 it was a SEC rematch between Favour Ofili of LSU,
the NCAA record holder, and Abby Steiner of Kentucky. Steiner set the indoor record
and was virtually unbeatable throughout the indoor season. In the outdoors
Ofili has defeated her at every stop including setting the NCAA record with a
time of 21.96. Steiner got major payback by blasting off to a time of 21.80.
Ofili is the first official sub 22 second NCAA sprinter, but Steiner now owns
the indoor and outdoor NCAA record. Steiner used a strong curb and power down
the backstretch.
Talitha Diggs claimed the indoor title and was the preseason
outdoor favorite. She had a bit of a slow start in the 400 falling to number
one ranked Charokee Young of Texas A&M and Britton Wilson of Arkansas. Diggs
proved during the indoor season that she is a champion runner and claimed the
victory with a strong race in a time of 49.99. It was the last 120 meters where
she proved her endurance strength and outran the competition.
Men
Micah Williams of Oregon had everything going in his
direction. He was the favorite to win the men’s 100 title on his home field. Oregon
is very supportive of their local talent, and it seemed as if Williams was
going to be next sprint king. In the finals that was not the case, he got a decent
start but never relaxed. Joseph Fahnbulleh of Florida had a terrible start, but
he is known for his freight train of a close and used it here to claim victory
in a time of 10.0. Keep in mind that Fahnbulleh did not even qualify for the
finals in the SEC Championship. Fahnbulleh turned right around and defended his
200-meter title with a time of 19.83. Just like the 100-meter dash it was his
finish that helped him secure victory.
In the 400 Champion Allison of Florida ran an incredible semi-final
race with a time of 44.29 ahead of Randolph Ross of North Carolina A&T.
Ross the wise veteran saved the best for last. In the final out of lane 8 of 9
Ross outran Allison in the final 100 meters to a time of 44.13. Ross has run
sub 44 before but it was clear he has been pushing towards having a better outdoor
season against the professionals, especially since the USATF Championships are in
a couple weeks.
HURDLES
Women
The 100-meter hurdles have been dominated by Alia Armstrong
of LSU all season long. With Grace Stark out after an injury at the SEC
Championships, Armstrong chances for victory noticeably increased. Armstrong
clearly took advantage beating the field out of the blocks and holding on for
victory in a time of 12.57. Jasmine Jones of USC closed strong with a time of
12.66 but Armstrong’s victory was never in doubt.
In the 400-meter hurdles Florida star Anna Hall took on the
great challenge of running the 400 hurdles right before running the 800 meters
of the heptathlon. Britton Wilson of Arkansas dropped the open 400 an event she
was ranked number two in the country in and an event she won at the SEC
Championship. Wilson used her fresh legs to dominate the field with a time of
53.86. Hall gave a valiant effort competing in both the heptathlon and 400
hurdles by finishing second with a time of 54.76.
Men
Trey Cunningham of Florida State has been so dominant in the
high hurdles this season, both indoors and outdoors. Many, including myself believed
that Cunningham could have broken the NCAA record at the Eastern Regional had
it not been for the headwind. No athlete has been in his class the entire season.
Eric Edwards of LSU had a great outdoor season that was overshadowed by
Cunningham’s great season. Edwards claimed the SEC title and the story that weekend
was Trey Cunningham. Edwards proved his worth this past weekend, he beat
Cunningham out of the blocks and to the first hurdle. Cunningham caught up with
him and they matched stride for stride until the last hurdle that Edwards clipped,
and Cunningham claimed victory 13.00-13.15.
In the 400-meter hurdles my prediction was Moitalel Mpoke of
Texas A&M with a darkhorse featuring defending champion Sean Burrell of LSU.
Mpoke was unable to qualify to the final round and Burrell had his then seasonal
best time in the semi-finals and qualifies second overall. Burrell who had some
health challenges early in the season seemed to round into shape at the meet.
His technique was not as flawless, but that championship level heart cannot be
matched by anyone. He successfully defended his title with a time of 48.70.
DISTANCE
Women
The 800 was a wide-open race but I did believe that Sarah Hendrick
of Kennesaw State had what it took to claim the title. I was wrong, a surprise personal
best performance from senior Kristie Schoffield of Boise State claimed victory
in a time of 2:01.09. Schoffield had an incredible kick, and no one was able to
reel her in. Hendrick finished fifth with a time of 2:02.19, it was a still a
good race.
In the 1,500 Sintaheyu Vissa of Ole Miss entered the race as
the favorite when Katelyn Touhy of NC State dropped to focus solely on the
5,000. Vissa did not disappoint running a smart race to claim victory in a time
of 4:09.42. She was able to outlast runner up Micaela Degenero of Colorado who
ran a time of 4:09.62. Ten ladies in the race ran a seasonal best or personal
best alleviating to the quality of the field Vissa defeated.
The 5,000 was dominated by underclassmen. Distance star sophomore
Katelyn Touhy of NC State dropped the 1,500 to focus on the 5,000 and it was
clear that it was the right decision to make. Touhy won by pushing the pace to
her liking and outlasting the field with a dominant performance clocking in at
15:18.39. True freshman Parker Valby of Florida finished second with a time a
15:20.10. Touhy is proving to be a real championship level performer. The tougher
the field, the tougher she gets.
I said in the preview, and I will say it again here. To me
there is no more grueling race than the 10,000-meter run. With the marathon you
have scenic route, with the 10,000 it is 25 laps around the same track. The
race is so grueling and demanding that is not run during the indoor season. It
requires incredible focus, discipline, patience, and endurance. Mercy Chalangat
of Alabama possess that skill. She is always near the top in her races but the
10,000 is where she remains queen. The talented junior by way of Kenya ran a
seasonal best race to claim victory with a time of 32:37.08. It was a seasonal
best performance.
Courtney Wayment BYU had a disappointing ending to her 2021
season. She was the favorite going into the meet but was outdone in the final
lap. This year she left nothing to chance. Dominating the field and race with a
time of 9:16.00. Her time is a meet and NCAA record. Her race was a perfect way
to end an incredible career at BYU. She defeated the field by over 9 seconds
and even celebrated crossing the finish line. This is not the last we have
heard from Wayment.
Men
Moad Zahafi of Texas Tech had a disappointing ending to his
indoor season. He was expected to challenge Texas A&M star Brandon Miller
in the 800. This outdoor season he has certainly proved to be the superior
runner this season. Zahafi had run his personal best this season, 1:43.69. In
the finals he made his kick around the final 200-meter mark. He never let up
after that, claiming the NCAA title with a time of 1:44.49. It is another sub
1:45 performance on the season for Zahafi. Miller would go on to finish third
with a time of 1:45.09.
The distance program at Washington is certainly headed to new
heights. Already a competitive program it is clear that Washington is headed to
an even higher level. In the 1,500 that was ever so evident with three strong
competitors. Leading the pack of Huskies was Joe Waskom. Waskom made his move
around the final 250-meter mark by swinging outside and sprinting ahead and was
able to hold of favorite Mario Garcia Romo of Ole Miss. Romo was boxed in and
had to be smart about getting out of the box, he closed hard on Waskom but was
unable to close the gap. Washington had two other runners in the race finish 5th
and 7th, a total of 16 points in one event.
Morgan Beadlescomb of Michigan State had a great regular
indoor season. He did not finish the indoor season the way he would have hoped.
The outdoor season was a chance for him to turn that around. In the 5,000 he
was among the favorite to win along with fellow Big Ten star Olin Hacker of Wisconsin.
A smart and tactical race by both runners came down to the final bell lap. Beadlescomb
led at the bell and held off Hacker for 300 meters. In the final 100 meters Hacker
outkicked Beadlescomb to claim the victory in a time of 13:27.73.
Dylan Jacobs of Notre Dame was certainly a name worth
mentioning, but not necessarily for the NCAA title in the 10,000. With Abdihamid
Nur of Northern Arizona having a remarkable indoor championship season the
expectation was for Nur to ride the wave of success that he has had outdoors to
another NCAA title. Jacobs instead was the winner with a time of 28:12.32. This
feat is all the more impressive since this is not an event he often runs. Jacobs
ran a more gutsy race and was rewarded with an NCAA title.
The 3,000-meter steeplechase did not have a clear leader in
the field until late in the regular season. Eastern Kentucky junior Ahmed
Jaziri became that guy. Jaziri outdueled his competitor to a new personal best
tie of 8:18.70. Two other athletes joined Jaziri in runner sub 8:20 showing the
depth and class of the field. Duncan Hamilton of Montana State and Parker Stokes
of Georgetown gave Jaziri all that he could handle.
JUMPS
Women
Lamara Distin of Texas A&M had what you could describe
as flawless. The talented high jumper by way of Jamaica continued her winning
ways by claiming the NCAA title with a jump of 6 feet 4 ¾ inches (1.95m). The
talented jumper had no misses the entire competition until everyone was out and
she attempted 6 feet 6 ¾ inches (2.0m).
Perhaps the most impressive jumping performance came from
Florida’s Jasmine Moore. After sweeping the indoor titles in both the long jump
and triple jump, sweeping the outdoor titles appeared to be more challenging particularly
in the long jump. Nonetheless Moore found herself the victor in the long jump
with a mark of 22 feet 0 ¾ inches (6.72m) and the triple jump with a mark of 46
feet 11 ¾ inches (14.32m). Neither are personal bests, but they are still big-time
marks at a key moment. She provided the Gators with 20 huge points.
Heading into the meet in my preview I mentioned two athletes
who have gone over 15 feet this season, defending champion Lisa Gunnarson of
LSU and Gabriella Leon of Louisville. Leon was my pick because of her
performance during the postseason. She continued her winning ways following the
ACC title to become the only athlete at the meet over 15 feet with a winning
mark of 15 feet 1 inch (4.60m). The senior found the perfect way to end a
strong career.
Men
Tejaswin Shankar of Kansas State has been in the mix in the
high jump every year since his freshman year. Vernon Turner of Oklahoma took
the season by storm including winning the indoor title. Shankar would not let
that phase him and claimed the NCAA title with a jump of 7 feet 5 ¼ inches
(2.27m). Shankar last won the NCAA title his freshman year, 2018. Turner
finished fourth.
Sondre Guttormsen of Princeton was a surprise winner this
past indoor season but not a surprise winner this outdoor season. No outdoor 19-foot
jump yet but he was able to outlast the competition with his mark of 18 feet 10
¼ inches (5.75m). Brother Simen finished fourth.
In the long jump as expected Tennessee was well represented
with freshman Wayne Pinnock claiming the title with a mark of 26 feet 3 inches
(8.0m). Although Jeremiah Davis of Florida State would tie his mark, Davis second
best jump does not surpass Pinnock. Giving Pinnock the title. Teammates Carey McLeod
finished fourth and Anthony Riley was eighth. A total of 16 points.
The triple jump had defending champion Emmanuel Ihemeje of Oregon
versus Chengetayi Mayapa of TCU challenging each other again. This time Mayapa
would be the winner. Mayapa would wrestle the lead away of Ihemeje on his third
jump which was his best of the competition, 56 feet 7 ½ inches (17.26). Ihemeje
would finish with a best of 55 feet 10 ½ inches (17.03m). After chasing Ihemeje
for the better part of two years Mayapa has finally garnered victory.
THROWS
Women
Camryn Rogers of California now owns the top 10 marks in
NCAA history. The NCAA record holder continued her record-breaking dominance by
claiming the NCAA title with another national record. It was her fifth throw of
the competition, and she launched a mark of 254 feet 10 inches (77.67m). She
almost won the competition by 10 feet.
In the shot-put defending champion senior Adelaide Aquilla
of Ohio State left no doubt that she was the best. After her stunning defeat
indoors, she has made it a point to consistently perform at or near a champions
level every outing. She hit a mark of 64 feet 5 ¼ inches (19.64m) which is now not
only the NCAA meet record but also the Collegiate record as well.
Jorinde Van Klinken of Arizona State would rebound in the
discus after finishing second in the shot put. The senior had a winning throw
of 203 feet 11 inches (62.16m). Van Klinken is the latest throws champion from
Arizona State which has produced a stunning number of champions. She was the
only athlete in the field over 200 feet indicating how strong her performance
was.
The Javelin had no true favorite and Ashton Riner of BYU
took advantage of that. Riner wasted no time claiming victory on her first
throw with a mark of 191 feet 1 inch (58.24m). Riner ends her BYU career as a
NCAA Champion.
Men
Logan Blomquist of Southeast Missouri was the favorite
heading into the finals of the hammer throw and would certainly live up to the
hype. Blomquist had a personal best throw of 240 feet 8 inches (73.37m) to win
the NCAA title. He entered the meet as the only guy over 240 feet and he will
remain that way.
Marc Minichello of Penn stunned pre meet favorite Ethan
Dabbs of Virginia in the Javelin. Minichello took the lead with his third throw
of 266 feet 3 inches (81.17m) to claim the NCAA title. It was Minichello’s
personal best and enough to win. Dabbs was second with a throw of 261 feet 5
inches (79.68m)
I fully expected for NCAA record holder Turner Washington of
Arizona State to defend his national title. Adrian Piperi of Texas had other
ideas. The senior from Texas remains the only 70-foot thrower on the season
with his wining mark of 70 feet 7 ¼ inches (21.52m). Washington finished second
with a season best thrown of 69 feet 0 ¾ inches (21.05m) Piper had quite the
senior year and certainly leaves on top.
In the discus the favorite entering the meet was freshman Mykolas
Alekna of California. It would be another freshman from Virginia in Claudio
Romero would find his way to victory. On his second throw he would claim the
lead and never relinquish it. His mark was 217 feet 1 inch (66.17m). Alekna
would finish runner up.
MULTI’S
The decathlon was an exciting competition. Ayden Owens-Dularme
of Arkansas, Kyle Garland of Georgia and Leo Neugebauer of Texas all did battle
for the title. Garland entered the meet as favorite having broken the NCAA
record just a month earlier to qualify for the World Championships. It was however
Owens-Dularme’s meet. After a successful championship indoor season, he follows
that up with an outdoor title scoring a total of 8,457 points tying Ashton
Eaton’s NCAA meet record. Owens-Dularme finished in the top ten in nine of the
ten events he contested, including two victories in the 100 and 400. It was an
impressive performance. Neugebauer would also have a personal best performance
to finish second with a total of 8,362 points and Garland finished third.
In the women’s heptathlon Anna Hall of Florida simply
dominated the meet. She had quite the weekend when it was clear that after she
ran the 400 hurdles, she would only have 20 minutes to rest to prepare for the
final event in the heptathlon the 800. She has had record breaking 800 meter
runs but no one expected a personal best performance after running such a grueling
race. Hall finished first in three of seven events and finished in the top 10
in the remainder. That’s even more impressive because she outdid some of her
competitors in the 800 running with nearly an empty tank. Hall was still the
only athlete over 6,000 points with a total of 6,385.
RELAYS
The women’s 4x100 relay victor, Texas was no surprise. The only
surprise is that they did not go under 42 seconds. They were still spectacular
with a time of 42.42. The weather likely played a factor, still a impressive performance
nonetheless thanks to a stellar start from Julien Alfred.
In the 4x400 relay NCAA record holders Kentucky would not be
denied thanks to a 48.9 leg from Abby Steiner. Kentucky claimed the event with
a time of 3:22.55. Texas and Arkansas gave strong chase but were unable to
challenge Kentucky.
On the men’s side Florida entered the race as favorites and
perhaps would have claimed the title had they had a better final exchange. The
Gators still finished second with a time of 38.52. USC won the NCAA title for
the first time since 1980, over 40 years. Their victorious time of 38.49 was
made more impressive since they had no one in the 100-meter final. Also, they
did not have their top runner in Davone Burnett who was injured at the Pac-12
championship meet.
Florida would get revenge in the 4x400 relay defeating USC with
a time of 2:58.88. The Gators remain the only team in NCAA history with times
under 2:59, they are the new NCAA record holders and NCAA Championship meet
record holders. 400 runner-up Champ Allison ran an anchor split of 44.06
pulling away in the final 100 meters.
TEAM TITLE
It was Florida all the way in both men’s and women’s
competition. The men had to solely rely on their sprinters. Their outstanding
jump core was unable to qualify outside of Regionals and their hurdlers were
not able to qualify as well. Thanks to three victories and a pair of runner-up
performances and 5th place score in the 100 they scored a total of
54 points, enough to win the title. The women would overwhelm their competition.
Four NCAA titles from Anna Hall, Talitha Diggs and two from Jasmine Moore was 40
points alone. The Gators scored a total of 74 points to claim the title. Both
programs will return a large talent pool along with some strong incoming recruits.
