NCAA Indoor Recap 3

6,415! 

                                                (Kyle Garland-Georgia)

What an eventful weekend, there was a total of 21 new number one performances. The marks and times displayed this past weekend are championship level. As we close out our final weekend in January and head to February, we have moved into the second phase of the regular season and should be prepared to see more championship level performances. In this post we will look at each number one mark and discuss the latest team rankings.

SPRINTS/HURDLES

Women

Favour Ofili of LSU made her debut this past weekend and put the country back on notice. The talented Nigerian dipped under 22 seconds in the 200 last outdoor season and is the fastest returning 200 meter runner in NCAA history. She ran a dominant race at the Razorback Invitational on the campus of Arkansas with a time of 22.53.

The woman that Ofili defeated was Talitha Diggs of Florida who ran 22.65 and turned around and ran the national leading time in the 400, 51.34. Diggs is now currently ranked number one in the 400 and three in the 400. Although she was defeated by Ofili she has proven to be quite the sprinter and is the only sprinter to be ranked in the top four in all three sprint events. With that speed I expect for Diggs to fully lower her 400 mark.

Men

Micah Williams of Oregon continues on his redemption tour with a new national leading mark in the 60 meter dash, a time of 6.49. He ran against a strong field but the closest athlete him to him ran 6.65. In the 60-meter sprint, an extremely short race, this proves his level of dominance. Williams is not new to 6.4 but everyone time he does it, it proves to be more and more impressive his level of consistency.

In the 400 Christopher Bailey of Arkansas ran an overall personal best to win the Razorback Invitational. His time of 45.09 is a strong mark at this point in the season and will make him a contender this post season. We should not be surprised if he dips under 45 seconds indoors. He won his race by more than a second and he is one of only two athletes to have gone under 46 seconds.

Giano Roberts of Clemson ran a strong race on his home track. He finished second with a time of 7.66 in the race to take the national lead. The only athlete capable of beating Roberts is a current professional unattached athlete. Roberts was a part of a strong trio for Clemson last year and this year is starting to be much of the same.

Distance

Women

Michaela Rose of LSU ran a incredible 600 meter race early in the season proving her strength for the 800 would be strong. She won the Razorback Invitational 800 meter race by more than two seconds with her national leading time of 2:01.66. She is the only athlete currently under 2:02 and that is her first 800 of the season. Rose is having a great start to her 2023 campaign and I am convinced we will hear more from her in the future.

It is no surprise that Katelyn Touhy appears her again. She is already ranked number one in the nation in the 5k and now is number one in the mile. Touhy ran at the Dr. Sander Invitational and against a professional/collegiate field. Her time of 4:24.26 allowed for her to finish third overall but as the top collegian. She has almost a 7 second lead on the nation in the event and is currently the only athlete under 4:30 in the mile. It remains to be seen what she will do come championship time but one thing is for certain we will hear her name being called as a champion.

Men

Crayton Carrozza of Texas is not new to this blog. We have mentioned his name multiple times before. He just competed at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic, a big distance meet, Carrozza ran a strong final 200 meters to outkick the field and claim the title with a time of1:46.28. He won the race by over a second a vaulted to the number one spot nationally. The Longhorns have a strong depth at the 400–800-meter range and Carrozza is currently at the top of the 800 group.

The mile was certainly the highlight of the weekend. It also played a huge part in the team title rankings. Washington loaded up their home track for the UW Invite. They produced a total of 8 milers to run a sub-4-minute mile. That is not a typo, 8! That is an incredible display of depth. Leading the way was sophomore Joe Waksom with his national leading time of 3:51.9. What perhaps is even more impressive is that this was against a strong field that include some of Stanford’s best and they now have the top four times in the country. That DMR will be hard to beat.

Back at the University of Boston another number one performance was being performed by Drew Bosley of Northern Arizona. Northern Arizona has been a top tier distance power for quite some time and lately when they have been mentioned it has been due to Nico Young. Bosley is proof that they are more than a one-man wrecking crew since he is our latest NCAA record breaker. Bosley competed against a strong field and finished fifth overall along with being the top collegian. His 3,000-meter race time was 7:36.42 and it is a new NCAA indoor record. He is just a sophomore but is currently the best in the country.

In the 5,000-meter run new Tennessee athlete Dylan Jacobs took the national lead with a time of 13:11.01 to finish fourth at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic. He is the third number one mark from that meet alone. Jacobs previously competed at Notre Dame and was top tier performer for the Irish and he has seamlessly transferred to Tennessee to give them a strong boost with their distance talent. Jacobs already entered the season as a national title contender with having a NCAA title in the 10,000 last outdoor season.

JUMPS

Women

Lamara Distin of Texas A&M is still the class of the field in the women’s high jump. After setting multiple records in 2022 she has kicked off her 2023 season with a strong start. She led a strong field at the Razorback Invitational with a mark of 6 feet 2 ¾ inches (1.90m). Distin is in her senior year and clearly has shown that defending her title is certainly in her grasp.

Men

Senior Sondre Guttormsen of Princeton is the defending NCAA Champion in the men’s pole vault. He could have turned professional last season, but seeing as he is a Ivy-League student it should come as no surprise that he is remaining a student athlete. He garnered the first 19 foot mark in the pole vault this season. Winning at the HYP meet, his mark of 19 feet 2 inches (5.84m) is a clear cut number one mark. Guttormsen is in prime condition to defend his title.

Jeremiah Davis of Florida State is having a strong start to his season. He took a national lead in early January and now has returned to the top. Davis took down an impressive field at the Razorback Invitational leaping to a mark of 26 feet 11 ¼ inches (8.26m). Davis nearly earned a 27 foot mark indoors. If you doubted Davis earlier in the season it is clearly time to take him serious now.

Throws

Former NCAA Champion Jorinde Van Klinken of Oregon further improved upon her number one mark. She launched a throw in the shot put of 60 feet 10 ½ inches to win the Texas Tech Open. Van Klinken is currently the only athlete in the country with a mark over 60 feet and her strong start to the season continues.

MULTI’S

Women’s Pentathlon

In the women’s pentathlon Camryn Newton-Smith of Arkansas State has taken the national lead with a score of 4,356 points after winning the Texas Tech Open. Newton-Smith’s performance is more noteworthy given the fact that she defeated an All-American is Texas sophomore Kristine Blazevica. Newton-Smith has never been mentioned her before, but she has certainly earned it with her great performance last weekend.

Men’s Heptathlon

Our preseason favorite Kyle Garland of Georgia has consistently lived up to the hype he built as a high school star. At the Texas Tech open this past weekend he scored a total of 6,415 points. It is an impressive school record and the second best mark in NCAA history. Of the seven events he scored a total of 6 personal bests! Just an incredible performance against a strong field that included Texas senior Leo Neugebauer. Garland broke the NCAA record last outdoor season so it should come as no surprise that he could potentially break the record this indoor season.

RELAYS

Women

There were some impressive relay times this weekend. In the 4x400 relay Arkansas proved their depth was too much for Florida with their national leading time of 3:26.40. In the DMR Stanford women lived up to the hype with their winning mark of 10:55.15. Its still early in the season but now that we are finished with January expect for more eye-popping times even though both times are impressive.

Men

I though after watching the Razorback Invitational that I had seen an NCAA Championship preview in the men’s 4x400 relay. There were several lead changes that came down to a strong anchor from Ryan Willie of Florida to clock in at 3:04.11 over USC 3:04.12. However Georgia actually ran the best time of the season at the Texas Tech open with a time of 3:03.74 and second overall was Alabama that ran 3:03.99 at Clemson. The best three relay times are all in the SEC and within a half second of each other. I expect for all three programs to have lowered their times before then.

The DMR time from Virginia of 9:27.8 is a nice time but without seeing what Washington is capable of I will withhold my thoughts on this race this early in the season.

TEAM RANKINGS

Washington mean have taking over the number one ranking. They certainly have proven solid depth and could sweep the mile indoors. On the women’s side Arkansas proved their depth this weekend impressing the nation on their home track.

2023 NCAA Indoor Weekend Recap 2

                                     7.02!                                                                         

(Julien Alfred-Texas) 

   

  7.75!

                                                     (Masai Russell-Kentucky)

Another season, another set of NCAA records are broken. Although record breaking has been the theme here it was primarily around long-standing records that have stood since the 80’s or 90’s. There are very few of those left, but the new records are not lasting long either. In this recap we will look at two new NCAA records and the new number one performances along with the NCAA rankings that have just released.

Sprints/Hurdles

Women

Julien Alfred of Texas seems to break a record every year. She has been the most consistent in the 60-meter sprint over the years and has been a reliable source of points for the Texas Longhorns. At the MLK Invitational at New Mexico University Alfred blasted out of the blocks riding a strong start to a NCAA 60-meter record time of 7.02. That breaks her own record set last year of 7.04. It is still January and Alfred could lower that mark even more, potentially under 7 seconds. She was the favorite going into this season and I see no reason for that to change.

Alfred’s teammate Rhasidat Adeleke made up for her second-place finish in the 60 of 7.20 to run a strong 200-meter race to a world leading time of 22.52. Adeleke was a strong member of Texas’ sprint core last season running on both the 4x1 and 4x4. Running a time of 22.5 this early in the season is only a promising sign of potential things to come.

Bailey Lear of USC is the Trojans latest 400-meter star. Under Olympic Gold Medalist coach Quincy Watts, the Trojans have produced scores of All-Americans and NCAA champions and Lear is the latest. Lear dominated and led a 1-2-3 finish at the MLK Invitational at the University of New Mexico with her winning time of 52.07. Lear is so close to running under 52 seconds. It is still January, and she has a month more of the regular season expect for that time to come down.

Masai Russell of Kentucky has been on tear this season. After running a national leading of 7.88 last week she followed that up with a NCAA record time of 7.75 at the Red Raider Open at Texas Tech. The senior is apart of an impressive group at Kentucky. Her time breaks the NCAA record held by Grace Stark/Brianna Rollins. Rollins has an Olympic Gold medal to her credit and the outdoor record as well. Whatever else lies in store for us, I look forward to seeing Russell lower that record.

Men

On the men’s side there was only one new number one mark. That comes from Cameron Murray of NC State. The senior lit up the Hokie Invitational with his national leading mark of 7.67 to win the 60-meter hurdle title. Although Allen Johnson is no longer the coach at NC State, some of the talent he recruited is still there and producing at a high level. Murray competed against a strong field, but he was certainly the class of it.

Distance

Baylor Franklin of Ole Miss is the latest middle-distance standout from Ole Miss. Each year the produce a strong half miler and miler. Franklin ran a national leading time of 1:46.74 to begin his season. His teammate, Tiarnan Croken, who finished second with a time 1:47.39 ran the nation’s second-best mark. Having run a sub 1:47 so early in the season is impressive. Expect to hear his name again and do not be surprises if it is in the mile and not the 800.

Jumps

Zach Bradford formerly of Kansas and now of Texas Tech is having another strong indoor season. The senior leaped to a mark of 18 feet 9 ¼ inches (5.72m) to win the Red Raider Open. Bradford has always been highly rated, and this season is no different, I believe this is the year he breaks through the mold. I doubt this is the last time we will hear his name again.

Throws

Jordan Geist of Arizona was expected to be here at some point during the season. Geist still a top tier performer continues to represent Arizona well and became the first athlete over 70 feet this season in the shot put. At the Lumberjack challenge Geist launched a winning throw of 70 feet 5 ¾ inches (21.48m). As a former number one recruit being at this level is expected, I hope we can continue to see him at the top of the list.

Relays

Texas Tech men’s 4x400 relay caused me to talk about relays earlier than I wanted to. Their impressive winning time of 3:04.52 at their home meet, the Red Raider open, could not go ignored. They are the new number one ranked team over Florida. With an incredible weekend slate coming up expect for that time to get lowered and not only by the Red Raiders. It looks as if it will be another fantastic year in the 4x400 relay.

Team Rankings

The Texas Women are ranked number one while the number one men’s team is Stanford. I approve of both these rankings. Texas has proven to have incredible depth in the sprints as well as the jumps. Stanford is loaded in every distance event and has a strong young sprints/hurdle core. Stanford can truly ride the wave of it’s strong distance core to a national title, I expect for the Cardinal to remain number one for a while, although I expect for Florida to make some noise this coming weekend, Stanford will be making noise as well.

2023 NCAA Indoor Weekend Recap 1

 7.88!

(Masai Russell-Kentucky)

The 2023 season is now in full swing. Although the indoor season technically starts at the beginning of December the second weekend in January is the first full weekend with nationwide competition. In the post I will share with you my thoughts and opinions on the best performances of the weekend. I will not lean on or harp on anyone’s individual ranking since it is still fresh in the season.

Sprints/Hurdles

Women

Rosemary Chukwuma of Texas Tech introduced herself to division 1 with eye opening time of 7.11 in the 60-meter dash. Chukwuma had a solid 2022 season and had a personal best of 10.99. A mark of 7.11 so early in the season should indicate her impressive level of fitness and readiness for the season. 

Talitha Diggs of Florida already has an NCAA title in her trophy case having won both the indoor and outdoor 400-meter title. She began the indoor season with a bang and a time of 7.14. She followed that up with a 300-meter race time of 36.12 to win. Diggs looks to be in impressive form and ready to properly defend her title.

Masai Russell of Kentucky is dropping her name in the bucket to be considered a threat for the NCAA title in the 60-meter hurdles. Russell clocked a winning time of 7.88 on her home track at the Rod McCravy Memorial. That is a personal record for Russell and just 0.01 off the school record set by legend Kendra Harrison. 

Men

Ismael Kone was a noteworthy transfer this past off season, leaving New Orleans University to transfer to Florida State who specializes in short sprinting. Kone proved that the transfer is a perfect fit after running a time of 6.51 and setting his country’s national record along with a new school record.

Evan Miller of South Carolina has the pleasure of being the first sub-46 400 runner of the season. His impressive early season of 45.91 is indicative of a strong off season. After spending majority of last season as a 200-meter runner primarily it should not come as a shock that he stepped up to the 400, it is the time however that stands out. A great time this early is a great sign.

Omotade Ojora of USC was not selected to represent his country Great Britain at the world championships last year even after winning the national title in the 110-meter hurdles. He has continued his focus on being the best hurdler and began his 60-meter hurdle indoor season with a time of 7.68, a solid time to start the season. The 60-meter hurdles will crown a new champion, Ojora certainly can add his name to the mix.

Distance

Women

Talented true freshman Juliette Whittaker of Stanford proved she is certainly worthy of the hype. At the UW Preview she circled the track in a time of 2:02.48 to claim the event 800-meter title. Her time is quite impressive this early in the season for any class especially a freshman. As an 800 runner under the tutelage of legendary coach JJ Clark, Whittaker is a name we should get used to hearing.

Men

Ky Robinson also of Stanford ran an impressive mile time at the UW preview this past weekend highlighting the incredible weekend the Cardinals had. Robinson claimed the race with a time of 3:55.87. His time was one of many sub 4 minute miles this weekend but a sub 3:56 in January will make anyone turn their heads especially since Stanford has four. Robinson is returning after having a strong 2022 outdoor season that ended with All-American honors, although he has primarily been a 5,000-meter runner a time this impressive in the mile should make him consider competing in the mile this indoor season.

JUMPS

Women

There were two great jumps marks on the women’s side this past weekend. The first came from Rylee Anderson of Kansas. Yes, Kansas and not Kansas State which has had quite an impressive run of jumpers. Anderson leaped to a mark of 6 feet 2 inches (1.88m). Anderson missed the podium last outdoor season and will look to finish her senior season on it.

Jasmine Moore is just simply sensational. I enjoy watching her jump as she continues to consistently improve. The talented senior from the University of Florida began her indoor campaign with a mark of 47 feet 4 ½ inches (14.44m). That mark is capable of winning NCAA titles, and she has done it so early. Could we see her produce another NCAA record, if this past weekend is any indication the answer is yes.

Men

Jeremiah Davis of Florida State was another highlight from the Seminoles strong weekend. The talented junior leaped to a mark of 26 feet 9 ¾ inches (8.17m). Davis finished last outdoor season finishing 2^nd at the NCAA championships and decides to begin this season with a personal best. Davis nearly hit 27 feet in his first meet of the season, keep an eye out for him.

Throws

Women

Jorinde Van Klinken is now at Oregon. Van Klinken is now at a new school but will likely continue her winning ways. Her early season shot put mark is 59 feet 5 inches (18.11) set at the UW Preview. Van Klinken is almost over 60 feet at the start of the season. The defending national champion certainly seems ready to defend her crown.

Jalani Davis of Ole Miss is their next throwing star. She defeated her teammate and 2022 NCAA runner up Jasmine Mitchell in the weight throw at the Commodore Challenge with a mark of 79 feet 2 inches (24.13m) nearly breaking 80 feet. Like the shot put this is an impressive mark to hit so early in the season and a positive sign of things to come.

Men

Isaiah Rogers of Kennesaw State formerly of Virginia Tech is finally back competing again and began the season with a solid mark. He launched the weight throw a total of 79 feet 11 ½ inches (24.37m). His mark will certainly gather some attention and is a welcome sight to see a talented thrower return to the top of the field.

 

Recap & Preview             

The NCAA rankings will be released on January 23 next Monday. After this coming weekend I will talk more about the performances and their rankings together. The team title picture will likely not be clear until early to mid-February, but individual marks will certainly be considered. A major meet this coming weekend is the Red Raider Open at Texas Tech. I expect for some eye-popping marks at that meet.