12.36!
(Masai Russell-Kentucky)
The outdoor season has been underway since the middle of March.
This past weekend was the first major outdoor weekend all season, three heavy
meets. They were the Texas Relays, Florida Relays and the Stanford Invitational.
All three meets brought out new number one rankings and incredible
performances. This year I will only be counting the times/marks that are wind
legal. In this post we will begin the outdoor season with a recap and details
on an upcoming series that studies program development.
Sprints/Hurdles
Women
McKenzie Long of Ole Miss had an incredible indoor season,
she ran personal bests in the 60 and 200. Her 200 times were even more eye
popping because she never dipped under 23 seconds and this past indoor season
did it multiple times. She ran a 10.80 in the preliminaries of the Texas Relays
100-meter dash. In the final she ran a wind legal time of 11.00 to claim the 100-meter
title. Her preliminary time of 10.8 was wind-aided but perhaps a sign of things
to come. This is a strong improvement over her previous personal best of 11.40
when she was with NC State.
In the 200 Talitha Diggs of Florida lived up to the nickname
Talethal! In the 100-meter dash she sprinted to a wind-aided victory of 10.92.
She ran a wind-legal national leading time in the 200 of 22.61. What is even
more impressive about her 200 it was not only against a strong field but also into
a headwind. Diggs was perhaps shocked at losing the 400-meter indoor title to
Britton Wilson. Outdoors is a different season and a new opportunity. With such
a strong weekend I expect for her to refocus on defending her outdoor crown.
Jermaisha Arnold of Texas A&M highlights the beauty of
the Aggies development program. Arnold can now join the list of elite 400
runners she has gone under 51 seconds. Arnold claim the 400 meter title and the
Florida Relays with a time of 50.71. She is one of only two in the nation who
are under 51 seconds at this point in the season. Arnold seems to consistently
get better with each season, indicating this will not be her last time under 51
seconds. She is a transfer from Coastal Carolina and the decision has clearly
worked in her favor.
We were expecting a clash of the titans in the women’s 100-meter
hurdles at the Texas Relays between Ackera Nugent of Arkansas and Masai Russell
of Kentucky. After the back and forth indoors with Nugent claiming the indoor
national title, I knew that Russell would come out ready to run. Russell broke
the NCAA record with a time of 12.36 that just hit the wind-allowable limit.
Nugent pulled out prior to the race leaving Russell to fight Alia Armstrong of
LSU the defending NCAA Champion. Russell is having quite the season and all the technical training seems to be coming together at the right time.
Russell begins the season with a collegiate record and a
Texas Relays Record. There will plenty of opportunities for the two to compete
again, SEC Conference Championship and the NCAA Outdoor Championship. Either
way I am sure will get two great performances.
In the 400 hurdles Savanna Sutherland of Michigan was the
top collegiate performer at the Florida Relays with her time of 55.36. It is a school
record and another sign of the growing hurdling program at Michigan. Sutherland’s
mark is going to be near the top for majority of the season and an indication
of where we expect to see her later in the season.
Men
Udodi Onwuzurike of Stanford continues to impress. The super
sophomore continues to level up. On his home track at the Stanford Invitational
the youngster claimed the 100-meter title in a time of 10.07. He has the
fastest wind-legal time in the nation. After a impressive indoor season, Onwuzurike
is ready to impress us even more outdoors. A 10.07 is a great early season time,
perhaps a sign that sub 10 is next.
Terrance Jones of Texas Tech had a short impressive indoor
season. He did not begin competing until the Big 12 Championships where he won
the 60-meter title in route to his NCAA title. At the Texas Relays he displayed
what he could do in the 200 meters by defeating his super teammate Courtney
Lindsey to claim the race with a time of 20.05. Due to Jones competing so late
in the season I am curious to see what else he can do with more competition.
None of the top 400 runners have competed in the open 400
this season yet. However, Reheem Hayles of North Carolina A&T still had a
solid outing at the Florida Relays with his win in a time of 45.47. North
Carolina A&T is still a strong program even though Duane Ross is now at Tennessee.
Hayles was apart of that strong group that was recruited when Ross was there
but staying is clearly paying off.
In the 110 high hurdles Darius Luff of Nebraska is slowly
becoming a household name. At one point the leader in the 60-meter hurdles indoors
and is looking to carry that success outdoors. He claimed the Texas Relays 110-meter
hurdle title with a time of 13.39. The fastest wind legal time in the country. Nebraska
is none for it’s hurdlers and Luff seems to be the next in line to carry on the
legacy.
Chris Robinson of Alabama, who is apart of that strong 4x400
relay that the Crimson Tide has took the Texas Relay title in the 400 hurdles
with an impressive time of 49.10. Robinson was All-SEC indoors with a 45.55 time
in the open 400. Robinson has the 400-meter speed to lower that mark. After a
strong career in junior college, he is heading in the right direction in Division
1.
Distance
Women
There were some great distance performances this weekend,
most notably at the Stanford Invitational were there were four number one marks.
In the 800 Claire Seymour of BYU took home the race win nearly breaking her
personal record with a time of 2:01.96. Seymour has a consistent clog in the
BYU engine of the years having garnered All-American honors in the past. Perhaps
this is the season we finally see her dip under two minutes.
The 5,000 saw our top collegian Grace Fetherstonhaugh of
Oregon State finish second in the race but with the top collegiate time at the Stanford
Invitational. Her time of 15:30.55 is a personal best. Fetherstonhaugh is
primarily a steeplechaser and a performance like this indicates her training
for the steeplechase is heading in the right direction. After missing first
team All-American honors last season she has shown that she is ready for first
team status.
The 10,000-meter run or the 10k is perhaps the most grueling
distance event in track and field. Unlike the marathon where you run a long
distance along a path, the 10k is on a track and totals 24 laps around the
track. The event is not run indoors and so when outdoors stars I am always
curious to see what the see debuts are. All-American Emily Vonters of Utah claimed
the event title with a time of 31:48.35, a new personal record. Sub 32 minutes
at this point in the season is a positive sign. Vonters ran a solid race with
the only time under 32 minutes in the field.
In the 3,000-meter steeplechase Kayley Delay of Washington made
her senior team debut winning the event with a time of 9:48.44. The former Yale
runner is heading in the right direction with that time. Washington has been
growing their distance core and it was apparent this past indoor season they
are near where they want to be.
Men
The top 800 time belongs to a division two runner. Oussama
El Bouchayby of Angelo State took down some of the top 800-meter division one
talent to claim the Texas Relay title. His winning time of 1:45.31 also included
beating former Division 1 champion Bryce Hoppel. Bouchayby had an incredible
indoor season and I expect that his name will be mentioned more frequently
here.
Camden Marshall of Indiana finished 2nd overall
at the Florida Relays in the 1,500 but had the top collegiate time with 3:39.51.
Marshall has primarily been an 800-meter runner for the Hoosiers and moving up
the 1,500 is not a surprise, it is excellent for his development as an 800
runner but a time of 3:39.51 is nothing to ignore.
Ole Miss continues to be one of the strong distance programs
in the nation and especially in the SEC Conference. Anthony Cameriri
represented his school well at the Stanford Invitational to claim the event
title. His winning time of 13:26.58 is a huge improvement. He transferred from
Miami of Ohio to Ole Miss and the transfer clearly is working well. It maybe
early but the Stanford Invitational was full of All-American talent and the
event winners will be near the top throughout the season or at the top.
Charles Hicks of Stanford has been having a strong season as
one of the top runners for the Cardinals all season long. He did not disappoint
when he stepped up to run the 10,000-meter run on his home track. Against a
strong field his winning time of 27:57.47 will allow for him to sit comfortable
at the top of the rankings for perhaps a while. Hicks is an All-American and
has been near the top for quite a while in his Stanford career. What a strong
early season time this is.
JUMPS
Women
Elena Kulichenko of Georgia has All-American credentials and
is a positive representation of the great jumpers at Georgia. At the Texas Relays
she claimed the event win with a mark of 6 feet 2 ¾ inches (1.90m). She was the
only jumper over 6 feet at the Texas Relays.
In the pole vault a new name has entered the arena. Chloe
Timberg of Rutgers. She is the Big Ten Indoor Champion, but this is her first
mention as the NCAA leader. Her mark of 14 feet 9 inches (4.50m) is noteworthy
since there are only a handful of competitors this season with a mark like
that. Timberg claimed victory at the Texas Relays defeating the indoor champion
Amanda Fassold of Arkansas.
Men
Romaine Beckford of South Florida tied the national leading
mark in the high jump with a leap of 7 feet 4 ¼ inches (2.24m) to win the Florida
Relays event title. Beckford is the NCAA Indoor Champion and to begin your
outdoor season with a win continues the streak.
In the Pole Vault there is a tie for the best mark in the country.
Zach Bradford of Texas Tech and Ellis Branson of Stephen F. Austin both leaped to
a mark of 19 feet 2 ¾ inches (5.86m). Bradford is having a career year and so
is Branson from Stephen F. Austin which has become one of the best Pole-Vaulting
programs in the country. Ellis Branson claimed the Texas Relays title by
hitting the mark with fewer attempts. Branson is a name we will likely see
again, especially coming from that program.
THROWS
Women
Talented freshman Alida Van Daalen of Florida is putting
Florida throws back on the map. She claimed the event win in the Shot Put at
the Florida Relays with her national leading mark of 58 feet 10 ¼ inches
(17.94m). The young All-American is clearly headed for a bright future and this
mark is a solid early season mark.
Stephanie Ratcliffe of Harvard, yes Harvard took the top
mark in the Hammer Throw at the Florida Relays. Ratcliffe had a throw of 230 feet
2 inches (70.15m), her mark was against a strong field and a positive moment
for the program.
Men
Jordan West of Arkansas claimed the event win in the Shot
Put at the Stanford Invitational with a throw of 66 feet ¼ inch (20.12m). He
did have an All-American season indoors and clearly looks to repeat that effort
outdoors.
Turner Washington of Arizona State did not have the indoor
season he would have liked after losing his national title in the Shot Put. He started
his outdoor season in the discus with a positive win, claiming the Texas Relays
title in the discus with a throw of 210 feet (64.01m). Washington is now stranger
to the top of the list, but I am sure redemption is on the top of his mind.
Super Bahamian freshman Keyshawn Strachan of Auburn launched
the Javelin to the top of the NCAA list with his throw of 276 feet 6 inches
(84.27m) to win the Texas Relays title. It was his first competition of his NCAA
career and clearly it should be a good one.
MULTI’S
Heptathlon
Jadin O’Brien of Notre Dame began her outdoor season with a
bang. After having one the shorter Pentathlon NCAA Indoor title O’Brien picked up
where she left off. Claiming two events of the seven but performing near the
top in every race allowed for to score a total of 5,942 points to win the Texas
Relays title. A near 6,000-point performance this early in the season is an
indication of the level that O’Brien seeks to perform at.
Decathlon
Leo Neugebauer of Texas had quite the performance on his
home track to win the Decathlon at the Texas Relays. He scored a total of 8,478
points. He had a total of five event wins and was near the top in every other
event. No other athlete scored over 8,000 points. Neugebauer is an All-American
and, this was his personal best performance and a sign of things to come.
RELAYS
Women
Texas women just simply are magnificent. Their performance
in the 4x100 relay with a time of 42.00 is a new NCAA record and a world lead.
This team is clearly heading towards becoming the first sub 42 second team.
They also ran 1:28.05 in the 4x200 relay breaking the NCAA record there as
well. In the past few years Texas has been routinely rearranging the NCAA
record books. Two national records in one meet is unheard of. Add to that, their
4x400 relay got the win over Arkansas with a time of 3:23.27.
Men
LSU has been the top 4x100 relay since the start of the
season and improved upon their national leading mark win the Texas Relay’s event
with a time of 38.53. At the Texas Relays Georgia certainly earns the big
performance of the meet running the second fastest 4x400 relay of All-time
running 2:58.83 to defeat Alabama and UCLA who also ran under 3 minutes. This
is building up to being one of the fastest 4x400 relay seasons ever.
UPCOMING/DEVELOPMENT
My next post to come will be later this week and it will focus
on a new series around development. We will look at a specific set of events
and programs to see what programs have done the best in regard to developing
their athletes. Our first event to look at will be the hurdles both high and
low.
