NCAA Indoor Men's Preview

 (Edward Cheserek of Oregon)

(King of Distance Running)

The season began with a buzz before it even started. Two start athletes have given up there remaining eligibility and have turned pro, Trayvon Bromell and Andre DeGrasse. Both athletes in my opinion are a part of the future of international sprinting. Their presence however will be felt on the collegiate level leaving the short sprints wide open to a new champion. As usual the distance events are packed with plenty of talent and with it being an Olympic year will bring added excitement to what should be a fantastic season.

SPRINTS

Although both DeGrasse and Bromell have turned pro neither competed in the finals of the men’s 60 meter dash last indoor season. Both false started in their preliminary races. The top two finishers in the event from last season both return. Defending champion Ronnie Baker of TCU ran a season’s best time of 6.52, won on the fastest times in NCAA history. Runner-up John Teeters of Oklahoma State also ran that same time earlier in the indoor season. With both returning after disappointing outdoor seasons we may see one of the two stars run under 6.5.

The 200 is perhaps the most open sprint event. The top returnee based on time is Brendon Rodney of LIU Brooklyn with a personal best time of 20.69 last indoor season. Tremayne Acy of LSU is the top returnee from last outdoor season. Acy’s performance at the Outdoor Championships was quite impressive and makes him an early favorite to win it all.

The 400 meter dash has two impressive Florida seniors as front runners to win the event. Najee Glass who won the SEC Indoor title and finished third at the meet last indoor season and the injury plagued Arman Hall. Both had amazing prep careers and solid collegiate careers. Neither individually have been able to take the reigns as the top 400 runner. Glass had injuries earlier and in his career and Hall has dealt with injuries since an amazing freshman season that led him to qualifying for TEAM USA at the 2013 World Championships. This is their last chance to claim the crown.

HURDLES

Omar McLeod was another fantastic talent that turned pro early leaving the 60 meter hurdles open for a new champion. Devon Allen of Oregon is ready to be that guy. Allen missed all of last season due to an injury while playing in the College Football Playoff. Allen previously won the 2014 NCAA Outdoor title as a freshman. This is a great time for us to see Allen rebound and return to championship form.

DISTANCE

The 800 is still Bandon McBride’s event to lose. McBride now a senior at Mississippi State claimed the indoor and outdoor title in the event during the 2014 season. His junior season saw him fall short of defending either title. As a senior expect for McBride to attempt to reclaim his crown and return to the top.

Edward Cheserk from Oregon is the only name you need to worry about when discussing the remaining distance events. It is quite possible for Cheserek to complete a triple crown by winning the mile, 3,000 and 5,000 meter races. Cheserek who won the mile last indoor season and finished 2^nd in the 3,000 returns at the top performer in all three distances. After a sensational cross country campaign look for Cheserek to continue the golden success that is Oregon.

Each event will present Cheserek with a respectable challenger. In the mile, Brannon Kidder of Penn State, IN the 3,000 teammate Jeramy Elkaim and in the 5,000 Thomas Curtin of Virginia Tech. Teammate Elkaim may be the best of the three to challenge Cheserek for an individual title.

FIELD EVENTS

In both the long jump and triple jump KeAndre Bates of Florida is the lone gator available to carry what has been recently an outstanding tradition of horizontal jumpers. Christian Taylor, William Claye, Omar Craddock and Marquis Dendy have all claimed NCAA titles in either the Long Jump or Triple Jump. Bates had a great freshman indoor season which saw him claim All-American honors in both events. Each event will present its own set of challenges.

In the long jump sprint and jump star senior Jarrion Lawson of Arkansas is the top returnee based on performance and is the early favorite to win the event. In the triple jump Latario Collie of Texas A&M is the top returning athlete and will perhaps be the most challenging for Bates to overcome. Both athletes come from rival conference schools that will also be in the hunt for the team title. Bates has a tough challenge to keep the championship legacy going at the University of Florida.

Jacorian Duffield left his mark while at Texas Tech claiming the high jump NCAA title. While Duffield moves on Bradley Akins also of Texas Tech is more than capable of stepping into the fold. Adkins finished 2^nd last indoor season to Duffield losing on more jumps taken to clear a height of 2.29 meters. Adkins a senior will look to go out on top and continue a winning legacy at Texas Tech.

The Pole Vault is another event that saw its superstar in Shawn Barber leave for the professional ranks early. Jake Blakenship of Tennessee has been a solid mainstay in the event since his freshman season. Blankenship is the early favorite to win event as the top returnee from last indoor season.

The shot put Ryan Crouser of Texas like Brandon McBride returns as a NCAA Champion from a previous season. Crouser won the NCAA title outdoors both his freshman and sophomore seasons. He also won the indoor title his sophomore season (2014.). Crouser now a senior will look to return to the champions circle and continue the great tradition of Champion throwers at Texas.

Chukwuebuka Enekwechi of Purdue is the top returnee in the men’s weight throw. He is the only athlete in the remaining field with a personal best beyond 80 feet.

The men’s heptathlon will literally be a gathering of old friends. The entire All-American field will return this season to compete for the crown including defending champion Luca Weiland of Minnesota. Weiland out gained Garret Scatling of Georgia by 2 points. This should be an equally quality competition again this year with the inclusion of outdoor decathlon champion also from Georgia Maicel Uibo.

RELAY PREDICTIONS:

4X400: FLORIDA

DMR: OREGON

NCAA Women's Preview

NCAA Women’s Indoor Preview

(Kyra Jefferson-Florida)

(Defending Indoor Champion 200 Meters)

This coming season is during an Olympic year. An Olympic year seems to usually bring out the best performances in every level of track and field, youth, high school, collegiate, professional and even master. This year I expect it to be no different. Although there are a few who have already left for the professional ranks early there is still plenty of returning talent as well as new talent at the collegiate level.

                                     

SPRINTS

With Jenna Prandini turning professional early to sign with Puma and with the graduation of Remona Burchell that leaves the sprints open to a new star.

 In the 60 meter dash Prandini’s teammate from Oregon Jasmine Todd will take center stage. Todd nearly set the NCAA on fire last outdoor season in the 100 meter dash before missing the finals shocking everyone. This indoor season she’ll be the headlining star in an event with a lot of returning talent and looking to avenge herself.

In the 200 returning champion Kyra Jefferson of Florida will look to defend her title from last season and make up for the loss at the Outdoor Championship. Jefferson is one of the few remaining athletes with the ability to run under 23 seconds.

The 400 also features two familiar faces both NCAA Champions. Courtney Okolo of Texas is looking to rebound from a disappointing outdoor season last year which saw her lose her crown. She is the defending champion and will look to set the tone for a special season. Shamier Little is a 400 hurdling superstar. Little earned a silver medal in the event at the 2015 World Championships. She also won the indoor 400 at the SEC Indoor Championship and is a top returnee this season.

HURDLES

In the 60 meter hurdles there will be crowned a new champion. There are a few contenders for the crown, perhaps the strongest would be Cindy Ofili of Michigan. Although she did not garner All-American honors during the indoor season due to hitting a hurdle. She made up for it during the outdoor season with a time of 12.60 in the 100 meter hurdles and is the top returnee in the outdoor event. Dior Hall of USC is another possible champion after setting an American junior record last season. 

DISTANCE

Raevyn Rogers of Oregon has positioned herself to be the next middle distance star. After running a sensational time of 1:59.71 to win the 800 meter run at the Outdoor Championships, Rogers has stepped into super stardom as the next great runner from Oregon. Entering her sophomore campaign the sky is the limit for Rogers.

Rhianwedd Price of Mississippi State snatched the reigns from Shelby Houlihan as the top miler in the country last outdoor season. Price returns alone at the top in the event and she is a easy favorite pick to win it all.

Both 3,000 and 5,000 meter races will look to add new champions. In the 3,000 top returnee from last season based on performance is Elise Cranny of Stanford. In the 5,000 Erin Finn of Michigan looks to return to the top of long distance running after dealing with severe injuries this past season.

FIELD EVENTS

The High Jump could potentially be a Georgia sweep led by defending Indoor Champion Leontia Kallenou. Kallenou leaped to a mark of 6 feet 4 inches last indoor season and will look to defend her title and improve upon her mark.

In the Long Jump and Triple Jump Georgia will look to strut their field event prowess with the help of rising star Keturah Orji. Orji claimed the NCAA title in the women’s triple jump last outdoor season and finished 2^nd during the indoor season. In the long jump Orji was up and down throughout the season but still earned All-America honors as a freshman. In the long jump she will have to fend off outdoor defending champion Quaneesha Burks of Alabama.

The Pole Vault was one of the best events of the year last season on both men’s and women’s side. The national record was in threat every weekend with a multitude of quality performances showing the growth of the event. Top returnee in the event is star Demi Payne who claimed the outdoor title and also set the NCAA record. The Bowerman Award Finalist will look to continue her sensational collegiate career as a senior with another NCAA title.

Raven Saunders now of Ole Miss did everything right last season in the shot put. Saunders won multiple junior awards as a freshman at Southern Illinois including a gold medal at the Pan American Junior Championships. Along with her junior titles she can add to that a NCAA Indoor and Outdoor crown. Saunders can be expected to add to her already large championship trophy case.

In the weight throw the top returnee is Nicole Chavis of NC State. The weight throw saw the top 5 performers all expire the eligibility at the conclusion of the indoor season. Chavis will look to headline a new group.

The Pentathlon is another opportunity for Georgia to show off their dynamic field event program. Kendell Williams will look to defend her title and remain the headlining diva in the event that she has dominated since her freshman season. Last season she set an NCAA record and is expected to improve upon that record.

RELAY PREDICTIONS

Women’s 4x400- Florida

Women’s DMR- Michigan

Best Programs in the NCAA (Hurdles)

Hello collegiate track and field fans its time that I resume our best of series since there have been a lot of coaching changes and hires. This series focuses on what programs are the best in each event. Today's post will focus solely on high hurdles. How each program is ranked is based on a set of factors. How the program performs during the post season, their depth and athletic improvement.


TOP 100 HURDLES PROGRAMS

1, KENTUCKY- Since Eldrick Floreal arrived at Kentucky he has made it an appoint to develop his hurdles. The past two seasons he has had a solid group of hurdlers and last season was no exception. Kendra Harrison would become national champion running the fastest SEC time ever in 12.50. The Wildcats return an outstanding freshman in Jacklyn Howell who looks to carry the torch for the Wildcats whose hurdles consistently improve year after year. With Olympic Gold Medalist Allen Johnson as the hurdles coach expect for the Wildcats to continue to turn out champions.


2. LSU- Head Coach Dennis Shaver has been at LSU forever, since 1995.  He has been a head coach since 2004 and has developed some of the best hurdlers LSU has ever seen. That is saying a lot for a program that arguably has the greatest sprints/hurdle history ever for women's collegiate track and field. LSU returns two heavy hitters in Chanice Chase and Daeshon Gordon. Both have personal bests under 13 seconds. Gordon returns as last season's fastest freshman in the SEC and will be a contender for the conference and NCAA title.


3. USC- Caryl Smith-Gilbert hired Loreal Smith to be the women's hurdle coach when she arrived 2 seasons ago. Smith has proven to be a excellent hurdles coach developing All-American talent in back to back season. Last season true freshman Dior Hall set the NCAA freshman and World Junior record running a time of 12.74. Smith has another star freshman in California High School Champion and All-American Jasmyne Graham. Graham has the speed and technique to compete at a high level and should continue the recent success of freshman hurdlers at USC.


4. MICHIGAN- The Wolverines have continued the Big Ten's tradition of strong hurdle programs. They have to give a lot of thanks to the Ofili sisters. Both Tiffany and Cindi have carried the program with the ability to compete high at the Championship level. Tiffany Ofili now Tiffany Porter was the top of Michigan talent that normally left the state and headed south to compete instead she decided to stay home and took the hurdle program to new heights. Her sister Cindy is the same way. Cindy Ofili broke her sister's school record in both the 100 and 100 hurdles and returns at the top the hurdler in the country with a personal best of 12.60.


5. FLORIDA- The Gators had been waiting for their hurdlers to take the step to competing on a high level like the men. The past two seasons Bridgette Owens carried the torch earning back to back All-American honors. Owens set a school record indoors running a 7.87 only to lose to champion Kendra Harrison. This season they return Skylar Ross-Ransom who had a good season a few years ago as a freshman along with Ryan McEnany. Ross-Ransom will have to carry the torch since there will be a noticeable drop-off without Bridgette Owens.


TOP 110 HURDLES PROGRAMS

1. SOUTH CAROLINA- Head Coach Curtis Frye has been widely regarded as one of the best hurdle coaches in the world.  He coaches Olympic Gold Medalist Allen Johnson and Olympic Medalist Terrance Trammell. Year in and year out South Carolina always has multiple top tier high hurdlers. They return three guys who run under 14 seconds in Dondre Echols, Isaiah Moore and Jermaine Collier. Echols will return as the top high hurdler in the SEC and the number 2 hurdler in the nation. South Carolina has the potential to have 3 all-American high hurdlers.


2. LSU- Under head coach Dennis Shaver LSU has become one of the better high hurdle programs in the country and had a stellar season last season. Jordan Moore returns as the top hurdler on the team and will look continue LSU's success by earning All-American honors. Moore can also be considered a dark horse to win the NCAA title.

3. TEXAS TECH- Other than South Carolina, Texas Tech has been a program that yearly produces  multiple top ranked high hurdlers and have had NCAA Champions. Tech returns two hurdlers in Chris Caldwell and Tremaine Maloney who have run under 14 seconds. Caldwell is the defending Big 12 champion in the 110 hurdles and will look to be more competitive at the NCAA Championship meet.

4. SYRACUSE- Syracuse has quietly been one of the best high hurdle programs in the country. A few years Jared Eaton was the All-American leader for the team and one of the best hurdlers in history. Returning for the program is Freddie Crittenden who is ready to take the next step and be the next All-American hurdler for Syracuse.

5. NEBRASKA- Nebraska has been producing All-American hurdlers for a long time. Both hurdle coaches at Nebraska have been apart of the program for at least 20 years. Last season their latest talent true freshman Antoine Lloyd clocked in 13.69. Two sophomores last season also dipped under 14 seconds and that allows Nebraska to return 3 sub 14 second hurdlers. Llyod has the speed and the technique to go to the next level and become an All-American along with his teammates.


Judging hurdling programs is difficult because the coaches shift around so much and often times the coaches who actually coach the hurdlers are volunteer coaches who get no credit. However each of the five programs listed for both men and women have consistently produced and recruited quality talent.


Next Post: 400 Hurdles

NCAA Championship Review (Women)

The Women put on quite a show at the NCAA Championships this past Saturday. We witnessed some amazing performances from every level, sprints, jumps, throws and distance. What made the meet better was the awesome team race. As each event went by the story continued to change.


SPRINTS

The day begin very positively for the Florida Gators and rough for the Oregon Ducks. The Lady Gators displayed excellence in moving the baton around with great precision in the 4x100 relay. They were the only team to run sub 43 at meet with a winning time of 42.95 on a great anchor by Kyra Jefferson.

In that very race Jenna Prandini's Oregon squad was disqualified. Not a good start for a team trying to win the team title. Prandini stepped up for her team in the women's 100 meter dash. Prandini overcame the fast starting Morolae Akinosun in the last few meters to win with a wind-aided 10.96. Akinosun of Texas finished 2nd with a time 10.97.

Prandini attempted to complete a double by winning the 200 meter dash. This was an equally close race. The pre-race favorite was the 200 meter indoor champion Kyra Jefferson of  Florida. Jefferson had been number 1 all year and left no doubt in the minds of many after running a 22.26 prelim. However to the surprise of everyone but herself Dezerea Bryant of Kentucky scorched the track with one of the fastest wind-legal times in history and amongst the top 5 in the world this year. Her winning time of 22.18 proved that her 2014 indoor title in the event was no fluke. Prandini finished in a close 2nd with a time of 22.21. Another impressive stat about this race all women ran under 23 seconds.

The 400 was absent its big time star in Courtney Okolo from Texas. That left the event wide open. Texas did have two studs in the race in 2013 NCAA Champion Ashley Spencer and 2014 World Junior Champion Kendall Baisden. Spencer coming off an injury from last season was slowly getting into form this season.

Like the men's race the women seemed to be slightly affected by the wind. Baisden seemed to be in prime position to win the title and continue the Texas legacy. However it was Kala Funderburk of Florida State who fought her way to victory with a time of 51.67.


HURDLES

The 100 hurdles has been a battle between two former Clemson teammates. Kendra Harrison of Kentucky and Bridgette Owens of Florida. Harrison has gotten the better of her teammate and has been a phenomenal dual threat running both high and low hurdles at a world class level.

Early in the race Owens hits a hurdle which seemed to knock her off her rhythm. Harrison remained strong clearly each hurdle with precision. Harrison was strongly challenged by Michigan Wolverine Cindy Ofili who finished 2nd with a time of 12.60. However Harrison was just too good clocking in at 12.55 for the win.

Harrison attempted to complete the rare double of winning the 100 and 400 hurdles. The only person standing in her way, Shamier Little of Texas A&M. Little quite possibly was the best 400 meter runner remaining with Okolo out. Both Little and Harrison ran fantastic races. Little the less technical of the two looked her best in this race. Little executed with good technique an great speed and endurance. Little out gained Harrison to win the event with a time of 53.74. Her time places amongst the 10 greatest female 400 hurdlers in NCAA history. The time also vaulted her to number 1 in the world this year. Harrison's runner up time of 54.09 was equally impressive.


DISTANCE

In the 800 we were introduced to a new star in Raevyn Rogers of Oregon. All year we have witnessed the greatness that is Natoya Goule of Clemson. The indoor champion and 2013 Outdoor Champion has been solid. She has great speed and tenacity for an 800 runner. She may have gone out a little too hard runner 26 seconds in the 200 meters which I believe was too fast. In the end it cost her as she fell further back into 6th place and the young freshman vaulted to the front and dipped under 2 minutes with a time of 1:59.71.

In the 5,000 long distance star Emily Sisson of Providence continued to have a great year. Sisson set an NCAA record this past indoor season in the event and looked to add another title to her trophy case. She did just that in domineering fashion winning her event by more than 5 seconds with a time of 15:34.10. Sisson did not try the 10,000 and event she was highly ranked in. Molly Seidel of Notre Dame surprised the field by claiming the event in a time of 33:18.37 surpassing Dominique Scott of Arkansas who finished runners-up in both long distance events.

In the 1,500 it seemed to be the year of the seniors. This event had a total of 12 participants with 7 seniors. All 7 seniors earned first team All-America in the event finishing 2nd through 8th. It was a underclassmen sophomore Rhianwedd Price of Mississippi State who take the title with a time of 4:09.56.

The steeplechase was the event indoor mile champion Leah O'Connor of Michigan State choose to compete in. O'Connor entered the meet as the obvious favorite and during the race it seemed as if that would be the case. However Collen Quigley of Florida State would surpass the senior on her way to victory clocking in at 9:29.32.


FIELD EVENT CHAMPIONS

Long Jump- Quanesha Burks Alabama 22-8
Triple Jump- Keturah Orji Georgia 46-5.25. Orji is the first freshman to ever win this event. Defending champion Ciarra Brewer of Florida fouled out.
High Jump-Jeannelle Scheper South Carolina 6-2.75
Pole Vault-Demi Payne Stephen F. Austin 15-5. Payne out dueled Morris of Arkansas to claim the title. All three Arkansas athletes scored in the event.
Shot Put- Raven Saunders Southern Illinois 60-2.50. Saunders is another talented freshman to win an NCAA title. Saunders was also the only athlete to throw 60 feet.
Discus Throw-Shelbi Vaughan Texas A&M 201-5. Vaughan defends her title and was the only athlete to surpass 200 feet.
Hammer Throw-DeAnna Price Southern Illinois 234-6.
Javelin Throw- Irena Sediva Virginia Tech 192-9.
Heptathlon- Akela Jones Kansas State 6,371


Team Result- Oregon 59 points. The Gators had a few things go wrong, LSU, Texas and Texas A&M just simply did not have enough. Oregon returns quite a few great athletes and will likely return next season as early favorites.

NCAA Outdoor Championship Review- Men

(Andre DeGrasse-USC)



So the men have officially completed the 2015 NCAA Outdoor season. This season has been full of amazing performances and the championship meet lived up to the hype. This is also the first time that the meet was split, a finals day for the men and a finals day for the women. Let's recap a great men's meet.


SPRINTS

Andre DeGrasse of USC is a junior from the country of Canada. Heading into this meet not much was known about the talented sprinter other than that he would potentially challenge Travyon Bromell of Baylor. Bromell has been the talk of the American sprinting world since he was a high school senior. He won the 100 meter dash as a freshman last season running a 9.97. He earned high praise from just about everyone after running a 9.90 in the preliminary race.  He is the fastest 19 year old in world history. However no one saw him getting handily beat, but that's what happened.. Bromell got off to his usual solid start and was technically superb, however at the 40 meter mark it was clear who the better sprinter was and it was DeGrasse who ran a wind-aided 9.75.

DeGrasse lined up in the 200 to face another defending champion in Dedric Dukes who had the only sub 20 second time of the year in the NCAA. DeGrasse led from start to finish. His time also wind-aided was 19.58, the wind just slightly over the allowable limit.

DeGrasse is still a raw talent. He did not start sprinting until his the final two months of his senior year in high school. That was just a few years ago. He is now one of the fastest sprinters in NCAA history. Although his times were wind-aided it still a special performance since he is the first athlete to complete a sprint double since Walter Dix of Florida State in 2007.

In the 400 Deon Lendore of Texas A&M was expected to defend his national title. However after running the first turn Lendore pulled up limping clearly in pain in his legs. This left the door open for Najee Glass of Florida and Vernon Norwood of LSU. Coming off the turn with 100 meters to go it looked as if Glass as going to win it. However he appeared to have gone out to hard against was a tough headwind on the backstretch. The senior Norwood reeled him in and passed him up for the win clocking in at 45.10.

HURDLES

Omar McLeod of Arkansas had been the story all season. After breaking the NCAA 60 hurdle record it remained to be seen of McLeod could translate that race to the 110 hurdles. McLeod has blazing speed and could be a top tier 100 sprinter had he not been a hurdler. Without defending champion Devon Allen in the race McLeod was thought to not have a real challenge. However senior Johnathan Cabral of Oregon gave the fans and his teammates something to smile about. At the gun McLeod got out of the blocks quickly hitting the first hurdle hard. Cabral was able to keep up with McLeod until late in the race around the 7th hurdle were McLeod asserted himself and took the lead win with a wind-aided time of 13.01.

For senior Kyle Stigler of Kansas this was his last opportunity to win the NCAA title. Stigler been the runner-up at this meet twice. This year he has been the odds on favorite from the start. At the beginning of the race Stigler seemed to be not bothered by the wind and went out early attacking the hurdles. He was able to hold off fellow senior Jordan Andrade of Boise State with a winning time of 48.84 and the only hurdler under 49 seconds.


DISTANCE

The distance events were as expected heavy crowd pleasers. Host Oregon was loaded in the distance events with plenty of points available. But, in the shortest distance event the 800 the Ducks didn't have anyone available to pick up points. This was a prime opportunity for Florida to pick up valuable points.

Similar to that of the 400 the headwind was a factor on the times ran. Defending champion Brandon McBride of Mississippi State who normally leads from the gun changed his tactic and sat back. The result was disastrous, McBride finished 6th. Andres Arroyo of Florida never seemed to establish himself in the race and fell to the back of the pack were he remained finishing 8th earning 1 point for the Gators who were hoping for more. Edward Kemboi of Iowa State proved to be the top tactician in the race winning in a slow 1:49.26.

The 1,500 featured NCAA leader Chad  Noelle of Oklahoma State. Noelle a senior is the next in line to represent distance power Oklahoma State. Noelle ran a great race against crowd favorite, freshman Blake Haney of Oregon and Zach Perkins. Noelle claimed the title running a smart race winning in a time of 3:54.96, also a slower time than expected.

The story in the 3,000 meter steeplechase was could Arkansas senior Stanley Kebenei avenge himself after last season. Kebenei fell over the last hurdle at the last year's meet resulting in a 2nd place finish when he is great position to seize the lead and win. The two time defending champion in this event Anthony Rotich of UTEP also wanted to prove that he was capable of beating Kebenei at his best. After a race were several athletes stumbled over the water jump Rotich and Kebenei put on a show on the last lap. Coming off that faithful final jump Rotich had a slight lead with Kebeni charging. Rotich however asserted himself and validated his dominance in the event by out sprinting Kebenei to the finish to win a time of 8:33.90.

The 5,000 and 10,000 meter races were events were Edward Cheserek of Oregon could extend his dominance over the NCAA even further. Cheserek and his teammate Eric Jenkins were rumored to be at odds after Cheserek stated he let his teammate win during the indoor championships. They however finished 1st and 2nd in both races and embraced each other at the completion of the 5,000. In each race Cheserek was able to showcase his devastating kick out sprinting Jenkins to the finish in times of 13:48.67 and 28:58.92.


FIELD EVENTS

Marquis Dendy of Florida maybe perhaps the greatest collegiate jumper ever. Dendy entered the meet as the favorite to win the men's long jump and triple jump. Dendy is the defending champion in both events and trying to complete a feat only matched by Mike Conley by winning both long jump and triple jump back to back. He made early noise in the men's long jump by leaping 27'8 early on. Although his mark was wind-aided it remained the leader throughout the rounds and Jarrion Lawson of Arkansas drew close but was unable to surpass the mark. In the triple jump Dendy led from his first mark on with outstanding leap of 57-5. He performed so well throughout the competition that four of his jumps were better than the best jump of the runner up. On his final attempt he leaped to 58-1.75, although slightly wind-aided it still is a school record and one of the best jumps ever.

Shawn Barber of Akron has dominated the pole vault all year long. However early in the competition Barber had some trouble surpassing 17-8.50. This is shocking since he has jumped over 19 feet and been solid all year long. On his third and final attempt he made it over. He kept going until he surpassed 18-4.50 were he make his final clearance and win the event. Barber missed all three attempts to clear 18-10.25.

*WINNERS

High Jump- Jacorrian Duffield Texas Tech 7-5.75
Decathlon- Maicel Uibo Georgia 8,356
Shot Put- Johnathan Jones Buffalo 68-2.25
Hammer Throw- Connor McCullough USC 252-4
Discus Throw- Sam Mattis Penn 205-0

Team Battle Oregon 85 Points claims the event title over Florida. Oregon has now dominated back to back outdoor titles. There are quite a few heavy hitters graduating but a lot of talent returning. Early season favorite looks like Florida but if this meet tells us anything Oregon always finds away and steps up at the Championship meets. This was a great season. Next year is an Olympic year and that generally means record breaking performances at every level. I expect 2016 to be a great year.

NCAA Men's Preview



Picking up were we left off yesterday in previewing this week's NCAA Championship this post will focus on the men in this weeks competition. This has been an outstanding year for the men in every aspect of track and field. There is a great chance that a few NCAA records might fall. The men's team battle is also expected to come down to the wire in the men's 4x400 relay.



SPRINTS

The 100 meter dash has never had this many entries with personal bests of sub 10 second performances. It is practically a requirement in order for you to win this race you will have to run a sub 10 second race barring weather.

Trayvon Bromell of Baylor has been at the top of this event since leaving high school in 2013. Bromell won this event in 2014 as a freshman running a 9.97. This year he has gone under 10 seconds more than once but has been aided by the wind. With sunny conditions expected it is possible that he may challenge the NCAA record of 9.89.

The list of challengers is very long. None more challenging than Andre De Grasse of USC and Tevin Hester of Clemson. Both sprints have ran a wind-aided 9.87. Hester's 9.87 was barely wind-aided and has the best chance to challenge Bromell. Also Clayton Vaughan of UT-Arlington has a legal best of 9.93 set earlier this season and could be a spoiler.

Dedric Dukes of Florida has been the dominant name outdoors in the 200 meter dash. He is the only athlete in the field with a personal best under 20 seconds and already has a sub 20 second performance this season running a 19.99 at the SEC Outdoor Championships. Trayvon Bromell has given more focus to the 200 meters this season, even winning the NCAA Indoor title with a time of 20.19 one of the fastest indoor times in history. De Grasse also is a threat after running 20.03 at the Pac 12 Championship.

The 400 has been dominated by Deon Leondore of Texas  A&M. Lendore has had his share of injuries over the years and this year included. Like his female teammates  Lendore is rounding into shape at the right time. He shares the nation's best time with his LSU rival senior Vernon Norwood with seasonal bests of 44.4. Lendore has gotten the best of Norwood this outdoor season and will look to defend his national title his and go out with a bang his senior year. Najee Glass is the lone Florida Gator in the race after Arman Hall failed to qualify has a season's best 44.79 and will need to lower it in order to claim the title for himself. All three a huge in term's of points for their teams title hopes.


HURDLES

In the 110 high hurdles it is Arkansas's Omar McLeod and everybody else. McLeod is the most talented sophomore hurdler in NCAA history. He broke a long standing indoor 60 meter hurdle record earlier this season. It remains to be seen if he can break the great Renaldo Nehemiah's record of 13.00 in the 110 high hurdles. He has run a personal best 13.21 this season and has not been challenged by anyone. Without defending champion Devon Allen of Oregon in the race due to injury during football season, McLeod will have to run the race of the century without any competition. He has already proven that he can.

For senior Michael Stigler winning the 400 meter hurdles is long overdue. Stigler has been a big name in the event since his freshman year. He has been runner's up in the event twice already. His seasons best of 48.44 is one of the fastest times in the event in a while, he has nearly a second on his closes competitor. Everything has aligned perfectly for Stigler to go out on top.


DISTANCE

In the 800 it has not been clear sailing for defending champion Brandon  McBride of Mississippi State. There has been plenty of challenge along the way and unfortunate taste of losing early this season, most recent at the SEC Outdoor Championships were he we lost to LSU junior Julian Parker. It will likely require a personal best to defend his title and fend off top ranked Brandon Kidder of Penn State and Shaquille Walker of BYU.

The 1,500 has been led by Chad Noelle of Oklahoma State all season. Oklahoma State has produced many great distance runners over the years and NCAA Champions in this event. Noelle seems poised to be the next in line in this event. Noelle was a favorite to win this event last season but was unable to meet expectations due to injury. Robby Crease of Penn State and true freshman of host Oregon Blake Haney should provide strong competition.

The 3,000 meter steeplechase is an event were Arkansas is looking to add another champion to it's distance trophy case. Arkansas long known for having one of the best distance programs in NCAA history that led to over 30 NCAA titles under John McDonnell's watch. Stanley Kebenei has the season's best time with a mark of 8:23.93. His best time is 10 seconds greater than his closes competitor. Kebenei has been so close to winning the event in 2013 and 2014 finishing 3rd and 2nd respectively. The senior will look to close out his career on a championship note and add 10 team points to the Razorbacks title hopes.

The 5,000 and 10,000 are two huge events for the host Oregon. Oregon long distance star Edward Cheserek came close to winning both events last outdoor season. Winning the 10,000 and finishing 2nd in the 5,000. Both events are grueling and will require a lot of effort on Cheserek's part to win. His performance last season as a freshman proved that he is capable of completing the long distance double.

Each event will provide a stiff challenge. In the 5,000 there is Kemoy Campbell of Arkansas along with his Oregon teammates, Will Geoghegan and Eric Jenkins. In the 10,000 Jason Witt of BYU has been the top guy all season he currently is the only athlete with a sub 28 minute performance in the entire field. Witt maybe Cheserek's toughest competition.


RELAYS

The 4x100 relay got a new leader in Arkansas who ran a time of 38.66 to earn the top time in the Western region and records the year's fastest mark. Texas A&M, LSU, Alabama and USC have also ran under 39 seconds and until the regional meet A&M led the nation with a season best of 38.74. Florida has one this events in back to back years but without Hugh Graham due to injury and a slowed Arman Hall due to injury it is not likely they will repeat.

The 4x400 relay is a hard one to predict. This past indoor season Texas A&M set the NCAA record. However this outdoor season they have yet to run their best athletes against top competition. Florida and LSU have battled it out routinely this season. Florida holds the nation's top time with a mark of 3:01.60 they set defeating LSU at the SEC Outdoor Championships. This mark is impressive since this is not their best group. With everything potentially on the line the big 3 (Florida, A&M and LSU) will likely put on a show.


FIELD EVENTS

Marquis Dendy has continued Florida's great jumping tradition. Dendy put everything together at the NCAA Outdoor championships last season to complete the rare double of winning the long jump and triple jump. His confidence is notably at an all time high. When competition steps up, he goes higher. Dendy is currently ranked number 1 in both events and is a big factor into Florida's team title hopes. Dendy is also capable of setting a NCAA record in either event.

The same can be said about junior Shawn Barber of Akron. It seemed during the indoor season Barber was threatening his own NCAA record every week. He leads the NCAA with a record mark of 19'4.75. Can Barber set another record, it remains to be seen.


HIGH JUMP: Jacorian  Duffield Texas Tech 7-7. Duffield leads a crowded talented group of high jumpers. He has already beaten them all once at the Indoor Championships and should be able to handle them again.

SHOT PUT: Ryan Crouser Texas  69'3.25. Crouser returns as defending champion in this event and leads a solid senior heavy group. Crouser has shown to step up at the major meets and this one should be no different.

DISCUS: Rodney Brown LSU 213'5. Brown has led the way in this event for much of the outdoor season. Brown underachieved at this meet last season and could be looking for redemption and adding key piece to his trophy case.

HAMMER THROW: Conor McCullough USC 248'11. McCullough has been the man to beat all season and will look to add to a great throwing tradition at USC.

JAVELIN THROW: John Ampomah Middle Tennessee State 267'7. Ampomah is the event leader and the only thrower to surpass 80 meters.

DECATHLON: Maicel Uibo Georgia 8,326. Georgia is perhaps the best program at developing multi-event athletes. The Bulldogs currently are ranked number 1 and 2 in the event. Uibo is the defending champion and it will take his best to fend of his teammate Garrett Scantling.


TEAM BATTLE: Florida, Texas A&M and Oregon are in great shape to win the national title. Florida has lost two key athletes who were expected to qualify in Keandre Bates in the long jump and triple jump and Arman Hall in the 400. Add to that they had already lost Hugh Graham due to injury. I think that is too much to overcome for the Gators but their is still great potential for the to win. Oregon brings a very large group to the championship meet and have home field advantage. My pick to win is Oregon but my rooting interest are for the Gators.

NCAA Women's Preview

 



(Oregon)

The big dance is finally here. We have reached NCAA Championship week. This is my favorite time of the year. The meet again is being held at the University of Oregon and should be an exciting meet. This has been one of the best years for women's track and field at every level. With the home team currently ranked number 1 and in great position to win the title expect plenty of fireworks, let's preview.

SPRINTS

In the 100 defending NCAA Champion  Ramona Burchell of Alabama is out. That leaves the battle for 100 meter supremacy between two Oregon Ducks, Jenna  Prandini and Jasmine Todd. Prandini is currently the favorite thanks to her blistering performance at the  Mt Sac Relays clocking in a 10.92. However her teammate Todd has looked every bit as strong. Todd clocking 10.88 at the NCAA West Regional qualifying meet. Although her time was wind-aided it is one of fastest times ran in collegiate history. Todd is more than capable of claiming the 100 meter title.

In the 200 Prandini will have to face off against the only woman who beat her indoors at this distance. Florida's Kyra Jefferson, Jefferson claimed the indoor title with a blazing 22.63. She also lit the track up at the NCAA East Regional with a legal time of 22.26. One of the fastest times in NCAA history. This is Jefferson's only individual event while Prandini will be busy running the 100 and the long jump making the chance a double a difficult one.

The long sprint looked to potentially be a Texas sweep. However fans of track and field now there always injury and error the could always derail any plans. Favorite Courtney Okolo is out. That leaves Texas with Kendall Baisden and Ashley Spencer. Spencer has not yet lived up to the expectations she set while an NCAA Champion at this distance in 2013 for Illinois. Plagued by injury this is still her last opportunity to win another title. Kala Funderbunk of Florida State currently leads all qualifiers with a time of 51.09. With Okolo out this is anyone's race.


HURDLES

The 100 hurdles is headlined by two former Clemson teammates now competing for top tier SEC programs. Kendra Harrison for Kentucky and Bridgette Owens for Florida. Harrison has frequently gotten the better of Owens and currently leads the NCAA with a time of 12.50. Her personal best this season easily places her in amongst the top 5 100 hurdlers in NCAA history. Owens has a season best of 12.73 and has only lost to Harrison this season. Michigan's Cindy Ofili has championship pedigree and a sister who once dominated this event for three seasons 2007-2009. This will be a great race.

In the 400 hurdles Harrison is one of two athletes to have gone under 55 seconds. The other is the NCAA leading defending champion Shamier Little. Little was fast enough to claim the SEC indoor title at the open 400 meters and posses that rare speed that makes elite level hurdlers. Little's NCAA leading time of 54.68 was performed at a rainy SEC Championship meet. With her speed there is the potential that she may run sub 54 and she's only a sophomore.


DISTANCE

The 800 brings the perfect blend of old and new. 2013 NCAA Champion Natoya Goule returns this time at Clemson. After sitting out last season due to transfer rules Goule is ready to reclaim her crown as a senior. Talented freshman Raevyn Rogers of Oregon will have the home crowd behind her pushing her to the line.

The 1,500 will be a battle between Rhianwedd Price of Mississippi State and Shelby Houlihan of Arizona State. Price just ran the top time in the country at the NCAA West Regional meet with a time of 4:10.95. Houlihan's season best of 4:11.06 is not to far off. With Michigan State's  Leach O'Connor focusing on the steeplechase the 1,500 is a two woman race.

O'Connor who is the leader of a solid distance crew at Michigan State that won the 2014 NCAA Cross Country title. O'Connor is the headlining favorite to win the 3,000 meter steeplechase. O'Connor already has individual NCAA Championship pedigree after winning the mile indoors. O'Connor will face off against Colleen Quigley of Florida State who is equally talented. Senior O'Connor is having a dream season and should continue her success to another NCAA title.

The 5,000 and 10,000 are events that Emily Sisson of Providence is capable of winning. The talented senior is currently ranked number 1 in the 10,000 and has the top qualifying mark in the 5,000. Sisson has selected to do the lesser of two evils the 5,000. Sisson will have to out pace NCAA leading Jessica Tonn of Stanford. That leaves the 10,000 to potentially be claimed by Dominique Scott of Arkansas who will look to add 10 team points to the Arkansas Razorbacks chances for a team title.

RELAYS

In the 4x100 relay the top four teams all come from the same conference, the SEC. Texas A&M, Florida, LSU and Kentucky in that order are the best four teams in the NCAA. They are also the only four teams to run sub 43. Texas A&M's leading time of 42.61 shows that the Lady Aggies are rounding into championship form at the right time since they have had a year of consistent injuries. Let's also not count out the deep core of sprinters at USC and the 1-2 punch at Oregon.

The 4x400 relay was expected to be dominated by Texas. With Okolo out that leaves Florida who has been ranked number 1 in the event for two months the opportunity to win the event. USC put up a solid performance at the NCAA West Regional but still sits in the number two position this season. Both may put up sub 3:26 performances in what should be a fantastic event.


FIELD EVENTS

Here are the current leaders in the field events.

LONG JUMP: Quanesha Burks Alabama 22-5.25. Burks is currently the only athlete to have jumped 22 feet this season and is the clear favorite to win the event.

TRIPLE JUMP: Keturah Orji Georgia 46-4.25. Orji a true freshman who has truly lived up to the hype has not been challenged at all this season. Orji currently has a two feet lead over defending champion Ciarra Brewer of Florida. Orji is also ranked high in the long jump as well.

HIGH JUMP: Jeannelle Scheper South Carolina 6-5. Scheper leads a crowded high jump field with a lot of potential for an upset.

POLE VAULT: Sandi Morris Arkansas 15-5.75. Morris leads a three headed monster for Arkansas against Demi Payne of Stephen F. Austin.

SHOT PUT: Tori Bliss LSU 60'8. Senior Tori Bliss is currently the only thrower to surpass 60 feet this season. Her challenger the next big time thrower in the event true freshman Raven Saunders of Southern Illinois.

DISCUS: Shelbi Vaughan Texas A&M 211'8. Vaughan leads the event by 15 feet. She is currently the only thrower over 200 feet and will be huge in terms of team points for the Aggies.

HAMMER THROW: Brooke Pleger Bowling Green 228'9. Pleger a senior is looking to go out on top.

JAVELIN THROW: Irena Sediva Virginia Tech 192'5. Sediva a talented sophomore leads a strong field of great throwers. Included in that field is defending champion Fawn Miller of Florida who is a senior. Miller has not had the outdoor season she had last season but with this being her final meet a Florida uniform look for her to perform her best.

Heptathlon: Erica Bougard  Mississippi State 6,250. Bougard is top ranked athlete in several events from the long jump, high jump and 100 hurdles. With Kendall Williams of Georgia missing a portion of the outdoor season Bougard is primed to win it all.

Team Battle: Oregon, Texas A&M, Florida, Arkansas and USC are all teams with the right pedigree to win the team battle. Oregon has an enormous home field advantage along with a ton of entries. However never count out Pat Henry. I believe the Aggies are rounding into shape at the right time and are ready to avenge what has been an injury plagued season.

NCAA Outdoor Season So Far Post 3



(Natoya Goule-Clemson)

 



In our final post of this series we will review the distance runners so far this season.


MIDDLE DISTANCE (800 Meters and 1,500 Meters)

In men's middle distance racing Penn State has become a fixture amongst the elite programs in the country. With great recent championship success they have now etched themselves as the premier middle distance program in a crowded Big Ten conference, they can also place themselves amongst the elite in the country. This season is no different. Leading the way would be junior Brandon Kidder. Kidder is currently ranked number 1 in the country with a time of 1:45.58 in the men's 800. His teammate Robby Crease is currently ranked number 2 in the 1,500 with a time of 3:39.02. Both will face stiff competition if the look to earn the national title in their primary events.

In the 800 Kidde will likely see strong competition from Shaquille Walker of BYU ranks number 2 with a time of 1:45.78. In the 1,500 Creese will have to fend of number 1 ranked Chad Noelle (3:38.35) and his Oklahoma State teammate Kirubel Errasa (3:39.05). Noelle has already beaten Creese early this season at the Payton Jordan Invitational, look for Creese to try and make up for the loss with a championship win. Also keep an eye out for Oregon's Edward Cheserek.

On the women's side the 800 has been dominated by Natoya Goule of Clemson. Goule who earned notoriety while previously competing for LSU won the 2013 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor title. When coach Elliott left for Clemson she followed. Goule proved to still be a dominating force by winning the 800 indoor title early this year. Her time of 2:01.63 is number 2 in the country. Expect for Goule to dip under 2 minutes this season and earn the outdoor title.

In the women's 1,500 senior leader Leah O'Connor of Michigan State has been the force behind the Michigan State distance core. For a long time the Big Ten middle distance dominance came in the form of their rival Michigan. This season it is the Spartans who are out front. O'Connor who currently ranks number 1 in the nation in the event with a time of 4:11.04 looks to continue her championship success from early this season at Indoor nationals to outdoors.


Long Distance

In women's long distance running Emily Sisson of Providence set a new NCAA Indoor record in the women's 5,000. However she has looked her best in the women's 10,000 meter run where she is currently ranked number 1 with a time of 31:38.03. She is currently ranked 10th in the 5,000 and has not ran the event often this outdoor season. It is likely that Sisson may truly simply focus on the 10,000 and allow for current leader Jessica Tonn of Stanford to remain at the top. If however Sisson goes for what is a truly grueling double Tonn will give her one heck of race in the 5,000.

In men's long distance racing I find myself asking where are the runners from Oregon. On the national list they seem to be void of top performances. However I am not worried Oregon has a history of performing strong at championship meets. This weekend is also the Pac 12 Outdoor Championships and is likely the best opportunity to for us to become acquainted with the teams outdoor form. For now schools like Arkansas continue to turn out great performers.

Kemoy Campbell by way of Jamaica is the next great distance runner to come out of Arkansas. He leads the nation by 10 seconds in the men's 5,000 with a time of 13:20.39. Campbell was 2nd this past indoor season in the event and will be looking to earn the title this outdoor season. His teammate Stanley Kebenei is also leading his event the 3,000 steeplechase by 10 seconds with a time of 8:23.93. The 2 leaders look to provide Arkansas with a strong 1-2 punch.

In the 10,000 meter run senior Jason Witt of BYU is the early favorite to claim the outdoor crown. He currently leads the nation by almost 30 seconds with a time of 27:54.25.

NCAA Outdoor Season So Far Post 2

(Omar McLeod-Arkansas)





On this post we will focus primarily on the hurdles and field events. What a banner year for both sides, there have been multiple NCAA Indoor records broken setting us up for a fantastic outdoor season.

HURDLES

The hurdles has been especially interesting this year. In the women's 100 meter hurdles two former Clemson teammates have dominated the headlines. Bridgette Owens of Florida and Kendra Harrison of Kentucky. Indoors in the 60 meter hurdles Harrison was able to edge out Owens by 0.01. So far this outdoor season has done more than that. She has run a wind-legal 12.62, one of the fastest performances all time in college. She is only bettered by NCAA record holder and former teammate Brianna Rollins of Clemson, Sharika Nelvis of Arkansas State and Virginia Powell of USC.

In the 400 hurdles Harrison has been equally dominant. Her NCAA leading time of 54.94 is a full second ahead of her closes competitor Jaide Steper of USC. Shamier Little of Texas  A&M poses the biggest threat due to amazing speed. Little was the SEC Indoor Champion at 400 meters, she is also the defending NCAA Champion. Little has yet to have her technique meet her speed and that is the current advantage Harrison has over her. With the SEC Outdoor Championship this weekend we may see a change in who the current leader is.

On the men's side Omar McLeod of Arkansas by way of Jamaica broke one of the best indoor records in Reggie Torian's 60 hurdle record. His time of 7.45 put everyone on notice. His dominating performance at the Drake Relays outdoors in cold weather was a reminder to rest of the country of just how good he is. McLeod ran a NCAA leading time of 13.21 in the 110 meter hurdles. The closes performance this season was a wind-aided performance by fellow sophomore from Texas Spencer Dunkerley-Offor. In my opinion he is obvious favorite to win the title and to make the finals at the World Championships in Beijing.

In the 400 hurdles senior Michael Stigler of Kansas has been just as dominant. Stigler ran a NCAA leading time a the Texas Relays clocking in at 48.44. The fastest time in this event in a few years. Stigler has been an All-American mainstay since his freshman year. His time is a full second ahead of closes competitor Eric Futch of Florida who has a personal best of 49.45. After finishing 2nd the last two seasons Stigler is poised for a big win.


JUMPS

On the men's side senior Marquis Dendy of Florida is continuing the tradition of great dual jumpers at Florida. This season he may be out to prove that he might be the best ever. Dendy leap to a double in both the long jump and triple jump this indoor season and is looking to repeat. Although he is not currently leading either event, (currently ranked number 2 in the triple jump) expect for him to take the lead after the conference championship this weekend.

In the pole vault it continues to be the Shawn Barber show. Akron has really done an amazing job of developing word class pole vaulters and in my opinion has earned the title at the top pole vaulting school in the country. Barber one of two athletes currently over 19 feet will look to continue his streak of breaking his own NCAA record this championship season. Except I think his next record breaking performance maybe the world record.

The high jump has found a new star in senior Jacorian Duffield of Texas Tech. Texas Tech long known for their success with great field athletes looks to continue the championship trend with Duffield. He currently leads the NCAA with a leap of 7 feet 7 inches.

On the women's side of the horizontal jumps a new fresh face at Georgia has been shaking things up, Keturah Orji. Orji had an outstanding prep career built on championship medals and record breaking performances. Orji currently ranks number 1 in both long jump and triple jump. She led in the triple jump for most of the indoor season until she again came across defending champion Ciarra Brewer of Florida. Brewer is currently ranked number 2 but has yet to loose this outdoor season. This weekend will be their first outdoor meet up.

In the pole vault two ladies have been attacking the NCAA record on a regular basis. The most consistent athlete would be Stephen F. Austin's Demi Payne. Payne was the top vaulter for a good portion of the Indoor season and had a poor performance at the Championship meet. Rival and fellow top vaulter Sandi Morris of Arkansas took the crown. Both are currently the only two above 15 feet and will look to compete for the outdoor crown later this season.

In the women's high jump Jeannelle Scheper of South Carolina leads the way with a leap of 6'4 3/4. She is currently 2 feet ahead of her closes competitor in the event.

Notable Throwing Event Leaders:



(Tori Bliss-LSU)

Women's Discus: Shelbi Vaughn Texas A&M 201'8.

Women's Shot Put: Tori Bliss LSU 60'8.

Women's Hammer Throw: Brooke Pleger Bowling Green 228'0.

Women's Javelin Throw: Irena Sadiva Virginia Tech 190'4



Men's Discus: Rodney Brown LSU 213'5

Men's Shot Put: Ryan Crouser Texas 69 3.25

Men's Hammer Throw: Connor McCullough USC 248'11

Men's Javelin Throw: John Ampomah Mid Ten State 267'7


Multi Event Leaders:

Women's Heptathlon: Quintunya Champman Georgia 6,146 points

Men's Decathlon: Garrett Scantling Georgia 8,232 points


Next Post: Post 3- Distance

NCAA Outdoor Season So Far Post 1

 

(Trayvon Bromell-Baylor)

Hello all, I apologize for my lengthy absence. I have been dealing with a lot personal issues, family health and my recent unemployment (yeah I know) have kept me out of commission for quite some time. I am back just in time for the championship season. This season has been especially interesting with many great performances. The team competition looks exciting for both men and women. Let's recap what was a good regular season.


SPRINTS

Trayvon Bromell of Baylor and Jenna Prandini of Oregon have been the biggest names in the short sprints. Bromell matched his indoor championship time of 20.19. Prandini ran a 10.92 at the Mt. Sac Relays.

Bromell is of the fastest collegians of all time and expected to complete a double winning both the 100 and 200 going sub 10 an sub 20. Bromell will face a stiff challenge from  USC junior and Canadian sprinter Andre DeGrasse. DeGrasse has also dipped under 10 seconds this season but it was heavily wind-aided. However his 200 time currently ranks him number 1 in the nation with a time of 20.16.

In Prandini's case she also has a tough task of winning the sprint double. Defending 100 meter champion Remona Burchell of Alabama is rounding into post season form and has already ran a 11.0 into a decent headwind. She has already dipped under 11 seconds, running a 10.96 last season. She also set the NCAA record in the 60 meter dash this past indoor season. In the 200 she will have to deal with the only person to beat her in the event all indoor season Kyra Jefferson of  Florida. Jefferson just recently set a outdoor school record with a time of 22.65.

In the long sprints on the men's side three teams have battled for supremacy in the 400. Florida, Texas A&M and LSU. All three programs have great depth in the event and plenty of great recent success. Vernon Norwood of LSU jumped out to take the number 1 time in the country early this season with a time of 44.44. He leads a program with the most depth having four guys that sub sub 46 and a total of five guys ranked in the top 25. Defending champion Deon Lendore has yet to run sub 45 this season but expect him to this coming weekend at the SEC Outdoor Championship. Najee Glass of Florida is also a strong challenger with a season and personal best of 44.79 already run this season.



(Courtney Okolo-Texas)

 



On the women's side it seems as if it's Texas and everybody else. Florida does have a solid group however with Robin Reynolds coming back from injury there seems to be no true threat to the Texas trio of Courtney Okolo, Kendall Baisden and Ashley Spencer. All three have major NCAA Championship hardware. Okolo is the defending NCAA Champion and record holder. Baisden won the World Junior title last outdoor season and Spencer is a former 2-time NCAA Champion is this event in 2012 and 2013. Spencer who has yet to regain that same form from 2013 is still considered a threat. Let's not rule out the possibility of a Texas sweep. For now Okolo and Baisden are pretty solid locks for a 1-2 finish.




Our next post: POST 2- Hurdles/Field Events.

Conference Championship Weekend Review

(Florida-2015 Men's SEC Indoor Champions)

 



The championship season is here and it began with a bang. There several top notch performances from the Power 5 conferences and smaller conferences. One of the joys of collegiate track and field is the amazing team battles that take place during this weekend. So many willing to sacrifice their own individual goals for those of the team. It is exciting to see especially since track and field is mainly an individual sport. Let us recap what was an amazing weekend.

Sprints

This weekend we were expecting a great 60 meter dash battle on the men's side in the Big 12. You had defending outdoor 100 meter champion Trayvon Bromell of Baylor, defending conference 60 meter champion of Texas Senoj-Jay Givens and top ranked 60 meter sprinter this season in John Teeters of Oklahoma State. This race became a big deal the moment John Teeters clocked in at 6.52 early in the season. Although both Teeters and Bromell had ran sub 6.6 it was Givens who defended his title with a time of 6.59 his first under 6.6. Although Givens is the defending champion it was still considered an upset since much was made about Bromell and Teeters.

In the long sprints the SEC was the highlight of the weekend. Aaron Ernest claimed his second conference title in the men's 200 with a time of 20.69. Ernest defeated top ranked senior from Texas A&M Shavez Hart. Hart has been number 1 all season but did not perform well enough to beat Ernest. Ernest first claimed title as a super sophomore.

In the 400 we were without a few big names. Deon Lendore was not able to finish in the preliminary rounds ad Hugh Graham of Florida was injured in the 60 meter dash. However there were still big names in the race. On very big name is junior Arman Hall of Florida who has not ran a race individually all season. The last race he ran was as an anchor on the men's 4x400 relay early in the season. Although not his usual self he still managed to climb into the top 16 rankings and go under 46 seconds with a time of 45.97 for 4th overall. His teammate junior Najee Glass has been the top guy all season and left no doubt after claiming the event title for himself with a time of 45.37. He is Florida's 1st 400 meter SEC champion indoors since Kerron Clement of 2005.

On the women's side Remona Burchell of Alabama stamped herself as the fastest 60 meter collegian. The talented Jamaican sprinter left little doubt with an outstanding race that saw her clock in at 7.08. She had full tenth on next closest competitor Dezerea Bryant of Kentucky who ran 7.18. Bryant who is not only the defending conference champion in the 200, she is also the NCAA defending champion. Bryant did battle with Kyra Jefferson of Florida and was unable to defend her title just barely. Jefferson held onto win with a time of 23.02, the same as Bryant but was able to out lean her by thousandths of a second. 

Jefferson also competed in only her second 400 meter race of the year and was able to finish 2nd with a time of 52.00 to rising star Shamier Little of Texas A&M who claimed the title in a time of 51.37. Little is the defending NCAA champion outdoors in the 400 meter hurdles. Her talent is a lot similar to that of Lashinda Demus who could run both the 400 and 400 hurdles at a high level. With better technique this season is highly possible we may see Ms. Little on team USA this summer.


DISTANCE

Will start on the women's side for distance since we now have yet another new collegiate record holder this season. Emily Sisson of Providence joined a special group after her dominating performance at the Big East Indoor championships when she broke the 5,000 meter national record. Her time of 15:12.22 broke the national and school record. It placed in her in top 3 all time amongst U.S. women in the event. Sisson is graduate student at Providence and simply reminded everyone why she is a force to be reckoned with in long distance racing.

The Michigan State women proved this weekend that their national title in cross country was no fluke. They were every bit as dominant at the Big Ten Indoor championship. The Lady Spartans claimed almost every distance event except two, the 800 and 5,000, however they had four girls in the top 10 and 3 score. They also broke the 12 year winning streak of instate rival Michigan in the women's distance medley relay with a time of 10.57.80 that puts them number 2 in the country. However in the mile Leah O'Connor led the way with a time of 4:32.29. Teammate Rachel Schulist ran a dominating 3,000 meter race with a time of 9:01.25 almost a full 15 seconds ahead of her closest competitor.

At the SEC Indoor championships Arkansas was equally as impressive. The Razorbacks claimed the event title in every distance race but 1, the 5,000 but had three athletes score in the race. Senior Dominque Scott led the way claiming the title in both the mile with a time of 4:32.49. The Razorbacks went 1-3-4-5 in the mile to pick up a total of 25 points in one event. Scott led her team to put up similar numbers in the 3k adding yet another conference title to her trophy case. The ladies went 1-2-4 for a total of 23 points. In the 800 Chrishauna

On the men's side the Oregon Ducks decided to remind everybody why they are defending champions and show case their talent. At the MPSF Championships the Ducks put their best in the men's distance medley relay to approve upon their standing. The Ducks ran the 5th fastest race of all time. Their time of 9:27.02. That time put them number 1 in the country and slightly ahead of previous number 1 Villanova who is also on the top 10 list all time with a time of 9:27.04.

The Gators got a huge team boost from the outstanding 800 meter duo of Andres Arroyo and Ryan Schnulle. Junior Schnulle claimed his first conference title with a time of 1:48.25 over Arroyo who finished second in 1:48.48. Their 18 points were huge in helping the Gators to the SEC title. Both have ran better this season, most notably Arroyo who has a 1:46 effort that currently ranks him number 2 in the NCAA.

A new star is born in the men's mile and he is not from any other power 5 conferences. Senior Cristian Soratos of Montana State burst onto the scene as a contender a few weeks ago with his national leading time of 3:55.27. He surpassed previous number 1 Edward Cheserek of Oregon. He followed up that performances by winning three events at the Big Sky conference meet. Soratos won the mile, 800 and anchored his team's distance medley relay. On top of that he ran a leg on the 4x400 relay that finished 5th. That equates to 34 points! Yes from 1 individual. He is a true talent and fare favorite to win the mile in two weeks at the NCAA Indoor Championships


HURDLES

Welcome back Kendra Harrison of Kentucky. Harrison like Arman Hall missed majority of the indoor season. She certainly made her presence known early. In the preliminaries she ran the 2nd fastest time of the year with a time of 8.03. In the finals she vaulted to clear number 1 and a personal best time of 7.92. Bridgette Owens of  Florida who held the number 1 time finished in a distance 2nd with a time of 8.08.. I personally expected for Harrison to take a step back after sprint coach Tim Hall left Kentucky after 1 year to coach at Tennessee. However she returned to form rather quickly and did not miss a step.

On the men's side sophomore Omar McLeod of Arkansas ran a race for the ages. His time of 7.49 places him the 5 all time of 60 meter hurdles. McLeod by way of Jamaica is part of a growing successful trend of Jamaican hurdlers. McLeod and other Jamaican hurdles have something that many American hurdlers are missing and that is speed. I believe without a doubt that McLeod can break Reggie Torain's NCAA record of 7.47. The closes competitor has not even dipped under 7.7.

THROWS

There was another NCAA record set this season. Michael Lihrman of Wisconsin is the defending champion in the men's weight throw. If there was any doubt about him being able to defend his title he ended that discussion this past weekend by obliterating the NCAA record with a mark of 83-11 3/4. Lihrman now has 9 of the 10 best throws all time in NCAA  history. Lihrman also moved up to number 3 in the history of the world.

In terms of team points senior Stipe Zunic of Florida was huge. The Gators have spent a lot of time as a runner up at the SEC meet to Arkansas. This year the Gators exceeded expectation when available. The Gator senior claimed the men's shot put to give his team 10 points with a throw of 66'11 1/2. He is currently ranked number 2 in the NCAA and is another key piece to the Florida Gators team title hopes.

On the women's side senior Tori Bliss of LSU joined another elite group earning the SEC Indoor Shot put title by surpassing 60 feet. Her mark of 60-1 was a new personal best and solidified her spot as the nation's number 1.

Brea Garrett is also a defending NCAA Champion from Texas A&M. However she was outclassed by a fellow SEC competitor from Missouri in Kearsten Peoples who placed her name in the record books with a throw of 73-8. Ida Storm of UCLA also threw her name into the pot when she won the MPSF Indoor conference title with a throw of 73-6. This makes for an interesting competition at the  NCAA Championships sine Storm was last year's runner up.

JUMPS

The event that has garnered the most attention on both sides men and women has been the pole vault. The national record has been under constant threat on both sides because of the amazing talent at the  NCAA level.

On the women's side Demi Payne of Stephen F. Austin set the NCAA record with a mark of 15'7 early this season. Payne competed at the  USATF Indoor Championships since her conference meet was last weekend. Payne notched an easy victory with a mark of 14-11 marking her potentially as the next great pole vault star. Her main competitor  Sandi Morris of Arkansas has already defeated her one this season and set a personal best at the SEC Indoor Championships. The two will look to meet again at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2 weeks.

On the men's side the NCAA record holder Shaw Barber of Akron is actually still in school. Barber set the NCAA record with a mark of 19-4 1/4 at the Tyson Invitational. Barber remains the only collegian over 19 feet. It seems every since weekend Barber is attempting to break the NCAA record. Barber continued his torrid pace of getting over 19 feet by winning the MAC title by more than 2 feet.

Athletes who compete in both the long jump and triple jump for a while was a rarity. There has been a steady increase in athletes who compete in both events. Senior Marquis Dendy is even more rare since he is a champion in both events. He again proved this weekend that he is the best horizontal jumper in the nation. Dendy joined the all-time collegiate list again with a mark of 56-6 1/2 in the triple jump. He claimed the long jump title in 26-3 3/4 on day 1 of the SEC Championships. Dendy provided 20 much needed points to the Gators. Dendy is currently ranked number 1 in the triple jump and number 2 in the long jump and could win the national title in both events.

True freshman Keturah Orji of Georgia took down defending NCAA Champion Senior Ciarra Brewer of Florida in the women's triple Jump at the SEC Championships. It is the 3rd time this season that Orji defeated Brewer. Orji is apart of growing successful track record American women in the triple jump. Orji is still learning more about the long jump and could join Dendy as a successful double jumper. Orji finished 3rd in the long jump behind Shakeela Saunders of Kentucky who won the long jump with a mark of 21'6.

Orji's Georgia teammates had a 1-2 sweep in the High Jump. Both Leontia Kallenou and Tatiana Gusin surpassed 6 feet. Kallenou leaped to 6-2 3/4 while Gusin reached 6-1 1/2. Senior Bryan McBride of Arizona State had the best high jump of the weekend with a mark of 7-5 to place his amongst the top 4 in the country and this event should be highly competitive at the NCAA Indoor Championship meet.

The men's heptathlon top honors goes to Garrett Scatling of Georgia who led a 1-2 finish by scoring a total of 6,036 points at the SEC Indoor Championships.

The women's pentathlon top honors goes to Kendell Williams also of Georgia. Williams a talented sophomore remains one of the best young American stars. Williams dominated the competition at the SEC Championships scoring a total of 4,519 points.

Week 3 Recap

(Trayvon Bromell-Baylor)



This past weekend there were some great performances to witness. There were a lot of quality team meets around the country with ranked programs competing against one another. There was the headlining meet the Rod McCravy Memorial at Kentucky, the Notre Dame invitational and the Texas A&M Quadrangular. Each meet had athletes post some impressive marks. Let us review this weekend's top performances.

SPRINTS

As usual we will start off with the Sprints and America's next great sprint star sophomore Trayvon Bromell of Baylor. Bromell reaffirmed his status as up and coming star last outdoor season by setting an American junior record in the 100 meter dash with a time of 9.97. He had an average indoor season last year. This season he has gotten off to a rocket start to prove that last indoor season was a fluke. Bromell clocked in at 6.54 to set a meet record at the McCravy Memorial in Kentucky in the 60 meter dash. His time matches the top time in the country and puts him in perfect position to win the indoor 60 meter crown.

The most impressive long sprint performance came from Bralon Taplin of Texas A&M. Taplin put incredible distance between himself and the rest of the field. Taplin clocked in at 45.78 to win the 400 meter dash at the Texas A&M quadrangular. He ran that race with no one within a second of his time. Taplin is next in line to be apart of a great set of 400 meter runners at Texas A&M.

On the women's side Morolake Akinosun of Texas beat an impressive field in the women's 60 meter dash. The top three performers were all competing at the McCravy Memorial. After a solid start she could not be caught winning the race with an impressive 7.22. Jasmine  Todd of Oregon who still holds the nation's number 1 time finished second with a time of 7.26.

Her teammate sophomore Kendall Baisden also ran an impressive 400 meter race against a top tier field. Baisden clocked in at 51.81 to earn the nation's top mark. Fellow sophomore from Miami also ran an equally impressive race with a time of 51.82.

Cierra White of Texas Tech scorched the track in the women's 200 meter dash at Texas A&M. White defeated Ashton Purvis of A&M with a national leading time of 23.18.  White is coming an outstanding outdoor season and will be a force to reckon with this season.


FIELD EVENTS

The field events were hot this weekend all over. After the national record in the women's pole vault was broken twice last weekend many other field event athletes have decided to join in on the fun. In the triple jump youth was served at the McCravy Memorial. On the women's side Keturah Orji a freshman from Georgia set a indoor American junior record with her leap of 45-10 1/2. She surpassed the defending NCAA Champion Ciarra Brewer of Florida who also surpassed 45 feet with a mark of 45-2 1/4.

On the men's side it was all Florida. Defending outdoor triple jump champion Marquis Dendy of Florida made his season debut with a mark of 52-8 1/4, his freshman teammate Keandre Bates also made noise with a mark of 52-0. As great as their performances were the top performance in the country belongs to Matthew O'Neal of South Florida who leaped to 53'11 this past weekend to claim the top mark in the country.

In the women's pole vault Demi Payne of Stephen F. Austin again proved that she is the true number one in this event by setting the NCAA record again. Her mark of 15-7 is 6 inches better than the next performer in the NCAA.

In the men's shot put Ashinia Miller of Georgia had an impressive performance this past weekend at the McCravy memorial. Miller threw for a mark of 66-7 3/4. His performance put him atop the rankings in the country and continues the success in the throwing events at Georgia. Tori Bliss of LSU led all women throwers with a mark of 57-4 3/4 in the shot-put placing her in the top spot as well.

Georgia continued there impressive performance in the field events by winning both multi-event competitions at the McCravy memorial, the heptathlon and pentathlon. Kendall Williams winning the women's pentathlon with a total of 4,609 points, nearly 2,000 more than her closes competitor. Garrett  Scantling won the men's heptathlon over his teammate Maicel Ubo with a total 5,886 points while Ubo had 5,847. Teammate Devon Williams, the brother to Kendall Williams rounded out the top three to finish third with 5,538.


Distance

The distance event are starting to warm up. Many premier athletes made their indoor season. At Kentucky there was clearly no bigger name than that of Edward Cheserek of Oregon. Cheserek ran the 3,000 meter run in 7:49.56. He had a 5 second lead against the closest competitor his teammate Johnny Gregorek.

Cheserek's performance was only part of an extremely successful weekend for Oregon. Eric Jenkins led the team to a 1-2-3 sweep in the 5k with his winning time of 13:31.76. The Duck also had a 1-2 finish in the men's mile with Colby Alexander winning with a time of 4:00.84. Furthermore they claimed the men's distance medley relay with a time of 9:32.61 four seconds ahead of runner up Florida.

Dominque Scott of Arkansas won the women's mile in Kentucky with a impressive time of 4:32.48. She won her race convincingly with a 7 second margin. She also anchored the women's distance medley relay to a victory over Florida by more than 5 seconds.

At A&M Shelby Houlihan of Arizona State ran impressive 3,000 meter race that places her atop the NCAA by more 10 seconds. Houlihan almost going under 9 minutes with her winning time of 9:03.71.

4x400  Relay

The meet at Kentucky had a lot of impressive performances. However many of the top tier long sprinters did not compete in individual races. However they made up for it with two outstanding races. First the Florida women get things started off right by going 3:30 to break a school record in the first meet with a time of 3:29.58. Robin Reynolds ran a terrific lead off leg and Claudia Francis who transferred from Oregon ran an outstanding anchor leg to hold off Arkansas and Texas who both ran under 3:31.

The Florida men were without 200 meter champion Dedric Dukes who is out injured. However Florida has earned the moniker as 400 meter "U" because of their development and depth in the event. Nick Uruburu ran the 3rd leg this time and did an admirable job. Najee Glass ran an outstanding first leg that equated to 45.3 start. Arman Hall who ran the anchor leg had his work cut out for him with hard charging Vernon Norwood of LSU closing the gap and almost winning. The Gators broke the meet record with a time of 3:04.22 without Dedric Dukes. Their performance was quite impressive. It looks like it will be another great year for the 4x400 relay.

Another big meet will headline next weekend, it is the Razorback Invitational at the University of Arkansas. Many of the same teams will be at this meet along with Texas A&M. Expect more exciting performances and finishes.