Conference Championship Review (Men)

(Devon Allen-Oregon)

HE'S BACK!

What a great weekend it was for college track and field. There were quite a few upsets and new number 1 rankings.  Each conference provided it's own unique story to add to the book of a great indoor season. Let's look at how each event unfolded around the country.

SPRINTS

60 Meter Dash- In the 60 meter dash all eyes were on the Big 12 conference championship. In this same race was the defending Big 12 Indoor Champion from 2015 in John Teeters of Oklahoma State and the defending NCAA Indoor Champion in Ronnie Baker of TCU. Teeters has garnered most of the attention all year long by beating every challenger from every conference head on. However Baker not to be dismayed proved to be best in conference defeating Teeters to the time of a new number 1 ranking in 6.51. Baker's time one of the fastest performances in NCAA history.

200 Meter Dash- Nethaneel Blake-Mitchell of LSU has been ranked near the top all indoor season long. He at one point was the number 1 ranked 200 meter runner. Mitchell still did not surpass new number 1 Brendon  Rodney but he improved on his season's best and drew closer to the number 1 ranking. Fellow conference foe Christian Coleman of Tennessee gave Mitchell a real challenge in this race but Mitchell was able to outlast him. Mitchell's winning time of 20.51 firmly places him in the number 2 spot. Coleman now sits number 3 with a time of 20.54.

400 Meter Dash- Former Baylor star Jeremy Wariner used the Big 12 Indoor Championship as an opportunity to launch what would be his Olympic Gold Medal season. He set the big 12 indoor record that stood from 2004 until 2016, 12 long years. Zack Bilderbeck of Texas looks to be the next great 400 runner from the state of Texas. His time of 45.27 became a new conference record and moved him to the number 1 spot in the country.

60 Hurdles- Heading into this weekend Jordan Moore of LSU was looking to solidify his status as the number 1 hurdler in the country. He was able to obtain the number 1 ranking after winning the 60 meter hurdles at the SEC Championships but was unable to place himself as the sole contender. Devon Allen of Oregon who wowed the country two years ago at the Outdoor Championships as a freshman has come back after injury and proved that he still has what it takes to be number 1. Allen claimed the MPSF Conference title with a number 1 tying time of 7.60. We will find out who the real number 1 ease at the NCAA Indoor Championships in a couple weeks.

4x400 Relay- Florida has had an interesting indoor season to say the least. A season that has had more down then ups for the men saw their number 1 ranking become a number 10 ranking. The Gators year and year out have been known to have the best 4x400 relay in the country saw their lofty rankings come into question. In on their few highlights from the weekend the relay put together a memorable performance dominating their SEC competition with a winning time of 3:04.02 that vaulted them to the number 1 ranking. Florida's performance was even more impressive because it was won by more than 3 seconds overall and 5 seconds in their heat. No that was not a typo.

DISTANCE

800- Donovan Brazier of Texas A&M garnered quick national attention when he ran a NCAA leading 1:45.93 at his first meet as 800 runner for Texas A&M. His time broke several age group and freshman records along with a school record. At the SEC Indoor Championships he again proved himself to the be the best in class by defeating defending champion Andres Arroyo of  Florida. Brazier's time of 1:46.08 has only been surpassed by himself and Arroyo's runner up time of 1:46.20 is his best and 2nd best in the country.

Mile- Izaic Yorks of Washington had the home crowd behind him at MPSF Indoor Championships when he lined up against conference rival Sean McGorty of Stanford. I don't many expected to see what they eventually saw. Yorks and McGorty provided distances fan with a great race. When Yorks crossed the line first the time that followed would put him the top 5 all time list for men's miler. His winning time of 3:53.89 place him number 3 all time. Coincidentally McGorty would also end up in the top 5 with his runner up performance of 3:53.95. What a treat of a race that was, it still remains to be seen if Yorks can run just as great against Cheserek or his fellow conference rival McGorty at the National Championships. This event has just gotten even more exciting.

3,000- Pierce Murphy of Colorado took home the event and the best time of the weekend with a time of 7:51.51. Murphy was another national leader from a great conference championship for the MPSF hosted by Washington. Murphy now ranks 12th overall and had guaranteed himself a qualifying spot to the Indoor National Championships.

5,000- Aaron Nelson of Washington added to the distance haul by Washington to claim the MPSF Indoor title. Nelson's winning time of 13:49.93 was the best of the weekend. Nelson is still sitting outside the top 16 however, if someone should focus on another distance or report injury than Nelson is the next man up.

Distance Medley Relay- It seems most teams used the previous weekend to run their best group to qualify for Nationals. However Georgetown used the Big East Championship to stamp their ticket to Nationals. The Hoyas had the best time over the weekend with a time of 9:28.91. They comfortably sit ranked 8th overall.


FIELD

High Jump- Christoff Byran of Kansas State has had to sit behind all of the talk regarding number 1 ranked conference foe Bradley Adkins of Texas Tech. Adkins entered this season as pre-season favorite and had not done anything to disappoint. In fact Adkins has already beaten Bryan this season one on one. At the Big 12 Indoor Championships it would be a different story. Bryan was able to outlast Adkins with a mark of 7'3.25, the top mark of the weekend.

Pole Vault- Pau Tonnesen of Arizona proved to be the best of championship weekend with his mark of 18'1.75. Tonnesen was the only vaulter over 18 feet and he sits comfortably ranked at number 4.

Long Jump- In the men's long jump Jarrion Lawson of Arksansas continued his championship season campaign by winning the SEC title and earning the number 1 mark of the weekend. Lawson's mark of 26'7.25 has only been bested by Johnathan Addison with whom he shares his number 1 ranking with.

Triple Jump- Clive Pullen of Arkansas helped the Razorbacks pull of the double horizontal double by winning against a class field with a mark of 54'3.75. Pullen now ranks number 4 overall.

Shot Put- Ryan Crouser of Texas proved again why he is the preseason favorite in the men's shot put. The former NCAA Champion became the only thrower of 70 feet at that Big 12 Championships when he reached a mark of 71'3.5, His mark is a personal best and further solidifies his number 1 ranking.

Weight Throw- Chukuebua Enekwechi of Purdue has been the top thrower all season long. His mark of 77'11.5 at the Big 10 Indoor Championships to win it all has only been bested by himself. He currently holds the number 1 and 2 marks for the entire season and has remained the favorite to win the Indoor National title.

Heptathlon- Georgia seems to own this event. It's clear Georgia values the field events from a weekend of great performances in the multi event competition and their field athletes in general. Garrett Scantling has been having a great season and is currently the only athlete over 6000 points. Scantling solidified his number 1 ranking with another 6,000 point performance at the SEC Indoor Championships scoring a total of 6,003 points. With his teammate Maicel Uibo out of the competition it's clear that Scantling has a clear path to the title.