Weekend Recap

10.99/42.68

(Hannah Cunliffe-Oregon)

(left)

The West Coast again had the biggest meets this past weekend. Meets such as the Texas Invitational, Mt. Sac Relays and the Oregon Relays produced many of this past weekend best performances. We are now only a month away from Championship season and each new number 1 performance garners more significance. Let us recap what was another fun weekend with the best performers of the weekend.  

WOMEN

BRONZE (AKELA JONES-KANSAS STATE)- Not a weekend goes by were we aren’t thinking about what Akela Jones is doing now. Jones a rare athlete gifted with speed, strength and stamina has captured the headlines majority of this season in a number of different events. Jones is capable of winning multiple events at the NCAA level which is why she is such an amazing talent. The heptathlete reminded us again this past weekend why she is the favorite to defend her NCAA title. Jones scored a total of 6,307 points to win the Heptathlon Challenge at the Mt Sac Relays. Included in that performance would be her jump of 6-4 in the women’s high jump. That mark would also move her atop of the high jump rankings as well. It is still plenty of season left and Jones’ name should be heard a lot.

SILVER (CINDY OFILI-MICHIGAN)- Ofili began this outdoor season as the preseason favorite to win the women’s 100 meter hurdles. She is the top returnee from last season with a time of 12.60. She backed up the hype during the indoor season winning the NCAA title with a time of 7.89, one of the fastest times in NCAA history. Ofili got off to a bit of slow start this outdoor season. Although she had one race it was expected that she at least would dip under 13 seconds. It was likely her level of competition that didn’t allow her to push as hard as she could. This past weekend at the Mt Sac Relays she was pushed and produced an NCAA leading time of 12.66 nearly beating her school record. Ofili has plenty of time left in the season to improve upon her time and break her own record.

GOLD (HANNAH CUNLIFFE-OREGON)- Former youth star Hannah Cunliffe had a rough freshman year competing for Oklahoma. Things did not turn out as expected. Cunliffe transferred to the University of Oregon which has recently become the new 100 meter university for women. With recent sprinting greats English Gardner and Jenna Prandini along with Jasmine Todd it was clear that Oregon would be a better option. She nearly won the 60 meter dash indoors with a school record time of 7.12. Cunliffe like Ofili used the high level of competition to garner the first sub 11 second time of the season with a mark of 10.99. Although she finished 2^nd in her race to Prandini who is now a professional her time catapults her to the number 1 spot in the NCAA.

MEN

BRONZE (NICHOLAS SCARVELIS-UCLA)- UCLA had a bit of tough weekend in their dual meet with Texas A&M. UCLA is noticeably in the rebuilding stages but still could produce a decent team. In the men’s shot put Nicholas Scarvelis was proof that the program is still of quality. Scarvelis claimed the shot put title with a throw of 67’0. His mark moves him to the number one spot in the nation and in the driver’s seat to challenge for the NCAA title.

SILVER (NETHANEEL MITCHELL-BLAKE-LSU)- Blake has clearly stepped into the leadership role this season as LSU’s top overall male sprinter. Blake spent majority of his indoor season atop the rankings in the men’s 200 meter dash before finishing 2^nd overall. Blake has gotten things off to a good start this outdoor season by winning the 100 meter dash at the Texas Invitational. In less than ideal conditions Blake bolted to a winning time of 10.09. Blake’s time is currently the top legal 100 meter dash in the country and a time that should catch everyone’s attention. Blake is currently the front runner to claim the SEC men’s 100 title.

GOLD (PATRICK CORONA- AIR FORCE)- It’s always good to see athletes at military academies competing at such a high level. Military schools put such a challenging demand on their athletes to not only represent themselves as quality students and athletes but also as military personnel. Corona lined up against heavy competition at the Mt Sac Relays this past weekend in the men’s 5,000. In that very race was All-American Mason Ferlic who was stepping in distance from usual race the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Corona claimed the victory outkicking the entire field to the finish with a time of 13:37.24 the nation’s new number 1 time.

RELAY GOLD:

The 4x100 relay was hot for two programs this past weekend. LSU men became the first group to record a sub 39 second performance winning in a time of 38.95 at the Texas Invitational. The Oregon women became the 3^rd best program all time with a time of 42.68. Both performances are currently ranked number 1 in the entire NCAA.

Next weekend is also another opportunity for great performances with plenty of quality regular season meets. The Michael Johnson Classic (Baylor), Kansas Relays (Kansas), the Tom Jones Memorial Classic (Florida), Houston Invitational (Houston), LSU Alumni Gold (LSU) and the Jesse Owens Track Classic (Ohio State). The outdoor season is in full swing as we draw closer to the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.