Weekly Weekend Recap

1:44.63!!!

Brandon McBride (right)

Mississippi State

April is officially gone and we are heading into the final week of the regular season. For many of the top tier teams the regular season has ended and for many others it is a final opportunity to improve upon their performances prior to the Championship season. This past weekend the Penn Relays were conducted and as usual grabbed the attention of most of the track and field world. There were also several other meets this past weekend that produced some noteworthy performances.

WOMEN

BRONZE: DeANNA PRICE (SOUTHERN ILLINOIS)- Price has proven to be quite the thrower. She does not get the attention that her former teammate Raven Saunders does but has proven to be quite the talent. Price is the defending champion in the women’s hammer throw and is great position to defend her title. This past weekend cemented her number 1 status with a throw of 238’5 in a dual meet against SIU Edwardsville. Her mark keeps at least 14 feet ahead of the competition.

SILVER: TAYLOR ELLIS-WATSON (ARKANSAS)- Watson is having quite the outdoor season. She has ran a personal best in the 200 meter dash running sub 23 and she can now add a personal best in the 400. Her time of 50.78 has placed her in the number 2 spot in the NCAA and garnered her the win at the LSU Invitational. Her time is quite impressive and proves she may be the only one capable of potentially challenging Courtney Okolo. Watson heads into the SEC Championship season as one of the best 400 meter runners in the conference since Natasha Hastings of South Carolina back in 2007.

GOLD: DOMINQUE SCOTT (ARKSANSAS)- Yes another Arkansas Razorback, this would explain why at one point in the season they were ranked number 1 in the country. Scott has certainly been one of the leaders of this great team. Scott has been a fixture of the Arkansas distance program for quite a while. This past weekend she became the NCAA leader at 10,000 meters with a time of 31:56.84 at the Payton-Jordan Invitational. She is currently the only athlete under 32 minutes in the NCAA. Scott attempted the 5k, 10k double last season and finished 2^nd in both events. This season she may do the same but she is in better position to pull it off.

MEN

BRONZE: IZAIC YORKS (WASHINGTON)- Yorks is having quite the season. After a record run indoors at the mile his 1,500 performance outdoors this past weekend at the Payton Jordan Invitational was equally impressive. His time of 3:37.74 moved him front of the rankings in the 1,500 ahead of Henry Wynne of Virginia. During the indoor season he did not compete in the mile at the National Championship instead opting for the 3,000 and finished 4^th. With the time he put up before Championship season one can only hope that he decides to focus on the 1,500 and wow us again.

SILVER: FUTSUM ZIENASELLASSIE (NORTHERN ARIZONA)- As they do every year Northern Arizona has another solid long distance athlete. Zienasellassie is the next great runner from a program that has produced some great champions. His time of 27:52.70 ran at the Payton Jordan Invitational was enough for him to finish 3^rd in the race but vaulted him to the number 1 spot in the NCAA rankings. Perhaps what is even more impressive about his performance is the time. It is a sub 28 minute race and he has over 40 seconds on the closest competitor.

GOLD: BRANDON MCBRIDE (MISSISSIPPI STATE)- Keeping with our distance theme for this week we saw Brandon McBride make history. McBride has not since fallen out the minds of many who follow the sport as a contender for the 800 title since the Canadian last won it as a sophomore at the Outdoor Championships. This past weekend in front a home crowd at Mississippi State he climbed into the all-time rankings with a winning time of 1:44.63, it is the 3^rd best time in NCAA history.  To those who though he had fallen off it is clear that he hasn’t. Let’s call it the magic of an Olympic year. Along with Shaquille Walker of BYU we now have two athletes with season and personal bests under 1:45. 

On a side note there isn't any relay gold. However I will say that I hope to be a regular visitor to the Penn Relays in the near future. This is the last year of my 20's and I was still unable to attend, I hope to get the opportunity in the near future.