FRESHMAN CLASS

(Sydney McLaughlin-Kentucky)

THE FRESHMAN TO LOOK FOR

The 2017 season treated us to many great performances in track and field from all levels. Last season’s high school seniors put on quite a few impressive performances. There were new national records and all-time top 10 performances. We even have some Olympians and World Medalist that we will see compete. In this post, we will look at the freshman that are most likely to make an impact.

WOMEN

SYNDEY MCLAUGHLIN (KENTUCKY)- Syd the kid as she has been referred to is a name that many around the world have known about for a couple of years. She made her name famous as a junior when she became the youngest member of Team USA in the women’s 400 hurdles. Her time of 53.82 ran last season at US Nationals was not enough to qualify for London 2017 but she set another national record.

McLaughlin who is now at the University of Kentucky will now return to competing in the 100 hurdles and the open 400. She has not run the high hurdlers regularly since her sophomore year in high school due to injury. Coach Floreal however decided to give her that opportunity to enjoy track and field and take away some of the intense expectations she will likely be under. The sky is the limit for this stud, competing in the SEC expect her to be an exciting piece to a great conference.

SAMMY WATSON (TEXAS A&M)- Watson is the latest 800-meter star to compete for Texas A&M. The aggies already have talented NCAA Indoor record holder in Jazmin Fray returning to compete this season and now they have the very talented Sammy Watson to add to their repertoire.

Watson has been a household name since she was a sophomore with her great performances in the 400, 600 and 800. She set a personal best of 2:00.78 as a high school senior last season making her one of the top competitors in the NCAA already for this season. Training with Fray should give Watson the proper challenge to go under 2 minutes indoors.

TARA DAVIS (GEORGIA)- Davis is a rare athlete. She is a top performer in several events. She ran under 13 seconds in the 100 hurdles, jumped 22 feet in the long jump and could jump over 43 feet in the triple jump. Davis landed at perhaps the school that will improve her skills the most.

Georgia has become the hotbed for field event athletes. Having the triple jump American record holder in Keturah Orji as a training partner and mentor is a huge advantage. She also has the defending outdoor NCAA Champion in the long jump in Kate Hall as a teammate as well. Davis will also look to lead an improving hurdle group and should among the top competitors in the country.

MEN

HAKIM SANI BROWN (FLORIDA)- It has become a regular occurrence for the Gators to have an incoming freshman expected to provide a big impact. This season is no difference. Brown like McLaughlin has international experience. Brown competed this past summer at the World Championships in London in both the 100 and 200. Brown made the final of the 200-meter dash finishing in 7^th place.

Brown will be training with world class talent and being coached by a world class coach in Mike Holloway. Florida should again be in the mix for another national title with Brown as a major key to their success.

CAMERON COOPER (LSU)- Cooper had quite the career for Oak Park High School, my parents’ alma-mater. Cooper had quite the performance last season running the 800 in a time of 1:47.59 to win the US National Junior title. Cooper arrives to LSU as their top 800 runner for a team that has a history of producing great 800 runners.

Cooper will be under the tutelage of a new distance coach in Mark Rinker. His coach has a history of having great 800 runners and Cooper will look to add to that legacy. Competing in the SEC with a time of 1:47.59, Cooper will be ready to compete at a high level right away.

COOPER TEARE AND REED BROWN (OREGON)- Oregon recently said good bye to perhaps the greatest NCAA Champion in history in Edward Cheserek. Cheserek had won so many NCAA titles and huge point grab for the Ducks that to replace him they would need someone just as special as him. Enter in Cooper Teare and Reed Brown. Yes, that is two but Cheserek was just that talented and successful.

Teare and Brown enter this season as the top freshman in the mile and two mile. With both competing for the Ducks they will likely not be given a heavy burden and be allowed to develop at a slower more natural pace. With the long-distance events getting ready for a new star it is not hard to believe that these two-talented freshmen can contribute to the Ducks Championship campaign and provide solid points at a Championship level.

JORDAN GEIST (ARIZONA)-  Jordan Geist was the nation’s top shot putter last season. He had a throw of 76 feet and has been among the top throwers since his junior year. Although the shot put from high school to college increases 4 pounds Geist should adjust quickly and be able to compete for Arizona rather immediately. 

INDOOR IS COMING!

The Indoor Season is coming!

We have now arrived in November. Several Power 5 teams will begin the indoor season in a month and the rest will start in early January. Last season was a season of records. What will this season be? With so many records broken is it possible for them to broken again this season. Let us also remember that quite a few NCAA Champions went pro early. The team race will be very different for the Lady Oregon Ducks and what will become of Florida without their dynamic hurdling duo.

SPRINT SENSATION

Hannah Cunliffe is the defending champion in the women’s 60-meter dash and her teammate Ariana Washington is the defending champion in the 200-meter dash. Both are members of the Oregon Lady Ducks who look to win yet another NCAA Indoor title. Gone from their amazing sprint core is Deajah Stevens who almost set not only an NCAA record but an American record for the women’s 200-meter dash indoors. They should see competition from conference rival Deanna Hill of USC and from San Diego State’s Ashley Henderson.

In the long sprints Kendall Ellis of USC is the top returnee. Her outdoor personal best in the 400 was 50.00 and earned her a selection on Team USA last summer and gave her valuable international experience. She will have to deal with true freshman superstar Sydney McLaughlin of Kentucky who will be focusing on the 60 hurdles as well as the open 400-meter dash.

In the 60 meter hurdles Pedrya Seymour is the top returnee. She has transferred to the University of Texas and will be a part of a great 1-2 punch with Rushelle Burton. Anna Cockrell of USC also is a name to watch. She is the only freshman returning with a personal record under 8 seconds.

On the men’s side, there will be new champions in all three of the sprints. Christian Coleman last season’s champion in the 60 and 200-meter dash has turned pro early after a successful outdoor season that saw him earn two IAAF World silver medals.  Kendal Williams of Georgia is the top returnee with a personal best of 6.51. He was thought to be the perfect challenge to Coleman who proved to be too much for Williams in the end. Williams will see challenge from Jaylen Bacon of Arkansas State who also garnered international experience winning a silver medal on Team USA’s 4x100 relay this past summer.

In the 200 Kenzo Cotton of Arkansas steps into the light as the top returnee. He has been a huge part of the Arkansas sprint core since his arrival and last season made his presence even more known as a junior earning All-American honor. He will have to deal with conference foe Ncincilili Titi of South Carolina and Maxwell Willis of Baylor.

Fred Kerley had an amazing season last year for Texas A&M that saw him break the NCAA record last season. His younger brother Mylik Kerley is one of the top returnees from last season. Kunle Fasasi of Florida will also put his hat in the race. Fasasi dealt with injuries all last season and was an unfortunate disqualification in the finals last indoor season but he returns as the top guy overall. Michael Norman will be a sophomore at USC and after an injury riddled start will be in better position to show what he is capable of.

Grant Holloway of Florida is the lone returning champion in the sprints and hurdles. Holloway won the event as a freshman with a winning time of 7.58. Chad Zallow of Youngstown State and Michael Dickson of North Carolina A&T are also top returnees and challenged Holloway all last season with their times. Florida is expected to be a top five team heading into the Indoor season and Holloway will look to be a big part of that.

THE DISTANCE RUNNERS ARE HERE

Jazmine Fray of Texas A&M is perhaps the biggest name returning in middle distance. Last season she broke the NCAA Indoor record for 800 meters with a time of 2:00.69. Her time was not beaten at all last season and remains the record to this day. At the NCAA Indoor Championships last season, she was thwarted by multi-winning national champion Raevyn Rogers of Oregon. With Rogers have gone pro a year early Fray is in the clear to garner her first NCAA title.

The mile should be an interesting race between defending champion Karisa Nelson of Samford and Elinor Purrier of New Hampshire. The two ladies finished 1-2 last season at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Purrier has the better personal record by Nelson has the title. Time will not matter when these two race again, what will matter will be who wins.

In the long-distance races Erin Finn of Michigan has another indoor season of eligibility and hopefully will use it to compete against Missouri distance star Karissa Schweizer of Missouri. These two had quite the race at the Indoor Championships last season in the 5,000 and it would be a real treat to see those two compete again. Also, either could drop down to the 3,000 and compete against defending champion Dani Jones of Colorado.

On the men’s side, the distance era begins a new with King Edward Cheserek of Oregon not off to the pro’s. Anthony Kosgei of UTEP is one of the new big names in the 800. He is returning after a stellar freshman campaign that saw him run 1:46 indoors as a freshman. Patrick Joseph of Virginia Tech and Daniel Kuhn of Indiana will also challenge for the NCAA title.

In the mile, the defending champion returns after his stunning upset of Cheserek last season. Josh Kerr of New Mexico shocked the world last year by defeating Cheserek in the mile as a freshman. He returns this season apart of New Mexico’s exciting distance core as another big new name. He proved his indoor season was no fluke by winning the 1,500 outdoors and competing at the IAAF World Championships.

In the 3,000 and 5,000 one big name returns to take Cheserek’s place. He won the 3,000 and 5,000 last indoor season completing an impressive double. This season Justyn Knight of Syracuse is the big name heading into the season after winning the NCAA men’s Cross-Country title. He has been a mainstay in the finals since he was a freshman and this season is in perfect position to match Cheserek’s double or by winning either event.

JUMPING and THROWING

It is quite conceivable that Georgia could win every jumping event on the women’s side except for the pole vault. The Lady Bulldogs have two defending champions, Madeline Fagan in the high jump and superstar Keturah Orji in the Triple Jump. Kate Hall won the NCAA Outdoor title in the long jump and finished 4th behind Orji last indoor season who finished 3^rd and is the top returnee. With so many talent and depth in the jumping events the Bulldogs could win the national title just off their field events alone.

In the pole vault a new Indoor champion will be crowned and there are a few names that will be competing for the title. You have the Weeks sisters from Arkansas, Alexis and Victoria. Arkansas has been the best program in the NCAA as far as their development of Pole Vaulters. They have many recent All-Americans. Olivia Gruver of Kentucky stunned the two sisters last outdoor season to win the National title. It was especially surprising since at the SEC Championships she recorded no height.

Both throwing events have the defending champions returning. Super stud Raven Saunders of Ole Miss continued her winning ways last season by winning the Indoor title in the shot put and breaking the NCAA record. Saunders will look to make it a four-peat. No other returning athlete in the NCAA has a personal best beyond 61 feet and she has a personal best beyond 64.

Saunders teammate Jeaneah Stewart is the top returnee mark wise with a throw of 76-0 ¾ in the weight throw. Annette Echikunwoke of Cincinnati is the defending champion in the weight throw and proved last season that she did not fear the two-headed monster coming from Ole Miss. Stewart would look to avenger herself after a poor performance last season.

In three jumping events on the men’s side we have defending champions competing. In the high jump Trey Culver of Texas Tech, Chris Nilsen of South Dakota in the Pole Vault and KeAndre Bates of Florida in the long jump.

Christof Bryan of Kansas State will be Culver’s top challenger in the high jump and is the outdoor defending champion. Matthew Ludwig of Akron is like Bryan in that he won the outdoor title and is the top challenger to Nilsen who the event in 2017 as a freshman. Bates may see the top challenge on his own team in Grant Holloway. Holloway has shown his superior athleticism and the only thing missing from a major jump perhaps is more control over his technique. Expect for him to make that leap. Bates is also the top returnee in the triple jump and is also the outdoor champion in the event.

Mostafa Hassan of Colorado State is the defending champion in the shot put. His best throw of 69 feet is four feet farther than his closest competitor Filip Mihaljevic of Virginia Tech. It is quite possible that Hassan surpasses 70 feet.

In the weight throw a new champion will be crowned. Grant Cartwright of Michigan and Gleb Dudarev of Kansas are the top two returnees from last season. Dudarev has the farther personal record with a mark of 76-11 but Cartwright finished higher at the Indoor Championships last season finishing 2^nd overall.

In the multi-events Georgia will be without the Williams siblings and new champions are two be crowned. In the women’s pentathlon Taliyah Brooks of Arkansas is the top returnee having almost score 4,600 points. In the men’s heptathlon Tim Duckworth of Kentucky is the top returnee. Duckworth was the favorite heading into the meet until Devon Williams of Georgia finally had a healthy season and nearly beat Duckworth.

TEAM BATTLE

The team battle this season will be tough. On the women’s side you have Oregon, LSU, USC, Georgia and Arkansas with considerable depth. All five teams have major points in numerous areas. On the men’s side you have Florida, LSU, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Oregon. Florida is returning a stable of champions along with quite an impressive recruiting class. Arkansas has perhaps is deepest team in years and Oregon and LSU will always be there in the finals. 

NCAA Outdoor Championship Review

(Florida Gators 2017 NCAA Men's Outdoor Champions)

As predicted this past weekend was a spectacular display of track of field. The NCAA Outdoor Division 1 Championships never cease to amaze. There were new collegiate records, history made and shattered dreams. This year has been the year of breaking all-time records, that continued this past weekend. The 4x400 relay mattered in both team races making it exciting until the very end. In this recap, we are going to look at the most noteworthy performances from this weekend.

Women

Kyra Jefferson had perhaps the most noteworthy performance of the meet. We previewed that Dawn Sowell’s long standing 200-meter record was under serious threat. Perhaps we did not know that it would be Jefferson to do it. Deajah Stevens of Oregon entered this meet as the headlining sprinter in this event. She looked as though early in the race as if she was on record pace then with less than 50 meters to go with Jefferson now pulling a slight lead ahead her she took a tumble. She literally fell to the track. Jefferson continued the race clocking in at 22.02, a new NCAA record. Jefferson if the daughter ’84 Olympic Bronze medalist Thomas Jefferson. Clearly the apple has not fallen far.

Senior Chris Ann Gordon of Texas had the challenge of continuing the Texas legacy of champion 400 runners. In the way of that challenge was number one ranked senior Shakima Wimbley of Miami. Wimbley lead the NCAA with a time of 50.40 until Gordon ran a 50.39 in the semi-finals. Gordon withstood a cold final day to rocket around the track to the time of 50.51. She got out early on Wimbley and came off the turn with a pretty decent lead. She was able to hold that lead all the way until the finish line defeating Wimbley who clocked in at 50.68.

The 4x400 relay certainly lived up to the hype and expectation of the record falling. Texas established the record in 2004 at the Texas Relays, there time of 3:23.75 has stood since then. That team included Sheretta Jones, Raasin McIntosh, Jerricka Chapelle and Olympic Gold Medalist Sanya Richards. Oregon began talking of breaking the record soon after they broke the 4x100 NCAA record early in the season. They were certainly going to be pushed by a strong USC team. In fact USC Anchor Kendall Ellis surpassed Raevyn Rogers coming off the first curb. Rogers however used her superior endurance and hold off Ellis coming down the final stretch with a 49.7 split and stopping the clocking at 3:23.13. USC ran a NCAA record time too of 3:23.35, they just unfortunately finished 2^nd.

Georgia continued to impress in the field events, most notably the jumps. They claim titles in the Long Jump, Triple Jump and High Jump. Freshman Kate Hall claimed the title with a mark of 22-1, Keturah Orji defended her triple jump title with a mark of 46-10 ¾ and Madeline Fagan won the high jump with a height of 6-3 ¼. They scored a total of 46.20 points in those events alone plus the pole vault. What’s perhaps is most impressive is the fact that none of the ladies are seniors. The only senior was Kendell Williams who successfully defending her national title and now owns three NCAA heptathlon titles. She scored 6,265 points, although not her NCAA record it was still quite the impressive performance.

There were quite a few noteworthy performances for the wrong reasons. Aleia Hobbs of LSU with a personal best time of 10.85 not only did not win, she did not place in the top three. Her teammate Mikiah Brisco won clocking in at 10.96. LSU was also disqualified during the semi-finals of the 4x100 meter relay after the first exchange was made outside of the zone. This was astonishing turn of events since neither NCAA record holders from this season would compete. Texas A&M and Miami were also disqualified. Raven Saunders was also defeated in the women’s shot put unable to throw past 60 feet, Danniel Thomas of Kent State won with a mark of 62-10.

MEN

Christian Coleman has been the man all season long. He has been breaking records left and right, he continued his impressive season by dominating the competition. Coleman’s most impressive performance came in the semi-finals where he clocked in at 9.82, a new NCAA record while slightly shutting it down. It is also the number one time in the world so far. In the finals, he ran a time 10.04 into a strong headwind. He followed that up by running the 200 in a time of 20.25 also into a strong headwind. The weather certainly did not cooperate for the finals by either being cold, windy or rainy or all three at once. However, his times are still impressive and let us hope we hear more of him later this year at the IAAF World Championships.

Grant Fisher the talented sophomore runner at Stanford is from my home state of Michigan. He was a dominant force in high school most notably in the longer distances. He garnered All-American honors and arrived at Stanford with a lot of hype. This past weekend he proved he was worth it all, Fisher out kicked pre-race favorite Justyn Knight of Syracuse down the final stretch to win the 5,000-meter run in a time of 14:35.60. Although Knight still may possess the top time in the NCAA he was unable to seal the deal against Fisher from Stanford who certainly proved to have more in the tank.

Grant Holloway of Florida was recently named the SEC Freshman Runner of the Year. He has had quite the season. He was dominant indoors and won the 60-meter hurdle title. At the SEC Championships, it was a different story, he lost his first race of the outdoor season to Devon Williams of Georgia. It seemed as if he hit the freshman wall. He proved that theory wrong while dominating the field by winning the 110 hurdles in a time of 13.49. He ran that into a strong headwind, perhaps making it even more impressive. He followed that up with a 2^nd place finish in the long jump, an event he almost got disqualified in. He made his best jump on his 3^rd jump after two consecutive fouls. The jump had him in 1^st place for a short while.

KeAndre Bates of Florida is Holloway’s teammate that defeated him in the long jump. He leaped to the mark of 26-5 to complete the indoor and outdoor sweep of the long jump. He followed that up by leaping to a season’s best jump of 55-0 to win the NCAA title in the triple jump. Bates became the seventh athlete in NCAA history to complete the sweep of the jumps. He individually earned the Gators at total of 20 points.

The 4x400 Relay was a part of deciding whether Texas A&M or Florida would win. Florida only needed to finish 5^th or better. Texas A&M’s only option was to win it all. After running under 3 minutes in the semi-finals you did not expect them to do it again. That was unless you saw how relaxed Kerley was on the anchor leg. In the finals, they became the first university to run under 3 minutes in both the semi-finals and the finals. Their time of 2:59.98 will place them in the all-time top 10 as well. Florida was able to finish 4^th with a time of 3:02.16. It is quite disappointing that their sophomore stud Kunle Fasasi was unable to run due to injury they may have had a more impressive time.

What a season this was, multiple national records broken and great competition in every event. We will say good bye to quite a few senior champions that have made this sport special but we will also say hello to a new group that arrives next year and a group of talented champions that will return. 

NCAA Championship Men's Preview

(Christian Coleman-Tennessee)

What a year it has been for the men. Old records broken and champions dethroned. This meet promises to be exciting, engaging and yes cold. With the wet and cold weather headed to Eugene this week one wonders whether we will see the record-breaking performances at the meet this year. Then you have to remember this is the National Championships and you recognize there have been great performances this year regardless of weather.

SPRINTS

The sprints have been hot this year. It has never happened where we have had all three barriers broken, 10 seconds for the 100, 20 seconds for the 200 and 44 seconds for the 400. There has also never been this much depth in the sprints. In the 100-meter dash alone there are eight gentlemen that have season and or personal bests under 10 seconds. Christian Coleman of Tennessee and Cameron Burrell of Houston look to lead that group.

The 100-meter dash regardless of time promises to be quite the race. Burrell of Houston has come on strong as of late. He has run sub 10 seconds twice this season and shows capability of going faster. Coleman has dominated this event all year long. He has yet to lose and does not look like he will this coming weekend. If the weather acts right, we may see a sub 9.9 performance.

Coleman is equally strong in the 200-meter dash. His season and personal best of 19.85 is 2^nd all-time to only Walter Dix of Florida State. Coleman completed the sprint double this past indoor season and should do the same this weekend. Senior Nathaneel Mitchell-Blake of LSU and Jereem Richards of Alabama will give him quite the challenge as they too have run under 20 seconds.

Senior Fred Kerley of Texas A&M has been sensational from the very beginning of the indoor season. His tall powerful frame is appropriately being used to his advantage. He wowed the home crowd at the indoor championship with a time of 44.85. He wowed the nation at the West Regional Preliminary when broke the NCAA record with a time of 43.70. He is currently ranked number one in the world and is a big piece of Texas A&M’s team title hopes. Kerley has never failed to put on a show this season and that looks to continue this weekend.

DISTANCE

True freshman Emmanuel Korir of UTEP has been the face of the 800 all season long. He has shown his blazing 400-meter speed that resulted in a 43.4 split and has already run 1:43 this season. With his speed, it is quite possible we might have back to back freshman NCAA Champions and record breakers. Korir is one of the many talented distance runners residing at UTEP. With speed like his it is quite possible we may get blessed with a 1:42 performance.

In the 1,500 Josh Kerr of New Mexico is the top entrant with his season best time of 3:35.99. New Mexico has recently had a string of great distance runners and Kerr seems to be next in line for the New Mexico Lobos. Craig Engels of Ole Miss challenged Kerr early in the season at the Bryan Clay Invite and will likely do it again this weekend.

Senior Edwin Kibichiy of Louisville claimed the top entrant after a great race at the East Regional Preliminaries. His time of 8:32.91 is almost four seconds ahead of closest competitor and confirms that he is the one to beat.

In the 5,000 we will be without Oregon star Edward Cheserek. Cheserek ended his season a few weeks ago with due to a minor back injury and then signed to compete professionally. Cheserek had one of the greatest careers in NCAA history, he left the college game better than he found it along with a hoard of national championships.

Justyn Knight of Syracuse has already beaten Cheserek this season and claimed the top spot in this event at the Payton Jordan Invitational with a time of 13:17.51. His time is now 17 seconds ahead of his closest competition. With Cheserek out of the competition Knight will now have an even easier opportunity to win his first individual NCAA title.

Alfred Chalenga of Alabama began the season with a time of 28:04.95 in the 10k at the Stanford Invitational. He has maintained his hold on the number one ranking all season long. He arrives this weekend with hopes of continue his dominance by cementing his status at the top long distance runner in the nation.

HURDLES

Senior Aaron Mallet was slightly under the radar majority of the outdoor season. Then at the East Regional Preliminary he reminded everyone of his greatness. That talented senior from Iowa earned the top time in the NCAA with a mark of 13.36. He beat Indoor Champion and true freshman Grant Holloway of Florida. Holloway was the favorite majority of the season until losing at the SEC Championships proved that he was a freshman and still human. Add Chad Zallow of Youngstown State to the mix you have a quality field that is likely to produce an outstanding time.

In the 400 hurdles defending champion Eric Futch of Florida enters the meet not as the favorite. Some even predict he is likely to get 3^rd or 4^th. There are currently four individuals with personal best better than his this season. Byron Robinson of Texas who is ranked number one, Kenny Selmon of North Carolina and Kemar Mowatt of Arkansas who beat Futch at the SEC Championships. 

Futch proved his raw speed earning individual All-American honors indoors in the open 400-meter dash.

Futch along with his teammate TJ Holmes are being relied upon for team points in the team title hopes. Futch entered the meet last year not the favorite and still shows signs that his technique could still use some work. I personally believe the loss has humbled him and expect for him to be at his best this weekend.

FIELD EVENTS

LONG JUMP- Keandre Bates of Florida arrives as the favorite to win this event and is a big part of Florida’s team title hopes. Bates who won the event Indoors has lost two highly anticipated match ups. Once during the regular season against Charles Brown of Texas Tech and a surprise loss at the SEC Championships to freshman Ja’Mari Ward of Missouri. Both of those athletes will not be competing this weekend due to injury. Bates returns to the driver’s seat and a key clog in the Florida engine.

TRIPLE JUMP- Bates is also one of the top entrants in the men’s triple jump. He has few mishaps at the East Regional Preliminary and was able to qualify to nationals. He has the 2^nd best jump in the nation with a mark of 54’9 and routinely shows up at major meets. Eric Sloan of USC launched to a mark of 55’6 ¼ to lead the entrants after a great showing at the West Regional Preliminaries. Sloan arrived to the meet last season as one of the favorites and was unable to live up to the hype. Expect for him to give Bates all he can handle and finish at the top this go around.

HIGH JUMP- Defending champion Randall Cunningham of USC was unable to qualify out of the West Regional Preliminaries leaving room for a new NCAA Champion. Tye Williams of South Carolina and Keenon Laine of Georgia are the top entrants with personal bests of 7’4 ½. Laine beat Williams one on one at the SEC Championships and is a part of that great jumping program at Georgia. The Georgia Bulldogs always seem to perform well at this meet Laine should be no different.

POLE VAULT- True freshman Chris Nilsen of South Dakota has led the Pole Vault all year long. He won the Indoor title and looks to continue his success outdoors.

SHOT PUT- Mostafa Hassan of Colorado State is the top entrant in the shot put. He leads with a mark of 69’11. Hassan is dangerously close to the 70-foot mark and should break it this weekend pending weather. He is a full 2 feet ahead of his closest competitor.

DISCUS- Brian Williams of Ole Miss proves that they not only have great women throwers but great men as well. Williams leads the NCAA in the discus with a throw of 213’8. Williams has almost four feet on his closest competitor but in an event like the discus that could easily be made up. Williams should win the event but will still find great challenge in his competitors.

HAMMER THROW- Gleb Dudarev of Kansas is top entrant with a mark of 243’5 almost 8 feet ahead of his closest competitor. Although a true freshman Dudarev has already proven himself by winning the big 12 Championship against veteran competition.

JAVELIN- Ioannis Kriyazis is a huge piece of Texas A&M’s championship hope. The star javelin thrower has a 30-foot lead on his competition and is clearly in the driver’s seat heading into the championship this weekend.

DECATHLON- Senior Lindon Victor of Texas A&M will break the NCAA record again. That is my prediction and I am stick to it. Although he enters as the headliner let us not leave out Devon Williams of Georgia. He has quietly sack back in the 2^nd position while improving his performance in several areas most notably the 110 high hurdles where he won the SEC Championship. Victor will most certainly be pushed this weekend expect a great competition.

RELAYS

4X100- Although Houston took a huge hit with Eli Hall getting injured I still believe that Houston possess a capable enough team to win the NCAA title in this event. LSU is still strong but I am betting on Cameron Burrell having a solid relay leg but I would not be surprised if LSU came out on top.

4x400- Texas A&M has not been challenged at all this season and with Fred Kerley on their relay I expect much of the same. However, Auburn has the luxury of having two freshmen that run under 45 seconds keep an eye out for them.

TEAM BATTLE

It is between Texas A&M, Florida and Arkansas. Texas A&M historically has shown up at this meet and performed very well under head coach Pat Henry. Florida surprised everyone last year by winning and certainly have the horses to do so. I am going with Texas A&M because I believe they possess the strong team. 

NCAA Championships Women's Preview

(Deajah Stevens- Oregon)

Well we have finally made it here. The NCAA Outdoor Championships. This is one of the best weekends on the track and field calendar. There are quite a few story lines at this meet, the team battle, those who did not make it and the individual battles as well. This preview we will focus on who is competing and how they affect the overall team competition.

SPRINTS

Mikiah Brisco of LSU leads a strong contingent of sprinters at LSU. Brisco early this season wowed the country with her time of 10.85 in the 100-meter dash on her home track. Her time is the second fastest time in NCAA history and the fastest low-altitude time ever. Brisco has been dominant this outdoor season and will look to continue her string of 100 meter wins. Ariana Washington the defending champion from Oregon may have different plans. She did not win a major race all last season until the NCAA Championships and will look to do it again this go around. 

In the 200 Deajah Stevens of Oregon is also a record breaker. The talented junior ran the second fastest 200-meter time in collegiate history with a time of 22.09. She like Brisco also broke the low altitude record. Stevens is also being relied upon even more than expected due to the 4x100 relay failing to qualify. Stevens still may have more in the tank and we should not be surprised if she dips under 22 seconds.

Senior Shakima Wimbley began the outdoor season as the favorite to win the NCAA title and then she hit a bit of a rough patch early in the outdoor season. She lost races against athletes not of her caliber. Win the ACC Conference Championships rolled around she returned to dominate form in the 400. Her time of 50.40 is still the top time in the NCAA but a familiar foe will be there to challenge. USC’s Kendall Ellis has been sensational this outdoor season and has not lost a race since losing the Indoor title to Wimbley. Ellis has a season best of 50.45 setting for another close final between the two.

DISTANCE

Raevyn Rogers is no stranger to being a headliner, in fact when is the last time she has not been considered a headliner. She is the new NCAA record holder at 800 meters and has been unstoppable all year long. With her personal best of 1:59.10 early in the season it’s quite possible we may see her lower her time to a 1:58. Rogers is expected to provide Oregon with valuable team points and anchor their top ranked 4x400 relay.

Karisa Nelson of Samford is the top entrant in the 1,500. Nelson’s path to an NCAA Championships got easier after Elise Cranny of Stanford failed to qualify. Nelson has a season’s best of 4:10.91 that will likely have to be improved upon for her to win the 1,500. Although Nelson is form a small school she has proved herself to be ready against more challenging competition by winning the mile at the Indoor National Championships.

Elinor Purrier of New Hampshire is the top returnee from last outdoor season in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Purrier has proven to be quite the adept distance runner being ranked amongst the elite in two events this outdoor season, the 1,500 and the steeplechase. She has a pretty sizable lead in the ranks with her season best time of 9:43.65. No other competitor has run under 9:50. Purrier at this point in the game is a heavy favorite.

Alli Buchalski of Furman keeps the trend of top tier distance runners from small schools going. Buchalski is the number two ranked 5k runner but the top entrant heading into the championships final. She was the number one ranked competitor however for majority of the season and is in great position to win the event.

The 10k perhaps one of the most grueling events on the track. Freshman Anna Rohrer of Notre Dame leads the way. Rohrer the latest long distance prodigy from Notre Dame has already taken the reigns early in her career. The NCAA leader with a time of 31:58.99 is the only athlete running under 32 minutes currently. Rohrer must prove herself however since she is a freshman but has proven to be solid so far.

HURDLES

Talented sophomore Tobi Amusan from UTEP returns from her All-American freshman campaign to lead the NCAA in the 100 meter hurdles. She has been ranked number 1 or 2 all outdoor season long and clocked a NCAA leading time of 12.57 at the Western Preliminaries to earn the top qualifying mark. Amusan’s time already places her amongst the best in collegiate history but she must face off against defending champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Kentucky who has the speed to beat anyone.

The 400 hurdles is perhaps the most challenging event to complete on the track. The 400 is painful enough but add hurdles to that is just madness. Senior Sage Watson of Arizona has proven to not be phased by it however. She is the latest hurdler to come out of Arizona competing for a NCAA title. Her leading time of 55.01 will likely be improved upon thanks to her outstanding speed. She is one of the few Olympians competing this weekend and is great position to earn her first NCAA title.

FIELD EVENTS

Long Jump- Quaneesha Burks of Alabama has been dominant all season long. She has defeated Indoor Champion Sha’Keela Saunders of Kentucky and has placed herself in great position to win back her NCAA crown.

Triple Jump- Keturah Orji of Georgia is the most dominant triple jumper in NCAA/American history. Orji is also an Olympian and barely missed getting a medal. Orji has a personal best of 48-3 but will likely not need that mark to win the crown. Old rival Yanis David of Florida will be ready to compete and push Orji hard.

High Jump- Perhaps the deepest competition ever for High Jumpers there are a total of 16 women who have season’s best of 6-0 or better and Kaysee Pilgrim of UNLV leads them all with her mark of 6-2 ¾. Pilgrim will likely have to jump a personal best to beat this deep field.

Pole Vault- Annie Rhodes of Baylor is still the number one athlete in the field with a season’s best mark of 15-1 1/2 that currently ranks her as number one. She must be at her best to face off against the talented Weeks sisters from Arkansas.

Shot Put- This will be short, Raven Saunders of Ole Miss the defending champion. She is the best NCAA thrower ever. DONE.

Discus- Shadae Lawrence of Kansas State enters ranked number one in the NCAA.

Hammer Throw- Maggie Ewen of Arizona State looks to restore the throwing dominance that led to multiple team national titles at Arizona State. She is currently the only thrower in the field with a mark over 70 meters.

Javelin- Senior Irena Sediva of Virginia Tech is the latest throwing prodigy at one of the nation’s best field event schools. Sediva is currently chasing 60 meters and is great position to do it and win the title at the same time.

Heptathlon- Senior Kendell Williams of Georgia is the greatest collegiate heptathlete ever. That just about sums up the preview. To be honest Williams has proven to be one special athlete the only thing she needs to do besides defending her title is break the NCAA record.

RELAYS

4X100- This relay took a big hit when Oregon failed to qualify out Western Preliminary Regional meet. Oregon has broken the record twice this season and currently shares it with LSU. LSU who looks to retain their NCAA record outright will be without the challenge of Oregon but still will have a tough field to compete against and may even surprise everyone with a sub 42 performance.

4x400- Oregon is still loaded in this event. They even have quality back up depth if someone gets injured. Oregon talked of breaking Texas’s NCAA record of 3:23.75 that has stood since 2004. If any team in recent memory can challenge that mark it will be this Oregon group. 

TEAM BATTLE

Oregon took perhaps the biggest hit coming out the Western Preliminary. Not only was Hannah Cunliffe out due to a tight hamstring but so was there 4x100 relay. That is quite a few points missing from their dominant group. They still are bringing a bevy of talent and should only see competition coming from LSU and USC. Both teams have a lot of depth but not the variety of depth that Oregon has. 

REGIONAL RECAP

(Fred Kerley- Texas A&M)

This past weekend the Eastern and Western Regional Preliminary Rounds took place. We cannot call them championship meets since they are only used for qualifying. Still there were quite a few noticeable performances and quite a few disappointments. Some of which are in my opinion the result of the regional competition. To be fair injuries are a part of sport and so are mentally weak athletes, every collegiate sport has a qualifying competition before nationals why should track and field be any different.

RECORD BROKEN

Senior Fred Kerley of Texas A&M is having perhaps one of the best seasons in 400-meter history. He has been so dominant all season long using his speed with his, big frame to put up some impressive times. He broke the NCAA record with a time of 43.70. Quincy Watts of USC held that record for 25 years. It is one of the oldest records in NCAA history. His time places him in the top 10 in world history and this year’s number one. It remains to be seen if he lowers his record any further.

OREGON STRUGGLES

This season’s Lady Ducks remind me of the Texas Longhorn team of 2004. In 2004 then head coach Beverly Kearney had assembled one of the greatest teams in NCAA history. They looked virtually unstoppable. They had three to five quality athletes for every sprint and or hurdle event. They were great in the relay events as well. When they got to Nationals they crashed and burned. Even there record setting 4x400 relay, which still stands today, dropped the baton early in the race and finished 6^th.

What I saw from Oregon this past weekend reminded me of that. Yes, it is disappointing as we head into the National Championship but is all a part of competition. Their record setting 4x100 relay will not go onto Nationals. They were disqualified at Regionals. This leaves LSU without a true challenger in the 4x100 relay and gives them a clear path to re-claiming the record solely. Oregon also will be without Hannah Cunliffe who was a no show for the 4x100 relay, 100 and 200. They Ducks are still favorites but they will arrive significantly weaker than expected.

MISSING IN ACTION

Hannah Cunliffe of Oregon is not the only headlining athlete who will not be competing at Nationals. There is Eli Hall of Houston. Hall had the fastest time in the NCAA at 200 meters and one of the fastest times in the NCAA at 100 meters before the meet. He was a no show for the final preliminary round of the 100 and for any heats of the 200 and it was likely due to injury.

Also missing is sprinter Just’N’ Thymes of USC, sprinter Kunle Fasasi of Florida, high Jumper Tequan Claitt of Western Kentucky, long jumpers Ja’Mari Ward of Missouri and Charles Brown of Texas Tech. Their absences certainly change the team battle races on both sides but even without these stars there will still be a bevy of talent competing at this year’s meet.

TEAM BATTTLE GETS TIGHTER

With the Oregon women taking a significant hit this weekend and Florida and Texas A&M men looking like they may tie again this weekend certainly changed the perceived outcome of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

On the women’s side LSU leads with the most entries totaling 19. With their bevy of sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers and throwers to add to that two great relays this maybe Dennis Shaver’s best assembled team since he has been a head coach and puts him in great shape to win the team title.

Texas A&M lead the entrants on the men’s side with a total of 18. Texas A&M is a well-rounded program, great in the sprints and relays but also great in the field events and middle distance. The Aggies enter the meet as the number 1 team and will likely end that way. 

NCAA West Regional Preview

(Deajah Stevens-Oregon)

The West Regional competition like the east is loaded with great talent from multiple conferences. The SEC, Big 12, Pac-12 and even the Big 10 are well represented here. This is also just a qualifying meet the goal is simply to get to nationals. To that like the east you must be one of the top 12 individuals from this region. Qualifying will be challenging but the best will shine their way through it. This post we will look at the five most interesting events of the weekend.

WOMEN

200 Meter Dash

Deajah Stevens is one of the many talented sprinters at Oregon. Perhaps worth noting none of the women in their elite 200-meter group are seniors. So, if no one turns pro you will see them again next year doing even more damage. Stevens is perhaps the best chance we have to possibly see a collegiate sprinter run sub 22. She is dangerously close to breaking Dawn Sowell’s collegiate record of 22.04 with her personal record of 22.09. With it only being a qualifying meet do not expect it to happen here, but potentially at nationals. I still expect her to give quite the teaser. 

400 Meter Dash

Senior Chris Ann Gordon of Texas by way of Jamaica and Kendall Ellis of USC. Both programs have been great over the oval the past few years with Texas being historically great going all the back to the early 90’s. Gordon is truly the next batter up coming out of Texas while Ellis has been helping USC blaze a new trail in the event. Both have run under 51 seconds with Gordon posting a time of 50.64 and Ellis with a time of 50.66. Both are returning All-Americans and conference champions. If we are lucky enough to see these two compete in a heat, we may see a new personal best from both. 

800 Meter Run

Raevyn Rogers has dominated the 800 since arriving at Oregon as freshman. Now as a junior she hopes to defend her national title for the third time. Rogers set the NCAA record early in the year and has been known for her very strong kick at the end. Although her form not traditional it gets the job done. Every time she steps on the track she is a threat to break a new record.

Pole Vault

Arkansas has developed quite the reputation with their great pole vaulters. Both Alexis and Victoria Weeks have championship hardware to their name with Alexis returning as the defending champion. This year though they will face off against to pole vaulters who have surpassed 15 feet for the season while they are still trying to get over 14-9. Annie Rhodes a Senior from Baylor is one of two competitors has jumped over 15 feet and the chief challenger to the Arkansas dynasty. Number two ranked Emily Grove of South Dakota is also in the field. With four great competitors at one region we could potentially quite the mark heading into Nationals.

4x100 Relay

Oregon has broken the NCAA record in the 4x100 relay twice this season and seem to be on the verge of becoming the first team under 42 seconds in Collegiate history. With a great quartet in McKenzie Dunmore, Deajah Stevens, Hannah Cunliffe and Arianna Washington it’s quite possible that we see a new NCAA record sooner rather than later.

MEN

100 Meter Dash

You must remind yourself this is still just a qualifying meet. That is being said because when an athlete is in good position to qualify they tend to shut down early. However, in the 100 there is no true way to tell. This allows for a truly competitive race against some of the nation’s best. In this field is senior Brandon Carnes of Northern Iowa. Northern Iowa routinely has put out quality sprinters over the years, which is quite impressive since they are in the Mid-West and remain cold until about late May. He has the fastest entry time with a personal best of 9.97. He will face off against Houston’s Eli Hall who has ran under 20 seconds in the 200 and still looking for his first sub 10 second performance in the 100. With a time of 10.00 it is clear he is more than ready.

400 Meter Dash

Senior Fred Kerley of Texas A&M nearly broke the NCAA record two weeks ago at the SEC Outdoor Championships. He almost ran under 44 seconds when he coasted to the finish line. With this only being a qualifying meet he may do that again. But something tells me if he feels that he is close enough to sub 44 and set a new NCAA record he just might do it.

800 Meter Run

True freshman Emmanuel Korir has been in the headlines all year long. He has been at the top of the NCAA in the 800 and has even run 44.6 in the open 400. That level of speed gives him a great advantage against of their 800 runners. Korir has already run 1:43.73 in the 800 and is dangerously close to the NCAA record set by last year’s true freshman star Donovan Brazier. It would be a real treat if we could see the NCAA record broken again this year.

  

Javelin Throw

Ioannis Kryiazis of Texas A&M perhaps has the farthest lead on his national competition than anyone. He is a huge piece of Texas A&M’s national title aspirations. He is currently ranked number one in the NCAA with a throw of 288’9, a thirty-foot lead. He likely will not break the NCAA record this weekend but he will dazzle with his throws. He is perhaps the best opportunity to see the NCAA record broken. They record has stood since 1990 ironically from a Texas thrower named Patrik Bolden.

Triple Jump

An event that has grown in popularity over the years is the triple jump. A lot of that growth in the United States is because of the many programs designed to improve jumping performances by American youngsters and the Olympic Gold medalist Christian Taylor. Felix Obi of Baylor has been sitting in the back seat amongst the nation’s best for the past three years. Now as a senior he is one step closer to finally earning a national title. Obi is ranked number two in the nation with a season best of 54’8 ¼ and can use this as a launching pad for his championship campaign. 

NCAA East Regional Preview

(Christian Coleman-Tennessee)

The post season is now in full swing and next up is the regional championship. I admit I am still no fan of the regional concept in track and field. I honestly believe it is a waste and another wasted opportunity for athletes to heal up and get better. This is only a qualifying meet there essentially is no regional championship. 

This preview post is all about the Eastern Region. This is a very tough regional qualifying meet and there will be a few top tier athletes who will not be heading to Nationals. Below are the five biggest events that I’ll be watching at this weekend’s East Regional meet.

Opinion: My hope for the future is that the NCAA will change this and match the same selection process at the Indoor meet. What makes the Indoor meet so great is the fact it is the best 16 athletes per event and top 12 relays. I think with an outdoor process it could be the best 24 athletes and the best 16 relays. Alas we are left with the current format.

Women

100 METER DASH

Enter Aleia Hobbs of LSU. She proved the hype about her win she ran a 10.85 in the 100 at the SEC Relays wind legal. It is the second fastest time in NCAA history and the fastest low-altitude. School record holder Dawn Sowell still owns the NCAA record with a time of 10.78. Hobbs is the first athlete since the early 90’s to challenge the time.

400 Meter Dash

Senior Shakima Wimbley of Miami leads an outstanding Miami group that is currently ranked 1-2-3 in the region. Wimbley had a minor hiccup early in the outdoor season put returned to form at the ACC Championships where she clocked in at 50.40 a new personal best an NCAA leading time. Wimbley was the indoor champion and if she qualifies to nationals will be the favorite to win it all.

5,000 & 10,000 Meter Run

Anna Rohrer of Notre Dame is having a great freshman season and seems to be well on her way to being the next great distance runner from Notre Dame. She enters the 5,000 as the number three ranked entrant and the 10,000 as the number one ranked entrant. She is attempting quite the impressive double so young but with her performances this year we cannot be surprised if she qualifies as the top entrant in both events heading to nationals.

100 Hurdles

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn surprised everyone except herself last season win she won the 100 hurdles at the NCAA Championships last season. It was expected that Cindy Ofili of Michigan would win and finally get the Outdoor title that her sister got so many times before. Quinn stepped up an took the crown and has looked pretty solid so far this outdoor season. She enters at the number two entrant behind Devyne Charlton of Purdue but she perhaps is still the favorite to arrive at Nationals number one with her blazing speed.

Triple Jump

What will Keturah Orji jump next. She never ceases to amaze and has been at the top of this event since she was a freshman. Orji has broken the NCAA and American record multiple times and already seems to be in great shape heading into the championship season. She leads the NCAA with her mark of 46’11 ½ more than a foot farther than her closest competitor. Orji has kept a low profile this outdoor season only having competed twice, expect for her to be ready for a big mark either this weekend or at Nationals.

MEN

200 Meter Dash

The question is how many guys in this race will go under 20 seconds. Although it is only a qualifying meet there are still only 12 spots available for this regional. This region is full of quality 200 meter runners so there will be no shutting it down at the end of the race. Christian Coleman enters at the top guy with a time of 19.97 and recently joined a rare club being a man who ran under 10 seconds and 20 seconds in the same meet on the same day. Coleman is having a career year and has not lost since the SEC Indoor Championships running the 200. Coleman will use this as another opportunity to prove that he is the best.

5,000 Meter Run

Justyn Knight of Syracuse lit the collegiate distance world on fire a few weeks when he beat Edward Cheserek of Oregon at the Payton Jordon Invitational in the 5,000-meter race. His time properly placed at the top of the NCAA rankings where he has remained since. He has more than 20 seconds on the rest of the field. With Cheserek out of the NCAA’s with a back-injury Knight is in perfect position to win the national title.

400 Hurdles

Senior Eric Futch of Florida is the defending NCAA Champion in the 400 meter hurdles. He was recently beaten at the SEC Championships by Kemar Mowatt of Arkansas. He also ranks number 3 in the NCAA. Although he is the defending champion he has a climb to make to return to the top spot. First things first beat the guy who is ranked number one this weekend in North Carolina junior Kenny Selmon.

Hammer Throw

Senior Rudy Winkler of Cornell is the latest Ivy League prospect competing for a national title. He was mentioned quite a bit this indoor season and has translated his indoor success outdoors. He is ranked 2^nd in the NCAA and 1^st in the region. Winkler can use this competition to draw closer to the number one competitor who has more than 7 feet lead on him.

4x100 Relay

There are so many great teams in this event. There are three teams listed with times under 39 seconds they are LSU, Florida and Western Kentucky. LSU is the defending NCAA Champion and have yet to lose this outdoor season. LSU looks to add more relay hardware to their impressively historically trophy case. They should enter nationals at the top seed after this weekend. 

Conference Championship Weekend Recap

8,539!!!

(Lindon Victor-Texas A&M)

I believe that this is the season of breaking records. This year every weekend a national record has either been broken or under threat to be broken. This past weekend was Super Conference Championship Weekend and a lot of top tier performances were had. But again, we are identifying another new NCAA Record. In this recap, we will discuss the top five performances from a packed weekend.

WOMEN

5. The fifth spot will be given to three individuals, all field event athletes who moved to the number one spot in their respective events at their conference championships this past weekend. Annie Rhodes of Baylor became the second athlete this season to go over 15 feet winning the Big 12 title with a mark of 15-1 ½. Shadae Lawrence of Kansas State winning the discus with a throw of 205’4 to claim the Big 12 Conference title.  She is currently one of two athletes who have thrown over 200 feet. Then Finally Irena Sediva of Virginia Tech claimed the Javelin throw at the ACC Championships with a mark of 192’6.

4. Hanna Green (Virginia Tech)- Green has been a mainstay in the 800 on a conference level and a national level. This year her senior year Green has seemed to turn things up a notch. She has not ran the 1,500 meter race at the Conference Championship before and was attempting a 800/1500 double. The ACC is full of great 1,500 runners and this season proved to be a tough group. However Green proved superior winning with a time of 4:15.08, she followed that up by winning the 800 in 2:01.28. Green has yet to beat Raevyn Rogers and will have a tough time of it later in the season. But she certainly proved herself a worthy competitor by pulling off an impressive double.

3. Sage Watson (Arizona)- Watson had quite the indoor season running the 400 meters. Watson an Olympian for Team Canada in the 400 meter hurdles led the NCAA Indoors at one point during the season. She has been mostly quiet this outdoor season sitting behind the two studs at USC in Amalie Iuel and Anna Cockrell. At the Conference Championships, she proved herself to be the best of the three winning the event in a time of 55.01. Watson has clearly filled the void left by Georganne Moline and hopes to claim the one thing missing from Moline’s record and that is a national championship.

2. Shakima Wimbley (Miami)- After having a rough start to the outdoor season in the 400, Wimbley turned up the heat at the ACC Championships. Against a challenging field where she entered not ranked number 1 Wimbley vaulted to the top spot with a time of 50.40, a new conference record. She led Miami on a 1-2-3 finish to prove their dominance in the event. Wimbley returned just a few hours later to compete in the 200 where she would dominate the field again with a time of 22.54.

1. Deajah Stevens (Oregon)- I honestly thought this position would be held by Ariana Washington after the season she had last year and the fact that she is defending NCAA Champion at 100 and 200 meters. Instead it has been her teammate all Outdoor season who has simply dominated. Stevens an Olympian who ran for Team USA in the 200-meter dash set the NCAA ablaze this indoor season with a 22.28 preliminary race. Unfortunately, she took a few steps outside the line and was disqualified along with her NCAA and American record. If the Pac 12 Championships are any indication the 200-meter record that has stood since 1989 is in serious jeopardy. Stevens blazed the field to a time of 22.09 which is the second fastest time in NCAA history. However, her time is the fastest at normal low altitude. She’ll be on her home track again in a couple of weeks we may perhaps see her dip under 22 seconds.

MEN

The men’s list was quite difficult formulating to five, there are few top performances were left of this list. The five listed are perhaps the most impactful.

5. Eli Hall (Houston)/Christian Coleman (Tennessee)- We’ve heard Christian Coleman’s name all year long. Hall’s name has been mentioned but not as frequently. The two have been at the top of the 100/200 meter rankings all season long and both put on quite a show this past weekend. Hall dominated on his home track winning the 100 and 200-meter dash at the American Conference Championships. His times were 10.19 for the 100 running into a slight headwind and the 200 with a time of 19.96. His 200-meter time just barely crept of the allowable mark but still pushed him to number 1 in the NCAA.

Coleman also doubled winning the 100 and 200-meter dash at the SEC Championships running under 10 seconds and 20 seconds. His winning times were 9.97 and 19.98, both times were wind legal. It is fair to say that I expect for both to have quite the match up at the NCAA Championships later this outdoor season.

4. Kenny Selmon (North Carolina)- Selmon may have been forgotten through all the noise coming from the SEC fans. With a myriad of top ranked 400 hurdlers in the SEC Selmon who competes in the ACC perhaps went ignored. Well this past weekend he reintroduced himself to the NCAA. Selmon claimed the ACC title with a time of 48.76.

3. Devon Williams (Georgia)- Williams primarily focuses on the decathlon. He is currently ranked 2^nd in the NCAA in the event. At the SEC Championships, he decided to test his skill set against the top ranked freshman Grant Holloway in just the 110-meter-high hurdles. Holloway has led the SEC for majority of the season. Williams however was not only able to beat one on one but also able to tie for the number 1 ranking. His time of 13.37 is the best wind legal time in the NCAA this season. It remains to be seen if he will compete in both the decathlon and the 110 hurdles or just simply one event. He will enter the meet ranked high in both events.

2. Fred Kerley (Texas A&M)- Kerley continues to amaze this season. The 6’2 sprinter has developed quite well since high school and continued his dominance on the season this past weekend. He ran a time of 44.09 which is the 2^nd fastest time in NCAA history while easing up to the finish line. It is fair to say that he would have easily dipped under 44 seconds and broke the NCAA record. In the finals while running in the rain he was still able to hold on and win clocking in at 44.30. Kerley now owns the SEC record and is great position to claim the NCAA record.

1. Lindon Victor (Texas A&M)- It seems that every time this man lines up in the Decathlon he breaks the NCAA record. Victor has already broken the Decathlon record this season and he just did it again at the SEC Championship. Victor scored a total of 8,539 points and now has over a 180-point lead against Devon Williams. It was a bit disappointing to not see the two compete against each other this past weekend but there will be plenty of time left for that later in the year. Victor will be huge for Texas A&M in regards to the team battle.

Final Say: I must say that this season has been quite fantastic. Every weekend something exciting has happened, records have never been broken at this magnitude nor have any of them been under this level of threat before. I honestly believe that one more long standing record will be broken before the season ends.

Next Post: Our next post will be NCAA regional preview. I am still not a fan of this regional format and hope soon they get rid of it. Once the declarations have been made we will have a better understanding of what to expect come National Championship time. 

Weekend Recap

10.85!!!

(Aleia Hobbs- LSU)

(Franklin Field-Penn Relays)

It is as if this season is hell bent on breaking every available record in the NCAA Division 1 Record Book. There have been impressive and record breaking performances every week and this week continued this trend. I also will include in this post an opinion on my first Penn Relays experience and guarantee you it will not be the last, I will most certainly be back next year. This post will follow our traditional format of the top five performances of the past weekend.

Women

5. Shakima Wimbley (Miami)- Shakima Wimbley is most likely not having the outdoor season she expected. She has yet to throw down in the 400 like she did this past indoor season. However, she has been quite sensational in the 200 meter dash. This past weekend amongst Olympian Tori Bowie she ran the fastest collegiate time of the outdoor season with a time of 22.47. It remains to be seen if she will try the long sprint double or if she will even run the 200 at all.

4. Kellion Knibb (Florida St)- Knibb by way of Jamaica has recently joined a long list of talented throwers from Florida State. This past weekend I witnesses Knibb launch the nation’s new number 1 mark with a throw of 203’8 amongst a quality field. She is currently the only athlete with a mark over 200 feet and has 6 feet on her closest competitor.

3. Elinor Purrier (New Hampshire)- Purrier has been mentioned with the best milers and 1,500 meter runners in the nation every time we draw close to the championship season. She is a small school athlete with big time talent. Amongst a stellar field at the Penn Relays Purrier ran the number two ranked time in the NCAA this season in the 1,500. Her time of 4:11.90 was just a few tenths of the national leading mark. Just as expected going into the championship season Purrier is a name we expect to hear more of.

2. Quanesha Burks (Alabama)- Burks clearly seems to have returned to championship form. This past weekend at the Inaugural SEC Relays Burks competed against Sha’Keela Saunders of Kentucky who won the Indoor National Championship in the long jump and defeated Burks. Burks launched a season’s best to beat Saunders with a mark of 22’7 ¾. She has been so close to jumping 23 feet this may be the season to do so.

1. Aleia Hobbs (LSU)- Perhaps the most stunning performance of the weekend was Hobbs NCAA leading mark in the 100 meter dash. Dawn Sowell of LSU has the NCAA record with a time of 10.78 which was ran at high altitude, she also owns the NCAA record at low altitude with a time of 10.93. Well that was until this past Saturday at the SEC Relays were Hobbs launched a time of 10.85 to win the 100 meter dash. Perhaps the best part of her time is not only being it wind legal but it was the best time ever at low altitude for a collegian and the new world number 1.

Men

5. Brian Williams (Ole Miss)- Williams seems to be the next throwing star to come from Connie Smith’s stellar program at Ole Miss. Williams launched the discus this past weekend 210’4 at the SEC Relays. His mark moved him to the number one spot in the nation and cemented his status as a legitimate threat to win this event.

4. Kemar Mowatt (Arkansas)- Mowatt is one of the fast 400 hurdlers in the nation speed wise. He proved that last season earning a spot on Arkansas 4x100 relay team that clocked a time of 38.49. Mowatt this year has noticeably approved his technique and endurance. He was a talented 400 meter runner that needed more tuning in the hurdles. He has gotten that now with his nation leading mark of 49.09 ran this past weekend at the SEC Relays. Eric Futch the defending champ from Florida will most certainly have his hands full.

3. Keandre Bates (Florida)- This talented jumper continues to impress and improve. He has had a knack for showing up at big moments. Against a quality field at the Tom Jones Memorial on his home track he began the new NCAA leader in the triple jump with a mark of 54’9 ½. His mark is not a personal best which should be a testament to his talent. Bates could very well complete the jumping double.

2. Christian Coleman (Tennessee)- It seems anytime he competes we hear his name. Coleman set the field ablaze at the SEC Relays this past weekend in the 100 meter dash. What is perhaps more impressive is that in that same race Lawrence Crawford of Mississippi State clearly false starts. Coleman still able to catch him clocked in at 9.93. Although his time was wind-aided it is his first time under 10 seconds this outdoor season. For now, he sits atop the 100 meter list where he should be.

1. Emmanuel Korir (UTEP)- What a season this talented freshman is having. He has already run under 45 seconds in the open 400 and has now ran the second fastest time in NCAA history in his signature event the 800. Korir clocked a time of 1:43.73 at the Brutus-Hamilton Challenge on the campus of Cal-Berkeley. What is perhaps even more impressive is the dominant fashion in which he won. Korir defeated the field by more than 8 seconds. No other athlete went under 1:51 in that race proving just how impressive he ran.

RELAYS OF THE WEEK

Women- LSU 4x100 Relay. A team of Mikiah Brisco, Kortnei Johnson, Jada Martin and Aleia Hobbs just tied the NCAA record that Oregon set this year. This returns the NCAA record back to LSU for the first time since 2009.

Men- Texas A&M 4x400 Relay. It seems that no one will be able to defeat this year they will go undefeated indoors and out. Their time is weekend of 3:00.74 kept them in the number one position and gave them more than a two second lead on their closest competition.

PENN RELAYS

This past weekend I ventured to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to attend the Penn Relays. I must say it was perhaps one of the greatest experiences of my life. At the end of the meet on Saturday I was utterly exhausted. The support for the Jamaican times by the Jamaican people is good as advertised, perhaps better. They support their own in every event, shouting their name and in unison showing love and support. That is something that is most certainly missing amongst the fans of USA Track and Field. Jamaican athletes have long since turned this meet into their own and proved that to me personally this past weekend.

I expect 2018 to be even better amongst the professional athletes since there will be no World Relays. However, I am curious to see how it will ever be possible for the American High Schools to compete. Majority of the high schools competing are from the Northeast and on rare occasions do we see a team from California. Calabar boys set the field on fire with their 4x100 relay time of 39.00. That time defeats every American college that competed this weekend. The women from Edwin Allen were just as impressive with a time of 43.96 become the first high school under 44 seconds. With no high schools from Florida, Texas, Georgia or Louisiana it seems that this string of dominance will continue unless there are some changes. I also hope that many SEC teams will eventually return to the Penn Relays to add more competition to the Collegiate fields. 

I cannot wait until next year and the years beyond that. I, like many other Americans who make this annual trek will be there every year I am physically able to do so. Thank you, Penn Relays, for an amazing weekend. 

Calabar Boys Penn Relays 4x100 Prelim 39.98

Oregon 4x100 42.35 Penn Relays 2017

Penn Relays Preview 2017- Men

(Houston 4x100 Relay)

Is this meet going to be dominated by Houston, Penn State or a Jamaican school namely UTech of C.G. Foster? That is the real question. The University of Houston and Penn State University have two very strong teams capable of winning multiple events at this meet. Like the women’s preview we will focus primarily on the relays and the top seeds.

4x100 Relay

The past four years in a row a Jamaican school has won this event. UTech claimed the first victory wining in 2013 through 2015 and last season C.G. Foster claimed victory. This year they are one of the top two entrants. C.G. Foster still has quite an impressive team but in this race will be the Houston Cougars. Houston currently ranked number two in the NCAA with a time of 38.59 is listed slightly ahead of C.G. Foster. This should be quite the battle since it includes stud Cameron Burrell.

4x200 Relay

South Carolina won this event last season surprising the favorite UTech who made a misstep during one of their exchanges. South Carolina returns an equally impressive team that also includes the number one ranked 200 meter runner in the NCAA currently in Ncincilili Titi. They enter as the top seed and close behind them will be a strong Houston team.

4x400 Relay

Houston is involved in this race too. They are currently the top performing team amongst this group this season with a time of 3:04.38. Penn State and Clemson will most certainly give chase but this could be the first sprint sweep ever by the Houston Cougars. Penn State’s time of 3:04.80 indoors should be the stronger of the two challengers. Penn State can use this as a coming out of sorts since they have not ran their "A" team together this outdoor season. 

4x800 Relay

Penn State has won this relay here a total of 8 times and has the number one time ever ran at the meet set in 1985. It is one of the oldest relay records at the Penn. They bring another strong group this year and are in good position to go back to back. They will be led by NCAA leader Isaiah Harris and will face a strong Virginia Tech squad that includes senior Drew Piazza.

4xMile Relay

The top three teams listed in this event all possess great depth at the mile distance, they include Penn, Indiana and Michigan. During the indoor season the Michigan men had three guys able to run a sub 4 minute mile. They will be challenged by a strong veteran group from Penn and their conference foe Indiana who has a young but talented group. Michigan has won this event 15 times and has the Penn Relays record.

Sprint Medley Relay

Perhaps no team is more prepared for this event than the top two seeds, Penn State and Clemson. Both schools are great at developing 800 meter runners and possess the sprint speed to compete a high level. The sprint medley however is truly determined by having a strong 800 runner. Penn State has the top guy in the NCAA on their side putting them in great position to win.

Distance Medley Relay 

Indiana had an All-American season indoors and dominated the Big Ten conference. That success should continue and they are currently one of the top seeds heading into the meet. Penn State is listed as number one but was unable to defeat the Hoosiers indoors at the Big Ten conference. With Indian’s impressive group of distance runners they are in great position to pull off the victory over Penn State thanks to their talented sophomore Joseph Murphy.

Shuttle Hurdle Relay Relay

This event has been dominated by Tennessee historically with a total of 15 victories. However they have not won this event since 2005 and are not competing this season. Curtis Frye the head coach for South Carolina has won quite a few Penn Relays title in this event including having the top time all time at this meet. He brings an impressive group this year lead by junior Isaiah Moore. Houston however is listed as the top seed and will be led by super sophomore Amere Lattin. This is one five events that Houston is in contention to win.