Weekly Recap

(Ashley Henderson-San Diego State)

The Outdoor Season is here. We are still fresh off a great NCAA Indoor Championship and it is still late March. Although there have been a few noticeable performances expect for things to really start to heat up this weekend. There are two major meets, the Florida Relays and Texas Relays. Both of those meets will take majority of your attention and produce some truly stellar performances. This past weekend however we had a few notable performances that require your attention. Let us look back at our top five performances from this past weekend.

5. Raven Saunders (Ole Miss)- Saunders literally picked up where she left off. The dominating shot putter continued her streak over 60 feet this past week with a mark of 60-8 ¾. Her mark is currently ranked number 1 in the nation and Saunders is right on schedule with defending her NCAA title.

4. Steven Gayle (Alabama)- Gayle is one of the many talented sprinters at Alabama. Gayle clocked in at 20.48 to win the 200 meter dash at FSU Relays. His time is currently the fastest wind-legal time in the NCAA and gives the Alabama Crimson Tide a 1-2 punch in the event.

3. Henry Wynne (Virginia)- Wynne has had a great career running for the University of Virginia. He continued to show that he is capable of high level performances by running a strong race this past weekend at the Raleigh Relays. Although early in the season his time of 13:43.53 in the 5,000 is currently the only time in the NCAA under 14 minutes and currently has him ranked number one. His time is quite impressive early and puts him in great position for later on in the season.

2. Tobi Amusan (UTEP)- If you thought defending champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Kentucky was going to have it easy you were most certainly wrong. Amusan placed herself squarely in title contention with an impressive performance in the 100 meter hurdles this past weekend. Her time of 12.63 places her in the number one spot in the NCAA and with a legal personal best better than everyone in the NCAA.

1. Ashley Henderson (San Diego State)- Henderson has quietly build quite the impressive resume during her time at San Diego State. After an All-American indoor season Henderson has transitioned well to the outdoor season. This past weekend on her home track Henderson rocketed to a time of 11.10 in the 100 meter dash. Her time placed her in the number one position very early in the season. Her time regardless of the season requires attention; she has officially made herself a candidate for the NCAA title against a strong Oregon team.

RELAY OF THE WEEK*

The relay of the week goes to TEXAS A&M men’s and women’s 4x100 relay team. The men clocked in a national leading time of 39.12, while the women garnered the number two ranking nationally with a time of 43.16. 

NCAA Indoor Championship Review

(Texas A&M 2017 Men's Indoor NCAA Champions)

The Indoor Season has officially ended. What a great championship meet it was, not only were NCAA records threatened but so were American records. The Team Championship on the men’s side and came down to the 4X400 relay and on the women’s side Oregon blew out the competition scoring over 80 points. In this recap we will focus on specific events that help to highlight a great meet. 

Women

Oregon simply dominated the short sprints and hurdles on the women’s side. They were reminiscent of the old LSU teams that were so formidable with top tier talent in the short sprints. Although LSU qualified five athletes in the 60 meter dash only two made it to the final. The Ducks took spots 1, 3 and 5 with Hannah Cunliffe living up to the hype winning with a time of 7.14. Teammate Arianna Washington ran a lifetime best finishing in the 3^rd with a time of 7.20.

Washington followed that performance up by winning the 200 meter dash with a time of 22.42. Her teammate Daeja Stevens ran an NCAA and American record in the preliminary round with a time of 22.28. However she was disqualified after she crossed over into another lane. Cunliffe finished 2^nd with a time of 22.53.

In the hurdles senior Sasha Wallace of Oregon ran a personal best of 7.87 in the preliminaries which caught everyone’s attention and followed that up with a time of 7.90 in the finals. Teammate Alaysha Johnson was 8^th with a time of 8.13.

Perhaps the most shocking performance of the meet came in the mile. Defending Champion senior Kaela Edwards of Oklahoma State was having a great season and seemed in perfect shape to defend her title. However Karisa Nelson of Samford shocked Edwards winning the race with a time of 4:31.24. Edwards still owns the top time in the NCAA this season but Nelson has the championship hardware. Even more shocking is that Edwards didn’t finish 1^st but 4^th.

Another shocker happened in the women’s 800. Jazmine Fray of Texas A&M was on her home track and riding high after setting the NCAA record early in the season. Fray seemed to be in perfect position to take the crown from defending champion Raevyn Rogers of Oregon. Rogers has proven to have an outstanding kick, especially in big moments. Rogers ran a smart race and was not fooled by the performance of Fray earlier in the season. Rogers was able to outkick her competition to win clocking in at 2:01.09. She won the race by more than a second and earned her 4^th NCAA title.

The 5k was simply a repeat of the Cross Country Championships. Entering the meet Erin Finn of Michigan and Anna Rohrer of Notre Dame came in with majority of the hype. Then a stunning victory happened with Karissa Schweizer of Missouri winning. This indoor season things were a little different. Finn did not enter as much of a favorite after finishing 3^rd at her conference championship. However the race unfolded the same. Schweizer out dueled Finn and Rohrer to win the race with a title of 15:19.14, an 8 second victory that left me again stunned.

There were not that many NCAA records actually broken even though several of them were threatened. A record that was broken was the 4x400 relay. USC has been the number 1 team all season and further proved that by defeating the Oregon Ducks with a time of 3:27.03. Their time broke the long standing record held by a great Texas team in 2004.

In the field events Georgia was simply dominant. Every event they entered number one in they left with a championship. Keturah Orji, the American record holder in the triple jump led the charge. She claimed her signature event with a mark of 46-3 ½. She also led a strong contingent in the women’s long jump where they finished 3,4 and 7. Senior Shakeela Saunders of Kentucky again wowed the crowd with a jump of 22-7 ¾.

Senior Kendell Williams of Georgia joins an illustrious group of athletes. Williams was able to win her fourth consecutive pentathlon. She scored a total of 4,682 points and was just 21 points shy of tying her NCAA record. She will now turn her attention outdoors to defend her title there as well.

Raven Saunders of Ole Miss continued to her Championship dominance and reclaimed the Indoor crown. Her throw of 64-2 ¼ was a new collegiate record. Saunders more than showed out against a quality field by defeating her closest competitor by almost four feet. Her legend will continue outdoors where she has shown to be best.

In the team battle Oregon just simply dominated their competition. They scored 84 points on the back of four individual titles. Outdoors expect them to be better with more points available Oregon will be lethal. With the talent in the short sprints they could also take down the NCAA record in the 4x100 relay and become the first team under 42 seconds.

MEN

Edward Cheserek again was the king of the meet. The talented senior distance runner from Oregon carried his team scoring a total of 28 points. He attempted the distance triple by competing in the mile, 3k and 5k only to come up short in the event whose record he broke a few weeks ago. His first event the 5,000 went as expected. Cheserek had a rather convincing win with a time of 13:41.20, more than two seconds ahead of closest competitor. Things were a little closer in the 3,000 winning with a time of 7:55.91 only a half of second ahead of the number two runner. In the mile however he met his match in freshman Josh Kerr of New Mexico who blasted off a time 4:03.22. It wasn’t a pretty race and the time is well below expectations but it was a victory of the King. Cheserek still has won more NCAA individual titles than any athlete in history.

Christian Coleman of Tennessee was perhaps the crowned prince of the meet. He too left the championships with two pieces of championship hardware. He tied the NCAA record in the 60 meter dash with a blistering time of 6.45. His time was not altitude which makes his time the legitimate fastest time in NCAA history he will however share the record with Leonard Myles-Mills of BYU. In the 200 Coleman rocketed around the track with a winning time of 20.11. His time nearly broke the NCAA and American record time of 20.10 set by Wallace Spearmon of Oklahoma. Coleman becomes the first athlete since another Tennessee great in Justin Gatlin to complete the sprinter’s double.

Senior Fred Kerley of Texas A&M has been the guy with a target on his back all season long. He came into the championship meet with the only time under 45 seconds. The target clearly did not bother him and he had hometown support. Kerley dominated his heat winning with a time of 44.85 lowering her personal best indoors or out. He won his heat by more than a second. It is quite possible that he could’ve lowered his time in a more competitive race.

Josh Kerr of New Mexico would not be the only freshman NCAA Champion. Grant Holloway who has been the leader in the 60 hurdles all season was being counted on heavily by the Florida Gators. After a disappointing outing in the men’s long jump where he did not garner any points Holloway lined up in the 60 meter hurdles and did what few have done before him. He won the race with a time of 7.58 tying his number one ranked mark from early in the season and provided his team with 10 huge points. His impressive time for a freshman and championship performance places his in a rare group.

KeAndre Bates of Florida again stepped up against the competition. He left the building as the NCAA Champion in the men’s long jump. He jumped out to an early lead within the early rounds of the event. Perhaps the only shocking story to note was that his teammate and standout freshman Grant Holloway did not make the final. Bates entered the event as a contender and not the favorite but wound up winning the long jump with a mark of 26-4 ½. Bates returned in the triple jump to finish 2^nd with a mark of 54-6 behind champion Clive Pullen of Arkansas who leaped to 55-3 ¾. Bates scored 18 team points for the 2^ND place Florida Gators.

Senior Devon Williams of Georgia has dealt with a myriad of injuries throughout his career at Georgia and has not been able to garner the same notoriety as his younger sister. However during his final season he has had some truly great performances. The heptathlon was one of the most competitive events at the championship meet. It took a top five performance in the men’s 1,000 for him to win the crown. Williams scored a total of 6,177 points just 12 ahead of Kentucky’s Tim Duckworth. The Williams completed a rare brother and sister double and cemented Georgia’s field event dominance.

Chris Nilsen of South Dakota was another freshman that claimed a national title. That talented freshman was rather convincing as the best pole vaulter in the nation. His mark of 18-8 ¼ is nearly 6 inches farther than his closest competitor. What is perhaps more impressive is that even after he won the event he continued to compete giving his best and attempting a personal record. If anything it won’t be too long before Nilsen takes down the Pole Vault record held by Shawn Barber.

The 4x400 relay may perhaps have been the highlight of the meet. It determined the national champion as Florida entered the race with a 1.5 point lead and needed to finish ahead of the top ranked Texas A&M Aggies who were on their home track. Florida led the race on legs 2 and 3 thanks in part to an outstanding 2^nd leg by freshman Grant Holloway who split 44.8. However Ryan Clark was not able to hold off Mylik Kerley of A&M who crossed the finished line first and in record time on a regulated track with a time of 3:02.80. Texas A&M was able to win the meet by a half point in front of their home crowd. We are without question going to see two teams that run sub 3 minutes this coming outdoor season.

As we close the door on a fantastic indoor season let us prepare for what should be a record setting outdoor season. I look forward to the many great performances and new stars. 

NCAA Indoor Championship Preview

It is finally here, the Division 1 NCAA Indoor National Championship. This season we have seen many great performances and a few NCAA records too. Although this is the year after the Olympics there is still a lot of buzz in the sport because of the World Championships.That thought may not necessarily be in the back of every one's mind but it is there to be recognized. This season the team battle is perhaps more interesting than ever on the men's side and less predictable on the women's side. With plenty of returning champions and outstanding seniors and freshman this should be a great meet.


Defending Champions

Women: (8) Teahna Daniels, Texas-60 Meter Dash; Kaela Edwards, Oklahoma State- Mile; Alexis Weeks, Arkansas-Pole Vault; Quanesha Burks, Alabama-Long Jump; Keturah Orji, Georgia-Triple Jump; Kendall Williams, Georgia-Pentathlon; Raevyn Rogers, Oregon-800 Meter Run

Teahna Daniels of Texas perhaps the most daunting challenge in defending her title. She had good freshman season but no race matched the performance from last indoor season. Her time of 7.11 broke the school record and put her in the top 10 all time of 60 meter sprinters. Hannah Cunliffe of Oregon has been dominating the event all year long. She set a NCAA record in the event with a time of 7.07, but that was at altitude lowering her mark to 7.09 at the correct level. It still will take a new personal best if Daniels is going to beat Cunliffe.

Senior Kaela Edwards of Oklahoma State returns as the top performer in the mile. Her time of 4:28.75 is almost a full second ahead of her closest competitor. Although not invincible Edwards has proven to have an impressive kick and advantage she has used in the mile. No one in the field has the kick that she does and when she is on top of her game it is hard to beat her.

Alexis Weeks of Arkansas is part of a dymanic duo that is looking to continue the championship success of Arkansas and their pole vaulters. The other half of the dynamic duo from Arkansas is the only other person who has been capable of beating her. That would be her twin sister Victoria Weeks. Arkansas is squarely in the team battle and will need 18 team points to keep pace with Oregon.

Quanesha Burks of Alabama is no stranger to competition. She competes in the SEC and has competed against world class talent. Last season is Akela Jones of Kansas State this year it is Sha'Keela Sanders of Kentucky. Both have jumped over 22 feet this season but Saunders has been tough, she has not lost all year even in one on one competition against Burks at the SEC Championship. Saunders proved herself strong by winning the SEC long jump title proving that Burks will have a difficult time trying to defend her title.

Keturah Orji of Georgia has dominated my blog all year long. It's hard not to talk about her, she has broken American records and triple jumped farther than any collegian in history. After last season where she made the Olympic team and finished 4th, one could assume that she had no place further to go. She proved us wrong by setting the NCAA/American Indoor record. She is with a blink of 47 feet and with no one on her level, she is in excellent position to defend and redefine.

Senior Kendell Williams of Georgia has to have had the most decorated career by a Georgia athlete. Winning this weekend would cement her in legendary status. She would have won four consecutive times in a row, each year having broke her previous record. A four peat clearly seems with in her grasp as she enters ranked number one and on the heels of her own NCAA record.

Jazmine Fray of Texas A&M has been the talk of the event since she broke the indoor record in the event that has stood for more than 10 years. Her time of 2:00.69 is almost a full second ahead of her closes competitor. Defending champion Rogers sits comfortably ranked 3rd with a time of 2:01.75. She is the only athlete in the field who has ran under two minutes and has consistently shown up at the big meets. Fray may have the best time but Rogers is still the favorite.

Men (4) Christian Coleman, Tennessee-200 Meter Dash; Edward Cheserek, Oregon-3,000 and 5,000; Trey Culver, Texas Tech-High Jump; Clive Pullen, Arkansas-Triple Jump.

Christian Coleman has had quite a season for the Volunteers. He has been apart of the Tennessee resurgence in the sprints and has dominated the season. Last season he finished 2nd at the SEC Championships before going on to win at the NCAA. This past weekend he finished 2nd behind Jereem Richards of Alabama. It seems as if its the same script different cast. You should not be surprised if Coleman wins and defends his title.

Edward Cheserek or King Cheserek as he is often referred to returns as the defending champion in both the 3,000 and 5,000 meter runs. Cheserek has an extensive trophy case full of national titles and he is looking to add more to it. This year, his senior year the King is going for a distance triple. He broke the mile NCAA record a few weeks ago and has entered into the event to compete. No one has ever won all three distance events at a meet before but if anyone can do it, Cheserek can. 

Trey Culver of Texas Tech has been keeping a low profile. He returns at the defending champion with the hardest job. He is currently ranked 5th overall. Randall Cunningham of USC claimed the outdoor title last season and is looking to avenge himself after losing last indoor season. He has the top ranked mark at 7'5 and has taken over as the favorite to win. For Culver to win the event he may have to perform a personal best. 

Senior Clive Pullen of Arkansas is the latest in a long line of  Arkansas jumpers. He has been great over the course of his career and has placed himself in good position to defend his title. He currently has the number mark in the country jumping over 56 feet. He will have to contend with the only man capable of beating him and that is Florida's Keandre Bates. Bates defeated Pullen at the SEC Championships and will look to do it again to claim valuable team points. Arkansas and Florida will be are both amongst the favorites to win the team title, every point will count and it is imperative that Arkansas score well here since there will be two Florida Gators in the field. 

TOP RANKED

Women

(200 Meter Dash) Deajah Stevens of Oregon has already had quite the career for the Oregon Ducks. She made the U.S. Olympic team in the event and is currently ranked number one in the country with a mark of 22.65. Her teammate Cunliffe has been hot on her tail and will challenge every step of the race. 

(400 Meter Dash) Senior Shakima Wimbley of Miami has led the event for the entire season. Fellow senior Chris Ann Gordon of Texas is still expected to challenge Wimbley since she entered the season as the favorite. Wimbley possesses greater speed having run under 23 seconds this season. Gordon had a late start to the season but has come on strong and is rounding into fine shape just in time.

(3,000 Meter Run) Katie Rainsberger of Oregon is a talented freshman and one of the many top recruits from Oregon's 2016 class. She has proven her worth and enters the event as the number one ranked competitor with a time of 9:01.21. The youngster has proven herself against veterans and will be counted to for 10 team points to keep the Oregon Ducks in the team title hunt.

(5,000 Meter Run) This event has the runner-up Erin Finn of Michigan returning for an opportunity to finally win an NCAA title. The stud distance star has ran into injuries as well as a lot of 2nd place finishes. Perhaps the biggest shock was her not wining either the 3,000 or 5,000 meter race at the Big 10 championship. She finished 3rd behind two great competitors including top entrant Tessa Barnett of Penn State. Finn will look to better her performance against Barnett and finally claim the title that has alluded her.

(60 Hurdles) Sasha Wallace of Oregon is another Duck that is being counted for team points. Wallace finished runner-up in this event last year and returned as the top hurdler. She has not disappointed with her national leading time of 7.91 set early in the regular season. With an undefeated season Wallace will look to claim the title to close out a great indoor season.

(High Jump) Georgia looks to continue the field event dominance in this event and possibly finish 1-2. Madeline Fagan is the top entrant along with her Georgian teammate Tatiana Gusin. One of these two talented jumpers will have to win the event and give Georgia 18 huge team points in the team title battle.

(Shot Put) Raven Saunders of Ole Miss looks to avenge herself after suffering a disappointing loss last season. So far so good this season with a mark of 62'8 that is more than two feet ahead of her closest competitor. Saunders already the preseason favorite could use this as an opportunity to set the NCAA record.

(Weight Throw) Janeah Stewart of Ole Miss will be apart of what Ole Miss hopes to be a double. Stewart who trains with Saunders is the leader of the pack in this event with a throw 76-0.75. Her throw sets her well aside of the competition and in great position to win her first NCAA title.

(4x400 Relay) Texas A&M is the top entrant with a time of 3:29.74. They currently are the only team to have eclipsed 3:30. However head to head they were not able to defeat LSU who currently ranks 5th win a time of 3:31.50. Texas A&M will need to put everything they have into the event if they want to defeat not only LSU but 2nd ranked Alabama. Also a side not it has been quite a long time but there is no Texas relay squad competing in one of their signature events.

(Distance Medley Relay) Oregon set the NCAA record early in the season without even trying. With some decent competition expect more of the same. The Ducks are well rested and have avoided heavy injuries so far and will be in great position to win.

Team Battle: It seems to be Oregon and everyone else. The Ducks are ranked number one in so many events and are in great position to win the team title with a lot room for errors. Georgia and Arkansas bring a bevy of talent as well but may not have enough to defeat the loaded Oregon Ducks.


Men

(60 Meter Dash) What a great race this could be. Senior Cameron Burrell of Houston entered the season as the favorite with his top returning time of 6.48. He barely loss the race last season and got off to a good start this season. He has yet to run near his 6.48 but cannot be counted out of the race. Christian Coleman of Tennessee has been the leader all year and will need the race of his life to defeat such a talented field.

(400 Meter Dash) Fred Kerley of Texas A&M has been apart of what has been an outstanding season for this event. There are a total of 8 runners who have already ran under 46 seconds this indoor season. There is a great possibility for that list to grow. Kerley however is the obvious favorite having gone under 45 seconds with his national leading time of 44.94.

(800 Meter Run) Emmanuel Korir of UTEP has led the nation all season long in this event. This will be the 2nd year in a row that a freshman comes in as favorite to win the event. His national leading time of 1:46.15 is one of nine guys who can run 1:46. He cannot let his inexperience affect him with so many talented runners in this field.

(60 Meter Hurdles) The hurdles is another event with a freshman leading a talented group. Grant Holloway set all types of national records last season as high school senior. He has picked up where he left off with a time of 7.58 to lead the Florida Gators. The Gators have a large number of entrants but do not have a lot of room for error. Expect for Holloway to continue to show up when his team needs him too.

(Long Jump) Julian Harvey of SIU-Edwardsville leads a pair of jumpers from Florida. Harvey's national leading mark 26'9.75 is within reach of 27 feet and four feet ahead of the competition. The Gators need big points in this event and Keandre Bates and Grant Holloway are both capable of giving it to them and beating Harvey. Bates has proven this fact especially after finding ways to show up in big moments.

(Pole Vault) Yet another freshman arrives to the National Championship as the top entrant. Chris Nilsen of South Dakota leads the nation with a mark of 18'8.25. Among the top eight entrants only one is senior, so being inexperience will likely not hurt Nilsen or hinder him from winning the title.

(Shot Put) Mostafa Hassan is the big leader in the men's shot put with a two lead on his closest competitor. 69'10.75 puts him in solid reach of 70 feet. Hassan only a junior looks to represent for the smaller schools proving he can compete with the best and defeat them.

(Weight Throw) Senior Johnnie Jackson of LSU has led this event since early on in the season. His national leading mark of 77'3.75 was well out in front for majority of the season. However things have changed and there are now three competitors with 76 foot throws. Jackson will still enter the meet as the favorite but will have good competition to challenge him for the crown.

(Heptathlon) Senior Devon Williams of Georgia seems to finally have a healthy year. After watching his sister dominate for years Williams will look to win a national title of his own. He currently leads the mark with a total of 6,047 points. He was of only two athletes in the field to score over 6,000 points. Williams will find a great challenge in Tim Duckworth of Kentucky and it will require a few personal bests if he wants to win a title.

(4x400 Relay) It's quite unbelievable but there are three teams that have ran 3:02 this season and they gave us quite a race at the SEC Championships. I expect much of the same, collegiate record holders Texas A&M sit in front with a time of 3:02.39. Do not count out Florida as they will be ready along with a talented Alabama group.

(Distance Medley Relay) Ole Miss is developing quite the distance power. Normally when you think of the SEC and distance you think of Arkansas, but not this season. The Ole Miss rebels have proven that recruiting and development along with a little time can go a long way. They lead the nation by nearly two minutes with a time of 9:26.55. Indiana is not two far behind and should be quite the challenge for Rebels to defeat.

Team: It seems to be Florida, Oregon and Arkansas. Arkansas has the most entrants but Florida is ranked high in almost every event except for one. The Gators quite the impressive resume remaining strong throughout the season regardless of challenges,but Arkansas seems to simply know how to win.