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.