2019 NCAA Championship Recap

10.75!

(Sha'Carri Richardson-LSU)

This meet never disappoints, from the individual performances to the team battles, the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships is one the best meets on the track and field calendar. Our theme over the past few years of falling NCAA records continued and we had some major upsets. Let us recap some of the biggest performances from the meet that we did not discuss in our day one recap.

SPRINTS

As usual we will start with the sprints. In the men’s sprints Divine Oduduru of Texas Tech lived up to the hype. After ran blazing semi-final races he followed that up with a 9.86 in the 100 and a 19.72 in the 200. The 100-meter dash also included two other sub 10 second performances in Cravon Gillespie of Oregon in 9.93 and Hakim Sani Brown of Florida in 9.97. Gillespie also went under 20 seconds in 19.93 making this the fastest NCAA meet ever. His time in the 200 is a NCAA meet record and the second fastest collegiate time in history. He will run for his native Nigeria and should be a competitor come World Championship time.

Sha’Carri Richardson a true freshman from LSU is the latest sprint queen from the purple and gold. A school that has developed some of the best NCAA sprinters in history have produced another star. Richardson blazed the track at the University of Texas to the time of 10.75! That was not a typo and yes that is a new NCAA record. We saw Dawn Sowell’s longest standing record finally fall. What was perhaps even more impressive is that she ran that race celebrating nearly five meters out and indicating she could have ran a faster time. She almost completed the double by winning the 200 but she leaned a little to early and defending champion Angie Annelus of USC was able to defend her title 22.16 to 22.17.

In the 400 senior Kahmari Montgomery of Houston has been chasing the only thing missing from his NCAA career and that is an individual NCAA title in his primary event. He literally had to chase the title as Trevor Stewart of North Carolina A&T ran a great race and led the race for the final 98 meters it was the last two meters that saw Montgomery pass him running 44.23 to 44.25.

The women’s 400 was equally impressive. Wadeline Jonathas of South Carolina has had an impressive outdoor season and she capped it off with a personal best of 50.60 to win the NCAA title. Pre-race favorites Sharrika Barnett of Florida and Kethlin Campbell of Arkansas finished third and fourth respectively with times of 51.00 and 51.09. Jonathas is the first Carolina Gamecock to win the event since Natasha Hastings in 2007. Chloe Abbott of Kentucky ran 50.98 to finish second and complete a SEC sweep going from 1-5.

DISTANCE

Bryce Hoppel of Kansas dazzled us this past indoor season by pulling off the stunning upset of Devin Dixon of Texas A&M. This outdoor season was different, we were no longer shocked by his victories but rather expectant of them. With Dixon in the field and in the state of Texas it was evident that it would take a special performance to claim the title. Hoppel delivered running a personal best in the final with a time of 1:44.41.

Jazmine Fray of Texas A&M entered the meet as the top seed and the favorite to win the title. She has been considered a threat to win it ever since she set the indoor NCAA record a couple of years ago but has come up short. This weekend she finally delivered. She won the race in a time of 2:01.31 surpassing Nia Akins of Penn who finished second in 2:01.67. This was her senior season and final race, what a great way finish your career.

In the men’s 1,500 prerace favorite Oliver Hoare of Wisconsin seemed like a solid favorite after a good semi-final. In the finals however he was outdone by fellow Big 10 conference competitor Justine Kiprotich of Michigan State and Yared Nuguse of Notre Dame. Nuguse and Kiprotich took the race to the line battling each other for position and the title. Nuguse was able to barely outlean Kiprotich at the line winning with a time of 3:41.39. He one won the race by 3 thousandths of a second. Hoare finished fourth in 3:42.29.

In the women’s 1,500 it seemed as if senior Jessica Hull of Oregon was going to defend her NCAA title. Sinclaire Johnson of Oklahoma State had something else in mind. Johnson ran the race of her life surpassing a shocked Hull to win the NCAA title in a personal and meet record best time if 4:05.98. The look of shock on Hull’s face is a story in itself but Johnson ran a spectacular race to win her first NCAA title. Hull is a senior who did not end her career the way she wanted but I expect her to perform well at the next level.

The steeplechase for the men did not disappoint. Steven Fahy of Stanford gave us a race we will never forget. The talented senior fell going over the barrier and still manage to cross the finish line as NCAA champion. A dramatic victory for a great career at Stanford. His winning time of 8:38.46 was still a season’s best with the fall it remains to be seen what he can do in a perfectly executed race. His victory should encourage all those struggling with situations in their life, you can fall and still be a champion in the end.

Allie Ostrander of Boise State entered the race as the favorite and two-time defending champion. The junior did not disappoint and most certainly lived up to the hype. Ostrander ran a dominant race to win the NCAA title in 9:37.73, nearly eight seconds ahead of her closest competitor Charlotte Prouse of New Mexico (9:44.50). Ostrander’s time was also a personal best. Is a four-peat on the horizon? That remains to be seen.

The men’s 5,000 was the final chapter in the Fisher versus McDonald rivalry. Both Grant Fisher of Stanford and Morgan McDonald of Wisconsin are seniors and likely will be moving onto the professional circuit. They have challenged each other at every turn with McDonald finding victory at every national championship. The 5,000 was a cap on McDonald’s place in history he defeated Fisher again with a winning time o 14:06.01 outkicking him to the finish. I am sure we will see more of them at the next level but nothing like this season.

Weini Kelati of New Mexico entered the meet as favorite to win the 5k and 10k races to complete a long-distance sweep. Kelati claimed the first title on Thursday night winning the 10k race in 33:10.84. She returned Saturday likely still feeling the effects of her winning on Thursday night. The end result was an upset with Dani Jones of Colorado winning the 5k with a time of 15:50.65. Kelati finished fifth in 15:54.26 well off her personal best.

HURDLES

Grant Holloway of Florida and Daniel Roberts of Kentucky have given us a rivalry to remember. The stunning upset by Daniel Roberts at the SEC Championships made this race all the more interesting. It seemed as if after the prelims that Holloway looked to be out of place, he missed the final of the long jump sending a devasting blow to the Gators team title hopes. Holloway found his footing in the finals however run an incredible tactical race. He broke Renaldo Nehemiah’s 40+ year NCAA record and became the first athlete under 13 seconds in NCAA history with his time of 12.98. Roberts was close behind in 13.00. They both are turning pro after this season giving up their final year of eligibility and will be giving us more great races in the future.

In the 100 hurdles Janeek Brown of Arkansas has been the story since the mid-way point of the season. After her 12.5 performance at the National Relay Championships she has been on a tear. Brown who is being relied upon heavily for team points ran a blitzing time of 12.40 in the 100 hurdles final outdueling Chanel Brissett of USC (12.52). Brown’s time is more special because it is now a new national record for the country of Jamaica, quite and impressive feat for a sophomore. No mention yet if Brown will go pro but I hope to see competing later this summer at the World Championships.

The 400 hurdles was quite an interesting race on the men’s side. Quincy Hall of South Carolina was the obvious favorite and during the race was clearly mis stepping and having an altogether poor race technically. His speed and competitiveness prevailed allowing him to win with a personal best of 48.48. The sky is the limit for Hall whose speed helped to propel him to victory. Once his technique and speed match he will be a dangerous threat. Senior Norman Grimes of Texas Tech gave the team a solid eight points with his time of 48.71, a new personal best.

Anna Cockrell of USC gave the Lady Trojans another NCAA Champion. She as expected ran a dominant for 400 hurdle race winning by almost a full second. Her time of 55.23 was a season’s best and a huge boost to the Lady Trojans team title race. Second was Gabby Scott of Colorado with a time of 56.04. Although Cockrell did not surpass her personal best a time, she still came back from injury with an impressive outdoor season. There is certainly talent here and it remains to be scene what else she can do.

FIELD EVENTS

The bulk of the men’s field events happened on day one but on Friday we were treated to a rare feat. JuVaughn Harrison who won the long jump competed a double by winning the high jump in a personal best mark of 7 feet 5 ¼ inches. He outdueled defending champion Tejaswin Shankar of Kansas State who was second and indoor champion Shelby McEwen of Alabama who was third.

In the triple jump we had an upset. Jordan Scott of Virginia entered the meet as the heavy favorite. He was upstaged by Chengetayi Mapaya of TCU who had a winning mark of 56 feet 2 ½ inches while Scott was second with 55 feet 9 ¾ inches. Both their top performances came on their final jump and for Mapaya it is a personal best mark. It is also noteworthy that Florida scored no points from their men’s jumping cores for the first time since the pre-Christian Taylor era.

Senior Payton Otterdahl senior lost his second event of the meet falling in the men’s discus. The pre meet favorite finished second with a throw of 205 feet even while Eric Kicinski of Texas Tech added 10 team points with a throw of 205 feet 2 inches.

In the decathlon the favorite and talented freshman Ayden Owens of USC earned did not finish and did not participate in the Javelin or 1,500-meter race. This left Johannes Erm of Georgia to continue the school’s great tradition of multi-event athletes to win the NCAA title with a total 8,352 points a personal best. Erm is just a sophomore and we should be seeing more from him in the future.

On the women’s side in the jumps I was expecting the horizontal double from senior Yanis David of Florida. She is currently number two all-time in the triple jump and the winner from the indoor season. It took a personal best to win the long jump on Thursday with a mark of 22 feet 5 ¼ inches. In the triple jump however she was noticeably off on Saturday and Shardia Lawrence of Kansas State capitalize winning with a mark 45 feet 10 ¾ inches. David’s mark was 45 feet 8 ½ inches.

Zarriea Willis of Texas Tech was another highlight for Texas Tech this weekend. The senior leaped to a personal best mark of 6 feet 2 inches to out leap Nicole Greene of North Carolina who was second with 6 feet 1 ½ inches.

The women’s pole vault had a familiar school winning the title. Victoria Hoggard of Arkansas found a way to win the pole vault with a mark of 14 feet 11 ½ inches. Olivia Gruver of Washington is the NCAA record holder with a mark well over 15 feet but she was unable to challenge Hoggard for the title. Hoggard’s mark was huge for team title points for the Lady Razorbacks.

Sophomore Camryn Rogers of California was the favorite to win the hammer throw heading into the meet. It took a personal best throw of 234 feet 7 inches to win the title over runner up Erin Reese of Indiana State who threw for 233 feet 2 inches.

Arizona State continues their championship dominance. Another throwing star is born in Samantha Noenning. The super sophomore hit her top mark on her fifth throw, 59 feet 6 ¼ inches a personal best. Senior Portious Warren of Alabama was the pre meet favorite finished in a close second 59 feet 45 inches.

Senior Mackenzie Little of Stanford has been the top performer in the Javelin all season and this past Friday she proved why. Little claimed the NCAA title with a throw of 195 feet even, 10 feet further then her closest competitor and another throw close to 200. Although her career ends as a collegian we hopefully will be seeing more of Little on the professional level.

Defending champion senior Shadae Lawrence of Colorado State entered the meet as the obvious favorite to win the discus. She found herself on the wrong side finishing third with a mark of 197 feet 11 inches. Junior Laulauga Tausaga of Iowa found a way to defeat the defending champion with her winning mark of 207 feet 6 inches, a new personal record.

Ashtin Zamzow was one of two University of Texas NCAA Champions to win on their home field. The heptathlete hit a new personal best mark of 6,222 points. The senior closed out her NCAA career in style. Her point total included a in impressive high jump mark of 5 feet 10 inches.

RELAYS

On the men’s side were treated to two great races. In the 4x100 relay Florida became the new NCAA record holders with their mark of 37.97. They are the first team (Raymond Ekevwo, Hakim Sani Brown, Grant Holloway and Ryan Clark) to go under 38 seconds in NCAA history. Every finalist in the field went under 39 seconds.

In the 4x400 relay Texas A&M nearly broke the NCAA record with their winning time of 2:59.05 (Bryce Deadmon, Robert Grant, Kryee Johnson and Devin Dixon). Their time is a school record and the second fastest in NCAA history. Texas A&M has really been dominant in this event in recent years. Florida was second thanks to a 43.7 anchor by Grant Holloway with a school record time of 2:59.60. Houston was third in 3:00.07.

On the women’s side USC completed their season dominance in the 4x100 relay by claiming the title with a school record time of 42.21 (Chanel Brisett, Angie Annelus, Lanae Tava Thomas and Twanisha Terry). LSU anchor Sha’Carri Richardson closed strong with 42.29 but was unable to catch Twanisha Terry.

The 4x400 relay had a lot riding on it. USC only had to win the event to defeat the Arkansas Razorbacks for the team title. On the third leg the Alabama runner bumped Anna Cockrell knocking the baton out of her hand. By the time she got the baton and exchanged it to Kaelin Roberts the Trojans were out of the race a disappointing ending to the season. Arkansas held on for second place with a time of 3:25.89. Texas A&M (Tierra Robinson-Jones, Jaevin Reed, Jazmine Fray and Syaira Richardson) won with a time of 3:25.57. The result was a national title for Arkansas.

The team title was decided before the men’s 4x400 relay. It was too much for Florida to overcome no points in the jumping events to contain a strong Texas Tech team. Tech scored a total of 60 points and did not field a 4x400 relay team. The Gators still however finished second with 50 points.

What a season we were treated to. With many champions possibly returning we should expect another exciting year next year. You will hear more from this summer than in previous years and look for the podcast coming soon.

NCAA Outdoor Championship Day 1 Recap

19-6 1/4!!!

(Chris Nilsen- South Dakota)

Whew!! That’s all I could really say after what was a great first day of NCAA Championship action. As with the new format Wednesday and Friday are all men while Thursday and Saturday are all women. Today we witness some great semi-final performances and final performances that will shape up the team battle.

First let’s discuss Grant Holloway. Florida’s do it all man had a rather disappointing day in the long jump, he failed to qualify. This left the Gators without scoring points in the long jump for the first time in years. This also hurt their team title hopes as they did not have room for error. Holloway is truly talented, but this is now the second time he failed to qualify in a event that he is capable of winning.

He did however run a great race in the semi-finals of the 110 high hurdles. The junior ran the number two qualifying time of 13.16. His challenger Daniel Roberts of Kentucky exploded for a meet record time of 13.06, the second fastest time in NCAA history. I will still hold to my prediction here that Holloway will find a way to win it in the finals.

In the short sprints Divine Oduduru of Texas Tech looked smooth. He pulled off two impressive performances running sub 10 in the 100 in a wind-aided effort and ran a wind legal performance in the 200 clocking in at 19.97. That is quite the feat to dip under both 10 second barrier and 20 second barrier in the semi-finals of the same meet. He truly is a talent to watch for. His performance today allows for Texas Tech to remain in the driver’s seat of the team title race.

On the field we witnessed an all time great performance by Mississippi State as they finished 1-2-3 in the javelin. They were led by defending champion Andersen Peters who launched a meet record and third all time NCAA through of 284 feet 2 inches. His teammates Curtis Thompson and Tyriq Horsford followed an impressive performance.

We had an upset of sorts in the pole vault. I, along with many other journalists predicted a sure-fire win for true freshman Mondo Duplantis of LSU to win the NCAA title. Defending champion Chris Nilsen of South Dakota would not be denied. He leaped a personal best mark of 19 feet 6 ¼ inches to break the meet record and claim the NCAA title from Duplantis.

Daniel Haugh of Kennesaw State took down defending champion Denzel Comenentia of Georgia in the Hammer Throw Haugh launched an impressive through of 244 feet 10 inches to claim the title. Comenentia was also competing in the shot put and it clearly was to much for him as nearly missed the final round of throws.

Speaking of shot-put Adrian Piperi of Texas delighted the home crowd by upsetting favorite Payton Otterdahl and his challenger Jordan Geist of Arizona to win the men’s shot put. It took a personal best, but it was a enough for him to win it all on a through of 69 feet 3 ¼ inches.

 JuVuaghn Harrison of LSU won his first national championship of his career winning the long jump with a mark of 26 feet 11 inches. His teammate Rayvon Grey failed to qualify to the final round of jumps highlighting a few disappointing moments for the Tigers.

Other notable qualifying performances would be the Houston Cougars in the open 400. Both seniors Kahmari Montgomery and Obi Igbokwe qualified to the finals. Montgomery will enter in with the top qualifying time of 44.80. With a USATF title already under his belt he looks to be in prime position for a great time Friday.

In the 400 hurdles Quincy Hall of South Carolina continued to look flawless. The talented junior led the way with the top time of 49.01 to qualify for Friday’s final. Senior Taylor McLaughlin of Michigan looked equally impressive with his time of 49.28 to qualifying second overall.

In the only running final of the night, the 10,000-meter run the BYU Cougars capitalized on their entries. The Cougars went 1-3-4 scoring a total of 21 points to put in the team title race hopes. Senior Clayton Young led the way with his winning time of 29:16.60. The Cougars have a few athletes running on Friday and will provide us with an interesting storyline for the team title picture.

The 4x100 relay looks to be exciting with Florida leading all qualifiers with the top time of the year 38.35. LSU qualified second with a time of 38.37 and Florida State was third overall with 38.43. The LSU Tigers took a big hit to their relay and team title chances when Jaron Flournoy pulled up in the 100-meter semi-final with what seemed to be an injury. His absence from their 4x1 will be felt.

Overall great day 1 still more to come Friday but tomorrow will be about the women.

NCAA Women's Championship Preview

Following up our men’s preview, this is our women’s preview. The regional meet really opened up a few eyes and proved how tight some of these races will be. The women will be competing Thursday and Saturday night live on ESPN. Like the men’s preview we are going to do an event by event prediction.

WOMEN

100- I do not remember a more quality field. There are four women in this field who have run under 11 seconds. Normally there is one, maybe two but this year there are four. Senior Kayla White of North Carolina A&T leads the way. The hurdler turned sprinter has a NCAA leading time of 10.96. At the indoor meet she claimed the 200 and finished second in the 60 hurdles, so she clearly has championship pedigree.

Senior Teahna Daniels of Texas was indoor champion at 60 meters as a freshman and she is breaking records this outdoor season. Daniels has personal best of 10.99 tied with Twanisha Terry of USC and true Sha’Carri Richardson of LSU. All three of these ladies are capable of challenging White for the title and Richardson already has a win against White when she defeated her at Regionals. Richardson is my pick to win the event. Richardson seems to perform at her best at the highest levels of competition. I expect her to lower her time again.

200- Defending champion Anglerne Annelus of USC shocked everyone last season winning the 200 in a rainstorm. This season Annelus has so far proved that her 200 title was no fluke. At the regional meet she ran a NCAA leading time of 22.36. USC is in the team title race and Annelus is a big piece of their hopes. Janeek Brown of Arkansas is also a big piece of Arkansas championship hopes making this race all the more interesting. Brown is ranked number two with her time of 22.47 but proved at the SEC Championships competing in both the 100 hurdles and 200-meter dash maybe difficult for her. For that reason, I will lean to Annelus to defend her title.

400- Lynna Irby of Georgia turned pro after the indoor season leaving a gaping hole as to who would win the NCAA title. Sharrika Barnett of Florida became the top returnee and at the beginning of the outdoor season set a strong tone running the NCAA leading time of 50.96. She has held the number one ranking since the end of March and she is the only athlete in the field to run under 51 seconds this season. But her season has not been consistent, and she did not defend her SEC title. Kethlin Campbell of Arkansas did defeat with her number two ranked time of 51.03. This event is wide open with a myriad of quality competitors, but I will lean to Barnett to step up and claim the title further improving her national leading time.

800- Senior Jazmine Fray of Texas A&M already owns the NCAA record indoors at 800 meters. She has yet to translate her success during that indoor season to the outdoors. Fray quietly been having a solid outdoor season that includes a NCAA leading performance ran at the Western Regional meet. Her time of 2:02.27 ran at the Western Regional meet vaulted her past Avi’ Tal Wilson-Perteete of UNLV for the top time in the NCAA. Perteete held the top time from mid-April until the regional meet proving her performance was of quality. Fray has no NCAA trophies but did earn the SEC title. With a open field and being near her school should give Fray the much needed encouragement to win her first NCAA title.

1,500- Jessica Hull of Oregon is the defending champion in the 1,500. She also earned another national title indoors competing in the 3,000. Hull is the latest of a long line of middle-distance stars to come out of the school that Pre built. Hull however may have her toughest challenge yet in the form Sinclaire Johnson of Oklahoma State. OK State is another middle-distance power and Johnson seems to be their next big star. Johnson qualified for the national meet last season but failed to qualify for the finals. Running in a separate heat from Hull at their regional meet Johnson earned the top time in the NCAA this season in 4:09.5. I still will lean to Hull to defend her title but the impressive performance by Johnson will not go unnoticed.

5,000- Weini Kelati of New Mexico is the latest distance star to come out of their championship program. Kelati has led the NCAA in the 5,000 since the middle of April. She will be joined by two teammates. Both of whom are ranked in the top five in the NCAA with her. Each of her runs this season have been impressive. She has a nearly five second lead on the rest of the competition and her championship level performance history shows this should be a rather convincing win for her. Although she is my favorite to win keep an eye on Allie Ostander of Boise State and any of her teammates to potentially challenge her.

10,000- Erin Finn of Michigan was granted a sixth year of eligibility after experiencing multiple injuries throughout her Michigan career which led to her missing multiple seasons. The only thing missing from her impressive Michigan career has been a national title. She has been runner-up in some form of fashion multiple times throughout her career. She had a rough start to this season finishing out of the top three at the Big Ten Championships. She still managed to qualify for the NCAA meet at regionals having the fourth overall qualifying time. With that being said it is not likely that she will win but she has progressed slowly this season and could be a dark horse.

The real threat to win this event is Weini Kelati of New Mexico and or Paige Stoner of Syrcause. Stoner is ranked number two in the nation in this event behind only Allie Ostrander. She stepped out of the 5,000, an event she is also ranked number two in to focus solely on the 10,000. The fresh legs I think will serve her well. The 5k and 10k double have been done before but Kelati is competing against an experienced runner whose sole focus is this race.

100H- Each year we learn there is a difference between 60-meter hurdles and 100-meter hurdles. The distance is obvious yes but the longer distance requires more speed and even greater discipline. Janeek Brown of Arkansas who did not win the NCAA title indoors is the clear favorite here outdoors. She has speed of 22.4 in the 200. That level of speed can only be matched by Gail Devers and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. That is the level of talent that Brown has. Her national leading time of 12.55 leaves her clear in the driver’s seat to claim the title. Chanel Brissett of USC did win the indoor title and is currently ranked second in the NCAA but has not shown the speed of Brown, Brown for the win.

400H- Maybe it is me, but I feel this event is having a down year. So far this season not one athlete has gone under 56 seconds at all this season. After record breaking performances the past few seasons that include World and Olympic Medalist the event this year is in rebuild mode. Anna Cockrell who missed a portion of the outdoor season due to injury has the most speed of the qualifiers and may shock with a special time. She will have to do it while defeating the currently number one ranked Ranae McKenzie of Kansas State and her time of 56.11. The speed and experience of Cockrell bends me into her direction as my choice to convincingly win the title.

3000S- The steeplechase is Allie Ostrander’s event to lose. The junior from Boise State is the defending champion in the event and has impressed with being ranked amongst the elite in majority of the long-distance races. I still would issue caution, Adva Cohen of New Mexico ran her to the line at the Payton Jordan classic. Do not be surprised if she does in fact upset Ostrander. I still personally think Ostrander is the better runner and already has proven she knows how to win this event against a quality field.

High Jump- Andrea Stapleton-Johnson of BYU has held a very thin number one ranking this season. Her mark of 6 feet 2 ¼ inches has lasted at the top of the rankings since early May. Nicole Green of North Carolina has a best of 6 feet 2 inches that was marked on the same day that led to her ACC title. Green already has an NCAA title earning it this past indoor season. Although Johnson leads the NCAA Green has proven that she can consistently step up to the competition and is my pick to win another title.

Pole Vault- This will be quick and fast, Olivia Gruver of Washington. That’s it. Well besides the fact that she broke the NCAA record early this season and is the only athlete over 15 feet, she has nearly foot lead on the field. Gruver, for the easy victory.

Long Jump/Triple Jump- I am going against the number one ranked Aliyah Whisby of Georgia (22-2 ¼) because I believe Yanis David of Florida can truly pull off the jumps double. David has the number two ranked mark of 21 feet 10 inches but defeated Whisby one on one at the SEC Championship. David has already cemented herself in the indoor season as one of the best triple jumpers ever. She further cemented her status with her SEC winning mark of 47 feet 1 inch to mark number two all-time. I think it is time for her long jump performance to match her triple jump

 performance. I am prediction a 22-foot jump and an improvement on her record setting triple jump.

Shot Put- Portious Warren of Alabama is having a special outdoor season. At the end of April at the LSU invitational she became the only thrower in the nation over 60 feet. That mark of 61 feet and ¾ of an inch has been the number one mark since then. She has done nothing but win since then, a streak that I believe will continue this weekend.

Discus- Different school same expectations for Shadae Lawrence. The defending champion is now competing for Colorado State after competing for Kansas State. The senior has looked impressive all year including her NCAA leading mark of 213 feet 5 inches. She has almost a 10-foot lead on the field and to me is an easy favorite to win the title.

Hammer Throw- You though we were going to make an entire preview without mentioning a thrower from Arizona State, well you were wrong. The school has another throwing prodigy in sophomore Beatrice Llano. Llano has an NCAA leading mark of 234 feet 4 inches. Camryn Rogers of California did beat her though at the Pac-12 championships. Llano has not performed at the same level of her NCAA leading mark since she hit it leaving me to believe the field is wide open for this one.

Javelin- Mackenzie Little of Stanford has led most of the year and has shown no signs of slowing down. She looks to comfortably defend her title and nearly 200 foot thrown shows the level of talent she possesses.

Heptathlon- Ashton Zamzow of Texas is clearly in the driver’s seat here. Her nearly 200-point lead on the field is a clear indicator of how far ahead she is of her competition. Michelle Atherley of Miami won the Pentathlon indoors, but the Heptathlon is a different animal, one that Zamzow can tame with 6,148 points. Atherley will present a strong challenge but Zamzow looks more than capable of winning the title.

4x100- USC has been the most consistent in this event all season long. For majority of the season they were the only team with a time under 43 seconds. Their leading mark of 42.44 is impressive and they should challenge the NCAA record. LSU is not to far behind with a time of 42.93, the NCAA record holders however have had some questionable exchanges but have an excellent anchor in Sha’Carri Richardson who likely end up competing against Twanisha Terry an equally capable anchor.

4x400- It has been a long time since South Carolina was in the driver’s seat to win an NCAA title in the 4x400 relay. They have an incredible history under head coach Curtis Frye and this group looks to be one of his best yet. Their NCAA leading time of 3:27.53 will likely come down along with the school record.

Team Title- It will be tight between USC and Arkansas, but I think Arkansas has more wiggle room and a greater chance to score big points. Arkansas for the team title.

NCAA Outdoor Championship Men's Review

It is officially here, the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championship. This meet has become a staple of the track and field calendar and one of the most celebrated meets. Year after year the meet has gone better and better. It gives more visibility to the sport and shows the much-needed team aspect. Predicting champions for this meet is incredibly difficult due to the talent and nature of the meet. In the preview we will look at each event individually.

100- What a fun event this will be. With the great weather we are expecting from Austin, Texas this week fast times are inevitable. The winner of the race should run a sub 10 second race and there a few guys who have already done that. Divine Oduduru of Texas Tech, Cravon Gillespie of Oregon and Hakim Sani Brown of Florida. Both Odudru and Brown are competing on teams who heavily involved in the team title battle and are being counted on heavily for team points.

Oduduru leads the way with his time of 9.94. He is currently ranked number three in the world and should be a factor at this years World Championships in Doha. Gillespie has 9.97 and Brown has run 9.99. All three are capable of winning the title and have championship trophies from the conference meets to prove they are post season ready. Oduduru has however been the most consistent since the start of the outdoor season and has been the favorite since I do not see that changing giving him the nod as the champion.

200- Oduduru leads the way here as well, not in the NCAA but in the world. His time of 19.76 is the second fastest in NCAA history behind record holder Walter Dix of Florida State. His time is also number one in the world and although it is still early in the year he is legitimate threat for a World title with a time of this magnitude. No other athlete in the field has gone under 20 seconds this season and it seems his only challenge will likely come from his teammate Andrew Hudson.

400- This event has gone through record changes over the years with the past two champions breaking the meet record. This year we do not have anyone who has given us any indication that they can go sub 44 but at a meet of this caliber you cannot put it past anyone. There are currently five competitors who have gone under 45 seconds with junior Trevor Stewart of North Carolina A&T leading the way.

Stewart is a part of a growing sprint powerhouse at North Carolina A&T and his time of 44.38 shows he is quite serious about competing for a national title. Kahmari Montgomery of Houston has one everything except a NCAA title and after finishing in second during the indoor season the senior is looking to finally add the only missing piece from his trophy case.

800- Bryce Hoppel of Kansas claimed the indoor title in a stunning upset. This outdoor season he has continued his winning ways. He has yet to lose this outdoor season in any race. He already has a national title and knows how to show up at the championship meet giving him a huge mental advantage. Devin Dixon of Texas A&M currently has the number one time in the NCAA with 1:44.76. Dixon led all indoor season and had a disappointing showing at the Indoor Championship and will be looking for redemption, Hoppel still will be the favorite after already having defeated Dixon indoors.

1,500- Oliver Hoare of Wisconsin has had the number one time since mid-April. He was serious threat in the mile indoors only to follow short after running a race that was perhaps a little too tactical. Even with leading the NCAA he still fell short at the Big Ten Championship finishing second a few weeks ago. He regained his form by earning the top entry time from the Eastern Region. Carlos Villarreal of Arizona has the overall top entry time with 3:39.67. Both battled at the Bryan Clay Invitational with Hoare winning. They will have to battle home town favorite Sam Worley of Texas who will have an excited crown behind him. This event is wide open with no one asserting dominance all year I will lean to the hometown favorite and Big 12 champion Sam Worley.

5,000- This is the last chance we will have to see Grant Fisher of Stanford and Morgan McDonald of Wisconsin face off. This has been a great rivalry this season with McDonald winning a indoor title in between them. Fisher is a former champion in the 5,000 winning it all in 2017. Last year he finished third to two great competitors in Sean McGorty and Justyn Knight. With the year he has had everything points to Fisher earning redemption defeating the field and rival McDonald. However, I trust McDonald in the final seconds of the race. McDonald is a gritty competitor and smart runner from a program with a great pedigree he is my pick to win the race, which should be spectacular.

10,000- BYU versus Everybody is the title of this race. The Cougars qualified a grand total of six competitors including the NCAA leading Connor McMillan. The Cougars currently lead the NCAA overall with the top four marks and look to continue that success at the championship meet. The only legitimate threat to BYU would be Gilbert Kigen of Alabama. Tyler Day of Northern Arizona is the top returnee from the championship meet last year but he has lost to not only Kigen already but two of the top competitors from BYU. This is likely going to be a sweep.

110 Hurdles- This event is huge for team title hopes and huge because two competitors threaten one of the oldest and most special records in the NCAA record book. Grant Holloway of Florida has dominated his rivalry with Daniel Roberts of Kentucky all season long. Roberts has chipped away at Holloway’s lead each time they race and finally beat him at the SEC Championships tying Holloway’s meet record. Holloway has proven to have superior speed but Roberts had the better technique. With a win under his belt Roberts will enter the meet with confidence that it can be done again. Holloway will enter the meet with uncertainty.

Holloway has been in this position before, his freshman season. Losing the SEC title refocused him and gave him the drive to win in it all. This time is different Roberts has not only great technique but speed as well. We may finally see a sub 13 second performance at the NCAA meet. I am leaning to Holloway to defend his title and win it a third time.

400 Hurdles- No event has a more dominant competitor than the 400 hurdles. Junior Quincy Hall of South Carolina is a strong 400 runner. He was one of the best in the country last season as a juco athlete. His 400-hurdle technique has noticeably improved thanks to the coaching of Curtis Frye, one of the greatest hurdle coaches in history. He ran a commanding race at the regional meet and barely broke a sweat running a time of 48.54. He is the only runner in the NCAA that has run sub 48 and he has ran 44 second open 400 to win the SEC title. With his speed and improved technique, we are likely looking at another 47 second 400 hurdler. Hall for the win.

3000 Steeple- Senior Obsa Ali of Minnesota is the defending champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Earlier this season though he garnered a loss to Ryan Smeeton of Oklahoma State at the Payton Jordan Invitational. Smeeton has held the number one time since then and has a better personal record. Ali may be the defending champion but Smeeton has had the better performance. I will lean to Smeeton to win the title.

High Jump- Defending champion Tejaswin Shankar of Kansas State has bee quiet this season. Last season he burst onto the scene with a great post season that led him to winning the NCAA title as a freshman. After a disappointing indoor campaign Shankar has been slowly building during the outdoor season. He had a strong Big 12 championship that earned him the number three mark in the nation at 7 feet 5 inches. Earnie Sears of USC and Roberto Vilches of Missouri have had strong outdoor campaigns. Shelby McEwen of Alabama won the Indoor title and is also having a quality outdoor season. Yes, it is one big pile up but Shankar is following the same format as last year and until someone dethrones him he is my pick to win the title.

Pole Vault- Mondo Duplantis of LSU verse Everybody. The NCAA record holder and superstar freshman is perhaps the easiest pick to win the national title. But alas let us not forget the other competitors in the field like the defending champion Chris Nilsen of South Dakota. Nilsen is the only athlete that has proven capable enough to challenge Duplantis, but the young star is on another level and my pick to win the NCAA title.

Long Jump- This event is critical for team title hopes. Florida has been “Jumps U” in years past but this season not so much. In both the long jump and triple jump they are not favored to win it. LSU has taken the reigns as of late with a competitor in all four jumping events. The long jump is their deepest event with two athletes in the top ten and a total of three qualifiers. JuVaugh Harrison leads the NCAA with his mark of 26 feet 9 ¾ inches and could complete the high jump long jump double or a championship performance by teammate Rayvon Grey could garner the Tigers a champion. Grey won the event indoors but has yet to compete at the same high-level outdoors. Keep an eye out for Odaine Lewis of Texas Tech and Ja’Mari Ward of Missouri. Both are tied for second and are big meet performers. With such a loaded strong field that includes Grant Holloway of Florida, who will need big points from him, I will push here as anyone of them is truly capable of winning the title.

Triple Jump- Jordan Scott of Virginia has led all season long. The indoor champion has had big performance after big performance, whether it is a small invitational or the ACC championship Scott has performed at a high level. With a NCAA leading mark of 57 feet even, more than a foot and half ahead of the rest of the NCAA; Scott is the obvious favorite to win the title.

Shot Put/Discus- Payton Otterdahl of North Dakota State pulled off an impressive double this past indoor season winning the shot put and weight throw. He has qualified for both the shot put and discus for the outdoor meet. He is ranked second in the shot put and fourth in the discus. Both events will present a challenge to him claiming the title.

In the shot put there are only two athletes over 70 feet this season, Otterdahl and number one ranked Jordan Geist of Arizona. Geist was the story last season, he was true freshman performing at a high level and was living up to the hype of a storied high school career. He has led the NCAA this season with a mark of 70 feet 10 inches and will be one of two true challengers to Otterdahl (70-1 ½). The other big challenger is the defending champion Denzel Comenentia of Georgia. He will be competing in three events which may be too much for him to handle. Otterdahl has beaten Comenentia a few times this season and would enter the meet with confidence knowing that. Comenentia is still deserving of acknowledgement as the defending champion but he will likely have a very difficult time.

In the discus Greg Thompson of Maryland is looking to redeem himself after finishing second last season. He is currently the number on ranked thrower in the nation and he has almost a 10-foot lead on Otterdahl. Thompson for the win.

Hammer Throw- This is Comenentia’s best chance to win a title. He is competing in the shot put, discus and hammer throw. He is the defending champion in this event as well and has the leading NCAA mark at 252 feet even. No other athlete is over 250 feet but the strain of three throwing events maybe too much for him and Hilman Orn Jonsson of Virginia may take advantage. I still will lean towards Comenentia of Georgia to win.

Javelin Throw- This event belongs to Mississippi State. The Bulldogs currently have the top four ranked athletes in the NCAA and all four have qualified for this meet including defending champion sophomore Anderson Peters. He has not lost in the javelin since enrolling in college and it does not seem as if that will happen this weekend either. Peters for the win.

Decathlon- Ayden Owens of USC leads the pack with a point total of 8,130. He has proven to be a very adapt runner, he has strong speed and great jumping ability. Along with performing at a high level in the jumping events. Owens however is a freshman and the big lights maybe too much for him to handle. Johannes Erm of Georgia comes from championship pedigree and the Georgia Bulldogs always have a multi-event athlete in the meet competing at a high level.  Erm however has yet to go over 8,000 points this season and could use this as an opportunity to do so. Owens however has a quite repertoire and performs as a high level in too many events, Owens for the win.

4x100- It was disappointing to watch Houston drop the baton on the first exchange at the Western Regional meet. Many, including myself were anticipating a rematch with LSU after the viral video at the Texas Relays. With Houston out and Florida not at their best LSU is the clear odd’s on favorite to win the NCAA title. Their number one ranked time of 38.41 will likely be lowered.

4x400- LSU’s team title hopes hit a big snag when they did not qualify for the NCAA championship after getting disqualified at the Eastern Regional meet. Texas A&M has perhaps been the most consistent 4x400 relay team over the past decade. They are currently ranked number one with a time of 3:01.77 but Houston cannot be counted out. The Cougars will have their healthiest line up all season and will be difficult to defeat. I am leaning towards Houston.

Team Title- I believe Texas Tech has way too much depth for Florida to overcome. The Gators have shown up the past few years, but it will be asking a lot for them to score enough points to defeat Texas Tech who has a more versatile group.

NCAA Regional Recap

(Quincy Hall-South Carolina)

This past weekend teaches us again that we do not know everything. The NCAA Regional meets for all  their bad publicity, gave us quite the spectacle this past weekend. This was every Division 1 athlete’s last chance to qualify for the NCAA championship meet. We witnessed some incredible performances and great disappointments. This recap we will view the top five best performances since most races were truly used just to qualify not to compete.

5.) Jazmine Fray (Texas A&M)- Fray is already the indoor collegiate record holder and immensely talented runner who has no championship trophies. She has come up short at the past few championships and this past weekend proved that things maybe coming together for her. She claimed the number one ranking in the 800 with a time of 2:02.27. It does not pair up against the nearly 2:00 performance she had in the past but certainly a respectable number one time.

4.) Grant Holloway (Florida)- I do not think I can really go a post without mentioning Grant Holloway ever. The superstar talent from Florida is coming off a rough SEC Championship that saw him leave the meet with no championship trophies. Both his preliminary and quarterfinal races were quite impressive with the latter being clocked at 13.10. He proved that he is human, but his talent and speed cannot be denied expect for him to bring his “A” game against Daniel Roberts of Kentucky who defeated him at the SEC Meet.

3.) Allie Ostrander (Boise State)- Ostrander will always be mentioned amongst the elite in the NCAA distance events but there is no denying her success within her specialty the 3,000-meter steeplechase. As the defending champion in the event it should be no secret she used this weekend to strengthen her hold on the number one ranking with a time of 9:40.05.

2.) Anglerne Annelus (Southern California)- Annelus is another defending NCAA Champion who is living up to expectations. The sprint queen ran a domineering race at the Western Regional to qualify for the championship meet. Her winning time of 22.36 is the new NCAA leading mark. It is the first time this season she has held the number one ranking.

1.) Quincy Hall (South Carolina)- No one this weekend looked as dominant or as effortless in winning than Quincy Hall. He is amongst the top 400 runners in the country and decided to step up to his best event the 400 hurdles where he ran an impressive 48.54. A new personal best that he ran with ease. Bouncing around the track showing an impressive stride and great speed endurance. With a personal best in the mid 44’s we can only speculate as to what time he will run at the championship meet. His run of 48.54 looked easy.

IMPRESSIVE: What was also impressive is that BYU men will have six entrants in the men’s 10,000 meter run. No team has ever had that many entrants in the same event. Rory Linkletter, Connor McMillan, Conner Mantz, Clayton Young, Dallin Farnworth and Connor Weaver all will be competing for the Cougars.

Sha’Carri Richardson of LSU and Teahna Daniels of Texas both ran impressive 100-meter races. Both clocking in wind-legal times of 10.99. There are now four athletes in the women’s 100-meter field with a personal record under 11 seconds. This is clearly the deepest field in NCAA history.

MOST DISSAPOINTING: Perhaps the most disappointing result of the Regional meet was the Houston men’s 4x100 relay failing to qualify for the meet. With LSU and Florida both qualifying for the meet there was plenty of excitement for a match up of the top three programs in the country in that event. It was also a major blow to the team title hopes of Houston.

LSU men likewise took a blow to their team title hopes by failing to qualify in the men’s 4x400 relay. It has been a while since LSU was last not a factor in the 4x400 relay. They have historically performed well in the event and to not see them compete on the biggest state is a major disappointment.

*The next post will be preview of the championship meet. I will wait until the official declarations are posted before predicting and previewing each race.

Conference Championship Recap

13.07!

(Grant Holloway-Florida, Daniel Roberts-Kentucky)

A weekend of speed. That is what I will call it. Conference Championship weekend is always the start of the post season and it is clear we are headed for another great one. This weekend we saw a new collegiate record keeping up with the recent theme. This recap we will continue our theme this season of reviewing NCAA number one marks and the best performances of the weekend.

We will start our recap in a different position, the pole vault. True freshman Mondo Duplantis came in as the next big thing in pole vaulting and has certainly lived up to the hype all year long. HE shines at the biggest moments with consistently high performances. The super freshman again broke the collegiate record with his mark of 19 feet 8 ¼ inches surpassing Lawrence Johnson. He is currently the world number one and the early favorite to not only win an NCAA title but the world IAAF title as well.

Our next topic is not necessarily a big upset, but it is still an upset. All year Daniel Roberts has been chasing Florida star Grant Holloway. In the indoor season it was the 60 hurdles now outdoors it is the 110 hurdles. Their rivalry has been mostly one-sided with Holloway winning every competition, but their races have always been extremely close. Their race early in the season at the Florida Relays was the closest the two had all year, 13.28-13.30.

At the SEC Championship this past weekend, Holloway made noise in the preliminary race running a new NCAA number one mark of 13.07. Roberts was in the field and witnessed the performance finishing in second. In the finals however, Roberts proved to be the superior runner blasting out of the blocks first to attack the first hurdle and he never relinquished his lead. The junior tied Holloway’s leading mark of 13.07. We will see more of these two throughout the year but for now Roberts gets to enjoy a major conference title victory. Their shared mark of 13.07 now ties both for second all time only to the legendary Renaldo Nehemiah.

The sprinters certainly did not disappoint this weekend. In the men’s 100 alone there were three sub 10 performances and a fourth wind-aided mark. Senior Cravon Gillespie of Oregon took the top mark for the weekend at the Pac-12 championships with his time of 9.97. His mark is currently ranked second in the nation and makes him the top challenger to Divine Oduduru. He also had the top 200-meter mark of the weekend with a time of 20.17.

Oduduru of Texas Tech won the Big 12 title with his time of 9.99, his second time under 10 seconds this season further cementing his status as perhaps the best sprinter in the nation. Finally, there was Hakim Sami Brown of Florida who won the SEC title with a time of 9.99, the third athlete coached by Mike Holloway to run under 10 seconds. Mario Burke of Houston ran a time of 9.95, however it was wind-aided.

Quincy Hall of South Carolina has proven to be more of open 400-meter runner than a 400 hurdler. The talented junior ran the only sub 45 second 400 of the weekend winning the SEC title in a time of 44.60. Hall is still the number two 400 runner in the nation and is the best 400 meter threat the Gamecocks have had since the great Otis Harris.

Devin Dixon of Texas A&M returned to top form in the 800. After strong regular indoor season the junior fizzled out at the national meet and did not live up to the top billing he generated throughout a terrific regular season. His outdoor season started slow but the past weekend was a reminder to the entire nation of his talent. He defeated a sloid field at the SEC Championships to with a NCAA leading time of 1:44.76. He is currently the only athlete in the nation under 1:45 and he reasserted himself as the favorite. Indoor champion Bryce Hoppel of Kansas defeated the deepest conference field in the Big 12 to win with a time of 1:45.95. He too looks poised for a strong postseason.

Cooper Teare of Oregon took perhaps the most shocking performance of the weekend. Teare claimed the Pac-12 title in the 5,000-meter run over heavy favorite senior Grant Fisher of Stanford.  Fisher is a former NCAA Champion in the event and has yet to win the Pac-12 in his best event. Teare is among the next crop of young distance stars for Oregon and his win at the Pac-12 championship proved the hype around him was accurate. Teare is smart tactical runner proving it by defeating the former champion.

The 400 hurdles had a wild weekend with Cameron Samuel of USC taking the top mark. Samuel ran a dominant race at the Pac-12 championship clocking in at 49.09, the new national number one mark. The USC Trojans have now gone back to back in the event in conference and could potentially do the same at the national level. The race of the weekend however will go to Infinite Tucker of Texas A&M who gained social media stardom after his literal dive at the SEC Championships to defeat his teammate Robert Grant 49.38 to 49.47.

USC produced another number one NCAA leading mark in the high jump with sophomore Earnie Sears. The sophomore won the Pac-12 title with a mark of 7 feet 5 ¼ inches. His mark ties the number one mark held by Roberto Vilches of Missouri. The sophomore already now has two conference titles in his young career now having gone back to back.

Jordan Scott of Virginia is having quite the year in the triple jump. It has been a few years since we have had a season were a Florida gator is not the story going into the post season. Scott had a strong performance at the NCAA Indoor championships jumping 55 feet to win the Indoor title. He has followed that up with a 57-foot performance to win the ACC title. Although slightly wind-aided the mark is indication of the tremendous talent and performance that Scott is capable of.

Jamari Ward of Missouri had quite the weekend in the long jump. He leaped to a seasonal best of 26 feet 7 inches to win the SEC title over a deep and talented field. The mark is close to his personal best and ties him for the number two mark in the nation.

On the men’s side for the throwing events there was no new number one, however there were top great top three performances. Freshman Ethan Dabbs of Virginia claimed the ACC title in the javelin with his NCAA number three mark of 249 feet 6 inches. Winning the event by more than 16 feet. Senior Daniel Haugh of Kennesaw State also earned a NCAA number three mark in the Hammer throw at the Atlantic Sun Championship with a mark of 246 feet 2 inches. Haugh is the now the top performing athlete in the event from a small conference.

On the women’s side there were five new number one marks. The first big performance from the weekend comes from senior Yanis David of Florida. David has taken over a the premier jumper in the country with the graduation of Keturah Orji. The super senior from Guadelepe leaped to the number two mark all time and a SEC meet record in the triple jump. Her mark of 47 feet 1 inches was apart of an impressive double she completed. The senior won the long jump with a mark of 21 feet 10 inches. Her long jump mark is currently number two, but she did defeat the long jump leader Aliyah Whisby one on one.

In the hurdles Janeek Brown of Arkansas by way of Jamaica has been the story since her breakout performance at the National Relay Championship. She again improved her NCAA leading mark in the 100 hurdles with a time of 12.55. Brown has the speed to be an elite level hurdler and the time that she ran to win the SEC title this weekend ranks her among the world’s best and the top hurdler from Jamaica.

Andrea Stapleton-Johnson of BYU had perhaps the best non-conference championship performance of the weekend. The Cougars are independent in the outdoor season and do not compete a conference championship. On the home field Johnson leaped to a new NCAA number mark of 6 feet 2 ¼ inches wo win the high jump. Her mark is ¼ inches higher than Nicole Greene of North Carolina won the ACC title with her mark of 6-2.

Shadae Lawrence of Colorado State formerly of Kansas State has continued her winning ways in the Discus. Lawrence became the newly crowned Moutnain West Champion this past weekend with her winning throw of 213 feet 5 inches. She has over a nine-foot lead of her closest competitor on the national list. Her national leading throw is also a personal best. Lawrence is the defending NCAA champion and in great position to defend her crown.

In the short sprints LSU true freshman Sha’Carri Richardson had an impressive double to win the SEC title. A rare accomplishment to be completed in such a tough conference. However, Richardson is no ordinary competitor. She ran a league leading time of 11.00 in the 100. Her time unfortunately was slightly wind-aided but still impressive. Her 200 time of 22.57 places her third in the country and was the first 200-meter win for LSU since Kimberlyn Duncan.

In the long sprints Kethlin Cambell of Arkansas ran a sensational race against an extremely challenging field to claim the number two time in the nation with 51.03. Her SEC victory cements her status as a competitor. Campbell had an impressive indoor season and it is carrying over to outdoors. Campbell also defeated number one ranked Sharika Barnett of Florida in the race and is one of the many favorites to win a title for a loaded Arkansas team.

Jessica Hull of Oregon won another Pac-12 title in the 1,500 her signature event. The senior and defending national champion have been having a great year and this past weekend proved her championship expertise. The senior ran the top 1,500 time over the weekend with a time of 4:16.42. She has still not run a personal record this season proving that there maybe more in the tank for a strong performance later in the postseason.

The remaining top performance from this weekend were by two relays. USC women’s 4x100 has been impressive all season long and improved upon their number one mark. A team of Mecca McGlaston, Angie Annelus, Lanae Tava Thomas and Twanisha Terry scorched the track for a time of 42.44. It is the fastest time in school history and the fastest time in Pac-12 history. USC is now the third fastest program in history in the 4x100 relay.

Texas A&M men have been incredibly consistent in 4x400 relay and again took the number one ranking this season with their mark of 3:01.77. The defeated LSU among others to claim the SEC title.

The team title picture is still unclear on the men’s side. LSU did win their first SEC title since 1990 however do they have enough to win a national title remains to be seen. Never count Florida out they have performed well at the national level the past few seasons. We should no more after the regional qualifying meet.

Weekend Recap

10.96!

(Kayla White-North Carolina A&T)

This past weekend was the first step towards the post season. The MEAC is the first noted conference to hold their conference championship. The conference consists of historically black colleges/universities which are making a resurgence in today’s African-American youth not only in enrollment but in athletics as well. With the major conferences conducting their conference championships this coming weekend it allowed for the smaller conferences to take center stage along with a few non-scored meets. 

Kayla White is perhaps the most well-known sprint queen out of the talent laden conference. The senior who is primarily a hurdler and 200-meter runner pulled off an impressive double winning the 100 in a time of 10.96 and the 200 in a time of 22.52. Both are NCAA number ones and perhaps more impressive is that 200 was in a strong head wind. White is now among the fastest in the world and the only woman under 11 seconds. With this being a world championship year that is quite an accomplishment albeit early in the season.

White’s teammate Trevor Stewart has turned into quite the long sprinter. He dominated the MEAC Championships by winning the 400 with a full second lead. His winning time of 44.38 is number one in the NCAA and currently number three in the world. The talented junior is another sprint talent coming out of North Carolina A&T that is expected to make big noise later in the post season.

Rodney Rowe of North Carolina A&T also had quite the weekend pulling off an impressive sprint double winning the 100 in a time of 10.05 and the 200 in 20.12. His 200-meter time is currently ranked number two in the NCAA and the 100 is currently ranked number four. Rowe now a senior has a been a fixture among the top tier of the NCAA for quite some time but this season he is rounding into form at the perfect time.

All the great distance races were clearly at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto, California. On the men’s side there were two number one performances, Tyler Day of Northern Arizona in the 5,000 and Connor McMillan of BYU in the 10,000.

The Payton Jordan Invitational has become a mainstay on the distance running calendar and always seems to produce quality performances year end and year out. Day stepped into the race competing against several professional athletes all of whom hope to be competing at the World Championships later this summer. Day finished 13^th in a loaded field with his time of 13:25.06. Conner Mantz of BYU also competed finishing 16^th overall with a time of 13:29.73 good enough for third in the NCAA.

Connor McMillan of BYU competed in an equally loaded 10,000 that included Lawi Lalang. McMillan still ran a heroic race finishing ninth overall with his NCAA leading time of 28:11.30. The 10,000 is not a race were athletes run it a lot so a time of this quality at this point in the season is a good sign for McMillan moving forward.

Senior Jessica Hull of Oregon is the defending champion in the 1,500 and made her season debut at the Payton Jordan Invitational. Like the men Hull stepped into a loaded field full of professionals. Hull however, came out the victor winning with an impressive time of 4:12.08 defeating Nike professional Karissa Schweizer. Her gutsy race and strong performance is reminiscent of the great talent she has consistently displayed and proof why she is still the one to beat in the 1,500.

There were no new number one performances in the field events but there were a few performances of note. In the women’s discus Obiageri Ameachi of Princenton won the Ivy League Championships with a throw of 190 feet 1 inch. Her mark is good enough for her to sit tied for sixth nationally.

From West Point sophomore August Cook won the Patriot League Title in the Javelin with a mark of 238 feet 8 inches. He is currently tied for eighth in the nation. He is the highest ranked military athlete in the nation.

We are now in the post season and it is officially conference championship weekend with the Power 5 conferences all conducting their championships this week. The team title picture should become clearer after this weekend. With weather cooperating and our recent track record, we should have at least one NCAA record broken from this weekend.

Weekend Recap, the end of April

12.57!

(Janeek Brown-Arkansas)

The regular season is winding down. We are heading towards May and the post season is almost here. We were treated this past weekend to some truly great performances. The world’s largest Relay Carnival and most attended event on American soil the Penn Relays gave us some noteworthy performances. Let us recap not only our new number one performances but the big headlines from this weekend.

Grant Holloway retakes the number one ranking in the 110 hurdles on his home track. The talented junior looked smooth in victory clocking in a time of 13.25 at the Tom Jones memorial. The race was wind legal and solidified him as the world number one as well. His rival and fellow SEC counterpart Daniel Roberts of Kentucky perhaps had the more not worth performance. Although his time of 13.28 was wind assisted he did beat defending Olympic Gold Medalist Omar McLeod at the Drake Relays in cold, rainy weather. Their battle at the SEC Championships along with Isaiah Moore of South Carolina will be great.

Janeek Brown of Arkansas by way of Jamaica also had a impressive weekend over the hurdles. She clocked the world leading time of 12.57 in the 100 hurdles en route to victory at the National Relay Championship and followed that up with the number two ranked time in the 200 with 22.67. The only athlete that claim that impressive sprint hurdle double in history is Jackie Joyner-Kersee, impressive company to be with.

No relay of the week but let us give credit to what the Houston men did this past weekend at the Penn Relays. The men swept the sprint relays winning the 4x1, 4x2 and the 4x4 in a NCAA leading time of 3:02.61. Senior Mario Burke was a part of all three and add his fourth gold medal by winning the 100 quite the impressive weekend for him and the Cougars. This is only the sixth time it has ever happened.

The University of Pennsylvania experienced their first Penn wheel in the Distance Medley Championship of America race. The prestigious Ivy League university held off Notre Dame traditional distance power Villanova to win the title on their home field. Their winning time was 10:59.44 and was the only sub 11 minute performance in the entire field. 

The USC women’s 4xx100 relay of Dior Hall, Angie Annelus, Lanae Tava Thomas and Twanisha Terry improved their national leading time with a win over rival UCLA in their annual dual. Their time of 42.77 further cements them as the favorites to win the NCAA title as they are still the only team under 43 seconds.

Mondo Duplantis of LSU reclaimed his number one ranking in the Pole Vault. The superstar dominated the field on his track winning with a mark of 19 feet 5 ¾ inches. That is the second-best mark in NCAA history and world number one. Duplantis is truly having one of the greatest freshman seasons in NCAA history.

Aliyah Whisby of Georgia had tied the NCAA lead in the long jump last week. This past weekend she became the sole number one leader in the long jump by leaping to 22’2 ¼ at the Torrin Lawrence Memorial on her home track. The talented sophomore is now currently the only athlete over 22 feet in the women’s long jump and looks to continue that great jumping tradition at Georgia.

Portious Warren of Alabama has now put her name in the shot put as a national contender. The senior became the first woman over 60 feet this season with her winning throw of 61’0 ¾ in the shot put. She has nearly a five foot lead over the SEC conference giving her plenty of time to continue her win streak.

Bryce Hoppel of Kansas continues to have an impressive year. The junior clocked in at 1:45.87 to win the open 800 at the National Relay Championships at the University of Arkansas. He is currently ranked number two in the NCAA but with a indoor NCAA title and his ability to perform at the highest level he seems to be in great position to add to his trophy case.

Daniel Michalski of Indiana gave us another reason to celebrate all that is the Penn Relays. The senior ran a dominating race in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in less the ideal weather conditions. He clocked a NCAA leading of 8:34.26 over a quality field. His lead was more than 16 seconds ahead. If there were any doubts about Indiana’s ability to develop great distance runners, they have been answering the bell all season long.

A THOUGHT…

With the creation of the National Relay Championships and the withdrawal of many premier colleges from the Penn Relays the meet has lost some of it’s luster. It cannot be ignored and what is truly sad is that this meet is the United States premier annual meet on its home soil. The Jamaicans have come and conquered this meet not only in the high school division but in the professional division as well. The absence of many elite programs adds to that sting. It is as if the colleges take the meet for granted since national exposure is no longer needed because of web streaming and social media.

As a fan of the meet who attended in 2017 and 2018 the atmosphere is hard to bead. The constant energy that flows and the excitement does not happen anywhere else. It is truly disappointing that premier universities are so into themselves and desire to be spoiled or given special treatment decided to withdraw. The sport needs to continue to grow and college track and field can truly help. M hope is that the university coaches get over themselves and return to this great meet. This is not to step them from attending the Drake Relays but the fan fare that comes with the Penn Relays cannot be ignored or replaced.

Weekend Recap

9.94! 19.76!

A weekend to remember. We are drawing closer and closer to the post season, but many collegiate athletes used this past weekend to make some serious noise. There are several new number one performances and all-time marks.

Divine Oduduru has been blazing the track since last season. The talented sprinter from Nigeria gave us a performance for the ages this past weekend. He won the 100-meter dash at the Michael Johnson Invitational and clocked in at 9.94. A new number one in the event and the first time a Nigerian has ran under 10 seconds since 2006. He followed that up with a jaw dropping 19.76 in the 200 becoming the second fastest 200-meter sprinter in NCAA history a new Nigerian record. Please keep in mind this was all done the same day. His performance not only signals his status at the favorite to double at the NCAA Championship, but he will be a serious threat later this year at the World Championships.

Oliver Hoare of Wisconsin is one of the many distance stars on their top tier program. The junior has been one of the milers in not only the Big Ten Conference but also in the NCAA and is coming off an All-American indoor season. At the Bryan Clay Invitational last Wednesday, he claimed the 1,500-meter title in a NCAA leading time of 3:37.20. The race was rather spectacular and literally came down to the line with him edging out a stumbling Carlos Villarreal of Arizona who finished in 3:37.22, the number two ranked mark. His time is impressive for it to be mid-season and it remains to be seen what he will bring during the postseason.

The 400-meter hurdles number one ranking changed twice this past weekend. Cameron Samuel of USC held the number one ranking after winning the event at the Mt Sac Relays on Thursday. On Friday at the Michael Johnson Invitational Norman Grimes of Texas Tech and Infinite Tucker ran a tight race to finish 1-2. Grimes now holds the NCAA lead with his time of 49.75, Tucker is second with 49.78 and Samuel is now third with 49.79. Grimes is coming into his own and defeating a strong Texas A&M group is a great sign of his potential.

Chris Nilsen of South Dakota continues has taken the reigns as the top vaulter in the NCAA. He currently has the only mark over 19 feet this outdoor season with his Beach Invitational winning mark of 19 feet 1 inch. He competed against some of the top competition in the NCAA and came away the victor. Duplantis debuted this weekend but his mark places him seventh. For now, all eyes are on Nilsen.

Jordan Scott of Virginia claimed the indoor NCAA title in the triple jump and debuted his outdoor season with a personal best mark of 56 feet even. He has nearly a foot and a half on his closest competitor and with no current triple jump threat from Florida it is clear who the obvious favorite in this event is. Scott has been so consistent this season it is not likely he will lose at all this season.

Denzel Comenentia of Georgia is the defending NCAA Champion in the Hammer Throw. The senior this weekend took on Nike sponsored pro in Marcel Lomnicky who has competed at the Olympic Games. Their battle was close with Lomnicky winning by a foot however Comenentia’s mark of 252 feet is the new lead in the NCAA. He is currently over 6 feet ahead of his closest competitors.  

Our last men’s number one mark comes from a very talented freshman at USC, Ayden Owens. Owens is one of only two athletes that have now surpassed the 8,000-point total this season. The talented freshman had quite the performance at the Bryan Clay Invitational that saw him win four the ten events in the competition. He defeated a quality field that included a previous All-American. His mark is impressive, but it remains to be seen if he be consistent in the post season.

On the women’s side there was a grand total of eight individual number ones and a new number one mark in the 4x100 relay. The hurdles are where we start with Tonea Marshall of LSU rounding into great form this season. The talented junior was one of the fastest hurdlers in high school history and in past years had yet to make a dent on the national level in college. She has been solid this season routinely going under 13 seconds. On her home track at the LSU Alumni Gold invitational she claimed the number one mark in the nation with a time of 12.81. This is Marshall’s second time this season being ranked number one and is testament to the great start she has had this outdoor season.

The 400 hurdles has had a slow start on the women’s side. We have yet to see an athlete dip under 56 seconds and until this weekend no one has gone under 57 seconds. At the Michael Johnson Invitational senior Ranae McKenzie of Kansas State ran a dominant race that saw her clock a winning time of 56.11. McKenzie is an All-American and the defending Big 12 Champion. She is undefeated this season and is great position for a strong post-season run.

The 800 is starting to heat up with many top tier athletes jockeying for position and ranking. Avi’Tal Wilson-Perteete of UNLV is only a sophomore but has been a top ranked athlete since her freshman year. She just missed out on the final qualifying spot at last years National Championship and is clearly motivated by the missed opportunity. She has been solid this outdoor season competing in events as low as the 400 and high as the 1,500. At the Bryan Clay Invitational she challenged professional Nikki Hiltz and a quality collegiate field. At the end of the race Perteete was the top collegian with a time of 2:02.41 and finished second overall losing only to Hiltz.

The 1,500 is a wide-open event this outdoor season and each time a new athlete takes the number one ranking they are legitimately a contender. Jessica Harris a senior from Notre Dame is the latest this season with her time of 4:13.04 ran at the Virginia Challenge. She defeated a few professionals and All-Americans in the process making her time and performance even more legitimate. Expect more from Harris this season.

New Mexico continues to be the gold standard for long distance running. Weini Kelati continued her strong 2019 season with her win at the Bryan Clay Invitational. Kelati and ran against a strong field including her teammate Adva Cohen. Kelati dominant time of 15:23.46 is more than seven seconds ahead of second place and leaves her as one of the favorites to win the event on the national level outdoors.

The Long jump now has a three-way tie for first place. Aliyah Whisby of Georgia tied the top mark of 21 feet 8 inches at the Mt Sac Relays. Whisby is the latest jump star out of Georgia. Only a sophomore she must be considered a contender with the strong history that Georgia has.

We also now have a tie in the women’s shot put for the number one ranking. Alyssa Wilson of UCLA and Laulauga Tausaga of Iowa both had a throw of 59 feet 1 ½ inches. The irony is they competed at the exact same meet the Beach Invitational. Noenning of Arizona State is still the favorite to win the event, but we will now how competitive Wilson is when she faces Noenning at the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships in a few weeks.

At the Mt Sac Relays senior Shadae Lawrence returned to top form. The senior by way of Jamaica threw for a solid mark in the discus with 209 feet 7 inches. Lawrence was second overall in the competition losing only to Brazilian professional Fernanda Martins.  She has five feet over the closest competitor in the NCAA and is proving to be in great position to defend her NCAA title.

RELAY OF THE WEEK

USC women became the first 42 second 4x100 relay of the season. USC had a quartet of Dior Hall, Angie Annelus, Lanae-Tava Thomas and Twinisha Terry blazed the track at the Mt. Sac Relays to win with a time of 42.93.

We are getting closer and closer to the post season. The recent rankings indicate we are in for a real treat this post season. Expect more post in the future, running into a few personal challenges that are delaying things, but still expect more to come.