Conference Championship Weekend Review!

45.51!

(Bryce Deadmon-Texas A&M)

Another captivating conference championship weekend has ended. One of the best weekends on the track and field calendar, not just for times but for competition. Top tier athletes and programs competing head to head for a conference title. The team battle is what gives college track and field its extra boost. The weekend as usual provided clarity as who the real contenders were. Let us review.

WE HAVE LIFT OFF! 

Speed was on display at the SEC Championships in a big way. In the sprints there were four number one performances this weekend and three were performed there. Bryce Deadmon of Texas A&M looked impressive in front of his home crowd outlasting a great field to clock in at 45.51. Texas A&M has had quite the impressive run over the years, perhaps proving they are the premier 400-meter program. Teammate Jamal Walton was not far behind with his time of 45.62.

Abby Steiner of Kentucky ran a blistering 22.57 to win the 200-meter dash and garner the number one ranking for the first time this season. A dark horse to win the national title Steiner has proven herself with a win over big competition including Tamara Clark of Alabama who ran an impressive time of 22.68 good enough for third in the nation. Ohio State super junior Anavia Battle had no challenge in the Big Ten but has proven she is big meet capable. It will be interesting to see their head to head battle.

Bailey Lear of USC was one of the other notable number one performances from this weekend. The sophomore dominated the field at the MPSF championships running a time of 51.60 to win the 400 title. What is perhaps more impressive is that she did this on what is not a sprint friendly track. I expect more from Lear at the National Championship meet in two weeks.

Alabama’s women’s 4x400 relay was the last sprinting number one of the weekend. Courtesy of a strong anchor by Natassha McDonald the Crimson Tide clocked an impressive time of 3:29.36. The Crimson Tide were able to hold off Kentucky who had been the number one team all season long.

Other notable performances in the sprints come from Emmanuel Wells of Washington State. It has been a long while since the days of the great sprinters of Washington State. You have to go back to the early 2000’s to see. Wells launched the top 60-meter time of the weekend and the number two ranked time in the country. His winning time of 6.55 was against a strong field that included Kenroy Higgins of UCLA who clocked in at 6.59 to break the school record.

Julian Alfred of Texas impressed on the women’s side. She doubled in the 60 meter and 200-meter dash at the Big 12 Championships with impressive times of 7.15 and 23.02 respectively. Alfred is the first Texas Longhorn to perform the feat since Marshavette Hooker did it fourteen years ago.

Tonea Marshall of LSU had the most impressive hurdle performance of the season. She was a highly sought off recruit and started to come into her own last outdoor season. This indoor season she is quite the impressive pace. Currently she is one of only two women to go under 8 seconds for the program’s history. She again proved she was the best when took down Grace Stark the true freshman from Florida. Marshall won in a time of 7.89 while Stark broke the world junior record with a time of 7.91.

BOSTON THREE PARTY

Oregon is having quite the year as a distance program. Through all the upheaval and transfers they are perhaps having their best year in the mile ever. This past weekend they decided to compete at Boston for their last chance meet. The competitive field was too enticing for their milers rather than compete at the MPSF Championship. Charlie Hunter led the way with his time of 3:55.41. Although it is the second ranked time in the nation it is the fastest non-converted time of the season. His teammate Cooper Teare was right behind him with 3:55.50. They are both apart of Oregon’s record setting Distance Medley Relay team and will be on full display in two weeks at Nationals.

JUMP AROUND!

What a year for Jamaican jumpers. The NCAA ranks are loaded with them. Most notably in the triple jump where they hold the top four spots. In the long jump however, there is one guy at the top and that is Carey McLeod of Tennessee. The sophomore has been performing at a high level all season long and has taken down defending champion Rayvon Grey of LSU a few times already. His mark of 26 feet 10 ½ won him the SEC title. He finished in a close second place finish in the triple jump with his mark of 54 feet 1 ¼ inches to Clayton Brown of Florida who leaped to 54 feet 1 ¾ inches. Could we see a 27-foot jump from McLeod at Nationals, perhaps but we are more likely to see it this outdoor season.

Ellen Ekholm of Kentucky cemented her position at the top high jumper in the country. She took down the number two and three ranked jumpers in the country with her mark of 6-3 ¼. She’ll enter the championship meet as the favorite and will be relied upon for team battle in terms of points for Kentucky.

In the Pole Vault KC Lightfoot of Baylor did not get a number ranking but did have an impressive weekend at the Big 12 Championships. The sophomore battled it out with another sophomore in Kansas’ Zach Bradford. Lightfoot outlasted him with a mark of 18-11 as he had few missed attempts throughout the competition. Bradford will now move into third overall in the country.

FAR FAR AWAY!

Andrew Liskowitz of Michigan took over the number one ranking in the men’s shot put with his impressive performance at the Big Ten Championships. His winning mark was 68’11 ¾ while former number one and Big 12 Champion Adrian Piperi had a mark of 68’10. Piperi already has a national title on his resume so he gets the lean heading into the championship, but you cannot ignore the performance Liskowitz had this weekend. He represented the Michigan Meat factory well.

CONTROL!

Tyra Gittens of Texas A&M had another solid weekend. On her home track she finished third in the high jump while still leaping past 6 feet. She also topped the pentathlon rankings by winning the SEC title with a total of 4,391 points. That performance included winning three of five events. She competed in the long jump only finishing fourth, she may drop the long jump at nationals to focus only on the high jump and pentathlon. With fewer events to compete in we could see Gittens improve her season’s best point total at the national meet.

Danae Rivers may not have the number one ranking but she has put a cap on quite an impressive career. The senior from Penn State is the first woman from the Big Ten to win the 800 four times in a row. She also claimed the mile title in the Big Ten as well. She is known for the 800 but she is ranked higher in the mile. We will wait and see what she does come nationals.

TEAM STRENGTH

It is quite possible that a team that did not win their conference title will win the national title. I think that is the case on the women’s side. Although Arkansas won the SEC title they did not look like the dominant teams of the past. They were absent their sprint core and dominance in the jumping events. LSU on the other hand looks loaded on a national level. Strong in the sprints as usual with their impressive core of jumpers. USC is an impressive squad as well but looks as if they will be absent defending champion Chanel Brissett who has not looked herself all season long.

On the men’s side Florida State should return to the top of the rankings with an impressive ACC weekend. Their sprinters were their usual impressive selves but include the phenomenal performance of their jumpers and hurdlers. LSU also with their impressive depth in the sprints, hurdles and jumps. It will be a close battle, but I think LSU can pull off the sweep.