49.68!
SPRINTS
Having a stellar senior year is Twanisha Terry of USC. The
star senior proved yet again why she is the number one sprinter claiming the
top qualifying time with 10.89. Terry is now fourth on the all-time NCAA list. USC
is in the team title hunt and Terry is a big part of their aspirations. Joining
Terry under 11 seconds was Cambrea Sturgis of North Carolina A&T with
10.92, Kemba Nelson of Oregon with 10.98 and Tamara Clark of Alabama also with
10.98. Four wind legal sub 11 second races.
Clark of Alabama had an impressive weekend in the 200 as
well clocking in at 22.13. All in all the top five qualifiers came from the
East Regional. Sturgis of North Carolina A&T clocked 22.26, Anavia Battle
of Ohio State was 22.28, Favour Ofili of LSU was 22.30 and Symone Mason of LSU
was 22.49. Perhaps the biggest story of the 200 was the performance of Abby
Steiner of Kentucky. Steiner clocked in a 23.59, well of her 22.38 that led her
to an NCAA title indoors. Steiner’s status was updated to injured, a question
that many people had after her absence from the SEC Championships.
In the 400 USC women stole the show. I posted a screenshot
on my Facebook group (I Love College Track and Field) and the Real Deal Track
and Field Group that displayed their rare success. The lady Trojans qualified five
athletes in the 400 to the NCAA Championship meet. Yes Five! All five ran under
52 seconds while one, Kaelin Roberts went sub 51 with her time of 50.83. The
biggest story however is of course Texas A&M’s Athing Mu who clocked in at
49.68 to not only claim the top qualifying mark but to set another NCAA record,
keeping up with our recording break theme! Many were curious to see if Mu would
step up to the 800 an event she set the NCAA record in, but instead she will
run the 400.
In the hurdles Tonea Marshall lived up to her number one
ranking. The star senior out of LSU clocked in at 12.44. Her time ranks her
number two in the world this year and brings one step closer to breaking the
national record. Both the national record and SEC record stand at 12.39 and
12.40 respectively. Marshall is a big piece of the number one ranked LSU lady
tigers not only in the 100 hurdles but also in the 4x100 relay as the first
leg.
The 400 hurdles was led by Virginia’s Andrenette Knight. Knight
claimed the eastern region title with a time of 56.07 while the west regional
meet was led by defending champion Anna Cockrell of USC who clocked in at
56.47. There are only six athletes on the qualifying list who clocked under 57
seconds.
On the men’s side JoVaughn Martin of Florida State was the
lone sub 10 second performer in the men’s 100 with his time of 9.97. Martin was
apart of trio from Florida State that qualified. Micah Williams of Oregon
clocked a 10.00 to claim the top time out of the western region. Williams is
looking to set things back right after having been beaten in the Pac-12
Championships by Davonte Burnett. Martin has now dipped under 10 seconds twice
this season and looks to be the heavy favorite heading into the championship
meet.
The 200 had all eyes on Terrance Laird of LSU and Matthew
Boling and the Eastern Region. Laird did not disappoint going under 20 seconds again
this season with a wind-aided time of 19.94. Right by him in the race running
the exact same time was Joseph Fahnbulleh of Florida. Out of the western region
the big story is that Houston was able to qualify four runners to the NCAA meet
led by Shawn Maswanganyi.
The 400 saw senior Bryce Deadmon of Texas A&M coming out
of the western region as the overall number one with his time of 44.57. Deadmon
was the preseason favorite early at the beginning of the school year but Noah
Williams of LSU has defeated him multiple times and currently still has the top
collegiate time. Randolph Ross and Trevor Stewart however were perhaps the most
impressive have gone under 45 seconds twice this past weekend to qualify.
Stewart coming out with the top time of 44.59.
In the men’s 110 high hurdles Robert Dunning of Alabama is
having quite the senior season. He has been a solid number one performer since
the SEC Championships. He further cemented his number one status by claiming
the top qualifying time of 13.24. Clemson also qualified three hurdles to the
national meet, quite impressive since their school initially cut the program. Thanks
to the tireless efforts of the Alumni Base, the students, track and field fans
the men’s Clemson Track and Field program will remain.
The 400 hurdles saw a major upswing in performances at the
regional meets. There were four sub 49 second performances led by Oklahoma junior
Isaiah Levingston with his time of 48.58. True freshman Sean Burrell of LSU who
is new to the 400 hurdles is still proving that he will be a threat at the
championship meet scoring the top eastern regional time of 48.86. Levingston
has been under the radar slightly but as the championship season progressed, he
continued to make a name for himself.
DISTANCE
In the men’s 800 were privy to a preview of the national
championship with senior Isaiah Jewett of USC and true freshman Brandon Miller
of Texas A&M. Jewett led the NCAA for majority of the season and was expected
to be the top performer going in to the regional meet. They were placed in the
same qualifying heat and gave us quite the spectacle. Miller outlasted Jewett
at the line with a time of 1:45.57 to 1:45.60. Miller is having quite the
freshman season like his teammate Mu.
The 1,500 at the eastern regional meet had two stars
competing against each other. Yared Nuguse of Notre Dame and the current NCAA
record holder and budding Kenyan star Eliud Kipsang of Alabama. Kipsang a true
freshman for the Crimson Tide ran a blistering time of 3:35.49 to be second all-time
behind Nuguse. He did however beat Nuguse who finished second in that race with
an impressive 3:36.85. The field is quite strong this year with 20 athletes having
run under 3:40 to qualify. I expect with the weather holding up that the NCAA
record here could fall again.
Morgan Beadlescomb of Michigan State claimed the top qualifying
mark in the 5,000 at the eastern regional meet with his time of 13:40.43. He
outdueled Georgetown Robert Brandt who finished in 13:40.66. Wesley Kiptoo of Iowa
State came out of the western region as the top performer with his mark of
13:42.70.
In the men’s 10,000 there were a total of 11 athletes that
ran sub 29 minutes. Leading them was Alex Masai of Hofstra. Masai clocked in 28:29.27
to outrun Adrian Wildschutt of Florida State who clocked in at 28:37.77. Conner
Mantz of BYU who currently has the NCAA lead finished third in his region. Wesley
Kiptoo will attempt quite the challenging double, but he was the top western
regional qualifier in 28:50.11.
Bennet Pascoe of Arkansas State led the way for the western
region and nationally. His top time of 8:37.45 was just slightly better than
the rest. Pascoe was the number one in the country for a brief moment and here
is again in the spotlight.
On the women’s side there was no Athing Mu but there was Michaela
Meyer of Virginia. Meyer clocked the qualifying mark over the weekend in a
strong heat at the eastern regional. Her time was 2:00.40. She was the only
athlete to go under 2:01 the entire weekend. Perhaps even more impressive is
the fact that the eastern region had the top nine qualifying times and all twelve
qualifiers from their region was in the top thirteen. Aaliyah Miller of Baylor
was the top western regional qualifier with her time of 2:02.13.
In the 1,500 Sage Hurta of Colorado has been number one in
the country for majority of the season. Although she was fifth out of her
region (western) to qualify, she was the winner of her heat and led her Colorado
Buffaloes which qualified three. Amaris Tyynnismaa a true freshman from Alabama
had the top time in 4:09.48 and was the only sub 4:10 performer of the weekend.
She is another strong highlight of what has become quite the impressive
distance program at Alabama.
Out of Alabama Mercy Chelangat earned the number one
qualifying spot at the eastern regional meet in not just the 5,000 but the
10,000 as well. That puts Alabama in the driver’s seat in three of the five distance
races. Chelangat’s time in the 5,000 was 15:45.59 and her time in the 10,000
was 33:06.83. Having claimed the cross-country title, Chelangat has further proved
she is the women to beat in the long-distance races.
In 3,000-meter steeplechase senior Gabrielle Jennings of Furman
was able to beat out a quality field at the eastern regional to claim the top
time. Jennings is no stranger to being amongst the best. Her time was 9:40.53,
10 seconds better than everyone in her region. Courtney Wayment of BYU one of
the favorites to win the title claimed the western region title with 9:42.02 against
a more competitive field.
FIELD
Perhaps my biggest gripe with this regional format is that
we rarely see any record breaking performances. The athletes openly bow out
early if they think they have enough to qualify to nationals. The competitive balance
is a bit lost here to me. Below is a list of the notable qualifiers form each
field event.
High Jump
Men- JuVaughn Harrison LSU
Women- Tyra Gittens Texas A&M
Pole Vault
Men- Zach Bradford Kansas
*KC Lightfoot of Baylor turned professional early.
Women- Lisa Gunnarson LSU
*Nastassja Campbell of Arkansas failed to qualify. Arkansas
still has three athletes in the field.
Long Jump
Men- JuVaughn Harrison of LSU had the top mark overall with
a leap of 26-8 ½ (8.14m)
Women- Tyra Gittens of Texas A&M had the top mark
overall with a leap of 22-9 ¾ (6.95m)- wind-aided
Triple Jump
Men- Emmanuel Ihemeje of Oregon had the top mark overall
with a leap of 55-8 ½ (16.98m). Ihemeje won the NCAA Indoor title as an upset.
Women- Ruta Lasmane of Florida State had the top mark
overall with a leap of 46-5 ¼ (14.15m)
Shot Put
Men- Turner Washington of Arizona State had a mark of 68-0 ½
(20.74m)
Women- Adelaide Aquilla of Ohio State had a mark of 60-11 ½ (18.58m)
Discus
Men- Francois Prisloo of South Alabama had a mark of 216-0 (65.85m)
Women- Jorinde Van Klinken of Arizona State had a mark of
211-5 (64.44m)
Hammer Throw
Men- Gleb Dudarev of Kansas had a mark of 234-8 (71.53m)
Women- Camryn Rogers of California had a mark of 236-9
(72.16m)
Javelin Throw
Men- Sindri Gudmundsson of Mississippi State had a mark of 261-11
(79.83m)
Women- Kylee Carter of Auburn had a mark of 183-9 (56.01m)
*The decathlon and heptathlon did not have regional
competition they instead go by the top 12 scorers in each region to form the
qualifying list.
RELAYS
4X100- LSU women made it through the eastern regional
unscathed and with the top time, 42.63. There are currently six teams under 43
seconds on the women’s side
On the men’s side North Carolina A&T is currently the
leader with their top qualifying mark of 38.54.
4x400- Texas A&M is still number one despite USC
qualifying five runners to the national meet. The Aggies clocked a winning time
of 3:25.84.
On the men’s side North Carolina A&T garnered the number
one ranking in the 4x400 relay as well with their time of 3:59.21. They nearly
broke the NCAA record while dominating their region. With two athletes who can
run open 44 seconds there is no surprise in their success.
Our next few posts will be previews before the big meet.
SUNDAY- Sprints/Hurdles/Relays
MONDAY- Distance
TUESDAY- Field Events
No comments:
Post a Comment