ACC Preview: Men

Similar to that of the women in there is one noticeable dominate team, Florida State. Florida State been the only relevant national title contender in the conference and treats its fellow members as such. State. Florida State has won the conference title outdoors six consecutive times. There successful indoor championship streak ended in February of this year to championship meet host Virginia Tech. The Hokies of Virginia Tech still will field a strong team but this maybe a championships level team for Florida State.

The Sprints as usual are the highlight of the ACC Conference. Florida State in recent years has been the headliner. Ngoni Makusha burst onto the scene in 2011 with a personal best and collegiate record of 9.89 in the 100 meter dash. Makusha has forgone his senior season and has left the responsibility up to senior Maurice Mitchell. While Makusha was the 100 meter guy, Mitchell was the 200 meter guy. Mitchell will not be alone in the sprints, fellow senior Kemar Hyman, David Ambler and Brandon O'Connor in the 400 will look to continue the Florida State sprint tradition.

There are plenty of great distance programs in this conference and there always seems to be a top listed as a favorite to win the NCAA title either Indoor or Outdoor. Robby Andrews of Virginia is the national headliner. Andrews burst on the scene in 2010 winning the indoor 800 NCAA crown. Andrews is developing well in the 1,500 meters as well finishing 2nd last outdoor season at the conference championship and is the favorite for the crown this indoor season. Teammates Michael Hammond and William Mulherin of Virginia Tech should be the main challenge in the 1,500 and potential threat in the 5,000 meter race.

The field event battle is another in which Florida State and Virginia Tech push to claim the top. In the horizontal jumping events Florida State loses a phenomenal performer in defending long jump champion Ngoni Makusha. Paul Madzivire will look to continue the success at Florida State will fending off Jeff Artis-Gray of Virginia Tech. The Triple Jump will favorite Virginia Tech with the return of Hasheem Halim the outdoor conference champion. David Wilson may be a competitor or he may enter the NFL Draft. Halim is also a preseason favorite to earn All-American honors.

In the high jump defending champ Dwight Barbiasz of Maryland may never get the chance to defend his title. The University of Maryland has decided to end their Men's track and field program. Rumors are that he is headed to the University of Florida (yay). Ronnie Black and Rene Stauss will lead the way for Virginia Tech for a potential 1-2 finish. The pole vault will also be kind to Virginia Tech. Joel Davis is the top returnee for the Hokies in the conference and Andrew LaHaye of Florida State will clash in a quality competition. Teammate Michael Putman will represent the Seminoles well in the throwing events along with Emory Parsons of North Carolina.

Curtis Beach of Duke will be the heavy favorite in the Heptathlon after having an excellent freshman season. However his performance will likely not affect the team race. I will pick Florida State for now, but I may change depending on the decision from David Wilson.

Next Post: Big 12 Preview (Men)

ACC Preview: Women

It is that time of year, the wonderful indoor track and field season. We have discovered in recent years that a great indoor campaign does not always pan out well for the outdoors. However for track and field fans it is still an important and fun season.

The ACC as we currently know it will change in the 2012-2013 seasons by adding Pittsburgh and Syracuse from the Big East. The two programs will add depth to an already stellar conference.

In the sprints and hurdles Clemson has been the king, or queen if you will, in these events. This season that will not change. Junior Stormy Kendrick is the defending champion and was solid during the 2011 season and should claim both the 60 meters and 200 meters. Teammates Jasmine Edgerson and Marlena Wesh will continue to be a challenge with Kendrick ultimately prevailing.

Wesh is a great long sprinter. She has yet to really perform at the level her talent can take her. She is in a Allyson Felix mode just posing as a 400 meter runner. This season expect Wesh to step it up with no real competition to challenge her.

Teammates of Wesh and Kendrick at Clemson will also likely dominate their best event indoors, the 60 meter hurdles. With Ti'erra Brown of Miami gone, Brianna Rollins and Bridgette Owens are free to dominate. Rollins is the defending NCAA Indoor Champion and was the only athlete under the 8 second mark last season with a personal record of 7.96. Defending champion Edgerson will look to boost points in the event as well.

In the 4x400 relay Clemson will take the crown in this event as well. Although North Carolina was the team to beat last season, they had a pair of seniors on their squad. Losing two relay members to graduation will be hard for the Tar Heels to replace. Clemson has the luck of returning all four members of their outdoor runner-up squad from last season.

In the distance races no one school is expected to dominate at the top. However schools such as North Carolina, Duke and Boston College will be well represented in each event. Jillian King of Boston College looks to the lead the way in both the 800 and 1,500 meter races. King will be challenged by Amanda Winslow of Florida State and Morgane Gay of the University of Virgina in the 1,500 and should see competition from Tasha Stanley of North Carolina in the 800. King has the advantage of strong kick due to her speed and strong performances in the 800. In the long distance races Jessica Perry of Florida State should claim the crown in the 5,000. Fellow sophomore Erin Mercer of North Carolina State will also pose as a threat to the top. For the ACC the future looks bright in distance racing as usual.

Clemson represents themselves well in the sprints and hurdles, but they are superior in the jumps as well. In the high jump April Sinkler will look to add to ACC title hardware. The 2011 outdoor champion is also a threat to claim in the NCAA Indoor title and the ACC title in then long jump as well. With Kimberly Williams of Florida State now gone due to graduation the only challenge Sinkler will find will be from teammate Jasmine Brunson.

Sinkler will look to complete the triple-crown by claiming the triple jump as well. This event too was dominated by Williams. Another Seminole named Michelle Jenije will look to make it tough for Sinkler to sweep the events. Teammate Lauren Terstappen is the early favorite to claim the Pole Vault. Two Tar Heels in Sandi Morris and Merritt Van Meter will look to challenge Terstappen for the crown.

Samira Burkhardt of Virginia Tech and Brittney Waller of Clemson look to claims the crown in their respected throwing events. Burkhard the defending champion in the shot put will see strong competition Lawanda Henry of North Carolina State. Miranda Wilson of Miami should challenge defending champion Waller in the weight throw.

In the pentathlon the consistent dominant performer in Kiani Profit of Maryland has now graduated. Junior Ariel Roberts of North Carolina will look to take over, Roberts finished runner-up to All-American Profit last season.

The expected team champion: CLEMSON

Clemson just has way too much fire power to be denied. They have room for plenty of errors and at championship meets they do not generally make them.

NEXT POST: ACC Preview: Men

How will US Sprints do in 2012?

U.S.A

The past three years many Americans have watched team USA get beat and dominated by Jamaica in the sprints. A noticeable problem effecting the American sprinters are injuries and.... competition. This past outdoor season there was no Jeremy Wariner or Tyson Gay. Both athletes were potential World Championship Gold Medalists in the respected events and will be this coming Olympics. Each event however poses there own questions for American sprinters.

100 METER DASH (MEN and WOMEN)

The women of the United States claimed their first 100 meter gold medal in the World Championship since 2005 when then Lauryn Williams claimed the title. Carmelita Jeter stormed the track to a victory in a time of 10.90 into a headwind. Jeter will remain the American and World favorite to claim the Olympic gold medal. Other American sprinters such as Marshevet Myers and Williams will add to the country's depth. Veronica Campell-Brown and defending Olympic gold medalist Shelly Ann Fraser of Jamaica represent a strong contingent from their country.

The future for the American women in this event is very bright as well. Young trackstar Octavius Freeman is a name many Americans know because of her 11.16 performance as junior into a headwind. Legally that could have been a sub 11 second performance. Expect that from her this outdoor season as she looks to add to a strong Central Florida University track team.

The men have some work to do. Jamaica has a strong change with all athletes healthy to possibly sweep the 100 meters with American Tyson Gay in the field. I strongly doubt that it will happen but the Americans no longer enter into this event as the favorite. Jamaicans Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake and Asafa Powell have taken the event by the throat. American Walter Dix is one of the better championship performers performing well at major championships. Expect for Dix to contend for a podium spot, it may just not be the top spot. Gay may give the Jamaicans a real run since he is the last person to have beaten Bolt.

The future looks bright for America in this event. Unfortunately so does Jamaica. Young talents such as Jazeel Murphy, Dexter Lee and Kemar Bailey-Cole look to keep the country strong. However the Americans have some strong youth in Marvin Bracy, Prezel Hardy, Keenan Brock and Sean McLean. One thing is for certain the rivalry between the countries is going to continue to remain competitive.

200 Meter Dash

This recently has become the United States weakest sprint event. In 2003-2005 the United States swept this event at all major championships. In 2007 Jamaica began to reemerge in the event with Bolt. He took the event by storm at the 2008 Olympics, he returned to dominance this past season with a time of 19.40 at the World Championship. However a few weeks later Yohan Blake made his presence known with the 2nd fastest time of all time in 19.26. Tyson Gay nor Walter Dix have been able to go under 19.4 while both Jamaicans have.

The future in this event is very bright. McLean, Hardy Brock had solid junior seasons and will look to make a name for themselves in the event. Jamaica does not have serious threat in this event but that does not mean that Murphy or Bailey-Cole could become that.

The American women have performed well in this event and will continue to do so. After an exhausting 400 meter race, Allyson Felix almost earned her fourth World title in the event when at the line she was outlasted by Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica and fellow American Jeter. With Felix solely focusing on 200 at the 2012 Olympics there is no reason why she cannot win gold. This event is a very bright spot for the United States.

Octavius Freeman is also the future in the event as well along with Jessica Davis, Aurieyall Scott and Jeneba Tarmoh. The United States will continue to produce solid 200 meter runners. Anthonique Strachan of the Bahamas and Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands will be future stars in the event as well.

400 Meter Dash

Sanya Richards-Ross is solely responsible for the emergence of the female American quarter miler that had been long extinct. There was no serious threat in the 400 for American women from 1996-2004. Richards changed that by winning a World Championship gold medal in 2009. Richards has dealt with injury the past two seasons and towards the end of this season dipped back under 50 seconds. With a solid season of training, Richards-Ross can still claim the top spot. She will have to contend with Amantle Montsho of Botswana.

The future looks bright in this event for the United States with young stars Diamond Dixon and Ebony Eutsey. Chris Ann Gordan and Olivia James of Jamaica are reason why the country can be truly optimistic about their future.

The 400 has been the United States most dominant event. The United States won every championship from 1991 on the event. Jeremy Wariner returned to top form in 2010 with a time of 44.13. The time was far from his personal best of 43.45 set in 2007. However Wariner has gone through coaching changes and a myriad of injuries. Injury plagued his season this year and had to cancel the remaining portion. Lashawn Merritt the defending champion returned after a drug ban to finish second to young superstar Kirani James. This is the first time in decades that the United States looks vulnerable in this event. A healthy Wariner can win the Olympic Gold medal.

The future for this event is very bright for the United States. Arman Hall, Lajerald Betters, Tavaris Tate, Joshua Mance and Tony McQuay will help lead the future for American quarter milers. However James of Grenada is the future of the event. At just 19 years of age, James has a personal best of 44.36. That time is 2nd only to Steven Lewis for a junior record.

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Although this season was not a solid season for American sprinters with the excellent talent at the youth level America will stop remain at the top of the sprinting world. However we must convince our young men to think track and not always football. We can no longer talk down about Jamaica or question their talent when you see the phenomenal performances of their youth at their Championship Meet. Expect for them to be our main rival and except the fact that we have one.

Bolt versus Blake

This past season we witnessed the Jamaican Sprint dominance grow in the 100 meters. One could argue had Asafa Powell been healthy and Usain Bolt did not false start, the Jamaicans could have gone 1-2-3 in the 100 meters at the World Championships.

Now as American it certainly is disheartening to see the United States struggle so mightily in the short sprints. It is what it is, some would say. Yohan Blake just 21 years of age has burst onto the scene with his decisive victory in the 100 meters at the World Championships in Daegu.

Although his time was not truly impressive you must take into account that the time was into a headwind. What truly vaulted Blake to sprint super stardom was his rocket 200 meter performance at the Diamond League meet in Brussells, Belgium. Blake clocked in astounding 19.26 with a bad start. His time is the 2nd fastest 200 meter performance of all time. Jamaica now owns the two best times in world history in the 200 meter dash.

Blake's rise to stardom is not truly a shock to many. Blake a former World Junior Medalist and current training partner of Usain Bolt was predicted to be great. Blake clocked in a 10.21 as a junior athlete at Champs in Jamaica setting a record.


Argument for Usain Bolt

Bolt is perhaps the most electrifying sprinter we have ever seen in track and field. Bolt a 6'5 tall statuesque figure with seemingly limitless speed. Bolt has yet to truly tap in to his potential. It was his coach Glen Mills who took Bolt's training up a notch with 400 meter training. It has since worked. Although Bolt has spent the last two seasons as a showman he is still my favorite to win the Olympic Gold in 100 and 200 meters dashes. His time of 19.40 coming off a season ending injury from the previous seasons should set a warning to all those who doubt him.


Argument for Yohan Blake

The next big talent in World Class Sprinting. Blake busted onto the main stage early in the season at the Jamaican Invitational clocking in at 9.83 slightly wind-aided. He was proving that his times of 9.89 and 19.78 in 2010 were no joke. He had an early set back finishing behind Asafa Powell at the Jamaican National Championships, however making the team. At the World Championships in Daegu an injured Asafa Powell dropped out of the Championships. This move left room for Blake on the podium.

In the finals of the 100 meters Bolt false started and the race was declared wide open. Blake proved to be the clear winner with a dominant performance. His time of 9.92 was the only sub 10 second performance into a strong headwind. He has yet to beat Bolt one on one but knows his weaknesses as his training partner. Blake may even be better that Bolt was in London. Beware of the youngster.



For now my pick is Usain Bolt. Until he is dethroned at his best, he is safe bet to win the 100 and 200 meter dashes.

Fall Update

*It has been a while*

Since my blog is more about track and field and less about Cross Country I have been absent. I am for the growth of my favorite sport but have to admit that Cross Country is not a personal favorite. I am like many other Americans focused on College Football. My three favorite football teams (Michigan-life long fan, Florida-became a fan in the late 90's a young child, Eastern Michigan- I am a alumnus) have all done well. However there are still five major topics to talk about in track and field heading into an Olympic Year.

1.) Yohan Blake can truly challenge Usain Bolt.

2.) How will US Sprints do at the 2012 Olympics.

3.) How good can Kirani James be?

4.) Will the US have their best distance effort in London

5.) Is the US returning to jumping dominance.

We will begin our fall discussions with our first topic with our next post. I am sure it will be a firecracker.

IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW

Well you noticed that I stopped after 2 posts during our preview. With the injuries it just made sense to simply wait. I cannot say we will not continue to post previews, but they will be few and far between. With that being said let us review the running and jumping events of the 2011 World Championships.

It goes without saying this was visually an average track meet at best. With such a strong regular season of full stadiums to have the meet at Daegu with so many empty seats was a disappointment. With the World Championships in town I expected more. What also hurt was the lack of big names in marquee events. However there was still plenty of great performances.


SPRINTS

Whether it is men or women the United States and Jamaica will always reign supreme. The venom will constantly spew and track fans will always get a performance.

Women

Carmelita Jeter returned the 100 meter gold to the United States for the first time since 2005. After twice being the bronze medalist she took control in the middle of the race and was able to hold off a charging Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica.

Campbell-Brown was able to exact her revenge leading from start to finish in the women's 200 to hold Jeter and defending champion American Allyson Felix.

Felix announced early on in the season she was interested in trying to complete a double. Although rarely accomplished Felix attempted the double with less than stellar results. Finishing 3rd in the 200 and 2nd in the 400 to Amantle Montsho of Botswana. Sanya Richards-Ross also had a difficult meat finishing 7th in the 400, a definite disappointment for the defending champion.

Sally Pearson of Australia definitely proved that this season was no fluke. She has had the superior sprint speed and technique to drive home a win in the 100 meter hurdles clocking in at 12.28 to claim the world title over Danielle Carruthers and Dawn Harper of the United States.

Lashinda Demus finally broke through her Jamaican competitors claiming the title in the women's 400 meter hurdles with a time of 52.43 to claim an American record. It is not early to pencil Demus in for a spot on the podium in London.

Men

The 100 meters lost three major stars in this event. American Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell of Jamaica pulled out due to injury and Usain Bolt false started in the final. With those three athletes out the field was wide open. Youngster Yohan Blake of Jamaica will still represent his country well clocking in at 9.92 into a headwind of Walter Dix of the United States.

Dix was finish second again to a Jamaican in the 200 meters. Bolt now fresh from not running the 100 meters clocked a world leading 19.40 that ranks in the top 5 all time. Bolt already the world record holder is simply increasing his legacy.

The United States was lucky to have Lashawn Merritt eligible to compete after serving a 2 year drug suspension. Jeremy Wariner of the United States pulled out prior to the meet due to an injury. A defintite downer for team USA after Wariner finished last season as number 1 with a time of 44.13. Kirani James of Grenada would be the one to challenge Merritt and in the finals the teenager took gold with a time of 44.61. James the young talented phenom is definitely a bright spot for the future.

The 110 hurdles unfortunately ended with a bit of controversy. Dayron Robles won the event but was disqualified due a Chinese protest that he bumped Liu Xiang. This prompted Jason Richardson to the title and Liu Xiang to 2nd.

The 400 hurdles was expected to be a bright spot for the United States with four athletes in the field with personal bests under 48 seconds. However only two qualified to the final and neither were able to medal. Bershawn Jackson hit a hurdle early in the race taking him out rhythm and Angelo Taylor hit a hurdle late. David Greene of Great Britain claimed the title in a time of 48.26.


JUMPS

Men

It has been a long time since the United States Men has had such great performances coming from the field athletes. This year would prove to be a golden one.

Defending champion Dwight Phillips continued his dominance in the long jump. Phillips leaped to 8.45 meters to claim his 4th world title.

The Triple Jump has not been on America's radar in quite some time. That has now changed thanks to two youngsters Christian Taylor and Will Claye. Taylor has been one of the most dominant triple jumpers in NCAA history while competing for Florida. Taylor dethroned Phillips Idowu of Great Britian to take the world title with a leap of 17.96 meters. Taylor's win was totally unexpected but truly welcomed.

Jesse Williams continued that winning feeling by claiming the title in the High Jump. Williams title in the High Jump was America's first in twenty years. His leap of 2.35 meters was declared winner with fewer misses than Russian Alexsey Dmitrik.

Trey Hardee would round out America's gold rush. Hardee the defending champion had the best well rounded performance to score a total of 8,607 points over fellow American Ashton Eaton.

The Pole Vault would be the lone disappointment in the jumping events for the USA. The USA is generally a mainstay on the podium in this events, unfortunately none made it the podium this time around. Pawel Wojciechowski of Poland claimed the title with a mark of 5.90 meters.


DISTANCE

MEN & WOMEN HIGHLIGHTS

In the men's distance races Kenya continued their usual dominance winning the 800; 1,500; 3,000 meter steeplechase and the marathon. That was a total of 4 golds out of a possible six. David Rudisha continued his winning ways with a time of 1:43.91 to claim gold in the 800.

In the women's races Vivian Cheruiyot continued her country's success in distance racing completing a rare double by winning the 5,000 and 10,000 respectively.

In the 800 controversial star Caster Semenya of South Africa fell short of defending her title. Mariya Savinova took control of the race to claim the title in a time of 1:55.87 the current world leading time.

Jennifer Simpson of the United States provided a huge boost to American distance running in the 1,500 by winning the gold in a time of 4:05.41. Simpson a former college star at the University of Colorado is part of America's bright future in distance running.

IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW PART 2

MEN'S SPRINTS & HURLDES PREVIEW


1. 100 METER DASH

There are multiple questions going into this event. Is the United States really that thin at the elite level of the 100 meter dash? Can Asafa Powell finally claim a world title, does Bolt have it this season?

Let's start with the former. Never has the United States looked so thin it what was once the country's most dominant event. Without Tyson Gay and a now suspended Michael Rodgers the United States must rely on Walter Dix to represent the country and push for gold. Justin Gatlin was once champion here in 2005, but is coming off a drug suspension. Here's hoping that talented group of youngsters stick to track and field and not football and the future will remain bright.

Asafa Powell of Jamaica has been somewhat of a time's guy. Meaning, he has produced some of the best individual performances in the 100 meter dash ever. However Powell has no gold to show for it. With his fellow countryman Usain Bolt not looking like his usual self, now is the best time for Powell to claim the gold.

ASAFA POWELL (JAMAICA)

2. 200 Meter Dash

Only two athletes look capable of claiming the gold for this half lap sprint. Dix and Bolt. Bolt is currently the only athlete to have gone under 20 seconds this season legally. Dix's national championship performance was barely wind-aided and was under 20 seconds. However Dix is capable of challenging Dix for the title in this event. Bolt may not be at his best but he still could possibly claim gold.

USAIN BOLT (JAMAICA)

WALTER DIX (USA)

3. 110 Meter Hurdles

Dayron Robles of Cuba is back after missing last season with an injury. Last season David Oliver of the United States dominated, winning every race and dipping under 13 seconds multiple times. Oliver has not look like himself most of this season. He has beaten Liu Xiang of China at the Prefontaine Classic and won the national title, other than that he has dealt with very notable losses. Former college and high school superstar American Jason Richardson has been able to beat Oliver on two occasions this season. Richardson maybe ready to claim the American crown and pushing Oliver to 2nd.

DAVID OLIVER (USA)


DAYRON ROBLES (CUBA)

4. 400 Meter Dash

Never has this event been so open. It is also the first time in a while since Clyde Hart has not had a threat to win it all. With Jeremy Wariner out with an injury and Lejerald Betters no where to be found the United States will have to rely on young talent such as Tony McQuay to compete for the world title.

However this season it seems as if the United States dominance over the event may come to an end due to youngster Kirani James of Grenada. James had a solid collegiate season defending his NCAA title. He recently defeated a strong group of professional sprinters at the London Diamond League clocking in a world leading 44.61. Although James is young, still a teenager, he is a serious threat for the world title.

Chris Brown of the Bahamas maybe the veteran favorite because of his personal best and ability to perform well at the Champion meets, keep an eye on him an do not be surprised if he wins the event.

KIRANI JAMES (GRENADA)

5. 400 Meter Hurdles

This maybe the United States best chance for a gold medal in the sprints. All four representatives have run under 48 seconds in their career, Jeshua Anderson, Bershawn Jackson and Angelo Taylor have all ran 47 seconds this season. Kerron Clement the defending champion has been a bit of disappointment this season and ever since he left Florida. Clement has only ran a season best 48.74. I think the speed training Holloway provided was under appreciated by Clement and is definitely showing. Clement may still claim the world title but will have to set a personal best against a strong American core and world leader Russian L.J. Van Zyl.

KERRON CLEMENT (USA)

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