Penn Relays Preview 2017- Women

(Oregon-Penn Relays 2016)

The Penn Relays Carnival is the oldest relay carnival in the world and notably the most popular. This event has become an international sensation not just amongst the professional ranks but also among high school and collegiate athletes. With a phenomenal Jamaican presence the event is more like a party. I will be attending the meet for the first time and I am curious to see what the Penn Relays look like with even fewer SEC schools in competition. With the Jamaican schools present it sure to be quite a show. This preview will be all about the relay events and not the individual events at the meet.

4x100 Relay

In the past this event was dominated by LSU and Texas A&M or should I say Pat Henry. Henry has been a part of 19 victories in this event for the women between his two stints at the school. However his Aggies will not be participating. Oregon which has become the new dominant short sprints program has already made headlines this year by breaking the NCAA record twice. Their time of 42.12 is currently the number one ranked time in the NCAA but also the number one ranked time in the world. C.G. Foster of Jamaica will hope to challenge, their season best however is 44.11.

4x200 Relay

Oregon is not listed to compete in this event and it is a bit of a disappointment. The Lady Ducks broke the NCAA record earlier this season at the Florida Relays and became the first team under 1:29. UTech and Oklahoma are listed as the top entrants and UTech has had very recent success at the meet including wining the 4x400 relay.

4x400 Relay

Oregon has won this race twice before and is listed second all time with their winning performance in 2013. They enter the meet with a better time than that and will be challenged by another two time winner in UTech. The Penn Relays record of 3:25.05 held by Texas seems a little out of reach at this point but this should still be a great race. Oregon has new NCAA record holder in the 800 Raevyn Rogers to anchor.

4x800 Relay

This event like so many distance relays here will be between Georgetown, Stanford and Villanova. It is very clear that Georgetown is bringing a strong team to the meet. They are listed here as number one and a very other relays. Stanford will have Olivia Baker and a host of other quality half-milers but Georgetown will look to defend their title and may have the personnel to do so.

4x1500 Relay

This rarely ran event has been dominated by American Universities and that should continue this year. Villanova returns as defending champion and may have an even better squad they enter as the number one seed. Oregon will bring a strong squad that will include freshman stud Katie Rainsberger. For Stanford they will have the luxury of having the number one and number four performances in all the NCAA in the 1,500 both Elise Cranny and Christina Aragon are scheduled to compete.

Distance Medley Relay

Georgetown enters the meet as defending champions but they have an entirely new group, however they are still ranked as the number one seed. They will have to fight off a strong Stanford team that has Olivia Baker and Elise Cranny. Baker is ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA in the 800 while Cranny leads the 1,500 add to that they’ll have Christina Aragon to possibly run the 1,200 leg of the relay. It becomes clear how strong this Stanford team is. Although Georgetown enters as the number one seed I believe the favorite to be Stanford.

Sprint Medley Relay

Oregon is listed as the number one seed in the event and it is easy to see why. Not only do they have Raevyn Rogers running the 800 leg but they have a strong core of sprinters to chose from all of whom have been a part of two record setting sprint relays. In this event like the 4x100 it is Oregon and then there is everyone else.

Shuttle Hurdle Relay

San Diego State enters hear as the number one seed. Micha Auzenne is the top hurdler for the Aztecs and she is currently ranked number 19 in the NCAA with seasons best of 13.19. South Carolina is listed as number two and although they do not have a top 20 athlete competing Curtis Frye and hurdlers have had a great relationship over the years, so do not count them out. 

Weekly Recap

(Fred Kerley-Texas A&M)

The 2017 season has been one of the best in recent memory. Here we have yet another week with a bevy of new number one performances and some that have caught our attention. This recap will be about the top five performances from this past weekend, majority of which are new number one rankings.

WOMEN

5. Kellion Knibb- Florida State (Discus): Senior Kellion Knibb of Florida State and an Olympian this past weekend became the first athlete in the discus to surpass 200 feet. Her throw of 202’1 was the first throw over 200 feet this season and placed her in the top spot in the NCAA. She almost has a five foot lead on her closest competitor and is in great position to avenge her defeat at the NCAA Championships from last outdoor season were she was runner up.

4. Quanesha Burks- Alabama (Long Jump): Burks already has NCAA Championship hardware to her credit. She has unfortunately been dethroned as the queen of the Long Jump. Her lost last outdoor season and this past indoor season has certainly proved that she is human. This weekend however is indication that she hasn’t gone anywhere and will be ready to reclaim her title when the time comes. She climbed to the top of the NCAA with her jump of 22-0 ¾ and became only the second athlete this outdoor season to surpass 22 feet.

3. Elise Cranny – Stanford (1,500): Stanford and their distance success is nothing new, in fact we have become expectant of a new star from the highly esteemed university every couple of years. Elise Cranny has stepped in to fill that role in the 1,500. This past weekend she zoomed to the top of the NCAA with her time of 4:11.46 to win the Cardinal Classic on her home track. After finishing 2^nd last season she is making a great case to claim the title this time around.

2. Emily Grove- South Dakota (Pole Vault): South Dakota has the rare distinction of having the top male and female pole vaulter in the NCAA. Grove has become the latest standout from South Dakota when this past weekend she leaped to 15-1 at the Sioux City Relays. Grove became the first athlete this outdoor season to surpass 15 feet and placed herself firmly in the driver’s seat against the Weeks sisters of Arkansas.

1. Chrisann Gordon- Texas (400): Texas and the 400 is nothing new. From great champions such as Suzainn Reid, Sanya Richards and Courtney Okolo Texas has proven to be 400 meter university. Chrisann Gordon is next in line for the 400 crown at Texas and this past weekend proved she was ready for it. Gordon clocked in at 50.64 to win the LSU Alumni Gold meet and defeat Olympian Jessica Beard. Gordon who is from Jamaica will also be a threat to make the Jamaican team for this summer’s World Championships.

MEN

5. Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake- LSU (200): Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake was the only athlete last season to run under 20 seconds in the 200 meter dash in the entire NCAA. He unfortunately was unable to earn a National title in the event after getting injured during the 4x100 relay. He however has been slowly returning back to form. This past weekend on his home track he rocketed to a time of 20.15. That mark won the meet and moved him to the number two time in the nation.

4. Nicholas Percy- Nebraska (Discus): Nebraska has always been synonymous with great field event athletes. Percy just seems to be the next in line to represent the Cornhuskers on the national stage in a field event. Percy won this event last season and looks to be in top shape mid season. His throw this past weekend of 204’8 moved him into the number one ranking where he should remain throughout the season.

3. Isaiah Harris- Penn State (800): Harris is the latest in a long line of successful middle distance runners from Penn State. After finishing 4^th in this event last outdoor season and this indoor season Harris looks to improve upon his national ranking. At the Virginia Challenge this weekend against top five competition, Harris proved himself ready to take the next step. His time of 1:45.12 moved him to the number one ranking in the NCAA and in good position to possibly win his first NCAA title.

2. Odean Skeen- Auburn (100): Odean Skeen became the latest Jamaican this past weekend to dip under the 10 second barrier. His time of 9.98 moved him to the number one ranking in the NCAA and slightly ahead of Kendall Williams of Georgia. Skeen is one of three athletes to have run under the 10 second barrier and the only one to have a wind legal time. Perhaps what was more impressive was how well he defeated his competition. The closest competitor clocked a 10.21 in his heat, that is a just a little over two tenths of a second which is stating a lot in the sport of track and field.

1. Fred Kerley- Texas A&M (400): We have been waiting for several weeks for Kerley to make his season debut in his premier event. Kerley was quite dominant this past weekend at the Michael Johnson invitational clocking in at 44.60 to win the 400 meter dash. He was part of a great weekend for this event that saw three competitors dip under 45 seconds. However Kerley’s performance was perhaps the most impressive. He won the race by more than a second which still held a quality field. His time also allowed for him to remain at the number one performer in the event. Although it was his debut no one outdoors had previously surpassed his indoor championship time until this weekend.

RELAY OF THE WEEK: LSU Women’s 4x400 Relay clocking in at 3:29.10. 

Weekly Recap

1:59.10! NCAA RECORD

(Raevyn Rogers- Oregon)

Hot! That’s what this weekend was, another weekend in 2017 and we have two new national records. That seems to be the theme for this season. At the beginning of the season I indicated that this season has potential to be special and it is already shaping up to be that way. With us now pass the middle of April the quality of the performances are sure to increase. In this recap we will look at the top five performances from each gender. 

WOMEN

5. Yanis David (Florida-Triple Jump) This young French athlete is one of the many talented jumpers at the University of Florida or as they call themselves “Jumps U”. David has had to sit in the shadow of American triple jump star Keturah Orji. David has gotten things off to a great start this season with personal bests in the long jump earned early in the season. This past weekend at the TCU Invitational David broke out a new national lead in the triple jump with a mark of 45-8. She has almost a full foot on the closest competitor and put Orji on noticed that she is ready to compete.

4. Nikki Hiltz (Arkansas-1,500) Arkansas just seems to birth them. Another year another distance star for the Arkansas Razorbacks, championships is clearly what they do. Hiltz garnered the number one ranking in the event this past weekend with a time of 4:12.71 at the Bryan Clay Invite. Hiltz ran against quality competition finishing with the top time in Division 1 and second overall in the race. Although it is still April Hiltz has proven with that time she might be the one to beat.

3. Rushelle Burton (Texas- 100 Hurdles) It should come as no surprise that Texas has a bevy of hurdle talent. They are coached by Olympic Medalist Tonja Buford-Bailey. Bailey has made sure that the Longhorns remain a national threat ever since her arrival in Austin. Burton however is a freshman from Jamaica with rare talent and is currently proving that with every meet. After an All-American indoor season Burton has quickly found herself amongst the elite of college. This past weekend she vaulted to the number one time in the nation clocking in at 12.65 to win the Texas Invitational.  Although her time is slightly wind-aided she proves that she is ready to compete for the national crown.

2. Deajah Stevens (Oregon- 100 and 200 Dash) Stevens came in this season as one of two Olympic sprinters returning to Oregon. Stevens however made the team individually in the 200 meter dash. She is known for her long stride and closing speed which has made her a great 200 meter runner. However this season she has steadily proven her capability in the 100 meters as well. Stevens dominated the sprints at the Mt. Sac Relays this past weekend winning the 100 in 11.00 and the 200 in 22.31. Both performances rank her number in the NCAA and in the top 5 in the world period. Stevens has certainly proven that she is ready to take over as the new Oregon sprint queen.

1. Raevyn Rogers (Oregon- 800) Rogers has been the queen of the 800 since she arrived as a freshman at Oregon. Now a junior that talented star has continued her success and finally did what thought she would have done last season. Rogers broke the NCAA record this past weekend in the 800 clocking at 1:59.10 breaking Wisconsin’s Suzy Favor Hamilton record. The record has stood for 27 years and many have come close but none have been able to overcome the record until now. Rogers is a huge piece to Oregon’s dominance on the track and will continue to raise the bar in this event. Could we potentially see a 1:58 performance in the future?

MEN

5. Mostafa Hassan (Colorado St-Shot Put) Against strong competition at the Mt. Sac Relays Hassan proved to be the strongest of the all. The men’s shot put is tough event of the west coast with so many talented throwing programs. Hassan who is noticeable at a smaller school proved to be unwavering in his success this season. Hassan thrown for 69’11 in the shot put, nearly hitting 70 feet with his best throw. Hassan has an Indoor national title to his credit and is clearly in the right position to add an outdoor crown.

4. Joshua Kerr (New Mexico-1,500) Here is another talented athlete not fooled by the big name programs. Perhaps his story is not so uncommon since there is usually top tier talent in the distance events at small schools all the time. However Kerr is a youngster who is on the rise. The talented sophomore defeated NCAA Indoor mile record holder Edward Chesrek of Oregon at the NCAA Indoor Championships. His time and his mid season number one ranking should now no longer come as a shock. At the Bryan Clay Invite against a quality field that includes professionals Kerr proved to be the best clocking in at 3:35.99. It has become clear that Kerr is the next middle star in college.

3. Christopher Belcher (North Carolina A&T- 100) It’s that damn wind. It is perhaps the only negative about Outdoor track and field when it comes to the short sprints. It has fooled many of us who watch so earnestly as it has hindered top times either by aiding them or hurting them with such things as a head wind. Regardless of the wind Belcher’s time in the 100 is quite special. Belcher scorched his home track clocking in at 9.99 to win the event. The race included a few professional and current amateur hopefuls who would like to be professionals. The wind reading was 3.5, 1.5 over the legal limit. Belcher becomes on the second athlete this season to have ran under 10 seconds and although wind-aided he has made things very interesting.

2. Charles Brown (Texas Tech- Long Jump) Brown clearly was not moved by the sight Indoor Long Jump Champion Keandre Bates of Florida. Brown competed this past weekend at the TCU Horned Frog Invitational against Bates and his Florida freshman teammate star Grant Holloway. Brown soared past both of them to the number one ranking with his jump of 27-1. He is currently the only athlete in the NCAA with a mark over 27 feet and has made some early noise this season. Bates however a championship performer will not be fazed by Brown’s mid-season success. If these two meet again at the national meet do not be surprised by a different outcome, but for now let us be impressed by the great performance Mr. Brown provided us.

1. NcincililiTiti (South Carolina- 200) It has been quite a while since the South Carolina Gamecocks have had a sprinter capable of competing for the national title. Titi looks to restore that glory that Curtis Frye’s teams were known for years ago. This past weekend Titi rocketed to a time of 20.14 at the Gamecock Invitational. On his brand new home track Titi graced the field with his great performance. Titi still has to close the gap between himself at Christian Coleman of Tennessee but his time has made the nation awar

e that he is here.

RELAY's OF THE WEEK

Women: Oregon 4x100 Relay clocked in at 42.12 to set the NCAA record again this season. LSU’s 4x100 relay was second in the that race with a time of 42.14 good enough for number two all time and also the first time the record has been broken at LSU since the late 1980’s!

Men: LSU 4x100 Relay clocked in at 38.57 to hold off Houston who finished second in that same race at the Mt Sac Relays with a time of 38.59. LSU has proven to live up to the hype this season and will be a tough team to beat for the rest of the season. 

Weekend Recap

(Kendell Williams-Georgia)

We are now officially in our second weekend in April. Things are starting to slowly heat up. There were quite a few notable performances from this past weekend. It is perhaps a little stunning as the first weekend of April had so many great performances. This is already shaping up to be a great year.  During this recap I will review the new number one performances.

Women

Aleia Hobbs (LSU)- Hobbs of LSU has had quite the season so far. She is the SEC Indoor 60 meter champion and has already been at the top of the 100 meter field since early in the season. This past weekend she earned the number one ranking with a time of 11.07 on her home track. Although early in the season Hobbs is certainly one of the few threats to the Oregon sprint dynasty.

Kendall Ellis (USC)- Ellis has proven to be one of the 400 runners in the country after having quite the indoor season. Her speed is one of her true advantages. This past weekend she dominated the field at LSU clocking in at 50.98 to win the 400. She nearly a second ahead of the number two ranked athlete and won the race rather convincingly. This is her first time under 51 seconds and will most certainly not be the last.

Shea Collingsworth (BYU)- Collingsworth is perhaps the only athlete that may be capable of beating Raevyn Rogers of Oregon. Collingsworth has consistently performed at a high level and continued her success this past weekend. Her time of 2:01.51 placed her firmly atop the rankings early in the season. Although early Collingsworth’s time proves she is ready to compete.

Amalie Iuel (USC)- Iuel takes over for USC as their top 400 hurdler. She has already proven throughout her career to be quite adept at being near the top. This past weekend she took over the number one ranking from Kymber Payne with a time of 55.38. Iuel also has the number two ranking in the NCAA in the open 400 meter dash.

Kendell Williams (Georgia)- Williams continues her dominance of this event. Williams scored a total of 6,354 points to win the heptathlon on her home track against a quality field. Although she is not the only athlete over 6,000 points she does however have over a 300 point lead.

Logan Boss (Mississippi State)- 6’2 ¼  High Jump

Rougui Sow (South Carolina)- 22’0 ¾ Long Jump

RELAY OF THE WEEK: LSU 4X100 RELAY 42.66

Men

Robert Grant (Texas A&M)- Grant was a part of great weekend for the Texas A&M Aggies. They scored several new number one rankings and have put themselves in great position to take over the number one ranking from Florida. Grant surpassed Florida’s Eric Futch take the lead in the 400 hurdles with a time of 49.40. Grant is now the number one ranked athlete in the event; however it is still early in the season.

Tequan Claitt (Eastern Kentucky)- Claitt has perhaps been left out of the discussion of who will the men’s high jump at the NCAA Championship. This past weekend he proved he most certainly was deserving of being a part of that discussion. Claitt garnered the number one ranking at the Hilltopper Relays with a mark of 7’5 ¾ against a quality field.  Let’s hope that we hear more from Mr. Claitt throughout the season.

*Christian Coleman (Tennessee)- Coleman on the official NCAA list will sit at the number two spot. However he has the current top ranked 100 meter wind legal time. In fact he ran the 100 in a time of 10.03 into a headwind of -.08. Too add to how great of a performance it was, he won the race running away from the field. Coleman looks more than capable of being able to live up to the hype after a sensational indoor season.

*Freddie Crittenden (Syracuse)- Crittenden is in similar situation as Coleman. On the NCAA list he is listed as number two but he officially has the best wind legal time in the nation. This past weekend against a strong field Crittenden clocked in at 13.42. Crittenden was a part of the discussion to win the 60 hurdles indoors and he clearly is carrying that success outdoors.

Audie Wyatt (Texas A&M)- 18’8 ¼ Pole Vault

Oghenakpolo Efekoro (Virginia)- 66’10 ¾ Shot Put

Gleb Dudarev (Kansas) 238’6 Hammer Throw

RELAY OF THE WEEK: ARKANSAS 4X100 RELAY 38.78

Weekly Recap

42.34!

(OREGON 4X100 RELAY)

Whew! That’s all that can be said after an exciting weekend. There were three major competitions in the Texas and Florida Relays along with the Stanford Invitational. All three meets produced a bevy of number one rankings and quite a few national records.

New Number 1 Rankings

(Women)

Before we talk individual performances this weekend we had some amazing relay performances particularly on the women’s side. Oregon took down the first record of the season with their time of 42.34 in the 4x100 relay. They took the record away from Texas A&M who has held the record since 2009. It is the first time since 1988 that Coach Pat Henry has not held the 4x100 relay record.

The Lady Ducks followed that performance up with another national record in the 4x200 relay with a time of 1:28.78. They are the first team under 1:29 in NCAA history and also broke a record held by Texas A&M.

Kymber Payne of LSU continued LSU's success of Individual champions at the Texas Relays. The talented 400 hurdler rocketed to the top spot in the nation with a time of 56.12 to claim the event title. Payne ran against a number top 10 competition and is the latest hurdler from LSU to win at the Texas Relays.

Anna Rohrer of Notre Dame perhaps had the most successful individual weekend. Although it is still early in the season and she is a freshman her performance at the Stanford Invitational was nothing to take lightly. The talented freshman won the 10,000 meter race. In the very race sat her teammate and former NCAA Champion Molly Seidel. Seidel has been sidelined with injury but looked close to her old self with a top time against a strong field. Rohrer herself ran 31:58.99 putting her in the number one spot.

Allie Ostrander of Boise State is another talented freshman. Ostrander garnered the number one ranking in the 3,000 meter steeplechase with a time 9:55.61. She won the event at the Stanford Invitational and is currently the only competitor in the nation under 10 minutes.

Siofa Cleirigh Buttner- Villanova (800 Meters 2:03.07)

Annemarie Schwanz- Fresno State (1,500 Meters 4:13.82)

Mikella Lefebvre-Oatis- UCLA and Logan Boss- Mississippi State (High Jump 6-0 ¾)

Savannah Carson- Purdue (Long Jump 21-5 ½)

Iana Amsterdam- Clemson (Triple Jump 44-10 ¾)

Rebekah Wales- LSU (Javelin 188-0)

Taliyah Brooks- Arkansas (Heptathlon 6,075)

Men

On the men’s side there was a lot more changes at the top. There are 15 new number 1 rankings in Division 1.

Lindon Victor of Texas A&M was one of the record breakers this weekend. Against high quality field at the Texas Relays Victor set a national record in the decathlon. He scored a total of 8,472 points breaking Trey Hardee’s NCAA record. Victor is currently the only athlete in the country with a point total over 8,000 and he has over a 500 point lead against his closest competitor. Perhaps the irony in his performance is that former record Hardee was one of the many talented athletes competing against Victor.

Kendall Williams of Georgia had quite the prep career and after a successful freshman year in 2015 at Florida State he followed his coach to Georgia and was forced to sit out the 2016 season. However he has ran with a vengeance this season. He ran a personal best indoors and began the outdoor season with a bang at the Texas Relays. He ran a barely wind-aided time of 9.99. He also ran a wind legal time of 10.06 in the preliminaries. Either of those times would give him the number one ranking.

Eric Futch of Florida began the season on the right foot. In front of his home crowd the speedy hurdler clocked in a NCAA leading time of 49.57 in the 400 hurdles. Futch is the defending champion and proved he is still a force to be reckoned with by defeating plenty of other world ranked competitors. Futch ran his usual signature style of coming on strong down the final 100 meters and displayed the speed he developed running indoors.

Trey Culver of Texas Tech has been mentioned as one of the best high jumpers in the nation for quite a while all that is missing from his career is a NCAA title. At the Texas Relays this past weekend he competed against the favorite to win in Randall Cunningham of USC the defending champion. Although not in front of his home crowd he was still in the state of Texas and had something to prove. After a great back and forth battle between the two Culver would prevail with his mark of 7-4 ¼. That mark ranks him number 1 in the NCAA; Cunningham was not too far behind with a mark of 7-3.

Alfred Chalenga of Alabama is a transfer student from Shorter University. Chalenga was a Division 2 All-American and proved at relay invitational’s and open meets that he was capable of beating Division 1 talent as well. Against a class field at the Stanford Invitational Chalenga stepped to a longer distance in the 10,000 meter race. In the field was distance stud Edward Cheserek of Oregon. Chalenga solidified his talent by winning against Cheserek and running a national leading time of 28:04.95. Whether or not Chalenga will step down to the 5,000 remains to be seen but he has certainly proven to be a threat to win the event by defeating defending NCAA champion Cheserek.

The Florida Gators were perhaps the top relay team of the week. They earned the number one ranking with a time of 38.73 to win the 4x100 relay thanks to a great anchor by Ryan Clark. Grant Holloway ran the anchor of the century with his 44.1 split in the 4x400 relay that saw him take Florida from 6^th to 1^st. Their time of 3:03.08 currently leaves in the number two spot. Texas A&M earned the number one ranking with a time of 3:01.74.

Steven Gayle- Alabama (400 Meters 45.40)

Isaiah Harris- Penn State (800 Meters 1:45.64)

Kasey Knevelbaard- Southern Utah (1,500 Meters 3:41.76)

Troy Reeder – Furman (3,000 Meter Steeplechase 8:40.57)

Jefferson Abbey- Colorado State (5,000 Meters 13:37.23)

Chad Zallow- Youngstown State (110 Hurdles 13.37) *wind aided

Torben Laidig Virginia Tech (Pole Vault 18-8 ¼)

Charles Brown- Texas Tech (Long Jump 26 8 ½)

Felix Obi- Baylor (Triple Jump 54-8 ¼)

Alexander Young- SE Louisiana (Hammer Throw 235’5)

Ioannis Kyriazis- Texas A&M (Javelin 288’9)

The team race still has not cleared itself out. There are several top performers who have not competed for their teams and their performances could change the race. There will be a quite a few teams off this coming weekend but the Sea Ray Relays at Tennessee, Sun Angel Classic at Arizona State and the Baylor Invitational are a number of meets that will still have top tier talent competing. 

Weekly Recap

(Ashley Henderson-San Diego State)

The Outdoor Season is here. We are still fresh off a great NCAA Indoor Championship and it is still late March. Although there have been a few noticeable performances expect for things to really start to heat up this weekend. There are two major meets, the Florida Relays and Texas Relays. Both of those meets will take majority of your attention and produce some truly stellar performances. This past weekend however we had a few notable performances that require your attention. Let us look back at our top five performances from this past weekend.

5. Raven Saunders (Ole Miss)- Saunders literally picked up where she left off. The dominating shot putter continued her streak over 60 feet this past week with a mark of 60-8 ¾. Her mark is currently ranked number 1 in the nation and Saunders is right on schedule with defending her NCAA title.

4. Steven Gayle (Alabama)- Gayle is one of the many talented sprinters at Alabama. Gayle clocked in at 20.48 to win the 200 meter dash at FSU Relays. His time is currently the fastest wind-legal time in the NCAA and gives the Alabama Crimson Tide a 1-2 punch in the event.

3. Henry Wynne (Virginia)- Wynne has had a great career running for the University of Virginia. He continued to show that he is capable of high level performances by running a strong race this past weekend at the Raleigh Relays. Although early in the season his time of 13:43.53 in the 5,000 is currently the only time in the NCAA under 14 minutes and currently has him ranked number one. His time is quite impressive early and puts him in great position for later on in the season.

2. Tobi Amusan (UTEP)- If you thought defending champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Kentucky was going to have it easy you were most certainly wrong. Amusan placed herself squarely in title contention with an impressive performance in the 100 meter hurdles this past weekend. Her time of 12.63 places her in the number one spot in the NCAA and with a legal personal best better than everyone in the NCAA.

1. Ashley Henderson (San Diego State)- Henderson has quietly build quite the impressive resume during her time at San Diego State. After an All-American indoor season Henderson has transitioned well to the outdoor season. This past weekend on her home track Henderson rocketed to a time of 11.10 in the 100 meter dash. Her time placed her in the number one position very early in the season. Her time regardless of the season requires attention; she has officially made herself a candidate for the NCAA title against a strong Oregon team.

RELAY OF THE WEEK*

The relay of the week goes to TEXAS A&M men’s and women’s 4x100 relay team. The men clocked in a national leading time of 39.12, while the women garnered the number two ranking nationally with a time of 43.16. 

NCAA Indoor Championship Review

(Texas A&M 2017 Men's Indoor NCAA Champions)

The Indoor Season has officially ended. What a great championship meet it was, not only were NCAA records threatened but so were American records. The Team Championship on the men’s side and came down to the 4X400 relay and on the women’s side Oregon blew out the competition scoring over 80 points. In this recap we will focus on specific events that help to highlight a great meet. 

Women

Oregon simply dominated the short sprints and hurdles on the women’s side. They were reminiscent of the old LSU teams that were so formidable with top tier talent in the short sprints. Although LSU qualified five athletes in the 60 meter dash only two made it to the final. The Ducks took spots 1, 3 and 5 with Hannah Cunliffe living up to the hype winning with a time of 7.14. Teammate Arianna Washington ran a lifetime best finishing in the 3^rd with a time of 7.20.

Washington followed that performance up by winning the 200 meter dash with a time of 22.42. Her teammate Daeja Stevens ran an NCAA and American record in the preliminary round with a time of 22.28. However she was disqualified after she crossed over into another lane. Cunliffe finished 2^nd with a time of 22.53.

In the hurdles senior Sasha Wallace of Oregon ran a personal best of 7.87 in the preliminaries which caught everyone’s attention and followed that up with a time of 7.90 in the finals. Teammate Alaysha Johnson was 8^th with a time of 8.13.

Perhaps the most shocking performance of the meet came in the mile. Defending Champion senior Kaela Edwards of Oklahoma State was having a great season and seemed in perfect shape to defend her title. However Karisa Nelson of Samford shocked Edwards winning the race with a time of 4:31.24. Edwards still owns the top time in the NCAA this season but Nelson has the championship hardware. Even more shocking is that Edwards didn’t finish 1^st but 4^th.

Another shocker happened in the women’s 800. Jazmine Fray of Texas A&M was on her home track and riding high after setting the NCAA record early in the season. Fray seemed to be in perfect position to take the crown from defending champion Raevyn Rogers of Oregon. Rogers has proven to have an outstanding kick, especially in big moments. Rogers ran a smart race and was not fooled by the performance of Fray earlier in the season. Rogers was able to outkick her competition to win clocking in at 2:01.09. She won the race by more than a second and earned her 4^th NCAA title.

The 5k was simply a repeat of the Cross Country Championships. Entering the meet Erin Finn of Michigan and Anna Rohrer of Notre Dame came in with majority of the hype. Then a stunning victory happened with Karissa Schweizer of Missouri winning. This indoor season things were a little different. Finn did not enter as much of a favorite after finishing 3^rd at her conference championship. However the race unfolded the same. Schweizer out dueled Finn and Rohrer to win the race with a title of 15:19.14, an 8 second victory that left me again stunned.

There were not that many NCAA records actually broken even though several of them were threatened. A record that was broken was the 4x400 relay. USC has been the number 1 team all season and further proved that by defeating the Oregon Ducks with a time of 3:27.03. Their time broke the long standing record held by a great Texas team in 2004.

In the field events Georgia was simply dominant. Every event they entered number one in they left with a championship. Keturah Orji, the American record holder in the triple jump led the charge. She claimed her signature event with a mark of 46-3 ½. She also led a strong contingent in the women’s long jump where they finished 3,4 and 7. Senior Shakeela Saunders of Kentucky again wowed the crowd with a jump of 22-7 ¾.

Senior Kendell Williams of Georgia joins an illustrious group of athletes. Williams was able to win her fourth consecutive pentathlon. She scored a total of 4,682 points and was just 21 points shy of tying her NCAA record. She will now turn her attention outdoors to defend her title there as well.

Raven Saunders of Ole Miss continued to her Championship dominance and reclaimed the Indoor crown. Her throw of 64-2 ¼ was a new collegiate record. Saunders more than showed out against a quality field by defeating her closest competitor by almost four feet. Her legend will continue outdoors where she has shown to be best.

In the team battle Oregon just simply dominated their competition. They scored 84 points on the back of four individual titles. Outdoors expect them to be better with more points available Oregon will be lethal. With the talent in the short sprints they could also take down the NCAA record in the 4x100 relay and become the first team under 42 seconds.

MEN

Edward Cheserek again was the king of the meet. The talented senior distance runner from Oregon carried his team scoring a total of 28 points. He attempted the distance triple by competing in the mile, 3k and 5k only to come up short in the event whose record he broke a few weeks ago. His first event the 5,000 went as expected. Cheserek had a rather convincing win with a time of 13:41.20, more than two seconds ahead of closest competitor. Things were a little closer in the 3,000 winning with a time of 7:55.91 only a half of second ahead of the number two runner. In the mile however he met his match in freshman Josh Kerr of New Mexico who blasted off a time 4:03.22. It wasn’t a pretty race and the time is well below expectations but it was a victory of the King. Cheserek still has won more NCAA individual titles than any athlete in history.

Christian Coleman of Tennessee was perhaps the crowned prince of the meet. He too left the championships with two pieces of championship hardware. He tied the NCAA record in the 60 meter dash with a blistering time of 6.45. His time was not altitude which makes his time the legitimate fastest time in NCAA history he will however share the record with Leonard Myles-Mills of BYU. In the 200 Coleman rocketed around the track with a winning time of 20.11. His time nearly broke the NCAA and American record time of 20.10 set by Wallace Spearmon of Oklahoma. Coleman becomes the first athlete since another Tennessee great in Justin Gatlin to complete the sprinter’s double.

Senior Fred Kerley of Texas A&M has been the guy with a target on his back all season long. He came into the championship meet with the only time under 45 seconds. The target clearly did not bother him and he had hometown support. Kerley dominated his heat winning with a time of 44.85 lowering her personal best indoors or out. He won his heat by more than a second. It is quite possible that he could’ve lowered his time in a more competitive race.

Josh Kerr of New Mexico would not be the only freshman NCAA Champion. Grant Holloway who has been the leader in the 60 hurdles all season was being counted on heavily by the Florida Gators. After a disappointing outing in the men’s long jump where he did not garner any points Holloway lined up in the 60 meter hurdles and did what few have done before him. He won the race with a time of 7.58 tying his number one ranked mark from early in the season and provided his team with 10 huge points. His impressive time for a freshman and championship performance places his in a rare group.

KeAndre Bates of Florida again stepped up against the competition. He left the building as the NCAA Champion in the men’s long jump. He jumped out to an early lead within the early rounds of the event. Perhaps the only shocking story to note was that his teammate and standout freshman Grant Holloway did not make the final. Bates entered the event as a contender and not the favorite but wound up winning the long jump with a mark of 26-4 ½. Bates returned in the triple jump to finish 2^nd with a mark of 54-6 behind champion Clive Pullen of Arkansas who leaped to 55-3 ¾. Bates scored 18 team points for the 2^ND place Florida Gators.

Senior Devon Williams of Georgia has dealt with a myriad of injuries throughout his career at Georgia and has not been able to garner the same notoriety as his younger sister. However during his final season he has had some truly great performances. The heptathlon was one of the most competitive events at the championship meet. It took a top five performance in the men’s 1,000 for him to win the crown. Williams scored a total of 6,177 points just 12 ahead of Kentucky’s Tim Duckworth. The Williams completed a rare brother and sister double and cemented Georgia’s field event dominance.

Chris Nilsen of South Dakota was another freshman that claimed a national title. That talented freshman was rather convincing as the best pole vaulter in the nation. His mark of 18-8 ¼ is nearly 6 inches farther than his closest competitor. What is perhaps more impressive is that even after he won the event he continued to compete giving his best and attempting a personal record. If anything it won’t be too long before Nilsen takes down the Pole Vault record held by Shawn Barber.

The 4x400 relay may perhaps have been the highlight of the meet. It determined the national champion as Florida entered the race with a 1.5 point lead and needed to finish ahead of the top ranked Texas A&M Aggies who were on their home track. Florida led the race on legs 2 and 3 thanks in part to an outstanding 2^nd leg by freshman Grant Holloway who split 44.8. However Ryan Clark was not able to hold off Mylik Kerley of A&M who crossed the finished line first and in record time on a regulated track with a time of 3:02.80. Texas A&M was able to win the meet by a half point in front of their home crowd. We are without question going to see two teams that run sub 3 minutes this coming outdoor season.

As we close the door on a fantastic indoor season let us prepare for what should be a record setting outdoor season. I look forward to the many great performances and new stars.