A GREAT PAST TWO WEEKS!!!

The past two weeks we have seen some phenomenal times and marks throughout the sport in both the collegiate and high school ranks. In college especially we have already seen athletes automatically qualify.

**MEN**

Zedric Thomas of LSU has already automatically qualified for the NCAA Championship in the men's long jump with a leap of 26-3 or in metric terms 8.00 meters. Thomas is not the only member of his squad already set for nationals, Walter Herring, second in the nation in the men's weight throw reached 71 feet and 4.75 inches at the LSU Tiger Purple Invitational.

Nate Hunter of Northeastern University qualified with his throw 63 feet and 6.75 inches or 19.37 meters in the men's shotput at the Harvard Invitational.

Steffen Nerdal a senior at Memphis University had a throw of 74 feet 10 inches to surpass the mark set by Herring. Nerdal competed at the Arkansas State Invitational.

Luis Rivera-Morales of Arizona will join Thomas at the championship meet after leaping to 25 feet and 10.25 inches at the Lumberjack Invitational.

In the men's pole vault there is already three who are set to compete at the big show. Scott Roth of Washington, Jason Colwick of Rice and Jack Whitt of Oral Roberts. There heights are 18 feet 6.75 inches, 18 feet 5.25 inches and 18 feet and 0.50 inches respectively.

And then there was two. Currently two have qualified for the men's high jump Trent Arrivey of Washington State in 7 feet 4.25 inches and Derek Drouin of Indiana at the same height.

In the sprints Demetrius Pinder of Texas A&M is the lone sprinter to qualify for the NCAA Championships with his personal best and season high of 46.01 in the men's 400. Pinder will be joined by his teammates in the 4x400 relay that include Tabari Henry, Bryan Miller and Kyle Dykhuizen with their top time of 3:05.92. The Florida Gators will join with their time of 3:06.40, the Gators consist of, Tony McQuay, Calvin Smith, Jovon Toppin and Chrisitian Taylor.

Still no automatic qualifier in any other running events for the men. That could all change this weekend with an exciting plethora of great meets, SEC-Big 12- Pac-10 challenge, Rod McCrary Invitational, Lobo Challenge, Clemson Games, Penn State National and the J.D. Martin Invitational.


**WOMEN**

On the women's side two sprinters have already qualified for the NCAA Championship meet and both are from the same university, Texas A&M which is currently ranked number 1. Porscha Lucas in the 200 (23.06) and Jessica Beard in the 400 (52.27).

Joining Lucas and Beard is another duo from the school but this time in the same event the 800. Phoebe Wright ( 2:04.00) and Chanelle Price ( 2:04.72) both from the University of Tennessee. The women's 60 meter hurdles also shares a duo from the same school Virginia Tech. Queen Harrison ( 8.04) and Kristi Catlin ( 8.11).

The High Jump is yet another event with two athletes from the same school, this time Arizona. Senior Elizabeth Patterson leads the nation with a jump of 6 feet 3.25 inches and freshman Brigetta Barrett is not too far behind in fourth with a leap of 6 feet and 0.75 inches. In between the two Arizona stars are Epley Bullock of Nebraska and Amber Kauffman of Hawaii both leaping to 6 feet 1.5 inches. In last time another pair from the same school of Arkansas. Both of ladies are automatic qualifiers in the Pole Vault Tina Sutej (14'2") and Katie Stripling (14' 1.25") they are joined by six other athletes. Alicia Rue of Minnesota ( 14' 4.25"), Melissa Gergel of Oregon (14' 1.25"), Kylie Hutson of Indiana State, Carrie Kayes of Akron, Katerina Stefanidi of Stanford and Shane Weygandt of Texas Tech ( 13' 11.25").

Janet Jesang a senior out of Western Kentucky is the lone qualifier in the women's 3,000 clocking in at 9 minutes and 11.09 seconds.

Senior Blessing Okagbare of UTEP leads the country almost by a full foot with a leap of 21 feet and 7.5 inches.

Two seniors lead the way too the championship meet in the women's triple jump, Sarah Nambawa of Middle Tennessee State ( 44' 3") and Patricia Mamona of Clemson ( 43' 8.5").

Mariam Kevkhisvilli of Florida the defending champion leads the way in the women's shot put already stamping her ticket with a throw of 60 feet 7.25 inches.

D'Ana McCarty and Jeneva McCall carry the flag in the women's weight throw with marks of 71 feet and 11.5 inches and 70 feet and 0.25 inches.

This weekend not only for the men, but the women as well should be exciting. The ranking should shuffle this weekend, my prediction is Florida will gain the men's top spot and LSU will climb in the top three.

CLINT!!!!

Congrats to Clint Allen of Eastern Michigan for posting one of the nations top 5 times with his 6.72 performance in the men's 60 meter dash. Allen had a rough season last year due to injury but it seems he looks to better his 6.65 2008 season and challenge the school record of 6.60.

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The Big Ten Conference has always had an amazing tradition of great distance and middle distance runners. This year the conference will continue that great tradition.

In the middle distance races junior Ryan Foster looks to carry the conference flag in the 800 after coming a stellar outdoor season in which he won the Big Ten title. Foster ran a personal best last season of 1:48.79 and should improve upon that. Foster will have plenty of competition from teammate junior Lionel Williams along with Shane Knoll of Michigan State and Dan White of Ohio State.

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Wisconsin will continue their historic success with two solid returnees in the men's mile with seniors Jack Bolas and Craig Miller. Miller is coming off a outdoor title crown and looks to bring that success to the indoor season. The Badgers can expect competition to come Knoll of Michigan State who looks to have another good indoor season.

The long distance races return a big time star in Minnesota junior Hassan Mead. After a stellar indoor and outdoor season that includes All-American honors and two conference titles, Mead is definitely a contender for the national title. Mead is also leading returnee in the 10,000, joining him will be teammate Chris Rombough.

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A short preview of the Throw***

Seniors Sean Pruitt of Michigan and Aaron Studt of Minnesota look to clash in the men's shot put. Studt coming off an outdoor crown in which he hurled 61-6.25 throw to claim the title. While Pruitt looks to defend his indoor weight throw crown.

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Finally the season has arrived. This upcoming weekend is one of the best weekends in January for track and field fans. The first major meet weekend with meets being held at Texas A&M, Kentucky; dual meets Texas vs Arkansas, Kansas vs Missouri and my personal favorite of Michigan vs Ohio State. Along with the Virginia Tech Invitational and the Washington Preview this should be a great weekend.

Big Ten Men's Preview 1- Sprints/Jumps

Happy New Year to everyone everywhere. As we draw closer and closer to the big upcoming weekend let's take a look at the Men's sprints and Jumps in the Big Ten Conference.

In the short sprints (60 meter dash and 200 meter dash), the conference lost Michigan all-American and Olympian Adam Harris to graduation last spring. Harris is arguably the greatest sprinter in Michigan history and one of the best all time in Big Ten History. Along with Harris the Big Ten also lost Minnesota sprinter Ibrahim Kabia.

Paul Chaney of Iowa and Shane Crawford of Purude look to step into the spotlight to replace those two sprinters. Crawford has yet to live up to phenomenal senior year in high school in which he ran for junior Team USA. Chaney is a football player which can make it difficult to focus on track. Incoming freshman Matt Terrell from Ohio State and Denard Robinson, one of two quarterbacks for the Michigan Wolverines, makes the race in these two events all the more special.

In the long sprint sophomore Thomas Murdaugh of Ohio State returns after a excellent freshman campaign in which he finished second in the conference. Lesiba Masheto of Illinois graduation leaves the door open for Murdaugh to dominate the conference for the next three years. Mike Cadau of Penn State will provide a formidable opponent.

Gary Miller of Illinois and Lionel Walker of Penn State should entertain us in another 600 meter race. Last indoor season Miller and Walker came to the line with only a hundredth of second separate the two in a great race. Miller returns as the defending champion.

In the hurdles Andrew Wiley returns after a sensational freshman campaign that resulted in him being crowned the big ten champion in the 60 meter hurdle race. Wiley clocked a 7.72 to defeat Shane Wells of Michigan State in the finals. Wells looks to improve off his sophomore campaign to give Wiley a run at the crown. Carl Buchanon of Michigan who finished third won the 400 meter hurdle crown last outdoor season. Look for Buchanon to challenge Wells and Wiley in a great race.

**JuMpS**

Wisconsin returns their double threat of Rayme Mackinson and Victor Dupuy after their 1-2 finish in the long jump last indoor season. Robert Peddlar of Michigan should get the competition even more interesting along with incoming freshman Matt Kline also of Michigan.

Peddlar also looks to be a competitor to keep an eye on in the triple jump as well. Kyron Foster of Michigan State looks to improve off his runner up status now that senior Clarence Smith formerly of Penn State has graduated and claim the crown for himself.

In the High Jump defending champion Matt Fisher of Minnesota not only should be on our list for Big Ten champion but he is also a threat for the NCAA title. Sophomore Derek Drouin of Indiana is also a threat to claim the title. Last season a freshman Drouin was able to finish second to Fisher with a jump of 7-1.75 at the championship meet. Drouin could make that sophomore leap and surpass Fisher.

The Pole Vault returns another champion as well. Jeff Coover of Indiana who not only won the big ten title but also finished fourth at the Indoor Championships last season. As far as Coover's national prospects it should be a slightly more difficult year with all All-Americans from last season returning. Coover however is the easy favorite for the Big Ten crown.

Big Ten's Women Distance, Field and Championship Preview

The Big Ten has historically some of the best middle distance and distance runners in the country. Last season Geena Gall of Michigan carried the torch for the big ten winning her best event, the 800 meters, on the national stage. Michigan has star recruits Rebecca Addison and Jillian Smith to help cope with the lost of Gall to graduation but she will be hard to replace.

In the middle distance events there is plenty of returning starpower. Gone are Gall and Heather Dorniden of Minnesota but returning all two excellenct juniors in Nikki Swenson and Jamie Dittmar both from Minnesota. Addison a freshman at Michigan will have to carry a heavy load but she has the personal record 2:07.96 to compete. Don't forget Michigan's other star recruit Smith, who as a freshman will be expected to due double duty in the 800 and 1,600 similar to that of Gall. Smith has the talent to win either event. Danielle Tauro will return to give Michigan more big points in the middle distance races, especially the 1,600. Tauro does not return the top time but she will return as the favorite. Angela Bizzari of Illinois should give Tauro a run for her money, she has a excellent chance to win.

In the long distance races Bizzari will be counted by Illinois to give them a huge point boost her and she is most certainly capable since pulling off the 5,000 meter title last outdoor season. Bridget Franek of Penn State is also someone we should keep our eyes on. Third in the 5,000 last outdoor season and second in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Megan Duwell of Minnesota will definitely keep the race interesting after winning the 10,000. Expect for Duwell to seriously challenge Bizzari and Franek.



*THE FIELD*

The Big Ten lost a serious amount of star power to graduation in this section. Bettie Wade (Michigan), Liz Roehnig (Minnesota) , Gayle Hunter (Penn State), Tiffany Ofili (Michigan), Casey Taylor (Michigan), Kara Patterson (Purdue) and Renee White of Iowa. All of these women were either champions or All-Americans. However there are plenty of returning stars and new stars being born.

Ashley Rhoades of Indianahopes to duplicate her championship High Jump finish from last outdoor season but she will have plenty of competition coming from Christina Solomon of Michigan, Emily Breslin of Purdue and Brittany Maun of Penn State will certainly give Rhoades a good match.

Chavon Robinson of Wisconsin will be eyeing the double competing in the Long Jump and Triple Jump. Finishing second behind Tiffany Ofili at the outdoor meet in the long jump certainly will provide her with the motivation to push forward and win both titles. She will have heavy competition in both events Jessica Penney of Illinois in the long jump and
Nkeiru Ugwoaba of Purdue in the triple jump is returning as the indoor champion.

The pole vault returns a champion in Alicia Rue of Minnesota while Vera Neuenswander of Indiana will provide some good competition. If there is a upset in any field event it will be this event.

The throwing events have plenty of power returning. Emily Pendleton of Michigan, a high school national record holder has yet to empress anyone in the shot put in her two seasons at the university. I expect for that to change this season. The transition from high school to college is a difficult one but last season's championship win in the discus tells us that Pendleton is ready to dominate the NCAA and Big Ten in the shot put as well. Aja Evans of Illinois will provide the biggest threat to Pendleton returning as the top thrower in the conference, Evans is a easy pick for first place.


When you narrow down those three main categories, Sprints, Distance and Field you notice four particular programs consistently show themselves at the top of each of those. Penn State, Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois. All four of these programs have the coaching and talent win a big ten title. In the conference its more about depth than focusing in one or two areas. My pick is Penn State. Penn State is obviously the conference's premier sprint school. With a solid field core and a growing distance program I think they will be just too much for Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois. Michigan is a phenomenal program and recruited some serious athletes but they are still too young and thin. Michigan will be in the top three simply because they can score in every event. Minnesota lost Heather Dorniden along with other key athletes to graduation and did not replace them with instant quality. Illinois does not have the depth yet to win the Big Ten title from the outside looking in, but things can change as the season moves forward.

THE VERY BEGINNING.

Bare with me my fellow track and field thespians. This is my very first blog and thanks to the economy and lack of newspapers I have not written a story since early 2009 when I had a blog on trackshark.com. I would like to begin my blog with something that has a got my track juices flowing. The upcoming indoor collegiate track and field season. I am not quite ready yet to get into an all out preview, so I will begin with one conference and work my way up. I would like to begin with the Big Ten conference since I am Michigander.





WOMEN'S PREVIEW



What an interesting season this is going to be. Convential wisdom tells us that this conference should come down between three teams, Michigan, Minnesota and Penn State. These three programs for the past several years have been at the top of the conference either as the winner or the runner-up.


SPRINTS

The Big Ten has always had a fine crop of sprinters. The schools in this conference have a pretty good idea of what they can recruit and what they can develop. This is not the SEC or the Big 12, however the Big Ten can and will produce All-American sprinters.

Shavon Greaves has become the Big Ten's newest sprint star. Former teammate Shana Cox graduated leading the Big Ten's premier sprint program to wonder what could happen next. Greaves has filled the void left by Cox beautifully. Last indoor season Greaves completed the sprinting double by winning the 60 and 200 with times of 7.44 and 23.96. Greaves will have strong competition from freshman teammate Mahogany Jones along with Nyoka Giles and Kylie Peterson of Minnesota.

In the long sprint, or some would call it the true sprint, Melissa Bates and Fawn Dorr both look to be crowned champion after each having one the title last season. Bates winning in the outdoor season and Dorr winning in the indoor season. Dorr is my favorite to win it since she will not have to pull double duty like she did during the outdoor season. Trying to compete in both the 400 and 400 hurdles is a daunting task, however give her credit for finishing as the runner up in both.

In the hurdles the Big Ten will be crowning a new champion for the first time since 2006. Tiffany Ofili arguably one of the greatest hurdlers in conference history heads to the professional ranks after she spent the last three seasons dominating the NCAA and the Big Ten. Ofili produced the same championship results as Illinois great Perdita Felicien. Aleesha Barber has had to play second string for way to long. Barber had only one win against Ofili in major competition, in 2008 Barber stunned Ofili in the 100 meter hurdles at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. I think this is the year were Barber should dominate. Barber will get solid competition from Ohio State's Leticia Wright and Michigan's Charnee Lumbus who finished third in 2008 indoors but missed the 2009 season.

Next Post: Big Ten Women's preview Distance.