NCAA Outdoor Season So Far Post 3



(Natoya Goule-Clemson)

 



In our final post of this series we will review the distance runners so far this season.


MIDDLE DISTANCE (800 Meters and 1,500 Meters)

In men's middle distance racing Penn State has become a fixture amongst the elite programs in the country. With great recent championship success they have now etched themselves as the premier middle distance program in a crowded Big Ten conference, they can also place themselves amongst the elite in the country. This season is no different. Leading the way would be junior Brandon Kidder. Kidder is currently ranked number 1 in the country with a time of 1:45.58 in the men's 800. His teammate Robby Crease is currently ranked number 2 in the 1,500 with a time of 3:39.02. Both will face stiff competition if the look to earn the national title in their primary events.

In the 800 Kidde will likely see strong competition from Shaquille Walker of BYU ranks number 2 with a time of 1:45.78. In the 1,500 Creese will have to fend of number 1 ranked Chad Noelle (3:38.35) and his Oklahoma State teammate Kirubel Errasa (3:39.05). Noelle has already beaten Creese early this season at the Payton Jordan Invitational, look for Creese to try and make up for the loss with a championship win. Also keep an eye out for Oregon's Edward Cheserek.

On the women's side the 800 has been dominated by Natoya Goule of Clemson. Goule who earned notoriety while previously competing for LSU won the 2013 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor title. When coach Elliott left for Clemson she followed. Goule proved to still be a dominating force by winning the 800 indoor title early this year. Her time of 2:01.63 is number 2 in the country. Expect for Goule to dip under 2 minutes this season and earn the outdoor title.

In the women's 1,500 senior leader Leah O'Connor of Michigan State has been the force behind the Michigan State distance core. For a long time the Big Ten middle distance dominance came in the form of their rival Michigan. This season it is the Spartans who are out front. O'Connor who currently ranks number 1 in the nation in the event with a time of 4:11.04 looks to continue her championship success from early this season at Indoor nationals to outdoors.


Long Distance

In women's long distance running Emily Sisson of Providence set a new NCAA Indoor record in the women's 5,000. However she has looked her best in the women's 10,000 meter run where she is currently ranked number 1 with a time of 31:38.03. She is currently ranked 10th in the 5,000 and has not ran the event often this outdoor season. It is likely that Sisson may truly simply focus on the 10,000 and allow for current leader Jessica Tonn of Stanford to remain at the top. If however Sisson goes for what is a truly grueling double Tonn will give her one heck of race in the 5,000.

In men's long distance racing I find myself asking where are the runners from Oregon. On the national list they seem to be void of top performances. However I am not worried Oregon has a history of performing strong at championship meets. This weekend is also the Pac 12 Outdoor Championships and is likely the best opportunity to for us to become acquainted with the teams outdoor form. For now schools like Arkansas continue to turn out great performers.

Kemoy Campbell by way of Jamaica is the next great distance runner to come out of Arkansas. He leads the nation by 10 seconds in the men's 5,000 with a time of 13:20.39. Campbell was 2nd this past indoor season in the event and will be looking to earn the title this outdoor season. His teammate Stanley Kebenei is also leading his event the 3,000 steeplechase by 10 seconds with a time of 8:23.93. The 2 leaders look to provide Arkansas with a strong 1-2 punch.

In the 10,000 meter run senior Jason Witt of BYU is the early favorite to claim the outdoor crown. He currently leads the nation by almost 30 seconds with a time of 27:54.25.

NCAA Outdoor Season So Far Post 2

(Omar McLeod-Arkansas)





On this post we will focus primarily on the hurdles and field events. What a banner year for both sides, there have been multiple NCAA Indoor records broken setting us up for a fantastic outdoor season.

HURDLES

The hurdles has been especially interesting this year. In the women's 100 meter hurdles two former Clemson teammates have dominated the headlines. Bridgette Owens of Florida and Kendra Harrison of Kentucky. Indoors in the 60 meter hurdles Harrison was able to edge out Owens by 0.01. So far this outdoor season has done more than that. She has run a wind-legal 12.62, one of the fastest performances all time in college. She is only bettered by NCAA record holder and former teammate Brianna Rollins of Clemson, Sharika Nelvis of Arkansas State and Virginia Powell of USC.

In the 400 hurdles Harrison has been equally dominant. Her NCAA leading time of 54.94 is a full second ahead of her closes competitor Jaide Steper of USC. Shamier Little of Texas  A&M poses the biggest threat due to amazing speed. Little was the SEC Indoor Champion at 400 meters, she is also the defending NCAA Champion. Little has yet to have her technique meet her speed and that is the current advantage Harrison has over her. With the SEC Outdoor Championship this weekend we may see a change in who the current leader is.

On the men's side Omar McLeod of Arkansas by way of Jamaica broke one of the best indoor records in Reggie Torian's 60 hurdle record. His time of 7.45 put everyone on notice. His dominating performance at the Drake Relays outdoors in cold weather was a reminder to rest of the country of just how good he is. McLeod ran a NCAA leading time of 13.21 in the 110 meter hurdles. The closes performance this season was a wind-aided performance by fellow sophomore from Texas Spencer Dunkerley-Offor. In my opinion he is obvious favorite to win the title and to make the finals at the World Championships in Beijing.

In the 400 hurdles senior Michael Stigler of Kansas has been just as dominant. Stigler ran a NCAA leading time a the Texas Relays clocking in at 48.44. The fastest time in this event in a few years. Stigler has been an All-American mainstay since his freshman year. His time is a full second ahead of closes competitor Eric Futch of Florida who has a personal best of 49.45. After finishing 2nd the last two seasons Stigler is poised for a big win.


JUMPS

On the men's side senior Marquis Dendy of Florida is continuing the tradition of great dual jumpers at Florida. This season he may be out to prove that he might be the best ever. Dendy leap to a double in both the long jump and triple jump this indoor season and is looking to repeat. Although he is not currently leading either event, (currently ranked number 2 in the triple jump) expect for him to take the lead after the conference championship this weekend.

In the pole vault it continues to be the Shawn Barber show. Akron has really done an amazing job of developing word class pole vaulters and in my opinion has earned the title at the top pole vaulting school in the country. Barber one of two athletes currently over 19 feet will look to continue his streak of breaking his own NCAA record this championship season. Except I think his next record breaking performance maybe the world record.

The high jump has found a new star in senior Jacorian Duffield of Texas Tech. Texas Tech long known for their success with great field athletes looks to continue the championship trend with Duffield. He currently leads the NCAA with a leap of 7 feet 7 inches.

On the women's side of the horizontal jumps a new fresh face at Georgia has been shaking things up, Keturah Orji. Orji had an outstanding prep career built on championship medals and record breaking performances. Orji currently ranks number 1 in both long jump and triple jump. She led in the triple jump for most of the indoor season until she again came across defending champion Ciarra Brewer of Florida. Brewer is currently ranked number 2 but has yet to loose this outdoor season. This weekend will be their first outdoor meet up.

In the pole vault two ladies have been attacking the NCAA record on a regular basis. The most consistent athlete would be Stephen F. Austin's Demi Payne. Payne was the top vaulter for a good portion of the Indoor season and had a poor performance at the Championship meet. Rival and fellow top vaulter Sandi Morris of Arkansas took the crown. Both are currently the only two above 15 feet and will look to compete for the outdoor crown later this season.

In the women's high jump Jeannelle Scheper of South Carolina leads the way with a leap of 6'4 3/4. She is currently 2 feet ahead of her closes competitor in the event.

Notable Throwing Event Leaders:



(Tori Bliss-LSU)

Women's Discus: Shelbi Vaughn Texas A&M 201'8.

Women's Shot Put: Tori Bliss LSU 60'8.

Women's Hammer Throw: Brooke Pleger Bowling Green 228'0.

Women's Javelin Throw: Irena Sadiva Virginia Tech 190'4



Men's Discus: Rodney Brown LSU 213'5

Men's Shot Put: Ryan Crouser Texas 69 3.25

Men's Hammer Throw: Connor McCullough USC 248'11

Men's Javelin Throw: John Ampomah Mid Ten State 267'7


Multi Event Leaders:

Women's Heptathlon: Quintunya Champman Georgia 6,146 points

Men's Decathlon: Garrett Scantling Georgia 8,232 points


Next Post: Post 3- Distance

NCAA Outdoor Season So Far Post 1

 

(Trayvon Bromell-Baylor)

Hello all, I apologize for my lengthy absence. I have been dealing with a lot personal issues, family health and my recent unemployment (yeah I know) have kept me out of commission for quite some time. I am back just in time for the championship season. This season has been especially interesting with many great performances. The team competition looks exciting for both men and women. Let's recap what was a good regular season.


SPRINTS

Trayvon Bromell of Baylor and Jenna Prandini of Oregon have been the biggest names in the short sprints. Bromell matched his indoor championship time of 20.19. Prandini ran a 10.92 at the Mt. Sac Relays.

Bromell is of the fastest collegians of all time and expected to complete a double winning both the 100 and 200 going sub 10 an sub 20. Bromell will face a stiff challenge from  USC junior and Canadian sprinter Andre DeGrasse. DeGrasse has also dipped under 10 seconds this season but it was heavily wind-aided. However his 200 time currently ranks him number 1 in the nation with a time of 20.16.

In Prandini's case she also has a tough task of winning the sprint double. Defending 100 meter champion Remona Burchell of Alabama is rounding into post season form and has already ran a 11.0 into a decent headwind. She has already dipped under 11 seconds, running a 10.96 last season. She also set the NCAA record in the 60 meter dash this past indoor season. In the 200 she will have to deal with the only person to beat her in the event all indoor season Kyra Jefferson of  Florida. Jefferson just recently set a outdoor school record with a time of 22.65.

In the long sprints on the men's side three teams have battled for supremacy in the 400. Florida, Texas A&M and LSU. All three programs have great depth in the event and plenty of great recent success. Vernon Norwood of LSU jumped out to take the number 1 time in the country early this season with a time of 44.44. He leads a program with the most depth having four guys that sub sub 46 and a total of five guys ranked in the top 25. Defending champion Deon Lendore has yet to run sub 45 this season but expect him to this coming weekend at the SEC Outdoor Championship. Najee Glass of Florida is also a strong challenger with a season and personal best of 44.79 already run this season.



(Courtney Okolo-Texas)

 



On the women's side it seems as if it's Texas and everybody else. Florida does have a solid group however with Robin Reynolds coming back from injury there seems to be no true threat to the Texas trio of Courtney Okolo, Kendall Baisden and Ashley Spencer. All three have major NCAA Championship hardware. Okolo is the defending NCAA Champion and record holder. Baisden won the World Junior title last outdoor season and Spencer is a former 2-time NCAA Champion is this event in 2012 and 2013. Spencer who has yet to regain that same form from 2013 is still considered a threat. Let's not rule out the possibility of a Texas sweep. For now Okolo and Baisden are pretty solid locks for a 1-2 finish.




Our next post: POST 2- Hurdles/Field Events.

Conference Championship Weekend Review

(Florida-2015 Men's SEC Indoor Champions)

 



The championship season is here and it began with a bang. There several top notch performances from the Power 5 conferences and smaller conferences. One of the joys of collegiate track and field is the amazing team battles that take place during this weekend. So many willing to sacrifice their own individual goals for those of the team. It is exciting to see especially since track and field is mainly an individual sport. Let us recap what was an amazing weekend.

Sprints

This weekend we were expecting a great 60 meter dash battle on the men's side in the Big 12. You had defending outdoor 100 meter champion Trayvon Bromell of Baylor, defending conference 60 meter champion of Texas Senoj-Jay Givens and top ranked 60 meter sprinter this season in John Teeters of Oklahoma State. This race became a big deal the moment John Teeters clocked in at 6.52 early in the season. Although both Teeters and Bromell had ran sub 6.6 it was Givens who defended his title with a time of 6.59 his first under 6.6. Although Givens is the defending champion it was still considered an upset since much was made about Bromell and Teeters.

In the long sprints the SEC was the highlight of the weekend. Aaron Ernest claimed his second conference title in the men's 200 with a time of 20.69. Ernest defeated top ranked senior from Texas A&M Shavez Hart. Hart has been number 1 all season but did not perform well enough to beat Ernest. Ernest first claimed title as a super sophomore.

In the 400 we were without a few big names. Deon Lendore was not able to finish in the preliminary rounds ad Hugh Graham of Florida was injured in the 60 meter dash. However there were still big names in the race. On very big name is junior Arman Hall of Florida who has not ran a race individually all season. The last race he ran was as an anchor on the men's 4x400 relay early in the season. Although not his usual self he still managed to climb into the top 16 rankings and go under 46 seconds with a time of 45.97 for 4th overall. His teammate junior Najee Glass has been the top guy all season and left no doubt after claiming the event title for himself with a time of 45.37. He is Florida's 1st 400 meter SEC champion indoors since Kerron Clement of 2005.

On the women's side Remona Burchell of Alabama stamped herself as the fastest 60 meter collegian. The talented Jamaican sprinter left little doubt with an outstanding race that saw her clock in at 7.08. She had full tenth on next closest competitor Dezerea Bryant of Kentucky who ran 7.18. Bryant who is not only the defending conference champion in the 200, she is also the NCAA defending champion. Bryant did battle with Kyra Jefferson of Florida and was unable to defend her title just barely. Jefferson held onto win with a time of 23.02, the same as Bryant but was able to out lean her by thousandths of a second. 

Jefferson also competed in only her second 400 meter race of the year and was able to finish 2nd with a time of 52.00 to rising star Shamier Little of Texas A&M who claimed the title in a time of 51.37. Little is the defending NCAA champion outdoors in the 400 meter hurdles. Her talent is a lot similar to that of Lashinda Demus who could run both the 400 and 400 hurdles at a high level. With better technique this season is highly possible we may see Ms. Little on team USA this summer.


DISTANCE

Will start on the women's side for distance since we now have yet another new collegiate record holder this season. Emily Sisson of Providence joined a special group after her dominating performance at the Big East Indoor championships when she broke the 5,000 meter national record. Her time of 15:12.22 broke the national and school record. It placed in her in top 3 all time amongst U.S. women in the event. Sisson is graduate student at Providence and simply reminded everyone why she is a force to be reckoned with in long distance racing.

The Michigan State women proved this weekend that their national title in cross country was no fluke. They were every bit as dominant at the Big Ten Indoor championship. The Lady Spartans claimed almost every distance event except two, the 800 and 5,000, however they had four girls in the top 10 and 3 score. They also broke the 12 year winning streak of instate rival Michigan in the women's distance medley relay with a time of 10.57.80 that puts them number 2 in the country. However in the mile Leah O'Connor led the way with a time of 4:32.29. Teammate Rachel Schulist ran a dominating 3,000 meter race with a time of 9:01.25 almost a full 15 seconds ahead of her closest competitor.

At the SEC Indoor championships Arkansas was equally as impressive. The Razorbacks claimed the event title in every distance race but 1, the 5,000 but had three athletes score in the race. Senior Dominque Scott led the way claiming the title in both the mile with a time of 4:32.49. The Razorbacks went 1-3-4-5 in the mile to pick up a total of 25 points in one event. Scott led her team to put up similar numbers in the 3k adding yet another conference title to her trophy case. The ladies went 1-2-4 for a total of 23 points. In the 800 Chrishauna

On the men's side the Oregon Ducks decided to remind everybody why they are defending champions and show case their talent. At the MPSF Championships the Ducks put their best in the men's distance medley relay to approve upon their standing. The Ducks ran the 5th fastest race of all time. Their time of 9:27.02. That time put them number 1 in the country and slightly ahead of previous number 1 Villanova who is also on the top 10 list all time with a time of 9:27.04.

The Gators got a huge team boost from the outstanding 800 meter duo of Andres Arroyo and Ryan Schnulle. Junior Schnulle claimed his first conference title with a time of 1:48.25 over Arroyo who finished second in 1:48.48. Their 18 points were huge in helping the Gators to the SEC title. Both have ran better this season, most notably Arroyo who has a 1:46 effort that currently ranks him number 2 in the NCAA.

A new star is born in the men's mile and he is not from any other power 5 conferences. Senior Cristian Soratos of Montana State burst onto the scene as a contender a few weeks ago with his national leading time of 3:55.27. He surpassed previous number 1 Edward Cheserek of Oregon. He followed up that performances by winning three events at the Big Sky conference meet. Soratos won the mile, 800 and anchored his team's distance medley relay. On top of that he ran a leg on the 4x400 relay that finished 5th. That equates to 34 points! Yes from 1 individual. He is a true talent and fare favorite to win the mile in two weeks at the NCAA Indoor Championships


HURDLES

Welcome back Kendra Harrison of Kentucky. Harrison like Arman Hall missed majority of the indoor season. She certainly made her presence known early. In the preliminaries she ran the 2nd fastest time of the year with a time of 8.03. In the finals she vaulted to clear number 1 and a personal best time of 7.92. Bridgette Owens of  Florida who held the number 1 time finished in a distance 2nd with a time of 8.08.. I personally expected for Harrison to take a step back after sprint coach Tim Hall left Kentucky after 1 year to coach at Tennessee. However she returned to form rather quickly and did not miss a step.

On the men's side sophomore Omar McLeod of Arkansas ran a race for the ages. His time of 7.49 places him the 5 all time of 60 meter hurdles. McLeod by way of Jamaica is part of a growing successful trend of Jamaican hurdlers. McLeod and other Jamaican hurdles have something that many American hurdlers are missing and that is speed. I believe without a doubt that McLeod can break Reggie Torain's NCAA record of 7.47. The closes competitor has not even dipped under 7.7.

THROWS

There was another NCAA record set this season. Michael Lihrman of Wisconsin is the defending champion in the men's weight throw. If there was any doubt about him being able to defend his title he ended that discussion this past weekend by obliterating the NCAA record with a mark of 83-11 3/4. Lihrman now has 9 of the 10 best throws all time in NCAA  history. Lihrman also moved up to number 3 in the history of the world.

In terms of team points senior Stipe Zunic of Florida was huge. The Gators have spent a lot of time as a runner up at the SEC meet to Arkansas. This year the Gators exceeded expectation when available. The Gator senior claimed the men's shot put to give his team 10 points with a throw of 66'11 1/2. He is currently ranked number 2 in the NCAA and is another key piece to the Florida Gators team title hopes.

On the women's side senior Tori Bliss of LSU joined another elite group earning the SEC Indoor Shot put title by surpassing 60 feet. Her mark of 60-1 was a new personal best and solidified her spot as the nation's number 1.

Brea Garrett is also a defending NCAA Champion from Texas A&M. However she was outclassed by a fellow SEC competitor from Missouri in Kearsten Peoples who placed her name in the record books with a throw of 73-8. Ida Storm of UCLA also threw her name into the pot when she won the MPSF Indoor conference title with a throw of 73-6. This makes for an interesting competition at the  NCAA Championships sine Storm was last year's runner up.

JUMPS

The event that has garnered the most attention on both sides men and women has been the pole vault. The national record has been under constant threat on both sides because of the amazing talent at the  NCAA level.

On the women's side Demi Payne of Stephen F. Austin set the NCAA record with a mark of 15'7 early this season. Payne competed at the  USATF Indoor Championships since her conference meet was last weekend. Payne notched an easy victory with a mark of 14-11 marking her potentially as the next great pole vault star. Her main competitor  Sandi Morris of Arkansas has already defeated her one this season and set a personal best at the SEC Indoor Championships. The two will look to meet again at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2 weeks.

On the men's side the NCAA record holder Shaw Barber of Akron is actually still in school. Barber set the NCAA record with a mark of 19-4 1/4 at the Tyson Invitational. Barber remains the only collegian over 19 feet. It seems every since weekend Barber is attempting to break the NCAA record. Barber continued his torrid pace of getting over 19 feet by winning the MAC title by more than 2 feet.

Athletes who compete in both the long jump and triple jump for a while was a rarity. There has been a steady increase in athletes who compete in both events. Senior Marquis Dendy is even more rare since he is a champion in both events. He again proved this weekend that he is the best horizontal jumper in the nation. Dendy joined the all-time collegiate list again with a mark of 56-6 1/2 in the triple jump. He claimed the long jump title in 26-3 3/4 on day 1 of the SEC Championships. Dendy provided 20 much needed points to the Gators. Dendy is currently ranked number 1 in the triple jump and number 2 in the long jump and could win the national title in both events.

True freshman Keturah Orji of Georgia took down defending NCAA Champion Senior Ciarra Brewer of Florida in the women's triple Jump at the SEC Championships. It is the 3rd time this season that Orji defeated Brewer. Orji is apart of growing successful track record American women in the triple jump. Orji is still learning more about the long jump and could join Dendy as a successful double jumper. Orji finished 3rd in the long jump behind Shakeela Saunders of Kentucky who won the long jump with a mark of 21'6.

Orji's Georgia teammates had a 1-2 sweep in the High Jump. Both Leontia Kallenou and Tatiana Gusin surpassed 6 feet. Kallenou leaped to 6-2 3/4 while Gusin reached 6-1 1/2. Senior Bryan McBride of Arizona State had the best high jump of the weekend with a mark of 7-5 to place his amongst the top 4 in the country and this event should be highly competitive at the NCAA Indoor Championship meet.

The men's heptathlon top honors goes to Garrett Scatling of Georgia who led a 1-2 finish by scoring a total of 6,036 points at the SEC Indoor Championships.

The women's pentathlon top honors goes to Kendell Williams also of Georgia. Williams a talented sophomore remains one of the best young American stars. Williams dominated the competition at the SEC Championships scoring a total of 4,519 points.

Week 3 Recap

(Trayvon Bromell-Baylor)



This past weekend there were some great performances to witness. There were a lot of quality team meets around the country with ranked programs competing against one another. There was the headlining meet the Rod McCravy Memorial at Kentucky, the Notre Dame invitational and the Texas A&M Quadrangular. Each meet had athletes post some impressive marks. Let us review this weekend's top performances.

SPRINTS

As usual we will start off with the Sprints and America's next great sprint star sophomore Trayvon Bromell of Baylor. Bromell reaffirmed his status as up and coming star last outdoor season by setting an American junior record in the 100 meter dash with a time of 9.97. He had an average indoor season last year. This season he has gotten off to a rocket start to prove that last indoor season was a fluke. Bromell clocked in at 6.54 to set a meet record at the McCravy Memorial in Kentucky in the 60 meter dash. His time matches the top time in the country and puts him in perfect position to win the indoor 60 meter crown.

The most impressive long sprint performance came from Bralon Taplin of Texas A&M. Taplin put incredible distance between himself and the rest of the field. Taplin clocked in at 45.78 to win the 400 meter dash at the Texas A&M quadrangular. He ran that race with no one within a second of his time. Taplin is next in line to be apart of a great set of 400 meter runners at Texas A&M.

On the women's side Morolake Akinosun of Texas beat an impressive field in the women's 60 meter dash. The top three performers were all competing at the McCravy Memorial. After a solid start she could not be caught winning the race with an impressive 7.22. Jasmine  Todd of Oregon who still holds the nation's number 1 time finished second with a time of 7.26.

Her teammate sophomore Kendall Baisden also ran an impressive 400 meter race against a top tier field. Baisden clocked in at 51.81 to earn the nation's top mark. Fellow sophomore from Miami also ran an equally impressive race with a time of 51.82.

Cierra White of Texas Tech scorched the track in the women's 200 meter dash at Texas A&M. White defeated Ashton Purvis of A&M with a national leading time of 23.18.  White is coming an outstanding outdoor season and will be a force to reckon with this season.


FIELD EVENTS

The field events were hot this weekend all over. After the national record in the women's pole vault was broken twice last weekend many other field event athletes have decided to join in on the fun. In the triple jump youth was served at the McCravy Memorial. On the women's side Keturah Orji a freshman from Georgia set a indoor American junior record with her leap of 45-10 1/2. She surpassed the defending NCAA Champion Ciarra Brewer of Florida who also surpassed 45 feet with a mark of 45-2 1/4.

On the men's side it was all Florida. Defending outdoor triple jump champion Marquis Dendy of Florida made his season debut with a mark of 52-8 1/4, his freshman teammate Keandre Bates also made noise with a mark of 52-0. As great as their performances were the top performance in the country belongs to Matthew O'Neal of South Florida who leaped to 53'11 this past weekend to claim the top mark in the country.

In the women's pole vault Demi Payne of Stephen F. Austin again proved that she is the true number one in this event by setting the NCAA record again. Her mark of 15-7 is 6 inches better than the next performer in the NCAA.

In the men's shot put Ashinia Miller of Georgia had an impressive performance this past weekend at the McCravy memorial. Miller threw for a mark of 66-7 3/4. His performance put him atop the rankings in the country and continues the success in the throwing events at Georgia. Tori Bliss of LSU led all women throwers with a mark of 57-4 3/4 in the shot-put placing her in the top spot as well.

Georgia continued there impressive performance in the field events by winning both multi-event competitions at the McCravy memorial, the heptathlon and pentathlon. Kendall Williams winning the women's pentathlon with a total of 4,609 points, nearly 2,000 more than her closes competitor. Garrett  Scantling won the men's heptathlon over his teammate Maicel Ubo with a total 5,886 points while Ubo had 5,847. Teammate Devon Williams, the brother to Kendall Williams rounded out the top three to finish third with 5,538.


Distance

The distance event are starting to warm up. Many premier athletes made their indoor season. At Kentucky there was clearly no bigger name than that of Edward Cheserek of Oregon. Cheserek ran the 3,000 meter run in 7:49.56. He had a 5 second lead against the closest competitor his teammate Johnny Gregorek.

Cheserek's performance was only part of an extremely successful weekend for Oregon. Eric Jenkins led the team to a 1-2-3 sweep in the 5k with his winning time of 13:31.76. The Duck also had a 1-2 finish in the men's mile with Colby Alexander winning with a time of 4:00.84. Furthermore they claimed the men's distance medley relay with a time of 9:32.61 four seconds ahead of runner up Florida.

Dominque Scott of Arkansas won the women's mile in Kentucky with a impressive time of 4:32.48. She won her race convincingly with a 7 second margin. She also anchored the women's distance medley relay to a victory over Florida by more than 5 seconds.

At A&M Shelby Houlihan of Arizona State ran impressive 3,000 meter race that places her atop the NCAA by more 10 seconds. Houlihan almost going under 9 minutes with her winning time of 9:03.71.

4x400  Relay

The meet at Kentucky had a lot of impressive performances. However many of the top tier long sprinters did not compete in individual races. However they made up for it with two outstanding races. First the Florida women get things started off right by going 3:30 to break a school record in the first meet with a time of 3:29.58. Robin Reynolds ran a terrific lead off leg and Claudia Francis who transferred from Oregon ran an outstanding anchor leg to hold off Arkansas and Texas who both ran under 3:31.

The Florida men were without 200 meter champion Dedric Dukes who is out injured. However Florida has earned the moniker as 400 meter "U" because of their development and depth in the event. Nick Uruburu ran the 3rd leg this time and did an admirable job. Najee Glass ran an outstanding first leg that equated to 45.3 start. Arman Hall who ran the anchor leg had his work cut out for him with hard charging Vernon Norwood of LSU closing the gap and almost winning. The Gators broke the meet record with a time of 3:04.22 without Dedric Dukes. Their performance was quite impressive. It looks like it will be another great year for the 4x400 relay.

Another big meet will headline next weekend, it is the Razorback Invitational at the University of Arkansas. Many of the same teams will be at this meet along with Texas A&M. Expect more exciting performances and finishes.

Week 1 and 2 Review

(Jasmine Todd-Oregon)



It is mid-January and there have been plenty of noteworthy performances already. Most of the performances have been performed by sprinters. It is early in the season and still time for athletes all around to perform. The sprinters that have made the early noise have mostly been women.

Remona Burchell came on late last season with a time of 7.11 to claim the indoor 60 meter dash title. If she wants to defend her title she will likely have to put up a record performance and get started early this season. Already Jasmine Todd of Oregon has gotten started with a time of 7.15. Todd has been bitten by the injury bug the last few seasons and will look to finally put together a complete season. Todd's performance set a new facility record at the University of Washington's indoor facility. She had chase from true freshman Ky Westbrook of USC who clocked in at 7.18 to lead an impressive core of sprinters at USC. Kentucky senior and defending indoor 200 meter champion Dezerea Bryant saw to it to make some noise as well with a time of 7.18 and a NCAA leading 200 time of 23.12.

On the men's side the 60 meter dash is also warming up. John Teeters of Oklahoma State blasted off to a time of 6.54 which is currently the nation's number 1 time. NCAA 100 meter champion Trayvon Bromell of Baylor also dipped under 6.6 with a time of 6.58 putting him in 3rd place. Fellow talented sophomore of Mississippi Jalen Miller impressed many in week 1 with a time of 6.56. The early impressive times lead me to believe of the possibility that one of these young sprinters will possibly dip under 6.5 and run 6.4. It's too early to tell but expect some fireworks.

The hurdles had some amazing marks as well. In the 60 hurdles one of the preseason favorites Bridgette Owens of Florida broke her meet record this season with a NCAA leading time of 8.10. Owens has had some injury troubles while at Florida but had a great outdoor season. Fellow Michigander Cindy Ofili of Michigan earned the number three mark in the nation this past week with a time of 8.18.

On the men's side in the hurdles talented junior Isaac Williams of Houston earned a nation leading mark with a time of 7.72 at the beginning of the year to defeat a talented field. Defending champion Omar McCleod of Arkansas by way of Jamaica claimed the number two mark in a competitive dual against Texas with a time of 7.76. Donovan Robertson of Ohio State also tied the number two mark with a time of 7.76. All three are young talents that should be a big part of the sport in the future.

In the field events Donald Scott of Eastern Michigan got things started very early in the men's triple jump with a leap of 53 feet 7 1/2 inches. Scott is one of the many returning All-Americans and now that his football eligibility has been exhausted he can fully focus on the triple jump and can be considered a threat to win the title overall. Fellow MAC athlete Shawn Barber of Akron University also put up a noteworthy performance surpassing 19 feet the in the men's pole vault. Barber seems to be getting an early leap on defending his title.

In the women's pole vault there are two who are far ahead of the competition by at least a foot. Demi Payne of Stephen F. Austin and Sandi Morris of  Arkansas. This past weekend both athletes brook the NCAA record, yes in the same weekend. First it was Morris with a mark of 15' 1.5 then later Payne with a mark of 15'2.25. For Arkansas it was business as usual as they routinely have turned out great vaulters. The two will likely battle it out for another national record later this season.

Keeping up with excellence in the MAC Akron continues there success in the women's weight throw. In their dual against Kent State this past weekend there top two athletes scored the top two marks in the nation with a throws beyond 70 feet. Leading the way was Alexis Cooks who threw for 71'1.5 followed by Brittany Funk with a mark of 70'11.25. Both marks are impressive and draw more positive attention to the MAC conference.

Maddie Myers of Washington had the most impressive distance performance of the weekend at the Washington Preview by winning the women's 3,000. Myers won the race by more than 8 seconds with a time of 9:16.03. Morgan Scheutz of LSU also had an impressive weekend as LSU is giving more effort in developing quality distance runners. Schuetz claimed the top time in the women's 800 with a time of 2:06.32. These two talented sophomores are names we should expect to hear more of in the future.

This coming weekend is the Rod McCrary Invitational at the University of Kentucky. Many of the nations premier programs will be competing including, Florida, LSU, USC and Miami amongst others. This is an opportunity for us to really validate the rankings many of the top tier programs have received.

Track Season is Back! 2015 Preview Part 1

 



Welcome back to all you crazy track heads. In attempt to explain my long-term absence I will only let you know that I took a break to simply re-charge and emphasize that this blog will solely focus on track and field in the collegiate realm. There are a lot of exciting things on the horizon for the sport of collegiate track and field. With this season comes a World Championships and makes every performance that more important. Let us come together and preview what should be an outstanding season both indoor and out. This is part 1 and will focus solely on the sprints.


SPRINTS

I really enjoy the sprinting events within this sport which is the reason why I generally start off with them in majority of posts. This season that will continue but I do promise to mix things up throughout the season.

There are plenty of great champions returning in the sprints at both the national and conference level. In the 60 meter dash Remona Burchell of  Alabama by way of Jamaica returns as the defending champion. Burchell blasted onto the scene at the end of the indoor season last year by running her best race at the championship meet with a time 7.11. Burchell hadn't won the SEC Indoor title and was only considered a dark horse behind favorite Dezerea Bryant of Kentucky. Both are expected to light it up this season on the women's side. Byrant is also the defending champion at 200 meters.

In the long sprints the University of Texas again proves to be the premier program at recruiting and developing for the 400. After Beverly Kearney resigned many expected for the program to falter. That was until Olympian Tonja Buford Bailey was hired on as the women' sprints and hurdles coach and may have taken the program to an even higher level. The Longhorns have two returning champions. The 2013 400 meter champion in Ashley Spencer and the 2014 400 meter champion Courtney Okolo, both outdoors. Also in the mix is 2014 World Junior Champion Kendall Baisden. It is totally possible for the Longhorns to sweep this event this season.

On the men's side a lot veteran talent returns and also a infusion of new talent. There is no defending champion returning in any of the short sprints however there are some big names returning. The biggest name perhaps is Cameron Burrell. Burrell was a freshman sensation last year. Burrell held onto the top mark in the 60 meter dash for a while with a time of 6.55. He in my opinion is the favorite to win the event. His toughest competition may come from two stud freshman in Kendal Willis and Trentavis  Friday of Florida State. Florida State has a long history of success in the 60 and 100 meter events.

In the long sprints it is clear that the battle is between Florida and Texas A&M. Both have returning champions from the outdoor season and have consistently produced some of the best 4x400 relays in collegiate history. In the 200 senior Dedric Dukes of Florida returns as the only sub 20 second performer from last season. Dukes aides both sprint relays and has shown to be a complete well rounded sprinter. Deon Lendore of Texas A&M and also a sprinter has been a dominate force in this event since his arrival and is a huge part of his teams national title hopes like Dukes for Florida. Both will face strong competition from the other's school. Shavez Hart for Texas A&M in the 200 and Arman Hall from Florida in the 400. Bbth  Dukes and Lendore will have careers following college and possibly be competitng for medals this coming summer at the World Championships.

On the women's side in the 4x400 relay it's Texas and everybody else. Even after losing the defending 2013 NCAA Champion in the 400 meters the Lady Longhorns were still able to run one of the fastest times every ran in NCAA history. All that talent returns a year older and wiser. Florida and Texas A&M will continue to be challengers but may not have enough sufficient talent to compete.

On the men's side in the 4x400 relay it will be Texas A&M and Florida all over again. Both programs went under 3 minutes last season and will continue to electrify again this season. The nod goes to Florida since they are returning every piece of the relay from last season and hope to include a healthy Arman Hall. LSU will continue to be apart of the upper echelon of this group since they surprised both programs last indoor season and won the 2014 NCAA Indoor crown in this event. I expect another national record in this event.