Women Dominate Record-Smashing NCAA

The numbers you need to know are 1 and 5 and 6.
As in--
1 American Record
5 Collegiate Records
6 Meet Records
Out of that total of 12, the Women produced 10 of them!
So let's start with the two from the guys!

Donavan Brazier has had a Freshman year Seniors and Professionals dream about.
A few bumps, but mostly a straight road to the top!
The top is his Collegiate Record time of 1:43.55 in the 800.
There was some controversy as to what exactly WAS this CR.
Jim Ryun had run an 880--in the days when distances were yards, not meters--time of 1:44.9, while a Kansas Freshman!
T&FN, at that time, said his 800 meter time was a projected 1:44.3--or maybe 1:44.2, according to different sources.
Then, several years later, Julius Achon ran the 800 in 1:44.55, and people said THAT was the fastest Collegiate 800--because the projected time given Ryun wasn't valid, as no official enroute time was taken.
Even though I HATE projected times (See my rants on converted times from the 1600 & 3200 to the 1 & 2 Mile!!), I accepted Ryun's "1:44.2" as MY Collegiate 800 record!
Suffice to say, Brazier ENDED all discussion with his smooth & easy-seeming 1:43.55!
Hitting the first 400 in 50.3, he followed close behind Brandon McBride until the top of the final curve, where he pulled alongside.
But it wasn't until the last straight that he pulled ahead.
In the final 60 meters, he gained almost a full second on McBride, who got a PR with his 1:44.50.

For Brazier, besides the CR, MR, and Frosh Class record, he becomes 9th A-T US.
He moved from 16th A-T Collegiate to 1st.
McBride broke his own Senior Class record.
In a speedy sequence, he dropped from 3rd A-T Collegiate down to 4th, then popped back into 3rd!
Shaquille Walker ran a non-PR of 1:45.17 in 3rd, while Isaiah Harris took 4th in 1:45.76.
Brazier had sped his semi in 1:45.07, with McBride doing 1:45.48.
That had made him 16th A-T Collegiate.
Removed FROM my Collegiate DDD was a real Oldie--Byron Dyce's 1:45.3, dating from 1969!!
This was, as I predicted, the best race of the meet--for the Men!!

Keturah Orji ALMOST TJ'ed 45 feet in HS 2 years ago!
She made up for not getting the HSR in 2014 by destroying the Frosh Class record the next year at Georgia.
INdoors and OUTdoors, she was the dominant TJ'er in the Collegiate--and even the American--ranks!
But this year??
Whoa, Baby!!
At the SEC--as I've stated over & over--she broke the CR with a great 46-10.75.
But she ALSO had a windy jump of an astounding 47-11--more than a foot longer than her legal jump!!
You could SEE her future, and it was filled with sunshine, flowers, and Records!!
She didn't disappoint.
After 3 consecutive efforts between 45-8.50 & 45-10.50, she made a HUGE leap forward (pun intended!) with her 5th round 47-8.
This broke the American Record, the Collegiate Record (her's!), the Meet Record, and the Soph Class record--also her's!
She moved from 5th A-T US to 1st!
Far behind in 2nd came Simone Charley, whose 2 inch PR to 45-2.50 moved her from 24th A-T Collegiate, tied with 4 others, to 20th.
One of those Charley was tied with--now OFF my DDD--was Flora Hyacinth, whose 45-0.50 was also the WORLD Record in 1987, when the Women's TJ was in its infancy!

I've RAVED about RAVEN--as in Ms Saunders--for a long time!
Her spectacular rise in the Shot Put began in December 2013--just after I began this blog!--and it hasn't stopped.
In fact, it seems to have exponentially INCREASED its speed of growth!!
From just the mid-40's about 31 months ago, she went to the mid-50's, then the next year to the 60's, and now--she let loose a massive Collegiate Record-breaking throw of 63-5!!
This destroyed Meg Ritchie's 62-3.75 from 1983.
It gave her the CR & MR & Soph Class records!
She moved from 6th A-T Collegiate to the very top!
She also moved from 17th A-T US to 7th!
Chase Ealey placed 2nd with a good 59-0.25.
This makes her 21st A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other.
Third placer Jessica Woodard's 58-8 misses my DDD by just 1.25 inches!!


The Javelin Throw was a great competition which produced yet another Collegiate Record!
It was supposed to be a battle between Hannah Carson and Maggie Malone--and that's exactly what it turned out to be!
Malone's 204-7 throw moved the record up almost 2 feet, and gave her the Senior Class record as well, plus of course the NCAA Meet Record!
She moved from 4th A-T Collegiate to 1st.
She also moved from 6th to 4th on the A-T US list!!
Carson got over 200 feet for the first time--but surely not the last!
Her 200-9 makes her 4th A-T Collegiate!
She moves up 1 spot on the A-T US list, from 6th to 5th.
In 3rd was Maggie's sister, Audrey, whose 187-2 makes her 18th A-T Collegiate!!
They both represented Texas A&M!
Nicole Murphy's 183-2 misses my DDD by just 8 inches!

Another having a VERY special Senior year is Courtney Frerichs.
If you remember, after her team won the NCAA XC last fall, she was proposed to---on camera!---right after the race--and she accepted!
In her interview after breaking Jenny Barringer's (Simpson's!!) 3000SC Collegiate Record with her solo run of 9:24.41, she said it wasn't as tough as planning her wedding!!
Taking the lead on the first curve (without the water jump!), she only increased the lead lap by lap, hurdle by hurdle!
Finishing 17 seconds in front, she took down a most venerable record!!
(Jenny tweeted her congrats later, as did American Record holder Emma Coburn!!)
Hitting 2200 in 6:59, she knew what she needed to run--and she ran it!
Overjoyed, she sat on Hayward's historic track, her hands holding her head, a smile as beautiful as the run itself!
She got the CR, the MR, the Senior Class record, and moved from 4th to 1st on the Collegiate DDD, and from 11th to 6th on the A-T US list!
Jessica Kamilos ran a good PR time of 9:41.28 in 2nd, moving her up 12 spots on the A-T Collegiate list, from 24th to 12th!!
Elinor Purrier took 3rd in a non-PR 9:47.17.

The other Meet Record went to DeAnna Price in the Hammer Throw.
With recent 231-3 thrower Maggie Ewen not having her best day in the Hammer, Price fully dominated her event.
Her 234-8 just nipped her own Meet Record from last year, adding 2 inches to it!
Sara Savatonic took 2nd with 215-3, while Ewen placed just 5th with 208-8--23 feet off her recent PR!

Other than Records, Doubles (and in one unique case, a TRIPLE!!) were the order of the day--or days, as it were!
That Triple I speak of made reference to the historic NCAA Jesse Owens had about 80 years ago!!
While his marks didn't match the great Jesse, Jarrion Lawson won the 100, the 200, and the Long Jump, wind affecting his marks.
His winning (legal) LJ measured 26-9--just 0.75 more than Owens did prior to World War Two!!
Nathaneel Mitchell-Blake, considered the favorite in the sprints, felt an injury in the 100, giving him last place, then causing him to withdraw from the 200.

Ed Cheserek and Dominique Scott took their respective sex's 5000's and 10000's, and almost in the same ways!
Scott negative split her 25 lapper, coming within 7 seconds of the 28 year old Meet Record (which I saw in person at Hayward in 1988!), finishing in 32:35.60!
Her 5's were in 16:32 and 16:03!
Seven women broke 33 minutes, with Alice Wright timed in 32:46.99,
Find of the Year, Lauren LaRocco was 4th in yet another PR time--32:47.30!
Speedy Tennessee Vol Chelsea Blaase--a co-favorite for the title--finished 5th, while Boise State Frosh Brenna Peloquin was 8th, running 32:58.78!

Cheserek took his 5000 in a fast---for him!!--13:25.59.
His final 800 was !:59, with his last 400 in 57!
Sean McGorty took 2nd in 13:26.10, while Pat Tiernan and Thomas Curtin were close.
The first Frosh was Australian Morgan McDonald, beating Stanford Frosh Grant Fisher for 5th & 6th!
McDonald is about a year older than Fisher!
The other half of these doubles were SLOW--Scott doing the 5K in 15:57, taking the lead with 800 to go from Aisling Cuffe, while Ches jogged the 10K in 29:09 and change.
BTW, LaRocco & Peloquin took 6th and 8th here!
Yawn.

The Decathlon and Heptathlon were both exciting battles for the Gold--or whatever prize NCAA winners receive!!
Lindon Victor fell behind an on fire Zach Ziemek, but finally prevailed, his score of 8379 a non-PR.
Ziemek scored 8300 points, making him 8th A-T Collegiate, and 21st A-T US.
Maicel Uibo was 3rd, also not PR'ing with his 8294.
Pau Tonnesen's 8103 and Harrison Williams's 8032 were the other 8000-plus scores!

Kendell Williams was more than 100 points behind Akela Jones with just the 800 to go!
With Jones being the faster, it was thought to be over for Williams!
Williams had begun the event with a PR of 12.83 in the 100H, but the other events were at or below average, though not by much!
Jones, however, not in full health, wasn't performing up to par either, HJ'ing barely over 6 feet, when her PR was 6-6!!
So it came down to the 800, Williams needing to gap Jones by over 7 seconds to win!
Jones began fast---too fast---and died all the way to a sluggish 2:39, while Williams ran a big PR of just under 2:18, thus securing an easy victory, and a 2 point PR of 6225.
Her places on the Collegiate and US lists remain static, at 6th & 20th, respectively!
Erica Bougard took 2nd from Jones, 6088 to 6063.

With Jasmine Todd off the team, as well as Mary Beth Sant, it was left to Hannah Cunliffe and Ariana Washington to salvage those lost sprint points for the Ducks.
But Cunliffe pulled up in her 100, walking stiffly across the line in 26 seconds or so.
She was done!
Washington, just a Freshman, came through, winning both in fast times!
The 100 had a wind of 2.6, which pushed Washington to a 10.95, just ahead of newbie elite Ashley Henderson's 10.96.
Morolake Akinosun took 3rd in 11.07.
But the wind was legal in the 200, which saw Washington run the Frosh Class record time of 22.21.
It also makes her 4th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!!
And it puts her on the A-T US list too--in 22nd place!!
Duck teammate Deajah Stevens, a Soph, came through in a big way also, sprinting 22.25 behind Ariana.
After a semi time of 22.32, which made her 11th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other, her 22.25 moved her to 9th.
She misses the US list by 0.02!!
Gabrielle Thomas, a Harvard Frosh, was 3rd in 22.47.
(So two Freshmen and a Soph beat all the Juniors & Seniors!!)
OFF my 200 list is Mary Onyali's 22.45, dating from 1989!

Shamier Little produced a big time (pun intended!!) in the 400H, her 53.51 a PR by 0.23 seconds!!
She moves from 4th to 2nd on the A-T Collegiate list!
And she moves from12th to 11th on the US list!
While over a second behind her, the next FOUR women all ran sub-55's!!
Kiah Seymour's 54.67 in 2nd makes her 18th A-T Collegiate!
Sage Watson's 54.85 missed her PR by 0.03.
Autumne Franklin's 54.91 makes her 22nd A-T Collegiate!
Chanice Chase is now 24th A-T Collegiate, based on her 5th place time of 54.94!
One of the favorites to place high was Jaide Stepter, but her 55.30 left her back in 6th!!

Another youngster who prevailed here was Lexi Weeks, but a hoped for threesome PV'ing over 15 feet in one meet not happening, Weeks won with an average (for her!) 14-9.
No one else could rise above 14-1.25, including the other 15 footers, Alysha Newman and Megan Clark.
The Men's Vault also suffered---Jake Blankenship taking the win at 18-4.50.

Big favorites, Courtney Okolo and Raevyn Rogers, easily won their races, the 400 and 800.
Okolo was far off her CR time of 49.71, her 50.36 beating Taylor Ellis-Watson's 50.86.
Rogers just ran to win, her final 200 of 29.84 bringing her to a pedestrian time of 2:00.74, a full 1.90 seconds ahead of Olivia Baker!

Remember the World Championship Women's 10000, where Molly Huddle lost a sure Bronze medal by celebrating her "win" a wee bit early, allowing Emily Infeld to squeak by her for 3rd?
Well, it ALMOST happened again here--in the 1500!!
Marta Freitas, who had the fastest time coming in, wanted a fast race.
So when the first lap went by in a so-so 69, she took the lead.
After about 800, it came down to a two-woman race, the former HS stud Elise Cranny Freitas's only threat!
With 200 remaining, Cranny showed a return to her 4:10.95 HS form, sprinting to Freitas's side on the curve.
But Freitas--whose father had died DURING a race (in the stands, of a heart attack!) 2 years prior--WANTED the win--for her Dad!!
She sprinted, and seemingly having the win in hand, threw up her arms in a premature celebration just before the line.
But Cranny--like Infeld--was sprinting hard--except on the outside, not the inside, like Infeld--and ALMOST outleaned Freitas, who seemed totally unaware of Cranny's oncoming rush!!
Probably the most thrilling RACE of the meet!!
Afterwards, during her interview, Cranny was amazed when told the story of Freitas's dad's death!!
BTW, their times were just 0.004 apart, with Freitas given 4:09.53, and Cranny 4:09.54--rounded up!
Freitas moves from 16th to 13th on the Collegiate list, while Cranny enters at 14th!
Cranny's last lap was 62.85, while Freitas ran 63.15!

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn took the 100H in a fast 12.54, but had an illegal wind of 3.8 to help her!
Cindi Ofili was just 4th.
C-Q had run her semi in 12.75, while Ofili ran 12.80.
After a semi in 13.38, Devon Allen took the final of the 110H in 13.50.
Arman Hall took the 400 in 44.82.
Michael Cherry was 3rd in 45.11, while Najee Glass was DQ'ed for a lane violation!
Eric Futch took the 400H in 48.91, with Freshmen Taylor McLaughlin and Rai Benjamin taking 5th and 6th, times of 49.74 and 49.82.
Kimberly Williamson took a VERY weak HJ with 6-2, with just one other woman going over 6 feet!!
Randall Cunningham took the Men's HJ with 7-4.50.
Nick Miller won the HT with 242-8, beating Rudy Winkler's 239-0.
Filip Miheljevic's SP of 67-11.50 makes him 23rd A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other.
Chuk Enekwechi took 2nd with a throw of 66-10.
Nicholas Percy took the Men's DT with 201-0!
Sam Mattis just made 200 feet!
Curtis Thompson took the JT with 254-9 over Ionnnis Kyriazis's 253-5.
Chanice Porter surprised Quenesha Burks in the LJ, her 21-11.75 missing my DDD by 2 inches!
Burks could reach just 21-4.75, with the TJ Queen Keturah Orji back in 6th!
Latario Collis TJ'ed a non-PR 55-8.25 for the win.

The Men's 1500 was pretty fast, with favored Clayton Murphy kicking to a 3:36.38 win.
This makes him 8th A-T Collegiate!
Izaic Yorks was 2nd in 3:38.06, with Henry Wynne 3rd in 3:38.35.
Murphy's last 400 was 55.84!, and his last 800 was 1:53.75!!
Mason Ferlic PR'ed to 8:27.16 for a 3 second win in the 3000SC, but he misses my DDD by 0.33 seconds.
Frankline Tanui and Edwin Kibichiy followed with 8:30's and change!
In the semis, Bailey Roth--the HSR holder--got a solid 7 second PR, running 8:37.38, but he finished 13th, one spot away from Q'ing for the final!!
In the 100 semis, Senoj-Jay Givans exploded to a 9.96 (wind of 1.6)!
This makes him 8th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others!

Kelsey Card had quite the Discus Throw series!
After a couple in the 190's, she threw the Discus out to a near-PR of 203.10.
Then she went ballistic, hitting 208's in her next 3 efforts, topped by her winner of 208-5.
She moves from 10th A-T Collegiate to 7th.
And she moves from 19th A-T US to 16th!
There were three other women who reached 200 feet!
Killian Knibb got a 4 inch PR of 201-7, but she remains 13th A-T Collegiate.
She does improve her National Record of Jamaica, however!!
Valerie Allman got over 200 for the 1st time, her 201-6 making her 14th A-T Collegiate, and moving her onto the US list, at 23rd!
Shadae Lawrence rounded out the 200 crowd at 200-9, but the Kansas State Frosh misses my DDD by 7 inches!

The Relays were fairly fast, but didn't produce much for my Record Book!
In the Men' 4X100 semis, Western Kentucky's 38.85 made them 19th A-T School on my Collegiate list!
North Carolina State's 39.11 made them 24th A-T Collegiate!
The final was won by LSU's 38.42, with Houston next in 38.44.
Houston moves from 9th A-T School to 6th on my DDD.
Arkansas (38.49), Florida (38.54), and Western Kentucky--improving to 38.60--took the next 3 places.
WK moves from 19th School to 13th!
TCU came next in 38.72.
In the Women's 4X100 semis, San Diego State's 43.55 made them the 21st best School!!
LSU took the final in 42.65.
USC was next in 42.90.
The Trojans move from 9th A-T School to 8th!
UO and Texas A&M followed in 42.91 and 42.95, with Kentucky returning a 43.02 in 5th!

The 4X400 was won by LSU, time of 3:00.69, over the 3:01.12 of Florida.
Florida won the Men's Team title with their win here!
Courtney Okolo used her 50.36 anchor to come from behind for the win, her Texas team running 3:27.64, beating Arkansas's 3:27.94.
Three more teams dipped under 3:30.
In the semis, Texas had run the fastest, a 3:28.37.
Arkansas had run 3:28.76.

Sorry for the length, but there just wasn't enough good stuff from the Men to warrant a separate post for them!!
Look for another post---covering the Bislett Games, the Portland Track Festival, some sprint-centric meets in Florida and the Caribbean, plus a bunch of other good stuff!!---tomorrow--or much later today!!