OT's deny many while Pro's romp!

Not to worry!
I'm not going to rant endlessly about the Oversize Track situation on the Collegiate Conference scene this weekend!
I'll let the numbers speak for themselves, in the same way as the Vietnam Wall of Names slams you in the heart when you realize all the hopes and dreams that were KILLED there!
But that's for later!
There were too many LEGAL marks to make your head spin for me to waste more time on OT's!

Keturah Orji remains more than 15 inches behind her OUTdoor Triple Jump PR set in the Rio Olympics!
What she DID do is crush the Collegiate AND American INdoor records---TWICE!!
In the SEC meet, she offed both records with her 1st effort measuring 46-11.75!
Then she matched it with her second round leap!
She also gets the Senior Class record, and the SEC Meet Record!
The latter 2 broke her own marks!
She moves from 5th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other, to 1st!
She moves from 4th A-T US to the top!
She would need to come within an inch of her OUTdoor PR to make the World DDD!!

While we're talking about this incredible athlete, let's see what she did in the SEC LJ!
THREE Women made 22 feet!!
Not sure if that's any kind of record, but I'm sure it's a rarity!
Sha'Keela Saunders topped the trio with her 22-4.50!
She moves from 14th to 8th on the A-T US list!
She moves from 10th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other, to 5th, tied with 1 other!
And guess who she's tied with?
ANOTHER athlete named Saunders!
Daphne Saunders's mark dates from 1994.
(I don't believe they're related!  LOL)
Quanesha Burks took 2nd with a jump of 22-2.25, not a PR.
Then came Orji's 22-0.75.
She moves from 23rd A-T Collegiate, to 12th!
Moved OFF my Collegiate list was Angela Thacker, from 1984!
Orji is now 16th A-T US as well!

Another Saunders--Raven--nabbed the SEC Meet Record with her non-PR Shot Put of 62-6.75!

But a day after most Collegiate Conferences were finished, distance running Professionals (and one well-known Collegiate dude!!) took to the super-fast track at Boston University in a "Last Chance" meet!
First indication things would be hopping was Stephanie Schappert's 4:35.39 in the Women's Mile!
Then came the Men's Mile!

Edward (King Ches) Cheserek said he would chase the Collegiate Record.
And for once, he left his normal jog-kick strategy behind, just like his 3:52.01 left behind a stunningly deep field!!
For Ches, he gets the Collegiate Record, the Senior Class Record, AND the National Record of Kenya!

A bit of explanation!
Bernard Lagat ran 3:49.89 in the 2005 INdoor season, but he had already become a citizen of the United States at that time, but wasn't yet eligible to represent the US on their team!
So Cheserek--even while HE waits for his citizenship papers to come through!--gets the Kenya NR!!
He moves from 21st A-T Collegiate to 1st!
And he's now 12th A-T World!
He'll have to wait to make the US list!!

Kyle Merber followed Ches to the line, and it was VERY close!
Merber's 3:52.22 moves him from 21st A-T US to 6th!
And he makes the World list in 16th place!

Johnny Gregorek's 3:53.15 in 3rd makes him 10th A-T US!
And according to sources, he and Daddy John are now the fastest Father-Son duo in the Mile EVER--although I believe John's mark was made OUTdoors!!
Ford Palmer was 4th in 3:54.92.
Except for those finishing ahead of him, he would've made the US list!
As it is, he misses that list by 0.03 seconds!
Seven others broke 4:00, making it as deep as some of those Bowerman Miles at the Prefontaine Classic!!
Among those others came Dan Huling's 3:57.99 in 5th, which bodes well for his Steeple fortunes!
Knocked OFF the US Mile list was the iconic Dick Buerkle, whose 3:54.93 dated from 1978!!

Then came the 5000's!
It was Molly Huddle and Emily Sisson all the way, as they finished about a minute ahead of 3rd!
It was Huddle's Beast Mode that won the day--and the race!
While Huddle's 15:01.64 wasn't a PR, Sisson's 15:02.10 took away 10 seconds from her previous best--which was, and still is, the Collegiate Record!!
She moves from 7th to 4th on the A-T US list!
And she makes the World DDD, in 19th place!

But it was the Men's race which REALLY rewrote the Record Book!!
While Ben True spoke pre-meet about a possible American Record, early pacing set that idea on the back burner!
What emerged was a RACE for the Ages!
(Including--sic!--a couple of AGE Records!!  LOL)

It was Mo Ahmed who crossed the line first.
His 13:04.60 destroyed the National Record of Canada, giving Ahmed his 3rd INdoor NR!!
It also makes him 11th A-T World!

Eric Jenkins's 13:05.85 gave him 2nd on the US list, and 12th A-T World!!
Ben True was 3rd in 13:06.74!
He gets the Age 31 record!
He's now 3rd A-T US, and 15th A-T World!!
Ryan Hill's 13:07.61 moves him from 11th A-T US, to 6th!
He's now 18th A-T World!

Remember Woody Kincaid?
While at the U of Portland, he beat Mr Cheserek in an OUTdoor 5000!
Well, he obliterated his PR by 30 seconds, his 13:12.22 taking 5th!
He's all of a sudden 8th on the United States DDD!!

Lopez Lomong grabbed the Age 32 record with his 6th place time of 13:12.27, just inches behind Kincaid
But we're not done yet!
Because Kemoy Campbell's 13:14.45 in 7th took down the National Record of Jamaica!
Chris Derrick's 13:19.75 was not a PR!

The Pole Vault saw the usual volume of good marks!
Perhaps leading the way---at least INdoors!--were the Weeks Twins!!
Tori is now a 15 footer!!
She moves from 7th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other, to 6th--thus obviously becoming the 6th Collegiate Woman to clear 15 feet INdoors!
She moves from 23rd A-T US, tied with 2 others, to 19th!
Sister Lexi was once again defeated by her sibling!
Seems her standing as an Olympian doesn't impress Tori enough to scare her into familial submission!!
But Lexi also got over 15 feet, her best mark of 2017!
In 3rd came Olivia Gruver, who PR'ed mightily, all the way to 14-8.75!!
This makes her 16th A-T Collegiate!
But she misses the US list by 1.50 inches!!

Another Olympian--Eliza McCartney--had quite a week in her native New Zealand.
She first went 15-5 in a meet held inside a mall in Auckland!
(At least I THINK it was a mall!!)
Then she went OUTdoors, where her 15-9.75 broke her own OUTdoor National Record!
It also gave her the Age 20 OUTdoor record!
She moves from 15th A-T World, tied with 1 other, to 12th, where she's tied with 3 others!

While we're OUTdoors, let's do the other marks I have from there!
Ryan Crouser and NZ's Tom Walsh have had a couple of SP duels!
The best was the most recent, with Crouser covering 72-8 of ground, leaving Walsh's 71-7.25 behind!
For Walsh, this comes toward the end of his summer season.
For Crouser, it's a GREAT early season mark!!

Dani Samuels (now Stevens!) threw the Discus a good 219-1.
And Tara Davis got an OUTdoor PR in the LJ--by one-half inch!
Her 21-1 moves her from 14th A-T HS to 12th!

Also OUTdoors (of course!) was the Tokyo Marathon, where Wilson Kipsang was said to be wanting the World Record!!
And the first 5K split of 14:14 gave fans hope!
But they inevitably slowed, still coming through the Half in 1:01:22!
When the pacers left, he wasn't able to hold it, but his 2nd half of 1:02:36 gave him 2:03:58, the fastest time ever run in Japanese Marathons!!

The Women actually had a better result!
In just her 3rd-ever 26.2 race, Sarah Chepchirchir ran 2:19:47, becoming 16th A-T World!!
In 2nd was Berhane Dibaba, timed in 2:21:19.

Americans did good.
Andrew Bumbalough finished in 2:13:58 in his rookie race!
Sara Hall took 1:40 off her PR to get her first sub-2:30--time of 2:28:26!
She went through 13.1 in 1:13:01, so she slowed to 1:15:25 on the back end!
Still, it makes her 21st A-T US!!

Back to INdoors!
Old news first--
KC Lightfoot PV'ed 17-4.25, making him 16th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
In the Russian Championships, Anzhelika Sidorova PV'ed 15-5 for the win!
It's not a PR.
Emmanouil Karalis PR'ed with a Vault of 18-8.25.
He's still 17 years old, but someone named Mondo is also 17!!
In a good Virginia Tech Challenge meet--
Katie Nageotte and Jenn Suhr went over 15-0 in the PV, Nageotte getting the win!
For Suhr, however, she fills the once-empty slot I had for the Age 35 record!!
Hanna Green sped a 600 in 1:27.39.
She moves from 14th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other, to 2nd!!
And she's now 11th A-T US!
Drew Piazza ran 600 meters in 1:17.26, making him 19th A-T Collegiate!
Neil Gourley ran 1000 meters in 2:20.54, for 15th A-T Collegiate!
And Amber Campbell threw the WT out 76-0.75, breaking her own Age 35 record!!

In old foreign news--
Balazs Baji sped a 60H in 7.54, getting the National Record of Hungary!
Mariya Kuchina HJ'ed 6-8 for the Age 24 record!!
She moves from 18th A-T World, tied with 6 others, to 11th, tied with 3 others!!

In an aside, I should report that over 30 Russians have been cleared to compete as "neutrals"!
BUT---only Darya Klishina will be allowed to compete in next week's European Championships!!
The INSANITY of this entire situation!!!

Genzebe Dibaba went after the INdoor WR in the 1000 in Madrid!!
But Laura Muir's earlier 2:31.93 still remains the fastest 1K of 2017!!
Ms WR---aka G-D---hit 400 in 58.76.
She slowed to an 800 in 2:00.62, which was officially timed, making her 3rd on the Ethiopian INdoor list--and is her PR!
Her final time of 2:33.07 gives her the National Record, and makes her 8th A-T World!

Also in that Madrid meet---
Ruth Beitia HJ'ed 6-6, breaking her own Age 37 record!!
Bralon Taplin ran the 400 in 45.19, a PR by 0.01 seconds!
He remains 14th A-T World!!

The remaining LEGAL marks will be divided into running & field events!
Sasha Wallace ran the 60H at the Mountain Pacific Conference in 7.95.
It's the Meet Record!
Hannah Cunliffe tied Jasmine Todd's MR with her 7.15 win in the flat 60.
Sydney McLaughlin had a great Meet of Champions!
She ran the open 400 in 53.17.
Then she came from way behind on the anchor leg of her team's 4X400 Relay, running 51.8!!
In the BU meet, Nicole Sifuentes won the 3000 in 9:02.61.
Rice's Katie Jensen ran one of the best LEGAL Collegiate 3K's of the year, her 9:05.66 behind Sifuentes giving her an NCAA spot!!
Chris Belcher won the 200 in 20.59.

In field events--
Daniel Haugh's 75-8 WT gives him 21st A-T Collegiate!
Mostafa Hassan's SP measured 69-10.75, and made him 9th A-T Collegiate!
In the SEC, Janeah Stewart got her WT out to 76-0.75, getting her on THREE lists!!
She's 7th A-T Collegiate, 11th A-T US, and 14th A-T World!!
Julian Harvey LJ'ed 26-9.75, making him 18th A-T Collegiate, tied with 4 others!
Randall Cunningham HJ'ed 7-5.25 for the Mountain Pacific Meet Record!
Chris Nilsen PV'ed a non-PR 18-5.50.
Annie Rhodes won the Big 12 meet with a Vault of 14-4.50!
And in the foreign INdoor results department--
Angelica Bengtsson PV'ed a non-PR of 15-1
Ivana Spanovic LJ'ed a mighty 22-10!

Sooooo---what kind of damage did having FIVE Collegiate Conference meets on OT's do??
(The 5 meets were the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Mountain Pacific, and the SEC!!)
The answer to the above question will be based on my own interpretation of a good mark!
I had to draw the line somewhere, but the ones I selected either WOULD have made my Collegiate DDD's, and a few even WOULD have broken one record or another---such as Meet or Class records!!
(NO marks from the Big 12 meet are included, as nothing was run there of list-making quality, even with the ILLEGAL assistance of an OT!!)

The ACC had 8 such good marks!
The Big 10 had 12 marks!
Mountain Pacific had just 7 marks!
And the SEC had 11.
THIRTY EIGHT marks which will NOT make my DDD, nor break any records--of any kind!!
But most significant--and DAMNING!!--is that THIRTY EIGHT athletes can not show their grandkids the A-T Collegiate list---the OFFICIAL LEGAL one--to indicate what Gramps or Granny did back in the day!!
No, they'll have to explain to the young 'uns WHY their GREAT mark does NOT appear on such a list!!

Those 38 are---
(ACC) Patrick Joseph 1:46.23, Drew Piazza 1:46.42, Shakima Wimbley 51.20 & 22.83, Hanna Green 2:02.28, Jessica Harris 4:33.80, Grace Barnett 4:33.86, Anna Rohrer 15:38.11, and Michelle Atherley 4281.
(Big 10) Nate Roese 1:16.25, Moujtaha Mohammed 1:16.55, Anthony Johnson 1:16.57 (in heats), Rachel Weber 1:28.11 & 1:28.72, Kerrrington Winters 1:27.60, Daniel Kuhn 1:15.23, Nate Roese 1:15.55, Anthony Johnson 1:15.99 (in the final), Katherine Receveur 15:28.89, Tessa Barrett 15:28.99, Erin Finn 15:32.45.
(Note--A few athletes are listed twice, due to heats and finals results!)
(Mountain Pacific) Colorado 10:58.58, Stanford 10:59.83, Katie Rainsberger 4:35.60, John Dressel 7:51.44, Garrett Corcoran 7:52.10, Matthew Maton 7:52.51, Olivia Baker 2:03.41.
(SEC) Kendell Williams 4686, Taliyah Brooks 4460, Leigha Brown 4379, Daina Harper 51.77 (heat), Fred Kerley 44.94, Akeem Bloomfield 45.49, Jereem Richards 20.34, Jazmin Fray 2:02.62, Texas A&M 3:02.39, Florida 3:02.73, and Alabama 3:02.92.

Now, aren't you thrilled that Ed Cheserak was SMART enough to forego his Conference meet on Seattle's 307 meter monster, choosing instead to head east 3000 miles to Boston University's Record-Friendly 200 meter track??

I am!

Expect my usual Previews for the USATF meet---and MAYBE for the European Championships also!!
These probably won't be out until March 2nd, the day before the meets begin!!
See you then!!