Those Odd Events Lift USATF

Thank you, USATF, for doing something different, an example the Diamond League would do well to emulate!!
It was those odd events--the 1000, 300, and 600 not normally held in Championship meets---anywhere!!---that MADE this meet!
Especially after the dramatic withdrawal of Jenn Suhr, who was expected to have a titanic battle with Sandi Morris!

Suhr posted on Facebook that she was "frustrated" with the way USATF held their Championship PV's!
She said she didn't wish to suffer through it again, and stayed home!
This lit up Social Media (and the T&FN Message Board) with 100's of tweets and comments---most of them NOT showing much love for the Queen of the Vault!
Apparently, the gist of her reasons---unstated in her FB post---was about the "dangers" in her event, and that USATF wasn't doing enough to ease them!

This made Morris's victory much easier.
Her 15-5 was quite enough, though a couple of others got good PR's!
Katie Nageotte took second with her PR of 15-3.
She moves from 11th A-T US to 7th, tied with 2 others.
Mary Saxer also reached 15-3, but no PR!
In 4th was Kortney Ross's 15-1, making her America's 20th INdoor 15 footer!!
She's 13th A-T US, tied with 5 others!
Kristan Brown's 14-11 took 5th.
She's 22nd A-T US, tied with 3 others!
No PR's, but Megan Clark and Morgann LeLeux also both got over 14-11 in 6th and 7th!
Eliminated FROM my US list was Amy Linnen's 14-10 from 2002!
At the time, that had been the Collegiate Record!!

Even minus Suhr, a very good competition!

But, though Suhr's DNS was considered "odd" in its own way, it was the events on the track and field (the Weight Throw also considered odd--at least outside the United States!) that gave this annual meet its life-force!!

And where better to start than with an event that produces a World Record!!
Gwen Berry got her redemption!!
After USATF stole her OUTdoor US Hammer throw of 250-4 after USADA banned her for 3 months---something this blog refused to accept, still listing that as the American Record!!--this was SWEET!!
Berry had an incredible series, getting 3 throws over 82-9, with her best swinging out to 25.60, or 84 feet even, for the World Record!
She also got the American Record, broke her own Age 27 record, and got the Meet Record to boot!
She moves from 3rd to 1st on the A-T World List, matching that movement on the US list!!

Four others got good marks!
Deanna Price got the Age 23 record with her 2nd place toss of 79-8!
She moves from 14th A-T World to 4th!
And from 9th to 4th on the A-T US list!
Felisha Johnson's 79-5.50 moves her from 13th to 6th on the A-T World list, and from 9th to 6th on the US list!
Jessica Ramsey's 78-10.50 moves her from 14th A-T World to 8th, tied with 1 other!
She also moves from 10th A-T US to 7th!
Amber Campbell improved her own Age 35 record to 77-0.50 in 5th!

On the track, another World Record fell!
It was 19 year old Noah Lyles who has that title, his 31.87 nipping the 300 record by 0.01 seconds!
He gets the WR, AR,  MR, and Age 19 record!
He ran 32.16 in his heat (!!), which moved him from 16th A-T World, tied with 2 others, to 5th.
That time also moved him from 8th A-T US, tied with 2 others, to 4th.
His fastest then moved him from 5th to 1st, and from 4th to 1st on the respective lists!!
But this was a DEEP field!

Unknown (to me!) Paul Dedewo stayed close, ending in 31.92.
He gets the Age 25 record.
It puts him 3rd on both the World and US lists!!
Dentavius Wright ran 32.46 for the 3rd fastest time, gaining him 13th A-T World, and 8th A-T US!
Brycen Spratling PR'ed with 32.63, nailing the 19th World list spot, and 11th A-T US!!
In 5th fastest spot came Amir James's 32.79, making him 16th A-T US.
Then came John Lundy's 32.97, giving him 21st A-T US!!

The Women's 300 was pretty good too!!
Run in 2 sections, the winner was Phyllis Francis, her 36.15 just edging Joanna Atkins's 36.18!!
For the former Duck, Francis gets the Meet Record, and winds up 6th A-T World, and 2nd A-T US!!
Atkins gets the Age 28 record, and now stands 7th A-T World, and 3rd A-T US!

Then came Candace Hill's 36.56!
This breaks her own HS PRO record, as well as her HS PRO Senior Class record!!
She also gets the Age 18 record!
Hill is 22nd A-T World, while moving from 17th A-T US to 11th!!

Jessica Beard ran 36.87, but it wasn't a PR.
Robin Reynolds also ran 36.87, her time moving her from 20th A-T US to 18th, tied with 1 other!
Finally, Jordan Lavender's 37.49 misses the US list by 0.07 seconds!!

No WR or AR, but the Women's 600 was HOT also!
It began in the heats!
Ajee Wilson ran 1:26.57, just missing the Meet Record---in her heat!
Courtney Okolo was next in 1:27.10.
McKayla Fricker's 1:27.38 made her 11th A-T US.
Olicia Williams's 1:27.44 moved her from 24th to 13th on the A-T US list!
No PR's for Cecilia Barowski's 1:27.53, or Kendra Chambers's 1:27.76.
But Ce'Aira Brown's 1:27.94 made her 19th A-T US!!

Then came the final!!
Wilson and Okolo had a DUEL, folks!!
Everyone thought Okolo, with her OUTdoor 49.71 in the 400 besting Wilson's PR by about 4 seconds (!), would sprint to the lead, forcing Wilson to react...or not!
But it was Ajee who took charge, and never let Okolo pass her--even though she tried!
This led to a super time of 1:23.94 for Wilson, and 1:24.00 for Okolo!!
Wilson breaks her own Age 22 record, and her own Meet Record!
She moves from 4th A-T World to 3rd, while remaining 2nd on the US list!
Okolo moves from 6th A-T World to 4th, while remaining 3rd A-T US!

Then came Kendra Chambers, her 1:25.46 making her 9th A-T World.
She moves from 7th A-T US to 4th!
Olicia Williams ran 1:26.54, moving from 13th A-T US to 6th.
Cecilia Barowski's 1:27.07 wasn't a PR.
Nor was McKayla Fricker's 1:27.72!

The Men's 600 was just as "useful", as the Brits might say!!
Erik Sowinski--a 600 meter specialist--tore through a 1:15.07 for the win!
He breaks his own Age 27 record!
He nailed the Meet Record too.
He's now 7th A-T World, tied with 1 other!
And he moves from 4th to 3rd on the US list!
Casimir Loxsom's 1:15.18 was 2nd, even though a non-PR--as he's the WR holder with his earlier 1:14.91!
Shaquille Walker ran 1:15.39, becoming 8th A-T World, while moving from 10th A-T US, tied with 2 others, to 4th!
Russ Dinkins ran 1:15.86, making him 18th A-T World, tied with 2 others!
He's also 8th A-T US, tied with 1 other!
Chris Giesting's 1:15.96 makes him 24th A-T World!
He also gains the 10th spot on the US list, moving up from 13th!
Donavan Brazier ran a good 1:16.10, but no PR for him!

The heats were fast too!
Sowinski's 1:15.51 heat was a PR, later broken!
Dinkins ran 1:16.07, as did Walker!
Loxsom ran 1:16.14, while Giesting's heat time was 1:16.26.
Three who didn't improve in the final were Curtis Beach, his 1:16.38 moving him from 20th to 19th A-T US, Dante Holmes, his 1:16.46 making him 20th A-T US, and Ja'von Hutchison, whose 1:16.59 wasn't a PR!

Finally---in the odd events catalog--we turn to the 1K's!
And we get another HSR---errr, TWO of those babies!!---for the simply amazing Samantha (Sammy) Watson!!
(Might make us forget what Mary Cain did to the HSR book in 2013, while still an amateur!!  LOL)

In her HEAT---which she won, BTW!!--Watson finally removed the venerable Sarah (Bowman) Brown from the HSR ledger!!
While Cain ran faster than (then-) Bowman's 2:43.40--twice--both times came as a HS PRO!!
So Ms Bowman Brown frustratingly remained on the books!
Until Sammy decided to pound the track, racing after it!
Watson's 2:43.18 in her heat first nailed the record!
(Also Brown's Senior Class record!)
She then returned in the final, finishing in 4th, but more important was her time!
As Charlene Lipsey crossed the line in 2:37.97, all eyes then turned down the track's last straight, where Watson was trying to hang on, even though looking worn out!
We had to wait for the results board to show to see her time!
2:40.72--crushing her own HSR, and Senior Class record!!

Lipsey moves from 21st A-T US, tied with 1 other, to 11th!
She had run her heat in 2:41.86!!
Lauren Johnson produced a solid 2:38.33, as she stuck to Lipsey like glue!
She's now 12th A-T US!
Hannah Fields ran 2:40.18, making her 20th A-T US!
And yes, Watson also makes the US list---just!---in 24th place!

Making Watson's new HSR even MORE amazing is that Kaela Edwards 2:40.79 was pushed OFF the list---by Watson's entrance!!
You see, Edwards's time is the Collegiate Record, run earlier this season!!
So the HSR---the amateur one---is faster than the Collegiate Record!!

The Men's 1000 was okay---for the front pair of finishers!
Clayton Murphy kicked hard to win in 2:18.60.
It's the Meet Record, and makes him 11th A-T US!
Brannon Kidder's 2:19.10 wasn't a PR!
Everyone else ran in the 2:20's!

The 60's were FAST---for the winners!
Ronnie Baker sped a 6.45, a PR by 0.01 seconds!
He moves from 12th A-T World, tied with 5 others, to 6th, where he's tied with 6 others!!
On the US list, he moves from 7th, tied with 4 others, to 4th, tied with 3 others!

Morolake Akinosun was a shocker---in a way---as she's suddenly a sub-7.10 woman!!
Her 7.08 makes her 13th A-T US!!
Dezerea Bryant also PR'ed, by 0.01, her 7.11 moving her from 23rd A-T US, tied with 3 others, to 19th, tied with 4 others!

After speeding over the 60H in 7.74---in her HEAT!---everyone was talking about an American, and maybe even a World, record for Kendra Harrison!!
But alas, she ran "only" 7.81 in the final!!
However, that 7.74 was a PR by 0.01, giving her sole possession of the Age 24 record, and tying the Meet Record!!
It moved her from 8th A-T World, tied with 2 others, to 5th, tied with 3 others!
On the US list, she moved from 3rd to 2nd, tied with 1 other!
Jazmin Stowers was 2nd in the final, running 7.82!

Vashti Cunningham was dominant in the HJ, winning with a 6-5, then taking 3 shots at a PR 2.00, or 6-6.75!
Inika McPherson--Ms Tattoo!-- was 2nd with a 6-2 jump!

My beloved 2 Mile races were---well, let's be honest!---they were BORING!!!
Especially the Women's race, where the gang tried to imitate Mary Cain's Mile win from 2013, also in Albuquerque, when the youngster won in 5:05 and change, after a 2:55 first 880!!
Here, they WALKED through a first mile in 5:39, before lumbering slowly awake!
It wasn't until her sub-30 second final lap that Shelby Houlihan finally said "Screw this shit!", and took off!
The "winning" time was 10:19.14--a time even top HS'ers consider "pedestrian" nowadays!!
Heather Kampf took 2nd in 10:21 and change!
Embarrassing!!

The Men were better, but even there, you can't blame the altitude for their poor showing!
Paul Chelimo---becoming the best American recently---won his Deuce in 8:28.53--respectable, but NOT making my Top 24 A-T Performers list--missing it by 0.93 seconds!!
Worse yet was that he won the race by close to 10 seconds!!

The Mile races were slow too, the Women's winner (Houlihan again!!) running (??) 4:45.18--again a time that top HS'ers would be ashamed of, if run in a Championship meet!!
Her last 400 was 60.46!
Ben Blankenship sprinted past Christian Soratos in the last 100 of the Men's Mile, his 3:59.22 prevailing over Soratos's 3:59.56!

The Men's WT was a good one too---but more on the depth side than by producing WR's, or other such nonsense!!
Alex Young's 78-9.25 took the title.
He moves from 18th A-T World, tied with 1 other, to 14th, tied with 1 other!
On the US list, he moves from 15th, tied with 1 other, to 12th, tied with 1 other!
Colin Dunbar produced a non-PR 77-10.75 in 2nd.
Also a non-PR, Sean Donnelly was still a solid 3rd with his 77-4!

In other events--
Michelle Carter won the SP with her 62-5.25, beating the 60-0.25 by Brittany Smith!
On the Men's side, Darien Moore's 68.2.25 prevailed over Jon Jones's 67-4.25!
Ryan Whiting was a weak 8th!!
The TJ was taken by Chris Carter's 56-1.25, which wasn't a PR.
But Donald Scott's 2nd place mark of 55-9 made him 24th A-T US, tied with 1 other!
Tori Franklin won the Women's TJ with 45-5.75!
She moved from 22nd A-T US, tied with 1 other, to 13th!

The 2 Mile Walks---the REAL ones (LOL)---were won by John Nunn in 12:38.37, and by Maria Michta-Coffey in 13:55.27.
Both became the Meet Records, as they held 2 Miles in place of the normal metric races!

Aries Merritt--God bless him!!--took the 60H in 7.51--pretty good for (he says) not having done much speed work!!
Aleec Harris's 7.54 took 2nd!

Erica Bougard had a busy meet!
After taking the Pentathlon with 4558 points--over Sharon Day-Monroe's 4404--Bougard came back to win the LJ with a 21-1.50 leap---even though HS'er Tara Davis was the pre-meet favorite, based on her recent 21-11 HSR jump!
But this meet found Ms Davis off a bit, as her 20-0.25 took just 5th, and her 8.35 in the 60H heats didn't make the cut to the final!
Japhath Cato took the Heptathlon with 5738 points!
Erik Kynard won the Men's HJ easily with his 7-6.50, while Sam Kendricks prevailed in the PV with his topper of 19-2.25!
Logan Cunningham and Chris Pillow jumped 18-6.50!


Well, that puts a wrap on the USATF affair, but I'll end this post with a few stray---but good---marks, from around the world!!

Akani Simbine had a GREAT double in South Africa---OUTdoors!!
On the same day, he sped the 100 in 9.93, wind reading the max of 2.0!
No wind reading on his 19.85 in the 200, but it was offered up as legit, so I presume the wind was legal!

A HS 600 produced a couple of fast times!
Rodney Agyare-May continued his fine INdoor campaign, improving to 1:18.31.
He moves from 4th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, to 3rd!
But he wasn't alone!
Coming in 2nd was Tyler Gleen's 1:18.52!
He's now 6th A-T HS!

Finally, while not a PR, Joy McArthur threw the Hammer 199-6 to start her OUTdoor season!!
She's thrown it 203-8--so not a bad rust-buster for this HS Senior!

Okay, friends, that is IT!!
But be sure to read my Preview posts for next weekend's NBIN and NCAA, both of which are on track (and field?  LOL) for GREATness!!
(I've seen the entry lists---and I can see LOTS of list-making marks---and a few Records--coming from each!!)
I'll have them out a day before the meets begin!!

See you then!