NOTE: This title is stolen from Bob Dylan's great song "Series of Dreams"!
Thanks, Bob!
While this post was motivated by the fiasco involving Oiselle, Nike, and Tori Franklin, I decided to expand it into a collection of my "musings" on the sport at the "half-way" point of the 2018 OUTdoor season!
The subjects---
Oiselle vs Nike vs Tori Franklin
The DL's & the lack of event variety!
MIA's at Championship meets & the Honest-Effort Rule!
My Blog--"New" Combined Events listing & DDD lists with ALL-21st Century marks
Current status of T&F research outlets
TV's "coverage" of T&F & the Livestreams
NEW Events!!--the 50K Walk & the Decathlon for Women!!
What to look forward to the rest of 2018!
Oiselle vs Nike vs Tori Franklin
The basic story is this--
Tori Franklin--when a 44 to 46 foot TJ'er-- signed a contract with Oiselle, to end this August!
Franklin EXPLODED in her event out to an American Record of 48-8.25!
Just prior to competing at USATF, she switched from Oiselle to Nike, thus denying Oiselle the bragging rights to having the AR holder on their team at the USA Championship meet--arguably THE most important US meet of the year in this, an "off year"!
Franklin said she was paying back Oiselle $3500 in money given to her, but would NOT pay them her "bonus" she got for the AR!
Oiselle wrote an impassioned letter saying they would NOT sue Franklin or Nike for breach of contract, or other "illegalities" or unethical conduct on either's part!
So who wins here?
In the short run, Franklin and Nike do!
The athlete gets more money, and she wears Nike's uni's!
But does Franklin--who SEEMS like a VERY likable person--escape from this unscathed?
NO!!
MANY on the Let's Run & T&FN Message Boards lashed into her--not to mention the attacks on her on various social media--Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
(I personally softened my attacks after Kara Goucher tweeted me that I was harsh toward her! I admitted--to Goucher!--that I'd been harsh, but that SHE'd had the power to refuse Nike's offer, and to stick with Oiselle--at least until after the USATF meet--when Oiselle said they WOULD have released Franklin from her contract a month early!!)
BTW, Goucher agreed that Franklin was wrong to break the contract--and to do so when she did!!
I have no doubt Nike will continue to flay the rules, invade our sport with their demonic and evil ways!
I'm sure Franklin will eventually win her fans back through her sparkling personality and massive talents!
And Oiselle?
They admitted they will be more careful who they sign in the future, and that contract specifications are read & understood by all involved!
One more thing, and this is HUGELY important!!
Certain IDIOTS on the MB's accused Oiselle of being an all-white racist group!
100% FALSE!!
They've had Megan Clark, a black PV'er, and a woman (can't recall her name!) from the Middle East--and probably others NOT white on their roster of fine talent!
Again, TOTALLY FALSE---a LIE!!
The DL's & the lack of event variety
I've offered my opinion on the DL's often in this blog!
Again, I feel they've been a DETERRENT to the progress of our sport!
For several reasons--
Their system is based on wins & points, not the quality of the marks!
Athletes must compete in the final DL's (Brussels & Zurich), but NOT in all 7 of their event's meets, in order to win a DL!
Event variety is limited by having the SAME events in each division of 7 meets!
Thus, no HT's or 10000's!
No Two Mile runs!
No 1000's or 2000's or 600's or 300's!
No Multi's--though that's okay!
AND there are NO demands that X, Y, or Z athlete even compete--assuming they have the necessary marks!
Thus, when Usain Bolt was still competing, you saw very little of him on the DL circuit!
US Collegiate athletes--no matter how GREAT--are rarely seen in DL's--the excuse normally given is that their "season has been long"!
Ditto with amazing HS athletes!
One thing not often mentioned--
Many of these meets were Invitationals BEFORE being assigned DL status!
The Prefontaine Classic, Rome's Golden Gala, Oslo's Bislett Games, Stockholm's DN Galan, Brussels Van Damme Memorial, and Zurich's Weltklasse!!
They were all doing just fine BEFORE their takeover by the DL system!!
Tons of World Records were broken at those meets--BEFORE the DL's began in 2010--or the Grand Prix set-up before that!!
And--IMHO--they would do well to DROP from the DL system & RETURN to their Invitational status!!
Become AGAIN what made them GREAT!
MIA's at Championship meets & the Honest Effort Rule
I listed all the "important" MIA's I could think of in my USATF Preview post!
And I just spoke of those star athletes who never--or rarely--compete in the DL's!
But what about that Honest Effort Rule?
First, I have no idea if there even IS a "rule"--a written and enforceable rule!
But there SHOULD be!!
I LOVE Christian Taylor--a remarkable athlete & very friendly guy!
BUT--in at least TWO Championship meets, he has either walked through a "jump", or fouled once, and passed all other attempts!
As I said in a previous post, why even ENTER the event if you have ZERO intention to COMPETE---and I do mean COMPETE--to the best of your ability??!!
IMHO, Taylor did NOT in the two meets I speak of!!
Thus, he should NOT be able to move forward to whatever meet he "qualified" for!
If necessary, eliminate the "Wild Card" status of WC Gold winners, or however else you get a Wild Card!!
Then said athlete would be FORCED to compete if they wanted to move on to the "other" meet!!
What Taylor (and anyone else who does NOT put in an "honest effort"!) did hurts his fans, the "popularity" of the sport, the ability by TV to cover the "best" the sport has to offer, and the athlete him or herself!!
What Taylor and others did was embarrassing!
My Blog--"New" Combined Events listing & DDD lists with ALL 21st Century marks
Many years--um, DECADES!--ago, my T&F Record Book had some different classifications and departments NOT included today!
Among them were Combined Events lists for the LJ & TJ--and for the SP & DT!
I eliminated them because I saw too many athletes begin to specialize in one or the other of the two events!
And to a degree, they still do!
But with the arrival of athletes like Maggie Ewen and Alyssa Wilson, there seems to be a trend toward athletes expanding their field (sic!) of play!!
While I've not yet decided to bring back the SP & DT C-E lists, I HAVE begun to create lists for the LJ & TJ!
OUTdoors ONLY!!
I won't give out any stats here--my data is incomplete--as I just began this a day or 2 ago!
(See the thread I started about it on the T&FN Message Board! It's gotten a LOT of great responses--even if NO ONE agrees with my method of merely ADDING the athlete's best marks together--and NOT referring to any formulated "tables" of assigned points for each mark!!)
But from here on, if & when an athlete makes these "new" lists, it WILL be mentioned in my results posts!!
Which events have the most marks dated 2018 so far this OUTdoor season?
(A subject area I didn't mention above!!)
For HS'ers, it's the PV for the Men, and the 2 Mile for the Women!
For the Collegiates, it was the 400 for the Men, and the 400 & HT for the Women!
For the US, it's the 100 & the Half for the Men, and the 2 Mile for the Women!!
And for the World, the Marathon rules for the Men, and the Half & Marathon for the Women!
As for those events with ALL 24 marks being dated from 2000 onward, there are few, and rather predictable!
For the Men, ONLY the Half and the Marathon lists for the World have ALL 21st Century marks!
NONE from the US, Collegiates, or HS'ers!!
The Women have a LOT more!
HS'ers lists for the PV, HT, and the 3000SC make this short list!
However, it should be noted that the SC list has just 14 marks, and has a cut-off point of 11:00!!
The Collegiates have the same 3 events--except their SC list has all 24 marks!
The US has the SAME 3 events---the PV, HT, and the 3000SC!
World lists with all marks dated in the 21st Century are PV, Half & Full Marathon, and the 3000SC!
Oh yes---as of right now, I have a total of 266 marks dated 2018 on my 4 OUTdoor DDD's!!
The Men have 106, while the Women have 160!
Current status of T&F research outlets
Simply, I speak of TFRSS, Mile Split, Tilastopaia, and T&FN (& its eTN)!
TFRSS is the Collegiate reporting of meet results & its listing of eligible athletes for the NCAA Championships, INdoors or OUTdoors!
Its flaws are multiple!
It converts marks made at altitude and on OT tracks, thus not giving the REAL mark!
It often includes GROSS errors--as in their infamous CONTINUOUS listing of Ayesha Champagne's FALSE "6.56" LJ this past INdoor season!
Even after EVERYONE said it was false, and after several people contacted the Minnesota coaches and officials--telling them why it was unacceptable!!
And they've made many other such "typos"!!
BUT, if you read the listings with a sharp eye, they DO hold a certain value!
And I LOVE that they Tweet meet results immediately after the meet ends!!
Mile Split has ONE reason to dislike them!
They CHARGE a FEE to see their lists, and to watch their videos (of races)!
Ditto with FloTrack, Runner Space, and USATF-TV!!
Sorry, but I'm DONE putting out money for a product that's too often UNworthy of what such a product should be offering!
Tilastopaia is GREAT!!
For a short while, they were VERY late in including new marks!
This MIGHT have been because Mirko--the site's head honcho--was on vacation, or sick!
They are now caught up--although 1 or 2 marks are STILL not included in their FREE Top 20 lists!
But this is my go-to site for National Records, the latest marks, and for birthdates of athletes!!
T&FN & their eTN
I remain a fan of the magazine--even if in its digital online form!
I also use their eTN as my "official" back-up source for marks I missed during the previous weekend!
(Most of the "old marks" I often report in my blog come directly from the eTN!!)
BUT---they do have flaws!
I've announced these ad nauseum, but they include the listing of OT marks, the use of "absolute" listings for Records, and the UNforgivable inclusion of INdoor marks on what Yours Truly sees as their OUTdoor list---even though T&FN doesn't call it that!!
I've gone over the reason for this too many times--but briefly--If X athlete runs the Mile INdoors in 3:50.00, then runs the Mile OUTdoors in 3:50.01, the list readers will NEVER see that 3:50.01 listed!!!
T&FN goes on the premise of listing the best marks of the "year"---NOT each SEPARATE SEASON---as this Record Book & Blog does, and always will!!
TV's "coverage" of T&F & the Livestreams
Just read the Let's Run's Forum or the T&FN Message Board for the 100's of disparaging remarks about said "coverage"--particularly by NBC & ESPN!
(I do NOT speak of NBC's Gold Package--which I've NOT subscribed to, and never shall!!)
I personally don't see the commentary as all that bad!
But what I DO often complain about is their cutting into ALL races that take longer than 5 minutes to complete!!
Even the 3K's or 3000SC's are spliced into with ads and field event "coverage"!!
The latter often includes a MISS, a REPLAY of the miss, and then watching an athlete walk to the bench & take off their shoes!
Meanwhile, there is a RACE IN PROGRESS!!!
To be fair, NBC has recently played their ads while including an insert of the race!
Also, their ad with Shalane Flanagan on the shrink's couch is so HILARIOUS & FANTASTIC that I don't really mind watching it over & over & over again!!
But come on, guys & gals, PLEASE show a race in its entirety--uncut!!
(Baseball shows EVERY pitch & EVERY swing of the bat!!)
NEW Events--the 50K Walk & the Decathlon for Women!
As my loyal readers know, I wrote a separate post for the Women's 50K Walk at the London WC's last year!!
And was extremely critical of the way the officials handled it!!
And now there's the Decathlon!!
Becca Peter--aka PoleVaultPower--has organized and promoted a Decathlon for Women--to take place TOMORROW and Sunday!!
There are several athletes entered in its two main divisions--for Masters & for Elites!
The Dec for Women HAS a history!
(Wikipedia it, and I'm sure you'll find it---or I HOPE you will!)
And if Becca has anything to say about it, its history will only expand and deepen!!
And THIS BLOG will report on this "NEW" event in the same manner as I did the 50K Walk last year!!
Look for a separate post on that soon!!
And the best of luck to all the athletes!!
What to look forward to the rest of 2018
MUCH!!
There are--despite my complaints--the remainder of the DL's---in Paris, Lausanne, Rabat, London, Brussels, and Zurich!
There is the World Cup--coming in 2 weeks--and the Continental Cup--scheduled for mid-September!
There are the European Championships!!
Marathons in Berlin, Chicago, NYC, and Fukuoka!
The entire Cross Country season!
The first full month of the 2018-2019 INdoor season!!
Retirements, injuries, great races and throws & jumps!
New Records of all sorts!!
Shining examples of why THIS sport is the BEST sport!!
(Even if there might be the WORST mements--such as Nike STEALING Franklin from Oiselle, or more drug busts!!)
And ALL of it---the good, the bad, and the ugly--will be reported to you IN DETAIL on this Blog!!
See you soon!!
Friday, June 29, 2018
Sunday, June 24, 2018
USATF--Not Ready for Prime Time
Everybody says this is an "off year".
But for this blogger, today was an off DAY!
And on my 74th birthday, no less!
It began this morning when I couldn't get onto Xfinity!
Spent an hour on the phone talking to FOUR people before it was fixed!
Then I was forced to sign in EVERY time I went to Twitter!
Finally, couldn't get signed in at T&FN for the Message Board!
Still can't--will have to call them tomorrow!
So when this 4 day USATF "Championship" meet was befouled by Iowa's weather, that REALLY made my day!!
(Thank you, Clint Eastwood!!)
This meet had its good--even GREAT!--moments and marks!
All sorted out below!
BUT---it also had its "dark cloud" moments--and I wasn't speaking about the weather!!
However, this blog is meant to entertain and inform--and that's what I'll try to do!
And that brings me to Shelby Houlihan!
No great marks--far slower than her PR's--but when you close a 4:05.48 1500 with a 57.67 final 400, or a 15:31.03 5000 with a last 80 meters that could challenge Aleia Hobbs--well, we are seeing a talent that even the Africans must fear!!
If she gets into a rabbited race this summer, watch out--the American Record is GONE--for either distance!!
Her 1500 beat Jenny Simpson--who has a little kick of her own!
The 5000 time beat Rachel Schneider and Karissa Schweizer, the latter of whom showed well in her first Pro race!
Simpson ended in 4:06.21, while Kate Grace took 3rd.
Shakima Wimbley got under 50 seconds by a bit!
HA!--would you believe 49.52??!!
She becomes 7th A-T US, and misses the World list by 0.21 seconds!
Jessica Beard continued her solid 2018 with a big PR of 50.08, but misses the US list by 0.09 seconds!
Kendell Ellis was 3rd in 50.37.
Knocked OFF the US list was the last of the 50-seconders--Maicel Malone's 50.05 from 1994!
The Battle of the US Hammer Queens continued unabated!
First we had DeAnna Price hit 254-9 to break Gwen Berry's AR of 251-10.
Then Berry returned the favor, hitting 255-2 to knock Price off the Pedestal.
And then Price kicked Berry off with her 256-3 in Des Moines!!
And they're 1-2 on the World scene, with Anita Wlodarczyk getting a slow start!
For Price, she gets the AR, the USATF Meet Record, and the Age 25 Record!
She moves from 2nd to 1st A-T US!
And from 7th to 5th on the World DDD!
Berry was way off her best, her 239-5 taking 2nd!
Back in 5th came Jessica Ramsey's 231-0, which makes her 19th A-T US!
Reggie Jagers made the DT one of the best Men's events--despite what I said in my Preview!!
He hit a biggie--225-1--making him 16th A-T US!!
Mason Finley's 220-0 in 2nd, and Sam Mattis's 217-7 in 3rd made for a great little comp!!
Same can be said for the Women's SP, where Ramsey returned to action with a HUGE PR of 63-1.25!!
She's suddenly 11th A-T US!!
But---Maggie Ewen pulled out a narrow win with her 63-3.25!
Raven Saunders ended 3rd with a decent 61-5.75, while Ms Shot Diva herself--Michelle Carter--could only land a 59-1.75, making her just 6th!
And the Men's SP?
Pretty much a dud, as Ryan Crouser fouled FIVE times, with his best mark falling almost 2 feet behind Darrell Hill's 70-9.75!
The SC's went to the expected winners--Emma Coburn and Evan Jager.
But both had decent contenders to have to defend against!
Emma's 9:17.70 held off Courtney Frerichs's 9:18.69!
Jager's 8:20.10 beat Hillary Bor's 8:22.58.
Third for the Women was Oiselle's Mel Lawrence, whose 9:33.30 was a slight PR, moving her from 18th to 17th on the A-T US list!!
The 100's saw some good marks!
The Men's heats saw Mike Rodgers win in 9.89, matching his 2018 best!
Noah Lyles was 2nd in 9.92, with Isaiah Young and Cameron Burrell hitting 9.93's!
For Burrell, he tied his PR, and remained 20th A-T US, tied with 8 others!
Rodgers was a DNS in the semi's, but Ronnie Baker ran 9.94, while Lyles improved to 9.89!
This moves him from 20th A-T US, tied with 8 others, to 12th, tied with 2 others!
On my US Combined Events list for the 100 & 200, his times of 9.89 and 19.69 add to 29.58, moving him from 7th to 5th!!
But Lyles improved to 9.88 in the final!
So he moved from 12th A-T US, tied with 2 others, to 9th, tied with 3 others!
He improved his 100 & 200 US C-E time to 29.57, but remains 5th there!
Baker PR'ed at 9.90 in 2nd, moving him from 21st A-T US, tied with 7 others, to 15th!!
For the Women, it was all Aleia Hobbs!!
Her 10.91 Winner seemed easy, as she hit 5th gear at 60, and it was over!
Ashley Henderson was a solid 2nd in 10.96, while Jenna Prandini was 3rd in 10.98!
The Women's TJ was the classic battle everyone expected!
With the added FIRE emerging from Tori Franklin's last minute abandonment of Oiselle for richer waters, courtesy of Nike!!
(More on THAT in another post!!)
In the end, however, Franklin's karma struck her down, as she was unable to come up with a reply to Keturah Orji's USATF Meet Record distance of 47-10.50!
Franklin got a windy 47-7.75, but her best legal effort was 47-6.25!
Imani Oliver hit a good--but windy--46-8 for 3rd!
Her legal best was 45-3.50!
The longest events--all run or WALKED on the TRACK!!--were good, for the most part!
The Walks saw Nick Christie win in 1:24:53 over Emmanuel Corvero's 1:27:47.
The Women's race went to the inimitable Maria Michta-Coffey, whose 1:35:21 gave this Oiselle star her 40th--or 42nd??--US title!!
This was 50 laps of the 400 meter track, folks!!
In the 10K's (Runs!!), Molly Huddle led all 25 laps, winning in 31:52.32--ending with a final 1600 of 4:38, with a last 400 in 64!
Marielle Hall was 2nd in 31:56.68!
BTW, I said in my Preview that this might be Hall's first track 10K!
Wrong!
Her PR of 31:37 is from 2016!!
Lopez Lomong surprised some by taking the Men's race in 28:58.38, ending with a last 400 of 54 seconds!!
Shadrack Kipchirchir ended a second behind!
Other marks (or news items) of note--
Val Allman got off a big one in the DT, her 208-6 Winner coming in Round 6!
This beat Maggie Ewen's 200-6, Lalauga Tausaga-Collins's 198-11, and uber-vet Gia Lewis-Smallwood's 198-9!
The 400 heats (and semi's and final!) were withOUT the presence of Sydney McLaughlin!!
She felt a quad tightness warming up, and DNS'ed!
Kara Winger hit her 206-3 JT winner in the 6th round also, easily beating Avionne Allgood's 185-6!!
Kendra Harrison ran 12.46 to win her 100H heat!
She matched that in the final, turning back Christina Manning's 12.65!
And in her FINAL race after a long and dignified career, Dawn Harper-Nelson ran 12.93 to take 6th!!
Rudy Winkler took a weak HT with his 242-0!
He beat Alex Young's 240-3!
The Multi's went to Zack Ziemek's 8294 and Erica Bougard's 6366.
Ziemek beat Solomon Simmons's 8019, while 2nd to Bougard was Alex Gochenour's 6003!
Sam Kendricks and Chris Nilsen proved my Preview's correctness, taking 1st & 2nd in the PV with respective clearances of 19-2.25 and 19-0.25!
A bit surprising in 3rd was Cole Walsh's 18-10.25!!
Vashti Cunningham beat Inika McPherson in the HJ--6-4.75 to 6-3.50.
Jeron Robinson's 7-7 took the Men's HJ!
Kenny Selmon took the 400H in 48.21, while Kahmari Montgomery PR'ed to win the flat 400 in 44.58!
Paul Dedewo's 44.64 took Silver!
TJ Holmes was second over the hurdles--time of 48.51.
Sandi Morris's quest for a World leading 16-2.75 was stopped by a lengthy weather delay--and a plane to catch!
But she won the PV with her earlier 15-9, beating Katie Nageotte's 15-5 and Jenn Suhr's 15-1--the latter's opening height--and only attempt!!
Jenna Prandini ended her meet with a 200 victory--time of 22.62!
She'd run 22.22 earlier!!
Ameer Webb also ran faster in his Semi than in the final, his 200 of 20.13 much quicker than his later 20.47---which was run after that lengthy delay!!
Michael Norman was another who decided to DNS after the storm break!!
Some marks--like Matthew Centrowitz's winning 1500 time, or Jeff Henderson's LJ topper aren't really worth even a mention!!
Clay Murphy jogged his first lap in 54.53 before picking it up a bit to 51.97, winning the 800 in an embarrassing 1:46.50.
Paul Chelimo played cat-and-mouse--surging for a lap, then backing off, finally winning the 5000 in 13:29 and change off a 55 last lap!
He beat Ryan Hill!
Devon Allen leaned better at the tape, his 13.46 in the 110H just nipping Grant Holloway's same time effort!
Shamier Little took advantage of Georganne Moline's stumble off the 10th hurdle, running 53.61 to Moline's 54.12!
Finally--for the USATF meet!--was the Women's 800 final!
In what might be the fastest finish depth-wise for US-only races, Wilson used even laps of 58.84 and 59.34 to win in 1:58.18!
Coming on strong at the end was newbie Pro Raevyn Rogers, her 1:58.57 making her 23rd A-T US!
In 3rd came Ce'Aira Brown with another PR, but her 1:58.65 came too late to make my US list!
She misses it by 0.04 seconds!!
Kaela Edwards was next in 1:59.68, beating the 1:59.95 of Charlene Lipsey!
Just missing the 1:59's were Olivia Baker and Hanna Green, their respective times of 2:00.08 & 2:00.09 taking 6th and 7th!!
Knocked OFF the US list was the venerable Ruth Wysocki, her 1:59.65 dating from 1984!!
Two marks came from outside the US that scream for headlines!!
Eliza McCartney became OUTdoor Women's PV'er Number 7 to go over 16 feet, clearing 16-1.75 in a German meet!
She's the youngest to go over that barrier OUTdoors, and breaks her own Age 21 Record!
As well, she breaks her own National Record of New Zealand, and moves from 8th A-T World, tied with 1 other, to 4th!!
BTW, she's the youngest to reach 16 OUT or INdoors!!
And in the Kenyan Championships, Emmanuel Korir sped the 400 in 44.21, almost getting the NR of 44.18!!
He improves his time on my World Combined Events list for the 400 & 800, his 44.21 and 1:43.10 adding to 2:27.31.
But he remains 3rd A-T!
I'd say he has a LOT of room for improvement over the 2 lapper!!
A meet in Montreil, France (outside Paris) produced several solid marks---
Genzebe Dibaba ran the 2000 meters in 5:27.73, easily beating the 5:37.12 by Meraf Bahta, and the 5:38.19 of Beyena Defago (sp?).
Marie Josee Ta Lou won the 100 in 10.95.
Sergey Shubenkov ran the 110H in 12.99, by far the fastest of 2018!!
Zhanya Xie got China's NR with his 100 of 9.97!
(See below!!)
He beat Akani Simbine's 10.04.
Albert Rop took the 5000 in 13:11.84.
And Mondo Duplantis continued his winning ways with his PV clearance of 19-4.75, defeating the 19-2.25 by Renaud Lavillenie!!
Then there was a meet in Madrid---
Bingtian Su took back China's National Record in the 100, his 9.91 beating the 9.99--and Italy National Record!!--of Filippo Tortu!!
Akani Simbine had run 9.98 in the heats!
The Men's 400 also produced a National Record!
Liguelin Santos's 44.66 won the race, but it was Bruno Hortelano's 44.69 that nabbed the NR of Spain!!
Yet another National Record fell--this time to Brittany Crew, whose 61-0.25 beat her own NR of Canada in the SP.
But Christina Schwanitz took the title with her 62-5!
Gudaf Tsegay ran 3:59.60 to win the 1500 over the 4:02.93 of Sofia Ennaoui!
And lastly--from Madrid, that is!--comes Anita Wlodarczyk's 1st win of 2018--but with a measly HT toss of 249-11!
A Greek meet found Home Girl Ekaterina Stefanidi returning somewhat to form, winning with a clearance of 15-9!
And I have a few OLD High school marks to report---
Julia Fixsen PV'ed 13-11.25 to become 13th A-T HS, tied with 2 others!
Skylar Ciccolini improved to 177-0 in the JT, moving her from 10th A-T HS to 5th!!
Antonio Tarantino sped the 200 in 20.51, making him 19th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
Nick Mirabello threw the Javelin 227-10, making him 16th A-T HS!
And Trey Knight improved (again!!) to 233-10 in the HT, making him 19th A-T HS!!
In a meet FILLED with No Shows, DNS's, and a lengthy weather delay on its final day, the USATF---while maybe NOT of true Championship caliber--was still a pretty decent little get-together!
See you soon---with more on the Oiselle vs Nike (and Tori Franklin) little set-to!!
But for this blogger, today was an off DAY!
And on my 74th birthday, no less!
It began this morning when I couldn't get onto Xfinity!
Spent an hour on the phone talking to FOUR people before it was fixed!
Then I was forced to sign in EVERY time I went to Twitter!
Finally, couldn't get signed in at T&FN for the Message Board!
Still can't--will have to call them tomorrow!
So when this 4 day USATF "Championship" meet was befouled by Iowa's weather, that REALLY made my day!!
(Thank you, Clint Eastwood!!)
This meet had its good--even GREAT!--moments and marks!
All sorted out below!
BUT---it also had its "dark cloud" moments--and I wasn't speaking about the weather!!
However, this blog is meant to entertain and inform--and that's what I'll try to do!
And that brings me to Shelby Houlihan!
No great marks--far slower than her PR's--but when you close a 4:05.48 1500 with a 57.67 final 400, or a 15:31.03 5000 with a last 80 meters that could challenge Aleia Hobbs--well, we are seeing a talent that even the Africans must fear!!
If she gets into a rabbited race this summer, watch out--the American Record is GONE--for either distance!!
Her 1500 beat Jenny Simpson--who has a little kick of her own!
The 5000 time beat Rachel Schneider and Karissa Schweizer, the latter of whom showed well in her first Pro race!
Simpson ended in 4:06.21, while Kate Grace took 3rd.
Shakima Wimbley got under 50 seconds by a bit!
HA!--would you believe 49.52??!!
She becomes 7th A-T US, and misses the World list by 0.21 seconds!
Jessica Beard continued her solid 2018 with a big PR of 50.08, but misses the US list by 0.09 seconds!
Kendell Ellis was 3rd in 50.37.
Knocked OFF the US list was the last of the 50-seconders--Maicel Malone's 50.05 from 1994!
The Battle of the US Hammer Queens continued unabated!
First we had DeAnna Price hit 254-9 to break Gwen Berry's AR of 251-10.
Then Berry returned the favor, hitting 255-2 to knock Price off the Pedestal.
And then Price kicked Berry off with her 256-3 in Des Moines!!
And they're 1-2 on the World scene, with Anita Wlodarczyk getting a slow start!
For Price, she gets the AR, the USATF Meet Record, and the Age 25 Record!
She moves from 2nd to 1st A-T US!
And from 7th to 5th on the World DDD!
Berry was way off her best, her 239-5 taking 2nd!
Back in 5th came Jessica Ramsey's 231-0, which makes her 19th A-T US!
Reggie Jagers made the DT one of the best Men's events--despite what I said in my Preview!!
He hit a biggie--225-1--making him 16th A-T US!!
Mason Finley's 220-0 in 2nd, and Sam Mattis's 217-7 in 3rd made for a great little comp!!
Same can be said for the Women's SP, where Ramsey returned to action with a HUGE PR of 63-1.25!!
She's suddenly 11th A-T US!!
But---Maggie Ewen pulled out a narrow win with her 63-3.25!
Raven Saunders ended 3rd with a decent 61-5.75, while Ms Shot Diva herself--Michelle Carter--could only land a 59-1.75, making her just 6th!
And the Men's SP?
Pretty much a dud, as Ryan Crouser fouled FIVE times, with his best mark falling almost 2 feet behind Darrell Hill's 70-9.75!
The SC's went to the expected winners--Emma Coburn and Evan Jager.
But both had decent contenders to have to defend against!
Emma's 9:17.70 held off Courtney Frerichs's 9:18.69!
Jager's 8:20.10 beat Hillary Bor's 8:22.58.
Third for the Women was Oiselle's Mel Lawrence, whose 9:33.30 was a slight PR, moving her from 18th to 17th on the A-T US list!!
The 100's saw some good marks!
The Men's heats saw Mike Rodgers win in 9.89, matching his 2018 best!
Noah Lyles was 2nd in 9.92, with Isaiah Young and Cameron Burrell hitting 9.93's!
For Burrell, he tied his PR, and remained 20th A-T US, tied with 8 others!
Rodgers was a DNS in the semi's, but Ronnie Baker ran 9.94, while Lyles improved to 9.89!
This moves him from 20th A-T US, tied with 8 others, to 12th, tied with 2 others!
On my US Combined Events list for the 100 & 200, his times of 9.89 and 19.69 add to 29.58, moving him from 7th to 5th!!
But Lyles improved to 9.88 in the final!
So he moved from 12th A-T US, tied with 2 others, to 9th, tied with 3 others!
He improved his 100 & 200 US C-E time to 29.57, but remains 5th there!
Baker PR'ed at 9.90 in 2nd, moving him from 21st A-T US, tied with 7 others, to 15th!!
For the Women, it was all Aleia Hobbs!!
Her 10.91 Winner seemed easy, as she hit 5th gear at 60, and it was over!
Ashley Henderson was a solid 2nd in 10.96, while Jenna Prandini was 3rd in 10.98!
The Women's TJ was the classic battle everyone expected!
With the added FIRE emerging from Tori Franklin's last minute abandonment of Oiselle for richer waters, courtesy of Nike!!
(More on THAT in another post!!)
In the end, however, Franklin's karma struck her down, as she was unable to come up with a reply to Keturah Orji's USATF Meet Record distance of 47-10.50!
Franklin got a windy 47-7.75, but her best legal effort was 47-6.25!
Imani Oliver hit a good--but windy--46-8 for 3rd!
Her legal best was 45-3.50!
The longest events--all run or WALKED on the TRACK!!--were good, for the most part!
The Walks saw Nick Christie win in 1:24:53 over Emmanuel Corvero's 1:27:47.
The Women's race went to the inimitable Maria Michta-Coffey, whose 1:35:21 gave this Oiselle star her 40th--or 42nd??--US title!!
This was 50 laps of the 400 meter track, folks!!
In the 10K's (Runs!!), Molly Huddle led all 25 laps, winning in 31:52.32--ending with a final 1600 of 4:38, with a last 400 in 64!
Marielle Hall was 2nd in 31:56.68!
BTW, I said in my Preview that this might be Hall's first track 10K!
Wrong!
Her PR of 31:37 is from 2016!!
Lopez Lomong surprised some by taking the Men's race in 28:58.38, ending with a last 400 of 54 seconds!!
Shadrack Kipchirchir ended a second behind!
Other marks (or news items) of note--
Val Allman got off a big one in the DT, her 208-6 Winner coming in Round 6!
This beat Maggie Ewen's 200-6, Lalauga Tausaga-Collins's 198-11, and uber-vet Gia Lewis-Smallwood's 198-9!
The 400 heats (and semi's and final!) were withOUT the presence of Sydney McLaughlin!!
She felt a quad tightness warming up, and DNS'ed!
Kara Winger hit her 206-3 JT winner in the 6th round also, easily beating Avionne Allgood's 185-6!!
Kendra Harrison ran 12.46 to win her 100H heat!
She matched that in the final, turning back Christina Manning's 12.65!
And in her FINAL race after a long and dignified career, Dawn Harper-Nelson ran 12.93 to take 6th!!
Rudy Winkler took a weak HT with his 242-0!
He beat Alex Young's 240-3!
The Multi's went to Zack Ziemek's 8294 and Erica Bougard's 6366.
Ziemek beat Solomon Simmons's 8019, while 2nd to Bougard was Alex Gochenour's 6003!
Sam Kendricks and Chris Nilsen proved my Preview's correctness, taking 1st & 2nd in the PV with respective clearances of 19-2.25 and 19-0.25!
A bit surprising in 3rd was Cole Walsh's 18-10.25!!
Vashti Cunningham beat Inika McPherson in the HJ--6-4.75 to 6-3.50.
Jeron Robinson's 7-7 took the Men's HJ!
Kenny Selmon took the 400H in 48.21, while Kahmari Montgomery PR'ed to win the flat 400 in 44.58!
Paul Dedewo's 44.64 took Silver!
TJ Holmes was second over the hurdles--time of 48.51.
Sandi Morris's quest for a World leading 16-2.75 was stopped by a lengthy weather delay--and a plane to catch!
But she won the PV with her earlier 15-9, beating Katie Nageotte's 15-5 and Jenn Suhr's 15-1--the latter's opening height--and only attempt!!
Jenna Prandini ended her meet with a 200 victory--time of 22.62!
She'd run 22.22 earlier!!
Ameer Webb also ran faster in his Semi than in the final, his 200 of 20.13 much quicker than his later 20.47---which was run after that lengthy delay!!
Michael Norman was another who decided to DNS after the storm break!!
Some marks--like Matthew Centrowitz's winning 1500 time, or Jeff Henderson's LJ topper aren't really worth even a mention!!
Clay Murphy jogged his first lap in 54.53 before picking it up a bit to 51.97, winning the 800 in an embarrassing 1:46.50.
Paul Chelimo played cat-and-mouse--surging for a lap, then backing off, finally winning the 5000 in 13:29 and change off a 55 last lap!
He beat Ryan Hill!
Devon Allen leaned better at the tape, his 13.46 in the 110H just nipping Grant Holloway's same time effort!
Shamier Little took advantage of Georganne Moline's stumble off the 10th hurdle, running 53.61 to Moline's 54.12!
Finally--for the USATF meet!--was the Women's 800 final!
In what might be the fastest finish depth-wise for US-only races, Wilson used even laps of 58.84 and 59.34 to win in 1:58.18!
Coming on strong at the end was newbie Pro Raevyn Rogers, her 1:58.57 making her 23rd A-T US!
In 3rd came Ce'Aira Brown with another PR, but her 1:58.65 came too late to make my US list!
She misses it by 0.04 seconds!!
Kaela Edwards was next in 1:59.68, beating the 1:59.95 of Charlene Lipsey!
Just missing the 1:59's were Olivia Baker and Hanna Green, their respective times of 2:00.08 & 2:00.09 taking 6th and 7th!!
Knocked OFF the US list was the venerable Ruth Wysocki, her 1:59.65 dating from 1984!!
Two marks came from outside the US that scream for headlines!!
Eliza McCartney became OUTdoor Women's PV'er Number 7 to go over 16 feet, clearing 16-1.75 in a German meet!
She's the youngest to go over that barrier OUTdoors, and breaks her own Age 21 Record!
As well, she breaks her own National Record of New Zealand, and moves from 8th A-T World, tied with 1 other, to 4th!!
BTW, she's the youngest to reach 16 OUT or INdoors!!
And in the Kenyan Championships, Emmanuel Korir sped the 400 in 44.21, almost getting the NR of 44.18!!
He improves his time on my World Combined Events list for the 400 & 800, his 44.21 and 1:43.10 adding to 2:27.31.
But he remains 3rd A-T!
I'd say he has a LOT of room for improvement over the 2 lapper!!
A meet in Montreil, France (outside Paris) produced several solid marks---
Genzebe Dibaba ran the 2000 meters in 5:27.73, easily beating the 5:37.12 by Meraf Bahta, and the 5:38.19 of Beyena Defago (sp?).
Marie Josee Ta Lou won the 100 in 10.95.
Sergey Shubenkov ran the 110H in 12.99, by far the fastest of 2018!!
Zhanya Xie got China's NR with his 100 of 9.97!
(See below!!)
He beat Akani Simbine's 10.04.
Albert Rop took the 5000 in 13:11.84.
And Mondo Duplantis continued his winning ways with his PV clearance of 19-4.75, defeating the 19-2.25 by Renaud Lavillenie!!
Then there was a meet in Madrid---
Bingtian Su took back China's National Record in the 100, his 9.91 beating the 9.99--and Italy National Record!!--of Filippo Tortu!!
Akani Simbine had run 9.98 in the heats!
The Men's 400 also produced a National Record!
Liguelin Santos's 44.66 won the race, but it was Bruno Hortelano's 44.69 that nabbed the NR of Spain!!
Yet another National Record fell--this time to Brittany Crew, whose 61-0.25 beat her own NR of Canada in the SP.
But Christina Schwanitz took the title with her 62-5!
Gudaf Tsegay ran 3:59.60 to win the 1500 over the 4:02.93 of Sofia Ennaoui!
And lastly--from Madrid, that is!--comes Anita Wlodarczyk's 1st win of 2018--but with a measly HT toss of 249-11!
A Greek meet found Home Girl Ekaterina Stefanidi returning somewhat to form, winning with a clearance of 15-9!
And I have a few OLD High school marks to report---
Julia Fixsen PV'ed 13-11.25 to become 13th A-T HS, tied with 2 others!
Skylar Ciccolini improved to 177-0 in the JT, moving her from 10th A-T HS to 5th!!
Antonio Tarantino sped the 200 in 20.51, making him 19th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
Nick Mirabello threw the Javelin 227-10, making him 16th A-T HS!
And Trey Knight improved (again!!) to 233-10 in the HT, making him 19th A-T HS!!
In a meet FILLED with No Shows, DNS's, and a lengthy weather delay on its final day, the USATF---while maybe NOT of true Championship caliber--was still a pretty decent little get-together!
See you soon---with more on the Oiselle vs Nike (and Tori Franklin) little set-to!!
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Preview--2018 USATF Championships (MEN & WOMEN)
I know!
I promised TWO posts--one for each sex!
And up until I AGAIN scanned the list of entries, I intended to keep that promise!
But there are enough "important" athletes NOT here--thus making for some VERY weak fields (& others MUCH weaker by X athlete's absence!), that I decided to consolidate the 2 posts into one!
Some guidelines--
Events will be covered in order of their finals on the schedule, with the Multi's placed where the last event is scheduled!
I'll list the event, the Meet Record, a few leading names (& maybe 1 or 2 of some significance other than potential to win), and the names of leading MIA's, if there are any!
ALL Men's events will go first, divided by day, followed by the Women, ditto!
This meet is in Des Moines, and the weather is expected to be okay on most days!
BTW, the USATF site lists the MR's as the best marks ever made at this meet!
However, they INCLUDE those years when the meet becomes known as the Olympic Trials (2008, 2012, 2016, etc).
This Blog & Record Book recognizes the USATF meet as SEPARATE FROM the OT's, thus doesn't consider marks made in OG years as eligible for USATF MR's!
MEN
Thursday, June 21st
10000 (27:39.4)
With Shadrack Kipchirchir the "best" athlete here, this MR is safe!
I doubt Kipchirchir (or Garrett Heath or Lopez Lomong) will have to run that fast to win!
20000 Walk (1:23:25)
No MR here either!
And only 2 Walkers to consider seriously--Nick Christie and Emmanuel Corvera!
However, these 2 do put on some competitive races!
Friday, June 22nd
HT (270-8)
Aah, for the days of Lance Deal!
Or even AG Kruger and Kibwe Johnson at their best!
But we're left with Rudy Winkler and Conor McCullough (who is half tied to Ireland!)!
They're good, but 250's don't win HT Challenge meets!
Watch for Alex Young and Daniel Haugh!
TJ (58-9.25)
Without Will Claye to propel him--and with his fairly serious entry in the 400 also--don't expect Christian Taylor to beat this MR!
Omar Craddock's good, and so is Chris Benard, but probably not much over 57-6-ish territory!
MIA--Will Claye!
Decathlon (8844W)
Zach Ziemek will be lucky to score 8300 points!
Harrison Williams & Austin Bahner will be lucky to hit 8000!
An EXTREMELY weak event!!
MIA--Devon Williams.
100 (9.84)
With Ronnie Baker challenging Noah Lyles, THIS Meet Record gets 65-35 odds of going down!
And you can flip a coin for who wins!
Mike Rodgers & Tyson Gay are the elders here, and probably not in W range!
Watch for the "kids"--Isaiah Young, Jaylen Bacon, Kendal Williams, and Cameron Burrell.
MIA--Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman (who is injured a bit, and has pulled out of the next 2 DL's!!).
Saturday, June 23rd
PV (19-9)
No MR here either!
While most view Sam Kendricks as America's best, watch for Chris Nilsen to shock!
This hasn't been Kendricks's best year!
Scott Houston and Nate Richartz are good, but watch for HS sensation KC Lightfoot!
No real MIA's--the event is just in a poor cycle for the Men!
JT (299-6)
Maybe THE worst US event right now--for the Men!
Riley Dolezel, Aaron True, and HS'er Tzuriel Pedigo are some to watch--the latter just for subsidiary interest!
SP (74-3.75)
If Joe Kovacs finds his 74 foot form again, he'll give Ryan Crouser a real fight!
Darrell Hill hit a biggie in the 73's last year, but hasn't been close since!
Ryan Whiting is another not at his best!
Watch for the Collegiate Frosh duo--Tripp Piperi & Jordan Geist!!
400H 47.03)
Rai Benjamin tried to enter, but having competed for Antigua, he isn't eligible!
And despite Kenny Selmon having a good year, and the presence of super-vet Bershawn Jackson, this is another weak Men's event!
Mike Stigler and Byron Robinson are good, but also watch for David Kendziera!
400 (43.66)
We DO have some good ones here, but check out who the MIA's are!
Here are Nathan Strother, Will London, Paul Dedewo, Gil Roberts, Michael Cherry, and Josephus Lyles!
Will Christian Taylor hit the 44's?
MIA--Michael Norman & Fred Kerley!
Also Lashawn Merritt!!
1500 (3:34.82)
Drew Hunter might actually challenge Matthew Centrowitz for the W!
Robby Andrews, John Gregorek, and Eric Jenkins have good kicks!
No one from Africa is shaking with fear!
Sunday, June 24th
HJ (7-9.25)
Bryan McBride recently topped 7-8.50, so the MR gets 30-70 odds!
Ricky Robertson is also hot, while Erik Kynard is stale!
Add Trey Culver for amusement!
DT (233-9)
Yet another terrible US event for the Men!
Put Mason Finley, Andrew Evans, and Sam Mattis as your best bets for the podium!
Rodney Brown is solid also, but watch for Collegiate Reggie Jagers!
LJ (28-10.25)
Unless it's really windy, 28 feet will be rare here!
But Jeff Henderson, Marquis Dendy, and Zack Bazile are the serious contenders!
800 (1:43.27)
Is Boris Berian BACK??
If so, add his name to those of Isaiah Harris, Donavan Brazier, and Eric Sowinski as your podium toppers!
But watch for Drew Windle, Chris Giesting, and Clay Murphy!
3000SC (8:12.29)
Will Evan Jager go for the MR--or have to??
Give it 60-40 odds!
Stan Kebenai, Andy Bayer, Hillary Bor, and maybe MJ Erb and Mason Ferlic will fight for the lower podium spots!
200 (19.57)
Now HERE is the REAL DEAL--at least on paper!
Noah Lyles vs Michael Norman!
Norman's PR is just 20.27, but his potential screams 19.8 or faster!!
If these two run their perfect races, I'll give the MR 25-75 odds, but a 19.80 75-25 odds!
Isaiah Young, Ameer Webb, and maybe Kendal Williams should be the followers!
5000 (13:08.62)
For better or worse, Paul Chelimo is a Showman!!
His ubiquitous Twitter presence speaks Star Power!
But in this race, he has no serious challengers!
Yet give this MR 60-40 odds anyway!
He likes running fast!
Jenkins & Bor are doubling here!
Also watch for Hassan Mead, Ryan Hill, and Collegiate star Grant Fisher!
110H (12.90)
No MR here---unless Grant Holloway EXPLODES!!
Despite WR holder Aries Merritt's presence, as well as Devon Allen, Jarret Eaton, and Aleec Harris, give Holloway the best chance for the Podium's Top Step!
Watch also for Trey Cunningham, who broke Holloway's HSR for the INdoor 60H!!
But he has yet to come close to that level since!
And now for the Women!!
(Yes, this will be a LONG post!!)
WOMEN
Thursday, June 21st
DT (221-9)
Gia Lewis-Smallwood is here, but she's nearing 40, and hasn't been in MR territory for awhile!
So make this between "newbies" Valerie Allman and Maggie Ewen!
Add Whitney Ashley as a serious contender!
JT (218-8)
Kara Winger holds this MR, but while she's having a "good" year, she's still 10 to 15 feet short of that mark!
And she's the best one here!!
Alyssa Olin and Ariana Ince are good for 190's throws!
Leading HS'er Dana Baker has been HOT recently, so watch for her to inch toward the leaders here!!
TJ (46-9.50)
Maybe THE best "womano a womano" confrontation in Des Moines!!
Keturah Orji, FORMER American Record holder, vs CURRENT AR holder Tori Franklin--Oiselle's Pride & Joy!!
Might we see BOTH over 48 here??
If they're ON, and the winds prevail (legally!), give this MR 100% odds of being SMASHED!!
I need not mention anyone else!
Enjoy this one!!
10000 (30:59.97)
Oh, how I'd LOVE to see this MR go down!
But come on, get serious, Birthday Boy!!
Yet relentless frontrunner Molly Huddle is here, and ex-Triathlete Gwen Jorgensen might be willing to take Tough Molly on!!
Marielle Hall appears to be running her FIRST Track 10K here, so watch for her!
Add Chelsea Blaase, Sarah Pagano, Jessica Tonn, and Stephanie Bruce as among those who normally run fast whenever they toe the line!
Molly Seidel and Emily Sisson aren't in top form, it seems, but could surprise!
Friday, June 22nd
100 (10.71)
At best, I'd give Aleia Hobbs 1-99 odds of running 10.71--and 20-80 of running at least 10.79!
After a long Collegiate year, she's facing Ashley Henderson, Shania Collins, Javianne Oliver, and Ariana Washington!
Add Jenna Prandini and Barbara Pierre as lane fillers!
20000 Walk (1:32:49)
Maria Michta-Coffey is your solid favorite here!!
Robyn Stevens is a new & unknown entity, while Katie Burnett is better at 50K!
Sure wish they'd have allowed HS Junior Taylor Ewart to compete here!
Bet she'd break 1:45, despite never having Walked farther than 10K before!
MIA--Miranda Melville! She was entered, but scratched!
Saturday, June 23rd
LJ (23-7.25)
As constituted in Des Moines, this is a VERY weak Women's event!!
Best of the present are Quanesha Burks and Shakeela Saunders!
Ailiyah Brooks is OK, but watch for Heptathlete Kendell Williams!
MIA--Brittney Reese & Tianna Bartoletta!!
Also Keturah Orji and Tara Davis!
HT (248-5)
The MR is held by Amanda Bingson, who's here, but FAR removed from even her 248 levels!
But we have a GREAT duel possible here--Gwen Berry vs DeAnna Price--both setting AR's recently in WORLD CLASS territory!!
This is HT Year for the US Women!!
Add Brooke Andersen and Janeah Stewart from the Collegiate ranks!
As for Bingson--Good Luck to her!!
HJ (6-8.75)
All you need to know is that Vashti Cunningham is in Iowa!
Even Tattoo Queen Inika McPherson could have stayed home!
But watch for Logan Boss!
MIA--Chaunte Lowe & Brigetta Barrett!
3000SC (9:15.59)
Just as with the Men, we have the MR holder here, in Emma Coburn!
But will she run this fast--or have to?
Courtney Frerichs opened her 2018 at 9:20+, so is a mystery as to her shape!
Shalaya Kipp seems to be returning to her top form, but isn't there yet!
Oiselle's Marie Lawrence is running good, but isn't ready for the 9-teens!
MIA--Colleen Quigley & Stephanie Garcia!!
1500 (4:01.63)
The Des Moines & Drake people are hyping this race as the Battle of the Iowans!!
They mean Jenny Simpson & Shelby Houlihan, both of whom have some (or many!) Iowa connections!
AND they appear to be the class of this field!
But add Brenda Martinez, Kate Grace, Alexa Efraimson, and Eleanor Purrier as ones to watch!
You can keep your eyes on Elise Cranny, Sara Vaughn, Amanda Eccleston, Shannon Osika, and even Sarah Brown as possible finalists!
For "feature story" interest, there's Janelle Noe, the Collegiate who was severely burned in 2016, but who sent her PR from 4:29 to 4:10 this year!!
MIA--Shannon Rowbury--but she has a GREAT excuse--She's still with child!!
400 (49.27)
There are probably SOME (but not me!!) who believe Sydney McLaughlin can beat this MR--this year!!
While she CAN run 49.5, WILL she??
Giving SERIOUS chase will be other sub-50 possibles--Kendell Ellis, Courtney Okolo, and even Shakima Wimbley & Jessica Beard!
This event will be hyped by NBC like no other, as Syd the Kid is 2018's STAR!!
MIA--Lynna Irby!!!
100H (12.26)
All--or most--of the Usual Suspects are here!
In fact, the depth of this event for US Women is so deep, that you could field a SECOND group of 8 that would be taken almost as seriously as this group!
We have the Harrisons--Kendra & Queen--Jasmin Stowers, Sharika Nelvis, Kori Carter, and Christina Manning!
Dawn Harper-Nelson is on her Farewell Tour, and shouldn't be taken too seriously!
MIA--That Iowa crowd favorite--Lolo Jones!!
Sunday, June 24th
PV (16-0.50)
This event is LOADED!!
Sandi Morris and Jenn Suhr are SURE to do battle here!
Katie Nageotte is here too, but hasn't reached her INdoor level yet!
The Collegiate crowd is represented by Lexi Jacobus and Tori Hoggard!
Add Emily Grove, Kristin Hixson, and Megan Clark in case the others have problems!
MIA--Olivia Gruver, who was entered, but scratched!
And Demi Payne, who is probably retired!!
SP (66-5)
The best are here, but maybe not all at their best!
Shot Diva Michelle Carter has been inactive this year, so it will be interesting to see if she's competitive!
Look for Raven Saunders and Maggie Ewen to lead the way!
Jessica Woodard is over 61 feet now, but that's not enough for the W!
Dani Hill is nowhere near her 64 foot best!
And Tia Brooks (Now Brooks-Wannemacher!!) is here, but she just announced her retirement, and that this will be her last meet!!
Heptathlon (6979)
Erica Bougard has this sandbox all to herself!!
She can build Sand Castles, or just let the sand sieve slowly through her fingers!
No MR--even if she PR's in 4 or 5 events!!
Alex Gochenour and Allison Reaser are the only other ones with 6000 points possibilities!
MIA--Kendell Williams!!
800 (1:57.78)
Give this MR 70-30 odds of falling!
We have the best in the World here--Ajee Wilson and Charlene Lipsey!
Raevyn Rogers has the 400 speed to make a 1:56 a definite future possible for her!
Ce'Aira Brown, Sabrina Southerland, and Olivia Baker are good also!
What kind of shape is Laura Roesler in?
Can Sammy Watson finally get her sub-2??
MIA--Caitlin Collier, who deserves to be here!!
Also, is Alysia Montano retired??
5000 (14:51.75)
Shelby Houlihan, IMHO, is fully capable of getting the MR---AND the American Record--and maybe even dipping into the 14:20's!!
But this is a Championship distance race, so scratch that dream!
But give this race to Houlihan anyway, and maybe a sub-15 also!
Marielle Hall and Sarah Brown are doubling here, but watch for them anyway!
Lauren Paquette, Rachel Schneider, and Katie Mackey are solid, but what will Karissa Schweizer do in her first Professional race??
400H (52.64)
That Elephant in the Room is the MIA attached to Sydney McLaughlin's name!!
If SHE were running this event, I'd give the MR odds of 60-40!
Heh--maybe even 90-10!!
Shamier Little and Georganne Moline are here, but neither of THEM can even JUGGLE!!
Ashley Spencer and Cassandra Tate have some street cred, but watch for a breakthrough from Anna Cockrell!
MIA--Syd the Kid, Kori Carter, and Delilah Muhammed!
200 (21.88)
Another Women's event going through a transition of sorts!
Kyra Jefferson will be challenged by Ariana Washington, Deajah Stevens, and maybe Jenna Prandini!
Watch too for Shania Collins, and 400 great Phyllis Francis!
MIA--Allyson Felix!!
Not the greatest line-up of American elites, but some REALLY interesting duels!!
Also not much in MR possiblities!!
Nonetheless, we're probably in for a few shocks, which makes T&F the greatest sport!!
Enjoy!
See you soon!
I promised TWO posts--one for each sex!
And up until I AGAIN scanned the list of entries, I intended to keep that promise!
But there are enough "important" athletes NOT here--thus making for some VERY weak fields (& others MUCH weaker by X athlete's absence!), that I decided to consolidate the 2 posts into one!
Some guidelines--
Events will be covered in order of their finals on the schedule, with the Multi's placed where the last event is scheduled!
I'll list the event, the Meet Record, a few leading names (& maybe 1 or 2 of some significance other than potential to win), and the names of leading MIA's, if there are any!
ALL Men's events will go first, divided by day, followed by the Women, ditto!
This meet is in Des Moines, and the weather is expected to be okay on most days!
BTW, the USATF site lists the MR's as the best marks ever made at this meet!
However, they INCLUDE those years when the meet becomes known as the Olympic Trials (2008, 2012, 2016, etc).
This Blog & Record Book recognizes the USATF meet as SEPARATE FROM the OT's, thus doesn't consider marks made in OG years as eligible for USATF MR's!
MEN
Thursday, June 21st
10000 (27:39.4)
With Shadrack Kipchirchir the "best" athlete here, this MR is safe!
I doubt Kipchirchir (or Garrett Heath or Lopez Lomong) will have to run that fast to win!
20000 Walk (1:23:25)
No MR here either!
And only 2 Walkers to consider seriously--Nick Christie and Emmanuel Corvera!
However, these 2 do put on some competitive races!
Friday, June 22nd
HT (270-8)
Aah, for the days of Lance Deal!
Or even AG Kruger and Kibwe Johnson at their best!
But we're left with Rudy Winkler and Conor McCullough (who is half tied to Ireland!)!
They're good, but 250's don't win HT Challenge meets!
Watch for Alex Young and Daniel Haugh!
TJ (58-9.25)
Without Will Claye to propel him--and with his fairly serious entry in the 400 also--don't expect Christian Taylor to beat this MR!
Omar Craddock's good, and so is Chris Benard, but probably not much over 57-6-ish territory!
MIA--Will Claye!
Decathlon (8844W)
Zach Ziemek will be lucky to score 8300 points!
Harrison Williams & Austin Bahner will be lucky to hit 8000!
An EXTREMELY weak event!!
MIA--Devon Williams.
100 (9.84)
With Ronnie Baker challenging Noah Lyles, THIS Meet Record gets 65-35 odds of going down!
And you can flip a coin for who wins!
Mike Rodgers & Tyson Gay are the elders here, and probably not in W range!
Watch for the "kids"--Isaiah Young, Jaylen Bacon, Kendal Williams, and Cameron Burrell.
MIA--Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman (who is injured a bit, and has pulled out of the next 2 DL's!!).
Saturday, June 23rd
PV (19-9)
No MR here either!
While most view Sam Kendricks as America's best, watch for Chris Nilsen to shock!
This hasn't been Kendricks's best year!
Scott Houston and Nate Richartz are good, but watch for HS sensation KC Lightfoot!
No real MIA's--the event is just in a poor cycle for the Men!
JT (299-6)
Maybe THE worst US event right now--for the Men!
Riley Dolezel, Aaron True, and HS'er Tzuriel Pedigo are some to watch--the latter just for subsidiary interest!
SP (74-3.75)
If Joe Kovacs finds his 74 foot form again, he'll give Ryan Crouser a real fight!
Darrell Hill hit a biggie in the 73's last year, but hasn't been close since!
Ryan Whiting is another not at his best!
Watch for the Collegiate Frosh duo--Tripp Piperi & Jordan Geist!!
400H 47.03)
Rai Benjamin tried to enter, but having competed for Antigua, he isn't eligible!
And despite Kenny Selmon having a good year, and the presence of super-vet Bershawn Jackson, this is another weak Men's event!
Mike Stigler and Byron Robinson are good, but also watch for David Kendziera!
400 (43.66)
We DO have some good ones here, but check out who the MIA's are!
Here are Nathan Strother, Will London, Paul Dedewo, Gil Roberts, Michael Cherry, and Josephus Lyles!
Will Christian Taylor hit the 44's?
MIA--Michael Norman & Fred Kerley!
Also Lashawn Merritt!!
1500 (3:34.82)
Drew Hunter might actually challenge Matthew Centrowitz for the W!
Robby Andrews, John Gregorek, and Eric Jenkins have good kicks!
No one from Africa is shaking with fear!
Sunday, June 24th
HJ (7-9.25)
Bryan McBride recently topped 7-8.50, so the MR gets 30-70 odds!
Ricky Robertson is also hot, while Erik Kynard is stale!
Add Trey Culver for amusement!
DT (233-9)
Yet another terrible US event for the Men!
Put Mason Finley, Andrew Evans, and Sam Mattis as your best bets for the podium!
Rodney Brown is solid also, but watch for Collegiate Reggie Jagers!
LJ (28-10.25)
Unless it's really windy, 28 feet will be rare here!
But Jeff Henderson, Marquis Dendy, and Zack Bazile are the serious contenders!
800 (1:43.27)
Is Boris Berian BACK??
If so, add his name to those of Isaiah Harris, Donavan Brazier, and Eric Sowinski as your podium toppers!
But watch for Drew Windle, Chris Giesting, and Clay Murphy!
3000SC (8:12.29)
Will Evan Jager go for the MR--or have to??
Give it 60-40 odds!
Stan Kebenai, Andy Bayer, Hillary Bor, and maybe MJ Erb and Mason Ferlic will fight for the lower podium spots!
200 (19.57)
Now HERE is the REAL DEAL--at least on paper!
Noah Lyles vs Michael Norman!
Norman's PR is just 20.27, but his potential screams 19.8 or faster!!
If these two run their perfect races, I'll give the MR 25-75 odds, but a 19.80 75-25 odds!
Isaiah Young, Ameer Webb, and maybe Kendal Williams should be the followers!
5000 (13:08.62)
For better or worse, Paul Chelimo is a Showman!!
His ubiquitous Twitter presence speaks Star Power!
But in this race, he has no serious challengers!
Yet give this MR 60-40 odds anyway!
He likes running fast!
Jenkins & Bor are doubling here!
Also watch for Hassan Mead, Ryan Hill, and Collegiate star Grant Fisher!
110H (12.90)
No MR here---unless Grant Holloway EXPLODES!!
Despite WR holder Aries Merritt's presence, as well as Devon Allen, Jarret Eaton, and Aleec Harris, give Holloway the best chance for the Podium's Top Step!
Watch also for Trey Cunningham, who broke Holloway's HSR for the INdoor 60H!!
But he has yet to come close to that level since!
And now for the Women!!
(Yes, this will be a LONG post!!)
WOMEN
Thursday, June 21st
DT (221-9)
Gia Lewis-Smallwood is here, but she's nearing 40, and hasn't been in MR territory for awhile!
So make this between "newbies" Valerie Allman and Maggie Ewen!
Add Whitney Ashley as a serious contender!
JT (218-8)
Kara Winger holds this MR, but while she's having a "good" year, she's still 10 to 15 feet short of that mark!
And she's the best one here!!
Alyssa Olin and Ariana Ince are good for 190's throws!
Leading HS'er Dana Baker has been HOT recently, so watch for her to inch toward the leaders here!!
TJ (46-9.50)
Maybe THE best "womano a womano" confrontation in Des Moines!!
Keturah Orji, FORMER American Record holder, vs CURRENT AR holder Tori Franklin--Oiselle's Pride & Joy!!
Might we see BOTH over 48 here??
If they're ON, and the winds prevail (legally!), give this MR 100% odds of being SMASHED!!
I need not mention anyone else!
Enjoy this one!!
10000 (30:59.97)
Oh, how I'd LOVE to see this MR go down!
But come on, get serious, Birthday Boy!!
Yet relentless frontrunner Molly Huddle is here, and ex-Triathlete Gwen Jorgensen might be willing to take Tough Molly on!!
Marielle Hall appears to be running her FIRST Track 10K here, so watch for her!
Add Chelsea Blaase, Sarah Pagano, Jessica Tonn, and Stephanie Bruce as among those who normally run fast whenever they toe the line!
Molly Seidel and Emily Sisson aren't in top form, it seems, but could surprise!
Friday, June 22nd
100 (10.71)
At best, I'd give Aleia Hobbs 1-99 odds of running 10.71--and 20-80 of running at least 10.79!
After a long Collegiate year, she's facing Ashley Henderson, Shania Collins, Javianne Oliver, and Ariana Washington!
Add Jenna Prandini and Barbara Pierre as lane fillers!
20000 Walk (1:32:49)
Maria Michta-Coffey is your solid favorite here!!
Robyn Stevens is a new & unknown entity, while Katie Burnett is better at 50K!
Sure wish they'd have allowed HS Junior Taylor Ewart to compete here!
Bet she'd break 1:45, despite never having Walked farther than 10K before!
MIA--Miranda Melville! She was entered, but scratched!
Saturday, June 23rd
LJ (23-7.25)
As constituted in Des Moines, this is a VERY weak Women's event!!
Best of the present are Quanesha Burks and Shakeela Saunders!
Ailiyah Brooks is OK, but watch for Heptathlete Kendell Williams!
MIA--Brittney Reese & Tianna Bartoletta!!
Also Keturah Orji and Tara Davis!
HT (248-5)
The MR is held by Amanda Bingson, who's here, but FAR removed from even her 248 levels!
But we have a GREAT duel possible here--Gwen Berry vs DeAnna Price--both setting AR's recently in WORLD CLASS territory!!
This is HT Year for the US Women!!
Add Brooke Andersen and Janeah Stewart from the Collegiate ranks!
As for Bingson--Good Luck to her!!
HJ (6-8.75)
All you need to know is that Vashti Cunningham is in Iowa!
Even Tattoo Queen Inika McPherson could have stayed home!
But watch for Logan Boss!
MIA--Chaunte Lowe & Brigetta Barrett!
3000SC (9:15.59)
Just as with the Men, we have the MR holder here, in Emma Coburn!
But will she run this fast--or have to?
Courtney Frerichs opened her 2018 at 9:20+, so is a mystery as to her shape!
Shalaya Kipp seems to be returning to her top form, but isn't there yet!
Oiselle's Marie Lawrence is running good, but isn't ready for the 9-teens!
MIA--Colleen Quigley & Stephanie Garcia!!
1500 (4:01.63)
The Des Moines & Drake people are hyping this race as the Battle of the Iowans!!
They mean Jenny Simpson & Shelby Houlihan, both of whom have some (or many!) Iowa connections!
AND they appear to be the class of this field!
But add Brenda Martinez, Kate Grace, Alexa Efraimson, and Eleanor Purrier as ones to watch!
You can keep your eyes on Elise Cranny, Sara Vaughn, Amanda Eccleston, Shannon Osika, and even Sarah Brown as possible finalists!
For "feature story" interest, there's Janelle Noe, the Collegiate who was severely burned in 2016, but who sent her PR from 4:29 to 4:10 this year!!
MIA--Shannon Rowbury--but she has a GREAT excuse--She's still with child!!
400 (49.27)
There are probably SOME (but not me!!) who believe Sydney McLaughlin can beat this MR--this year!!
While she CAN run 49.5, WILL she??
Giving SERIOUS chase will be other sub-50 possibles--Kendell Ellis, Courtney Okolo, and even Shakima Wimbley & Jessica Beard!
This event will be hyped by NBC like no other, as Syd the Kid is 2018's STAR!!
MIA--Lynna Irby!!!
100H (12.26)
All--or most--of the Usual Suspects are here!
In fact, the depth of this event for US Women is so deep, that you could field a SECOND group of 8 that would be taken almost as seriously as this group!
We have the Harrisons--Kendra & Queen--Jasmin Stowers, Sharika Nelvis, Kori Carter, and Christina Manning!
Dawn Harper-Nelson is on her Farewell Tour, and shouldn't be taken too seriously!
MIA--That Iowa crowd favorite--Lolo Jones!!
Sunday, June 24th
PV (16-0.50)
This event is LOADED!!
Sandi Morris and Jenn Suhr are SURE to do battle here!
Katie Nageotte is here too, but hasn't reached her INdoor level yet!
The Collegiate crowd is represented by Lexi Jacobus and Tori Hoggard!
Add Emily Grove, Kristin Hixson, and Megan Clark in case the others have problems!
MIA--Olivia Gruver, who was entered, but scratched!
And Demi Payne, who is probably retired!!
SP (66-5)
The best are here, but maybe not all at their best!
Shot Diva Michelle Carter has been inactive this year, so it will be interesting to see if she's competitive!
Look for Raven Saunders and Maggie Ewen to lead the way!
Jessica Woodard is over 61 feet now, but that's not enough for the W!
Dani Hill is nowhere near her 64 foot best!
And Tia Brooks (Now Brooks-Wannemacher!!) is here, but she just announced her retirement, and that this will be her last meet!!
Heptathlon (6979)
Erica Bougard has this sandbox all to herself!!
She can build Sand Castles, or just let the sand sieve slowly through her fingers!
No MR--even if she PR's in 4 or 5 events!!
Alex Gochenour and Allison Reaser are the only other ones with 6000 points possibilities!
MIA--Kendell Williams!!
800 (1:57.78)
Give this MR 70-30 odds of falling!
We have the best in the World here--Ajee Wilson and Charlene Lipsey!
Raevyn Rogers has the 400 speed to make a 1:56 a definite future possible for her!
Ce'Aira Brown, Sabrina Southerland, and Olivia Baker are good also!
What kind of shape is Laura Roesler in?
Can Sammy Watson finally get her sub-2??
MIA--Caitlin Collier, who deserves to be here!!
Also, is Alysia Montano retired??
5000 (14:51.75)
Shelby Houlihan, IMHO, is fully capable of getting the MR---AND the American Record--and maybe even dipping into the 14:20's!!
But this is a Championship distance race, so scratch that dream!
But give this race to Houlihan anyway, and maybe a sub-15 also!
Marielle Hall and Sarah Brown are doubling here, but watch for them anyway!
Lauren Paquette, Rachel Schneider, and Katie Mackey are solid, but what will Karissa Schweizer do in her first Professional race??
400H (52.64)
That Elephant in the Room is the MIA attached to Sydney McLaughlin's name!!
If SHE were running this event, I'd give the MR odds of 60-40!
Heh--maybe even 90-10!!
Shamier Little and Georganne Moline are here, but neither of THEM can even JUGGLE!!
Ashley Spencer and Cassandra Tate have some street cred, but watch for a breakthrough from Anna Cockrell!
MIA--Syd the Kid, Kori Carter, and Delilah Muhammed!
200 (21.88)
Another Women's event going through a transition of sorts!
Kyra Jefferson will be challenged by Ariana Washington, Deajah Stevens, and maybe Jenna Prandini!
Watch too for Shania Collins, and 400 great Phyllis Francis!
MIA--Allyson Felix!!
Not the greatest line-up of American elites, but some REALLY interesting duels!!
Also not much in MR possiblities!!
Nonetheless, we're probably in for a few shocks, which makes T&F the greatest sport!!
Enjoy!
See you soon!
Monday, June 18, 2018
The Majesty and Mystery of Youth
I will try to not make this into a Mary Cain vs Katelyn Tuohy Showdown!
But it would be wise to compare them--
OUTdoors, Cain is better in the 800, 1500, and 3000!
Tuohy's 4:33.87 Mile leads Cain!
Cain has an OUTdoor 5000 time, while Tuohy hasn't run one OUTdoors!
INdoors, Cain has better times in the 800, 1000, 1500, Mile, 3000, and the 2 Mile.
Cain never ran a 5000 INdoors!
On balance, then, you'd be fair to say Cain's PR's are MUCH better than Tuohy's!!
If you go the "absolute" route, Tuohy's INdoor 5000 of 15:37.12 bests Cain's OUTdoor 15:45.46!
Cain's INdoor Mile (non-Pro) time is better than Tuohy's OUTdoor time!
(I won't compare "Honors won", or their XC records!)
But do the numbers tell the REAL tale?
And what about all those OTHER young Women (Girls??) who have practically rewritten the HS Record Book--INdoors and OUTdoors--over distances from 800 to 5000 meters?
The list is long (OUTdoors only in this post)!
Beginning with 2012, we have---
Ajee Wilson, Cain, Alexa Efraimson, Raevyn Rogers, Sammy Watson, and Caitlin Collier in the 800.
Cain, Efraimson, Kate Murphy, Christina Aragon, Katie Rainsberger, Ella Donaghu, Elise Cranny, Collier, and Tuohy in the 1500/Mile!
In the 3000/2 Mile (NOT 3200!!), we see Kelsey Chmiel, Annie Hill, Tuohy, Murphy, Rainsberger, Weini Kelati (although she was older than normal HS age!!), Bethan Knights, Hannah Debalsi, Anna Rohrer, Brie Oakley, Katelynn Hart, London Culbreath, Destiny Collins, and MORE!!
The 5000 OUTdoors has been less busy, but we still list Cain, Wesley & Ryen Frazier, Cayla Hatton, Rohrer, Erin Finn, Katie Knight, Audrey Belf, Fiona O'Keefe, and Grace Ping!
Only Hatton and Alana Hadley are on the 10K list from 2012 on!
Big numbers, eh??
But look closer!
Hatton & Hadley have disappeared!
The Frazier's have run hot & cold--mostly the latter!
Knight is nowhere near elite level, while others (Finn) have suffered several injuries!
Murphy's 4:07.21 over 1500 showed much promise--but she's been inactive the past year!!
Cain "promised" a return to racing this year--but as of today, has been silent & absent since she appeared in a video giving Tuohy the Gatorade award for whatever several months ago!!
Why?
Why do SOME of these youngsters disappear--or run much slower times--after their "heydays" as "elite" HS runners?
Listen to the "experts" (on the Let's Run and T&FN Message Boards), and you see a lot of comments about the changes girls go through!
(As if boys don't change!!)
Their hips grow wider, they grow breasts, they put on those "Frosh 15 pounds"!
Or they suffer from Bulimia or Anorexia, or eating disorders in general!
Their social lives interfere, or if you believe those IDIOTS on L-R, they become pregnant or are zonkers on drugs!
I can sense other answers.
With Cain, I'm sure her association with Alberto Salazar has been detrimental from the get-go!
She was doing GREAT--until AlSal entered her life!
She's dumped him, but might still be suffering from his insanity!!
Hatton might have left Stanford for many reasons--academic problems, disagreements with coaches!
Hadley went way too early to the life of a full-time marathoner!
She ran two good races, but since then, DNF'ed several times, and now might not be running at all!
Will Tuohy follow the same downhill path?
Let's look at their personalities a bit!
Cain, as we might remember, if we saw her many interviews, was a super bubbly, ever-giggling & smiling, enthusiastic advocate of fast racing, and just so---ebullient!!
Tuohy, on the other hand, seems more mature (at their similar ages).
She's more serious in her interviews, and speaks knowledgeably of body mechanics and race strategy!
While she DOES come across as a---15 year old--she seems to have the smarts of a 25 year old!
(Cain was a brilliant student, but we're talking about how they appear to observers during interviews!)
As for their racing, both were (or are) after fast times--even particular Records!
They weren't afraid to set hot paces, and keep them going with every confidence they wouldn't "die"!
Then Salazar entered Cain's life!
He put the leash on her--psychologically and verbally!
In that 5K (at the Portland Track Festival in 2013), he told her to just go for the USATF Q time--even though he told reporters she was in shape to run 20 seconds faster!!
He did the same for her INdoor Two Mile, and for other races!
(In her 4:04.62 HSR at the 2013 Oxy meet, she came from 6th or 7th in the last 150 meters to lose by a mere 0.02 seconds (to Katie Mackey).
Tuohy?
In her INdoor 5000, she wanted to break the HSR of 15:55.
So what does she do?
Her first 2000 was run at 15:20 pace!!
She slowed after that, but how many HS'ers go out that fast in their first-ever 5K race??
Fearless, and WANTING to SMASH the HSR!!
HER coach doesn't even OWN a leash!!
(Or she rejects its being put upon her!!)
The "majesty" of youth is their fearlessness!
They have NO idea what it's like to run slow!
From your "team filler" to your National Class "elites", these youngsters run as if there's no tomorrow!
They want to run fast--NOW!
They want that Class or State or HSR---TODAY!!
Sure, they know their limits!
A 5:00 Miler will seldom go out faster than 70 seconds for the 1st lap--and 65's are even rarer!
But Tuohy (and Cain BS--before Salazar) ran fast not only with full knowledge of their abilities, but with a confidence born and bred from success after success!
When Tuohy ran her first 440 in 67 at NBN, she KNEW she could run close to that for the next 3 laps!
Only the excessive heat (95 degrees!!) made her think a minute before going out at such a speed!
(Her "440's" were approximately 67, 69, 69, and 68!
She ran by herself--against the clock--as 2nd finished 16 seconds behind!
But while the majesty of youth is glorious and thrilling to behold, the "mystery" of such humans is---well, it's a mystery!!
We can read all the "knowing" comments from their elders on the MB's listed above, but in the end, do we REALLY know why some of these prodigies fail, while others continue on to Olympics and World Championships appearances--and even Podium finishes??
Can we blame it ALL on their coaches, or on their bodily changes?
EVERY girl goes through the same changes at certain times in their young lives!
It's called "puberty"!
While the "normal" age for puberty to begin is 13, for many, it happens much later--and at varying rates of speed!
Also, what these changes DO to these girls is also unpredictable as to time and to degree!
Some suffer greatly, while others seem to sail through the "storm"!!
Could it be their environment growing up--the examples set by their parents and peers?
Maybe.
But what about the poor "ghetto" girl who rises above the fray (& the violence & drugs) surrounding her--to become a star, a Record holder??
There are so many examples of these people throwing off the chains of their environment--to become who they choose to be, any "barriers" notwithstanding!!
Then there are those "nasties"---the expectations and pressures put upon them by "outsiders"
During Cain's best years (2013 and 2014), I was accused of being "obsessive" and "creepy" in my advocacy for MORE Records and FASTER times!
I could SEE the possibilities for both!
(I've been deeply involved in the sport for over 55 years!!)
Yes, I was maybe a BIT over the top in my enthusiasm for Cain's potential!
(And now, for Tuohy--for whom I see a LONG life of constant Record-smashing!!)
But I wasn't--or am not--alone!
Just check out the T&FN Message Board's 100's (Yes, I said 100's!!) of comments about Sydney McLaughlin and Mondo Duplantis--all about their limitless potential--and all the many Records they'll break, and all the Olympic & WC medals they'll win!!
Talk about "creepy" and "obsessive"!!
JEEZ!!
I've concentrated on the "youth" of America (Let's not touch on the World's youth!!), but the high degrees of successes found among the "veterans" is also startling in recent years!
Perhaps that began with Jenny Simpson's Gold at the 2011 Daegu WC's!
But since then, we've seen medals won, and high list-making marks from numerous "elders"!
Were they inspired, maybe, by the amazing times run by the Wilson's and Cain's of the US?
Were they remembering THEIR High School successes--or their HS struggles??
Maybe one feeds the other!
It's no secret that most of Cain's best times were run in "Pro" races--NOT in HS-only races!!
(Tuohy, meanwhile, has NOT run against the Profeshes---yet!)
Proving--maybe--that there are different paths one takes to success!
But where do these paths begin--and why?
Is Tuohy's confidence STRONG enough to face the Jenny Simpson's and Molly Huddle's and Shelby Houlihan's, to name a few?
Surely, her INdoor 5000 time of 15:37.12 could get her invites to races with Professionals and Collegiates--say, at Payton Jordan or Pre, or the INdoor meets at the Armory and at Boston's several venues!!
It's interesting the different paths Cain took, as opposed to what Tuohy is doing with her career!
Will SHE turn Pro before she's finished with HS??
Or have Cain's problems made her rethink any ideas of turning Pro early she might have had??
In her NBN interview, she said her season is over--that she'll rest, then gear up for XC!
Will Cain FINALLY open her 2018 season--or were her earlier words just bravado??
As they say in the racing game, only time will tell!
Meanwhile, we can only enjoy--and be amazed!--at the Records & Times these young Ladies keep producing!
And while observing, wonder who and what determines the Winners & Losers--the Dreamers of insane and unheard of "barriers" that THEY just don't see, or feel!
That's what makes these youngsters majestic--and mysterious!
And it's why I'm endlessly fascinated and excited by what they do!
See you soon!
But it would be wise to compare them--
OUTdoors, Cain is better in the 800, 1500, and 3000!
Tuohy's 4:33.87 Mile leads Cain!
Cain has an OUTdoor 5000 time, while Tuohy hasn't run one OUTdoors!
INdoors, Cain has better times in the 800, 1000, 1500, Mile, 3000, and the 2 Mile.
Cain never ran a 5000 INdoors!
On balance, then, you'd be fair to say Cain's PR's are MUCH better than Tuohy's!!
If you go the "absolute" route, Tuohy's INdoor 5000 of 15:37.12 bests Cain's OUTdoor 15:45.46!
Cain's INdoor Mile (non-Pro) time is better than Tuohy's OUTdoor time!
(I won't compare "Honors won", or their XC records!)
But do the numbers tell the REAL tale?
And what about all those OTHER young Women (Girls??) who have practically rewritten the HS Record Book--INdoors and OUTdoors--over distances from 800 to 5000 meters?
The list is long (OUTdoors only in this post)!
Beginning with 2012, we have---
Ajee Wilson, Cain, Alexa Efraimson, Raevyn Rogers, Sammy Watson, and Caitlin Collier in the 800.
Cain, Efraimson, Kate Murphy, Christina Aragon, Katie Rainsberger, Ella Donaghu, Elise Cranny, Collier, and Tuohy in the 1500/Mile!
In the 3000/2 Mile (NOT 3200!!), we see Kelsey Chmiel, Annie Hill, Tuohy, Murphy, Rainsberger, Weini Kelati (although she was older than normal HS age!!), Bethan Knights, Hannah Debalsi, Anna Rohrer, Brie Oakley, Katelynn Hart, London Culbreath, Destiny Collins, and MORE!!
The 5000 OUTdoors has been less busy, but we still list Cain, Wesley & Ryen Frazier, Cayla Hatton, Rohrer, Erin Finn, Katie Knight, Audrey Belf, Fiona O'Keefe, and Grace Ping!
Only Hatton and Alana Hadley are on the 10K list from 2012 on!
Big numbers, eh??
But look closer!
Hatton & Hadley have disappeared!
The Frazier's have run hot & cold--mostly the latter!
Knight is nowhere near elite level, while others (Finn) have suffered several injuries!
Murphy's 4:07.21 over 1500 showed much promise--but she's been inactive the past year!!
Cain "promised" a return to racing this year--but as of today, has been silent & absent since she appeared in a video giving Tuohy the Gatorade award for whatever several months ago!!
Why?
Why do SOME of these youngsters disappear--or run much slower times--after their "heydays" as "elite" HS runners?
Listen to the "experts" (on the Let's Run and T&FN Message Boards), and you see a lot of comments about the changes girls go through!
(As if boys don't change!!)
Their hips grow wider, they grow breasts, they put on those "Frosh 15 pounds"!
Or they suffer from Bulimia or Anorexia, or eating disorders in general!
Their social lives interfere, or if you believe those IDIOTS on L-R, they become pregnant or are zonkers on drugs!
I can sense other answers.
With Cain, I'm sure her association with Alberto Salazar has been detrimental from the get-go!
She was doing GREAT--until AlSal entered her life!
She's dumped him, but might still be suffering from his insanity!!
Hatton might have left Stanford for many reasons--academic problems, disagreements with coaches!
Hadley went way too early to the life of a full-time marathoner!
She ran two good races, but since then, DNF'ed several times, and now might not be running at all!
Will Tuohy follow the same downhill path?
Let's look at their personalities a bit!
Cain, as we might remember, if we saw her many interviews, was a super bubbly, ever-giggling & smiling, enthusiastic advocate of fast racing, and just so---ebullient!!
Tuohy, on the other hand, seems more mature (at their similar ages).
She's more serious in her interviews, and speaks knowledgeably of body mechanics and race strategy!
While she DOES come across as a---15 year old--she seems to have the smarts of a 25 year old!
(Cain was a brilliant student, but we're talking about how they appear to observers during interviews!)
As for their racing, both were (or are) after fast times--even particular Records!
They weren't afraid to set hot paces, and keep them going with every confidence they wouldn't "die"!
Then Salazar entered Cain's life!
He put the leash on her--psychologically and verbally!
In that 5K (at the Portland Track Festival in 2013), he told her to just go for the USATF Q time--even though he told reporters she was in shape to run 20 seconds faster!!
He did the same for her INdoor Two Mile, and for other races!
(In her 4:04.62 HSR at the 2013 Oxy meet, she came from 6th or 7th in the last 150 meters to lose by a mere 0.02 seconds (to Katie Mackey).
Tuohy?
In her INdoor 5000, she wanted to break the HSR of 15:55.
So what does she do?
Her first 2000 was run at 15:20 pace!!
She slowed after that, but how many HS'ers go out that fast in their first-ever 5K race??
Fearless, and WANTING to SMASH the HSR!!
HER coach doesn't even OWN a leash!!
(Or she rejects its being put upon her!!)
The "majesty" of youth is their fearlessness!
They have NO idea what it's like to run slow!
From your "team filler" to your National Class "elites", these youngsters run as if there's no tomorrow!
They want to run fast--NOW!
They want that Class or State or HSR---TODAY!!
Sure, they know their limits!
A 5:00 Miler will seldom go out faster than 70 seconds for the 1st lap--and 65's are even rarer!
But Tuohy (and Cain BS--before Salazar) ran fast not only with full knowledge of their abilities, but with a confidence born and bred from success after success!
When Tuohy ran her first 440 in 67 at NBN, she KNEW she could run close to that for the next 3 laps!
Only the excessive heat (95 degrees!!) made her think a minute before going out at such a speed!
(Her "440's" were approximately 67, 69, 69, and 68!
She ran by herself--against the clock--as 2nd finished 16 seconds behind!
But while the majesty of youth is glorious and thrilling to behold, the "mystery" of such humans is---well, it's a mystery!!
We can read all the "knowing" comments from their elders on the MB's listed above, but in the end, do we REALLY know why some of these prodigies fail, while others continue on to Olympics and World Championships appearances--and even Podium finishes??
Can we blame it ALL on their coaches, or on their bodily changes?
EVERY girl goes through the same changes at certain times in their young lives!
It's called "puberty"!
While the "normal" age for puberty to begin is 13, for many, it happens much later--and at varying rates of speed!
Also, what these changes DO to these girls is also unpredictable as to time and to degree!
Some suffer greatly, while others seem to sail through the "storm"!!
Could it be their environment growing up--the examples set by their parents and peers?
Maybe.
But what about the poor "ghetto" girl who rises above the fray (& the violence & drugs) surrounding her--to become a star, a Record holder??
There are so many examples of these people throwing off the chains of their environment--to become who they choose to be, any "barriers" notwithstanding!!
Then there are those "nasties"---the expectations and pressures put upon them by "outsiders"
During Cain's best years (2013 and 2014), I was accused of being "obsessive" and "creepy" in my advocacy for MORE Records and FASTER times!
I could SEE the possibilities for both!
(I've been deeply involved in the sport for over 55 years!!)
Yes, I was maybe a BIT over the top in my enthusiasm for Cain's potential!
(And now, for Tuohy--for whom I see a LONG life of constant Record-smashing!!)
But I wasn't--or am not--alone!
Just check out the T&FN Message Board's 100's (Yes, I said 100's!!) of comments about Sydney McLaughlin and Mondo Duplantis--all about their limitless potential--and all the many Records they'll break, and all the Olympic & WC medals they'll win!!
Talk about "creepy" and "obsessive"!!
JEEZ!!
I've concentrated on the "youth" of America (Let's not touch on the World's youth!!), but the high degrees of successes found among the "veterans" is also startling in recent years!
Perhaps that began with Jenny Simpson's Gold at the 2011 Daegu WC's!
But since then, we've seen medals won, and high list-making marks from numerous "elders"!
Were they inspired, maybe, by the amazing times run by the Wilson's and Cain's of the US?
Were they remembering THEIR High School successes--or their HS struggles??
Maybe one feeds the other!
It's no secret that most of Cain's best times were run in "Pro" races--NOT in HS-only races!!
(Tuohy, meanwhile, has NOT run against the Profeshes---yet!)
Proving--maybe--that there are different paths one takes to success!
But where do these paths begin--and why?
Is Tuohy's confidence STRONG enough to face the Jenny Simpson's and Molly Huddle's and Shelby Houlihan's, to name a few?
Surely, her INdoor 5000 time of 15:37.12 could get her invites to races with Professionals and Collegiates--say, at Payton Jordan or Pre, or the INdoor meets at the Armory and at Boston's several venues!!
It's interesting the different paths Cain took, as opposed to what Tuohy is doing with her career!
Will SHE turn Pro before she's finished with HS??
Or have Cain's problems made her rethink any ideas of turning Pro early she might have had??
In her NBN interview, she said her season is over--that she'll rest, then gear up for XC!
Will Cain FINALLY open her 2018 season--or were her earlier words just bravado??
As they say in the racing game, only time will tell!
Meanwhile, we can only enjoy--and be amazed!--at the Records & Times these young Ladies keep producing!
And while observing, wonder who and what determines the Winners & Losers--the Dreamers of insane and unheard of "barriers" that THEY just don't see, or feel!
That's what makes these youngsters majestic--and mysterious!
And it's why I'm endlessly fascinated and excited by what they do!
See you soon!
Shockers & Shakers from the Kids
If you read my Preview, and if you're familiar with my predilections, then you'd expect me to lay heavy on Katelyn Tuohy FINALLY taking down Polly Plumer's Mile HSR from 1982!
And I will.
But despite both the NBN and USATF Jr's providing a good number of "shockers & shakers", there was a meet in Europe that led up to those "kids" meets!
Ostrava!
Seeing the quality of the marks (and their quantity!), you'd almost think you were scanning the results of a Diamond League meet!
Juan Echevarria--who had stunned the T&F world with his ever-so-slightly windy LJ of 28-11.75--but whose legal best was "just" 28-0--moved a bit closer to that Beamonesque jump with his 28-5 at Ostrava!
It's the Meet Record, and breaks his own Age 19 Record!
He moves from 19th A-T World, tied with 1 other, to 10th, tied with 1 other!
The SP had its usual array of big marks--led by Tom Walsh's Meet Record of 72-8.50!
But Michal Haratyk double-dipped, breaking his own National Record of Poland, and becoming the caboose on my Top 24 A-T World Performers list!
Tomas Stanek and Ryan Crouser threw in the 70's in 3rd and 4th!
Cut OFF my World list was Dave Laut's 72-3 from 1982!!
Mutaz Barshim's HJ of 7-9.75 also became an Ostrava Meet Record.
He defeated the 7-8.75 of Danil Lysenko!
Norah Tanui (Some refer to her as Norah Jeruto!) also ran to a MR with her 3000SC win of 9:11.23!
Anita Wlodarczyk finally got her first W of 2018, her 250-9 taking down new AR holder Gwen Berry's 243-5!
Other Ostrava marks--
Thomas Rohler's JT of 286-4 lost to Jakob Vadlejch's 289-11.
Justin Gatlin took the 100 in 10.03, just 0.02 seconds off the Age 36 record!
Pawel Wojcieckowski PV'ed 18-10.25 for the Win.
Aaron Brown won a competitive 200 in 20.05!
In 2nd & 3rd came Jereem Richards and Ramil Guliyev, both timed in 20.09!
In the Women's 800, Genzebe Dibaba took the lead, but wound up 4th, time of 2:01.51.
Winner was Rebebe Arafi's 1:59.20!
Gudaf Tsegay took the 1500 in 4:02.45!
Selemon Barega won the 3000 in a PR of 7:37.53.
Andrius Gudzius won the DT with 217-6.
And Dafne Schippers beat Murielle Ahoure in the 200, 22.52 to 22.60!
So, which meet prevailed among the youth of America?
Was Tuohy's 4:33.87 HSR worth more than what Taylor Ewart did at the USATF Jrs--slaughter the field (including Lauren Harris--who had a bad day, finishing 2nd about 5 minutes back!!) in the Track 10K Walk, and take 77 seconds off Maria Michta-Coffey's MR from 2005??
Her 49:07.52 was also an American Junior Record--though this blog pays no attention to such designations!
(She also beat the HSR, and of course, the Junior Class Record!)
Perhaps knowing that she'd won the NBN's 2000SC the day before in 6:38.79, somewhere in the Top 12 A-T on a HS list--if I had one?
Oh yes, then her family drove 9 hours to take her from NC to IN, where she rose early (8:30 a.m.!) to race the 10K Walk!
And can she become the first Woman (or Man??) to make the WC or OG team in a Run AND a Walk??
Or how about KC Lightfoot, who nailed the NBN Meet Record in the PV with his clearance of 18-0.50, then went to Indiana, where his 17-10.50 wasn't enough to stop Zach Bradford from taking over that MR slot with his PR topper of 18-2.50??
Bradford moves from 13th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, to 7th, tied with 1 other!
Cole Riddle, a Collegiate, was 2nd with 18-0.50, with Lightfoot in 3rd!
A startling improvement (from 53.63 INdoors this year) saw Alexis Malone win the USATF Jrs 400 in the MR time of 51.21, making her 7th A-T HS!!
She's a Senior, and played basketball seriously (She's 5-11 tall!!) until switching to Track!
Tara Davis won the USATF Jrs LJ with 22-0.25--AGAINST a wind of 0.7!!
That broke her own Meet Record, but isn't a PR!
However, her mark is just 0.75 inches short of making the Collegiate list--but of course she CAN'T make it now, as it's past the NCAA meet!!
Jasmine Moore was good in 2nd, her 20-11.75 making her 19th A-T HS, tied with 2 others!
As usual, the NBN 2 Mile (at least for the Women!) was solid--with a somewhat surprising winner!
The Denner sisters of California (Maddie and Elena) had done well in the CA State meet recently.
So maybe Maddie running 10:04.53 for the W here comes under "a day in the life" for her!
Kelsey Chmiel, who might have been favored, except for a sluggish spring of racing, ended 4th in 10:09.65!
Maddie's time makes her 17th A-T HS!
In 2nd came Emily Covert's 10:05.19, which makes her 19th A-T HS!
And Sister Elena was 3rd in 10:05.68, making her 23rd A-T HS!
Not often you find siblings (brothers or sisters) on the same list at the same time!
(Think the former Weeks twins, Diane and Julie Pickler in the Heptathlon, the Frazier's!)
Speaking of the latter duo, both Ryen AND Wesley Frazier are now REMOVED from my HS list!!
The 800 in Indiana saw a great battle for supremacy between 2017's HS stud--Sammy Watson--and 2018's version--Caitlin Collier!
In the end, it was Watson's superior kick that took her to the tape first, time of 2:01.46--her best of the year!!
Collier was a strong 2nd in 2:01.66!
BTW, Collier later ran the 1500, where she lost to Rachel McArthur's 4:25.70 in a tactical race, Collier's 4:26.03 coming with a 61.6 final 400!
Tia Jones had her first sub-13 in the 100H since her Freshman year at the perfect time--to win the USATF Jrs race in 12.89!!
She gets the Junior Class Record.
This was against a breeze of 0.5!!
Cortney Jones was 2nd in 12.91, with Chanel Brissett 3rd in 12.95!
Dana Baker ruled the USATF JRs JT with her PR of 178-1!
It gets her the Meet Record, and moves her from 7th A-T HS to 4th!
I don't pay much attention to the Shuttle Hurdle Relays, but when TWO teams shatter the HSR, you take notice!!
Western Branch of VA took 0.39 seconds off the old mark with their 54.67!
They beat the 54.95 (0.11 seconds under the old mark!) of the powerful Bullis TC of Maryland!
It's also--obviously--the NBN Meet Record!!
Tamari Davis was expected to be an easy winner in the NBN's 100 and 200.
And she was!
But even as a Frosh (!!), when she fails to get BOTH MR's, you begin to wonder--Is she past her prime??
I'm JOKING!!
Her 11.19 (0.8) nailed the NBN Meet Record, but her 22.98 missed by 0.04 seconds to get the 200 MR also!
In contrast, Collegiate Twanisha Terry won the Indiana 100 in 11.24, albeit while fighting a wind of 1.1.
Anthony Schwartz took the Men's race in 10.23, against a wind of 0.5!
Cory Poole, seemingly better at 400H, took the 110H in 13.34!
This was over the HS heights of 39 inches!
The Multi's had good to great results--in both meets!
At the Indiana affair, Kyle Garland's 7562 took the Decathlon!
The NBN Decathlon saw a MR score of 7090 by Payton Haack!
Yariel Soto was a good 2nd with 7025 points!
There was an outstanding battle in the Heptathlon!
Anna Hall (the new HSR holder with 5798 points) defeated Sterling Lester, who had come into this meet with a PR of 5288.
Her last meet saw her JT reach just 76 feet!!
So when Lester saw her spear sail out to 105 feet (Big whoop!! LOL), Hall knew she'd have to run the 800 hard to secure the win!
Hall's 5660 becomes the USATF Jrs Meet Record.
Meanwhile, Lester's PR by 235 points (!!)--her 5523 points--moves her all the way from 16th to 5th on the A-T HS list!!
But the NBN's Heptathlon wasn't bad!
Beatrice Juskeviciute's 5251 score makes her 22nd A-T HS!
It also REMOVES former UO Duck Kelly Blair from my HS list, her 5231 dating from 1988!
Blair went on to score 6465 points in 1998!
Rachel Baxter took the USATF Jrs PV with a MR height of 14-6!
She had co-held the old record!
Other notable results from Indiana---
Obiageri Amaechi won the DT with her 186-4
Alyssa Wilson competed in 3 events (HT, SP, and DT!), winning the SP and HT, while taking 2nd in the DT (to Amaechi!), her best mark coming in the Hammer--217-7!
Cory Poole also took the 400H--time of 49.71.
Josh Hoey won the 800 in 1:49.48, beating several Collegiates!!
Jasmine Moore (See above!) won the TJ, but her 43-4.25 fell far short of the MR!
The 400's went to Howard Fields's 45.50 and Taylor Manson's 51.74, which just edged Symone Mason's 51.83!
Lauren Rain Williams and Eric Harrison took the Half Laps in 22.94 and 20.44!
Callie Logue's 9:34.72 in the 3000 prevailed over a pair of HS'ers!!
London Culbreath ran 9:36.77 in 2nd, while Katelynn Hart ended 3rd in 9:37.90!
But that doesn't tell the whole story!
Their last K's were all in 3:01's!!
And the HS'ers final 400's were in the 68's, while Logue dashed a 66.20!
At the Greensboro NC meet---
Alana Carroll took the PV with her height of 13-6.25
Grace Stark ran a non-PR time of 13.24 to win the 100H, wind of 0.8 AGAINST her!
Tyson Jones took the SP with a non-PR of 70-1.50!
Tzuriel Pedigo DID perform in both meets, as I'd noted in my Preview, but no MR's!!
His JT reached 226-8 at NBN.
The Men's 800 saw 3 go under 1:50, the top 2 being Luis Peralta's 1:49.10 and Drew Maher's 1:49.16.
Peralta will be a Senior in 2019!
Some decent Relays (besides the ones already reported!)--
The Cow Harbor TC of NY took the 4 X 800 in a quick 7:31.62, which I believe is about 5th A-T HS!!
Western Carny (?) TC of NC was a close 2nd in 7:32.06, which is probably 6th A-T HS!
Western Branch's Women sped 44.92 in the 4 X 100, missing the MR by 0.04 seconds!
And the Brentwood TC of Tennessee (featuring Brodey Hasty on anchor!), won the DMR in 9:58.76!
Despite the crazy announcer screaming to the crowd that Hasty needed a SUB-4 time to challenge the HSR, he wound up running a good 4:08!!
The 400 went to Tyrese Cooper in a pedestrian (for him!) 46.17.
In a post-race interview, he was asked about his recent run-ins with the LAW, but he brushed them off like stray cat hairs from a couch!
BTW, Brian Herron (Cooper's main foe over one lap) did NOT qualify for the 400 final at USATF Jrs, finishing just 9th in 47.10!
Athing Mu has an interesting name--and an even better pair of legs!!
They carried her to the Emerging Elite 400 title (and EE MR!) in 54.12!
Then she moved to the REAL elites--where her long-legged kick gave her a 2:04.51 W!
She's a Soph, and that mark is just 0.32 shy of the HS DDD!
I'm going to follow this post with a "special" post!
It will deal with the outstanding times run by female Frosh and Sophs (and even 7th & 8th graders!!) in recent years--and the various progressions they've made in subsequent years--or haven't!!
In that post--maybe later today--I will cover Katelyn Tuohy's HSR Mile of 4:33.87, briefly reported above!
I'll give you the basics here!
It was a race against the clock--as ALL of her races this year (and during XC last fall!) have been, as 2nd was about 16 seconds behind!
She gets the HSR and the Soph Class Record!
She also--though I'm not 100% certain!--gets the Age 15 Record!
In my Record Book, she gets my "0-17" Age Record!
It's obviously the NBN Meet Record!
If she were in College, her time would rank her 12th A-T--although Collegiates don't run many Mile races OUTdoors!
Oh, and her 1500 split enroute of 4:15.07 is also a Meet Record!!
(But not a PR!)
More on Tuohy in that next post!
I do have news other than from the "kids" meets or Ostrava!
The most surprising (though not really!!) came from Grandma's Marathon in Minnesota!!
Kellyn Taylor joined the growing list of super-PR's for US Women Marathoners--and of US Women WINNING Marathons!!
Her Course Record time of 2:24:28 won by about 6 minutes!!
Her splits were 72:30 and 71:58!!
It makes her 7th A-T US!!
At a meet in San Diego on June 9th, Bryan McBride HJ'ed 7-8.50, making him 10th A-T US, tied with 4 others!
Ricky Robertson was a good 2nd with 7-7.25!
At the Stumptown Twilight in Portland, James Mwaura--who just graduated HS--ran the fastest 5000 since Chris Derrick's 13:55.7 in 2008--his 14:00.42 making him 9th A-T HS!!
The winner was Diego Estrada's 13:33.70.
And Australian Georgia Griffith ran 2:00.13 to take the 800, moving her up on Australia's National list!
In the "We already KNOW this shit!!" Department---
Edrick Floreal has left Kentucky for the University of Texas--and reportedly will have his ENTIRE Professional crew of female hurdlers follow him!!
That includes Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who has also left Kentucky behind for a Professional career!!
Others going Pro--though some of them were Seniors--include--
Rai Benjamin, Michael Norman, Kendell Ellis, Josh Kerr, Karissa Schweizer, and Sydney McLaughlin--yet another Kentucky "ex-patriate"!!
See you soon!
And I will.
But despite both the NBN and USATF Jr's providing a good number of "shockers & shakers", there was a meet in Europe that led up to those "kids" meets!
Ostrava!
Seeing the quality of the marks (and their quantity!), you'd almost think you were scanning the results of a Diamond League meet!
Juan Echevarria--who had stunned the T&F world with his ever-so-slightly windy LJ of 28-11.75--but whose legal best was "just" 28-0--moved a bit closer to that Beamonesque jump with his 28-5 at Ostrava!
It's the Meet Record, and breaks his own Age 19 Record!
He moves from 19th A-T World, tied with 1 other, to 10th, tied with 1 other!
The SP had its usual array of big marks--led by Tom Walsh's Meet Record of 72-8.50!
But Michal Haratyk double-dipped, breaking his own National Record of Poland, and becoming the caboose on my Top 24 A-T World Performers list!
Tomas Stanek and Ryan Crouser threw in the 70's in 3rd and 4th!
Cut OFF my World list was Dave Laut's 72-3 from 1982!!
Mutaz Barshim's HJ of 7-9.75 also became an Ostrava Meet Record.
He defeated the 7-8.75 of Danil Lysenko!
Norah Tanui (Some refer to her as Norah Jeruto!) also ran to a MR with her 3000SC win of 9:11.23!
Anita Wlodarczyk finally got her first W of 2018, her 250-9 taking down new AR holder Gwen Berry's 243-5!
Other Ostrava marks--
Thomas Rohler's JT of 286-4 lost to Jakob Vadlejch's 289-11.
Justin Gatlin took the 100 in 10.03, just 0.02 seconds off the Age 36 record!
Pawel Wojcieckowski PV'ed 18-10.25 for the Win.
Aaron Brown won a competitive 200 in 20.05!
In 2nd & 3rd came Jereem Richards and Ramil Guliyev, both timed in 20.09!
In the Women's 800, Genzebe Dibaba took the lead, but wound up 4th, time of 2:01.51.
Winner was Rebebe Arafi's 1:59.20!
Gudaf Tsegay took the 1500 in 4:02.45!
Selemon Barega won the 3000 in a PR of 7:37.53.
Andrius Gudzius won the DT with 217-6.
And Dafne Schippers beat Murielle Ahoure in the 200, 22.52 to 22.60!
So, which meet prevailed among the youth of America?
Was Tuohy's 4:33.87 HSR worth more than what Taylor Ewart did at the USATF Jrs--slaughter the field (including Lauren Harris--who had a bad day, finishing 2nd about 5 minutes back!!) in the Track 10K Walk, and take 77 seconds off Maria Michta-Coffey's MR from 2005??
Her 49:07.52 was also an American Junior Record--though this blog pays no attention to such designations!
(She also beat the HSR, and of course, the Junior Class Record!)
Perhaps knowing that she'd won the NBN's 2000SC the day before in 6:38.79, somewhere in the Top 12 A-T on a HS list--if I had one?
Oh yes, then her family drove 9 hours to take her from NC to IN, where she rose early (8:30 a.m.!) to race the 10K Walk!
And can she become the first Woman (or Man??) to make the WC or OG team in a Run AND a Walk??
Or how about KC Lightfoot, who nailed the NBN Meet Record in the PV with his clearance of 18-0.50, then went to Indiana, where his 17-10.50 wasn't enough to stop Zach Bradford from taking over that MR slot with his PR topper of 18-2.50??
Bradford moves from 13th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, to 7th, tied with 1 other!
Cole Riddle, a Collegiate, was 2nd with 18-0.50, with Lightfoot in 3rd!
A startling improvement (from 53.63 INdoors this year) saw Alexis Malone win the USATF Jrs 400 in the MR time of 51.21, making her 7th A-T HS!!
She's a Senior, and played basketball seriously (She's 5-11 tall!!) until switching to Track!
Tara Davis won the USATF Jrs LJ with 22-0.25--AGAINST a wind of 0.7!!
That broke her own Meet Record, but isn't a PR!
However, her mark is just 0.75 inches short of making the Collegiate list--but of course she CAN'T make it now, as it's past the NCAA meet!!
Jasmine Moore was good in 2nd, her 20-11.75 making her 19th A-T HS, tied with 2 others!
As usual, the NBN 2 Mile (at least for the Women!) was solid--with a somewhat surprising winner!
The Denner sisters of California (Maddie and Elena) had done well in the CA State meet recently.
So maybe Maddie running 10:04.53 for the W here comes under "a day in the life" for her!
Kelsey Chmiel, who might have been favored, except for a sluggish spring of racing, ended 4th in 10:09.65!
Maddie's time makes her 17th A-T HS!
In 2nd came Emily Covert's 10:05.19, which makes her 19th A-T HS!
And Sister Elena was 3rd in 10:05.68, making her 23rd A-T HS!
Not often you find siblings (brothers or sisters) on the same list at the same time!
(Think the former Weeks twins, Diane and Julie Pickler in the Heptathlon, the Frazier's!)
Speaking of the latter duo, both Ryen AND Wesley Frazier are now REMOVED from my HS list!!
The 800 in Indiana saw a great battle for supremacy between 2017's HS stud--Sammy Watson--and 2018's version--Caitlin Collier!
In the end, it was Watson's superior kick that took her to the tape first, time of 2:01.46--her best of the year!!
Collier was a strong 2nd in 2:01.66!
BTW, Collier later ran the 1500, where she lost to Rachel McArthur's 4:25.70 in a tactical race, Collier's 4:26.03 coming with a 61.6 final 400!
Tia Jones had her first sub-13 in the 100H since her Freshman year at the perfect time--to win the USATF Jrs race in 12.89!!
She gets the Junior Class Record.
This was against a breeze of 0.5!!
Cortney Jones was 2nd in 12.91, with Chanel Brissett 3rd in 12.95!
Dana Baker ruled the USATF JRs JT with her PR of 178-1!
It gets her the Meet Record, and moves her from 7th A-T HS to 4th!
I don't pay much attention to the Shuttle Hurdle Relays, but when TWO teams shatter the HSR, you take notice!!
Western Branch of VA took 0.39 seconds off the old mark with their 54.67!
They beat the 54.95 (0.11 seconds under the old mark!) of the powerful Bullis TC of Maryland!
It's also--obviously--the NBN Meet Record!!
Tamari Davis was expected to be an easy winner in the NBN's 100 and 200.
And she was!
But even as a Frosh (!!), when she fails to get BOTH MR's, you begin to wonder--Is she past her prime??
I'm JOKING!!
Her 11.19 (0.8) nailed the NBN Meet Record, but her 22.98 missed by 0.04 seconds to get the 200 MR also!
In contrast, Collegiate Twanisha Terry won the Indiana 100 in 11.24, albeit while fighting a wind of 1.1.
Anthony Schwartz took the Men's race in 10.23, against a wind of 0.5!
Cory Poole, seemingly better at 400H, took the 110H in 13.34!
This was over the HS heights of 39 inches!
The Multi's had good to great results--in both meets!
At the Indiana affair, Kyle Garland's 7562 took the Decathlon!
The NBN Decathlon saw a MR score of 7090 by Payton Haack!
Yariel Soto was a good 2nd with 7025 points!
There was an outstanding battle in the Heptathlon!
Anna Hall (the new HSR holder with 5798 points) defeated Sterling Lester, who had come into this meet with a PR of 5288.
Her last meet saw her JT reach just 76 feet!!
So when Lester saw her spear sail out to 105 feet (Big whoop!! LOL), Hall knew she'd have to run the 800 hard to secure the win!
Hall's 5660 becomes the USATF Jrs Meet Record.
Meanwhile, Lester's PR by 235 points (!!)--her 5523 points--moves her all the way from 16th to 5th on the A-T HS list!!
But the NBN's Heptathlon wasn't bad!
Beatrice Juskeviciute's 5251 score makes her 22nd A-T HS!
It also REMOVES former UO Duck Kelly Blair from my HS list, her 5231 dating from 1988!
Blair went on to score 6465 points in 1998!
Rachel Baxter took the USATF Jrs PV with a MR height of 14-6!
She had co-held the old record!
Other notable results from Indiana---
Obiageri Amaechi won the DT with her 186-4
Alyssa Wilson competed in 3 events (HT, SP, and DT!), winning the SP and HT, while taking 2nd in the DT (to Amaechi!), her best mark coming in the Hammer--217-7!
Cory Poole also took the 400H--time of 49.71.
Josh Hoey won the 800 in 1:49.48, beating several Collegiates!!
Jasmine Moore (See above!) won the TJ, but her 43-4.25 fell far short of the MR!
The 400's went to Howard Fields's 45.50 and Taylor Manson's 51.74, which just edged Symone Mason's 51.83!
Lauren Rain Williams and Eric Harrison took the Half Laps in 22.94 and 20.44!
Callie Logue's 9:34.72 in the 3000 prevailed over a pair of HS'ers!!
London Culbreath ran 9:36.77 in 2nd, while Katelynn Hart ended 3rd in 9:37.90!
But that doesn't tell the whole story!
Their last K's were all in 3:01's!!
And the HS'ers final 400's were in the 68's, while Logue dashed a 66.20!
At the Greensboro NC meet---
Alana Carroll took the PV with her height of 13-6.25
Grace Stark ran a non-PR time of 13.24 to win the 100H, wind of 0.8 AGAINST her!
Tyson Jones took the SP with a non-PR of 70-1.50!
Tzuriel Pedigo DID perform in both meets, as I'd noted in my Preview, but no MR's!!
His JT reached 226-8 at NBN.
The Men's 800 saw 3 go under 1:50, the top 2 being Luis Peralta's 1:49.10 and Drew Maher's 1:49.16.
Peralta will be a Senior in 2019!
Some decent Relays (besides the ones already reported!)--
The Cow Harbor TC of NY took the 4 X 800 in a quick 7:31.62, which I believe is about 5th A-T HS!!
Western Carny (?) TC of NC was a close 2nd in 7:32.06, which is probably 6th A-T HS!
Western Branch's Women sped 44.92 in the 4 X 100, missing the MR by 0.04 seconds!
And the Brentwood TC of Tennessee (featuring Brodey Hasty on anchor!), won the DMR in 9:58.76!
Despite the crazy announcer screaming to the crowd that Hasty needed a SUB-4 time to challenge the HSR, he wound up running a good 4:08!!
The 400 went to Tyrese Cooper in a pedestrian (for him!) 46.17.
In a post-race interview, he was asked about his recent run-ins with the LAW, but he brushed them off like stray cat hairs from a couch!
BTW, Brian Herron (Cooper's main foe over one lap) did NOT qualify for the 400 final at USATF Jrs, finishing just 9th in 47.10!
Athing Mu has an interesting name--and an even better pair of legs!!
They carried her to the Emerging Elite 400 title (and EE MR!) in 54.12!
Then she moved to the REAL elites--where her long-legged kick gave her a 2:04.51 W!
She's a Soph, and that mark is just 0.32 shy of the HS DDD!
I'm going to follow this post with a "special" post!
It will deal with the outstanding times run by female Frosh and Sophs (and even 7th & 8th graders!!) in recent years--and the various progressions they've made in subsequent years--or haven't!!
In that post--maybe later today--I will cover Katelyn Tuohy's HSR Mile of 4:33.87, briefly reported above!
I'll give you the basics here!
It was a race against the clock--as ALL of her races this year (and during XC last fall!) have been, as 2nd was about 16 seconds behind!
She gets the HSR and the Soph Class Record!
She also--though I'm not 100% certain!--gets the Age 15 Record!
In my Record Book, she gets my "0-17" Age Record!
It's obviously the NBN Meet Record!
If she were in College, her time would rank her 12th A-T--although Collegiates don't run many Mile races OUTdoors!
Oh, and her 1500 split enroute of 4:15.07 is also a Meet Record!!
(But not a PR!)
More on Tuohy in that next post!
I do have news other than from the "kids" meets or Ostrava!
The most surprising (though not really!!) came from Grandma's Marathon in Minnesota!!
Kellyn Taylor joined the growing list of super-PR's for US Women Marathoners--and of US Women WINNING Marathons!!
Her Course Record time of 2:24:28 won by about 6 minutes!!
Her splits were 72:30 and 71:58!!
It makes her 7th A-T US!!
At a meet in San Diego on June 9th, Bryan McBride HJ'ed 7-8.50, making him 10th A-T US, tied with 4 others!
Ricky Robertson was a good 2nd with 7-7.25!
At the Stumptown Twilight in Portland, James Mwaura--who just graduated HS--ran the fastest 5000 since Chris Derrick's 13:55.7 in 2008--his 14:00.42 making him 9th A-T HS!!
The winner was Diego Estrada's 13:33.70.
And Australian Georgia Griffith ran 2:00.13 to take the 800, moving her up on Australia's National list!
In the "We already KNOW this shit!!" Department---
Edrick Floreal has left Kentucky for the University of Texas--and reportedly will have his ENTIRE Professional crew of female hurdlers follow him!!
That includes Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who has also left Kentucky behind for a Professional career!!
Others going Pro--though some of them were Seniors--include--
Rai Benjamin, Michael Norman, Kendell Ellis, Josh Kerr, Karissa Schweizer, and Sydney McLaughlin--yet another Kentucky "ex-patriate"!!
See you soon!
Friday, June 15, 2018
2018 Previews--USATF Jrs & NBN
When I put my OUTdoor Schedule post together in March, I wasn't sure of the dates for the USATF Junior Championships--the meet that would mostly determine the teams we sent to the World Juniors in Tampere, Finland!
T&FN had said they were June 14th to the 16th!
Yet we ARE speaking of athletes possibly representing their country in a prestigious meet like the World Juniors--or vying for a "National Championship" medal (or HSR!!) while facing top competitors from around the nation--sort of T&F's version of the NXN and Footlocker XC meets!!
So without further ado, let's take a peek at WHO will be WHERE, and whether they have ANY chance to break the Meet Record--at either meet!
MEN
We will see KC Lightfoot--the best HS PV'er NOT named Mondo!
T&FN had said they were June 14th to the 16th!
Well, they were close!
For that meet--AND the New Balance Nationals (aka the US High School Championships!) cover the exact same 3 days--starting today, June 15th, and going through Sunday, the 17th!
The USATF meet is in Indianapolis, the NBN, as per normal, is in Greensboro, North Carolina!
The USATF meet is open to any athlete of the proper age, whether in HS or College (mostly Frosh!), while the NBN is entirely HS'ers!
Conflicts?
Hell YES!!
There ARE at least two "name" athletes (Tzuriel Pedigo and KC Lightfoot) entered in BOTH meets!
A comment on the T&FN MB said that's possible, since their events (at the 2 meets) are on different days!
Still, they'll have to travel a few hundred miles to compete in both!
Then there's the question of choice--and NO, I'm NOT talking about the " Pro-choice or Pro life argument!!
For that meet--AND the New Balance Nationals (aka the US High School Championships!) cover the exact same 3 days--starting today, June 15th, and going through Sunday, the 17th!
The USATF meet is in Indianapolis, the NBN, as per normal, is in Greensboro, North Carolina!
The USATF meet is open to any athlete of the proper age, whether in HS or College (mostly Frosh!), while the NBN is entirely HS'ers!
Conflicts?
Hell YES!!
There ARE at least two "name" athletes (Tzuriel Pedigo and KC Lightfoot) entered in BOTH meets!
A comment on the T&FN MB said that's possible, since their events (at the 2 meets) are on different days!
Still, they'll have to travel a few hundred miles to compete in both!
Then there's the question of choice--and NO, I'm NOT talking about the " Pro-choice or Pro life argument!!
The question here is--Do I want to go to the World Juniors--or end my competitive year at NBN??
(Or choose neither--as in the cases of Lynna Irby, Sydney McLaughlin, and others!)
The difference between the INdoor version of the NB meet and its OUTdoor counterpart is in the seriousness with which top athletes take these meets!
Seems (to me, at least!) they see the INdoor version as more important!
(Or maybe it's because it's more toward the beginning of their OUTdoor season--and they're still in top shape from a busy INdoor season!!)
Whatever the case, the 2018 editions of these meets have been DILUTED to the point where even the truncated schedule of meets like Brooks PR might see more marks per capita find their way to my Record Book than its MUCH larger sister meet!!
The difference between the INdoor version of the NB meet and its OUTdoor counterpart is in the seriousness with which top athletes take these meets!
Seems (to me, at least!) they see the INdoor version as more important!
(Or maybe it's because it's more toward the beginning of their OUTdoor season--and they're still in top shape from a busy INdoor season!!)
Whatever the case, the 2018 editions of these meets have been DILUTED to the point where even the truncated schedule of meets like Brooks PR might see more marks per capita find their way to my Record Book than its MUCH larger sister meet!!
Yet we ARE speaking of athletes possibly representing their country in a prestigious meet like the World Juniors--or vying for a "National Championship" medal (or HSR!!) while facing top competitors from around the nation--sort of T&F's version of the NXN and Footlocker XC meets!!
So without further ado, let's take a peek at WHO will be WHERE, and whether they have ANY chance to break the Meet Record--at either meet!
First, a few guidelines--
This is NOT a comprehensive Preview of either meet!
I am NOT providing a Schedule for either meet, nor providing MR's for EVERY event!!
In fact, SOME events will not be considered at all!
This is NOT a comprehensive Preview of either meet!
I am NOT providing a Schedule for either meet, nor providing MR's for EVERY event!!
In fact, SOME events will not be considered at all!
These are the Relays, the Emerging Elite events at NBN, and the SP, DT, and HT for the Men at either meet!
Why?
Because those 3 throwing events use "Junior" implements, NOT either the HS weights used exclusively in US High Schools (the 12 pound SP, for example), or the weights used by the Pro and Collegiate set!
My Record Book doesn't have lists for those Junior weights, nor do I agree with their use--in ANY venue!
It just confuses record keeping too much, and that is harmful to our sport, IMHO!
(The Women don't have that problem, as they use Pro weight implements from Frosh year in HS on through their entire career!! Sexism in reverse!!)
Why?
Because those 3 throwing events use "Junior" implements, NOT either the HS weights used exclusively in US High Schools (the 12 pound SP, for example), or the weights used by the Pro and Collegiate set!
My Record Book doesn't have lists for those Junior weights, nor do I agree with their use--in ANY venue!
It just confuses record keeping too much, and that is harmful to our sport, IMHO!
(The Women don't have that problem, as they use Pro weight implements from Frosh year in HS on through their entire career!! Sexism in reverse!!)
If I don't mention an event (besides those Men's throws!), it's because that event at either meet lacks any "name" prospects to even come close to the MR!!
That does NOT mean that some "shocker" won't rise out of nowhere and make history!!
It happens!
That why these meets (especially the NBN!!) thrill & excite us every year--whether INdoors or OUTdoors!
First, the USATF Juniors!
That does NOT mean that some "shocker" won't rise out of nowhere and make history!!
It happens!
That why these meets (especially the NBN!!) thrill & excite us every year--whether INdoors or OUTdoors!
First, the USATF Juniors!
MEN
We will see KC Lightfoot--the best HS PV'er NOT named Mondo!
With a PR of 18-5, he is more than a foot behind Mr Duplantis, but has a LONG string of 18 footers in 2018!
He's a SOLID bet for the MR of 18-2!
He's a SOLID bet for the MR of 18-2!
Zach Bradford's PR also reaches 18 feet--EXACTLY!!--but that limits his chances to top the podium here!
Cole Riddle might solve this riddle--if KC or Zach falter!
Tzuriel Pedigo (See above!) is here, and has been consistent over 230 feet!
Tzuriel Pedigo (See above!) is here, and has been consistent over 230 feet!
But the MR is 238-4, so he'll have to pop a biggie if he wants his name in the Record Book!
Remember Trentavis Friday?
Remember Trentavis Friday?
(Whatever happened to him, anyway?)
His MR of 10.00 in the 100 is beatable, and Anthony Schwartz SUPPOSEDLY has the wheels & the engine to beat it!
But his best is "just" 10.09, so he'll have to pull a "Candace Hill" to get the Record!
Austin Kratz is good, but he's no Mr Schwartz!
Both will toe the line here!
The MR for the 39 inch 110H is 13.24.
His MR of 10.00 in the 100 is beatable, and Anthony Schwartz SUPPOSEDLY has the wheels & the engine to beat it!
But his best is "just" 10.09, so he'll have to pull a "Candace Hill" to get the Record!
Austin Kratz is good, but he's no Mr Schwartz!
Both will toe the line here!
The MR for the 39 inch 110H is 13.24.
Joseph Anderson has little chance to get it, but put him as your best bet!
Cooper Teare ran 13:46 for 5000 this season, so the MR of 13:55.7 is in trouble!
But will this be yet another tactical race--just to make the team?
On Saturday, Cory Poole will be in the 400H, but the MR of 49.28 is a BIG stretch for his current talent level!
But will this be yet another tactical race--just to make the team?
On Saturday, Cory Poole will be in the 400H, but the MR of 49.28 is a BIG stretch for his current talent level!
Josh Hoey ran 1:47 INdoors, and has gone a second slower OUTdoors, but the MR of 1:46.97 is a HUGE ask!!
I'm ASSUMING they'll use the Junior weight implements for the Decathlon's throws (except the Javelin!), so the MR for that event is 8016 points!
(It's 7599 if Pro weights are used!!)
Kyle Garland is very good, but he's not yet in that kind of points territory!
Sunday brings us to the HJ, where Nate Patterson recently topped 7-4!
However, the MR is 7-5.25, so he'd have to add 1.25 inches to even tie that mark!
It's possible!
Brian Herron is here, but while he had a GREAT INdoor season, he's yet to show much OUTdoors!
Even if he had, however, the MR of 45.01 over 400 meters is well beyond his current talent level!
Cooper Teare (See above!) had a good year as a College Frosh, so the MR in the 1500 of 3:42.8 is within his scope!
However, we all know how those distance races in Championship meets play out!
S-L-O-W-L-Y!!
Finally, we return to Anthony Schwartz (and Austin Kratz) for the 200!
SOME day--but not SUN day!!--he will run 20.15 (the MR) or faster!!
Yet many believe he CAN jump from a 20.40's guy to a 20.10'er!!
Be exciting to watch!
WOMEN
The Women have a MUCH longer list of MR possibles here!
Today, the JT Meet Record of 175-0 finds itself in siege against the likes of Madison Wiltrout, Dana Baker, and Skylar Ciccolini!
The DT Meet record of 198-0 is probably safe, even though we have Alyssa Wilson and Shelby Moran here!
The 100 MR of 11.09 will face the frontal attack of 10.99'er Twanisha Terry!
Add Tamara Clark to that list!
The 3000SC MR of 10:14.67 has Kristen Fahy, who has run 10 seconds faster!!
Saturday brings us the LJ, where Tara Davis will try to reach the MR of 21-9!
She's done that a few times--in HS and College--so stands a decent chance here!
Kyle Garland is very good, but he's not yet in that kind of points territory!
Sunday brings us to the HJ, where Nate Patterson recently topped 7-4!
However, the MR is 7-5.25, so he'd have to add 1.25 inches to even tie that mark!
It's possible!
Brian Herron is here, but while he had a GREAT INdoor season, he's yet to show much OUTdoors!
Even if he had, however, the MR of 45.01 over 400 meters is well beyond his current talent level!
Cooper Teare (See above!) had a good year as a College Frosh, so the MR in the 1500 of 3:42.8 is within his scope!
However, we all know how those distance races in Championship meets play out!
S-L-O-W-L-Y!!
Finally, we return to Anthony Schwartz (and Austin Kratz) for the 200!
SOME day--but not SUN day!!--he will run 20.15 (the MR) or faster!!
Yet many believe he CAN jump from a 20.40's guy to a 20.10'er!!
Be exciting to watch!
WOMEN
The Women have a MUCH longer list of MR possibles here!
Today, the JT Meet Record of 175-0 finds itself in siege against the likes of Madison Wiltrout, Dana Baker, and Skylar Ciccolini!
The DT Meet record of 198-0 is probably safe, even though we have Alyssa Wilson and Shelby Moran here!
The 100 MR of 11.09 will face the frontal attack of 10.99'er Twanisha Terry!
Add Tamara Clark to that list!
The 3000SC MR of 10:14.67 has Kristen Fahy, who has run 10 seconds faster!!
Saturday brings us the LJ, where Tara Davis will try to reach the MR of 21-9!
She's done that a few times--in HS and College--so stands a decent chance here!
Add Jasmine Moore, but she's better in the TJ!
Alyssa Wilson recently got a HT PR of 219-9 (See earlier post!), but she'd have to attach almost 4 feet to her ball and chain to get the 223-6 MR!
Jillian Shippee could surprise!
Katherine Isenberger is a 6-1.25 HJ'er, but the MR is 6-2.75!
Then there's the 800!!
THAT Meet Record could very well be SMASHED--and by THREE Women!!
Sammy Watson and Avi Tal Wilson-Perteete will vie with HS sensation Caitlin Collier (who has run faster OUTdoors than either this season!!) for the 2:02.91 MR!
Tia Jones recently said she wants her own HSR of 12.84 to fall here--and that SHE be the one to do it!!
However, she has yet to break 13 again since her Freshman year--when she ran that time!!
But Tara Davis has!
Although not recently!
Chanel Brissett (12.75 PR!) is here also!
The 5000 MR of 15:56.84 is probably JUST outside the reach of Callie Logue or Emily Venters!
Alyssa Wilson recently got a HT PR of 219-9 (See earlier post!), but she'd have to attach almost 4 feet to her ball and chain to get the 223-6 MR!
Jillian Shippee could surprise!
Katherine Isenberger is a 6-1.25 HJ'er, but the MR is 6-2.75!
Then there's the 800!!
THAT Meet Record could very well be SMASHED--and by THREE Women!!
Sammy Watson and Avi Tal Wilson-Perteete will vie with HS sensation Caitlin Collier (who has run faster OUTdoors than either this season!!) for the 2:02.91 MR!
Tia Jones recently said she wants her own HSR of 12.84 to fall here--and that SHE be the one to do it!!
However, she has yet to break 13 again since her Freshman year--when she ran that time!!
But Tara Davis has!
Although not recently!
Chanel Brissett (12.75 PR!) is here also!
The 5000 MR of 15:56.84 is probably JUST outside the reach of Callie Logue or Emily Venters!
That said, one to watch is HS'er Marlee Starliper!
She won't win, but all she needs to make my DDD is to run 16:31.4!!
Even if the race is a MoBot, she stands a good chance to do it!
Sunday is a busy one, as most of it is finals!
The 10K Track Walk has THE 2 best US HS Walkers here--Taylor Ewart and Lauren Harris!
Will be VERY exciting seeing if they can get the MR of 50:24.46!
She won't win, but all she needs to make my DDD is to run 16:31.4!!
Even if the race is a MoBot, she stands a good chance to do it!
Sunday is a busy one, as most of it is finals!
The 10K Track Walk has THE 2 best US HS Walkers here--Taylor Ewart and Lauren Harris!
Will be VERY exciting seeing if they can get the MR of 50:24.46!
Considering both are capable of times in the 49's--and maybe the 48's!--that MR needs a Restraining Order for its protection!!
Rachel Baxter is likely to top the MR of 14-1.25 in the PV!
Jasmine Moore will have to duplicate her WINDY 45 foot TJ in order to get the MR (and HSR!) of 44-11.75!
The multi-talented thrower--Alyssa Wilson--is back in the SP, but she hasn't neared her HSR of 58-1 yet this year, so the MR of 57-7.75 is probably out of reach!
Rachel Baxter is likely to top the MR of 14-1.25 in the PV!
Jasmine Moore will have to duplicate her WINDY 45 foot TJ in order to get the MR (and HSR!) of 44-11.75!
The multi-talented thrower--Alyssa Wilson--is back in the SP, but she hasn't neared her HSR of 58-1 yet this year, so the MR of 57-7.75 is probably out of reach!
The 400 has 3 good sprinters--Arria Minor, Symone Mason, and Taylor Manson, but SRR's MR of 50.69 is WAY beyond their current talents!
(Now, if Syd McLaughlin or Lynna Irby were here....!!)
(Now, if Syd McLaughlin or Lynna Irby were here....!!)
The Heptathlon MR is ripe for the picking by new HSR holder (Record SHATTERER!!!) Anna Hall.
The MR is 5600, while Hall's HSR is 5798!
You do the math!
The MR is 5600, while Hall's HSR is 5798!
You do the math!
Sterling Lester--as noted in a previous post--will have to have a good JT to get even 5500 points!
Her best is 5298!
Caitlin Collier returns for the 1500!!
If she's rested from the 800 (See above!), she'll have a crack at the MR of 4:14.74--held by Miss Mary Cain!!
Rachel McArthur will also give chase!
The 200 finds Arria Minor back from the 400 (See above!).
Rachel McArthur will also give chase!
The 200 finds Arria Minor back from the 400 (See above!).
But Tamara Clark and Lauren Rain Williams probably have a better shot at the 22.49 MR!!
"Better", but nowhere near perfect!!
We end this USATF Preview with the 3000, where Callie Logue will be the best Collegiate in the race!
Yet most eyes might be on the stud HS trio of Marlee Starliper, London Culbreath, and the only HS Woman who can be named in the same breath as Katelyn Tuohy--Katelynn Hart!
Can any of them top Kate Murphy's MR of 9:10.51??
How many permutations of "Kate" or "Katelyn" ARE there???
LOL
Now, as for my NBN Preview, I can promise you it will NOT take up as much space as the above!!
"Better", but nowhere near perfect!!
We end this USATF Preview with the 3000, where Callie Logue will be the best Collegiate in the race!
Yet most eyes might be on the stud HS trio of Marlee Starliper, London Culbreath, and the only HS Woman who can be named in the same breath as Katelyn Tuohy--Katelynn Hart!
Can any of them top Kate Murphy's MR of 9:10.51??
How many permutations of "Kate" or "Katelyn" ARE there???
LOL
Now, as for my NBN Preview, I can promise you it will NOT take up as much space as the above!!
(BTW, did I forget to tell you that you can watch all 3 days of the NBN for FREE---via Runner Space?? You have to pay to watch the USATF meet, however!!)
The NBN's Friday Men's schedule begins (for us here!) with the Mile, where we have recent 4:04 guy Cameron Ponder trying for the 4:02.01 MR (and maybe the 3:46.0 for 1500 enroute!).
Tyrese Cooper--noted recently more for his alleged "criminal" activities than for his exploits on a track!!--is here!!
He'll be in the 200 (MR of 20.41) and 400 (MR of 45.38)!
And he has a good chance at BOTH!!
(But behave yourself, Mr Cooper!! LOL)
The NBN's Friday Men's schedule begins (for us here!) with the Mile, where we have recent 4:04 guy Cameron Ponder trying for the 4:02.01 MR (and maybe the 3:46.0 for 1500 enroute!).
Tyrese Cooper--noted recently more for his alleged "criminal" activities than for his exploits on a track!!--is here!!
He'll be in the 200 (MR of 20.41) and 400 (MR of 45.38)!
And he has a good chance at BOTH!!
(But behave yourself, Mr Cooper!! LOL)
Jonah Hoey--younger brother of Josh (See above!)--will NOT break the MR of 1:48.01--nor may he even win--but he'll be fun to watch!
Mr Ponder is back for the Two Mile--on different days!
He'll have as company (at least at the start!) Drew Hunter's brother--Jacob!
But the MR of 8:34.40 (and 7:59.83 for 3000 enroute) feel pretty safe, despite his 4:04 Mile wheels!
Ryan Oosting was sort of a star in HS, but is probably outside the range of the MR in the 5000 of 14:11.61.
Besides, there's that dreaded MoBot disease going around....!!!
Mr Ponder is back for the Two Mile--on different days!
He'll have as company (at least at the start!) Drew Hunter's brother--Jacob!
But the MR of 8:34.40 (and 7:59.83 for 3000 enroute) feel pretty safe, despite his 4:04 Mile wheels!
Ryan Oosting was sort of a star in HS, but is probably outside the range of the MR in the 5000 of 14:11.61.
Besides, there's that dreaded MoBot disease going around....!!!
KC Lightfoot (See above!) is here for his 2nd (or 1st??) PV contest of the weekend!
And the MR here of 17-8.50 is a MUCH easier target for his 18-5 talents!
Only a NH will prevent its falling!!
They throw the 12 pounder in the SP at NBN, but the 76-0 MR is out of the sights of Tyson Jones or Pat Piperi--Tripp's brother!!
Another dual-meet contender is the above-named Tzuriel Pedigo!
Here, the MR is 239-9!
The NBN Women's list of "names"--as at the USATF Jrs--is longer here also!
And we begin with one of the two biggest names in the 100 and 200--the incredible Frosh named Tamari Davis!!
Her amazing 200 speed of 22.48 should see the MR of 22.94 die a VIOLENT death!!
Even in the 100, her 11.25 PR could nip the MR of 11.27!
And she's just a HS FROSH!!
Kynnedy Flannel--who has one of my favorite NAMES in T&F--is here to follow Ms Davis to the finish line--well behind, most likely!!
The MR of 2:02.76 in the 800 should survive the 2:06'ish talents of Gabby Wilkinson and Athing Mu!
(I'm saving the Mile for last!! LOL)
In the Two Mile (NOT the 3200, Thank you, NB, very much!!), Kelsey Chmiel and Emily Covert should do battle!
But recent times by Chmiel are FAR removed from her 2017 PR of 9:18!
The MR is 9:54.22!
And the MR here of 17-8.50 is a MUCH easier target for his 18-5 talents!
Only a NH will prevent its falling!!
They throw the 12 pounder in the SP at NBN, but the 76-0 MR is out of the sights of Tyson Jones or Pat Piperi--Tripp's brother!!
Another dual-meet contender is the above-named Tzuriel Pedigo!
Here, the MR is 239-9!
The NBN Women's list of "names"--as at the USATF Jrs--is longer here also!
And we begin with one of the two biggest names in the 100 and 200--the incredible Frosh named Tamari Davis!!
Her amazing 200 speed of 22.48 should see the MR of 22.94 die a VIOLENT death!!
Even in the 100, her 11.25 PR could nip the MR of 11.27!
And she's just a HS FROSH!!
Kynnedy Flannel--who has one of my favorite NAMES in T&F--is here to follow Ms Davis to the finish line--well behind, most likely!!
The MR of 2:02.76 in the 800 should survive the 2:06'ish talents of Gabby Wilkinson and Athing Mu!
(I'm saving the Mile for last!! LOL)
In the Two Mile (NOT the 3200, Thank you, NB, very much!!), Kelsey Chmiel and Emily Covert should do battle!
But recent times by Chmiel are FAR removed from her 2017 PR of 9:18!
The MR is 9:54.22!
The 100H has Jasmin Jones, Emily Sloan, Grace Stark, and the more-famous Kori Carter-namesake--Kori Carter to face each other--and the 13.01 MR!
The 400H?
Well, Ms's Sloan and Carter return here--BUT!!!--the MR of 54.22 is held by one Sydney McLaughlin!!
GOOD luck, Ladies!!!
Brooke Rauber will face the dual-talented Walker/Runner Taylor Ewart (See above!) in the RUNNING 2000SC!!
The MR of 6:34.69 COULD be in jeopardy!
The 4 X Mile Relay (the ONLY Relay I'm mentioning here!) sees Kelsey Chmiel leading her Kinetic Running team out of NY!
But can she produce a low-4:40's leg to carry her team to the MR of 19:58.07?
And yes, I said the 4 X MILE Relay, NOT the 4 X 1600!!
The field events have a few known entities--
Jenna Rogers in the HJ (MR of 6-2)
Reagann LeLeux in the PV (13-9)
Titiana Marsh and Kynnedy Flannel in the LJ (MR of 22-5 is 100% safe!!)
Ms Marsh again in the TJ (44-1.25)
And Payden Montana in the DT (179-7)!
As for that Mile--
We will see the redoubtable Ms Katelyn Tuohy--still a HS Soph, and not yet 16 years old--challenge the CLOCK--not any of her "opponents"!!
The 400H?
Well, Ms's Sloan and Carter return here--BUT!!!--the MR of 54.22 is held by one Sydney McLaughlin!!
GOOD luck, Ladies!!!
Brooke Rauber will face the dual-talented Walker/Runner Taylor Ewart (See above!) in the RUNNING 2000SC!!
The MR of 6:34.69 COULD be in jeopardy!
The 4 X Mile Relay (the ONLY Relay I'm mentioning here!) sees Kelsey Chmiel leading her Kinetic Running team out of NY!
But can she produce a low-4:40's leg to carry her team to the MR of 19:58.07?
And yes, I said the 4 X MILE Relay, NOT the 4 X 1600!!
The field events have a few known entities--
Jenna Rogers in the HJ (MR of 6-2)
Reagann LeLeux in the PV (13-9)
Titiana Marsh and Kynnedy Flannel in the LJ (MR of 22-5 is 100% safe!!)
Ms Marsh again in the TJ (44-1.25)
And Payden Montana in the DT (179-7)!
As for that Mile--
We will see the redoubtable Ms Katelyn Tuohy--still a HS Soph, and not yet 16 years old--challenge the CLOCK--not any of her "opponents"!!
Her recent 2-day double of 9:09 and 4:14 in the 3000 and 1500 at her NY State meet (See previous post!) speaks loudly for a probable attack on the 1982 HSR of Polly Plumer--4:35.24!
Tuohy has built a reputation this year (INdoors & OUT!) of being a TOTALLY dedicated frontrunner!!
Her INdoor 5000 of 15:37 saw her 1st 3000 run at 15:20 pace!
Tuohy has built a reputation this year (INdoors & OUT!) of being a TOTALLY dedicated frontrunner!!
Her INdoor 5000 of 15:37 saw her 1st 3000 run at 15:20 pace!
She began her INdoor 3000 of 9:05 with a 2:57 initial K--same as her OUTdoor 9:09!!
IF she remains on course, we COULD see a first 440 of 66, then an 880 of 2:14 or so, then a 1320 of 3:22 or faster!!
IF that's what we get, watch for a REAL challenge to a sub-4:30 time!!
But even a MUCH slower 2:18 at the "half" would give her a great chance to FINALLY remove Ms Plumer's name from the Record Book!!
Enjoy the weekend--and WATCH the NBN (It's FREE, remember!!).
You won't regret it!
See you soon!
IF she remains on course, we COULD see a first 440 of 66, then an 880 of 2:14 or so, then a 1320 of 3:22 or faster!!
IF that's what we get, watch for a REAL challenge to a sub-4:30 time!!
But even a MUCH slower 2:18 at the "half" would give her a great chance to FINALLY remove Ms Plumer's name from the Record Book!!
Enjoy the weekend--and WATCH the NBN (It's FREE, remember!!).
You won't regret it!
See you soon!
Monday, June 11, 2018
Two DL's & Other Stuff
Thought that NCAA meet was the ONLY game in town?
HA!
Did you forget (or not look at my posted OUTdoor Schedule?) about Oslo's (Bislett Games) or Stockholm's (DN Galan) Diamond League meets?
Or the Brooks PR and Portland Track Festival meets?
And lots of "other stuff"!!
Well, hang on to your hats, folks, I've got a TON of great results to give to you!!
Let's begin with yet ANOTHER American Record in the Women's Hammer Throw!!
Just days after DeAnna Price broke Gwen Berry's AR with her 254-9, Ms Berry struck back with a toss of 255-2 to reclaim her AR!!
She moves from 2nd to 1st on the A-T US list!
But more significantly, she moves from 13th A-T World up to 5th!!
And she beat the WR holder, as Anita Wlodarczyk could hit just 247-9--albeit her best of 2018!
That happened at a great little meet in Poland!
Genzebe Dibaba ran the 1500 in 3:56.68 there, to claim the Age 27 Record!1
Renaud Lavillenie returned to form, winning the PV with 19-4.75!
Ryan Crouser took the SP with a big 73-0.75, beating Tom Walsh's 70-11-75!
Wojciech Nowicki's HT of 264-6 beat Pawel Fajdek's 262-7!
Allyson Felix was beaten in the 400 by Justyne Swiety-Ersetic, 51.11 to 51.35!
Andrius Gudzius took the DT with a PR twirl of 227-4!
And Paul Dedewo took the 400 in 44.56.
In Oslo, Abderrahman Samba was able to do his Bolt-ian little jig after winning again over the 400H!!
His time of 47.60 was a Bislett Meet Record!
Second went to Karsten Warholm's 48.22!
Tom Walsh got another Bislett Games Meet Record with his SP of 73-1.75!
But Ryan Crouser wasn't far behind, as he hit 72-10.50!
Salwa Naser may prove to be the Diamond League's 400 Queen, as she possessed the 400 in 49.98, easily turning back Phyllis Francis (50.47), Shakima Wimbley (50.53), and Jessica Beard (50.57)!
While waiting for Sydney McLaughlin to sign her Pro contract & head to the DL circuit, Delilah Muhammad was allowed to take the 400H in 53.65 over Shamier Little's 53.95!
Back in 6th, Amelie Iuel's 55.26 broke her own National Record of Norway!
Emma Coburn stayed on her feet this time, and took a close 2nd to Hyvin Jepkemoi's 9:09.63 winner in the 3000SC, timing out in 9:09.76!!
Courtney Frerichs opened her season in 4th, time of 9:20.84!
Not bad for a rust-buster!
The new AR holder in the TJ--Tori Franklin--is now able to compete on the DL circuit, and do it well!
Her 47-9.75 took 2nd to TJ Diva Caterine Ibarguen's 48-10.25, which was wind-aided!
Sandi Morris easily took the PV, clearing 15-9.25!
Second went to Anzhelika Sidorova's 15-5.75!
Ekaterina Stefanidi No-Heighted!!
In other Oslo events--
Tatsiana Khaladovich's JT of 221-4 broke her own National Record of Belarus, and made her 14th on the A-T World list!
Ramil Guliyev took the 200 in 19.90 over the 19.98 of Aaron Brown!
Murielle Ahoure's 10.91 beat the 10.92 by Dina Asher-Smith!
But the latter nabbed the National Record of Great Britain!
Wind was 1.6.
Andrius Gudzius's DT sailed out to 226-6!
Mutaz Barshim HJ'ed 7-8.75 for another easy W.
In the 1500 "B" race, Chris O'Hare's 3:35.96 beat Robby Andrews's 3:36.05!
But in 3rd was young Jakob Ingebrigtsen's 3:36.06, a PR!
Using a 1.1 wind, Danielle Williams beat Alina Talay in the 100H, 12.60 to 12.63!
In 3rd was Queen Harrison's 12.71.
Finally, in that most venerable of events--the Bislett Dream Mile--it was instead a nightmare of sorts, as Elijah Manangoi jogged it in 3:56.95!!
Moving on to Stockholm----
Forget Mike Powell, Carl Lewis, and Bob Beamon!!
We may SOON have ourselves our next 29 foot Long Jumper!!
And he's still only 19 years old!!
"He" is Cuba's Juan Echevarria, and he leapt out to a humongous 28-11.75, almost leaping OUT of the pit onto hard cement!!
The fact it was ever-so-slightly wind-aided (2.1) makes little difference!
If you remember (See earlier post!), he recently hit 28-0 for the first time!
Now he's out almost another whole foot!!
Sand pit makers of the World--extend your sandboxes another foot or so!
You don't want this kid to hurt himself!!
BTW, he had a legal jump of 27-10.75!!
The Samba--Warholm Show continued, and the encore was even better than the earlier performance!
(See above!)
Abderrahman Samba is a delight!!
I LOVE that dance he does after EVERY victory--and his victories are becoming a habit!!
(That is, until Rai Benjamin decides to join the party!!)
But his 47.41 made a statement--that this athlete may not be stopped--by anyone!!
He got the Stockholm Meet Record, and broke his own National Record of Qatar!!
He moves from 15th A-T World, tied with 1 other, to 14th!
Karsten Warholm was 2nd in 47.81, nipping his own National Record of Norway by 0.01 seconds!!
(BTW, Mr Benjamin has hinted he'll be turning Pro, but might NOT race again this year! We'll see!!)
Sandi Morris continued her string of W's, clearing 15-11.25, beating the 15-3 by Angelika Bengtsson!
Morris's mark is the new Stockholm Meet Record!
Another continuing a win streak (now 42 meets long, but including her INdoor meets!!) was Mariya Lasitskene!
Her 6-6.75 was matched by Mirela Demirova, but Lasitskene won on fewer misses!
It was Demirova's first 2 meter jump!
Salwa Naser also extended her string of W's by winning the 400 in 49.84, breaking her own National Record of Bahrain!
This time, Phyllis Francis got closer, but not close enough, her time of 50.07 being 0.23 seconds back!
Jessica Beard followed in 50.55, while Shamier Little took 4th in 50.82.
Fedric Dacres took the DT with a Stockholm Meet Record distance of 228-7!
Andrius Gudzius took 2nd with a PR of 228-3!
NOTE--I made a HUGE mistake in determining the Age 22 and 23 (and now 24) Records in my Record Book!!
For some reason, I recorded Dacres's 225-3 in 2017 as being the Age 22 Record!
But he was born February 28, 1994!
So he was 23 when he threw that 225-3, NOT Age 22!
And this year, again for some unknown reason, I wrote that he threw the Discus 228-10!
This mark is FALSE--as far as I can establish!!
And since he is now 24, his 228-7 is NOT the Age 23 Record!!
Somehow, at some time, I will sort this out, and let you know what I find!!
My apologies for the confusion!!
Mondo WON!!
In his "home" country, no less!!
And he faced most of the World's best--except for Renaud Lavillenie!!
His 19-2.75 clearance defeated the 19-0.75 by Sam Kendricks, who has graciously become Mondo's chief booster and BFF!!
His home crowd adored him, and so did the press!
He is fast becoming THE darling of the Bar Clearers!!
BTW, he didn't miss until he reached 18-10.75.
He then missed once at 19-4.75, and passed to 19-6.75, where he missed twice!
Er, Mondo is Mondo Duplantis, as if you were confused!!
LOL
In other Stockholm news---
There was a GREAT little battle in the Women's LJ!
Four Women ended within 1.50 inches of each other!
Lorraine Ugen wound up the winner, hitting the sand at 22-5.75!
With the same distance came Malieka Mihambo!
At 22-5 was Christabel Nettey, while Ivana Spanovic hit 22-4.25!!
Distances weren't super hot, but the Comp was wild!!
Jakpb Ingebrigtsen took the 1500 in 3:37.42.
The fastest 5000 of the year was run by young Selemon Barega, his 13:04.05 edging the 13:04.25 by Berhanu Balew!
Ababi Hadis ran 13:06.76 in 3rd, while first American was Ben True, time of 13:16.48!
Australian Peter Bol came close to their National Record with his 800 winning time of 1:44.56!
Second went to Joseph Deng's 1:44.61.
Dina Asher-Smith took the 100 in 10.93 over the 11.03 of Murielle Ahoure, wind of minus 0.3!
Ramil Guliyev took the 200 in 19.92 over Aaron Brown's 20.07.
Steven Gardiner stopped early, with a tightness somewhere!
Gudef Tsegay took the 1500 in 3:57.64, getting the Stockholm Meet Record!
Laura Muir kicked too late, taking 2nd in 3:58.83.
Rababe Arefi stayed ahead of a late-charging Jenny Simpson, 4:00.28 to 4:00.34!!
The rabbit took them out with a 59.96 first 400!!
They slowed to 2:03 and change at 800, but that was much faster than asked for!!
In the rarely run 1000, Ferguson Rotich ran a fast 2:14.88, easily defeating Sadik Mikhou's 2:16.09!
Rotich misses the World list by 0.15 seconds!
There were 6 under 2:17, and 11 at 2:19.21 or faster!!
Finally (for Stockholm!), we have newly married Brianna Rollins--now Ms McNeal!!--who won the 100H in the World Leading time of 12.38!!
The wind was 1.8.
Danielle Williams PR'ed with 12.48 in 2nd, missing the World DDD by 0.04 seconds!!
Alina Talay was 3rd in 12.55!
Nadine Visser's 12.71 back in 4th gave her the National Record of the Netherlands!!
There were good marks coming out of a Florida meet (NOT in Clermont, but nearby!!), and the Racers GP in Jamaica!!
Karani James returned to the elite level with a 44.35 win over Fred Kerley's 44.36 in Jamaica!
Zharnel Hughes took the 100 in 9.91 over Noah Lyles's PR of 9.93!
He's now 20th A-T US, tied with "just" 8 others!!
He also is now 7th A-T US on my US Combined Events list for the 100 & 200, his times of 9.93 and 19.69 adding to 29.62!
Megan Clark took the PV at 15-1.50!
Daniele Thomas-Dodd edged Raven Saunders in the SP, 61-0 to 60-11.25!
In 5th came Michelle Carter's 59-7!
Ajee Wilson took the 800 in 1:59.84!
The 100 and 200 saw some BIG names make their presence felt!!
The 200 went to SMU--aka Shaunae Miller-Uibo--in a quick 22.11, breeze of 0.1.
Sharicka Jackson was well back in 22.62!
But it was the 100 where the light shone brightest!!
SAFP --Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce--is BACK!!
After openers of 11.52 and 11.33 (See earlier post!), she's now at 11.10, and coming on, er FAST!!
She needed all of it to take down Jenna Prandini's 11.14, the wind a negative 0.2!!
In Florida, Isaiah Young won the century in 9.92, making him 16th A-T US, tied with 3 others!
Andre Clark won the 400H in 48.29!
But it was the Women's 100 where THE mark of the meet took place!
While Semoy Hackett broke the tape first in 11.07, it was the third placer whose name might become historic in years to come!!
Her name is Tamari Davis, and she is 15 years old!
She ran 11.13, SHATTERING the Frosh Class Record of 11.24, held by Angela Williams since 1995!!
Davis is now 4th A-T HS, tied with 3 others!!
In other HS news--
Katelyn Tuohy put on a show over the 2 days of the NY State meet!!
Her 3000 of 9:09.71 broke her own Soph Class Record, but she remains 3rd A-T HS!!
Her 1st K was 2:57.15!
She slowed to 6 minutes even at 2000, so, like her 15:37 INdoor 5000, faded some over the last stages!!
The next day, she ran the 1500 in 4:14.45!
She moves from 19th A-T HS to 8th---0.05 seconds ahead of one Jordan Hasay!!
The Brooks Two Mile (NOT 3200!!) was a Record Smasher--at least depth-wise!!
The Win went to Canada's Taryn O'Neill, time of 9:54.40--but the rest were all US!!
Camila Noe ran 9:54.95, making her 4th A-T HS!!
Katelynn Hart--like Tuohy, a Soph!--ran 9:56.40, making her 6th A-T HS!!
Next came Jackie Gaughn's 9:59.40, which makes her 7th A-T HS!!
Followed by Ericka Vanderlende's 9:59.92, which makes her 8th A-T HS!!
Then came London Culbreath in 6th, her time of 10:03.29 moving her from 17th to 16th on the A-T HS list!!
YES!!!
The Men's race saw a Record going down!
It was won by James Mwaura in 8:48.76!
But in second was Cole Sprout, his time of 8:49.76 removing the late Eric Hulst's name from the Soph Class Record line!!
Hulst's time was run in--1974!!
The Miles were won by Dustin Horter in 4:04.68, and Mariah Castillo in 4:41.40.
Castillo misses the HS list by 0.18 seconds!
Zach Bradford became the 14th OUTdoor HS 18 footer, clearing exactly that height!
He is 13th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
In the NY State meet, Parker Stokes won the 3000SC in 9:05.67, making him 12th A-T HS!
Nate Patterson's 7-4 HJ makes him 18th A-T HS, tied with 7 others!
I thank you for hanging in here!
I know this is already VERY long, but I don't want to do a second post!!
I have more to present, but due to length, I'll collect them in one final grouping!!
Note that some of these marks are a week or so old!!
The older marks are--
Ryan Crouser took a SP with a mark of 73-2.50!
Mike Rodgers won a 100 in 9.92, wind of 1.7!
Alina Talay broke her own National Record of Belarus with her 100H time of 12.41!!
She'd never broken 12.60 before!!
It makes her 17th A-T World!!
Magnus Kirt threw the Javelin 291-1, breaking his own National Record of Estonia!
But he misses the World DDD by one foot!!
I forgot to mention that Abdelelah Haroun's 44.35 was the new Hengelo Meet Record!!
Also from Hengelo, Jenny Simpson's Mile time of 4:25.71 was the Meet Record also!
In new news (Sic!)---
Ce'Aira Brown took the Martinez Classic 800 in 1:59.75.
Drew Piazza won the Mile in 3:56.56, but interesting in 2nd was Leo Manzano's first sub-4 in awhile, time of 3:57.35!!
Marta Freitas took the Women's Mile in 4:25.84!
Dom Scott-Erfurd was 2nd in 4:26.63!
Christabel Nettey edged by Brittney Reese in the LJ, 22-7 to 22-6.50!
Jordan Diaz of Cuba TJ'ed 57-1.50!
This breaks his own Age 17 Record!!
In a European meet somewhere, Wojciech Nowicki PR'ed in the HT with his 267-2!
He'd previously hit 266-2!
The PTF meet had some okay--but not great--times!
No Records broken!!
Rochelle Kanuho won the 10000 in 32:18.35!
Molly Seidel was well back in 32:31.50!
Kinsey Middleton followed in 32:33.38!
Stephanie Brown won the Women's 1500 in 4:06.71.
Second went to Emily Lipari's 4:07.30.
Dani Jones--that Colorado redshirt--took third in 4:07.33!
(Compare to the winning time at the NCAA's!!)
Alexa Efraimson was 4th in 4:08.47!
Thirty seven Women broke the 4:20 barrier!!
Yes, I said 37!!
(4:20 is about 4:38 Mile pace!!)
Clayton Murphy took the Men's race in 3:40.25 over Drew Hunter's 3:41.05!
But in 15th came HS'er Brodey Hasty, his 3:43.77 moving him from 17th A-T HS to 10th!!
Eric Jenkins took the 5000 in 13:21.41.
The Women's race went to Marielle Hall's 15:16.57!
Jessica O'Connell was 2nd in 15:18.36!
In 7th came Fiona O'Keefe, time of 15:34.44!
(Did she redshirt at Stanford this season??)
Kim Conley was 15th in 15:49.08!!
Finally--and I do mean FINALLY!!--
Mary Keitany showed she has major wheels for distances under 26.2 miles, as she sped over the NYRR's Mini 10K Road course in 30:59!!
Her splits were 15:52, then 15:07!!)
Aliphine Tuliamuk HAD been with her through the half, but couldn't do the 4:40-ish miles of Keitany, ending in 32:08!
But she beat one Molly Huddle, who finished 3rd in 32:25, ahead of the 32:33 by Betsy Saina!
In the Women's Wheelchair race, Susannah Scaroni sped 22:48, reportedly the fastest-ever Road 10K for Wheelchairs!!
AND she beat the Queen of Wheelers--Tatyana McFadden, who did 23:34!!
Next post should be my Preview of the NBN meet--and maybe combining that with a Preview of the USATF Junior Championships!!
Remember, the World Junior meet is this summer!!
See you soon!
HA!
Did you forget (or not look at my posted OUTdoor Schedule?) about Oslo's (Bislett Games) or Stockholm's (DN Galan) Diamond League meets?
Or the Brooks PR and Portland Track Festival meets?
And lots of "other stuff"!!
Well, hang on to your hats, folks, I've got a TON of great results to give to you!!
Let's begin with yet ANOTHER American Record in the Women's Hammer Throw!!
Just days after DeAnna Price broke Gwen Berry's AR with her 254-9, Ms Berry struck back with a toss of 255-2 to reclaim her AR!!
She moves from 2nd to 1st on the A-T US list!
But more significantly, she moves from 13th A-T World up to 5th!!
And she beat the WR holder, as Anita Wlodarczyk could hit just 247-9--albeit her best of 2018!
That happened at a great little meet in Poland!
Genzebe Dibaba ran the 1500 in 3:56.68 there, to claim the Age 27 Record!1
Renaud Lavillenie returned to form, winning the PV with 19-4.75!
Ryan Crouser took the SP with a big 73-0.75, beating Tom Walsh's 70-11-75!
Wojciech Nowicki's HT of 264-6 beat Pawel Fajdek's 262-7!
Allyson Felix was beaten in the 400 by Justyne Swiety-Ersetic, 51.11 to 51.35!
Andrius Gudzius took the DT with a PR twirl of 227-4!
And Paul Dedewo took the 400 in 44.56.
In Oslo, Abderrahman Samba was able to do his Bolt-ian little jig after winning again over the 400H!!
His time of 47.60 was a Bislett Meet Record!
Second went to Karsten Warholm's 48.22!
Tom Walsh got another Bislett Games Meet Record with his SP of 73-1.75!
But Ryan Crouser wasn't far behind, as he hit 72-10.50!
Salwa Naser may prove to be the Diamond League's 400 Queen, as she possessed the 400 in 49.98, easily turning back Phyllis Francis (50.47), Shakima Wimbley (50.53), and Jessica Beard (50.57)!
While waiting for Sydney McLaughlin to sign her Pro contract & head to the DL circuit, Delilah Muhammad was allowed to take the 400H in 53.65 over Shamier Little's 53.95!
Back in 6th, Amelie Iuel's 55.26 broke her own National Record of Norway!
Emma Coburn stayed on her feet this time, and took a close 2nd to Hyvin Jepkemoi's 9:09.63 winner in the 3000SC, timing out in 9:09.76!!
Courtney Frerichs opened her season in 4th, time of 9:20.84!
Not bad for a rust-buster!
The new AR holder in the TJ--Tori Franklin--is now able to compete on the DL circuit, and do it well!
Her 47-9.75 took 2nd to TJ Diva Caterine Ibarguen's 48-10.25, which was wind-aided!
Sandi Morris easily took the PV, clearing 15-9.25!
Second went to Anzhelika Sidorova's 15-5.75!
Ekaterina Stefanidi No-Heighted!!
In other Oslo events--
Tatsiana Khaladovich's JT of 221-4 broke her own National Record of Belarus, and made her 14th on the A-T World list!
Ramil Guliyev took the 200 in 19.90 over the 19.98 of Aaron Brown!
Murielle Ahoure's 10.91 beat the 10.92 by Dina Asher-Smith!
But the latter nabbed the National Record of Great Britain!
Wind was 1.6.
Andrius Gudzius's DT sailed out to 226-6!
Mutaz Barshim HJ'ed 7-8.75 for another easy W.
In the 1500 "B" race, Chris O'Hare's 3:35.96 beat Robby Andrews's 3:36.05!
But in 3rd was young Jakob Ingebrigtsen's 3:36.06, a PR!
Using a 1.1 wind, Danielle Williams beat Alina Talay in the 100H, 12.60 to 12.63!
In 3rd was Queen Harrison's 12.71.
Finally, in that most venerable of events--the Bislett Dream Mile--it was instead a nightmare of sorts, as Elijah Manangoi jogged it in 3:56.95!!
Moving on to Stockholm----
Forget Mike Powell, Carl Lewis, and Bob Beamon!!
We may SOON have ourselves our next 29 foot Long Jumper!!
And he's still only 19 years old!!
"He" is Cuba's Juan Echevarria, and he leapt out to a humongous 28-11.75, almost leaping OUT of the pit onto hard cement!!
The fact it was ever-so-slightly wind-aided (2.1) makes little difference!
If you remember (See earlier post!), he recently hit 28-0 for the first time!
Now he's out almost another whole foot!!
Sand pit makers of the World--extend your sandboxes another foot or so!
You don't want this kid to hurt himself!!
BTW, he had a legal jump of 27-10.75!!
The Samba--Warholm Show continued, and the encore was even better than the earlier performance!
(See above!)
Abderrahman Samba is a delight!!
I LOVE that dance he does after EVERY victory--and his victories are becoming a habit!!
(That is, until Rai Benjamin decides to join the party!!)
But his 47.41 made a statement--that this athlete may not be stopped--by anyone!!
He got the Stockholm Meet Record, and broke his own National Record of Qatar!!
He moves from 15th A-T World, tied with 1 other, to 14th!
Karsten Warholm was 2nd in 47.81, nipping his own National Record of Norway by 0.01 seconds!!
(BTW, Mr Benjamin has hinted he'll be turning Pro, but might NOT race again this year! We'll see!!)
Sandi Morris continued her string of W's, clearing 15-11.25, beating the 15-3 by Angelika Bengtsson!
Morris's mark is the new Stockholm Meet Record!
Another continuing a win streak (now 42 meets long, but including her INdoor meets!!) was Mariya Lasitskene!
Her 6-6.75 was matched by Mirela Demirova, but Lasitskene won on fewer misses!
It was Demirova's first 2 meter jump!
Salwa Naser also extended her string of W's by winning the 400 in 49.84, breaking her own National Record of Bahrain!
This time, Phyllis Francis got closer, but not close enough, her time of 50.07 being 0.23 seconds back!
Jessica Beard followed in 50.55, while Shamier Little took 4th in 50.82.
Fedric Dacres took the DT with a Stockholm Meet Record distance of 228-7!
Andrius Gudzius took 2nd with a PR of 228-3!
NOTE--I made a HUGE mistake in determining the Age 22 and 23 (and now 24) Records in my Record Book!!
For some reason, I recorded Dacres's 225-3 in 2017 as being the Age 22 Record!
But he was born February 28, 1994!
So he was 23 when he threw that 225-3, NOT Age 22!
And this year, again for some unknown reason, I wrote that he threw the Discus 228-10!
This mark is FALSE--as far as I can establish!!
And since he is now 24, his 228-7 is NOT the Age 23 Record!!
Somehow, at some time, I will sort this out, and let you know what I find!!
My apologies for the confusion!!
Mondo WON!!
In his "home" country, no less!!
And he faced most of the World's best--except for Renaud Lavillenie!!
His 19-2.75 clearance defeated the 19-0.75 by Sam Kendricks, who has graciously become Mondo's chief booster and BFF!!
His home crowd adored him, and so did the press!
He is fast becoming THE darling of the Bar Clearers!!
BTW, he didn't miss until he reached 18-10.75.
He then missed once at 19-4.75, and passed to 19-6.75, where he missed twice!
Er, Mondo is Mondo Duplantis, as if you were confused!!
LOL
In other Stockholm news---
There was a GREAT little battle in the Women's LJ!
Four Women ended within 1.50 inches of each other!
Lorraine Ugen wound up the winner, hitting the sand at 22-5.75!
With the same distance came Malieka Mihambo!
At 22-5 was Christabel Nettey, while Ivana Spanovic hit 22-4.25!!
Distances weren't super hot, but the Comp was wild!!
Jakpb Ingebrigtsen took the 1500 in 3:37.42.
The fastest 5000 of the year was run by young Selemon Barega, his 13:04.05 edging the 13:04.25 by Berhanu Balew!
Ababi Hadis ran 13:06.76 in 3rd, while first American was Ben True, time of 13:16.48!
Australian Peter Bol came close to their National Record with his 800 winning time of 1:44.56!
Second went to Joseph Deng's 1:44.61.
Dina Asher-Smith took the 100 in 10.93 over the 11.03 of Murielle Ahoure, wind of minus 0.3!
Ramil Guliyev took the 200 in 19.92 over Aaron Brown's 20.07.
Steven Gardiner stopped early, with a tightness somewhere!
Gudef Tsegay took the 1500 in 3:57.64, getting the Stockholm Meet Record!
Laura Muir kicked too late, taking 2nd in 3:58.83.
Rababe Arefi stayed ahead of a late-charging Jenny Simpson, 4:00.28 to 4:00.34!!
The rabbit took them out with a 59.96 first 400!!
They slowed to 2:03 and change at 800, but that was much faster than asked for!!
In the rarely run 1000, Ferguson Rotich ran a fast 2:14.88, easily defeating Sadik Mikhou's 2:16.09!
Rotich misses the World list by 0.15 seconds!
There were 6 under 2:17, and 11 at 2:19.21 or faster!!
Finally (for Stockholm!), we have newly married Brianna Rollins--now Ms McNeal!!--who won the 100H in the World Leading time of 12.38!!
The wind was 1.8.
Danielle Williams PR'ed with 12.48 in 2nd, missing the World DDD by 0.04 seconds!!
Alina Talay was 3rd in 12.55!
Nadine Visser's 12.71 back in 4th gave her the National Record of the Netherlands!!
There were good marks coming out of a Florida meet (NOT in Clermont, but nearby!!), and the Racers GP in Jamaica!!
Karani James returned to the elite level with a 44.35 win over Fred Kerley's 44.36 in Jamaica!
Zharnel Hughes took the 100 in 9.91 over Noah Lyles's PR of 9.93!
He's now 20th A-T US, tied with "just" 8 others!!
He also is now 7th A-T US on my US Combined Events list for the 100 & 200, his times of 9.93 and 19.69 adding to 29.62!
Megan Clark took the PV at 15-1.50!
Daniele Thomas-Dodd edged Raven Saunders in the SP, 61-0 to 60-11.25!
In 5th came Michelle Carter's 59-7!
Ajee Wilson took the 800 in 1:59.84!
The 100 and 200 saw some BIG names make their presence felt!!
The 200 went to SMU--aka Shaunae Miller-Uibo--in a quick 22.11, breeze of 0.1.
Sharicka Jackson was well back in 22.62!
But it was the 100 where the light shone brightest!!
SAFP --Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce--is BACK!!
After openers of 11.52 and 11.33 (See earlier post!), she's now at 11.10, and coming on, er FAST!!
She needed all of it to take down Jenna Prandini's 11.14, the wind a negative 0.2!!
In Florida, Isaiah Young won the century in 9.92, making him 16th A-T US, tied with 3 others!
Andre Clark won the 400H in 48.29!
But it was the Women's 100 where THE mark of the meet took place!
While Semoy Hackett broke the tape first in 11.07, it was the third placer whose name might become historic in years to come!!
Her name is Tamari Davis, and she is 15 years old!
She ran 11.13, SHATTERING the Frosh Class Record of 11.24, held by Angela Williams since 1995!!
Davis is now 4th A-T HS, tied with 3 others!!
In other HS news--
Katelyn Tuohy put on a show over the 2 days of the NY State meet!!
Her 3000 of 9:09.71 broke her own Soph Class Record, but she remains 3rd A-T HS!!
Her 1st K was 2:57.15!
She slowed to 6 minutes even at 2000, so, like her 15:37 INdoor 5000, faded some over the last stages!!
The next day, she ran the 1500 in 4:14.45!
She moves from 19th A-T HS to 8th---0.05 seconds ahead of one Jordan Hasay!!
The Brooks Two Mile (NOT 3200!!) was a Record Smasher--at least depth-wise!!
The Win went to Canada's Taryn O'Neill, time of 9:54.40--but the rest were all US!!
Camila Noe ran 9:54.95, making her 4th A-T HS!!
Katelynn Hart--like Tuohy, a Soph!--ran 9:56.40, making her 6th A-T HS!!
Next came Jackie Gaughn's 9:59.40, which makes her 7th A-T HS!!
Followed by Ericka Vanderlende's 9:59.92, which makes her 8th A-T HS!!
Then came London Culbreath in 6th, her time of 10:03.29 moving her from 17th to 16th on the A-T HS list!!
YES!!!
The Men's race saw a Record going down!
It was won by James Mwaura in 8:48.76!
But in second was Cole Sprout, his time of 8:49.76 removing the late Eric Hulst's name from the Soph Class Record line!!
Hulst's time was run in--1974!!
The Miles were won by Dustin Horter in 4:04.68, and Mariah Castillo in 4:41.40.
Castillo misses the HS list by 0.18 seconds!
Zach Bradford became the 14th OUTdoor HS 18 footer, clearing exactly that height!
He is 13th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
In the NY State meet, Parker Stokes won the 3000SC in 9:05.67, making him 12th A-T HS!
Nate Patterson's 7-4 HJ makes him 18th A-T HS, tied with 7 others!
I thank you for hanging in here!
I know this is already VERY long, but I don't want to do a second post!!
I have more to present, but due to length, I'll collect them in one final grouping!!
Note that some of these marks are a week or so old!!
The older marks are--
Ryan Crouser took a SP with a mark of 73-2.50!
Mike Rodgers won a 100 in 9.92, wind of 1.7!
Alina Talay broke her own National Record of Belarus with her 100H time of 12.41!!
She'd never broken 12.60 before!!
It makes her 17th A-T World!!
Magnus Kirt threw the Javelin 291-1, breaking his own National Record of Estonia!
But he misses the World DDD by one foot!!
I forgot to mention that Abdelelah Haroun's 44.35 was the new Hengelo Meet Record!!
Also from Hengelo, Jenny Simpson's Mile time of 4:25.71 was the Meet Record also!
In new news (Sic!)---
Ce'Aira Brown took the Martinez Classic 800 in 1:59.75.
Drew Piazza won the Mile in 3:56.56, but interesting in 2nd was Leo Manzano's first sub-4 in awhile, time of 3:57.35!!
Marta Freitas took the Women's Mile in 4:25.84!
Dom Scott-Erfurd was 2nd in 4:26.63!
Christabel Nettey edged by Brittney Reese in the LJ, 22-7 to 22-6.50!
Jordan Diaz of Cuba TJ'ed 57-1.50!
This breaks his own Age 17 Record!!
In a European meet somewhere, Wojciech Nowicki PR'ed in the HT with his 267-2!
He'd previously hit 266-2!
The PTF meet had some okay--but not great--times!
No Records broken!!
Rochelle Kanuho won the 10000 in 32:18.35!
Molly Seidel was well back in 32:31.50!
Kinsey Middleton followed in 32:33.38!
Stephanie Brown won the Women's 1500 in 4:06.71.
Second went to Emily Lipari's 4:07.30.
Dani Jones--that Colorado redshirt--took third in 4:07.33!
(Compare to the winning time at the NCAA's!!)
Alexa Efraimson was 4th in 4:08.47!
Thirty seven Women broke the 4:20 barrier!!
Yes, I said 37!!
(4:20 is about 4:38 Mile pace!!)
Clayton Murphy took the Men's race in 3:40.25 over Drew Hunter's 3:41.05!
But in 15th came HS'er Brodey Hasty, his 3:43.77 moving him from 17th A-T HS to 10th!!
Eric Jenkins took the 5000 in 13:21.41.
The Women's race went to Marielle Hall's 15:16.57!
Jessica O'Connell was 2nd in 15:18.36!
In 7th came Fiona O'Keefe, time of 15:34.44!
(Did she redshirt at Stanford this season??)
Kim Conley was 15th in 15:49.08!!
Finally--and I do mean FINALLY!!--
Mary Keitany showed she has major wheels for distances under 26.2 miles, as she sped over the NYRR's Mini 10K Road course in 30:59!!
Her splits were 15:52, then 15:07!!)
Aliphine Tuliamuk HAD been with her through the half, but couldn't do the 4:40-ish miles of Keitany, ending in 32:08!
But she beat one Molly Huddle, who finished 3rd in 32:25, ahead of the 32:33 by Betsy Saina!
In the Women's Wheelchair race, Susannah Scaroni sped 22:48, reportedly the fastest-ever Road 10K for Wheelchairs!!
AND she beat the Queen of Wheelers--Tatyana McFadden, who did 23:34!!
Next post should be my Preview of the NBN meet--and maybe combining that with a Preview of the USATF Junior Championships!!
Remember, the World Junior meet is this summer!!
See you soon!
Sunday, June 10, 2018
NCAA Women--Weather or Not!
In that cruel twist of fate the Weather Gods sometimes play on Eugene (I lived there 11 years--I should know!!), heavy rains and cold temps smashed many of the best Women's events upside the head on Finals Day--Saturday!
But, as the title states, they managed to ignore what the weather gave up, and made this one of the best NCAA's in recent history!
The rain stopped for a few moments--and the best results emerged from the puddles left behind!
Lynna Irby dropped the hammer from the gun, taking the lead in the 400 before the 1st curve was over, and just continued to pound, ending with the Freshman Class Record of 49.80!!
This simply broke the record set earlier this year by someone named Sydney McLaughlin!!
She began her Double Dip quest (200 & 400) with a mind-blowing Semi of 50.11 for the full lap!
Everyone wondered WHY she would run that fast when all she needed was Top 2 to move on!!
Ever hear the term "sheer talent"??
That time moved her from 12th A-T Collegiate to 5th!!
She missed the US list by 0.05 seconds!!
Then she ran her 200 semi in 22.37, ending 0.01 behind Gabby Thomas's 22.36!
Thomas had a wind against her of 2.3, while Irby fought a breeze of 0.1.
Then came the finals!
Her 49.80 missed the CR by just 0.09 seconds!
She indeed got the Frosh Class, as well as the NCAA Meet Record!!
She moved from 5th A-T Collegiate to 2nd!
She is 15th A-T US!
Kendell Ellis was 2nd in 50.19, while Brionna Thomas's 50.78 missed the Collegiate DDD by 0.09 seconds!
Mackenzie Dunmore collapsed to the track about 40 meters from the line, but finished a minute later to get Oregon a point!
Coming back about 30 minutes later, Irby ended 3rd in the 200 to the shock win by USC's Angelou Annelius's 22.76!
Gabby Thomas was second in 22.86, with Irby running 22.92!
While Irby shone, I was THRILLED to watch that magnificent 10000, where the first SIX women all broke Sylvia Mosqueda's 1988 MR of 32:28.57!!
Plotted to be the first of two W's for Karissa Schweizer, it instead turned into a frontal attack on the Collegiate Record Book!!
In a fairly evenly paced race, a few women led at one point or another, with Schweizer among them, but she didn't lead for very long!
Alice Wright was the one responsible for the quick pace, as she led most of the first half!
Sharon Lokedi was always in the mix, but didn't take over until the last lap!
And that move was decisive!
Her 32:09.20 took nearly 20 seconds off Mosqueda's hallowed mark!
Besides the MR, she moves from 21st A-T Collegiate to 13th!
Dorcas Wasike surprised in 2nd with 32:11.81.
It's the Frosh Class Record (by about 29 seconds!!), and makes her 15th A-T Collegiate!
Schweizer took 3rd with her 32:14.94, as she just couldn't find that 5th gear!
Wright's 32:17.92 took 4th, with Charlotte Taylor right behind at 32:17.95.
Also under the old MR was Anna Rohrer, with her 6th place time of 32:26.24!!
FINALLY!!!
The Meet's first field event found a lulu battle for the Hammer Throw honors!
With Maggie Ewen absent, Janeah Stewart suddenly found about 15 feet to add to her PR, and landed the Hammer at 239-3!!
She moves from 19th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other, up to 4th!!
And it makes her 10th A-T US!
Brooke Andersen, who was favored in Ewen's absence, hit 239-1 in Round 3, but that 2 inch gap remained at the end!!
Stamatia Scarvelis also PR'ed, her 226-8 in 3rd moving her from 18th to 15th on the A-T Collegiate list!!
Alyssa Wilson got a PR also, her 219-9 landing her in 4th!
Ewen did take TWO events!
The 1st came in the SP, where her 62-10.75 dominated!
But Jessica Woodard produced a solid 61-3.50 PR, moving her from 13th A-T Collegiate to 9th!
It also made her 22nd A-T US!
In the rain, the DT's didn't go very far, but 198-5 was enough for Ewen to get her 2nd W!
She beat the 195-9 from Shadae Lawrence, and the 194-3 from Valerie Allman!
The Steeplechase and 1500 also were quality events, with some depth!
That cute ragamuffin from Boise State via Alaska--Allie Ostrander--took over the reins of the SC, and never let go!
Her amazing hurdling form--considering her lack of height--took her over all of the hurdles and water jumps perfectly, even letting her gain a step on landing!
Her 9:39.28 didn't miss her PR by much, and it made for a 6 second gap back to Charlotte Prouse's 9:45.45 in 2nd!
Prouse becomes 23rd A-T Collegiate!
Paige Stoner came 3rd in a 9:46.98 PR, with Claire Borchers also PR'ing with her 9:48.33 in 4th!
Between 4th and 8th was just 1 second of time!
The first 8 ran 9:49.33 or faster!!
Ostrander had run her heat in 9:45.97, with Grayson Murphy 2nd in 9:48.57, and Prouse 3rd in 9:49.75!
The 1500 Semi's were quick!!
Elinor Purrier, New Hampshire's most famous dairy farmer, took it in 4:10.08, making her 22nd A-T Collegiate!
Jessica Hull of UO was right behind in 4:10.09!
Hull actually moved DOWN my A-T Collegiate list to 25th (with Purrier's entrance!), but then moved back on, and became 23rd A-T!!
Rachel Pocratsky was 3rd in 4:10.80, followed by THE story of the meet---that of Janelle Roe, a charming runner who entered 2018 with a 4:29 PR just 2 years after getting severely burned, and ran 4:10.83 here to move on to the final--to everyone's pure delight!!
Grace Barnett was 5th in 4:11.07!
And that was just the SEMI's!!
Knocked OFF the Collegiate list was a famous family name--Centrowitz!
Lauren--Centro's sister--is GONE, and her 4:10.42 from 2009!
The Saturday Final was a blazer!!
Purrier led here also, but just didn't go fast enough to dull the kicks of the rest of the field, as she ended 7th with 4:11.56---a good time for 7th place!!
When it came to that end sprint, it was left to UO's (and Australia's) own Jessica Hull to touch the tape first!
Her 4:08.75 moves her all the way from 23rd A-T Collegiate to 9th!
Nikki Hiltz, the punk'ish head-banded spirit (formerly with UO, but now of Arkansas), ended 2nd with 4:09.14, making her 11th A-T Collegiate!
Then came Elise Cranny with her 4:09.49, which moves her from 16th A-T Collegiate to 14th!
Cranny's teammate at Stanford--Christina Aragon--was 4th in 4:09.59, making her 18th A-T Collegiate!
Pocratsky was 5th in the decent time of 4:10.84!!
Knocked OFF my Collegiate list was the venerable Jordan Hasay, her 4:10.28 dating from 2011.
Also GONE was a much more recent one--Elinor Purrier's 4:10.08 from THIS MEET!!
The PV was reduced to a pair by the changing weather patterns!
Surviving were Lexi Jacobus and Olivia Gruver--who wasn't having the greatest OUTdoor season after hitting 15-3 and change INdoors!
But she found her mojo here, and skipped over the bar set at 14-11 for the W!
This moves her from 15th A-T Collegiate, tied with 4 others, to 12th, tied with 2 others!
Jacobus cleared 14-9 in 2nd, with Lisa Gunnarsson 3rd with 14-5-25!
Mackenzie may have Little as her last name, but her JT distance didn't match it!
She threw it 198-0 for the Junior Class Record!!
She moves from 13th A-T Collegiate to 5th!
Jenna Gray took 2nd with her 187-11.
She becomes 21st A-T Collegiate, and 20th A-T US!!
Georgia's Keturah Orji racked up a pair of W's, first taking the LJ with 21-10.75, from Round 4.
Danielle McQueen was 2nd with 21-8.25.
Tara Davis finished 5th with 21-3.25, while Kate Hall never got unwound, and ended just 16th with 20-1.75!
In her specialty, she needed just 46-0.75 to win!
It was lousy weather for the TJ, so her distances were surely affected!
Yanis David came fairly close with her 45-9.25 in 2nd.
That one was windy, but she had a legal jump of 45-1.50!
The 100 and the 100H were both run through torrents of rain--Jasmine Camacho-Quinn even saying she could barely see the track ahead of her!!
JCQ took her race in 12.70, with Dewynne Charlton 2nd in 12.77.
They were the only athletes to go under 13 seconds!
Wind was 0.9.
No different for Aleia Hobbs, as her 11.01 won by 0.23 seconds!!
Wind was just 0.7, but the rain came down in buckets!!
The 100H Semi's were taken by JCQ in 12.54 (weather a lot nicer!), using the max wind of 2.0.
Alaysha Johnson of UO was 2nd in 12.70, with Roshelle Burton next in 12.77.
Anna Cockrell ran 12.88, but didn't make the final!
Hobbs had good weather for her 100 Semi!
Thus her time of 10.91, with ZERO wind!
Shania Collins ran 10.98 in 2nd (1.5), which moves her from 11th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others, to 9th, tied with 2 others!
The 800 went to Frosh Sammy Watson, who had the best kick in a slow race!
Her 2:04.21 prevailed over Abike Egbeniji's 2:04.33.
She's a Junior at Middle Tennessee State!
Favored Sabrina Southerland just didn't have it, and ended 7th in 2:06.99!!
The Semi's went to Jazmine Fray's 2:02.55, with Watson 2nd in 2:02.65, and Olivia Baker 3rd in 2:02.76, with Southerland 4th in 2:02.99!
The 5000--the penultimate ending event--was slow also, but NOT because of the weather!!
But it provided the classic Cinderella story, as Karissa Schweizer rose up from her 3rd in the 10K, winning here in 15:41.58.
Certainly tired, she found what she needed, and won with her standard kick!
Second went to Allie Bucharsky's 15:42.77, with Lili Burdon 3rd in 15:43.22.
Back in 8th was Ms Ostrander--running her 2nd Final in an hour or so!!--time of 15:46.50!
Sharon Lokedi, the 10000 Winner, ended 12th in 15:51.29!
Still, not bad doubles for both!!
The Heptathlon was a goodie!
At the end of Day One, Georgia Ellenwood had an 84 point lead over Louisa Grauvogel, 3752 to 3668!
Tyra Gittens stood 3rd with 3548, while Kennesaw State Junior Aliyah Whisby was 4th with 3522.
Nina Schultz stood just 7th with 3452 points, and was doubtful for Day 2, according to some observers!
Oh, BTW, Ayesha Champagne was in 13th with 3409 points, her "best" event--the LJ--yet to come!!
LOL
It came down to the 800--but not really--as Ellenwood had a 3 second PR advantage coming in!
And it remained that way, as she pulled out the win with 6146 points!
Grauvogel's 6074 makes her 18th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Schultz did continue, but was never really ON, as she ended 7th with 5778 points!
As for the esteemed Ms Champagne, she had the leading Javelin Throw, which saved her from her average LJ of 18-7---and I DO mean her AVERAGE!!
Knocked OFF my Collegiate list was one Hyleas Fountain, her 6033 dating from 2004!
The 4X100 Relay's Semi's went to LSU's 42.09, which SMASHED the NCAA Meet Record by 0.27 seconds!!
And it completely dominated, as UO took 2nd in 42.95.
USC and Kentucky followed close behind with respective times of 42.97 and 42.99!
LSU also took the Final--time of 42.25.
UO again took 2nd, time of 43.06, with USC next in 43.11.
The 4X400 closer was a THRILLER--not for the times, but because it decided the meet's team winner!
The Trojans stood 3rd with 43 points--behind Georgia's 52 and Stanford's 51.
They needed to win to---Win!!
And win they did--by the skin of Kendell Ellis's chinny-chin-chin!!
She BLASTED the final 50 meters, coming from 10 meters back to JUST nip Purdue, 3:27.06 to 3:27.13!
Ellis's leg took 50.05, but I'd LOVE to know her time for the final 60!!
UO was 3rd in 3:28.36, with Kentucky 4th in 3:30.52, despite an anchor by their star, timed in 50.03.
That "star" was someone you've probably been wondering if I'd EVER get around to mentioning!!
But when a Woman who has run 52.75 in the 400H for a massive Collegiate Record and a World Leading time (by over a full second!!) JOGS her race in 53.96, yet still wins by well over a second---well, you just have to simmer your enthusiasm just a tad!!
But seriously, she appeared to be doing just that--jogging!
And STILL ran 53.96---on a track filled with puddles--even though the Rain Gods took a siesta during her race!
Anna Cockrell was 2nd (in 55.71) in McLaughlin's FINAL Collegiate race!!
McL had run her Semi in 54.15!!
She's turning Pro!!
As if we didn't know!!
(Also turning Pro is Michael Norman!!)
In other off-track news, the charges against Tyrese Cooper were dropped!!
And that is that!!
Be back with my THIRD post of the weekend--probably early Monday--with results from the 2 DL's of the past few days--Oslo and Stockholm--as well as the PTF and other meets!
See you soon!
But, as the title states, they managed to ignore what the weather gave up, and made this one of the best NCAA's in recent history!
The rain stopped for a few moments--and the best results emerged from the puddles left behind!
Lynna Irby dropped the hammer from the gun, taking the lead in the 400 before the 1st curve was over, and just continued to pound, ending with the Freshman Class Record of 49.80!!
This simply broke the record set earlier this year by someone named Sydney McLaughlin!!
She began her Double Dip quest (200 & 400) with a mind-blowing Semi of 50.11 for the full lap!
Everyone wondered WHY she would run that fast when all she needed was Top 2 to move on!!
Ever hear the term "sheer talent"??
That time moved her from 12th A-T Collegiate to 5th!!
She missed the US list by 0.05 seconds!!
Then she ran her 200 semi in 22.37, ending 0.01 behind Gabby Thomas's 22.36!
Thomas had a wind against her of 2.3, while Irby fought a breeze of 0.1.
Then came the finals!
Her 49.80 missed the CR by just 0.09 seconds!
She indeed got the Frosh Class, as well as the NCAA Meet Record!!
She moved from 5th A-T Collegiate to 2nd!
She is 15th A-T US!
Kendell Ellis was 2nd in 50.19, while Brionna Thomas's 50.78 missed the Collegiate DDD by 0.09 seconds!
Mackenzie Dunmore collapsed to the track about 40 meters from the line, but finished a minute later to get Oregon a point!
Coming back about 30 minutes later, Irby ended 3rd in the 200 to the shock win by USC's Angelou Annelius's 22.76!
Gabby Thomas was second in 22.86, with Irby running 22.92!
While Irby shone, I was THRILLED to watch that magnificent 10000, where the first SIX women all broke Sylvia Mosqueda's 1988 MR of 32:28.57!!
Plotted to be the first of two W's for Karissa Schweizer, it instead turned into a frontal attack on the Collegiate Record Book!!
In a fairly evenly paced race, a few women led at one point or another, with Schweizer among them, but she didn't lead for very long!
Alice Wright was the one responsible for the quick pace, as she led most of the first half!
Sharon Lokedi was always in the mix, but didn't take over until the last lap!
And that move was decisive!
Her 32:09.20 took nearly 20 seconds off Mosqueda's hallowed mark!
Besides the MR, she moves from 21st A-T Collegiate to 13th!
Dorcas Wasike surprised in 2nd with 32:11.81.
It's the Frosh Class Record (by about 29 seconds!!), and makes her 15th A-T Collegiate!
Schweizer took 3rd with her 32:14.94, as she just couldn't find that 5th gear!
Wright's 32:17.92 took 4th, with Charlotte Taylor right behind at 32:17.95.
Also under the old MR was Anna Rohrer, with her 6th place time of 32:26.24!!
FINALLY!!!
The Meet's first field event found a lulu battle for the Hammer Throw honors!
With Maggie Ewen absent, Janeah Stewart suddenly found about 15 feet to add to her PR, and landed the Hammer at 239-3!!
She moves from 19th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other, up to 4th!!
And it makes her 10th A-T US!
Brooke Andersen, who was favored in Ewen's absence, hit 239-1 in Round 3, but that 2 inch gap remained at the end!!
Stamatia Scarvelis also PR'ed, her 226-8 in 3rd moving her from 18th to 15th on the A-T Collegiate list!!
Alyssa Wilson got a PR also, her 219-9 landing her in 4th!
Ewen did take TWO events!
The 1st came in the SP, where her 62-10.75 dominated!
But Jessica Woodard produced a solid 61-3.50 PR, moving her from 13th A-T Collegiate to 9th!
It also made her 22nd A-T US!
In the rain, the DT's didn't go very far, but 198-5 was enough for Ewen to get her 2nd W!
She beat the 195-9 from Shadae Lawrence, and the 194-3 from Valerie Allman!
The Steeplechase and 1500 also were quality events, with some depth!
That cute ragamuffin from Boise State via Alaska--Allie Ostrander--took over the reins of the SC, and never let go!
Her amazing hurdling form--considering her lack of height--took her over all of the hurdles and water jumps perfectly, even letting her gain a step on landing!
Her 9:39.28 didn't miss her PR by much, and it made for a 6 second gap back to Charlotte Prouse's 9:45.45 in 2nd!
Prouse becomes 23rd A-T Collegiate!
Paige Stoner came 3rd in a 9:46.98 PR, with Claire Borchers also PR'ing with her 9:48.33 in 4th!
Between 4th and 8th was just 1 second of time!
The first 8 ran 9:49.33 or faster!!
Ostrander had run her heat in 9:45.97, with Grayson Murphy 2nd in 9:48.57, and Prouse 3rd in 9:49.75!
The 1500 Semi's were quick!!
Elinor Purrier, New Hampshire's most famous dairy farmer, took it in 4:10.08, making her 22nd A-T Collegiate!
Jessica Hull of UO was right behind in 4:10.09!
Hull actually moved DOWN my A-T Collegiate list to 25th (with Purrier's entrance!), but then moved back on, and became 23rd A-T!!
Rachel Pocratsky was 3rd in 4:10.80, followed by THE story of the meet---that of Janelle Roe, a charming runner who entered 2018 with a 4:29 PR just 2 years after getting severely burned, and ran 4:10.83 here to move on to the final--to everyone's pure delight!!
Grace Barnett was 5th in 4:11.07!
And that was just the SEMI's!!
Knocked OFF the Collegiate list was a famous family name--Centrowitz!
Lauren--Centro's sister--is GONE, and her 4:10.42 from 2009!
The Saturday Final was a blazer!!
Purrier led here also, but just didn't go fast enough to dull the kicks of the rest of the field, as she ended 7th with 4:11.56---a good time for 7th place!!
When it came to that end sprint, it was left to UO's (and Australia's) own Jessica Hull to touch the tape first!
Her 4:08.75 moves her all the way from 23rd A-T Collegiate to 9th!
Nikki Hiltz, the punk'ish head-banded spirit (formerly with UO, but now of Arkansas), ended 2nd with 4:09.14, making her 11th A-T Collegiate!
Then came Elise Cranny with her 4:09.49, which moves her from 16th A-T Collegiate to 14th!
Cranny's teammate at Stanford--Christina Aragon--was 4th in 4:09.59, making her 18th A-T Collegiate!
Pocratsky was 5th in the decent time of 4:10.84!!
Knocked OFF my Collegiate list was the venerable Jordan Hasay, her 4:10.28 dating from 2011.
Also GONE was a much more recent one--Elinor Purrier's 4:10.08 from THIS MEET!!
The PV was reduced to a pair by the changing weather patterns!
Surviving were Lexi Jacobus and Olivia Gruver--who wasn't having the greatest OUTdoor season after hitting 15-3 and change INdoors!
But she found her mojo here, and skipped over the bar set at 14-11 for the W!
This moves her from 15th A-T Collegiate, tied with 4 others, to 12th, tied with 2 others!
Jacobus cleared 14-9 in 2nd, with Lisa Gunnarsson 3rd with 14-5-25!
Mackenzie may have Little as her last name, but her JT distance didn't match it!
She threw it 198-0 for the Junior Class Record!!
She moves from 13th A-T Collegiate to 5th!
Jenna Gray took 2nd with her 187-11.
She becomes 21st A-T Collegiate, and 20th A-T US!!
Georgia's Keturah Orji racked up a pair of W's, first taking the LJ with 21-10.75, from Round 4.
Danielle McQueen was 2nd with 21-8.25.
Tara Davis finished 5th with 21-3.25, while Kate Hall never got unwound, and ended just 16th with 20-1.75!
In her specialty, she needed just 46-0.75 to win!
It was lousy weather for the TJ, so her distances were surely affected!
Yanis David came fairly close with her 45-9.25 in 2nd.
That one was windy, but she had a legal jump of 45-1.50!
The 100 and the 100H were both run through torrents of rain--Jasmine Camacho-Quinn even saying she could barely see the track ahead of her!!
JCQ took her race in 12.70, with Dewynne Charlton 2nd in 12.77.
They were the only athletes to go under 13 seconds!
Wind was 0.9.
No different for Aleia Hobbs, as her 11.01 won by 0.23 seconds!!
Wind was just 0.7, but the rain came down in buckets!!
The 100H Semi's were taken by JCQ in 12.54 (weather a lot nicer!), using the max wind of 2.0.
Alaysha Johnson of UO was 2nd in 12.70, with Roshelle Burton next in 12.77.
Anna Cockrell ran 12.88, but didn't make the final!
Hobbs had good weather for her 100 Semi!
Thus her time of 10.91, with ZERO wind!
Shania Collins ran 10.98 in 2nd (1.5), which moves her from 11th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others, to 9th, tied with 2 others!
The 800 went to Frosh Sammy Watson, who had the best kick in a slow race!
Her 2:04.21 prevailed over Abike Egbeniji's 2:04.33.
She's a Junior at Middle Tennessee State!
Favored Sabrina Southerland just didn't have it, and ended 7th in 2:06.99!!
The Semi's went to Jazmine Fray's 2:02.55, with Watson 2nd in 2:02.65, and Olivia Baker 3rd in 2:02.76, with Southerland 4th in 2:02.99!
The 5000--the penultimate ending event--was slow also, but NOT because of the weather!!
But it provided the classic Cinderella story, as Karissa Schweizer rose up from her 3rd in the 10K, winning here in 15:41.58.
Certainly tired, she found what she needed, and won with her standard kick!
Second went to Allie Bucharsky's 15:42.77, with Lili Burdon 3rd in 15:43.22.
Back in 8th was Ms Ostrander--running her 2nd Final in an hour or so!!--time of 15:46.50!
Sharon Lokedi, the 10000 Winner, ended 12th in 15:51.29!
Still, not bad doubles for both!!
The Heptathlon was a goodie!
At the end of Day One, Georgia Ellenwood had an 84 point lead over Louisa Grauvogel, 3752 to 3668!
Tyra Gittens stood 3rd with 3548, while Kennesaw State Junior Aliyah Whisby was 4th with 3522.
Nina Schultz stood just 7th with 3452 points, and was doubtful for Day 2, according to some observers!
Oh, BTW, Ayesha Champagne was in 13th with 3409 points, her "best" event--the LJ--yet to come!!
LOL
It came down to the 800--but not really--as Ellenwood had a 3 second PR advantage coming in!
And it remained that way, as she pulled out the win with 6146 points!
Grauvogel's 6074 makes her 18th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Schultz did continue, but was never really ON, as she ended 7th with 5778 points!
As for the esteemed Ms Champagne, she had the leading Javelin Throw, which saved her from her average LJ of 18-7---and I DO mean her AVERAGE!!
Knocked OFF my Collegiate list was one Hyleas Fountain, her 6033 dating from 2004!
The 4X100 Relay's Semi's went to LSU's 42.09, which SMASHED the NCAA Meet Record by 0.27 seconds!!
And it completely dominated, as UO took 2nd in 42.95.
USC and Kentucky followed close behind with respective times of 42.97 and 42.99!
LSU also took the Final--time of 42.25.
UO again took 2nd, time of 43.06, with USC next in 43.11.
The 4X400 closer was a THRILLER--not for the times, but because it decided the meet's team winner!
The Trojans stood 3rd with 43 points--behind Georgia's 52 and Stanford's 51.
They needed to win to---Win!!
And win they did--by the skin of Kendell Ellis's chinny-chin-chin!!
She BLASTED the final 50 meters, coming from 10 meters back to JUST nip Purdue, 3:27.06 to 3:27.13!
Ellis's leg took 50.05, but I'd LOVE to know her time for the final 60!!
UO was 3rd in 3:28.36, with Kentucky 4th in 3:30.52, despite an anchor by their star, timed in 50.03.
That "star" was someone you've probably been wondering if I'd EVER get around to mentioning!!
But when a Woman who has run 52.75 in the 400H for a massive Collegiate Record and a World Leading time (by over a full second!!) JOGS her race in 53.96, yet still wins by well over a second---well, you just have to simmer your enthusiasm just a tad!!
But seriously, she appeared to be doing just that--jogging!
And STILL ran 53.96---on a track filled with puddles--even though the Rain Gods took a siesta during her race!
Anna Cockrell was 2nd (in 55.71) in McLaughlin's FINAL Collegiate race!!
McL had run her Semi in 54.15!!
She's turning Pro!!
As if we didn't know!!
(Also turning Pro is Michael Norman!!)
In other off-track news, the charges against Tyrese Cooper were dropped!!
And that is that!!
Be back with my THIRD post of the weekend--probably early Monday--with results from the 2 DL's of the past few days--Oslo and Stockholm--as well as the PTF and other meets!
See you soon!
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