NCAA: Are Regionals Necessary?

My title asks a question many serious T&F fans have been asking since their inception.
All they do is save the NCAA Championships viewers and attendees from sitting through early rounds of races, and qualifying flights of field events!
While some great marks come from them, it means fans in Eugene will be deprived of seeing these early marks!
But this blog is here to report all quality records and marks, no matter which meet they come from!
I'll divide this report by sex, not by region!
Also divided by event!

MEN--100, 200, 400
Trevor Stewart ran the 400 in 44.55, with an earlier 44.59.
After a 44.86, Randolph Ross ran his 400 in 44.63!
Micah Williams sped the 100 in 10.00.
Bryce Deadmon ran his one lap in 44.57!

WOMEN--100, 200, 400
Athing Mu showed she's Olympic 400 material by breaking the Collegiate Record with her 2nd round 49.68!
She also gets the Frosh Class Record, and is ranked 16th A-T US!
This was after a 1st round 50.07!

Twanisha Terry sped a Century in 10.89, making her 4th A-T Collegiate!
Her earlier round was a 10.99.
Kemba Nelson ran 10.98, making her 15th A-T Collegiate, tied with 3 others!
Cambrea Sturgis was a bit of a surprise, running 10.92--after an 11.01 first round!
The 10.92 gives her the Soph Class Record, and ranks her 5th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Tamara Clark ran 10.98!

Clark also ran the 200 in 22.13, making her 4th A-T Collegiate!
Sturgis added a 200 in 22.26, making her 14th A-T collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Anavia Battle's 22.28 makes her 16th A-T Collegiate!
Favour Ofili's 22.30 makes her 19th A-T Collegiate!!
TT Terry added a 200 of 22.54!

Stacey Williams was the fastest 400 runner after Mu, her 50.34 making her 11th A-T Collegiate!
Other good 400 times were the 51.03 of Natassha McDonald, and the 51.04 of Talitha Diggs!

MEN--110H and 400H
Robert Dunning sped the 110H in 13.24, making him 12th A-T Collegiate!
Sean Burrell did the one lap with hurdles in 48.86!
But Isaiah Levingston was faster, his best being 48.58!

WOMEN--100H
Tonea Marshall is an LSU athlete.
Her latest PR was 12.44, just 0.01 off the venerable school record of Lolo Jones!
It's also the Senior Class Record!
She's 4th A-T Collegiate, and 13th A-T US, tied with 1 other!
Achera Nugent surprised with her 12.76!

BTW, there were no 400H times worth reporting on the Women's side!!
Ditto with the 5000's, 10000's, and 3000SC's for both sexes--with one exception!

MEN--4X100 and 4X400 Relays
North Carolina A&T ran 38.54, with Georgia close behind in 38.57!
This makes the Bulldogs 14th A-T School!
Florida State ran 38.67, and LSU finished in 38.85!

NC A&T scared the Collegiate Record with their 2:59.21!
They'll have another shot at it in Eugene!!
It makes them 3rd A-T School!
LSU ran 3:02.14.
USC's time was 3:02.85, while Texas A&M ran 3:03.12!

WOMEN--4X100 and 4X400 Relays
LSU's 42.63 led the way in the short Relay.
They beat NC A&T's 42.92.
The latter becomes 12th A-T School!
Alabama added a time of 42.97, while Florida State ran 42.99!

USC ran 42.88, while the Oregon Ducks hit the line in 42.94.
With Athing Mu anchoring in 50.07, Texas A&M's Women led the longer relay with 3:25.84!
USC ran 3:26.37.
Arkansas hit 3:27.58!
UCLA was timed in 3:28.70, while Texas ran 3:29.49!

Florida ran 3:27.51.
Alabama ran 3:28.23!
South Carolina ran 3:29.15, but it was Duke's 3:29.19 which made them 23rd A-T School!
Add in LSU's 3:28.84!!

MEN--800, 1500
The new Collegiate Record holder in the 1500--Yared Nuguse--ran 3:36.85 to reserve a spot in Eugene.
But Eliud Kipsang--after a 3:37.17 first round, sped his 1500 in 3:35.49!
This breaks his own Frosh Class Record, and makes him 4th A-T Collegiate!

Brandon Miller keeps improving over 800 meters!
He was fastest of all with a 1:45.57!
Isaiah Jewett was close with1:45.66!
Cole Hocker cruised & kicked to a 1500 in 3:38.29!

WOMEN--800 and 1500
Michaela Meyer PR'ed in the 800 in 2:00.40, making her 9th A-T Collegiate!
Amaris Tyynismaa ran 4:09.48 over 1500 meters!
She ranks 17th A-T Collegiate!
She opened in 4:11.45!

Julia Heymach almost matched the former Middle School star with her 4:09.89!
She barely beat Krissy Gear's 4:10.09 and Whittni Orton's 4:10.18!

That one longer distance exception I mentioned earlier was Gabrielle Jennings's 3000SC time of 9:40.53.
This makes her 17th A-T Collegiate!

MEN--Field Events
Despite this being just the Q round, a good Discus Throw battle was had on the Men's side!
Francois Prinsloo shocked with 216-0, giving him the Frosh Class Record.
He beat another Frosh--Claudio Romero, who hit 215-10!
Prinsloo ranks 11th A-T Collegiate, while Romero ranks 12th A-T Collegiate!

Sindri Gudmundsson threw his Javelin 261-3.
Turner Washington had a solid SP & DT double, hitting 68-0.50 and 212-10!
Emmanuel Ikemele TJ'ed 55-8.50!

WOMEN--Field Events
Jorinde Van Klinken was nowhere near her new Collegiate Record in the Discus of 230-4!
But she didn't need to be, so her 211-5 isn't anything to worry about!
That made Lagi Tausaga's PR of 207-7 look a bit better!
It makes her 9th A-T Collegiate, and 14th A-T US, tied with 1 other!

Camryn Rogers hit 236-9 in the HT!
Alyssa Wilson's best was 227-4!
Adelaide Aquilla threw the Shot 60-11.50.
Shanice Love had a DT of 200-10!
And Autavia Fluker's HT measured 229-9, which made her 14th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!

The missing events, or the ones with small amounts of marks, scream that the idea of having Regionals is wrong, and unfair to HJ'ers, PV'ers, and others with no opportunity or reason to fully display their talents!!

Well, onward to the Big Show in just over 130 hours!!
See you soon!