The NCAA Championships

 It's late!
We're in the two day break in the Olympic Trials, and 10 days removed from the end of the NCAA Championships, held in Hayward Field!
Because of the lateness, I'm going to combine the Men's and Women's sections of the meet!

Athing Mu was the Star among Stars, if media space & time for her is an indication of  stardom!
Her breaking her own Collegiate Record in the 400, then helping Texas A&M to another CR in the long Relay was enough to make all Mu fans delirious!
She ran 49.57 for the CR, the Meet Record, and the Frosh Class Record!
It was no contest!
She ranks 9th A-T US!

Camryn Rogers broke Maggie Ewen's CR in the Hammer Throw wwith a fabulous 247-9!
She gets the MR and the Junior Class Record!
Shay Taiwo took 2nd with a solid 233-10, making her 10th A-T Collegiate.
And Jillian Shippee was 3rd with 227-9, making her 21st A-T Collegiate!

The Women's 3000SC was incredibly deep, with many list revisions from both the semi and the final!
I'll do this in order, as many women improved from heat to final!
Courtney Wayment won the semi with 9:32.52.
Aneta Konieczek was 2nd with 9:34.37, making her 7th A-T Collegiate.
Joyce Kimeli was 3rd in 9:35.57, making her 8th A-T Collegiate!
Katie Rainsberger took 4th, her 9:36.71 making her 9th A-T Collegiatee.
Charlotte Prouse was next, her 9:37.05 making her 10th A-T Collegiate!
Summer Allen followed in 6th, her 9:37.48 making her 11th A-T Collegiate.
In 7th came Mahala Norris, her 9:37.53 making her 12th A-T Collegiate!
Gabrielle Jennings took 8th with her 9:38.88, making her 18th A-T Collegiate!
Ceili McCabe was 9th, her 9:39.27 making her 19th A-T Collegiate!
Two more took spots 23rd & 24th A-T Collegiate, but they were soon eliminated!

The final changed a few things!
Mahala Norris won it in 9:31.79, making her 6th A-T Collegiate!
Kimeli took 2nd with her 9:31.84, making her 7th A-T Collegiate!
Rainsberger is now 8th A-T Collegiate, thanks to her 9:32.12!
Wayment's 9:32.52 finished 4th.
Prouse PR'ed at 9:34.25 in 5th, making herr 10th A-T Collegiate!
McCabe's 9:37.39 ranks her 11th A-T Collegiate!
Jennings improved to 9:38.24, making her 17th A-T Collegiate!

Both Men's 400's (hurdles or flat) brought good marks.
Sean Burrell chopped about one full second off his previous best, sstunning the skeptics with his W in 47.85!
This gave him the Frosh Class Record.
He's now 4th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
And he ranks 16th A-T US!!
Isaiah Levingston improved to 48.49, making him 21st A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!

In the 400 flat, Randolph Ross became the first sub-44 guy of 2021 with his 43.85!
He made all 3 lists, ranking 3rd A-T Collegiate, 9th A-T US, and 13th A-T World!!
Bryce Deadmon improved a bit to 44.44, ranking him 18th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!

Surprisingly, all the Men's Distances saw fast races!
I say "surprisingly" because Championship meet distance races are often strategic, not time trials!
In the 800, we saw a great battle between Brandon Miller and Isaiah Jewett, with the latter prevailing in 1:44.68!
This makes him 7th A-T Collegiate!
Miller finished in 1:44.97, making him 21st A-T Collegiate!

After a sluggish first 800 of 2:00 plus, Cole Hocker started his heralded kick, winning in a near-MR of 3:35.35!
This got him the Frosh Class Record, and ranks him 4th A-T Collegiate!
He outkicked Yared Nuguse, who ended in 3:35.60!

The old MR in the Men's 10000 dated from 40 years ago!
It got destroyed, with 7 runners timed under 27:48!!
The new shoes were blamed, but I see it more as just the men deciding to NOT make it strategic!
Simple!!
Pat Dever shocked a few by winning in 27:41.87!
He was on no one's formchart!
It's the MR, and makes him 18th A-T Collegiate!
Conner Mantz took 2nd with 27:42.16!
Abdi Nur's 27:42.73 was 3rd, making him 19th A-T Collegiate!
Robert Brandt was next, his time being 27:43.47.
Eric Hamer's 27:44.87 makes him 20th A-T Collegiate!
Alex Masai ended 6th, his 27:45.19 ranking him 21st A-T Collegiate!
Charles Hicks timed 27:47.63, making him 24th A-T Collegiate!

Then there was the 5000!
The CR was a bit out of range (but just 4 seconds!), but Cooper Teare tore through a 52 second final 400 to win in 13:12.27, for the Meet Record!
He broke his own Junior Class Record!
He ranks 2nd A-T Collegiate!
Luis Grijalva took a close 2nd in 13:13.14.
He ranks 3rd A-T Collegiate!
A shocker in 3rd was Athanus Kioko, his 13:13.47 ranking him suddenly 4th A-T Collegiate!

Cole Hocker was returning less than an hour after the 1500, so can be forgiven for ending 4th!
His 13:18.45 ranks him 14th A-T Collegiate!
Robert Brandt's 13:19.11 in 5th ranks him 15th A-T Collegiate!
Dever's 13:19.85 in 6th ranks him 17th A-T Collegiate!
And Thomas Ratcliffe's 13:20.88 in 7th ranks him 24th A-T Collegiate!

The Sprints were all great, albeit with a windy Women's 100 final!
Cambrea Sturgis had been shining since at least the Conferences!
So her winning wasn't too shocking.
But then we saw the time--10.74!
And then we heard it was with a 2.2 wind!
So close to legal!!
Nonetheless, a memorable race, time, and runner!
Twanisha Terry was 2nd in 10.79, with Tamara Clark running 10.88, and Kemba Nelson ending 4th in 10.90--wind-aided all!

The wind was legal when Sturgis won the 200 in 22.12!
This makes her 4th A-T Collegiate!
Clark finished in 22.17!

LSU's Terrance Laird wanted a double, but had to settle for the 100 win in 10.05!
Huge lumbering Joseph Fahnbullah charged hard at the line in the 200, edging by him in 19.91.
This ranks him 9th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Laird was close in 19.94!

Because of space limitations, the other events will be offered by event group!
Track--MEN
LSU took the 4X100 Relay in 38.48 over Georgia's 38.54!
This makes Georgia 13th A-T School, tied with 1 other!
Florida State and North Carolina A&T both were timed in 38.60, with Florida State getting the nod for 3rd!

Kigen Chemadi took the 3000SC in 8:28.20 over Alu Bastien's 8:29.03!
Robert Dunning dominated the 110H with his 13.25!
North Carolina A&T's 4X400 squad couldn't match their fantastic Prelims time of 2:59.21, but they won it anyway in 3:00.92!
Stephen F Austin surprised in 2nd with their 3:01.52.
This makes them 19th A-T School, tied with 1 other!
Texas A&M took 3rd in 3:01.64!

Track--WOMEN
Sage Hurta made others hurt by taking the 1500 semis in 4:08.88!
Anna Camp (now Anna Camp-Bennett??) was 2nd in 4:09.32, making her 15th A-T Collegiate!
Micaela Degenero ran 4:09.38 in 3rd, ranking her 17th A-T Collegiate!

But Camp came through in the final, her 4:08.53 making her 12th A-T Collegiate!
Hurta took 2nd with 4:09.42, with Ella Donaghu 3rd in 4:09.66!

The 100H Semis saw Tonea Marshall win in 12.48.
Anna Cockrell took 2nd with 12.54, making her 8th A-T Collegiate!
Cockrell took the final in 12.58 when Marshall scratched because of a slight twinge!

The UCLA runner also took the 400H, her time of 54.68 making her 21st A-T Collegiate!
Carmela Diaz, one of the Home Girls, won the 10000 in a steady 32:16.13 over Mercy Chelangat's 32:22.11.

The semis of the 4X100's went to USC's 42.63!
The Ducks ran 42.86, while LSU was 3rd in 43.03!
And the Trojans took the final as well, this time in 42.82 to LSU's 42.84!
The Ducks were DQ'ed!!

The 800 final was quick, but fell just short of breaking two minutes!
Michaela Meyer won it in 2:00.28, making her 9th A-T Collegiate!
Laurie Barton's 2:00.65 makes her 14th A-T Collegiate, tied witth 1 other!
And Elly Henes followed in Mom Laurie's footsteps 30 years later, taking the 5000 in 15:28.05!
But she had to dig, as Katie Wasserman timed 15:28.63 in 2nd!

Field--MEN
Thomas Mardal won the Hammer Throw with a PR whirl of 251-9!
He ranks 10th A-T Collegiate!
Gleb Dudarev was 2nd with 244-6!
Branson Ellis won the PV by clearing 18-8.25!

JuVaughn Harrison and Turner Washington both doubled!
Harrison took the LJ with 27-1.75, while HJ'ing 7-7.75!
He tried 7-10 three times!
Washington took the SP with 69-2.75!
This makes him 23rd A-T Collegiate!
Tripp Piperi was 2nd with 67-11.50!
Turner's DT was 204-1.

Emmanuel Ikeniyi won the TJ with 56-2.75!
He ranks 13th A-T Collegiate!
Second came J-N Perinchief, his 55-11.50 ranking him 23rd A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!

Karel Tilga won the Decathlon with 8261 points.
Second was Ayden Owens with 8114 points!

Field--WOMEN
Marie Obst had a JT of 195-10, winning over A Minard's 190-0!
That ranks Minard 20th A-T Collegiate!

Tara Davis was a pre-meet LOCK, but she barely edged 2 of her rivals, her 21-11.75 way below her CR!
Tyra Gittens was 2nd  with 21-11. while Jasmine Moore took 3rd with 21-10!
Gittens won the Heptathlon with 6285 points over Michelle Atherrley's 6067!
And Moore barely lost to Ruth Usoro's 46-6.75 in the TJ, reaching 46-4.75!
Michelle Fokam was 3rd with 46-0.75, making her 15th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!

Adelaide Aquilla won the Shot Put, throwing 62-3.25!
Josie Schaefer's 60-0.25 took 2nd, making her 20th A-T Collegiate!
Rachel Glenn HJ'ed 6-4, making her 17th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
L Distin cleared 6-2.75 to take Silver!

And Jorinde van Klinken ended a great Collegiate season by taking the DT with a Meet Record 213-3!
Laulauga Tausauga was 2nd with 208-5!

I'll close this report with the Women's 4X400 Relay!
It was quite special, as it was Athing Mu's final race as a Collegiate athlete!!
She turned Pro days later, though no agent or shoe company has been named yet!

A&M were behind after the 3rd leg!
That's when Mu took the baton!
That baton must have been on fire, because she clocked a mere 48.84 before she tossed it after crossing the line!!
That's right--48.84 seconds!!
Texas A&M got other quick legs, including a sub-50 from Cherokee Young (2nd), to finish in a Collegiate Record time of 3:22.34!
It's obviously also the MR!

USC took 2nd in a speedy 3:24.54, making them 4th A-T School!
UCLA was 3rd in 3:25.01, making them 6th A-T School!

The rest of the field, though not running PR's, were also fast!
Florida was 4th in 3:26.31, with Texas 5th in 3:26.72.
South Carolina was 6th in 3:26.73, while Duke finished 7th with 3:28.27!
Kentucky followed in 3:28.68, with Arkansas ending 8th in 3:28.78!

More to come soon!

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