2022 INdoor Athletes of the Year

 Over one month after it all ended (sort of!), let's award those who made this just past INdoor season so very special!
"Rules" are simple--
NO OUTdoor marks are considered!
NO Oversize Track marks, or 1600 or 3200 marks, or marks teleported from them are considered!
NO marks by Collegiates AFTER the NCAA's are considered!
All choices are by yours truly, for better or for worse!
Comments--agreeing with me or not--are welcome!

The following major records were set in my 4 core groups (up through March 20)
World MEN
Jakob Ingebrigtsen 3:30.60--Mondo Duplantis 20-4--Steven Gardiner 31.56
World WOMEN
Yulimar Rojas 51-7.75--Nike Union AC--10:39.91 
US MEN
Shane Streich 2:16.16--Grant Fisher 12:53.73--Chris Nilsen 19-10.25
US WOMEN
Abby Steiner 22.09--Elise Cranny 14:33.17--Nike Union AC 10:39.91--Chase Ealey 66-3.75 (tied)
Collegiate MEN
Jared Nuguse 7:38.13--Jacori Patterson 31.99
Collegiate WOMEN
Julien Alfred 7.04--Abby Steiner 22.09 & 35.80--Jasmine Moore 47-9.75--Arkansas 3:24.09--Grace Stark 7.78 (tied)
HS MEN
Will Sumner 1:15.58--Ridge 9:53.40--Newbury Park 16:29.31
HS WOMEN
Roisin Willis 2:00.06--Shawnti Jackson 7.18--Amanda Moll 14-9 (tied)--Flower Mound 19:37.78--
Pioneer 11:32.68 & 8:51.93--Juliet Whittaker 2:39.41

World Athlete of the Year--MEN
MONDO DUPLANTIS--He ruled the PV and the T&F world with aplomb and determination!
Honorable Mentions--Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Sang Woo, Grant Holloway, Damian Warner, Sam Tefera,
Darlan Romani, Grant Fisher, and Lamont Jacobs
World Athlete of the Year--WOMEN
YAROSLAVA MAHUCHUKH--I know she was not the greatest athlete in 2022, but she's my pick for AOY!  No Woman--no PERSON affected the peace-loving world more than this Ukranian did at the Serbian Worlds!!  Tears of support, love, and ultimate sadness for her homeland flowed from all of us, and that moment of victory was not only for her, but for her nation!!
HM's--Yulimar Rojas, Mujinga Kambundji, Auriol Dongmo, Gabby DeBues Stafford, Noor Vidts, Gudef Tsegay, and Abby Steiner
US Athlete of the Year--MEN
CHRIS NILSEN--So consistent in the 19-5 range in the PV, he topped those with a 19-10.25 AR!
HM's--Crouser, Holloway, Fisher, Streich, and Christian Coleman
US Athlete of the Year--WOMEN
ABBY STEINER--So dominant--from her 1st race to her last--and showing even more potential!
HM's--Elise Cranny, Grace Stark, Marybeth Sant-Price, Chase Ealey, Shey Taiwo, Sandi Morris, and Ajee Wilson
Collegiate Athlete of the Year--MEN
TREY CUNNINGHAM--Following in Grant Holloway's footsteps, but not as his shadow!
HM's--Jacori Patterson, Sondre Guttormsen, Randolph Ross, Jared Nuguse, and Ayden Owens
Collegiate Athlete of the Year--WOMEN
ABBY STEINER--Of course!!
HM's--Stark, Alfred, Taiwo, and Rachel Baxter
HS Athlete of the Year--MEN
NEWBURY PARK (CA)--This TEAM wins my AOY, not because of the shortage of Individual athletes, but because of their total star power, especially in the Mile Relay and the Mile itself!
HM's--Ridge (another team!!), Colin Sahlman (Newbury Park's "star"!), Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan, and Will Sumner
HS Athlete of the Year--WOMEN
NATALIE COOK--So many choices, this was my toughest decision!!  But her Two Mile coming so close to Mary Cain's iconic HSR tipped the scales!
HM's--VERY special mention to Roisin Willis!  Other HM's go to Sophia Gorriaran, Ellie Shea, Amanda & Hana Moll, Sadie Englehardt and Juliet Whittaker

My Performances of the Year go to---
World--MEN
MONDO DUPLANTIS 20-4--He made so many close attempts at 20-3.75, and finally made THAT height, then did himself one better!!
HM's--Mondo's 20-3.75--Holloway's 7.29 in a semi!--Ingebrigtsen's 3:30.60 WR--Josh Kerr's 3:48.87--Fisher's 12:53.73, Steven Gardiner's 31.56, and Darlan Romani's shocker upset of Crouser with 73-11
World--WOMEN
YULIMAR ROJAS--She's tall, she's colorful (she herself AND her hair!), and she's the Mondo of the Women's TJ!  Only she can approach her WR!
HM's--Kambundji's 6.96--Ewe Swoboda's 6.99, 7.00, and so many other fast 60's!--Steiner's 22.09 & 35.80, DeBues-Stafford's 8:31 & 14:31, Auriol Dongmo's and Chase Ealey's 6th round duel at World's, Shey Taiwo's great WT's, Keely Hodgkinson's 1:57.20, Noor Vidts's 4929, and Special Mention to Yaroslava Muhuchukh's stirring win at World's (See above!)
US--MEN
GRANT FISHER--What a slough of great 5K's this former Stanford Cardinal led in Boston!!  His 12.53.73 smashed Galen Rupp's AR!!
HM's--Nilsen's 19-10.25--Crouser's 73-10.25 season best; NOT his loss to Romani!!--Streich's 1000 AR, Holloway's 7.29 in a semi!--and Garrett Scantling's 6382
US--WOMEN
ABBY STEINER--Her 22.09 was challenged mostly by her own 300 of 35.80!
HM's--Cranny's 14:33.17, Sant-Price's 7.04, Stark's 7.78, Ealey's 66-3.75, and Nike Union AC's 10:39.91
Collegiate--MEN
TREY CUNNINGHAM--His 7.38 was joined by a few times in the low 7.40's!
Jacory Patterson's 31.99, Turner Washington's 71-0.50, Nuguse's 7:38.13, and Kyle Garland's 6205
Collegiate--WOMEN
ABBY STEINER--I know she's winning a lot here, but it's all well-deserved!!  Her 22.09 tops her 35.80!--
HM's to Shey Taiwo's big WT's, Alfred's 7.04, and Stark's 7.78
HS--MEN
NEWBURY PARK 4 X MILE--Yes, this amazing solo run gets the award here also!!  And they had the potential to take anpother 10 seconds off their time!!
HM's--Colin Sahlman's 3:58.81 Mile--Lex Young's 7:57.06, Ridge's 9:53.40, Jordan Anthony's 20.64, Robinson-O'Hagan's 85-0.50, and Sumner's 1:15.58
HS--WOMEN
ROISIN WILLIS--While Natalie Cook won my AOY, Willis's 2:00.06 was amazing, in that she WON the race against older Women!!
HM's go to Gorriaran's 2:00.58, Shea's 15:49.67, Jackson's 7.18, Amanda Moll's 14-9, Cook's 9:44.44, her Flower Mound team's 19:37.78, Pioneer's 8:51.93 and 11:32.60, and Whittaker's 2:39.41

World Personality of the Year--MEN
MONDO DUPLANTIS--For his amazing endurance in all his tries at 6.19, and his entertaining and outgoing nature, as well as his ongoing love affair with his fans!!
World Personality of the Year--WOMEN
I wanted to give this one to Mahuchukh, but while she deserved all the attention and love she received, I felt YULIMAR ROJAS's flair and colorful ways (her hair being just one!) gives her this award!
But a STRONG HM to the Ukranian!
US Personality of the Year--MEN
RYAN CROUSER for his humble acceptance of his loss at World's and for his HUGE command of his territory wherever he goes!!
US Personality of the Year--WOMEN
ABBY STEINER--While her personality was friendly and smiley and all of that, I gave her this award for the commanding nature of her talent at work!  She gave no quarter!!
Collegiate Personality of the Year--MEN
JARED NUGUSE--The nature of distance races (except at advertised time trials) is to win, whatever time it takes!  Jared ignored that and brought Collegiate distance running back to where it should be!
Collegiate Personality of the Year--WOMEN
ABBY STEINER ("the operator said it was 3 o'clock for over an hour, and I hung up!" Bob Dylan)
Self-explanatory!!
HS Personality of the Year--MEN
NEWBURY PARK--This team (and giving full credit to their coach!) made distance relays interesting again!!
HS Personality of the Year--WOMEN
Oh boy! This one is hard to explain,but let's just say there are DOUBLE double winners here!!
For ROISIN WILLIS might not have done so well without having friend and rival SOPHIA GORRIARAN to push her all season!!
That said, neither could either of the Moll twins have risen as high as they did without their twin sibling's love and support, so make AMANDA MOLL and HANA MOLL co-winners of this award!!

We close with my Event of the Year awards!
These are NOT selected by me, but by the athlete's who either made my various lists, or improved their place on my lists!
I'll list all events which found 3 or more marks on my lists from 2022!
I'll also list any events which had ZERO marks on my lists!!

World--MEN
5000 had 6 marks!
With 5 were the Mile and WT!
With 4 were the 300, 400, 600, 1500, 3000, PV, and the Heptathlon!
The SP had 3!
With NO marks were the 200, 800, Two Mile, and the HJ!

World--WOMEN
The WT had 6 make my list!
The 4X400 Relay had 4.
With 3 each were the 60, Mile, 3000, 5000, 60H, and the PV!
With NONE were the 600, 1000, 1500, Two Mile, HJ, LJ, and the SP!

US--MEN
The 5000 had a whopping 13 (THIRTEEN!!) on my list!!
That's over half of my Top 24 Performers list!!
The 600 had 6 marks!
With 4 were the Mile and 3000.
Three each were in the 300, 400, PV, WT, and the Heptathlon!
NONE were in the 200, Two Mile, HJ, LJ, and the TJ!

US--WOMEN
The 60 had 6 marks!
The WT had 5.
With 4 each were the 3000, 5000, 60H, and the SP.
With 3 each were the 400, 800, 1500, Mile, PV, and the Pentathlon!
Getting NONE were the 600, Two Mile, and the LJ!

Collegiate--MEN
The 5000 had 9 marks!
The DMR had 8--and none of them were run on OT's!!
The 3000 had 6!
The 60 had 5.
With 4 each were the Mile, Heptathlon, and the 4 X 400 Relay!
Getting 3 were the 300, 600, and the 1000.
With ZERO were the HJ and TJ!

Collegiate--WOMEN
The 60 had 6.
With 5 each were the 600, 60H, PV, WT, and the DMR!
With 4 were the 300 and 400!
Having 3 each were the 200, TJ, and the Pentathlon!
Getting SHUT OUT were the 1000, 1500, and the 5000!

HS--MEN
The Mile had 10 marks!
The 1500 had 8!
The 3000 had 7!
The 400, 800, and 5000 had 5 each!
With 4 was the Two Mile!
Getting 3 each were the 200 and SP!
With NONE were the 300 and Pentathlon!

HS--WOMEN
The 1500 led the way with 6.
The 60, Mile, and the PV had 5 apiece!
With 4 were the 300, 800, 3000, and the Two Mile!
Getting 3 were the 200 and 1000.
With ZERO was the 60H!!

The World Men had 56 marks to the World Women's 38!!
The US Men also beat the Women, but by just 52 to 50!
The Collegiate Men ruled also over the Collegiate Women--63 to 60!
And the Men HS'ers completed the sweep with a 64 to 54 win!!

Men's total was 235!
Women's total was 202!!
Grand Total of 437 marks made my Top 24 Performers lists for 2022 INdoors!!

First, thank you for reading this lengthy post!
Second, I'll see you soon with some OUTdoor results!!!