USATF & Collegiate Conferences

 The new INdoor arena in Spokane WA was the site of the 2022 USATF Championships!
With the World Championships (INdoors AND OUTdoors) looming, decisions were made as to whether to compete in both, or aim for Eugene only, thus determining which Americans would show in Spokane!
This has always been a factor in who took on the US Champs--and who passed!
In my opinion, the INdoor USATF is just as important as the OUTdoor version, and should be shown as much respect!
That said, enough top tier athletes presented themselves to conclude this year's edition was a meet of some genuine quality and even a bit of depth!

That showed in both Pole Vaults!
Once again, Sandi Morris ruled the day for the Women, taking Gold with 15-9!
Katie Nageotte also showed her steadiness, taking 2nd with 15-7.
Bronze went to Bridget Williams (formerly Guy), she reaching 15-5!
Not often you see HS'ers in the USATF PV, but Amanda and Hana Moll aren't your typical HS'ers!
Amanda flew over 14-9, tying for 4th place, with Hana ending 7th with a 14-5.25 clearance!
The Men were led by Chris Nilsen's 19-4.75, his standard height of late!
KC Lightfoot also did good, his 19-2.75 taking 2nd!

The Throws were all top tier!
Ryan Crouser threw his 16 pounder 73-10.25 for a big win!
But Josh Awotunde's 71-4 in 2nd makes him 13th A-T US, tied with 1 other!
Maggie Ewen exploded out to 64-11.25 to make her 4th A-T US!
This put Chase Ealey over 2 feet behind, but Ealey's 62-8 was still good!
In 3rd was Jessica Woodard's 61-4.25!
This makes her 19th A-T US!
Close was another Jessica--Ramsey--with 61-2.75!

The Ball and Chain crews let loose also--so to speak!
Janae Kassanavoid let her WT fly out 79-8!
This makes her 10th A-T US, and 11th A-T World!!
Erin Reese reached 77-10 in 2nd, while Lara Boman's 77-4.75 makes her 17th A-T US, and 23rd A-T World, tied with 1 other!
Alex Young let fly his B&C 81-6, sending him up to 7th A-T US, and 8th A-T World!!
Daniel Haugh's 81-4 made things exciting!
Rudy Winkler's 78-0 took the Bronze!

Mikiah Brisco's 7.07 just edged Marybeth Sant-Price's 7.08 in the 60!
Kayla White's 7.10 in 3rd made her 22nd A-T US, tied with 4 others!
Christian Coleman sped 6.45 in his 60 to beat Marvin Bracy's 6.48 in a race TV decided to feature!

After a 7.43 in his heat, Grant Holloway tied the Meet Record with his 60H final of 7.37!
Gabbi Cunningham took the Women's 60H with 7.82, making her 11th A-T US, tied with 2 others!
Both Multi's were solid and high scoring!
Chari Hawkins took the Pentathlon with 4492 points!
This makes her 15th A-T US!
And it beat the still young veteran Kendell Williams, who scored 4399 points!
But Garrett Scantling's Heptathlon total of 6382 points gave him the Meet Record!
It also makes him 3rd A-T US, and 9th A-T World!!

The distances were fairly mundane, especially if you're like me--more into fast times rather than strategic races determining the winners!
Cole Hocker doubled as expected, taking the 3000 in 7:47.50, and the 1500 in 3:39.09--the latter being a Meet Record, believe it or not!!
Bryce Hoppel ran a quick 1:45.30 to take the 4 lapper!
Ajee Wilson is as steady as she goes, running her heat and final of the 800 just one tick of the watch apart!!
Her times were 2:01.73, then 2:01.72!!
Like Hocker, Elle Purrier St Pierre also Double Dipped!
BUT...her quest met the proverbial wall when her sprint to the finish in a tactical 1500 was outdone by Josette Norris and Heather MacLean!!
Norris was right with her, but while both leaned at the line, it was MacLean that sprinted the hardest, JUST breaking the tape first!
Times were 4:06.09, 4:06.13, and PSP's 4:06.14!!
Slow as slugs, but exciting in replays!
In 5th place was Dani Jones's 4:08.14!
This made her 22nd A-T US!!

Then Purrier decided to go for "A" win, and got it!
She sprinted determinedly to cross the line in the 3000 with 8:41.53!

In other events--
Keturah Orji won the TJ with 46-10.25!
And Jarrion Lawson took the LJ with 26-10.50!

As has become the norm for some of the Collegiate Conferences--mainly the Big 10 and Big 12--they went to Oversize Track arenas, thus making EVERY race over 60 meters in length ineligible for Record and List purposes--including Meet Records, Class Records, and such!!
It pisses me off no end that the NCAA (and/or the Conference schedulers) would set up these important meets in venues where they KNOW that any and all marks run on the ovals would be null and void!!
It's unfair to the hundreds of athletes who run those events, and surprises me that THEY haven't demanded these meets be held on 200 meter tracks!!

Anyway, as per the norm, the ACC and SEC gave us most of the best marks, and many records!
Trey Cunningham won his 60H heat in a Meet Record 7.40 at the ACC!
His finals time was 7.42!
Daniel McArthur broke his own ACC Meet Record with his Shot Put of 70-7!
It makes him 16th A-T Collegiate!
Lindsey Butler was another to break her own ACC Meet Record, her 2:01.23 in the 800 making her 9th A-T Collegiate!
Dylan Jacobs won the 3000 in a MR 7:49.79!

Rachel Baxter continued her fine season with a PV win, clearing 15-1.50!
It's the ACC Meet Record!
And it makes her 5th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other, and 16th A-T US, tied with 2 others!
Gabriela Leon topped 14-7.50 to take 2nd!
Not an MR, but Rebecca Mammel's WT of 75-8.75 was good enough to rank her 17th A-T Collegiate!

The last ACC Meet Record goes to the DMR squad from Virginia Tech in the Women's race!
Their time was 10:53.75!
Virginia was 2nd in 10:56.84, making them 13th A-T School!
North Carolina State's team ran 10:58.10, making them 15th A-T School!!

A few marks worthy of note came from other Conferences!
Even though I generally ignore marks made on OT's I must mention Anavia Battle's 200 time of 22.39 at the Big 10.
Thankfully, field events held in venues with OT's still count as legal!
Adelaide Aquilla's SP of 61-4.75 thus set the Big 10 Meet Record!
Olivia Lueking's Big 12 PV of 14-6 also set a Meet Record!
While the Pentathlon includes the 800, I count scores that come from OT venues!
So Kristine Blazevica's 4308 score is the Big 12 Meet Record!

Other Conference marks (other than ACC and SEC)--
At the American Conference, Rayniah Jones took the 60H in 7.90!
This ranks her 13th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Deemia (sp??) Miller's WT--also at the American Conference--of 79-0 makes her 14th A-T US, and 16th A-T World!
Tripp Piperi took the Big 12 SP with his 70-2.50!
Lucy Corbett HJ'ed 6-2.25 to win at Big Sky!
The Big South Women's PV went to Sydney Horn's 14-6!
And in the Heps Heptathlon (Sic!), Andrei Iosiva scored 6036 points, making him 22nd A-T Collegiate!

Then we come to the NC---oops!  I meant the SEC--Conference!
Yes, they DO kind of resemble each other in their quality and depth of marks!!

The Talk of the Season has been Abby Steiner, beginning with her initial race over 300 meters (See earlier post!).
The talk got a lot louder after she DESTROYED the Collegiate Record over 200 meters with her brilliant solo run of 22.09!!
It also got her the American Record, the Senior Class Record, and the Age 22 Record!!
It makes her 2nd on the A-T World list!!
In fact, she ran faster in her heat (22.44) than did Favour Ofili in the final!
Ofili's 2nd place time was 22.46!
This makes her 9th A-T Collegiate, and 19th A-T World!!

The Women's 4 X 400 Relay was rather fast!
As in Collegiate Record and SEC Meet Record fast!!
Those honors went to Arkansas's 3:24.09!!
They needed most of it to beat Texas A&M's 3:25.43!
This makes them 2nd A-T School!
Getting 3rd A-T School was Kentucky, with their time of 3:25.89!!

The Women's open 400 went to Alexis Holmes's 50.77!
This makes her 8th A-T Collegiate, and 11th A-T US!
In 2nd came Britton Wilson's 50.88!
It makes her 13th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other, and 17th A-T US!!

Kyle Garland added 5 points to his Heptathlon PR, but it was enough for the win, and to give him the Meet Record!
It also makes him 5th A-T Collegiate, and 10th A-T US!

Alia Armstrong's 60 time of 7.11 makes her 10th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others!
Lamara Distin grabbed a share of the Meet Record with her HJ of 6-3.25!
Rachel Glenn's 6-2 took 2nd!
Grace Stark won the 60H in 7.91, but it was enough to beat the 7.93 of Charisma Taylor!
(Guess Ms Taylor's "charisma" wasn't enough to tackle Stark!!)
LOL

Jasmine Moore handily doubled in the horizontal jumps!
Her TJ measured 46-3.50, but her LJ of 22-1.75 makes her 13th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others!
Mississippi won the Women's DMR in 10:56.39, making them 12th A-T School!
Arkansas's 10:57.26 was 2nd.
Kentucky's 11:00.18 just missed making the Collegiate list!
Shafiqua Maloney's 2:02.10 gave her the 800 win!
Ellen Vekemans (sp??) 14-8 took the PV, making her 21st A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!

Lance Lang sprinted the one lapper in 20.32, making him 15th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others!
Champion (Apt name!!) Allison got on 3 lists with his winning 400 time of 45.04@
He is 12th A-T Collegiate, 12th A-T US, and 16th A-T World!
The Meet Record in the 800 goes to Brandon Miller's 1:45.24!
It makes him 3rd A-T Collegiate, and 4th A-T US!
Amon Kember's 7:47.34 over 3000 meters is also an SEC Meet Record!
In the 4 X 400 Relay, Georgia's Men ran 3:02.59, making them 6th A-T School!
Florida was right on their shoulder, ending 2nd in 3:02.61!!
Finally, Anna Hall upped her Pentathlon PR by 28 points!
Her 4618 points is an SEC Meet Record!
It makes her 4th A-T Collegiate, and 8th A-T US!

Next stop---the Big Three!
(NCAA, NBIN, WC)
One at a time!

Not forgetting The TEN!!
See you soon!