One of the greatest gatherings of America's Under 20's put on a Hell of a show in Eugene's legendary T&F venue, Hayward Field, these past two days.
And the ones who were the supposed stars, the ones who several pundits were featuring in everything they said or wrote, actually UNDER-performed!!
But there is such a wonderful salad of material to report, so let's get on it!!
BOTH 100 meter HSR's were broken, and it happened just hours apart!!
Trentavis Friday--in his HEAT!!!---broke Jeff Demps mark of 10.01 from 2008, running 10.00!
In his HEAT!!
Besides the HSR, it's also the 12th Grade record, the Meet Record, and it moves him from 6th to 1st on the A-T HS list!!
And then he false-started in the final!
Unbelievable!
Because a Race for the Ages was set up, with 9.97 man Trayvon Bromell having run an eased up 10.08 in his heat!
But it was a clear FS, so no protest was filed.
Bromell easily won the final.
I'll return to Friday in a moment.
In the Girls 100 heats, 16 year old Sophomore Kaylin Whitney sprinted an 11.17.
This mark tied the Soph Class mark of Marion Jones (!!) from 1991.
It moved her from 17th A-T HS up to 8th, tied with 2 others.
Then in the final, Whitney finally opened up just a bit.
Her time of 11.10 broke the HSR of Angela Williams from 1998 by the same margin of 0.01 as with Friday.
It also set the Meet Record, and broke that Class Record tie with Jones!
I don't keep Age 16 records, but I've learned that's a WORLD Age 16 record!
Two other HS 100 people had good marks.
Kendell Williams (the MALE version!! LOL) ran 10.27, making him 23rd A-T HS, tied with 6 others!
And Arianna Washington ran 11.30, moving from 24th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, up to 19th, tied with 1 other.
But Friday and Whitney weren't finished!
Each returned on the 2nd day in their respective 200's.
Whitney---and remember, she's just 16 and just ended her sophomore year---became the 2nd fastest HS 200 meter runner ever, sprinting a great 22.49.
In so doing, she defeated several Collegians, including LSU's Jada Martin, who finished 0.53 behind!!
This is the new Meet Record, as well as the Soph Class record!
The old MR had been one Allyson Felix's, dating from 2004!
The old Soph Class mark belonged to....Marion Jones! That mark (of 22.76) was shattered by a solid 0.27 seconds!!
And get this!
Her time of 22.49 is FASTER than the ELEVENTH Grade record, also set by Marion Jones in 1991 with her 22.58!
And don't forget, this makes this 16 year old wunderkind # 2 on the A-T HS list!
Shoved OFF the list was Jackie Thompson.
Her 23.08 was run in...1973!
Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Whitney's time would rank her 21st on the A-T Collegiate list as well!!
Mr Friday's 200 final?
Well, you could say there was good news and there was bad news.
(Sort of like his 1st day saga, with the HSR and the FS!!)
He didn't FS this time.
In fact, he actually ran better than he did in the 100, IMO!
His time of 20.03 (!!) would have shattered the HSR of 20.13 by a full tenth of a second.
But a slight breeze of 2.9 nullified any chance of a record!
Kendell Williams finished 0.43 seconds behind!!
Just an amazing display of young American sprint talent!!
A great match-up was created when Collegiate Frosh Heptathlete Kendell Williams (the FEMALE version!!) decided she would enter just the 100H, and forego a certain place on the US Junior Multi's squad!
She ran a great 12.98 in her heat, but it was wind-aided.
Her main rival would be HS'er Dior Hall, who ran an easy 13.17 in her heat.
No one else was close.
And they came through, even though Williams was a decisive winner.
Williams ran a great PR time of 12.87.
This is the new Meet Record.
Hall finished in 13.00 for the Senior Class record (breaking her own mark of 13.09!).
It moves her up one place on the A-T HS list, from 3rd to 2nd.
In the Boys 110H race, Theo Viltz didn't win, but his 13.42 moves him from 24th A-T HS (tied with 2 others) up to 18th.
The longer Hurdles races produced some fireworks....just over a day after the 4th of July!!
Sydney McLaughlin's achievements perhaps weren't as spectacular as young Kaylin Whitney's, but she had a halfway decent excuse.
This girl is a year younger than Whitney, and is just a Freshman!!
In fact, she's even too young to compete in the World Junior Championships in a couple of weeks!!
(Though she was allowed to compete here. Strange rules!!)
Ms McLaughlin, like Whitney in the 200, became HS's second fastest performer ever, running a spectacular time of 55.63, just 0.43 off the 1984 (!!) HSR of Leslie Maxie (which I was privileged to witness in person)!!
She lost the race to College Frosh Shamier Little, but only in the final 30 or 40 meters when Little powered past her.
But it smashes her own Frosh Class record of 56.89 by a whopping 1.26 seconds!!
What could she run in the Big Show in 2 weeks....if she were allowed to compete??
The mind boggles!
(Oh yes, this moves her to 2nd from 7th place A-T HS!)
In the Boys (Men's??) 400H, Kenny Selmon ran 50.13.
This moved him from 17th A-T HS up to 12th.
The Girls PV had the possibility of being a close shadow of the Lausanne DL Men's High Jump.
You know, that one where 4 members of the 2.40 meter Club clashed.
In this Vault competition, you had HSR holder Desiree Freier, as well as 2 very good Collegiate frosh, Lakan Taylor and Annie Rhodes, and the 9th and 10th Grade record holder, Kaitlin Merritt.
But only Freier performed up to par.
She got over the bar set at 14-1.25, setting a new Meet Record.
She missed 3 times at 14-5.25.
But making up somewhat for the other 3 was another High School girl.
Her name is Bonnie Draxlert, and her 13-11.25 took 2nd place.
It also moves her from 17th A-T HS up into 9th!
Bailey Roth, sort of the Evan Jager of HS Steepling, ran a great time of 9:03.92, making him 9th A-T HS!
Why did I connect him to the American Record holder?
Well, remember Jager had never run a Steeple prior to 2012, when, after just a handful of races, he broke the AR with his 8:06.91.
Similarly, Roth hadn't even SEEN a SC hurdle prior to HIS first race last year!
In a very brief time, he ran the fastest 2000SC in HS history.
And now, in his very first race over 3000 meters (with hurdles and a water pit!), he runs a 9:03!!
Think he has a chance to get the 35 year old HSR of 8:50.1 in the WJC's??
Myles Marshall (son of one of the best-ever American 800 men, John Marshall) ran 1:48.43 in 2nd place.
But it makes him 15th A-T HS!
Megan Glasmann won the JT with a throw of 175-0.
Not her PR, but it did garner her the Meet Record!
One other High Schooler (Audrey Belf) performed against a group of Collegians as if she WAS a Collegian.
Despite looking like she was dying (during the middle of the 5000) in the 90ish heat of Hayward, she somehow had the strength (and the talent!!) to increase her pace over the last few laps.
She beat the Collegians (including one who just ended her Frosh year at the University of....Oregon!!) with a fairly slow time of 17:01.75.
But her margin of victory was a humongous 22.14 seconds!!
Those mega-stars I mentioned earlier?
Normally, as any good Public Relations person will tell you, you'd mention THEIR performances FIRST.....no matter the quality (or lack thereof!).
But this blog is about Records and truly great marks, ones good enough to be rated on one of my Top 24 Performers lists!
And these girls---yes, they were all females!---DID run times that normally would rank them VERY high on my lists.
Only trouble was, their times didn't match either their true potential, or what they'd already achieved!!
Mary Cain----she of the multitudinous HSR's, indoors and out, and of the 1000's of stories written about her already, despite her just reaching 18 two months ago, and having just graduated from Bronxville (NY) High School----Mary Cain broke the Meet Record in the 3000 with her time of 9:15.81.
Yes, it set the MR.
And yes, it made her 8th A-T HS. (See an earlier blog wherein I explain that I'm accepting whatever she's run since turning Professional last November as eligible for my HS lists, and for HSR's!)
(BTW, moved OFF my list by Cain's entry was Erin Keogh's 9:24.6 from 1986!)
But she ran just enough to time qualify for the WJC.
She COULD have run around 8:40 if she'd wanted to.
(Hopefully, she'll be ready to run that fast in 2 weeks when she battles REAL competitors....from the Continent of Africa!!)
Her main "rival" looked to be Stephanie Jenks, like Kaylin Whitney and others, just ending her Sophomore year!
And Jenks DID stick to her like glue.
For about 6.5 laps of the 7.5 lap race!
Then Mary decided to stop doing her calculus homework, or texting her Bronxville pals, and put in a bit of effort.
She easily left the talented Jenks in her wake, winning by more than 12 seconds....most of it gained in the final 400 meters!!
The two other mega-stars were Alexa Efraimson and Elise Cranny.
They met in the 1500 final. (They'd walked through separate heats in the mid-to-high 4:30's!)
And if you like all-out final 400 sprints in distance races, then the Alexa & Elise Show rated a standing ovation!
They cruised through the early laps in about 70 and 72.
They reached the 1100 meter mark at 3:15.89, still going at the same pace as earlier.
Finally, just before coming off the penultimate curve, Alexa revved up her gears!!
But Cranny moved with her.....or a split-second later....leaving her a few feet behind.
And it pretty much remained that way over the last 300.
Efraimson won in 4:16.87 to Cranny's 4:17.40.
Third place was about 9 full seconds back of the Dynamic Duo!!
(And most of the rest of the field were collegians!!)
Efraimson's final lap---run without any apparent stress or release of sweat----was 60.98!
Cranny's was about 61.8, but that reflected her hesitancy in following Efraimson's initial move, not any lesser talent!
All in all, a good race, but nothing to write home about, when compared to their greater achievements!
I'll close this rather lengthy treatise by leaving the Junior meet behind, and moving to some small meet 1000's of miles away from Eugene.
Doesn't matter the meet's name, or where it took place. (Telling the truth, I don't know, and don't care! Although I DO know it was at about 1000 meters of altitude!)
Botswanan Isaac Makwala had his Day of Days earlier today.
He first sped a Botswana National Record in the 400, with a great time of 44.01.
His previous best was just 44.83 from earlier this year!
This makes him 11th A-T World!!
Moved OFF my DDD list was the legendary Wayne Collett, whose 44.24 from 1972 had been 24th on the list!
Then, apparently just an hour or so later, he sped a 200 in another Botswanan National Record, timing out in 19.96.
I did some research (asked someone on Twitter! LOL), and found out he had a 100 PR of 10.40.
(And a wind-aided 10.13, so he'll probably improve on that 10.40!)
Anyway, if you add his 100, 200, and 400 times together, the Combined time is 1:14.37.
He just misses my short list of Best Combined 100/200/400 Runners by 0.07 seconds.
But I added him to the list anyway!
It's led by Michael Johnson, whose 10.09, 19.32, and 43.18 add up to 1:12.59!!
Next week is the Glasgow DL, which is promising to be one of the best! (Where have you heard THAT before??!!)
And probably more.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Paris beats Lausanne in DL Series
Sorry you had to wait, but as my title implies, the Lausanne DL didn't produce enough material to warrant a separate post!
In fact, even with Paris added, the total of good marks is still below that of some USA domestic meets (of the non-DL variety!).
That said, let's see what DID happen of note.
Kirani James broke through, big time!
He improved his 400 best all the way to 43.74.
This is a Grenada National Record.
It's also the Age 21 record, breaking the vaunted Lee Evans's mark from 1968 (!!!) of 43.86.
Plus, he moves from 9th All-Time World up to 5th, tied with 1 other.
That "other" happens to be LaShawn Merritt, who finished 2nd with a 43.93.
And that time just misses the Best 2nd Place mark ever, set by Butch Reynolds with his 43.91 in 1996!
This race also allowed Chris Brown to again break his Age 35 mark, this time with a 44.59.
Another age record happened in the Men's 100.
The race was somewhat controversial, as the top 3 all had been busted for drugs at one time or another!
(The Twitterverse went nuts with tweets about this!!)
Anyway, the winner, Justin Gatlin sprinted 9.80, for the Age 32 record.
Tyson Gay ran a solid 9.93 in his 1st race back from his drug ban!
The Men's HJ was maybe THE most hyped event in Lausanne, as all the latest 2.40 jumpers came together.
But the WR of Javiar Sotomayor survived this multiple challenge.
Andriy Protsenko's 7-10.50 had the biggest affect on the Record Book.
It made him 7th A-T World, tied with 5 others.
But it was what happened to my DDD that excited me the most.
There had been NINE tied at 7-9.25.
With Protsenko's PR, all of them were kicked OFF my list!!
Among them were 4 guys with marks from the 1980's!
They were:
Carlos Thranhardt from 1984
Tom McCants from 1988
Valeriy Sereda from 1984
And Jerome Carter from 1988!
Also, Ivan Ukhov's jump of 7-9.75 is the best 3rd Place mark ever, but tied with 1 other.
Two National Records went down in a Women's 4X100 race.
The Netherlands ran 42.40, as they become the 13th fastest Nation.
And Switzerland ran a NR of 42.94, becoming the 21st fastest Nation.
That Netherlands mark is the new Meet Record.
Henrik Ingebrigtsen ran the 1500 in 3:33.68 for a Norway National Record.
Moving on to Paris, 3 American women ran the races of their lives, albeit all in non-winning efforts.
But this blog is not about who wins, it's about records and marks, even if that person finishes dead last!!
In a spectacular 1500, Jenny Simpson JUST missed Mary Slaney's "ancient" American Record (3:57.12 from 1982), running a great time of 3:57.22!!
Phoebe Wright paced the field through a first 400 of 61.92!
But most of the field were at about 63.
They came through 800 in 2:07, and 1200 in 3:10.9.
At that point Hassan had a meter's lead on Simpson.
And she held on to it all the way to the finish!
It appeared to me that Jenny gained on her just a bit in the final 50 meters,
This moves her from 3rd A-T US up to 2nd!
Back somewhat came Shannon Rowbury with her first-ever sub-4:00 time.
Her 3:59.49 moves her from 8th A-T US up to 5th!
(She tweeted later that she tripped twice in the early laps, thus inferring there's a much faster PR awaiting her!)
Hassan's 3:57.00 is the new Netherlands National Record!
In the Women's 3000SC, Emma Coburn keeps chopping her PR (but not her steps!!).
She ended 2nd to Hiwot Ayalew's 9:11.65 Meet Record, but her 9:14.12 cut her best by over 3 seconds, and left her just 1.62 seconds shy of tying one Jenny (Barringer) Simpson!!
Small world, eh?
BTW, this moves Emma from 22nd A-T World all the way to 17th!!
Another American, Stephanie Garcia, ran 9:24.35 to move up 1 place on the A-T US list, from 5th to 4th!
And Salima El Ouali Alami's 9:21.24 set a new Morocco National record.
Jamaica's Hansle Parchment ran the first sub-13.00 110H race of the year.
His 12.94 is the Jamaican National Record.
It's also the Age 24 record.
And it moves him from 23rd A-T World (tied with 2 others) up to 10th, tied with 1 other.
In 2nd was Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, whose 13.05 makes him 24th A-T World, tied with 2 others.
In a fierce battle, the Women's DT produced not 1, not 2, but THREE Meet Records!!
First up was American Gia Lewis-Smallwood's 215-3.
Then it was Australian Dani Samuels's turn, with her 218-4. (She later improved to 221.7.)
Finally, despite 3 early fouls (in the first 4 rounds), Sandra Perkovic moved from 4th place in the competition to the top step of the podium with her Meet Record mark of 224.8!
In the Men's 100, Kim Collins didn't win, but he did get another Age 38 record, running 10.10.
In other news, Jinzhe Li LJ'ed 27-9.50 for the National Record of China.
Fami Ogunade's 20.06 200 set the Qatar National record.
And Pavel Fajdek tossed the Hammer 270-3.
But he missed getting into the Top 24 in the world by 3 inches!!
He also missed Poland's National Record by a mere 4 inches!!
Finally, I just became aware that I have a new leader in my Combined Events list in the Men's 800-1500.
Asbel Kiprop has PR's of 1:43.15 and 3:27.72.
This adds up to 5:10.87!!
(It helps to have Peter Matthews great statistical work, the Athletics Annual 2014, for research in this area!!)
The next post will have all the great marks to come from the USATF Junior Championships, which is also the Trials for the WJC!!
Look for it either late tomorrow night or early Monday morning!
In fact, even with Paris added, the total of good marks is still below that of some USA domestic meets (of the non-DL variety!).
That said, let's see what DID happen of note.
Kirani James broke through, big time!
He improved his 400 best all the way to 43.74.
This is a Grenada National Record.
It's also the Age 21 record, breaking the vaunted Lee Evans's mark from 1968 (!!!) of 43.86.
Plus, he moves from 9th All-Time World up to 5th, tied with 1 other.
That "other" happens to be LaShawn Merritt, who finished 2nd with a 43.93.
And that time just misses the Best 2nd Place mark ever, set by Butch Reynolds with his 43.91 in 1996!
This race also allowed Chris Brown to again break his Age 35 mark, this time with a 44.59.
Another age record happened in the Men's 100.
The race was somewhat controversial, as the top 3 all had been busted for drugs at one time or another!
(The Twitterverse went nuts with tweets about this!!)
Anyway, the winner, Justin Gatlin sprinted 9.80, for the Age 32 record.
Tyson Gay ran a solid 9.93 in his 1st race back from his drug ban!
The Men's HJ was maybe THE most hyped event in Lausanne, as all the latest 2.40 jumpers came together.
But the WR of Javiar Sotomayor survived this multiple challenge.
Andriy Protsenko's 7-10.50 had the biggest affect on the Record Book.
It made him 7th A-T World, tied with 5 others.
But it was what happened to my DDD that excited me the most.
There had been NINE tied at 7-9.25.
With Protsenko's PR, all of them were kicked OFF my list!!
Among them were 4 guys with marks from the 1980's!
They were:
Carlos Thranhardt from 1984
Tom McCants from 1988
Valeriy Sereda from 1984
And Jerome Carter from 1988!
Also, Ivan Ukhov's jump of 7-9.75 is the best 3rd Place mark ever, but tied with 1 other.
Two National Records went down in a Women's 4X100 race.
The Netherlands ran 42.40, as they become the 13th fastest Nation.
And Switzerland ran a NR of 42.94, becoming the 21st fastest Nation.
That Netherlands mark is the new Meet Record.
Henrik Ingebrigtsen ran the 1500 in 3:33.68 for a Norway National Record.
Moving on to Paris, 3 American women ran the races of their lives, albeit all in non-winning efforts.
But this blog is not about who wins, it's about records and marks, even if that person finishes dead last!!
In a spectacular 1500, Jenny Simpson JUST missed Mary Slaney's "ancient" American Record (3:57.12 from 1982), running a great time of 3:57.22!!
Phoebe Wright paced the field through a first 400 of 61.92!
But most of the field were at about 63.
They came through 800 in 2:07, and 1200 in 3:10.9.
At that point Hassan had a meter's lead on Simpson.
And she held on to it all the way to the finish!
It appeared to me that Jenny gained on her just a bit in the final 50 meters,
This moves her from 3rd A-T US up to 2nd!
Back somewhat came Shannon Rowbury with her first-ever sub-4:00 time.
Her 3:59.49 moves her from 8th A-T US up to 5th!
(She tweeted later that she tripped twice in the early laps, thus inferring there's a much faster PR awaiting her!)
Hassan's 3:57.00 is the new Netherlands National Record!
In the Women's 3000SC, Emma Coburn keeps chopping her PR (but not her steps!!).
She ended 2nd to Hiwot Ayalew's 9:11.65 Meet Record, but her 9:14.12 cut her best by over 3 seconds, and left her just 1.62 seconds shy of tying one Jenny (Barringer) Simpson!!
Small world, eh?
BTW, this moves Emma from 22nd A-T World all the way to 17th!!
Another American, Stephanie Garcia, ran 9:24.35 to move up 1 place on the A-T US list, from 5th to 4th!
And Salima El Ouali Alami's 9:21.24 set a new Morocco National record.
Jamaica's Hansle Parchment ran the first sub-13.00 110H race of the year.
His 12.94 is the Jamaican National Record.
It's also the Age 24 record.
And it moves him from 23rd A-T World (tied with 2 others) up to 10th, tied with 1 other.
In 2nd was Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, whose 13.05 makes him 24th A-T World, tied with 2 others.
In a fierce battle, the Women's DT produced not 1, not 2, but THREE Meet Records!!
First up was American Gia Lewis-Smallwood's 215-3.
Then it was Australian Dani Samuels's turn, with her 218-4. (She later improved to 221.7.)
Finally, despite 3 early fouls (in the first 4 rounds), Sandra Perkovic moved from 4th place in the competition to the top step of the podium with her Meet Record mark of 224.8!
In the Men's 100, Kim Collins didn't win, but he did get another Age 38 record, running 10.10.
In other news, Jinzhe Li LJ'ed 27-9.50 for the National Record of China.
Fami Ogunade's 20.06 200 set the Qatar National record.
And Pavel Fajdek tossed the Hammer 270-3.
But he missed getting into the Top 24 in the world by 3 inches!!
He also missed Poland's National Record by a mere 4 inches!!
Finally, I just became aware that I have a new leader in my Combined Events list in the Men's 800-1500.
Asbel Kiprop has PR's of 1:43.15 and 3:27.72.
This adds up to 5:10.87!!
(It helps to have Peter Matthews great statistical work, the Athletics Annual 2014, for research in this area!!)
The next post will have all the great marks to come from the USATF Junior Championships, which is also the Trials for the WJC!!
Look for it either late tomorrow night or early Monday morning!
Sunday, June 29, 2014
USATF--Some HOT Stuff!
Another of my twisted title games!
It WAS hot in Sacramento (120 on the track today, 100 in the air), but there were also some HOT marks that came from this US Championship meet.
But as usual, I want to say something first.
What do Shalane Flanagan, LaShawn Merritt, Matt Centrowitz, Allyson Felix, Christian Cantwell, and Abbey D'Agostino (among others) have in common?
They're all superstars of the sport, all professionals (Abbey D just turning Pro), and all of them were declared and accepted for this meet.
And all, save Merritt and Felix, who ran their prelim heats, then were no shows for their semi's, didn't compete!
Why?
None had injury problems.
None got violently sick (like Kori Carter did last year before the 400H final).
None got busted for drugs or murder.
None died.
No, they just gave limp tepid excuses for not competing to become the Champion of the United States of America.
This is a disgrace!
Sure, they're adults, and can make decisions on their own, or with their coaches.
Let's take Flanagan as an example.
She's training for a fast fall marathon.
So she said she chose to start her "serious" training now.
Okay, I can understand that!
Then why did she declare for the 10000 here?
Didn't she KNOW she'd be starting serious training now?
Why not scratch BEFORE the deadline (or just not declare), thus leaving a spot open for someone else?
Finally, why couldn't she have run the race anyway, as a hard workout for her marathon?
Treat it as a tempo run or something!
And this goes for all the others.
Without a VALID excuse (medical problem, Grandma dying, etc), there is NO excuse for missing your NATIONAL Championships!!
Now on to the meet itself!
There were no World or American records, but there was one Meet Record, so let's start there.
Emma Coburn continues her break-out SC season.
She won easily in a Meet Record time of 9:19.72.
Behind her came Ashley Higginson's big PR of 9:27.59.
This moves her from 10th A-T US up to 5th!
Aisha Praught also PR'ed big-time---twice!!
First came her 9:39.77 in the heat.
Then she ran 9:34.69 in the final!
The first moved her from 23rd A-T US up to 18th.
Her second moved her from 18th up to 11th A-T US!!
Sara Vaughn and Rachel Johnson also made my DDD list.
Vaughn ran 9:41.55 (in her heat) for 23rd A-T US.
And Johnson ran 9:41.56 (!!) in the final for 24th A-T US!
In the Women's 400, Francena McCorory left Sanya Richards-Ross in her wake, as she got a PR by 0.38 to win in 49.48.
This moves her all the way from 14th A-T US up to 5th!
But she misses the World DDD by 0.15 seconds!
SRR ran 49.66 in 2nd to indicate she's back STRONG from her toe surgery!
She'd run a solid 50.03 in her semi!
Will Claye TJ'ed a great 58-3, making him 21st A-T World, tied with 2 others.
He also moves up one spot on the A-T US list, from 8th to 7th.
Jeff Henderson Long Jumped 27-8 (He also had a 27-11.50 windy jump!), putting him in 18th place on the A-T US list.
Gia Lewis-Smallwood threw the Discus 216-5, moving her from 7th A-T US up into 5th!
Ronnie Ash didn't win the final (He fell over a hurdle and DNF'ed!), but he won his semi in the fastest time of the meet.
His 12.99 makes him 11th A-T US.
More importantly, it makes him 15th on the World list!!
Inika McPherson made a solid breakthrough in the HJ.
She reached 2 meters (6-6.75), beating comebacking from pregnancy Chaunte Lowe, and Brigetta Barrett in the process!
This moves her from 13th A-T US into a 4-way tie in 5th!
The SP's, both held outside Sacto's State Capitol, produced two good PR's.
Joe Kovacs used his, a put of 72-3.50, to win the Men's event.
It makes him 11th A-T US.
It also makes him 19th best on the World list!
Significant were the two names who were pushed OFF those lists by Kovacs's entries.
He removed Kevin Akins 70-10.25 from 1983 from the US DDD.
And he removed Remigius Machura's 71-11.25 from 1987 from the World list!
Also with a solid PR was Women's 2nd placer (behind Michelle Carter) Felicia Johnson.
Her put of 62-11.25 moves her from 10th A-T US up to 7th!
And Tia Brooks TIED her outdoor PR (from 2013) of 61-9.50.
She's 11th A-T US.
The Women's JT produced a great series of marks.
At least for American women!!
Kara Patterson continues her comeback, winning in 204 and change.
But right behind her was Brittany Borman's PR of almost 2 feet, a 203-7 throw.
But she doesn't move up the list, remaining 3rd A-T US!
Elizabeth Herrs improved to 187-8, making her 16th A-T US.
And Hannah Carson continues her solid year.
She first came on the scene as an 8th grader, throwing 173-7!
But she had a ragged 4 years of HS, where she did NOT improve on her Middle School mark.
And this continued in her Freshman year of college!
But this year is different.
She's been PR'ing all spring.
Her latest came in the USATF meet (so doesn't qualify for the Collegiate list, as it's after the NCAA's!), her 185-1 making her 23rd A-T US!!
Speaking of Collegians in this meet, Sandi Morris gained 2 inches on her Pole Vault PR, going 14-11 for 2nd behind Jenn Suhr's 15-1.
(It was windy during the event, holding marks down, and causing lots of early misses!)
Morris moves from 18th A-T US (tied with 5 others!) up to 16th, where she's tied with 1 other.
Tori Bowie didn't run in the final of the 100.
But she had a valid excuse, as she sustained a slight injury earlier.
She ran a breakthrough time of 10.91, continuing her great season.
It makes her 22nd A-T US, tied with one other.
The Heptathlon was pretty deep with good marks.
Behind winner Sharon Day-Monroe came 2 solid PR's.
Barbara Nwaba's 6307 is 14th A-T US.
And Erica Bougard got 6118 points.
This WOULD have made her 24th A-T US, had it not been for Nwaba finishing ahead of her!
So Bougard can be considered as 25th A-T US!!
Kristin Smith's Hammer Throw of 224-5 makes her 24th A-T US.
The Women's 800 was interesting.
(Aside from Maggie Vessey's creative AND quite revealing racing kits!! LOL)
Brenda Martinez didn't win!
In fact, she finished 4th!
The winner was 20 year old Ajee Wilson in 1:58.70, a non-PR.
Behind her was U of O graduate (wearing her Oregon uniform!) Laura Roesler.
Roesler ran a great 1:59.04, sprinting hard at the finish after being boxed in earlier.
Her time moves her into 24th place A-T US in what can be considered her first race as a Professional!
And if it had been run at the NCAA's (or before), it would be the new Collegiate Record!!
But I agree with Track and Field News, who rule that CR's (or marks eligible for Collegiate lists!) must happen at or before the NCAA meet, not after!!
Pushed OFF the US list by Roesler's entry is Essie Washington's 1:59.07 from 1987!
Another VERY interesting facet of the Women's 800 happened in the prelim heats.
Standing there in a red uniform top AND her usual flower pinned to her hair was a 34 weeks along pregnant woman named Alysia Montano!
And she wasn't there just to take a bow, as befits a former multi-times US Champion (and Olympian!).
No, she was there to RACE!!
And she did, running what MUST be a World Record for 34 weeks pregnant women, 2:32.13.
(That's a faster pace than what Paula Radcliffe ran in her WR 2:15:25 marathon in 2003!!!)
Forget what happened in the rest of the meet.
This was THE story of the whole 5 days!!
(And, regarding what I said at the beginning of this post, this makes ANY excuse invalid and UNexcusable!! A PREGNANT woman not only showing up at her National Championship, but RACING!!! For SHAME, all you no-shows or dropouts, for SHAME!!!!)
Okay, now that my breathing is back to normal, let's continue.
The much-ballyhooed Women's 1500 race certainly met its expectations.
Well, SOME of them!
In the heats, the favorites, Jenny Simpson, Mary Cain, and the resurgent Morgan Uceny, all made it through easily, running sub-4:10's.
But Alexa Efraimson, who is becoming THE "next Mary Cain", tried to run with the leaders in her heat (She was in Simpson's and Cain's heat!!), and did so for 3 laps.
Then she faded for about 200 meters, before finishing with a good kick.
However, she finished only 7th in 4:12.89 (her 2nd best time ever!), not qualifying for the final.
(She and Cain are going to compete in the World Junior Trials next week....Cain in the 3000, Efraimson in the 1500....and should easily make the team!)
The final was won by Simpson in 4:04 and change, with Cain 2nd in 4:06 and change.
Morgan Uceny?
She fell....again!!
She got up and finished...last!
What is wrong with her that she falls all the time in MAJOR races??
Hopefully, she'll recover (emotionally!), and continue her strong "comeback" year!!
Before I finish, there were a few other marks good enough to report, some from the previous week.
The USATF Junior Championship (the one where Cain and Efraimson will compete next week!) Multi's were held in concordance with the Senior meet.
In the Heptathlon, two girls got good marks.
Ashlee Moore improved to 5418 points, moving her from 10th A-T HS up into 5th.
And Shaina Burns scored 5363 points, making her 8th A-T HS.
Other HS marks from last week include:
John Nizich had a JT of 224-1, moving him from 21st A-T HS to 18th, tied with 1 other.
Colin Minor threw the Hammer 229-6, making him 20th A-T HS.
(Removed FROM the list was a biggie!! Gone is Alvin Jackson, whose 227-8 from 1972 was then the HSR!!!)
Nyla Woods threw the Hammer 185-8.
This moves her from 22nd A-T HS to 16th.
And Lena Giger's 181-0 HT makes her 22nd A-T HS.
Tianna Daniels sprinted 100 meters in 11.31, making her 22nd A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
On the international front, there were 2 National Records.
Eliska Klucinova scored 6460 in the Heptathlon, which is the Czech National Record.
Sandra Eriksson ran the 3000 Steeplechase in 9:34.71 for the National Record of Finland.
I need to correct a HUMONGOUS error I made many many blog posts ago!
Remember reading that Floyd Heard had run a much-wind-aided 200 of 19.61 at the Texas Relays about 20 years ago?
Not true!!
It was Leroy Burrell, NOT Floyd Heard, who ran that windy 19.61 time!!
And it didn't happen at the Texas Relays!!
It happened at the SouthWest Conference meet in College Station in 1990!!
Sorry for this grievous error!! LOL
Next week are TWO Diamond League meets.
Lausanne is on the 3rd of July, and Paris is on July 5th.
Should be lots more HOT stuff!!
It WAS hot in Sacramento (120 on the track today, 100 in the air), but there were also some HOT marks that came from this US Championship meet.
But as usual, I want to say something first.
What do Shalane Flanagan, LaShawn Merritt, Matt Centrowitz, Allyson Felix, Christian Cantwell, and Abbey D'Agostino (among others) have in common?
They're all superstars of the sport, all professionals (Abbey D just turning Pro), and all of them were declared and accepted for this meet.
And all, save Merritt and Felix, who ran their prelim heats, then were no shows for their semi's, didn't compete!
Why?
None had injury problems.
None got violently sick (like Kori Carter did last year before the 400H final).
None got busted for drugs or murder.
None died.
No, they just gave limp tepid excuses for not competing to become the Champion of the United States of America.
This is a disgrace!
Sure, they're adults, and can make decisions on their own, or with their coaches.
Let's take Flanagan as an example.
She's training for a fast fall marathon.
So she said she chose to start her "serious" training now.
Okay, I can understand that!
Then why did she declare for the 10000 here?
Didn't she KNOW she'd be starting serious training now?
Why not scratch BEFORE the deadline (or just not declare), thus leaving a spot open for someone else?
Finally, why couldn't she have run the race anyway, as a hard workout for her marathon?
Treat it as a tempo run or something!
And this goes for all the others.
Without a VALID excuse (medical problem, Grandma dying, etc), there is NO excuse for missing your NATIONAL Championships!!
Now on to the meet itself!
There were no World or American records, but there was one Meet Record, so let's start there.
Emma Coburn continues her break-out SC season.
She won easily in a Meet Record time of 9:19.72.
Behind her came Ashley Higginson's big PR of 9:27.59.
This moves her from 10th A-T US up to 5th!
Aisha Praught also PR'ed big-time---twice!!
First came her 9:39.77 in the heat.
Then she ran 9:34.69 in the final!
The first moved her from 23rd A-T US up to 18th.
Her second moved her from 18th up to 11th A-T US!!
Sara Vaughn and Rachel Johnson also made my DDD list.
Vaughn ran 9:41.55 (in her heat) for 23rd A-T US.
And Johnson ran 9:41.56 (!!) in the final for 24th A-T US!
In the Women's 400, Francena McCorory left Sanya Richards-Ross in her wake, as she got a PR by 0.38 to win in 49.48.
This moves her all the way from 14th A-T US up to 5th!
But she misses the World DDD by 0.15 seconds!
SRR ran 49.66 in 2nd to indicate she's back STRONG from her toe surgery!
She'd run a solid 50.03 in her semi!
Will Claye TJ'ed a great 58-3, making him 21st A-T World, tied with 2 others.
He also moves up one spot on the A-T US list, from 8th to 7th.
Jeff Henderson Long Jumped 27-8 (He also had a 27-11.50 windy jump!), putting him in 18th place on the A-T US list.
Gia Lewis-Smallwood threw the Discus 216-5, moving her from 7th A-T US up into 5th!
Ronnie Ash didn't win the final (He fell over a hurdle and DNF'ed!), but he won his semi in the fastest time of the meet.
His 12.99 makes him 11th A-T US.
More importantly, it makes him 15th on the World list!!
Inika McPherson made a solid breakthrough in the HJ.
She reached 2 meters (6-6.75), beating comebacking from pregnancy Chaunte Lowe, and Brigetta Barrett in the process!
This moves her from 13th A-T US into a 4-way tie in 5th!
The SP's, both held outside Sacto's State Capitol, produced two good PR's.
Joe Kovacs used his, a put of 72-3.50, to win the Men's event.
It makes him 11th A-T US.
It also makes him 19th best on the World list!
Significant were the two names who were pushed OFF those lists by Kovacs's entries.
He removed Kevin Akins 70-10.25 from 1983 from the US DDD.
And he removed Remigius Machura's 71-11.25 from 1987 from the World list!
Also with a solid PR was Women's 2nd placer (behind Michelle Carter) Felicia Johnson.
Her put of 62-11.25 moves her from 10th A-T US up to 7th!
And Tia Brooks TIED her outdoor PR (from 2013) of 61-9.50.
She's 11th A-T US.
The Women's JT produced a great series of marks.
At least for American women!!
Kara Patterson continues her comeback, winning in 204 and change.
But right behind her was Brittany Borman's PR of almost 2 feet, a 203-7 throw.
But she doesn't move up the list, remaining 3rd A-T US!
Elizabeth Herrs improved to 187-8, making her 16th A-T US.
And Hannah Carson continues her solid year.
She first came on the scene as an 8th grader, throwing 173-7!
But she had a ragged 4 years of HS, where she did NOT improve on her Middle School mark.
And this continued in her Freshman year of college!
But this year is different.
She's been PR'ing all spring.
Her latest came in the USATF meet (so doesn't qualify for the Collegiate list, as it's after the NCAA's!), her 185-1 making her 23rd A-T US!!
Speaking of Collegians in this meet, Sandi Morris gained 2 inches on her Pole Vault PR, going 14-11 for 2nd behind Jenn Suhr's 15-1.
(It was windy during the event, holding marks down, and causing lots of early misses!)
Morris moves from 18th A-T US (tied with 5 others!) up to 16th, where she's tied with 1 other.
Tori Bowie didn't run in the final of the 100.
But she had a valid excuse, as she sustained a slight injury earlier.
She ran a breakthrough time of 10.91, continuing her great season.
It makes her 22nd A-T US, tied with one other.
The Heptathlon was pretty deep with good marks.
Behind winner Sharon Day-Monroe came 2 solid PR's.
Barbara Nwaba's 6307 is 14th A-T US.
And Erica Bougard got 6118 points.
This WOULD have made her 24th A-T US, had it not been for Nwaba finishing ahead of her!
So Bougard can be considered as 25th A-T US!!
Kristin Smith's Hammer Throw of 224-5 makes her 24th A-T US.
The Women's 800 was interesting.
(Aside from Maggie Vessey's creative AND quite revealing racing kits!! LOL)
Brenda Martinez didn't win!
In fact, she finished 4th!
The winner was 20 year old Ajee Wilson in 1:58.70, a non-PR.
Behind her was U of O graduate (wearing her Oregon uniform!) Laura Roesler.
Roesler ran a great 1:59.04, sprinting hard at the finish after being boxed in earlier.
Her time moves her into 24th place A-T US in what can be considered her first race as a Professional!
And if it had been run at the NCAA's (or before), it would be the new Collegiate Record!!
But I agree with Track and Field News, who rule that CR's (or marks eligible for Collegiate lists!) must happen at or before the NCAA meet, not after!!
Pushed OFF the US list by Roesler's entry is Essie Washington's 1:59.07 from 1987!
Another VERY interesting facet of the Women's 800 happened in the prelim heats.
Standing there in a red uniform top AND her usual flower pinned to her hair was a 34 weeks along pregnant woman named Alysia Montano!
And she wasn't there just to take a bow, as befits a former multi-times US Champion (and Olympian!).
No, she was there to RACE!!
And she did, running what MUST be a World Record for 34 weeks pregnant women, 2:32.13.
(That's a faster pace than what Paula Radcliffe ran in her WR 2:15:25 marathon in 2003!!!)
Forget what happened in the rest of the meet.
This was THE story of the whole 5 days!!
(And, regarding what I said at the beginning of this post, this makes ANY excuse invalid and UNexcusable!! A PREGNANT woman not only showing up at her National Championship, but RACING!!! For SHAME, all you no-shows or dropouts, for SHAME!!!!)
Okay, now that my breathing is back to normal, let's continue.
The much-ballyhooed Women's 1500 race certainly met its expectations.
Well, SOME of them!
In the heats, the favorites, Jenny Simpson, Mary Cain, and the resurgent Morgan Uceny, all made it through easily, running sub-4:10's.
But Alexa Efraimson, who is becoming THE "next Mary Cain", tried to run with the leaders in her heat (She was in Simpson's and Cain's heat!!), and did so for 3 laps.
Then she faded for about 200 meters, before finishing with a good kick.
However, she finished only 7th in 4:12.89 (her 2nd best time ever!), not qualifying for the final.
(She and Cain are going to compete in the World Junior Trials next week....Cain in the 3000, Efraimson in the 1500....and should easily make the team!)
The final was won by Simpson in 4:04 and change, with Cain 2nd in 4:06 and change.
Morgan Uceny?
She fell....again!!
She got up and finished...last!
What is wrong with her that she falls all the time in MAJOR races??
Hopefully, she'll recover (emotionally!), and continue her strong "comeback" year!!
Before I finish, there were a few other marks good enough to report, some from the previous week.
The USATF Junior Championship (the one where Cain and Efraimson will compete next week!) Multi's were held in concordance with the Senior meet.
In the Heptathlon, two girls got good marks.
Ashlee Moore improved to 5418 points, moving her from 10th A-T HS up into 5th.
And Shaina Burns scored 5363 points, making her 8th A-T HS.
Other HS marks from last week include:
John Nizich had a JT of 224-1, moving him from 21st A-T HS to 18th, tied with 1 other.
Colin Minor threw the Hammer 229-6, making him 20th A-T HS.
(Removed FROM the list was a biggie!! Gone is Alvin Jackson, whose 227-8 from 1972 was then the HSR!!!)
Nyla Woods threw the Hammer 185-8.
This moves her from 22nd A-T HS to 16th.
And Lena Giger's 181-0 HT makes her 22nd A-T HS.
Tianna Daniels sprinted 100 meters in 11.31, making her 22nd A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
On the international front, there were 2 National Records.
Eliska Klucinova scored 6460 in the Heptathlon, which is the Czech National Record.
Sandra Eriksson ran the 3000 Steeplechase in 9:34.71 for the National Record of Finland.
I need to correct a HUMONGOUS error I made many many blog posts ago!
Remember reading that Floyd Heard had run a much-wind-aided 200 of 19.61 at the Texas Relays about 20 years ago?
Not true!!
It was Leroy Burrell, NOT Floyd Heard, who ran that windy 19.61 time!!
And it didn't happen at the Texas Relays!!
It happened at the SouthWest Conference meet in College Station in 1990!!
Sorry for this grievous error!! LOL
Next week are TWO Diamond League meets.
Lausanne is on the 3rd of July, and Paris is on July 5th.
Should be lots more HOT stuff!!
Sunday, June 22, 2014
From 16 to 39, Some Re-MARK-able Stuff
Yet another "cute" title!
But it's my way of saying that the Ostrava meet in Europe and the Brooks PR meet near Seattle produced some great marks from athletes aged 16 to 39.
Let's start with the old fellows.
I speak of Bernard Lagat, of course.
In a fast 3000 in Ostrava, Lagat didn't win, but his 7:38.30 broke his own Age 39 record.
He's the oldest to go under 7:40.
Caleb Ndiku, just 21, won the race in a Meet Record time of 7:31.66.
Also ahead of Lagat was New Zealander Nick Willis, who broke John Walker's venerable National Record of 7:37.49, dating from 1982, with his 7:36.91.
Amina Betiche ran the 3000SC in 9:29.20 for an Algerian National Record.
Bogdan Bondarenko's "so-so" 7-7.75 HJ was the Ostrava Meet Record.
He missed 3 tries at 2.40 (7-10.50).
There was a fast 1000, which had been billed as a WR attempt by Mohammed Aman.
Wasn't to be.
In fact, Aman didn't even win!!
Ilham Ozbilen did.
In 2:15.08, for the MR and the Turkey National Record.
His time missed 24th place on my World DDD by just 0.08 seconds!
Following Ozbilen was Australian Jeff Riseley, whose 2:16.09 was a National Record.
Then came Aman, who ran the Ethiopian National Record time of 2:16.33.
Tomas Kazi broke the Hungarian National Record with his 2:17.38
Two other WR attempts failed in Ostrava.
Genzebe Dibaba came closest with her 5:27.50 over 2000 meters.
She hit 1600 in a fast 4:20.62, but then lost it during a 66.88 final 400!
Nonetheless, it was the Ethiopian National Record for the seldom-run distance, as well as the Age 23 record.
(Meet Record too, obviously!)
It puts her in 3rd on the A-T World list!
And Florence Kiplagat couldn't finish her attempt at the Hour Run and 20000 meter records (on a track).
She ended her run just after 11000 meters with stomach problems.
The winner was nowhere near the records!
In the 400, LaShawn Merritt continued winning in fast times.
His 44.16 is the Ostrava Meet Record.
Isaac Makwala ran 44.83 for the Botswana National Record.
In the Trinidad National Championships yesterday, Richard Thompson set a new National Record in the 100 with his 9.82.
It places him 9th on the A-T World list!
I missed something at the NBN meet.
I got Darryl Haraway's 10.20 100.
But I missed that his time is the new HS Junior Class record!!
I find it a bit odd that none of the Underclass records are faster than that 10.20, but then the Senior Class mark jumps all the way to 10.01.
I'd think there would be a less sharp drop from 11th to 12th grades!
Finally, in the Brooks PR meet, which went outdoors for the first time, the Girls 2 Mile produced an aggressive attack on my HS (and even US!!) DDD lists!!
I noted in my report on the Prefontaine Women's 2 Mile that this distance isn't run very often, so the Top 24's are fairly easy to get onto.
Well, for the 2nd time in less than a month, the Two Mile DDD's, here for HS and the US, got some generous revisions!
Bethan Knights, who clearly has become a standing member of the "Big Four" of elite HS middle and long distance runners of the past 2 years, won the race in a new High School Record!!
(The "Big 4" consists of Mary Cain, Alexa Efraimson, Elise Cranny, and Sarah Baxter. Knights is the Fifth member. In fact, to some degree, I could see her replacing Baxter, whose 2014 hasn't been as sensational as her previous 2 or 3 years!)
Anyway, Knights, a British citizen (She intends to become an American citizen!), ran 9:53.54 for the actual Two Mile (NOT 3200 Meters!!) distance.
She broke Aisling Cuffe's 9:54.22 from 2011.
And look what Ms Cuffe ran this year!! That 15:11.13 5000!!
Knights's mark is the Age 18 record (WORLD Age 18 record!!), as well as the HS Senior Class record.
It would have made her 13th on the US list, but as a British citizen, she isn't yet eligible for US lists!
While Knights led almost from the gun, as seems to be her M.O., Hannah DeBalsi gave her a scare over the final 2 laps, catching her, then dueling back and forth for a 200 or so, before Bethan rammed home her final winning sprint.
DeBalsi's 9:55.05 is the new Sophomore Class record.
It makes her 3rd A-T HS.
And puts her in 15th on the US list!
Four others ran fast enough to make one or both lists.
Stephanie Jenks ran 10:06.54 for 9th A-T HS, and 23th A-T US.
Audrey Belf ran 10:11.24 for 15th A-T HS.
Caroline Alcorta's 10:11.71 is 16th A-T HS.
And Makena Morley ran 10:15.17 for 24th A-T HS!
In the Girls One Mile (NOT 1600 meters!!), the Dream Mile winner from NY's DL, Sarah Feeny, won the race in a non-PR (but still fast) time of 4:39.40.
But Katie Rainsberger came down from Colorado's altitude to get an 8 second PR, running 4:41.07 in 2nd.
It makes her 16th A-T HS.
Remember, my One Mile and Two Mile lists are what they say they are--1 and 2 MILE lists!!
There are NO 1600 or 3200 times mixed in, nor any marks converted FROM 1600 or 3200 times!!
Thus, you don't see Kim Mortensen's 9:48.59 3200 from 1996 on my Two Mile list.
Nowhere!!
Not that mark, nor the converted time given her of 9:52.03.
I feel sorry for Ms Mortensen (and many many others!!), but I refuse to give any honor or respect to those aberrational distances!!
The same goes for Alexa Efraimson's 4:33.31 "HSR" 1600 at her state meet.
It may have been the fastest outdoor 1600 ever run by a HS girl, but that's ALL it was, and nothing more!!
3200 meters is NOT 3218.688 meters!!
(The actual measurement of a Mile is 1609.344 meters! Thus Two Miles is 3218.688 meters!)
Speaking of Ms Efraimson, that hot race between her and 2:03.32 girl Raevyn Rogers didn't quite materialize as hoped.
Rogers just didn't have it yesterday.
But Alexa did.
She ran a PR time of 2:03.26 for the easy victory.
Her previous best was 2:04.10.
It makes her 12th A-T HS.
And don't forget, she'll be running the 1500 at both the Adult and Junior versions of the USATF meet, then assuredly going on to the World Junior Championships.
Assuming she and Mary Cain are the winners, the United States will have a formidable team in that event in Eugene in late July!!
(Bethan Knights said she's NOT going to try for the WJC!!)
And can't forget the SO close attempt on the Boys 4 X 1 Mile Relay record!
That record is held by South Eugene HS, and dates from 1976, back when Bernard Lagat was just about 1.5 years old!!
Northport TC, from New York, ran their hearts out, but ended just 0.32 from the record, running 17:06.92.
Gig Harbor (WA) was featured as the probable record-setters.
That is, until Northport entered the meet at the 11th hour!
They flew west, then flew around the track, but alas, came up JUST short of the targeted mark of 17:06.6.
Next week is going to be busy.
For one thing, I turn 70 on June 24th!!
(Born the exact same date, June 24, 1944, as former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck!!)
But other than that personal milestone (I'm like the Rolling Stones Keith Richards, shocked I made it past my 30th birthday!!!), there's lots of T&F activity upcoming.
There's the USATF meet in Sacramento from June 25-29.
(Only the SP's--men's and women's--and the 1st day of the Junior Multi's will be on the 25th. The bulk of the meet begins on the 26th.)
There's also the Golden West Invitational, a GP meet in Dakar, Senegal on June 28th, the Znamenskiy Memorial on June 27th, the meet in Sollentuna on the 28th, one in Turku on the 25th, plus some major National championships (besides the US!!), all between the 26th and 29th of June.
And whatever happens of note will assuredly find its way into my next report(s)!!
That is, if I make it PAST my 70th birthday!!
Me and Keith!!
LOL
But it's my way of saying that the Ostrava meet in Europe and the Brooks PR meet near Seattle produced some great marks from athletes aged 16 to 39.
Let's start with the old fellows.
I speak of Bernard Lagat, of course.
In a fast 3000 in Ostrava, Lagat didn't win, but his 7:38.30 broke his own Age 39 record.
He's the oldest to go under 7:40.
Caleb Ndiku, just 21, won the race in a Meet Record time of 7:31.66.
Also ahead of Lagat was New Zealander Nick Willis, who broke John Walker's venerable National Record of 7:37.49, dating from 1982, with his 7:36.91.
Amina Betiche ran the 3000SC in 9:29.20 for an Algerian National Record.
Bogdan Bondarenko's "so-so" 7-7.75 HJ was the Ostrava Meet Record.
He missed 3 tries at 2.40 (7-10.50).
There was a fast 1000, which had been billed as a WR attempt by Mohammed Aman.
Wasn't to be.
In fact, Aman didn't even win!!
Ilham Ozbilen did.
In 2:15.08, for the MR and the Turkey National Record.
His time missed 24th place on my World DDD by just 0.08 seconds!
Following Ozbilen was Australian Jeff Riseley, whose 2:16.09 was a National Record.
Then came Aman, who ran the Ethiopian National Record time of 2:16.33.
Tomas Kazi broke the Hungarian National Record with his 2:17.38
Two other WR attempts failed in Ostrava.
Genzebe Dibaba came closest with her 5:27.50 over 2000 meters.
She hit 1600 in a fast 4:20.62, but then lost it during a 66.88 final 400!
Nonetheless, it was the Ethiopian National Record for the seldom-run distance, as well as the Age 23 record.
(Meet Record too, obviously!)
It puts her in 3rd on the A-T World list!
And Florence Kiplagat couldn't finish her attempt at the Hour Run and 20000 meter records (on a track).
She ended her run just after 11000 meters with stomach problems.
The winner was nowhere near the records!
In the 400, LaShawn Merritt continued winning in fast times.
His 44.16 is the Ostrava Meet Record.
Isaac Makwala ran 44.83 for the Botswana National Record.
In the Trinidad National Championships yesterday, Richard Thompson set a new National Record in the 100 with his 9.82.
It places him 9th on the A-T World list!
I missed something at the NBN meet.
I got Darryl Haraway's 10.20 100.
But I missed that his time is the new HS Junior Class record!!
I find it a bit odd that none of the Underclass records are faster than that 10.20, but then the Senior Class mark jumps all the way to 10.01.
I'd think there would be a less sharp drop from 11th to 12th grades!
Finally, in the Brooks PR meet, which went outdoors for the first time, the Girls 2 Mile produced an aggressive attack on my HS (and even US!!) DDD lists!!
I noted in my report on the Prefontaine Women's 2 Mile that this distance isn't run very often, so the Top 24's are fairly easy to get onto.
Well, for the 2nd time in less than a month, the Two Mile DDD's, here for HS and the US, got some generous revisions!
Bethan Knights, who clearly has become a standing member of the "Big Four" of elite HS middle and long distance runners of the past 2 years, won the race in a new High School Record!!
(The "Big 4" consists of Mary Cain, Alexa Efraimson, Elise Cranny, and Sarah Baxter. Knights is the Fifth member. In fact, to some degree, I could see her replacing Baxter, whose 2014 hasn't been as sensational as her previous 2 or 3 years!)
Anyway, Knights, a British citizen (She intends to become an American citizen!), ran 9:53.54 for the actual Two Mile (NOT 3200 Meters!!) distance.
She broke Aisling Cuffe's 9:54.22 from 2011.
And look what Ms Cuffe ran this year!! That 15:11.13 5000!!
Knights's mark is the Age 18 record (WORLD Age 18 record!!), as well as the HS Senior Class record.
It would have made her 13th on the US list, but as a British citizen, she isn't yet eligible for US lists!
While Knights led almost from the gun, as seems to be her M.O., Hannah DeBalsi gave her a scare over the final 2 laps, catching her, then dueling back and forth for a 200 or so, before Bethan rammed home her final winning sprint.
DeBalsi's 9:55.05 is the new Sophomore Class record.
It makes her 3rd A-T HS.
And puts her in 15th on the US list!
Four others ran fast enough to make one or both lists.
Stephanie Jenks ran 10:06.54 for 9th A-T HS, and 23th A-T US.
Audrey Belf ran 10:11.24 for 15th A-T HS.
Caroline Alcorta's 10:11.71 is 16th A-T HS.
And Makena Morley ran 10:15.17 for 24th A-T HS!
In the Girls One Mile (NOT 1600 meters!!), the Dream Mile winner from NY's DL, Sarah Feeny, won the race in a non-PR (but still fast) time of 4:39.40.
But Katie Rainsberger came down from Colorado's altitude to get an 8 second PR, running 4:41.07 in 2nd.
It makes her 16th A-T HS.
Remember, my One Mile and Two Mile lists are what they say they are--1 and 2 MILE lists!!
There are NO 1600 or 3200 times mixed in, nor any marks converted FROM 1600 or 3200 times!!
Thus, you don't see Kim Mortensen's 9:48.59 3200 from 1996 on my Two Mile list.
Nowhere!!
Not that mark, nor the converted time given her of 9:52.03.
I feel sorry for Ms Mortensen (and many many others!!), but I refuse to give any honor or respect to those aberrational distances!!
The same goes for Alexa Efraimson's 4:33.31 "HSR" 1600 at her state meet.
It may have been the fastest outdoor 1600 ever run by a HS girl, but that's ALL it was, and nothing more!!
3200 meters is NOT 3218.688 meters!!
(The actual measurement of a Mile is 1609.344 meters! Thus Two Miles is 3218.688 meters!)
Speaking of Ms Efraimson, that hot race between her and 2:03.32 girl Raevyn Rogers didn't quite materialize as hoped.
Rogers just didn't have it yesterday.
But Alexa did.
She ran a PR time of 2:03.26 for the easy victory.
Her previous best was 2:04.10.
It makes her 12th A-T HS.
And don't forget, she'll be running the 1500 at both the Adult and Junior versions of the USATF meet, then assuredly going on to the World Junior Championships.
Assuming she and Mary Cain are the winners, the United States will have a formidable team in that event in Eugene in late July!!
(Bethan Knights said she's NOT going to try for the WJC!!)
And can't forget the SO close attempt on the Boys 4 X 1 Mile Relay record!
That record is held by South Eugene HS, and dates from 1976, back when Bernard Lagat was just about 1.5 years old!!
Northport TC, from New York, ran their hearts out, but ended just 0.32 from the record, running 17:06.92.
Gig Harbor (WA) was featured as the probable record-setters.
That is, until Northport entered the meet at the 11th hour!
They flew west, then flew around the track, but alas, came up JUST short of the targeted mark of 17:06.6.
Next week is going to be busy.
For one thing, I turn 70 on June 24th!!
(Born the exact same date, June 24, 1944, as former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck!!)
But other than that personal milestone (I'm like the Rolling Stones Keith Richards, shocked I made it past my 30th birthday!!!), there's lots of T&F activity upcoming.
There's the USATF meet in Sacramento from June 25-29.
(Only the SP's--men's and women's--and the 1st day of the Junior Multi's will be on the 25th. The bulk of the meet begins on the 26th.)
There's also the Golden West Invitational, a GP meet in Dakar, Senegal on June 28th, the Znamenskiy Memorial on June 27th, the meet in Sollentuna on the 28th, one in Turku on the 25th, plus some major National championships (besides the US!!), all between the 26th and 29th of June.
And whatever happens of note will assuredly find its way into my next report(s)!!
That is, if I make it PAST my 70th birthday!!
Me and Keith!!
LOL
Monday, June 16, 2014
Teens impress in NY... and NC (the NBN)
In this 3rd post of the weekend, it's the teenager's turn to shine.
And shine they did!!
If you read my post on the NY DL, you already know what happened there.
Alexa Efraimson ran just 2.43 seconds slower than Mary Cain ever has, her 4:07.05 taking 10th in the loaded 1500 Pro race.
There is strong indication (from Alexa herself!) that she'll follow Cain's path, turning Pro prior to her senior year of High School!
(More on these teenage phenoms in a future post!)
Also, Sarah Feeny broke 4:40 in the Dream Mile, running 4:39.23.
Kaylin Whitney ran 11.27 in the Dream 100.
And Grant Fisher won the Dream Mile in 4:02.02.
But you already knew that, right?
So let's move down south a bit, to Greensboro, North Carolina, for all the great marks made at the New Balance Nationals!!
Leading the charge was, again, Raven Saunders in the SP.
She threw the iron ball 56-7.50 for the NBN Meet Record!
It wasn't a PR, however, as she threw 56-8.25 for the Outdoor HSR earlier this spring.
There were two HSR's, albeit in "odd" events.
Bailey Roth ran the 2000 SC in a HSR time of 5:41.67.
The old mark was Steve Guerrini's 5:43.9, dating from 1991.
It's of course the NBN Meet Record.
And the HS Senior Class record.
Roth also holds the Class record for 11th graders.
I'm waiting for him to make an attempt at the HSR for 3000SC.
That 8:50.1 mark by Jeff Hess in 1979, is Roth's for the taking.
But he has just this summer to do it!
The Columbia TC (NJ) girl's team broke the Sprint Medley Relay HSR.
Their time of 3:50.82 is also the Meet Record.
Freshman Sydney McLaughlin has continued her record-breaking ways.
She broke her own Frosh Class record in the 400H, running 56.89 to get the mark by just 0.02 seconds.
She also did some damage in the 100H.
Her PR of 13.34 is now 22nd A-T HS, tied with one other.
And remember, she's just a 9th grader!!
That 100H race produced another good mark.
The winner, Alexis Duncan, ran 13.33 for the MR.
But she's also the new Soph Class record holder!!
(BTW, McLaughlin's mark is NOT a Frosh Class record, as Dior Hall ran 13.18 in her Frosh year in 2011.)
Duncan is now 18th A-T HS, tied with 3 others.
The Boys 110H winner, Isaiah Moore, ran 13.40 for 12th A-T HS, tied with 4 others!
Kenny Selmon blew away the 400H field, his 50.48 ranking him 17th A-T HS.
Trentavis Friday ran the 200 in 20.41 for the Meet Record.
Darryl Haraway got 2 PR's in the 100.
His 10.27 in the heats got him into 22nd place A-T HS, tied with 6 others.
Then he ran 10.20 in the final, moving him up 12 spots to 10th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
The 5000's and the Girls 2 Mile were pretty good, though not as impressive as last year's Wesley Frazier Show.
(And I'm still wondering why she's not racing this year! Even if she's redshirting, she could race unattached!!)
Hannah Dibalsi's 2 Mile time of 10:09.08 moves her from 20th A-T HS all the way up to 8th!!
(Remember, I do NOT include any 3200 meter times on my lists, nor times converted from 3200 times! My Two Mile lists are PURE Two Mile lists!!)
And because of that "rule", my US 2 Mile lists are fairly weak, and thus relatively easy to get on.
So it shouldn't be too surprising to learn that Dibalsi's time ranks her 23rd A-T US!!!
Anna Rohrer basically soloed the 5000, her 16:16.97 being the only mark to gain access to my DDD, as 10th A-T HS.
Alex Ostberg ran his 5000 in 14:16.61.
But he misses the Top 24 by 0.41 seconds!!
Keturah Orji won both horizontal jumps, with her LJ mark of 20-11.75 being the new Meet Record.
It matched her PR, set in 2013.
Devin King failed at 3 attempts at 18-0.50, which would have been a PR and a Meet Record.
He made 17-7, then passed at 17-9.50, before going for the higher height.
Gabby Figueroa threw the Hammer 180-1, for 23rd A-T HS.
And Donovan Brazier ran the 800 in 1:48.61, for 24th A-T HS.
There's still more HS action to report, but not from the NBN.
And some of it is a week or so old.
Two marks from the Girl's Heptathlon.
Ashlee Moore scored 5311 points to move into 10th place A-T HS.
Moved OFF the list by Moore's mark was an oldie, Camille Harding's 5170, dating from 1983!!
Also entering the Top 24 was Tiana Bonds, her 5258 making her 16th A-T HS.
Haley Showalter improved in the HT to 193-4, moving her from 15th A-T HS up to 8th!
(She threw 180-7 at the NBN, finishing just 3rd!!)
Tyler Ranke ran the 3000SC in 9:11.24, becoming 21st A-T HS.
Misana Viltz ran the 110H in 13.47, moving into 23rd A-T HS, tied with 2 others.
And while I don't have State HSR's in my T&F Record Book (I used to, in its original conception!!), Ella Donaghu's 4:21.35 1500 (winning the "B" race at last night's Portland Track Festival) broke the Oregon state record (Erin Forbe's 4:24) by about 3 seconds!
It missed my DDD by only 0.25 seconds!!
It surprised me to learn about this mark.
I'd thought Oregon state records would be ALL in the Top TEN All-Time, at least in the middle and long distance events!!
Speaking of the PTF, there were some Meet Records broken last night.
And some interesting results, even if not record breakers!
Bridget Franek is back!
She surprised the crowd, and herself, with her MR 3000SC time of 9:41.21.
Kate Grace barely squeaked out the victory in the 800, her MR time of 2:02.00 winning by 0.01.
And the race produced a mass photo-finish, as the first 6 were just 0.49 apart!!
The other MR was set by comebacking Andy Wheating in the 1500.
He ran 3:38.53 with a great kick on the last straightaway!
Another fair-to-middling kicker last night was Mr Mobot himself, Mo Farah!!
He sped his final 400 in 53.1 (with a 25.5 200 mixed in there!!), winning the 5000 in a non-MR time of 13:23.42.
And Jordan Hasay won TWO races!
And they came just MINUTES apart!!!
Her first win was in the 1500, where she outkicked Angela Bizzari in 4:11.23.
Then, in place of Alberto Salazar's post race-workout, Hasay ran the 5000 also.
She beat close friend, and former Duckmate, Alexi Pappas (who PR'ed in 15:34) in a PR time of 15:28.56.
And she closed with a fast 63 final lap!!
Not bad....for a workout!!
In other Professional action, Nicole Bush ran a 3000SC in a PR of 9:34.76.
This moves her from 15th A-T US up to 11th.
Linda Stahl threw the Javelin 220-10 (in the NY DL).
This moves her from 13th A-T World, tied with 1 other, up to 10th!
Finally, Jenn Suhr's 15-5 2nd place in the NY Pole Vault (behind Fabiana Murer's 15-9) is the new Age 32 record!
It breaks her own mark, set earlier this year.
The Ostrava meet is tomorrow, and might be a good one, as far as records and marks go.
The IAAF article on the meet says that THREE World Record attempts will be made there!
Mohammed Aman is going for Noah Ngeny's 2:11.96 record in the 1000.
Genzebe Dibaba will chase down Sonia O'Sullivan's 5:25.36 WR in the 2000.
And Florence Kiplagat will actually be going after TWO World Records!!
She wants the One Hour Run record of 18,517 meters, and the 20000 meters record of 1:05:26.
Considering she ran a WR in the road Half-Marathon in 1:05:12, I would expect the 20K mark, about 0.7 miles short of the Half, would be easy pickings for her.
There will be several other super elites in this meet, and if results warrant, I'll have a separate post about it.
If not, the next post won't be for 6 or 7 days!
Also, as I stated above, I'm thinking about a post on the "Teen Phenom" Renaissance of the past few years, especially with the girls in the middle and long distances, but also including such stars as Kiturah Orji, Raven Saunders, Courtney Corrin, and Desiree Freier, among MANY others!!
What have they done to the record books?
And what's in the future, for them as individuals, and for the High School (and Collegiate) sections of the sport in general?
Anyway, watch for that, although I don't have a specific date for that post.
And shine they did!!
If you read my post on the NY DL, you already know what happened there.
Alexa Efraimson ran just 2.43 seconds slower than Mary Cain ever has, her 4:07.05 taking 10th in the loaded 1500 Pro race.
There is strong indication (from Alexa herself!) that she'll follow Cain's path, turning Pro prior to her senior year of High School!
(More on these teenage phenoms in a future post!)
Also, Sarah Feeny broke 4:40 in the Dream Mile, running 4:39.23.
Kaylin Whitney ran 11.27 in the Dream 100.
And Grant Fisher won the Dream Mile in 4:02.02.
But you already knew that, right?
So let's move down south a bit, to Greensboro, North Carolina, for all the great marks made at the New Balance Nationals!!
Leading the charge was, again, Raven Saunders in the SP.
She threw the iron ball 56-7.50 for the NBN Meet Record!
It wasn't a PR, however, as she threw 56-8.25 for the Outdoor HSR earlier this spring.
There were two HSR's, albeit in "odd" events.
Bailey Roth ran the 2000 SC in a HSR time of 5:41.67.
The old mark was Steve Guerrini's 5:43.9, dating from 1991.
It's of course the NBN Meet Record.
And the HS Senior Class record.
Roth also holds the Class record for 11th graders.
I'm waiting for him to make an attempt at the HSR for 3000SC.
That 8:50.1 mark by Jeff Hess in 1979, is Roth's for the taking.
But he has just this summer to do it!
The Columbia TC (NJ) girl's team broke the Sprint Medley Relay HSR.
Their time of 3:50.82 is also the Meet Record.
Freshman Sydney McLaughlin has continued her record-breaking ways.
She broke her own Frosh Class record in the 400H, running 56.89 to get the mark by just 0.02 seconds.
She also did some damage in the 100H.
Her PR of 13.34 is now 22nd A-T HS, tied with one other.
And remember, she's just a 9th grader!!
That 100H race produced another good mark.
The winner, Alexis Duncan, ran 13.33 for the MR.
But she's also the new Soph Class record holder!!
(BTW, McLaughlin's mark is NOT a Frosh Class record, as Dior Hall ran 13.18 in her Frosh year in 2011.)
Duncan is now 18th A-T HS, tied with 3 others.
The Boys 110H winner, Isaiah Moore, ran 13.40 for 12th A-T HS, tied with 4 others!
Kenny Selmon blew away the 400H field, his 50.48 ranking him 17th A-T HS.
Trentavis Friday ran the 200 in 20.41 for the Meet Record.
Darryl Haraway got 2 PR's in the 100.
His 10.27 in the heats got him into 22nd place A-T HS, tied with 6 others.
Then he ran 10.20 in the final, moving him up 12 spots to 10th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
The 5000's and the Girls 2 Mile were pretty good, though not as impressive as last year's Wesley Frazier Show.
(And I'm still wondering why she's not racing this year! Even if she's redshirting, she could race unattached!!)
Hannah Dibalsi's 2 Mile time of 10:09.08 moves her from 20th A-T HS all the way up to 8th!!
(Remember, I do NOT include any 3200 meter times on my lists, nor times converted from 3200 times! My Two Mile lists are PURE Two Mile lists!!)
And because of that "rule", my US 2 Mile lists are fairly weak, and thus relatively easy to get on.
So it shouldn't be too surprising to learn that Dibalsi's time ranks her 23rd A-T US!!!
Anna Rohrer basically soloed the 5000, her 16:16.97 being the only mark to gain access to my DDD, as 10th A-T HS.
Alex Ostberg ran his 5000 in 14:16.61.
But he misses the Top 24 by 0.41 seconds!!
Keturah Orji won both horizontal jumps, with her LJ mark of 20-11.75 being the new Meet Record.
It matched her PR, set in 2013.
Devin King failed at 3 attempts at 18-0.50, which would have been a PR and a Meet Record.
He made 17-7, then passed at 17-9.50, before going for the higher height.
Gabby Figueroa threw the Hammer 180-1, for 23rd A-T HS.
And Donovan Brazier ran the 800 in 1:48.61, for 24th A-T HS.
There's still more HS action to report, but not from the NBN.
And some of it is a week or so old.
Two marks from the Girl's Heptathlon.
Ashlee Moore scored 5311 points to move into 10th place A-T HS.
Moved OFF the list by Moore's mark was an oldie, Camille Harding's 5170, dating from 1983!!
Also entering the Top 24 was Tiana Bonds, her 5258 making her 16th A-T HS.
Haley Showalter improved in the HT to 193-4, moving her from 15th A-T HS up to 8th!
(She threw 180-7 at the NBN, finishing just 3rd!!)
Tyler Ranke ran the 3000SC in 9:11.24, becoming 21st A-T HS.
Misana Viltz ran the 110H in 13.47, moving into 23rd A-T HS, tied with 2 others.
And while I don't have State HSR's in my T&F Record Book (I used to, in its original conception!!), Ella Donaghu's 4:21.35 1500 (winning the "B" race at last night's Portland Track Festival) broke the Oregon state record (Erin Forbe's 4:24) by about 3 seconds!
It missed my DDD by only 0.25 seconds!!
It surprised me to learn about this mark.
I'd thought Oregon state records would be ALL in the Top TEN All-Time, at least in the middle and long distance events!!
Speaking of the PTF, there were some Meet Records broken last night.
And some interesting results, even if not record breakers!
Bridget Franek is back!
She surprised the crowd, and herself, with her MR 3000SC time of 9:41.21.
Kate Grace barely squeaked out the victory in the 800, her MR time of 2:02.00 winning by 0.01.
And the race produced a mass photo-finish, as the first 6 were just 0.49 apart!!
The other MR was set by comebacking Andy Wheating in the 1500.
He ran 3:38.53 with a great kick on the last straightaway!
Another fair-to-middling kicker last night was Mr Mobot himself, Mo Farah!!
He sped his final 400 in 53.1 (with a 25.5 200 mixed in there!!), winning the 5000 in a non-MR time of 13:23.42.
And Jordan Hasay won TWO races!
And they came just MINUTES apart!!!
Her first win was in the 1500, where she outkicked Angela Bizzari in 4:11.23.
Then, in place of Alberto Salazar's post race-workout, Hasay ran the 5000 also.
She beat close friend, and former Duckmate, Alexi Pappas (who PR'ed in 15:34) in a PR time of 15:28.56.
And she closed with a fast 63 final lap!!
Not bad....for a workout!!
In other Professional action, Nicole Bush ran a 3000SC in a PR of 9:34.76.
This moves her from 15th A-T US up to 11th.
Linda Stahl threw the Javelin 220-10 (in the NY DL).
This moves her from 13th A-T World, tied with 1 other, up to 10th!
Finally, Jenn Suhr's 15-5 2nd place in the NY Pole Vault (behind Fabiana Murer's 15-9) is the new Age 32 record!
It breaks her own mark, set earlier this year.
The Ostrava meet is tomorrow, and might be a good one, as far as records and marks go.
The IAAF article on the meet says that THREE World Record attempts will be made there!
Mohammed Aman is going for Noah Ngeny's 2:11.96 record in the 1000.
Genzebe Dibaba will chase down Sonia O'Sullivan's 5:25.36 WR in the 2000.
And Florence Kiplagat will actually be going after TWO World Records!!
She wants the One Hour Run record of 18,517 meters, and the 20000 meters record of 1:05:26.
Considering she ran a WR in the road Half-Marathon in 1:05:12, I would expect the 20K mark, about 0.7 miles short of the Half, would be easy pickings for her.
There will be several other super elites in this meet, and if results warrant, I'll have a separate post about it.
If not, the next post won't be for 6 or 7 days!
Also, as I stated above, I'm thinking about a post on the "Teen Phenom" Renaissance of the past few years, especially with the girls in the middle and long distances, but also including such stars as Kiturah Orji, Raven Saunders, Courtney Corrin, and Desiree Freier, among MANY others!!
What have they done to the record books?
And what's in the future, for them as individuals, and for the High School (and Collegiate) sections of the sport in general?
Anyway, watch for that, although I don't have a specific date for that post.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
High (Jumps & Lows) of the Diamond League
Kind of an awkward title for this post, but hopefully you'll understand its meaning when you're done reading this.
This 2nd post (Did one awhile ago on the NCAA meet!) will tell all about the Professional activity this past week.
I'll mention the Bislett Games in Oslo, a NY Road Race, and the NY Diamond League meet.
Let's start with Mutaz Barshim and Bogdan Bondarenko.
In case you haven't heard, they made HJ history in New York City.
No, neither was able to get over 8-0.75 (2.46 in metrics).
But both DID make it over a bar set at 7-11.25!!
That was a first.
Barshim won, though in the hearts of the fans in the stands, both did.
His 7-11.25 is the new Qatari National Record.
It's the Age 22 record, and not shared by anyone else!
It's the new Meet Record.
It's the best-ever mark for 2nd place!
(Yes, he was 2nd, based on fewer misses!)
And he is now 2nd on the A-T World list, tied with one other.
That "one other" is Monsieur Bondarenko!!
He also made 7-11.25.
And he's the new Age 24 record holder.
It's the Ukraine National Record.
And he is also 2nd A-T World, tied with one other! (See above!! LOL)
Before I go on, let's back up a few days, to when the venerable Bislett Games took place in Oslo.
That DL meet was a farce, as DL's go.
In fact, it should have been called a BRONZE League meet.
Because the quality was THIRD-rate!! (Get it?? Bronze.....Third??)
Just 2 relatively minor Record Book-worthy marks came out of it.
And it was surprising to me, as the fields were stacked with some great athletes!!
Jairus Birech won the 3000SC in 8:02.37, and moves up one place on the A-T World list, from 17th to 16th.
(Evan Jager led this race at AR pace, but faded over the last 800, and missed the AR by just 0.16 seconds!!)
Henrik Ingabrigtsen broke the Norway National Record for the Mile for the 2nd time, running 3:50.73.
Genzebe Dibaba won a fairly good 5000 in 14:34 and change, but no marks changed anything in my T&F Record Book!!
Kim Conley ran a small PR, but missed the US list by just over a second!
But overall, a pretty dull meet, and definitely NOT of Diamond League-level quality!
But the NY meet reinvigorated the series, so let's continue recounting what happened.
Some of the best marks came from High School kids!!
The New York DL is famous for their "Dream" series of 100 meter and One Mile races.
But one great mark came from a HS girl who did NOT race in the High School Girls Dream Mile.
In the Elite Women's 1500, Alexa Efraimson blew her PR out the window with a fantastic "Cain-esque" time of 4:07.05.
Yes, she finished just 10th in the "Big Girls" race.
(Remember, Mary Cain finished 10th in the Moscow WC 1500!!)
But her time, improving her former best by almost NINE full seconds, places her second to Ms Cain on the A-T HS list!!
And just 2.43 seconds back!!
The winner of that race was, of course, Abeba Aregawi, whose 4:00.13 is the new Meet Record.
Between Aregawi and Efraimson were such women as Jenny Simpson, Treniere Moser, a reconstituted Morgan Uceny, running her fastest 1500 since 2012 (4:04.87), and Brenda Martinez, having a slight off day, running just 0.63 ahead of Alexa.
Finishing 2nd to Aregawi was 17 year old Ethiopian, Dawit Seyaum, who should be the clear favorite at the World Junior meet, if she runs there.
(Mary Cain is thinking of running the 3000 there, assuming she's going to enter!!)
Seyaum ran a super PR of 4:00.66!!
Speaking of Cain, she ran in the non-DL 800, and finished 4th in 2:01.67, a 2014 best time.
She looked much better than she did at the Pre meet!
Her next race, after attaining a NY Driver's License, and graduating from Bronxville HS, will be at USATF.
Will she do both the Senior AND Junior versions of USATF??
Wait to find out!
The Women's 3000SC was good.
Emma Coburn didn't run, but Stephanie Garcia did.
She ran a 12+ second PR, hitting 9:28.96, to move her from 21st A-T US all the way up to 5th!!
The winner, Sofia Assefa, set a Meet Record with her 9:18.58.
Returning to those HS races, the Miles were won by Grant Fisher and Sarah Feeny.
Fisher ran 4:02.02, which makes him 15th A-T HS.
Feeny ran a negative split (2:22 and 2:17) time of 4:39.23, good for 5th A-T HS!!
(Remember, I do NOT have 1600 times, or times converted from 1600's, on my Mile lists!!)
Earlier, another Mile took place!
This one was for "Youth".
And a TEN year old boy, Jonah Gorevic (of Rye, NY), ran it in 5:01.55, which they say is a WORLD Record for 10 year old boys!!
Let me say that again.
A TEN year old ran a MILE in 5:01.55.
(Jim Ryun reportedly ran his first timed mile at age 14---in 5:38!!)
The Girls 100 was won by Kaylin Whitney in 11.27.
A week or so ago, she'd run an 11.30, that making her 20th A-T HS, tied with one other.
The 11.27 moves her up to 17th place, tied with 1 other.
The Men's 400 was a class act.
LaShawn Merritt continued his winning ways, hitting the tape in 44.19, a new Meet Record.
Behind him, in 2nd, was South African Wayde Van Niekerk.
His 44.38 is a National Record.
Then came ageless Chris Brown, whose 44.61 is yet ANOTHER Age 35 record!!
(And it's the first sub-45 by someone 35 or older!!)
Jeff Henderson had a good LJ, hitting 27-4 for a Meet Record.
Kim Conley ran the 3000 in 8:44.11, finishing 5th (behind Mercy Cherono, Betsy Saina, and Sally Kipyego, among others), but missed my DDD list by 0.39 seconds!!
One other Meet Record was set by Robert Harting in the DT, his toss reaching 223-10.
In earlier DL's, in Rome and Oslo, Tianna Bartoletta got 2 PR's in the LJ.
She hit 22-9 in Rome, making her 14th A-T US.
Her Oslo jump of 23-0.25 improved her place to 7th A-T US!
Finally, in the NY Mini-10000, run through hilly Central Park, Molly Huddle beat a class field in a Women Only race American Record time of 31:37.
Second was 12 seconds back.
Forty-one year old Deena Kastor finished 6th in 33:17!
Well, there's still the New Balance National meet to report on, but that one is still ongoing, finishing up tomorrow evening!
I'll have another post dedicated to that meet, as well as whatever else pops up, from the HS scene or the Professionals, as the PTF is also finishing up tomorrow evening!
See you then!!
This 2nd post (Did one awhile ago on the NCAA meet!) will tell all about the Professional activity this past week.
I'll mention the Bislett Games in Oslo, a NY Road Race, and the NY Diamond League meet.
Let's start with Mutaz Barshim and Bogdan Bondarenko.
In case you haven't heard, they made HJ history in New York City.
No, neither was able to get over 8-0.75 (2.46 in metrics).
But both DID make it over a bar set at 7-11.25!!
That was a first.
Barshim won, though in the hearts of the fans in the stands, both did.
His 7-11.25 is the new Qatari National Record.
It's the Age 22 record, and not shared by anyone else!
It's the new Meet Record.
It's the best-ever mark for 2nd place!
(Yes, he was 2nd, based on fewer misses!)
And he is now 2nd on the A-T World list, tied with one other.
That "one other" is Monsieur Bondarenko!!
He also made 7-11.25.
And he's the new Age 24 record holder.
It's the Ukraine National Record.
And he is also 2nd A-T World, tied with one other! (See above!! LOL)
Before I go on, let's back up a few days, to when the venerable Bislett Games took place in Oslo.
That DL meet was a farce, as DL's go.
In fact, it should have been called a BRONZE League meet.
Because the quality was THIRD-rate!! (Get it?? Bronze.....Third??)
Just 2 relatively minor Record Book-worthy marks came out of it.
And it was surprising to me, as the fields were stacked with some great athletes!!
Jairus Birech won the 3000SC in 8:02.37, and moves up one place on the A-T World list, from 17th to 16th.
(Evan Jager led this race at AR pace, but faded over the last 800, and missed the AR by just 0.16 seconds!!)
Henrik Ingabrigtsen broke the Norway National Record for the Mile for the 2nd time, running 3:50.73.
Genzebe Dibaba won a fairly good 5000 in 14:34 and change, but no marks changed anything in my T&F Record Book!!
Kim Conley ran a small PR, but missed the US list by just over a second!
But overall, a pretty dull meet, and definitely NOT of Diamond League-level quality!
But the NY meet reinvigorated the series, so let's continue recounting what happened.
Some of the best marks came from High School kids!!
The New York DL is famous for their "Dream" series of 100 meter and One Mile races.
But one great mark came from a HS girl who did NOT race in the High School Girls Dream Mile.
In the Elite Women's 1500, Alexa Efraimson blew her PR out the window with a fantastic "Cain-esque" time of 4:07.05.
Yes, she finished just 10th in the "Big Girls" race.
(Remember, Mary Cain finished 10th in the Moscow WC 1500!!)
But her time, improving her former best by almost NINE full seconds, places her second to Ms Cain on the A-T HS list!!
And just 2.43 seconds back!!
The winner of that race was, of course, Abeba Aregawi, whose 4:00.13 is the new Meet Record.
Between Aregawi and Efraimson were such women as Jenny Simpson, Treniere Moser, a reconstituted Morgan Uceny, running her fastest 1500 since 2012 (4:04.87), and Brenda Martinez, having a slight off day, running just 0.63 ahead of Alexa.
Finishing 2nd to Aregawi was 17 year old Ethiopian, Dawit Seyaum, who should be the clear favorite at the World Junior meet, if she runs there.
(Mary Cain is thinking of running the 3000 there, assuming she's going to enter!!)
Seyaum ran a super PR of 4:00.66!!
Speaking of Cain, she ran in the non-DL 800, and finished 4th in 2:01.67, a 2014 best time.
She looked much better than she did at the Pre meet!
Her next race, after attaining a NY Driver's License, and graduating from Bronxville HS, will be at USATF.
Will she do both the Senior AND Junior versions of USATF??
Wait to find out!
The Women's 3000SC was good.
Emma Coburn didn't run, but Stephanie Garcia did.
She ran a 12+ second PR, hitting 9:28.96, to move her from 21st A-T US all the way up to 5th!!
The winner, Sofia Assefa, set a Meet Record with her 9:18.58.
Returning to those HS races, the Miles were won by Grant Fisher and Sarah Feeny.
Fisher ran 4:02.02, which makes him 15th A-T HS.
Feeny ran a negative split (2:22 and 2:17) time of 4:39.23, good for 5th A-T HS!!
(Remember, I do NOT have 1600 times, or times converted from 1600's, on my Mile lists!!)
Earlier, another Mile took place!
This one was for "Youth".
And a TEN year old boy, Jonah Gorevic (of Rye, NY), ran it in 5:01.55, which they say is a WORLD Record for 10 year old boys!!
Let me say that again.
A TEN year old ran a MILE in 5:01.55.
(Jim Ryun reportedly ran his first timed mile at age 14---in 5:38!!)
The Girls 100 was won by Kaylin Whitney in 11.27.
A week or so ago, she'd run an 11.30, that making her 20th A-T HS, tied with one other.
The 11.27 moves her up to 17th place, tied with 1 other.
The Men's 400 was a class act.
LaShawn Merritt continued his winning ways, hitting the tape in 44.19, a new Meet Record.
Behind him, in 2nd, was South African Wayde Van Niekerk.
His 44.38 is a National Record.
Then came ageless Chris Brown, whose 44.61 is yet ANOTHER Age 35 record!!
(And it's the first sub-45 by someone 35 or older!!)
Jeff Henderson had a good LJ, hitting 27-4 for a Meet Record.
Kim Conley ran the 3000 in 8:44.11, finishing 5th (behind Mercy Cherono, Betsy Saina, and Sally Kipyego, among others), but missed my DDD list by 0.39 seconds!!
One other Meet Record was set by Robert Harting in the DT, his toss reaching 223-10.
In earlier DL's, in Rome and Oslo, Tianna Bartoletta got 2 PR's in the LJ.
She hit 22-9 in Rome, making her 14th A-T US.
Her Oslo jump of 23-0.25 improved her place to 7th A-T US!
Finally, in the NY Mini-10000, run through hilly Central Park, Molly Huddle beat a class field in a Women Only race American Record time of 31:37.
Second was 12 seconds back.
Forty-one year old Deena Kastor finished 6th in 33:17!
Well, there's still the New Balance National meet to report on, but that one is still ongoing, finishing up tomorrow evening!
I'll have another post dedicated to that meet, as well as whatever else pops up, from the HS scene or the Professionals, as the PTF is also finishing up tomorrow evening!
See you then!!
NCAA: Upsets and New Faces
This has been, and remains, an astounding weekend in the world of Track and Field.
Today wrapped up 4 days of great Collegiate T&F at the NCAA meet in Eugene.
Today was also a day for the Professionals, with the Diamond League meet in NYC.
And it was the 2nd of 3 days of record-breaking action on the High School level, at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals.
Believe it or not, that's not all!!
Tonight is the 1st of 2 days of Portland Track Festival distance races, sort of a lower level Payton Jordan-style meet.
Thus, I'm forced to make some decisions as to how to present it all.
This post will be all about the NCAA.
A later post will cover the New York DL.
And either tomorrow night or Monday morning, I'll do one covering the NBN, plus whatever's left over!!
Upsets, at least on the individual level, were the order of the day(s) in Eugene.
The team wins went to the Texas A&M women and the Oregon men.
But read on!
Abbey D'Agostino's last Collegiate race (the 5000) was a LOSS!!
Shalaya Kipp's final Collegiate race was a loss too.
Nick Miller and Nick Ross both lost!
Indoor CR holder in the vault (with her 15-1), Kaitlin Petrillose, actually NH'ed!!
The Duck Women's 4X100R team DNF'ed, failing to complete their 1st pass!
Ashley Spencer suffered an injury, so didn't compete.
And on and on!!
But there WAS some great record action, albeit from some unexpected sources!
The Men's 5000 gave us the Meet Record, as well as a great race.
Lawi Lalang outlasted Ed Cheserek in a stirring homestretch duel.
His time of 13:18.36 was the MR, and moves him from 8th A-T Collegiate up to 3rd.
The MR he beat was by Sydney Maree, and it dated from 1979!
Cheserek's time was 13:18.71.
It's the Collegiate Frosh Class record (beating Dathan Ritzenhein's 2002 mark!).
It makes him 9th A-T Collegiate.
Oregon's frosh 110H guy, Devon Allen, became the 2nd fastest Collegian ever, behind only the legendary Renaldo Nehemiah!
His 13.16 win is the NCAA Meet Record.
It moves him from 6th A-T Collegiate (tied with 1 other) up to 2nd!!
He's now also 22nd A-T US!!
Gregg Swift ran 13.35, and became 17th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others.
Leah O'Connor is the one who beat Shalaya Kipp in the 3000SC.
Her 9:36.43 moves her from 13th A-T Collegiate all the way up to 3rd.
But maybe more significantly, it also gives her 12th place on my US DDD list!
Besides Kipp, who finished 6th after a last lap fade (I heard she stepped on the curb, and maybe injured her ankle!!), four others made the Top 24 list.
Marisa Howard ran 9:43.82, for 14th A-T Collegiate, and 24th A-T US!!
Rachel Johnson's 9:44.47 moves her from 21st A-T Collegiate up to 15th.
Grace Heymsfield improved to 9:49.01, giving her 22nd A-T Collegiate.
And Jessica Kamilos ran 9:49.25, for 23rd A-T Collegiate.
Trayvon Bromell blazed a legal 9.97 100 in his final.
He's now the best-ever Age 18 100 man in history!!
He's also the new Collegiate Frosh Class record holder.
And he moves from 19th A-T Collegiate (tied with 3 others) up to 8th, where he's tied with 4 others!!
Another upset (not mentioned above) was Shamier Little's 400H win over Kendra Harrison.
Her 55.07 PR rates her 23rd A-T Collegian.
The man who beat Nick Miller in the HT was Matthias Tayala.
His throw of 241-4 makes him 21st A-T Collegian.
Fawn Miller improved 8 inches in the JT, to 190-8, but there was no change of place on the Collegiate list.
But it does move her from 11th to 9th on the A-T US list!
Morolake Akinosun ran the 100 in 11.04, making her 14th A-T Collegiate, tied with 3 others.
The Women's PV was won by a relative unknown, Kelsie Ahbe, whose 14-5.25 makes her 20th A-T Collegiate, tied with 5 others!!
Phyllis Francis ran the 400 in 50.59 (behind Courtney Okolo's non-PR of 50.23).
She moves from 21st A-T Collegiate (tied with 1 other) up to 18th.
Finally, the Men's and Women's 4X400 Relays produced one mark each of note.
The Texas A&M men JUST missed the Collegiate Record, their 2:59.60 win a mere 0.01 short of the record!!
(And Florida had been favored, based on their early season 2:59.73!!)
But it does move them from number 8 Collegiate School to # 2 School!
And the Texas A&M Women didn't win their race, but their 3:25.63 is a School record, and leaves them as 3rd best A-T School.
There were no list-making times, but it was Marielle Hall beating Aisling Cuffe that pushed heavily-favored Abbey D back to 3rd!!
The Women's 10K came within 4 seconds of the MR in a negative split race won by Emma Bates.
She split 16:33 and 15:59!!
Erin Finn led only part of the way, and finished a creditable 6th as top Frosh!
Laura Roesler easily won the 800, but didn't go sub-2:00 in her final Collegiate 800.
Heptathlete Kendell Williams began her 7-eventer with a blazing 100H in 12.99, legal wind!!
But she was up and down the rest of the way, just missing 6000 points, but winning anyway.
All in all, an exciting 4 days of T&F action, with many additions and revisions made to my T&F Record Book.
Stay tuned for the Professional side of things, probably later this evening!
Today wrapped up 4 days of great Collegiate T&F at the NCAA meet in Eugene.
Today was also a day for the Professionals, with the Diamond League meet in NYC.
And it was the 2nd of 3 days of record-breaking action on the High School level, at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals.
Believe it or not, that's not all!!
Tonight is the 1st of 2 days of Portland Track Festival distance races, sort of a lower level Payton Jordan-style meet.
Thus, I'm forced to make some decisions as to how to present it all.
This post will be all about the NCAA.
A later post will cover the New York DL.
And either tomorrow night or Monday morning, I'll do one covering the NBN, plus whatever's left over!!
Upsets, at least on the individual level, were the order of the day(s) in Eugene.
The team wins went to the Texas A&M women and the Oregon men.
But read on!
Abbey D'Agostino's last Collegiate race (the 5000) was a LOSS!!
Shalaya Kipp's final Collegiate race was a loss too.
Nick Miller and Nick Ross both lost!
Indoor CR holder in the vault (with her 15-1), Kaitlin Petrillose, actually NH'ed!!
The Duck Women's 4X100R team DNF'ed, failing to complete their 1st pass!
Ashley Spencer suffered an injury, so didn't compete.
And on and on!!
But there WAS some great record action, albeit from some unexpected sources!
The Men's 5000 gave us the Meet Record, as well as a great race.
Lawi Lalang outlasted Ed Cheserek in a stirring homestretch duel.
His time of 13:18.36 was the MR, and moves him from 8th A-T Collegiate up to 3rd.
The MR he beat was by Sydney Maree, and it dated from 1979!
Cheserek's time was 13:18.71.
It's the Collegiate Frosh Class record (beating Dathan Ritzenhein's 2002 mark!).
It makes him 9th A-T Collegiate.
Oregon's frosh 110H guy, Devon Allen, became the 2nd fastest Collegian ever, behind only the legendary Renaldo Nehemiah!
His 13.16 win is the NCAA Meet Record.
It moves him from 6th A-T Collegiate (tied with 1 other) up to 2nd!!
He's now also 22nd A-T US!!
Gregg Swift ran 13.35, and became 17th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others.
Leah O'Connor is the one who beat Shalaya Kipp in the 3000SC.
Her 9:36.43 moves her from 13th A-T Collegiate all the way up to 3rd.
But maybe more significantly, it also gives her 12th place on my US DDD list!
Besides Kipp, who finished 6th after a last lap fade (I heard she stepped on the curb, and maybe injured her ankle!!), four others made the Top 24 list.
Marisa Howard ran 9:43.82, for 14th A-T Collegiate, and 24th A-T US!!
Rachel Johnson's 9:44.47 moves her from 21st A-T Collegiate up to 15th.
Grace Heymsfield improved to 9:49.01, giving her 22nd A-T Collegiate.
And Jessica Kamilos ran 9:49.25, for 23rd A-T Collegiate.
Trayvon Bromell blazed a legal 9.97 100 in his final.
He's now the best-ever Age 18 100 man in history!!
He's also the new Collegiate Frosh Class record holder.
And he moves from 19th A-T Collegiate (tied with 3 others) up to 8th, where he's tied with 4 others!!
Another upset (not mentioned above) was Shamier Little's 400H win over Kendra Harrison.
Her 55.07 PR rates her 23rd A-T Collegian.
The man who beat Nick Miller in the HT was Matthias Tayala.
His throw of 241-4 makes him 21st A-T Collegian.
Fawn Miller improved 8 inches in the JT, to 190-8, but there was no change of place on the Collegiate list.
But it does move her from 11th to 9th on the A-T US list!
Morolake Akinosun ran the 100 in 11.04, making her 14th A-T Collegiate, tied with 3 others.
The Women's PV was won by a relative unknown, Kelsie Ahbe, whose 14-5.25 makes her 20th A-T Collegiate, tied with 5 others!!
Phyllis Francis ran the 400 in 50.59 (behind Courtney Okolo's non-PR of 50.23).
She moves from 21st A-T Collegiate (tied with 1 other) up to 18th.
Finally, the Men's and Women's 4X400 Relays produced one mark each of note.
The Texas A&M men JUST missed the Collegiate Record, their 2:59.60 win a mere 0.01 short of the record!!
(And Florida had been favored, based on their early season 2:59.73!!)
But it does move them from number 8 Collegiate School to # 2 School!
And the Texas A&M Women didn't win their race, but their 3:25.63 is a School record, and leaves them as 3rd best A-T School.
There were no list-making times, but it was Marielle Hall beating Aisling Cuffe that pushed heavily-favored Abbey D back to 3rd!!
The Women's 10K came within 4 seconds of the MR in a negative split race won by Emma Bates.
She split 16:33 and 15:59!!
Erin Finn led only part of the way, and finished a creditable 6th as top Frosh!
Laura Roesler easily won the 800, but didn't go sub-2:00 in her final Collegiate 800.
Heptathlete Kendell Williams began her 7-eventer with a blazing 100H in 12.99, legal wind!!
But she was up and down the rest of the way, just missing 6000 points, but winning anyway.
All in all, an exciting 4 days of T&F action, with many additions and revisions made to my T&F Record Book.
Stay tuned for the Professional side of things, probably later this evening!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
NCAA--Which Meet Records might fall?
Before I begin this "extra" post, a few caveats.
1. These are NOT team or individual predictions of who will win.
2. This is strictly about which Meet Records will fall, the odds of each record-breaking, and a name or two who should (might, maybe, possibly) do it.
3. This is NOT about Collegiate Records, Class Records, or any records except for NCAA MEET Records!!
4. This review is based on the latest heat sheets, as of right this minute, about 20 hours before the meet begins!
Men
4X400R (2:59.59)
Florida ran 2:59.73 a couple of months ago, and have the potential to go a second or two faster.
110H (13.21)
You have two guys (Aleec Harris & Wayne Davis) who have run faster!! Plus another one (Devon Allen) who's gone 13.27. Not to mention Eddie Lovett & Jon Cabral!!
Wouldn't be surprised if 3rd or 4th place is 13.20!!
10000 (28:01.30)
Five guys (Shadrack Kipchirchir, Kennedy Kithuka, Trevor Dunbar, Parker Stinson, and Ed Cheserek) have a shot at the MR.
But will the pace be right?
These guys all have sub-28:00 potential/ability, and this could be a RACE, meaning one or more will push the pace, forcing the kickers to run faster in the first 5000 than they wanted.
If that happens, we could see a 27:30 to 27:40!
1500 (3:35.30)
Again, it's all dependent on the tactics.
Will someone (Lawi Lalang and Mac Fleet are the chief contenders) shoot out from the gun, hitting the 400 in 55, and the 800 in 1:54??
Or will it more resemble that women's indoor Mile at USATF in 2013??
DT (215-8)
This is a LOADED event this year, and could prove to be the best Men's field event!
And Julian Wruck is NOT a solid favorite, despite being the CR holder!
Look for Andrew Evans and Chad Wright to challenge.
And don't completely overlook SP and DT doubler (and Oregon boy!!) Ryan Crouser, who could pull a shocker!!
5000 (13:20.63)
Like the 10000, this field has some real MR threats.
Of course, there's Lawi Lalang, Ed Cheserek, and Kennedy Kithuka.
But again, the tactics will decide the fate of this MR.
It CAN go down, but WILL it??
100 (9.89)
Trayvon Bromell ran a VERY wind-aided 9.77 awhile back.
Dentarius Locke is strong.
Hayward Field is a fast track, but it's also a WINDY track!!
A record (of any kind!) in the sprints depends on the wind!
These guys could run 9.7+ or low-9.8's, but a wind of 3.6 would nullify the record!!
The only other Meet Record that has ANY chance (on the Men's side) is the PV.
Sam Kendricks has gone over 19 feet.
The MR is 19-1.
He (or Andrew Irwin or Shawn Barber) would have to be at the TOP (pun intended!) of his game to just tie the record, let alone break it.
Looks doubtful, especially considering the wind, which also affects PV'ers!!
You can forget about MR's in the 200, 400, 800, 3000SC, 400H, 4X100R, HJ, LJ, TJ, SP, JT, HT, and Decathlon.
Women
PV (14-7.25)
This MR is so weak, and this field is so deep and strong, that we could see 6 to 8 women tying or breaking this record.
Kaitlin Petrillose and Sandi Morris seem the most likely to break it (and even hit 15 feet!!), but don't overlook Sammie Clark, Alysha Newman, Martina Schultze, and Lakan Taylor!
10000 (32:28.57)
I would normally be suspect of predicting a MR (or ANY record!!) in a distance race, men's or women's!
Many (most??) Championship distance races are run tactically, meaning jog the first 9200 (of a 10000), then kick the final 800, if even that much!!
But here you have one runner who does NOT like to sit and kick!
At least, that's been her M.O. since I first became aware of her in high school.
The person I speak of is Michigan's Erin Finn, perhaps the most notorious front-runner in track today.
Depend on her to burn the first 5000.
She has a PR of 15:26.08, so a first 5000 in under 16:00 is a distinct possibility.
And with Emma Bates, Juliet Bottorff, Elinor Kirk, and Elvin Kibet behind her, she may have to keep running at 15:59 or faster pace to STAY in front.
I see this venerable record (which I saw in person!!) as already erased!!
5000 (15:15.08)
This is an event where I could see the Collegiate Record falling too!!
Abbey D'Agostino has been the odds-on favorite for at least a year, since she won the race in 2013.
But a new wrinkle enters the picture.
Her name is Aisling Cuffe, who just happens to have a faster PR than Abbey D!!
Not much faster....but faster nonetheless!
Will Cuffe push the pace (a la Finn in the 10K), trying to weaken Abbey's better kick?
And what about Marielle Hall, whose 15:19 earlier this year shocked everyone??
400 (50.10)
We COULD see the first (and maybe the 2nd and 3rd, and even 4th!!!) sub-50 clocking in this event at the Collegiate level!!
The speed, the competition, the fans enthusiasm--it's all there.
If the wind is just a mild breeze, this record could finally go down, and go down hard!!
Courtney Okolo, Ashley Spencer, Phyllis Francis, and Kendell Baisden are the contenders!
4X400R (3:24.54)
This is a VERY tough MR.
But with the team victory (and placings) possibly on the line, and dependent on the outcome of this one race, this could be a barn-burner!
And that would mean the MR could go.
Texas, Texas A&M, and Oregon are the rivals.
DT (210-10)
This one has an in shape Shelbi Vaughan, who threw 208-8 a bit ago.
She has potential for much more!
There's no one around her who's a really serious contender, so it might fall on Vaughan's shoulders as to whether this MR goes.
HT (232-0)
Julia Ratcliffe has a PR of 230-7, and has set new PR's 2 or 3 times already.
Can she do it again?
She's the New Zealand National record holder as well, so any "PR" would be a new NR too!!
200 (22.04)
This is a damn good record!!
And as noted earlier, wind can nullify some really speedy times in Eugene.
But Olivia Ekpone has run 22.23.
And she'll likely have a couple of women close by, names of Kamaria Brown and Dezerea Bryant.
However, I'd give this record, at best, just a 50-50 shot at going down!
Two other MR's have SOME chance of being broken, but are both VERY unlikely!!
They are the 800 and the TJ.
In the 800 (where the record is 1:59.11--which is also the CR!!), you have ONE candidate, and her name is Laura Roesler.
On the pro side, she's capable of going sub-2:00!
On the con side, her team is in contention for the team title, and so she's likely to go just for the victory.
However, she's a senior, so this would be her last chance to set a Collegiate Record!!
In the TJ (the MR is 46-7.25), you have a gal who's gone over 46 feet (Shaneika Thomas), and a potential 46 footer (Ciarra Brewer).
But with wind a possible hindrance, not to mention the quirky nature of TJ's and LJ's, the odds of getting a MR here are LESS than 50-50...maybe as low as 20-80!!
All the other events--100, 1500, 3000SC, 100H, 400H, 4X100R, HJ, LJ, SP, JT, and Heptathlon, have either ZERO chance of being broken, or the odds are so low, it's not worth even mentioning!!
(That said, will Shalaya Kipp make the attempt to go after the 9:25.54 MR of Jenny Barringer (Simpson)? And is Cory McGee in her 4:06.67 shape from 2013 to go after the 4:06.19 record in the 1500??)
The next 4 days will be electrifying, as EVERY NCAA meet is!!
Keep this blog post handy, and enjoy the meet!!
1. These are NOT team or individual predictions of who will win.
2. This is strictly about which Meet Records will fall, the odds of each record-breaking, and a name or two who should (might, maybe, possibly) do it.
3. This is NOT about Collegiate Records, Class Records, or any records except for NCAA MEET Records!!
4. This review is based on the latest heat sheets, as of right this minute, about 20 hours before the meet begins!
Men
4X400R (2:59.59)
Florida ran 2:59.73 a couple of months ago, and have the potential to go a second or two faster.
110H (13.21)
You have two guys (Aleec Harris & Wayne Davis) who have run faster!! Plus another one (Devon Allen) who's gone 13.27. Not to mention Eddie Lovett & Jon Cabral!!
Wouldn't be surprised if 3rd or 4th place is 13.20!!
10000 (28:01.30)
Five guys (Shadrack Kipchirchir, Kennedy Kithuka, Trevor Dunbar, Parker Stinson, and Ed Cheserek) have a shot at the MR.
But will the pace be right?
These guys all have sub-28:00 potential/ability, and this could be a RACE, meaning one or more will push the pace, forcing the kickers to run faster in the first 5000 than they wanted.
If that happens, we could see a 27:30 to 27:40!
1500 (3:35.30)
Again, it's all dependent on the tactics.
Will someone (Lawi Lalang and Mac Fleet are the chief contenders) shoot out from the gun, hitting the 400 in 55, and the 800 in 1:54??
Or will it more resemble that women's indoor Mile at USATF in 2013??
DT (215-8)
This is a LOADED event this year, and could prove to be the best Men's field event!
And Julian Wruck is NOT a solid favorite, despite being the CR holder!
Look for Andrew Evans and Chad Wright to challenge.
And don't completely overlook SP and DT doubler (and Oregon boy!!) Ryan Crouser, who could pull a shocker!!
5000 (13:20.63)
Like the 10000, this field has some real MR threats.
Of course, there's Lawi Lalang, Ed Cheserek, and Kennedy Kithuka.
But again, the tactics will decide the fate of this MR.
It CAN go down, but WILL it??
100 (9.89)
Trayvon Bromell ran a VERY wind-aided 9.77 awhile back.
Dentarius Locke is strong.
Hayward Field is a fast track, but it's also a WINDY track!!
A record (of any kind!) in the sprints depends on the wind!
These guys could run 9.7+ or low-9.8's, but a wind of 3.6 would nullify the record!!
The only other Meet Record that has ANY chance (on the Men's side) is the PV.
Sam Kendricks has gone over 19 feet.
The MR is 19-1.
He (or Andrew Irwin or Shawn Barber) would have to be at the TOP (pun intended!) of his game to just tie the record, let alone break it.
Looks doubtful, especially considering the wind, which also affects PV'ers!!
You can forget about MR's in the 200, 400, 800, 3000SC, 400H, 4X100R, HJ, LJ, TJ, SP, JT, HT, and Decathlon.
Women
PV (14-7.25)
This MR is so weak, and this field is so deep and strong, that we could see 6 to 8 women tying or breaking this record.
Kaitlin Petrillose and Sandi Morris seem the most likely to break it (and even hit 15 feet!!), but don't overlook Sammie Clark, Alysha Newman, Martina Schultze, and Lakan Taylor!
10000 (32:28.57)
I would normally be suspect of predicting a MR (or ANY record!!) in a distance race, men's or women's!
Many (most??) Championship distance races are run tactically, meaning jog the first 9200 (of a 10000), then kick the final 800, if even that much!!
But here you have one runner who does NOT like to sit and kick!
At least, that's been her M.O. since I first became aware of her in high school.
The person I speak of is Michigan's Erin Finn, perhaps the most notorious front-runner in track today.
Depend on her to burn the first 5000.
She has a PR of 15:26.08, so a first 5000 in under 16:00 is a distinct possibility.
And with Emma Bates, Juliet Bottorff, Elinor Kirk, and Elvin Kibet behind her, she may have to keep running at 15:59 or faster pace to STAY in front.
I see this venerable record (which I saw in person!!) as already erased!!
5000 (15:15.08)
This is an event where I could see the Collegiate Record falling too!!
Abbey D'Agostino has been the odds-on favorite for at least a year, since she won the race in 2013.
But a new wrinkle enters the picture.
Her name is Aisling Cuffe, who just happens to have a faster PR than Abbey D!!
Not much faster....but faster nonetheless!
Will Cuffe push the pace (a la Finn in the 10K), trying to weaken Abbey's better kick?
And what about Marielle Hall, whose 15:19 earlier this year shocked everyone??
400 (50.10)
We COULD see the first (and maybe the 2nd and 3rd, and even 4th!!!) sub-50 clocking in this event at the Collegiate level!!
The speed, the competition, the fans enthusiasm--it's all there.
If the wind is just a mild breeze, this record could finally go down, and go down hard!!
Courtney Okolo, Ashley Spencer, Phyllis Francis, and Kendell Baisden are the contenders!
4X400R (3:24.54)
This is a VERY tough MR.
But with the team victory (and placings) possibly on the line, and dependent on the outcome of this one race, this could be a barn-burner!
And that would mean the MR could go.
Texas, Texas A&M, and Oregon are the rivals.
DT (210-10)
This one has an in shape Shelbi Vaughan, who threw 208-8 a bit ago.
She has potential for much more!
There's no one around her who's a really serious contender, so it might fall on Vaughan's shoulders as to whether this MR goes.
HT (232-0)
Julia Ratcliffe has a PR of 230-7, and has set new PR's 2 or 3 times already.
Can she do it again?
She's the New Zealand National record holder as well, so any "PR" would be a new NR too!!
200 (22.04)
This is a damn good record!!
And as noted earlier, wind can nullify some really speedy times in Eugene.
But Olivia Ekpone has run 22.23.
And she'll likely have a couple of women close by, names of Kamaria Brown and Dezerea Bryant.
However, I'd give this record, at best, just a 50-50 shot at going down!
Two other MR's have SOME chance of being broken, but are both VERY unlikely!!
They are the 800 and the TJ.
In the 800 (where the record is 1:59.11--which is also the CR!!), you have ONE candidate, and her name is Laura Roesler.
On the pro side, she's capable of going sub-2:00!
On the con side, her team is in contention for the team title, and so she's likely to go just for the victory.
However, she's a senior, so this would be her last chance to set a Collegiate Record!!
In the TJ (the MR is 46-7.25), you have a gal who's gone over 46 feet (Shaneika Thomas), and a potential 46 footer (Ciarra Brewer).
But with wind a possible hindrance, not to mention the quirky nature of TJ's and LJ's, the odds of getting a MR here are LESS than 50-50...maybe as low as 20-80!!
All the other events--100, 1500, 3000SC, 100H, 400H, 4X100R, HJ, LJ, SP, JT, and Heptathlon, have either ZERO chance of being broken, or the odds are so low, it's not worth even mentioning!!
(That said, will Shalaya Kipp make the attempt to go after the 9:25.54 MR of Jenny Barringer (Simpson)? And is Cory McGee in her 4:06.67 shape from 2013 to go after the 4:06.19 record in the 1500??)
The next 4 days will be electrifying, as EVERY NCAA meet is!!
Keep this blog post handy, and enjoy the meet!!
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Rome Diamond meet more like Copper
My title might be a wee tad overwrought, but with solid fields in almost every event, I expected much more out of Rome's Golden Gala DL meet than just one Meet Record, and one Age record!
That MR went to Mutaz Barshim, who HJ'ed 7-10.75 for the Qatar National Record, the MR, and a move from 6th A-T World (tied with 5 others) up to 3rd A-T World (tied with 3 others).
The Age Record is, once again, the property of Jo Pavey, who set her 2nd Age 40 5000 record in less than a month, running 15:04.87.
That race was won by Genzebe Dibaba in 14:34 and change, but other than Pavey's, no other DDD or T&F Record Book-worthy marks came from it.
Nor from any other event!!
Diamond League??
No, THIS year's version was closer to Copper!!
But never fear, I've got several other marks to report from other meets.
High Schoolers had several State meets this weekend, including California's.
Perhaps the best mark came from a Freshman girl, Sydney McLaughlin.
She'd already broken the 9th Grade record for the 400H, running 58.24 a week or so ago, as I reported in an earlier post.
Well, she shattered that record, cutting a full 1.33 seconds from it, running a solid 56.91.
Besides the Frosh Class record, it's also 7th All-Time on the HS list!!
She also ran 13.47 for the 100H, and had a super 52.2 400 relay leg!!
This mark not only beats her own Class record, but that 57.64 by 8th grader Char Foster, dating from 1995.
(No more asterisks!! LOL)
Bethan Knights continues to roll.
She was timed enroute at 3000 meters (in a 3200 race) in 9:18.1, which makes her 11th A-T HS.
Arianna Washington had a great double at the Cal meet.
She sprinted 11.22 and 22.96!!
The 100 time rates 12th A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
The 200 time makes her 14th A-T HS, tied with 2 others.
The girl who was removed from the 200 list was Maicel Malone, whose 23.12 dated from 1986!
Garrett O'Toole ran the fastest MILE (not 1600!!) of the year, a 4:01.89.
It makes him 13th A-T HS.
Nate Moore's LJ of 25-8.75 rates 23rd A-T HS.
Curtis Thompson threw the Javelin 224-10.
This moves him from 21st A-T HS up to 15th.
Haley Showalter improved to 184-6 in the HT, moving her from 18th A-T HS up to 15th.
And Ishmael Muhammed ran 800 in 1:48.52, earning him 19th place A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
The latest American Track League meet, held in Houston on June 6th, produced a few Meet Records.
Brigetta Barrett HJ'ed 6-4.75.
Wallace Spearmon ran 200 in 20.38.
Jessica Beard ran the 200 in 23.08.
DeeDee Trotter ran 400 in 51.47.
And the Men's 100 was won by Harry Adams in a MR of 10.13, but Mark Jelks, in 2nd, was also given a 10.13, so they'll share the new 100 MR.
Finally got the 1500 split from the Pre Mile winner, Ayanleh Souleiman.
His Mile time of 3:47.32 was a MR, and so is his 3:32.72 1500.
Two for the price of one.
There were 4 National Records set recently.
Justyna Kasprzycka HJ'ed 6.6.25 for Poland's NR.
Charlotta Fougberg got the Swedish NR with her Steeple of 9:34.61.
Fabienne Schlumpf's 9:37.81 Steeple is the Swiss NR.
And Said Ndure's 9.95 MIGHT be the new Norway NR in the 100.
I said "MIGHT" because there's some question about the wind-measuring machine!!
Will correct, if necessary!
Christian Reif LJ'ed 27-10.25.
He's now 21st A-T World, tied with 3 others.
Bernard Lagat "recovered" from his "jog" at Pre (13:31 for Mr Lagat is a JOG!!!) with a 3rd place time of 7:41.94 in a 3000.
It's an Age 39 record!
Hengelo's IWC meet produced 3 Meet Records.
Richard Thompson sprinted 100 in 9.95.
Caterine Ibarguen TJ'ed 48-0.
And Queen Harrison ran the 100H in 12.56.
Well, in just 3 days (June 11th) begins a cycle of meets which, GUARANTEED, will need separate posts to cover the wealth of material they'll produce.
I speak of the NCAA and the NBN.
Can't wait!
That MR went to Mutaz Barshim, who HJ'ed 7-10.75 for the Qatar National Record, the MR, and a move from 6th A-T World (tied with 5 others) up to 3rd A-T World (tied with 3 others).
The Age Record is, once again, the property of Jo Pavey, who set her 2nd Age 40 5000 record in less than a month, running 15:04.87.
That race was won by Genzebe Dibaba in 14:34 and change, but other than Pavey's, no other DDD or T&F Record Book-worthy marks came from it.
Nor from any other event!!
Diamond League??
No, THIS year's version was closer to Copper!!
But never fear, I've got several other marks to report from other meets.
High Schoolers had several State meets this weekend, including California's.
Perhaps the best mark came from a Freshman girl, Sydney McLaughlin.
She'd already broken the 9th Grade record for the 400H, running 58.24 a week or so ago, as I reported in an earlier post.
Well, she shattered that record, cutting a full 1.33 seconds from it, running a solid 56.91.
Besides the Frosh Class record, it's also 7th All-Time on the HS list!!
She also ran 13.47 for the 100H, and had a super 52.2 400 relay leg!!
This mark not only beats her own Class record, but that 57.64 by 8th grader Char Foster, dating from 1995.
(No more asterisks!! LOL)
Bethan Knights continues to roll.
She was timed enroute at 3000 meters (in a 3200 race) in 9:18.1, which makes her 11th A-T HS.
Arianna Washington had a great double at the Cal meet.
She sprinted 11.22 and 22.96!!
The 100 time rates 12th A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
The 200 time makes her 14th A-T HS, tied with 2 others.
The girl who was removed from the 200 list was Maicel Malone, whose 23.12 dated from 1986!
Garrett O'Toole ran the fastest MILE (not 1600!!) of the year, a 4:01.89.
It makes him 13th A-T HS.
Nate Moore's LJ of 25-8.75 rates 23rd A-T HS.
Curtis Thompson threw the Javelin 224-10.
This moves him from 21st A-T HS up to 15th.
Haley Showalter improved to 184-6 in the HT, moving her from 18th A-T HS up to 15th.
And Ishmael Muhammed ran 800 in 1:48.52, earning him 19th place A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
The latest American Track League meet, held in Houston on June 6th, produced a few Meet Records.
Brigetta Barrett HJ'ed 6-4.75.
Wallace Spearmon ran 200 in 20.38.
Jessica Beard ran the 200 in 23.08.
DeeDee Trotter ran 400 in 51.47.
And the Men's 100 was won by Harry Adams in a MR of 10.13, but Mark Jelks, in 2nd, was also given a 10.13, so they'll share the new 100 MR.
Finally got the 1500 split from the Pre Mile winner, Ayanleh Souleiman.
His Mile time of 3:47.32 was a MR, and so is his 3:32.72 1500.
Two for the price of one.
There were 4 National Records set recently.
Justyna Kasprzycka HJ'ed 6.6.25 for Poland's NR.
Charlotta Fougberg got the Swedish NR with her Steeple of 9:34.61.
Fabienne Schlumpf's 9:37.81 Steeple is the Swiss NR.
And Said Ndure's 9.95 MIGHT be the new Norway NR in the 100.
I said "MIGHT" because there's some question about the wind-measuring machine!!
Will correct, if necessary!
Christian Reif LJ'ed 27-10.25.
He's now 21st A-T World, tied with 3 others.
Bernard Lagat "recovered" from his "jog" at Pre (13:31 for Mr Lagat is a JOG!!!) with a 3rd place time of 7:41.94 in a 3000.
It's an Age 39 record!
Hengelo's IWC meet produced 3 Meet Records.
Richard Thompson sprinted 100 in 9.95.
Caterine Ibarguen TJ'ed 48-0.
And Queen Harrison ran the 100H in 12.56.
Well, in just 3 days (June 11th) begins a cycle of meets which, GUARANTEED, will need separate posts to cover the wealth of material they'll produce.
I speak of the NCAA and the NBN.
Can't wait!
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Odds and Ends
You've already read the Pre Classic post, right?
Okay, so what more do you want from one weekend of T&F??
Well, sad to say, there isn't very much left to report, and that's why I titled this post "Odds and Ends".
(But there were SOME goodies, so....!!)
Best of the NCAA Prelims (or Regionals, or Big Meet Qualifiers, or whatever the heck they're called!!) came in the West's 110H race.
The first three ran spectacular times.
Aleec Harris sped 13.18, making him the 2nd fastest Collegiate Performer.
The leader?
Renaldo Nehemiah's 13.00 from 1979!
Harris had been 11th A-T Collegiate, tied with 3 others.
And he snared the Collegiate Senior Class record.
Wayne Davis finished in 13.20, which moves him up from 4th A-T Collegiate into 3rd.
Next was Devon Allen's 13.27, which gives him the Collegiate Freshman Class record.
That record used to belong to Terrence Trammell!
Allen is now 7th A-T Collegiate!!
Ramona Burchell sped a 100 in 11.03.
She's 10th A-T Collegiate, tied with 3 others.
Kellion Knibb (She's from Jamaica!) threw the Discus 201-3, making her 11th A-T Collegiate.
Fawn Miller keeps improving in the Javelin.
Her 190-0 moves her from 13th A-T Collegiate up into 9th.
She also moves from 15th A-T US into 11th!!
And Stipe Zunic had a SP of 67-7, making him 22nd A-T Collegiate.
This Regionals format got lots of criticism, and I can understand why.
People don't come to a T&F meet to see athletes in prelims or heats.
They come to see them compete all-out, leaving blood, sweat, and tears on the track and field.
You had a dozen or so Pole Vaulters qualify at 13-7 or so.
Did anyone go for a higher height?
NO!!
So where was the excitement, unless you had someone specific you were cheering on to make the Big Show??
B-O-R-I-N-G!!!!!
The high school crowd had some state meets, which had a few good marks.
Only problem was, several of them came at those alien distances of 1600 and 3200 meters!!
Alexa Efraimson continues as the "next Mary Cain", and she really seems to be living up to that moniker!
She had a great double at her Washington State meet.
First day produced a solo 1600 of 4:33.31 (67, 71, 70, 65), with 2nd place about 16 seconds behind.
(A video of that complete race (introductions included!!) is on the MileSplit website!)
Headlines were that she'd broken the HSR.
Well, maybe for the 1600 Meter Run, but NOT for the venerable One MILE!!
That HSR still belongs to Polly Plumer and her 4:35.24 from 1982!!
Next day came Alexa's 800, and she sped a 2:04.10, for 17th A-T HS.
BTW, the girl she REMOVED from my DDD?
None other than Elise Cranny, whose 2:04.81 from this year's Mt SAC was in 24th place!
Another girl who impressed, this time in a 3200, was Bethan Knights.
Remember her?
She was the girl who had TIED Sarah Baxter in a 10:07 3200 at Arcadia earlier this spring.
Well, she ran a solid 9:55, after soloing through the first 4 laps (1600) in 4:50!!
(She'd hit the 800 in about 2:20!!)
But those times (except for Efraimson's 800) are nowhere to be found in my T&F Record Book, as I don't accept any 1600 or 3200 meter times, nor times converted from those distances!!
Too bad, as there's been quite a number of great times at those distances.
But keep the faith!
Bring Back the Mile (@TheMile) is working to return the Mile to its rightful place in American T&F!
And we have those Dream MILES coming up in New York soon.
And the NBN runs the Mile, not the 1600, and the Two Mile, not the 3200.
Also, Brooks PR and Portland Track Festival will have HS Miles!!
Sydney McLaughlin, a 9th grader, ran the 400H in 58.24 for the Freshman Class record.
One tiny footnote here, however.
While it's true she set the new 9th Grade record (breaking Kendell Williams's 58.63!!), there was a girl back in 1995 who ran faster.....as an 8th Grader!!
Char Foster sped a 57.64, an amazing time for a Middle Schooler!!
McLaughlin's time misses my DDD list by just 0.23 seconds!!
Carlos Davis threw the Discus 212-5, making him 18th A-T HS.
Taken OFF the list was Brian Blutreich's 210-8 from 1985!
Finally, Trentavis Friday had a spectacular double in the sprints.
He ran 10.17 and 20.33 over the weekend.
His 100 time makes him 6th A-T HS on that list.
And his 200 places him 7th A-T HS!
In the just-completed Gotzis Heptathlon, "new" faces ruled!
Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Great Britain won with 6682 points.
She misses my World DDD list by just 13 points!!
Second was the new Canadian National record of 6641 points, set by Ashton's wife, Brianne Theisen-Eaton!!
Dafne Schippers finished with 6545, a new Netherlands National record.
And Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium set a new National Record with her PR of 6506 points.
Also worth mentioning was 17 year old Brit Morgan Lake's PR total of 6081 points, her first time over 6000.
She'd had a 5886 total from about a month ago!!
I've been keeping a running count of the marks that are making my DDD lists.
I want to see if the total for outdoors will exceed 400.
This is for all 4 lists, the World, US, Collegiate, and HS.
Here's the most current breakdown, compared to counts made earlier.
World Men World Women
May 20 6 11
May 26 7 12
May 31 11 22
US Men US Women
May 20 7 23
May 26 9 27
May 31 12 34
Collegiate Men Collegiate Women
May 20 26 45
May 26 26 45
May 31 28 47
HS Men HS Women
May 20 6 17
May 26 8 22
May 31 13 22
Totals Men Women
May 20 45 96
May 26 50 106
May 31 64 125
Women continue their domination.
Collegians have the most marks from 2014 on these lists.
In the month of June, there SHOULD be massive amounts of new marks.
We have the Rome and New York DL's.
There's the NCAA Championships.
And High Schoolers have more State meets (next weekend), as well as some post-season invitationals, including the always-loaded New Balance Nationals.
Added to this list is the Brooks PR meet, as well as the Portland Track Festival.
And in addition to the DL's the professionals have Hengelo, always good for quality marks, as well as various other smaller European meets.
So follow this blog for ALL the results worth noting.
I expect the number of 2014 marks making my lists to grow from the present 189 (see chart above) to over 300 by June 30th!
And this was supposed to be an "OFF" year??!!
Okay, so what more do you want from one weekend of T&F??
Well, sad to say, there isn't very much left to report, and that's why I titled this post "Odds and Ends".
(But there were SOME goodies, so....!!)
Best of the NCAA Prelims (or Regionals, or Big Meet Qualifiers, or whatever the heck they're called!!) came in the West's 110H race.
The first three ran spectacular times.
Aleec Harris sped 13.18, making him the 2nd fastest Collegiate Performer.
The leader?
Renaldo Nehemiah's 13.00 from 1979!
Harris had been 11th A-T Collegiate, tied with 3 others.
And he snared the Collegiate Senior Class record.
Wayne Davis finished in 13.20, which moves him up from 4th A-T Collegiate into 3rd.
Next was Devon Allen's 13.27, which gives him the Collegiate Freshman Class record.
That record used to belong to Terrence Trammell!
Allen is now 7th A-T Collegiate!!
Ramona Burchell sped a 100 in 11.03.
She's 10th A-T Collegiate, tied with 3 others.
Kellion Knibb (She's from Jamaica!) threw the Discus 201-3, making her 11th A-T Collegiate.
Fawn Miller keeps improving in the Javelin.
Her 190-0 moves her from 13th A-T Collegiate up into 9th.
She also moves from 15th A-T US into 11th!!
And Stipe Zunic had a SP of 67-7, making him 22nd A-T Collegiate.
This Regionals format got lots of criticism, and I can understand why.
People don't come to a T&F meet to see athletes in prelims or heats.
They come to see them compete all-out, leaving blood, sweat, and tears on the track and field.
You had a dozen or so Pole Vaulters qualify at 13-7 or so.
Did anyone go for a higher height?
NO!!
So where was the excitement, unless you had someone specific you were cheering on to make the Big Show??
B-O-R-I-N-G!!!!!
The high school crowd had some state meets, which had a few good marks.
Only problem was, several of them came at those alien distances of 1600 and 3200 meters!!
Alexa Efraimson continues as the "next Mary Cain", and she really seems to be living up to that moniker!
She had a great double at her Washington State meet.
First day produced a solo 1600 of 4:33.31 (67, 71, 70, 65), with 2nd place about 16 seconds behind.
(A video of that complete race (introductions included!!) is on the MileSplit website!)
Headlines were that she'd broken the HSR.
Well, maybe for the 1600 Meter Run, but NOT for the venerable One MILE!!
That HSR still belongs to Polly Plumer and her 4:35.24 from 1982!!
Next day came Alexa's 800, and she sped a 2:04.10, for 17th A-T HS.
BTW, the girl she REMOVED from my DDD?
None other than Elise Cranny, whose 2:04.81 from this year's Mt SAC was in 24th place!
Another girl who impressed, this time in a 3200, was Bethan Knights.
Remember her?
She was the girl who had TIED Sarah Baxter in a 10:07 3200 at Arcadia earlier this spring.
Well, she ran a solid 9:55, after soloing through the first 4 laps (1600) in 4:50!!
(She'd hit the 800 in about 2:20!!)
But those times (except for Efraimson's 800) are nowhere to be found in my T&F Record Book, as I don't accept any 1600 or 3200 meter times, nor times converted from those distances!!
Too bad, as there's been quite a number of great times at those distances.
But keep the faith!
Bring Back the Mile (@TheMile) is working to return the Mile to its rightful place in American T&F!
And we have those Dream MILES coming up in New York soon.
And the NBN runs the Mile, not the 1600, and the Two Mile, not the 3200.
Also, Brooks PR and Portland Track Festival will have HS Miles!!
Sydney McLaughlin, a 9th grader, ran the 400H in 58.24 for the Freshman Class record.
One tiny footnote here, however.
While it's true she set the new 9th Grade record (breaking Kendell Williams's 58.63!!), there was a girl back in 1995 who ran faster.....as an 8th Grader!!
Char Foster sped a 57.64, an amazing time for a Middle Schooler!!
McLaughlin's time misses my DDD list by just 0.23 seconds!!
Carlos Davis threw the Discus 212-5, making him 18th A-T HS.
Taken OFF the list was Brian Blutreich's 210-8 from 1985!
Finally, Trentavis Friday had a spectacular double in the sprints.
He ran 10.17 and 20.33 over the weekend.
His 100 time makes him 6th A-T HS on that list.
And his 200 places him 7th A-T HS!
In the just-completed Gotzis Heptathlon, "new" faces ruled!
Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Great Britain won with 6682 points.
She misses my World DDD list by just 13 points!!
Second was the new Canadian National record of 6641 points, set by Ashton's wife, Brianne Theisen-Eaton!!
Dafne Schippers finished with 6545, a new Netherlands National record.
And Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium set a new National Record with her PR of 6506 points.
Also worth mentioning was 17 year old Brit Morgan Lake's PR total of 6081 points, her first time over 6000.
She'd had a 5886 total from about a month ago!!
I've been keeping a running count of the marks that are making my DDD lists.
I want to see if the total for outdoors will exceed 400.
This is for all 4 lists, the World, US, Collegiate, and HS.
Here's the most current breakdown, compared to counts made earlier.
World Men World Women
May 20 6 11
May 26 7 12
May 31 11 22
US Men US Women
May 20 7 23
May 26 9 27
May 31 12 34
Collegiate Men Collegiate Women
May 20 26 45
May 26 26 45
May 31 28 47
HS Men HS Women
May 20 6 17
May 26 8 22
May 31 13 22
Totals Men Women
May 20 45 96
May 26 50 106
May 31 64 125
Women continue their domination.
Collegians have the most marks from 2014 on these lists.
In the month of June, there SHOULD be massive amounts of new marks.
We have the Rome and New York DL's.
There's the NCAA Championships.
And High Schoolers have more State meets (next weekend), as well as some post-season invitationals, including the always-loaded New Balance Nationals.
Added to this list is the Brooks PR meet, as well as the Portland Track Festival.
And in addition to the DL's the professionals have Hengelo, always good for quality marks, as well as various other smaller European meets.
So follow this blog for ALL the results worth noting.
I expect the number of 2014 marks making my lists to grow from the present 189 (see chart above) to over 300 by June 30th!
And this was supposed to be an "OFF" year??!!
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