With a couple of World Challenge meets, lower division Collegiate Conferences, and some big HS State meets, I thought this weekend would have seen MUCH more record and high list action than we saw.
Remember a post from last year titled something like "That Moby Dick Moment"? (Can't remember the actual title, and too lazy to look it up!)
Well, we've just experienced another one!
Meaning, it was a VERY quiet weekend before an upcoming one that SHOULD (WILL!!) provide me with enough material to (maybe!) call for multiple posts!
(See below for some details on this!)
However quiet it was, there WERE some good marks.
One correction first.
I reported that Marquis Dendy's winning TJ at the SEC (56-11.25) was a legal jump.
Sorry, but it was wind-aided.
I've removed it from my Collegiate list.
However, he did have a legal jump of 55-8.50, which is his OUTdoor PR, and puts him in at 22nd on the Collegiate list, tied with 1 other.
He was taken OFF my US list!
Move over, Kaylin Whitney?
In a CIF meet, Lauren Rain Williams, a soph (just like Whitney was last year!), sped a 200 in 22.68.
It had an aiding wind of 3.2 that negates the mark for list purposes.
However, according to a couple of sources, it's the 5th fastest time under "all conditions", which includes wind-aided marks.
Whatever the case, it's an EXCELLENT time!!
Will she follow Whitney into the Pro ranks?
BTW, speaking of Ms Whitney, the new Pro had her first overseas meets AS a Pro!
In the 2nd meet, she faced Veronica Campbell-Brown!
Out of lane 2.
VCB won in 22.68, but Whitney surprised by finishing 2nd in 23.06, her fastest time as a Pro!
There are a few other legal sprint times to report.
Marvin Bracy broke through the 10 second barrier, running the 100 in 9.95.
This satisfied the many people who have considered Bracy the next great American sprinter!
And it makes him 22nd A-T US, tied with 6 others!
Dafne Schippers also broke through a barrier--the 11 second kind.
Her 10.94 set a new National Record for the Netherlands!
And it beat Dina Asher-Smith's 11.02.
The 19 year old Brit set the National Record of Great Britain with her time.
Another NR for the Netherlands was Sifan Hassan's 1000 time of 2:34.68.
That race (in the Hengelo meet) had some depth, as the first 9 all ran under 2:40.
Anita Hinriksdottir ran 2:36.63 for the Age 19 record.
It's also the new National Record of Iceland.
Jenny Meadows ran it in 2:36.13 for the Age 34 record.
Speaking of Age 34 records, another one was set by Fabiana Murer in the PV, as she vaulted 15-3.
In a different meet, American Melinda Withrow, vaulted 15-1.
She's now 12th A-T US, tied with 6 others.
She has an interesting story, which in some ways resembles that of Demi Payne.
As with Payne, she was good, but not great in HS and in her early college years.
After college, Withrow basically disappeared, only starting to compete again recently.
She'd never broken 14 until this year.
And now she's over 15---at age 30!
The only difference with Payne (as far as I know!) is that Withrow is not a new mother!
Speaking of PV'ers, the Weeks twins competed in a Heptathlon together.
After 6 events, Lexi was leading by a few points.
In the 800, Tori beat Lexi, 2:19.47 to 2:19.81.
However, she came up ONE point short of beating her sister, the final scores being 4481 and 4480!!
In a Throwers meet, Dani Bunch got a big PR in the SP, throwing it 61-11.75.
She's now 10th A-T US!
Sean Furey got a PR in the JT with his 270-11.
He moves from 18th to 15th on the A-T US list!
Elena Bruckner threw the Discus out to 182-8, for 10th A-T HS.
(I have SOME doubts about this mark, as another meet 8 days later saw her throw just 152+.)
Kiah Hicks had a 196-7 Discus Throw, making her 24th A-T Collegiate!
Aldan Tooker ran the 3000SC in 9:06.37 for 12th A-T HS!
Bella Burda won the NY State 3000 in 9:37.31.
But that wasn't the big news from that race, as Burda was probably favored to win.
The BIG news came from that incredible SEVENTH Grade girl, Katelyn Tuohy!
Can't remember her place in the race (5th??), but she ran 9:48.44!!
I have no idea what the record is for 7th Grade girls, but this MUST be very close to the "record"!
And it fits in very well with her recent 4:58.40 Mile (See my earlier post!).
Given a last 218 meters at about the same pace, she would have a Two Mile time of UNDER 10:30!!
And there you have it---a short report!
But check out what's coming!
Tomorrow is the Ostrava meet, which besides Usain Bolt, includes MANY great athletes.
Then come the Collegiate Regionals, East and West.
And on May 29th and May 30th is the Prefontaine DL!!
The latter has such a GREAT field (in EVERY event!) that I MIGHT do a preview post prior to the Friday night session!
If not, I'll surely do a HUGE post covering this always-great meet in DETAIL!!
See you soon----if not sooner!!
LOL
Monday, May 25, 2015
Monday, May 18, 2015
Shanghai fizzles-Collegiates sizzle
In a nutshell, that's basically it!
While there were SOME great marks in Shanghai, this 2nd DL of 2015 essentially fizzled!
(Like Stockholm and Rome did last year!)
But the day (weekend!) was saved by many thrilling Collegiate Conference performances (and team battles!).
But I have to begin with Almaz Ayana's sensational run over 5000 meters in Shanghai!
She followed a pacer through 3K in 8:36--which is 14:20 pace.
But Ethiopian Ayana picked up the pace, even though she would eventually finish 26 seconds ahead of 2nd place!
By herself, she ran steady 66-67's, finishing in the third best-ever time of 14:14.32.
What was best about it was that it was never hyped!
Meaning that in pre-meet talk, NOTHING was said about her going for a fast time.
None of that bullshit "I'm going for the WR!"---which almost never happens!!
She just went out there and ran fast---then ran even faster!---and wound up becoming 3rd A-T World!
Simple.
And definitely NO fizzle!
BTW, it's the Shanghai Meet Record.
And she came from 6th A-T World down to that 3rd!
Oh yes, forgot to mention that the first two on that list?
They're also Ethiopian, so no National Record!
(Or Age 23 record either!!)
Only 3 other events produced list or record changing marks.
Nikoleta Kiriakopoulou PV'ed 15-6.25 for a new Greece National Record.
She moves from 20th A-T World, tied with 3 others, to 16th, tied with 1 other.
Mutaz Barshim HJ'ed 7-9.75, out-jumping Bogdan Bondarenko for the Shanghai Meet Record.
And China's Huihui Lu threw the Javelin 210-2, also a Shanghai Meet Record.
And that was basically it from Shanghai!
And they call that a DIAMOND League meet?
Ha!
The US Collegiate scene was another story altogether!
And a guy named Tevin Hester set the stage!
His wind-aided 9.87 was the fastest 100 of the day!
(Would've broken the CR, if legal!)
But even though not acceptable, there WERE a couple of sub-10's that DO make my DDD!!
Andre De Grasse, the Canadian attending USC, tore up the track at the PAC-12 meet at UCLA.
He ran 9.97 in the 100, beating Ato Boldon's 10.03 from 1996 for the Meet Record!
This makes him 9th A-T Collegiate, tied with 5 others!
But he also ran solid 200's.
His heat was a 20.03
This makes him 12th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others.
It's also the National Record of Canada.
Then he ran 20.05 in the final!
The other sub-10 was a shocker.
Bryce Robinson suddenly emerged (He wasn't listed in T&FN's initial Top 10 NCAA Formchart!) to run 9.99.
This makes him 16th A-T Collegiate, tied with 3 others.
What it does also is take OFF my Top 24 list a legend!
Frankie Fredericks mark from 1989 is no longer a DDD-worthy mark!!
And neither is a mark by James Sanford, dating from 1980!!
He too is OFF my list!
And Mr Hester?
He also had a wind-LEGAL 200 of 20.18.
Speaking of the sprints, the SEC meet had quite a spectacular 4X100 Relay.
The Women's team from Texas A&M set the SEC Meet Record with their time of 42.61.
But they were followed closely by Florida's 42.72.
They move from the 7th fastest School to 3rd.
The 4th place spot was taken by Kentucky, whose 42.85 moves them from 10th A-T School to 6th!
FOUR schools running between 42.61 and 42.85 in one race!
That's the SEC for you!!
But the great marks weren't limited to the track.
Keturah Orji (as reported in my last post!) was beaten in the LJ by Quenesha Burks, but she prevailed in her signature event, the Triple Jump.
Her winning jump of 46-4.25 was initially reported as having 0.0 wind!
But that was soon changed to a +2.7, thus negating her first 46 footer for record or list purposes!
She did, however, have a legal jump of 45-5, which is her OUTdoor PR.
And it made her the Collegiate Frosh Class Record holder!
She moves from 19th A-T Collegiate to 14th, tied with 1 other.
And she moves onto the US list, taking 20th place, tied with 3 others!
As in Doha, the Men's SEC Triple Jump produced quite a battle.
Latario Collie's 56-4.50 was good.
It makes him 9th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others.
But it was Marquis Dendy's 56-11.25 which prevailed for the SEC Meet Record.
It makes him 4th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other.
It also makes him 15th A-T US!
BTW, speaking of that Doha TJ, I forgot to tell you that Christian Taylor's 2nd place mark of 59-2.25 is the best 2nd Place mark ever!!
Kendra Harrison exploded from a 12.7 girl all the way to 12.50, setting an SEC Meet Record!
It moves her from 6th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other, to 3rd.
And it moves her from 21st to 15th on the A-T US list!
The ACC had quite the meet too.
(See my previous post for earlier marks from there!)
Shakima Wimbly?
Who's she?
She's another who came out of nowhere (at least to my limited range of knowledge!) to suddenly be "a contender" (As they said in "Rocky"! LOL) at the NCAA.
But will she double?
She should, as she ran the 200 in 22.43, making her 19th A-T Collegiate.
And she added a 400 of 50.84, which makes her 22nd A-T Collegiate.
Both are ACC Meet Records!
Natoya Goule ran a solid 800 time of 2:01.32 to garner the ACC Meet Record.
But no PR!
And Notre Dame's Women's 4X400 team ran 3:31.17 for yet another ACC Meet Record.
Shamier Little ran a World-leading (and PR time of) 54.68 in the 400H.
This moves her from 23rd to 16th on the A-T Collegiate list.
Kyra Jefferson suddenly became the fastest Collegiate 200 woman this year, running a great 22.39.
She's now 15th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other.
Katelyn Daniels threw the Discus 193-10 for the Big 10 Meet Record.
Adding to the list of 6000+ scores in the Women's Heptathlon (See my previous post!) was Jess Herauf's score of 6014 points.
It's the Big 10 Meet Record.
And it makes her 22nd A-T Collegiate!
To indicate just how LOADED the 2015 Women's Collegiate Heptathlon is, note that Herauf's mark removed FROM my list---another mark from 2015!!
The PAC-12 meet, in addition to Andre DeGrasse's sprint double, had some other highlights.
Raevyn Rogers won the 800 in 2:01.67, garnering the Collegiate Frosh Class record in the process.
Shelby Houlihan was supposed to have a great duel with Stanford's freshman Elise Cranny.
But Cranny faded on the last lap to 4th, while Houlihan finished in 4:11.06 for the PAC-12 Meet Record.
USC's Women's 4X100 team won the race in 43.10, another PAC-12 Meet Record.
But they narrowly lost to Oregon's Ducks, who won the meet, 185 to 182!!
A meet in Europe (I believe!) produced a National Record for South Africa.
Anasdo Jobodwana sprinted 200 in 20.06 for his NR.
A couple of relatively new Pro's produced some interesting results.
Abbey D'Agostino decided against running at the Hoka One-One meet.
Instead, she stayed home in Massachusetts and ran in a "Twilight" meet, soloing to victory in the 1500, time of 4:13.91.
She won by about 8 seconds!
Emily Liparei was 3rd in 4:22+.
But even better---MUCH better!!--was 18 year old Alexa Efraimson's 800 time of 2:01.13.
This was at the Portland meet, a "last chance" affair that took place last night.
Her training mate (and 2:03 800 girl) Makayla Fricker paced her through about 600 meters, but it was all Alexa's show.
Her splits were approximately 60 and 61, and she finished strong, indicating a potential for getting into the 1:59's.....soon!!
And she's the new HS PRO 800 meter record holder too!!
Of course, she had only one mark and person to beat--Mary Cain!!
Oh yes, almost forgot!
This puts her on the 2015 OUTdoor Top 10 list for the WORLD!!
But on the AMATEUR High School front, there were some outstanding marks!
Lexi Weeks PV'ed 14-2.
She remains 3rd A-T HS, but now she's not tied with anyone!
Rai Benjamin, perhaps better known for his INdoor exploits over 400 and 300 meter flat races, ran the 400H in 50.45, making him 18th A-T HS!
With his great 400 speed, he's on target to go under 50 seconds...soon!
Bobby Colantonio threw a PR in the HT, his mark of 243-7 moving him from 11th to 7th on the A-T HS list!!
Kendall Sheffield blazed through the 110H in 13.42.
He's now 18th A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
Jordyn Colter broke the Colorado state record in the 800 with her 2:04.56.
She's 21st A-T HS.
And Ryan Clark sprinted the 100 in 10.26, making him 23rd A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
Well, I THINK that's a wrap on the fizzle and sizzle of this past weekend!
(If I find enough other marks worthy of my lists, I might produce another post in a day or two.
Otherwise, my next post won't be until this coming weekend!)
Enjoy this, and see you soon!!
While there were SOME great marks in Shanghai, this 2nd DL of 2015 essentially fizzled!
(Like Stockholm and Rome did last year!)
But the day (weekend!) was saved by many thrilling Collegiate Conference performances (and team battles!).
But I have to begin with Almaz Ayana's sensational run over 5000 meters in Shanghai!
She followed a pacer through 3K in 8:36--which is 14:20 pace.
But Ethiopian Ayana picked up the pace, even though she would eventually finish 26 seconds ahead of 2nd place!
By herself, she ran steady 66-67's, finishing in the third best-ever time of 14:14.32.
What was best about it was that it was never hyped!
Meaning that in pre-meet talk, NOTHING was said about her going for a fast time.
None of that bullshit "I'm going for the WR!"---which almost never happens!!
She just went out there and ran fast---then ran even faster!---and wound up becoming 3rd A-T World!
Simple.
And definitely NO fizzle!
BTW, it's the Shanghai Meet Record.
And she came from 6th A-T World down to that 3rd!
Oh yes, forgot to mention that the first two on that list?
They're also Ethiopian, so no National Record!
(Or Age 23 record either!!)
Only 3 other events produced list or record changing marks.
Nikoleta Kiriakopoulou PV'ed 15-6.25 for a new Greece National Record.
She moves from 20th A-T World, tied with 3 others, to 16th, tied with 1 other.
Mutaz Barshim HJ'ed 7-9.75, out-jumping Bogdan Bondarenko for the Shanghai Meet Record.
And China's Huihui Lu threw the Javelin 210-2, also a Shanghai Meet Record.
And that was basically it from Shanghai!
And they call that a DIAMOND League meet?
Ha!
The US Collegiate scene was another story altogether!
And a guy named Tevin Hester set the stage!
His wind-aided 9.87 was the fastest 100 of the day!
(Would've broken the CR, if legal!)
But even though not acceptable, there WERE a couple of sub-10's that DO make my DDD!!
Andre De Grasse, the Canadian attending USC, tore up the track at the PAC-12 meet at UCLA.
He ran 9.97 in the 100, beating Ato Boldon's 10.03 from 1996 for the Meet Record!
This makes him 9th A-T Collegiate, tied with 5 others!
But he also ran solid 200's.
His heat was a 20.03
This makes him 12th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others.
It's also the National Record of Canada.
Then he ran 20.05 in the final!
The other sub-10 was a shocker.
Bryce Robinson suddenly emerged (He wasn't listed in T&FN's initial Top 10 NCAA Formchart!) to run 9.99.
This makes him 16th A-T Collegiate, tied with 3 others.
What it does also is take OFF my Top 24 list a legend!
Frankie Fredericks mark from 1989 is no longer a DDD-worthy mark!!
And neither is a mark by James Sanford, dating from 1980!!
He too is OFF my list!
And Mr Hester?
He also had a wind-LEGAL 200 of 20.18.
Speaking of the sprints, the SEC meet had quite a spectacular 4X100 Relay.
The Women's team from Texas A&M set the SEC Meet Record with their time of 42.61.
But they were followed closely by Florida's 42.72.
They move from the 7th fastest School to 3rd.
The 4th place spot was taken by Kentucky, whose 42.85 moves them from 10th A-T School to 6th!
FOUR schools running between 42.61 and 42.85 in one race!
That's the SEC for you!!
But the great marks weren't limited to the track.
Keturah Orji (as reported in my last post!) was beaten in the LJ by Quenesha Burks, but she prevailed in her signature event, the Triple Jump.
Her winning jump of 46-4.25 was initially reported as having 0.0 wind!
But that was soon changed to a +2.7, thus negating her first 46 footer for record or list purposes!
She did, however, have a legal jump of 45-5, which is her OUTdoor PR.
And it made her the Collegiate Frosh Class Record holder!
She moves from 19th A-T Collegiate to 14th, tied with 1 other.
And she moves onto the US list, taking 20th place, tied with 3 others!
As in Doha, the Men's SEC Triple Jump produced quite a battle.
Latario Collie's 56-4.50 was good.
It makes him 9th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others.
But it was Marquis Dendy's 56-11.25 which prevailed for the SEC Meet Record.
It makes him 4th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other.
It also makes him 15th A-T US!
BTW, speaking of that Doha TJ, I forgot to tell you that Christian Taylor's 2nd place mark of 59-2.25 is the best 2nd Place mark ever!!
Kendra Harrison exploded from a 12.7 girl all the way to 12.50, setting an SEC Meet Record!
It moves her from 6th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other, to 3rd.
And it moves her from 21st to 15th on the A-T US list!
The ACC had quite the meet too.
(See my previous post for earlier marks from there!)
Shakima Wimbly?
Who's she?
She's another who came out of nowhere (at least to my limited range of knowledge!) to suddenly be "a contender" (As they said in "Rocky"! LOL) at the NCAA.
But will she double?
She should, as she ran the 200 in 22.43, making her 19th A-T Collegiate.
And she added a 400 of 50.84, which makes her 22nd A-T Collegiate.
Both are ACC Meet Records!
Natoya Goule ran a solid 800 time of 2:01.32 to garner the ACC Meet Record.
But no PR!
And Notre Dame's Women's 4X400 team ran 3:31.17 for yet another ACC Meet Record.
Shamier Little ran a World-leading (and PR time of) 54.68 in the 400H.
This moves her from 23rd to 16th on the A-T Collegiate list.
Kyra Jefferson suddenly became the fastest Collegiate 200 woman this year, running a great 22.39.
She's now 15th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other.
Katelyn Daniels threw the Discus 193-10 for the Big 10 Meet Record.
Adding to the list of 6000+ scores in the Women's Heptathlon (See my previous post!) was Jess Herauf's score of 6014 points.
It's the Big 10 Meet Record.
And it makes her 22nd A-T Collegiate!
To indicate just how LOADED the 2015 Women's Collegiate Heptathlon is, note that Herauf's mark removed FROM my list---another mark from 2015!!
The PAC-12 meet, in addition to Andre DeGrasse's sprint double, had some other highlights.
Raevyn Rogers won the 800 in 2:01.67, garnering the Collegiate Frosh Class record in the process.
Shelby Houlihan was supposed to have a great duel with Stanford's freshman Elise Cranny.
But Cranny faded on the last lap to 4th, while Houlihan finished in 4:11.06 for the PAC-12 Meet Record.
USC's Women's 4X100 team won the race in 43.10, another PAC-12 Meet Record.
But they narrowly lost to Oregon's Ducks, who won the meet, 185 to 182!!
A meet in Europe (I believe!) produced a National Record for South Africa.
Anasdo Jobodwana sprinted 200 in 20.06 for his NR.
A couple of relatively new Pro's produced some interesting results.
Abbey D'Agostino decided against running at the Hoka One-One meet.
Instead, she stayed home in Massachusetts and ran in a "Twilight" meet, soloing to victory in the 1500, time of 4:13.91.
She won by about 8 seconds!
Emily Liparei was 3rd in 4:22+.
But even better---MUCH better!!--was 18 year old Alexa Efraimson's 800 time of 2:01.13.
This was at the Portland meet, a "last chance" affair that took place last night.
Her training mate (and 2:03 800 girl) Makayla Fricker paced her through about 600 meters, but it was all Alexa's show.
Her splits were approximately 60 and 61, and she finished strong, indicating a potential for getting into the 1:59's.....soon!!
And she's the new HS PRO 800 meter record holder too!!
Of course, she had only one mark and person to beat--Mary Cain!!
Oh yes, almost forgot!
This puts her on the 2015 OUTdoor Top 10 list for the WORLD!!
But on the AMATEUR High School front, there were some outstanding marks!
Lexi Weeks PV'ed 14-2.
She remains 3rd A-T HS, but now she's not tied with anyone!
Rai Benjamin, perhaps better known for his INdoor exploits over 400 and 300 meter flat races, ran the 400H in 50.45, making him 18th A-T HS!
With his great 400 speed, he's on target to go under 50 seconds...soon!
Bobby Colantonio threw a PR in the HT, his mark of 243-7 moving him from 11th to 7th on the A-T HS list!!
Kendall Sheffield blazed through the 110H in 13.42.
He's now 18th A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
Jordyn Colter broke the Colorado state record in the 800 with her 2:04.56.
She's 21st A-T HS.
And Ryan Clark sprinted the 100 in 10.26, making him 23rd A-T HS, tied with 1 other.
Well, I THINK that's a wrap on the fizzle and sizzle of this past weekend!
(If I find enough other marks worthy of my lists, I might produce another post in a day or two.
Otherwise, my next post won't be until this coming weekend!)
Enjoy this, and see you soon!!
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Super Weekend: Doha & CR (Part 1)
What a LOADED 4 days of T&F we're experiencing!
There's TWO Diamond League meets, one already done!
And ALL the MAJOR Collegiate Conferences, their 1st day or two in the bag!
There's some BIG High School State meets.
And there was that STORMY Hoka One One affair!
Because I already have--as of this morning, BEFORE the start of today's activities--more than 4 full pages of GREAT records and marks to report, I decided to break up the weekend into 3 parts.
The first part--this one--will cover the Doha DL, the Hoka 1-1 meet, the first day or 2 of most of the big College Conference results, plus whatever else I found!
The second part will cover the Collegiate scene, with the Conferences' final days results in detail!
The third part will cover the Shanghai DL, plus whatever was left out of the first 2 parts!
Whenever a MAJOR Record is set---meaning either a WR, US Record, CR, or HSR--I must lead with that, no matter how great the other marks are!
And Sandi Morris--half of that Dynamite Duo of female Collegiate PV'ers, the other half being Demi Payne---well, she's done it again!!
In this bouncy game of CR trading, Morris is the latest to take the lead.
In the always exciting SEC meet--which ain't over!!--Morris broke Payne's OUTdoor CR with her vault of 15-5.75.
She was all alone after 14-6, and proceeded to make 15-1.75, then the record height.
It's the SEC Meet Record, the former record held by former CR holder Tina Sutej!
It's the OUTdoor Collegiate Senior Class record.
She moves from 2nd to 1st on the Collegiate list.
She moves from 9th to 4th on the A-T US list.
AND she finally enters the WORLD list in 17th place, tied with 2 others!!
Let's stick to that SEC meet for a bit.
In the Women's HJ, a great battle took place between Leontia Kallenou and Jennelle Scheper.
In the end, Scheper prevailed, her winning height of 6-5 also the SEC Meet Record.
She moves from 6th A-T Collegiate, tied with 5 others, to 5th, tied with 1 other.
Kallenou's 6-4 jump doesn't change her place on the Collegiate list (She's still 15th!), but she's no longer tied with anyone!
The SEC Multis produced 2 great marks!
Maicel Uibo improved his Decathlon PR to 8326 points, winning VERY easily!
It's the SEC Meet Record.
And it moves him from 11th to 4th on the A-T Collegiate list!
Erica Bougard had her Day of Days in the Heptathlon, scoring 6250 points for the relatively easy win over Kendell Williams, who came within 15 points of her PR with 6003 points.
Bougard's mark is also the SEC Meet Record.
And she moves up a whopping 19 (!!) places on the A-T Collegiate list, from 23rd to 4th!
And she moves onto the US list, placing 17th there.
Big 10 Conference Meet Records were set by Chuk Enekwechi in the HT, his mark being 238-9.25, and by Stephanie Richartz, who PV'ed 14-4.
Shelbi Vaughan got a solid PR in the Discus Throw, her mark being 211-8.
While she remains 6th A-T Collegiate, her mark moves her from 14th to 11th on the A-T US list!
Never heard of her---or at least can't remember her name--but Carolina Carmichael improved her PV up to 14-9 at the American Athletic Conference, a meet also unknown to me!!
Anyway, she moves from 21st A-T Collegiate, tied with 6 others, all the way to 6th, tied with 4 others!
And assuming she's an American citizen (Haven't had time to research it---will change this later, if needed!), she's now 20th A-T US, tied with 6 others!!
What a year for the PV!!
Brooke Pleger inched up (literally!!) the Collegiate HT list....sort of.
She did improve her PR to 228-8.75, but it doesn't change her Collegiate list status.
It DOES move her up one place on the US list, however, from 18th to 17th!
The Atlantic Coast Conference got 2 new MR's.
Continuing the onslaught of Women's Collegiate 6000+ scores in the Heptathlon this year, Xenia Rahn scored 6057 points for the ACC MR.
It also makes her 14th A-T Collegiate!
Irena Sediva got the other ACC Meet Record, her JT of 192-5 spearing the mark....so to speak! LOL
She moves up a place on the A-T Collegiate list, from 10th to 9th.
It also breaks her own Collegiate Soph Class record!
Kaitlin Petrillose, who WAS having a pretty rough year, got the Big 12 MR with her PV of 14-6.
Quanesha Burks surprised Keturah Orji in the SEC Long Jump, not only winning, but jumping 22-5.25 for 6th place on the A-T Collegiate list!
It's also the Collegiate Soph Class record!
And it ties the one and only Britney Reese's SEC Meet Record!!
Hannah Carson threw the Javelin 184-11 for 21st A-T Collegiate!
She's finally making up for those dreary HS years she had!
Well, those College kids weren't the only ones making history this Wild Weekend!
The Professionals---1 or 2 of "College age"--were also in the game!
The initial DL meet of 2015, in Doha, Qatar, gave us LOTS of GREAT marks, and a shock or two (or 3!).
Jasmin Stowers.
What a FANTASTIC year she's having!
I've dubbed it a "Brianna Rollins 2013-style" year.
Remember?
Well, Stowers is well on her way to matching--or surpassing!--what Rollins did 2 years back!
She won the Doha 100H race in a blazing 12.35.
It's the Meet Record!
It's the Age 23 record, breaking her own mark!
She moves from 5th to 3rd on the A-T US list.
And she moves from 11th A-T World, tied with 2 others, to 7th!
Not to mention she beat--among others!--2012 Olympic Champion Sally Pearson!
BTW, 2nd in this race was Sharika Nelvis, who is ALSO having a good year!
Her time of 12.54 is a BIG PR, and makes her 17th A-T US, tied with 1 other!
Dawn Harper-Nelson inexplicably finished LAST in this race, in 13.24!!
I didn't see the race, so have no idea what happened to her!
It seems no matter how fast he runs, Justin Gatlin just can't out-run controversy!
His 100 time of 9.74 notwithstanding, he continues to be subjugated to hate-filled remarks.
One Twitter person said (paraphrased) that "50% hate him, and 50% despise him"!
Nice.
Anyway, that 9.74 easily won the Doha 100, setting the Meet Record!
It's also the Age 33 record.
But his placings on the US (2nd) and World (5th) lists remains the same!
Personally, I think this hatred of Gatlin should STOP!
He's done the time, so back off!!
He's a good person who did something bad....and paid for it with 4 years off his career!
I like the guy!
Kim Collins continues to rock and roll....and sprint fast!
He ran 10.03 in the 100 to DESTROY Troy Douglas's Age 39 record!!
The Triple Jump doesn't get much love.
But the Battle Royal that ensued in Doha in the Men's event brought a LOT of love their way!
Pablo---or is that Pedro?---Pichardo is from Cuba.
But that didn't keep him from his MISSION in Doha.
He hopped, skipped & jumped out 59-3, for the longest leap in years!
But he almost didn't win!
Because Christian Taylor, who lives in Florida, just across some water from Cuba, almost got him with his PR of 59-2.25!!
Pichardo's 59-3 is the Age 21 record!
He breaks his own National Record of Cuba.
It's the Doha Meet Record!
And he moves from 6th to 3rd on the A-T World list!
Taylor's 59-2.25 moves him from 3rd to 2nd on the A-T US list!
He's just two inches from the American Record!!
He remains in 5th place on the A-T World list!
Allyson Felix ran one of her fastest 200's--especially for this early in the year!.
Her 21.98 shattered the Doha Meet Record.
She beat Muriele Ahoure, and 17 year old new American HS Pro Kaylin Whitney (who finished in 8th place, time of 23.24, in her first International race as a Pro!), among others!
I'm not sure if there's anyone else who has done this, but Felix now holds THREE Doha Meet Records!!
Her 100 from 2012, and her 400 from 2008, plus this year's 200, are all Doha MR's!!
Does anyone know if anyone else---male or female---holds this distinction??
Bershawn Jackson's 48.09 in the 400H is the new Doha MR.
Luiza Gega's non-winning (Dawit Seyaum won in 4:00+!) 4:02.63 is the National Record of Albania.
Reese Hoffa nabbed his own Age 37 record in the SP, hitting 69-10.75.
Shara Proctor tied her own National Record of Great Britain with her Long Jump of 22-10.
(Tianna Bartoletta won the event!)
That Hoka One One Distance Festival---formerly the Oxy High Performance meet---was SO promising!!
The fields the sponsor had collected were, in some cases, equal to or better than some seen at the USATF meets!!
The list of GREAT American (and a very few foreign!) names was practically endless!
And all of them wanted--at the very least!--to get Qualifying times for the USATF meet and/or the WC's!!
Then the skies opened up and the God of Thunder roared!
But that only excuses what happened in the latter part of the meet.
(More on that in a minute!)
The first few races, while okay by "normal" standards, were quite inferior when you consider the athletes raison d'etre for being there!!
That said, a few good marks evolved.
But the only Meet Record was set by Stephanie Garcia in the 3000SC.
Her winning time was 9:37.19.
She was in the 4th Section of the 800 (Supposed to be the slowest, with the least speedy runners!), but HS Professional Alexa Efraimson WON that section with a time faster than in Section 3!
But her time of 2:03.23, while a PR by 0.03 seconds, does NOT break Mary Cain's HS Pro 800 record!!
Alexa looked like she could have held her own in the 2 faster sections, running very strongly, with a very good kick!!
Maggie Vessey beat Jenny Simpson in Section 2 (Why were they in Section TWO???), 2:00.70 to 2:00.79.
Vessey wore a white--and rather BRIEF--uniform, but while beautiful and fashionable, she's also having a good solid year so far!
Simpson kicked from back in the pack to ALMOST beat her!
Treniere Moser of NOP won the "fast" section....in 2:01.67!!
And she was the ONLY NOP person to perform well.
Shannon Rowbury didn't win either of her two races, the 800 or 1500.
And Mary Cain?
Oh God!
Remember this meet in 2013, when it was the Oxy High Performance meet?
Remember the Women's 1500, won by Katie Mackey in 4:04.60?
(Mackey won this year too, but about 3 seconds slower!)
Remember seeing Mary Cain, then just barely 17 years old, sprint from 6th or 7th on the final curve to get 2nd in the HSR of 4:04.62??
Well, THAT Mary Cain is NOT THIS Mary Cain!!
Nowhere near!!
She went immediately to the back of the 12 woman pack.....and remained there, just barely edging out Cory McGee to avoid LAST place!!
Her time was AGAIN---for the 3rd time this year--in the 4:15+ range!
WHAT is WRONG with this now 19 year old woman?
SOMEthing is!
After Leo Manzano won the first section of the 1500, the storm---NOT normal in SoCal!!--hit with a vengeance!
Torrential rain, plus thunder and lightning, first delayed the meet, then forced (??) the organizers to cancel it.
That meant that some other VERY fast 1500 guys, and a few VERY good 5000 folks didn't get to race!!
Among them were Galen Rupp and Buze Diriba!
Cam Levins and Kara Goucher, among many others, also didn't get to race!
(And I have no idea if Alberto Salazar had his NOP crew do a post-meet hard workout, as is their normal routine!! LOL)
Well, let's end this post with another new mark, my usual Kayla Montgomery report, plus some "old" news.
The new mark is the 1:48.07 HS 800 time by Donavan Brazier.
This makes him 8th A-T HS.
Word is he negative split the race, passing 400 in 55+!!
Kayla finished her 2nd ever 10000, but it was about 2 whole minutes slower than her PR of 35:49.
At the Atlantic Sun Conference meet, she finished 6th in 37:53.20.
But she was leading after about 6 laps!
Then something happened, as her steady 80+ laps ended with a 107 second lap!!
Whatever caused her to slow that much ended, as she returned to speedier laps---but in the 90's, not 80's!--and scored 3 points for her team! (Two other Lipscomb runners finished ahead of her!)
I'm still a HUGE fan of this remarkable young lady!!
At the Sun Belt Conference meet a few days ago, Clayton Vaughn sprinted the 100 in 9.93 (wind of 1.7).
He's suddenly now 4th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others.
And he makes the US list too, in 17th, tied with 3 others!
Bria Matthews TJ'ed 43-5.50 to become 7th A-T HS.
Deakin Volz PV'ed an OUTdoor PR of 17-8, which moves him from 16th A-T HS, tied with 2 others, to 15th, tied with 1 other!
Remember me mentioning SEVENTH Grader Katelyn Tuohy?
She'd run a 1200 leg of a DMR in 3:36.09.
Well, it turns out she's run a pretty fair Mile too!
Her 4:58.40 MILE time (NOT 1600!!) in the NY State meet (She finished in 5th place!!) breaks Mary Cain's 7th Grade NY State record!
I didn't even know Cain was RUNNING in the 7th grade!
I thought she was still on the SWIM team !!
Anyway, Tuohy is certainly one to watch!!
Before I end this, I have some corrections to make!
It wasn't Eleanore Thompson who ran that 10.92 earlier this year.
It was Elaine Thompson!
And her time wasn't 10.94 in last week's Jamaica meet, it was 10.97.
Well, that concludes Part ONE of my trilogy from this weekend.
I'll probably have Part 2 sometime tomorrow--after the end of the PAC-12 Conference meet.
(All the other major conferences end today!)
That post will have ALL the great records and marks from the College scene!!
The 3rd part will probably come either late Sunday or early Monday, and will feature the Shanghai DL, plus whatever I might miss from the other venues!
Yes, it's a SUPER Weekend---and this report is just the beginning!!
There's TWO Diamond League meets, one already done!
And ALL the MAJOR Collegiate Conferences, their 1st day or two in the bag!
There's some BIG High School State meets.
And there was that STORMY Hoka One One affair!
Because I already have--as of this morning, BEFORE the start of today's activities--more than 4 full pages of GREAT records and marks to report, I decided to break up the weekend into 3 parts.
The first part--this one--will cover the Doha DL, the Hoka 1-1 meet, the first day or 2 of most of the big College Conference results, plus whatever else I found!
The second part will cover the Collegiate scene, with the Conferences' final days results in detail!
The third part will cover the Shanghai DL, plus whatever was left out of the first 2 parts!
Whenever a MAJOR Record is set---meaning either a WR, US Record, CR, or HSR--I must lead with that, no matter how great the other marks are!
And Sandi Morris--half of that Dynamite Duo of female Collegiate PV'ers, the other half being Demi Payne---well, she's done it again!!
In this bouncy game of CR trading, Morris is the latest to take the lead.
In the always exciting SEC meet--which ain't over!!--Morris broke Payne's OUTdoor CR with her vault of 15-5.75.
She was all alone after 14-6, and proceeded to make 15-1.75, then the record height.
It's the SEC Meet Record, the former record held by former CR holder Tina Sutej!
It's the OUTdoor Collegiate Senior Class record.
She moves from 2nd to 1st on the Collegiate list.
She moves from 9th to 4th on the A-T US list.
AND she finally enters the WORLD list in 17th place, tied with 2 others!!
Let's stick to that SEC meet for a bit.
In the Women's HJ, a great battle took place between Leontia Kallenou and Jennelle Scheper.
In the end, Scheper prevailed, her winning height of 6-5 also the SEC Meet Record.
She moves from 6th A-T Collegiate, tied with 5 others, to 5th, tied with 1 other.
Kallenou's 6-4 jump doesn't change her place on the Collegiate list (She's still 15th!), but she's no longer tied with anyone!
The SEC Multis produced 2 great marks!
Maicel Uibo improved his Decathlon PR to 8326 points, winning VERY easily!
It's the SEC Meet Record.
And it moves him from 11th to 4th on the A-T Collegiate list!
Erica Bougard had her Day of Days in the Heptathlon, scoring 6250 points for the relatively easy win over Kendell Williams, who came within 15 points of her PR with 6003 points.
Bougard's mark is also the SEC Meet Record.
And she moves up a whopping 19 (!!) places on the A-T Collegiate list, from 23rd to 4th!
And she moves onto the US list, placing 17th there.
Big 10 Conference Meet Records were set by Chuk Enekwechi in the HT, his mark being 238-9.25, and by Stephanie Richartz, who PV'ed 14-4.
Shelbi Vaughan got a solid PR in the Discus Throw, her mark being 211-8.
While she remains 6th A-T Collegiate, her mark moves her from 14th to 11th on the A-T US list!
Never heard of her---or at least can't remember her name--but Carolina Carmichael improved her PV up to 14-9 at the American Athletic Conference, a meet also unknown to me!!
Anyway, she moves from 21st A-T Collegiate, tied with 6 others, all the way to 6th, tied with 4 others!
And assuming she's an American citizen (Haven't had time to research it---will change this later, if needed!), she's now 20th A-T US, tied with 6 others!!
What a year for the PV!!
Brooke Pleger inched up (literally!!) the Collegiate HT list....sort of.
She did improve her PR to 228-8.75, but it doesn't change her Collegiate list status.
It DOES move her up one place on the US list, however, from 18th to 17th!
The Atlantic Coast Conference got 2 new MR's.
Continuing the onslaught of Women's Collegiate 6000+ scores in the Heptathlon this year, Xenia Rahn scored 6057 points for the ACC MR.
It also makes her 14th A-T Collegiate!
Irena Sediva got the other ACC Meet Record, her JT of 192-5 spearing the mark....so to speak! LOL
She moves up a place on the A-T Collegiate list, from 10th to 9th.
It also breaks her own Collegiate Soph Class record!
Kaitlin Petrillose, who WAS having a pretty rough year, got the Big 12 MR with her PV of 14-6.
Quanesha Burks surprised Keturah Orji in the SEC Long Jump, not only winning, but jumping 22-5.25 for 6th place on the A-T Collegiate list!
It's also the Collegiate Soph Class record!
And it ties the one and only Britney Reese's SEC Meet Record!!
Hannah Carson threw the Javelin 184-11 for 21st A-T Collegiate!
She's finally making up for those dreary HS years she had!
Well, those College kids weren't the only ones making history this Wild Weekend!
The Professionals---1 or 2 of "College age"--were also in the game!
The initial DL meet of 2015, in Doha, Qatar, gave us LOTS of GREAT marks, and a shock or two (or 3!).
Jasmin Stowers.
What a FANTASTIC year she's having!
I've dubbed it a "Brianna Rollins 2013-style" year.
Remember?
Well, Stowers is well on her way to matching--or surpassing!--what Rollins did 2 years back!
She won the Doha 100H race in a blazing 12.35.
It's the Meet Record!
It's the Age 23 record, breaking her own mark!
She moves from 5th to 3rd on the A-T US list.
And she moves from 11th A-T World, tied with 2 others, to 7th!
Not to mention she beat--among others!--2012 Olympic Champion Sally Pearson!
BTW, 2nd in this race was Sharika Nelvis, who is ALSO having a good year!
Her time of 12.54 is a BIG PR, and makes her 17th A-T US, tied with 1 other!
Dawn Harper-Nelson inexplicably finished LAST in this race, in 13.24!!
I didn't see the race, so have no idea what happened to her!
It seems no matter how fast he runs, Justin Gatlin just can't out-run controversy!
His 100 time of 9.74 notwithstanding, he continues to be subjugated to hate-filled remarks.
One Twitter person said (paraphrased) that "50% hate him, and 50% despise him"!
Nice.
Anyway, that 9.74 easily won the Doha 100, setting the Meet Record!
It's also the Age 33 record.
But his placings on the US (2nd) and World (5th) lists remains the same!
Personally, I think this hatred of Gatlin should STOP!
He's done the time, so back off!!
He's a good person who did something bad....and paid for it with 4 years off his career!
I like the guy!
Kim Collins continues to rock and roll....and sprint fast!
He ran 10.03 in the 100 to DESTROY Troy Douglas's Age 39 record!!
The Triple Jump doesn't get much love.
But the Battle Royal that ensued in Doha in the Men's event brought a LOT of love their way!
Pablo---or is that Pedro?---Pichardo is from Cuba.
But that didn't keep him from his MISSION in Doha.
He hopped, skipped & jumped out 59-3, for the longest leap in years!
But he almost didn't win!
Because Christian Taylor, who lives in Florida, just across some water from Cuba, almost got him with his PR of 59-2.25!!
Pichardo's 59-3 is the Age 21 record!
He breaks his own National Record of Cuba.
It's the Doha Meet Record!
And he moves from 6th to 3rd on the A-T World list!
Taylor's 59-2.25 moves him from 3rd to 2nd on the A-T US list!
He's just two inches from the American Record!!
He remains in 5th place on the A-T World list!
Allyson Felix ran one of her fastest 200's--especially for this early in the year!.
Her 21.98 shattered the Doha Meet Record.
She beat Muriele Ahoure, and 17 year old new American HS Pro Kaylin Whitney (who finished in 8th place, time of 23.24, in her first International race as a Pro!), among others!
I'm not sure if there's anyone else who has done this, but Felix now holds THREE Doha Meet Records!!
Her 100 from 2012, and her 400 from 2008, plus this year's 200, are all Doha MR's!!
Does anyone know if anyone else---male or female---holds this distinction??
Bershawn Jackson's 48.09 in the 400H is the new Doha MR.
Luiza Gega's non-winning (Dawit Seyaum won in 4:00+!) 4:02.63 is the National Record of Albania.
Reese Hoffa nabbed his own Age 37 record in the SP, hitting 69-10.75.
Shara Proctor tied her own National Record of Great Britain with her Long Jump of 22-10.
(Tianna Bartoletta won the event!)
That Hoka One One Distance Festival---formerly the Oxy High Performance meet---was SO promising!!
The fields the sponsor had collected were, in some cases, equal to or better than some seen at the USATF meets!!
The list of GREAT American (and a very few foreign!) names was practically endless!
And all of them wanted--at the very least!--to get Qualifying times for the USATF meet and/or the WC's!!
Then the skies opened up and the God of Thunder roared!
But that only excuses what happened in the latter part of the meet.
(More on that in a minute!)
The first few races, while okay by "normal" standards, were quite inferior when you consider the athletes raison d'etre for being there!!
That said, a few good marks evolved.
But the only Meet Record was set by Stephanie Garcia in the 3000SC.
Her winning time was 9:37.19.
She was in the 4th Section of the 800 (Supposed to be the slowest, with the least speedy runners!), but HS Professional Alexa Efraimson WON that section with a time faster than in Section 3!
But her time of 2:03.23, while a PR by 0.03 seconds, does NOT break Mary Cain's HS Pro 800 record!!
Alexa looked like she could have held her own in the 2 faster sections, running very strongly, with a very good kick!!
Maggie Vessey beat Jenny Simpson in Section 2 (Why were they in Section TWO???), 2:00.70 to 2:00.79.
Vessey wore a white--and rather BRIEF--uniform, but while beautiful and fashionable, she's also having a good solid year so far!
Simpson kicked from back in the pack to ALMOST beat her!
Treniere Moser of NOP won the "fast" section....in 2:01.67!!
And she was the ONLY NOP person to perform well.
Shannon Rowbury didn't win either of her two races, the 800 or 1500.
And Mary Cain?
Oh God!
Remember this meet in 2013, when it was the Oxy High Performance meet?
Remember the Women's 1500, won by Katie Mackey in 4:04.60?
(Mackey won this year too, but about 3 seconds slower!)
Remember seeing Mary Cain, then just barely 17 years old, sprint from 6th or 7th on the final curve to get 2nd in the HSR of 4:04.62??
Well, THAT Mary Cain is NOT THIS Mary Cain!!
Nowhere near!!
She went immediately to the back of the 12 woman pack.....and remained there, just barely edging out Cory McGee to avoid LAST place!!
Her time was AGAIN---for the 3rd time this year--in the 4:15+ range!
WHAT is WRONG with this now 19 year old woman?
SOMEthing is!
After Leo Manzano won the first section of the 1500, the storm---NOT normal in SoCal!!--hit with a vengeance!
Torrential rain, plus thunder and lightning, first delayed the meet, then forced (??) the organizers to cancel it.
That meant that some other VERY fast 1500 guys, and a few VERY good 5000 folks didn't get to race!!
Among them were Galen Rupp and Buze Diriba!
Cam Levins and Kara Goucher, among many others, also didn't get to race!
(And I have no idea if Alberto Salazar had his NOP crew do a post-meet hard workout, as is their normal routine!! LOL)
Well, let's end this post with another new mark, my usual Kayla Montgomery report, plus some "old" news.
The new mark is the 1:48.07 HS 800 time by Donavan Brazier.
This makes him 8th A-T HS.
Word is he negative split the race, passing 400 in 55+!!
Kayla finished her 2nd ever 10000, but it was about 2 whole minutes slower than her PR of 35:49.
At the Atlantic Sun Conference meet, she finished 6th in 37:53.20.
But she was leading after about 6 laps!
Then something happened, as her steady 80+ laps ended with a 107 second lap!!
Whatever caused her to slow that much ended, as she returned to speedier laps---but in the 90's, not 80's!--and scored 3 points for her team! (Two other Lipscomb runners finished ahead of her!)
I'm still a HUGE fan of this remarkable young lady!!
At the Sun Belt Conference meet a few days ago, Clayton Vaughn sprinted the 100 in 9.93 (wind of 1.7).
He's suddenly now 4th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others.
And he makes the US list too, in 17th, tied with 3 others!
Bria Matthews TJ'ed 43-5.50 to become 7th A-T HS.
Deakin Volz PV'ed an OUTdoor PR of 17-8, which moves him from 16th A-T HS, tied with 2 others, to 15th, tied with 1 other!
Remember me mentioning SEVENTH Grader Katelyn Tuohy?
She'd run a 1200 leg of a DMR in 3:36.09.
Well, it turns out she's run a pretty fair Mile too!
Her 4:58.40 MILE time (NOT 1600!!) in the NY State meet (She finished in 5th place!!) breaks Mary Cain's 7th Grade NY State record!
I didn't even know Cain was RUNNING in the 7th grade!
I thought she was still on the SWIM team !!
Anyway, Tuohy is certainly one to watch!!
Before I end this, I have some corrections to make!
It wasn't Eleanore Thompson who ran that 10.92 earlier this year.
It was Elaine Thompson!
And her time wasn't 10.94 in last week's Jamaica meet, it was 10.97.
Well, that concludes Part ONE of my trilogy from this weekend.
I'll probably have Part 2 sometime tomorrow--after the end of the PAC-12 Conference meet.
(All the other major conferences end today!)
That post will have ALL the great records and marks from the College scene!!
The 3rd part will probably come either late Sunday or early Monday, and will feature the Shanghai DL, plus whatever I might miss from the other venues!
Yes, it's a SUPER Weekend---and this report is just the beginning!!
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Calm before the storm? Really??
In just 5 days, the Diamond League season begins in Doha, with the Shanghai version 2 days later.
Even before that, the Hoka One One distance affair has me salivating, with its incredible list of entrants!
It's scheduled for the day before Doha!
(Which explains why the entry lists for the DL's are missing most American distance people!)
Anyway, THIS weekend has been anything but calm!
We have 2 MAJOR records to report, as well as lots of other great marks!
Madison Wiltrout's story is fascinating!
She's a HS Soph, and just shattered the HSR in the Javelin Throw.
But listen to this!
She only took up the Javelin in 2014!!
That's right--last year!
She threw it 151-1, which is good for a frosh, though not the Class Record.
Know how she learned how to throw it?
Her Mom looked up the How-To on You Tube!
Well, she learned VERY quickly.
A week or so ago, she upped her PR to 168-5--which I reported, of course!
But now she's added 17 feet 3 inches to that mark, as she got a spectacular first throw out to 185-8 for the HSR, breaking Haley Crouser's 181-2 from 2012.
This is also the Soph Class Record!
She moves from 11th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, to 1st.
If she were in College, and not just a 10th Grader, she'd rank 20th A-T Collegiate!!
But it gets better!
Because she DOES rank 21st All-Time United States!!
Have I already said she's just a High School Sophomore??
LOL
Well, leave it to Demi Payne not to be one-upped by such a toddler!
She broke her own OUTdoor Collegiate PV record with 15-5.50 at her Conference meet!
It's also the Collegiate Senior Class record.
She moves from 6th to 4th on the A-T US list.
AND--she becomes 19th A-T World, tied with 3 others!!
But the good news doesn't stop there!
Matthew Maton, who just turned 19 a month ago, became HS'er Number 6 to break 4:00 for the Mile!
At the Oregon Twilight, he finished 3rd in 3:59.38, to become the 3rd fastest HS'er of A-T!
All that said, I need to comment on this!
Sorry.
But the majority of T&FN and Let's Run MB commentors agree with me.
He's 19, an age when about 99% of athletes are well into their Frosh year at College---and a few are even Sophs!!
Jack Shepard's HS Track book lists Age Records for HS'ers.
It says a LOT that he includes Ages 14 through 18---ONLY!!
While I congratulate him on running so fast, his mark should be measured in perspective.
It's the weakest of all the HS sub-4's!
In the same race, UO's Eric Jenkins and Will Georghegan made my A-T Collegiate Mile list!
Jenkins ran 3:57.09, making him 20th A-T Collegiate.
Georghegan ran 3:57.53 for 22nd A-T Collegiate!
The Mile--sadly!--isn't run much OUTdoors by Collegians anymore.
Besides the 2 new Ducks, only 5 other Collegians are on my list from this century!
And there's several marks from the 1960's on there, as well as the 70's and 80's!
Pedro Pichardo of Cuba TJ'ed out to 58-10.25 to become 6th A-T World!
He missed the Age 21 record by 1 inch!!
But it's the new National Record of Cuba!
Michael Lihrman is getting better in the HT, after his VERY successful INdoor season with the WT.
He improved to 247-0, which moves him from 17th to 11th on the Collegiate list!
And he becomes 15th A-T US!!
At the Jamaica Invitational, Jasmine Stowers showed her 12.40 100H wasn't a one-off fluke.
She ran 12.39, winning easily.
It breaks her own Age 23 record.
She remains 5th A-T US.
But she moves from 13th A-T World to 11th, tied with 2 others!
The wind was the 2.0 max!
Also in Jamaica, Shaunae Miller beat SAFP, among others, in the 200, running the Bahamas National Record time of 22.14.
In an IWC meet in Japan, the Women's JT produced 2 great marks!
Liz Gleadle broke her own Canada National Record, throwing the spear 212-8.
And Brittany Borman was right behind her.
Her 212-5 moves her from 3rd to 2nd on the A-T US list!!
It was a 9 foot improvement on her PR!
There were several other GREAT marks from the 2 International meets.
While none of them make any of my lists, or break any records, they're all interesting and worth reporting.
Asafa Powell beat Ryan Bailey in the 100, running the super fast time of 9.84.
Well, super fast, considering it happened on May 9th!
Eleanor Thompson proved her 10.92 wasn't a fluke, as she won the Jamaica 100 in 10.94, beating, among others, Allyson Felix, who ran 11.09.
Sanya Richards-Ross got under 50, winning the Jamaica 400 in 49.95.
Of course, she had that World Relays leg of 48.79!!
Fran McCorory ran just 50.73 in 2nd!
(She'd split 49.27 in the Bahamas!)
In the Japan meet, Sally Pearson won her first non-Australian meet of 2015 in 12.66, beating Queen Harrison's 12.75.
Bogdan Bondarenko missed his 3 tries at 2.41 (7-10.75), but won at 2.37 (7-9.25), the best so far in 2015.
LaShawn Merritt was beaten in the 400 by Al-Masrahi, 44.59 to 44.80.
Catherine Ibarguen's TJ of 48-9.50 won the day, and best mark of 2015.
Aisha Praught finished just 3rd in the Japan 1500, but her PR time of 4:05.52 bodes VERY well for a BIG improvement in the 3000SC, which I assume will remain her specialty!
Besides Wiltrout's and Maton's marks, High Schoolers produced other good stuff!
Matt Katnik improved his SP best out to 72-3.
He moves from 14th to 10th on the A-T HS list.
Candace Hill had a solid day, sprinting the 100 in a non-PR time of 11.34, then running a PR of 23.05 in the 200.
She becomes 23rd A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
She's not yet a High Schooler.
In fact, she's not yet an 8th Grader!!
SEVENTH Grade phenom Katelyn Tuohy ran the 1200 meter opening leg of a HS team's DMR, being clocked in the official split of 3:36.09.
That's basically sub-4:50 Mile pace!
In the SEVENTH Grade!!
And Mikey Brannigan won a 3200 in 8:42.92.
If the race had been just 18 meters longer, his Two Mile time would make my A-T HS list!
Too bad it does NOT!
Back to the Collegiate scene for a bit.
Darrell Hill improved his SP best to 68-5.25.
He moves from 20th to 18th on the A-T Collegiate list.
And Kayla Montgomery had a poor day at the "office".
Her 3000 time of 10:25.73 got her just 12th place--in a field of 14!
Her Conference meet is next week, where I think she'll be running the 10000, though I'm not certain of this.
Whatever she DOES run, I will report it here!
In the Manchester (England) Road 10K, Bernard Lagat finished 3rd, running the Age 40 Road record of 27:48.
Stephen Sambu won the race in 27:30.
Betsy Saina won the Women's race in a close battle with Gemma Steel and Edna Kiplagat.
Their respective times were 31:48, 31:55, and 31:57.
If Lagat had run the same time on a TRACK, he would have DESTROYED Martti Vainio's Age 40 WR of 28:30 by a full 42 seconds!!
(I tweeted him saying that, and he favorited my tweet!! LOL)
As noted at the beginning of this post, NEXT weekend's schedule is HUGE!!
TWO DL's, plus the Hoka One One meet, which PROMISES to be incredible!!
Not to mention all the MAJOR Collegiate Conference meets (Big 12, Big 10, PAC 12, and SEC, for starters!!), and several HS State meets!
I have a feeling it may take MORE than one post to cover it all!!
See you soon!!
Even before that, the Hoka One One distance affair has me salivating, with its incredible list of entrants!
It's scheduled for the day before Doha!
(Which explains why the entry lists for the DL's are missing most American distance people!)
Anyway, THIS weekend has been anything but calm!
We have 2 MAJOR records to report, as well as lots of other great marks!
Madison Wiltrout's story is fascinating!
She's a HS Soph, and just shattered the HSR in the Javelin Throw.
But listen to this!
She only took up the Javelin in 2014!!
That's right--last year!
She threw it 151-1, which is good for a frosh, though not the Class Record.
Know how she learned how to throw it?
Her Mom looked up the How-To on You Tube!
Well, she learned VERY quickly.
A week or so ago, she upped her PR to 168-5--which I reported, of course!
But now she's added 17 feet 3 inches to that mark, as she got a spectacular first throw out to 185-8 for the HSR, breaking Haley Crouser's 181-2 from 2012.
This is also the Soph Class Record!
She moves from 11th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, to 1st.
If she were in College, and not just a 10th Grader, she'd rank 20th A-T Collegiate!!
But it gets better!
Because she DOES rank 21st All-Time United States!!
Have I already said she's just a High School Sophomore??
LOL
Well, leave it to Demi Payne not to be one-upped by such a toddler!
She broke her own OUTdoor Collegiate PV record with 15-5.50 at her Conference meet!
It's also the Collegiate Senior Class record.
She moves from 6th to 4th on the A-T US list.
AND--she becomes 19th A-T World, tied with 3 others!!
But the good news doesn't stop there!
Matthew Maton, who just turned 19 a month ago, became HS'er Number 6 to break 4:00 for the Mile!
At the Oregon Twilight, he finished 3rd in 3:59.38, to become the 3rd fastest HS'er of A-T!
All that said, I need to comment on this!
Sorry.
But the majority of T&FN and Let's Run MB commentors agree with me.
He's 19, an age when about 99% of athletes are well into their Frosh year at College---and a few are even Sophs!!
Jack Shepard's HS Track book lists Age Records for HS'ers.
It says a LOT that he includes Ages 14 through 18---ONLY!!
While I congratulate him on running so fast, his mark should be measured in perspective.
It's the weakest of all the HS sub-4's!
In the same race, UO's Eric Jenkins and Will Georghegan made my A-T Collegiate Mile list!
Jenkins ran 3:57.09, making him 20th A-T Collegiate.
Georghegan ran 3:57.53 for 22nd A-T Collegiate!
The Mile--sadly!--isn't run much OUTdoors by Collegians anymore.
Besides the 2 new Ducks, only 5 other Collegians are on my list from this century!
And there's several marks from the 1960's on there, as well as the 70's and 80's!
Pedro Pichardo of Cuba TJ'ed out to 58-10.25 to become 6th A-T World!
He missed the Age 21 record by 1 inch!!
But it's the new National Record of Cuba!
Michael Lihrman is getting better in the HT, after his VERY successful INdoor season with the WT.
He improved to 247-0, which moves him from 17th to 11th on the Collegiate list!
And he becomes 15th A-T US!!
At the Jamaica Invitational, Jasmine Stowers showed her 12.40 100H wasn't a one-off fluke.
She ran 12.39, winning easily.
It breaks her own Age 23 record.
She remains 5th A-T US.
But she moves from 13th A-T World to 11th, tied with 2 others!
The wind was the 2.0 max!
Also in Jamaica, Shaunae Miller beat SAFP, among others, in the 200, running the Bahamas National Record time of 22.14.
In an IWC meet in Japan, the Women's JT produced 2 great marks!
Liz Gleadle broke her own Canada National Record, throwing the spear 212-8.
And Brittany Borman was right behind her.
Her 212-5 moves her from 3rd to 2nd on the A-T US list!!
It was a 9 foot improvement on her PR!
There were several other GREAT marks from the 2 International meets.
While none of them make any of my lists, or break any records, they're all interesting and worth reporting.
Asafa Powell beat Ryan Bailey in the 100, running the super fast time of 9.84.
Well, super fast, considering it happened on May 9th!
Eleanor Thompson proved her 10.92 wasn't a fluke, as she won the Jamaica 100 in 10.94, beating, among others, Allyson Felix, who ran 11.09.
Sanya Richards-Ross got under 50, winning the Jamaica 400 in 49.95.
Of course, she had that World Relays leg of 48.79!!
Fran McCorory ran just 50.73 in 2nd!
(She'd split 49.27 in the Bahamas!)
In the Japan meet, Sally Pearson won her first non-Australian meet of 2015 in 12.66, beating Queen Harrison's 12.75.
Bogdan Bondarenko missed his 3 tries at 2.41 (7-10.75), but won at 2.37 (7-9.25), the best so far in 2015.
LaShawn Merritt was beaten in the 400 by Al-Masrahi, 44.59 to 44.80.
Catherine Ibarguen's TJ of 48-9.50 won the day, and best mark of 2015.
Aisha Praught finished just 3rd in the Japan 1500, but her PR time of 4:05.52 bodes VERY well for a BIG improvement in the 3000SC, which I assume will remain her specialty!
Besides Wiltrout's and Maton's marks, High Schoolers produced other good stuff!
Matt Katnik improved his SP best out to 72-3.
He moves from 14th to 10th on the A-T HS list.
Candace Hill had a solid day, sprinting the 100 in a non-PR time of 11.34, then running a PR of 23.05 in the 200.
She becomes 23rd A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
She's not yet a High Schooler.
In fact, she's not yet an 8th Grader!!
SEVENTH Grade phenom Katelyn Tuohy ran the 1200 meter opening leg of a HS team's DMR, being clocked in the official split of 3:36.09.
That's basically sub-4:50 Mile pace!
In the SEVENTH Grade!!
And Mikey Brannigan won a 3200 in 8:42.92.
If the race had been just 18 meters longer, his Two Mile time would make my A-T HS list!
Too bad it does NOT!
Back to the Collegiate scene for a bit.
Darrell Hill improved his SP best to 68-5.25.
He moves from 20th to 18th on the A-T Collegiate list.
And Kayla Montgomery had a poor day at the "office".
Her 3000 time of 10:25.73 got her just 12th place--in a field of 14!
Her Conference meet is next week, where I think she'll be running the 10000, though I'm not certain of this.
Whatever she DOES run, I will report it here!
In the Manchester (England) Road 10K, Bernard Lagat finished 3rd, running the Age 40 Road record of 27:48.
Stephen Sambu won the race in 27:30.
Betsy Saina won the Women's race in a close battle with Gemma Steel and Edna Kiplagat.
Their respective times were 31:48, 31:55, and 31:57.
If Lagat had run the same time on a TRACK, he would have DESTROYED Martti Vainio's Age 40 WR of 28:30 by a full 42 seconds!!
(I tweeted him saying that, and he favorited my tweet!! LOL)
As noted at the beginning of this post, NEXT weekend's schedule is HUGE!!
TWO DL's, plus the Hoka One One meet, which PROMISES to be incredible!!
Not to mention all the MAJOR Collegiate Conference meets (Big 12, Big 10, PAC 12, and SEC, for starters!!), and several HS State meets!
I have a feeling it may take MORE than one post to cover it all!!
See you soon!!
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Ultimates in Distance Relays?
With the 2nd World Relays fresh in our memories, I got to thinking about what the ULTIMATE Relay World Records could be.
It's difficult to guess at Sprint Relay ultimates, for a couple of reasons.
1. You can't really get accurate split times, given the running starts, and each team's varied use of the passing zone.
2. There's the NECESSITY for PERFECT passes, which rarely, if ever....errr....comes to pass!! LOL
So I'm going to take a look, for both Men and Women, at what's possible for the following Relays:
Distance Medley (DMR)
4X1500
4X1Mile
I'll look at this mainly from the POV of the United States, but will offer a guess about a team from, say, Kenya.
Here goes, Men first.
DMR (9:15.50)
Four guys from 1 nation just ran the DMR in 9:15.50.
Could we see---in the next few years---a time of UNDER 9 minutes?
And if so, what would it take?
Matthew Centrowitz 2:45.00 (2:45.00)
LaShawn Merritt 43.50 (3:28.50)
Duane Solomon 1:42.50 (5:11.00)
Leo Manzano 3:48.00 (8:59.00)
Unrealistic?
Sure.
(Well, maybe!)
So let's look at what it would take for a 9:04.00 time, which would still shatter the WR by 11.50 seconds!
Centro 2:47 (2:47)
Merritt 44.00 (3:31)
Solomon 1:43 (5:14)
Manzano 3:50 (9:04)
Okay, so what about the chances of a Women's team crashing through the 10 minute barrier....a full 36.51 seconds below the recent WR?
I'd say it's CURRENTLY impossible!!
Here's the best current American 4-some, running their best times!
Rowbury 3:08 (3:08)
SRR 48.7 (3:56.7)
Montano 1:57.3 (5:54.0)
Simpson 4:13 (10:07.0)
The time for Rowbury is based on her 2:00 800 speed, combined with her 3:59 1500 PR.
Simpson's time would be an extension of her 3:57 1500, with 16 seconds added for the last 100)
But while not breaking a MAJOR barrier, it still DESTROYS the new WR by 29.5 seconds!!
And BTW, I could create 2 or 3 (or 4 or 5??) US teams---all different from each other---no repeat use of athletes!----and ALL of them would at least break the current WR----easily!!
4X1500 (14:22.22)
That WR was by a pretty loaded Kenyan quartet at the 2014 World Relays.
But can a US team break it?
And could they break through the 14 minute barrier?
I'm saying----right now----NO!!
BUT....they CAN run about 14:06, which would break the WR by 16.2 seconds!
Ben Blankenship 3:33.0 (3:33.0)
Centro 3:31.0 (7:04.0)
Will Leer 3:32.0 (10:36.0)
Manzano 3:30.0 (14:06.0)
Could a top Kenyan team run faster?
AND get through to a 13+ time?
YES!
Ron Kwemboi 3:28.8 (3:28.8)
Caleb Ndiku 3:29.5 (6:58.3)
Silas Kiplagat 3:27.6 (10:25.9)
Asbel Kiprop 3:27.7 (13:53.6)
You could ADD 1.50 seconds per leg (Kwemboi-3:30.3....Ndiku-3:31.0.....Kiplagat-3:29.1....Kiprop-3:29.2) and get a final time of 13:59.60!!
The Women's 4X1500 WR is Kenya's 16:33.58 from the 2014 World Relays.
Everyone said that team could have run MUCH faster, if pushed----which they were NOT!
The US team ran the AR time of 16:55.33.....also a time that could EASILY have been bettered!
But can ANY team get into the 15's---go below 16:00?
YES!
Even a US team made up of CURRENTLY active athletes.
Morgan Uceny 4:00.06 (4:00.06)
Anna Willard 3:59.38 (7:59.44)
Shannon Rowbury 3:59.49 (11:58.93)
Jenny Simpson 3:57.22 (15:56.15)
They could each slow down by 0.84+ seconds, and still go under 16 minutes.
But of course, that's not realistic, right?
So let's see what that same team would need for a 16:04.
Uceny would go out in a 4:02.
Willard might also get a 4:02.
Rowbury and Simpson would then need to run their 1500's in 4:00 each (with maybe Rowbury at 4:01 and Simpson doing 3:59).
Doable, yes.
Probable, no.
But how MANY American teams could break that WR of 16:33?
SEVERAL!
My Top 24 list for the USA lists 10 women with times of 4:04.62 or faster.
I have no idea how many CURRENTLY ACTIVE American women there are with times of at least 4:08.25 (one-fourth of 16:33!!) down to Mary Cain's aforementioned 4:04.62, which is 24th on my list!!
But I'd guess there's enough for maybe FOUR (or even FIVE!!) teams, including the 10 from the Top 24 already mentioned.
But even if you slowed that 4-some down by a full five seconds each, you'd still get a time of 16:16, which would smash the Kenyan WR by 17 seconds!!
Now let's look at the 4XMile.
And YES, there's a listed 4XMile Relay record for Women!!
(I'll get to that in a minute!)
The current WR for the Men is Ireland's 1985 mark of 15:49.08.
That's an average of 3:57.27 per leg!
Come on, folks, how many US teams----let alone Kenyan!----could be created with athletes capable of a 3:57 mile?
Here's my US team, with their current PR's.
(I'm NOT putting Bernard Lagat on this team, even though he's run 3:48.38 as an American citizen. He'd be 5 or 6 seconds slower now!)
(All times are OUTdoor times, so Galen Rupp's INdoor time of 3:50.92 is NOT included here!!)
Andy Wheating 3:51.74 (3:51.74)
Lopez Lomong 3:51.45 (7:43.19)
Leo Manzano 3:50.64 (11:33.83)
Centro 3:50.53 (15:24.36)
That breaks the current WR by 24.72 seconds, or an average per mile of 3:51.09!!!
Could a top Kenyan team break THAT mark?
Yes!
I don't have a lengthy Kenyan All-Time list, so I'll give the first 2 runners times of 3:50.0 each.
Then you add Kiprop and Kiplagat, with their PR's of about 3:48, and you've got a final time of 15:16.0!!
Again, how many US (or Kenyan!!!) teams could be created that would SMASH Ireland's WR to pieces?
MANY!!
Easily!!
So how about the Women?
I had to look it up to find a WR 4XMile by the female gender.
Want to guess what it is?
Based on my research, it is held by a COLLEGIATE team from the University of Oregon.
They ran it in 18:39.58 in 1985....30 years ago!!
And it was done on May 3rd----probably at that year's Oregon Twilight meet, though I'm not sure!---so it's almost EXACTLY 30 years ago!!
Kathy Hayes, Leann Warren, and Claudette Groendaal, three of UO's biggest EVER stars, comprised 3 of the 4 legs.
(Not totally related here, but if you want to see a GREAT movie about that 1985 Women's team----and the 2011 UO Women's team, featuring such athletes as English Gardner and Jordan Hasay, please seek out the DVD of "We Grew Wings". It's available on Amazon, I believe! I own it, and it's WONDERFUL!!)
Anyway, back to WR possibilities for the 4XMile Relay for Women!!
E-A-S-Y!!!
That's just approximately 4:39.89 for each (FULL) Mile leg!
If you made up a team of the 4 best High School Milers from recent years----those still active---you'd get a time of about 18:14 (Maybe Sarah Feeny or Wesley Frazier at 4:39, then Elise Cranny at an estimated 4:28--based on her 1500 PR!--then Alexa Efraimson at 4:24--again based on her 1500 best---then Mary Cain's 4:21---a time based on her 4:04 time at 1500, adding a 17 second last 109 meters!!), which bests the UO time by about 25 seconds!
Anyway, there's a few DOZEN teams from the US---or at least it's SEEMING that way recently!!---which could run (pun intended!) that record into the ground!!
With a team of Cain, Rowbury, Martinez, and Simpson, you could probably get a time of UNDER 17:20!!!
That's a full one minute and 19 seconds better than UO's mark!!
That's 4:20 per Mile, but their 1500 splits enroute would be "only" about 4:03 each---well within the capabilities of those 4 runners. Well, maybe not Cain----YET!! But you get the picture!!
So there you have it.
Three different Relays---or six, 3 for each gender!---with WR's being an ironclad certainty!!
Before I close, I'd like to correct a couple of athlete identity errors I made in my World Relays report a few days ago!
In the Men's 4X200, the baton pass foul-up did NOT involve Justin Gatlin, as I'd stated!
It happened with the 2nd and 3rd runners, Isaiah Young and Curtis Mitchell.
Gatlin ran a GREAT anchor, even though the US team had already caused a DQ!
Also, it was NOT Gatlin who faced Usain Bolt down the stretch of the 4X100.
It was Ryan Bailey!
(BTW, much has been made of his post-race imitation of Bolt's stance, and him basically dissing The Great One! It's all over the internet and the fine folks at Let's Run!! LOL)
Gatlin ran the 2nd leg of that final!
Here's some other new info from the Bahamas.
Chris Brown, age 36, ran his anchor for the home team in 44.17!!
Jeremy Wariner ran the heat and final for the US 4X400 team.
His times were good---44.87 and 44.80.
Natoya Goule, normally an 800 runner, ran her 400 leg in 51.72.
Watch out for her at the NCAA's!!
Phyllis Francis ran 49.74 in the heats for the US team!
And Nigeria's winning time in that shocking Women's 4X200 was a National Record--their time being 1:30.52.
Before I close, here's more new marks worth noting!
(And one correction!)
The correction is about Jessica Furlan, who ran the 3000SC at Payton Jordan in 9:39.20.
I'd said she was from the US!
She's not.
She's a Canadian, so her time is OFF my US list!!
Conor McCullough threw the Hammer to a PR of 248-11.
He moves from 17th to 7th on the A-T Collegiate list!
And he's now on the US list, at 11th, but tied with 1 other.
Brittany Smith has a new SP best---62-2.50!
She remains 9th A-T US, but she's no longer tied with 2 others!!
Brooke Pleger improved her HT best to 228-0.
She moves from 11th to 9th on the A-T Collegiate list.
And she moves from 21st to 18th on the US list!!
Finally, while NOT a PR, Kara Winger (formerly Patterson!) threw the Javelin 218-1 last weekend!
That's just 7 inches from her American Record!
(And she had 3 more throws at around 207, making this her best-EVER series!!)
Next post will be on Sunday.....or early Monday.
It's difficult to guess at Sprint Relay ultimates, for a couple of reasons.
1. You can't really get accurate split times, given the running starts, and each team's varied use of the passing zone.
2. There's the NECESSITY for PERFECT passes, which rarely, if ever....errr....comes to pass!! LOL
So I'm going to take a look, for both Men and Women, at what's possible for the following Relays:
Distance Medley (DMR)
4X1500
4X1Mile
I'll look at this mainly from the POV of the United States, but will offer a guess about a team from, say, Kenya.
Here goes, Men first.
DMR (9:15.50)
Four guys from 1 nation just ran the DMR in 9:15.50.
Could we see---in the next few years---a time of UNDER 9 minutes?
And if so, what would it take?
Matthew Centrowitz 2:45.00 (2:45.00)
LaShawn Merritt 43.50 (3:28.50)
Duane Solomon 1:42.50 (5:11.00)
Leo Manzano 3:48.00 (8:59.00)
Unrealistic?
Sure.
(Well, maybe!)
So let's look at what it would take for a 9:04.00 time, which would still shatter the WR by 11.50 seconds!
Centro 2:47 (2:47)
Merritt 44.00 (3:31)
Solomon 1:43 (5:14)
Manzano 3:50 (9:04)
Okay, so what about the chances of a Women's team crashing through the 10 minute barrier....a full 36.51 seconds below the recent WR?
I'd say it's CURRENTLY impossible!!
Here's the best current American 4-some, running their best times!
Rowbury 3:08 (3:08)
SRR 48.7 (3:56.7)
Montano 1:57.3 (5:54.0)
Simpson 4:13 (10:07.0)
The time for Rowbury is based on her 2:00 800 speed, combined with her 3:59 1500 PR.
Simpson's time would be an extension of her 3:57 1500, with 16 seconds added for the last 100)
But while not breaking a MAJOR barrier, it still DESTROYS the new WR by 29.5 seconds!!
And BTW, I could create 2 or 3 (or 4 or 5??) US teams---all different from each other---no repeat use of athletes!----and ALL of them would at least break the current WR----easily!!
4X1500 (14:22.22)
That WR was by a pretty loaded Kenyan quartet at the 2014 World Relays.
But can a US team break it?
And could they break through the 14 minute barrier?
I'm saying----right now----NO!!
BUT....they CAN run about 14:06, which would break the WR by 16.2 seconds!
Ben Blankenship 3:33.0 (3:33.0)
Centro 3:31.0 (7:04.0)
Will Leer 3:32.0 (10:36.0)
Manzano 3:30.0 (14:06.0)
Could a top Kenyan team run faster?
AND get through to a 13+ time?
YES!
Ron Kwemboi 3:28.8 (3:28.8)
Caleb Ndiku 3:29.5 (6:58.3)
Silas Kiplagat 3:27.6 (10:25.9)
Asbel Kiprop 3:27.7 (13:53.6)
You could ADD 1.50 seconds per leg (Kwemboi-3:30.3....Ndiku-3:31.0.....Kiplagat-3:29.1....Kiprop-3:29.2) and get a final time of 13:59.60!!
The Women's 4X1500 WR is Kenya's 16:33.58 from the 2014 World Relays.
Everyone said that team could have run MUCH faster, if pushed----which they were NOT!
The US team ran the AR time of 16:55.33.....also a time that could EASILY have been bettered!
But can ANY team get into the 15's---go below 16:00?
YES!
Even a US team made up of CURRENTLY active athletes.
Morgan Uceny 4:00.06 (4:00.06)
Anna Willard 3:59.38 (7:59.44)
Shannon Rowbury 3:59.49 (11:58.93)
Jenny Simpson 3:57.22 (15:56.15)
They could each slow down by 0.84+ seconds, and still go under 16 minutes.
But of course, that's not realistic, right?
So let's see what that same team would need for a 16:04.
Uceny would go out in a 4:02.
Willard might also get a 4:02.
Rowbury and Simpson would then need to run their 1500's in 4:00 each (with maybe Rowbury at 4:01 and Simpson doing 3:59).
Doable, yes.
Probable, no.
But how MANY American teams could break that WR of 16:33?
SEVERAL!
My Top 24 list for the USA lists 10 women with times of 4:04.62 or faster.
I have no idea how many CURRENTLY ACTIVE American women there are with times of at least 4:08.25 (one-fourth of 16:33!!) down to Mary Cain's aforementioned 4:04.62, which is 24th on my list!!
But I'd guess there's enough for maybe FOUR (or even FIVE!!) teams, including the 10 from the Top 24 already mentioned.
But even if you slowed that 4-some down by a full five seconds each, you'd still get a time of 16:16, which would smash the Kenyan WR by 17 seconds!!
Now let's look at the 4XMile.
And YES, there's a listed 4XMile Relay record for Women!!
(I'll get to that in a minute!)
The current WR for the Men is Ireland's 1985 mark of 15:49.08.
That's an average of 3:57.27 per leg!
Come on, folks, how many US teams----let alone Kenyan!----could be created with athletes capable of a 3:57 mile?
Here's my US team, with their current PR's.
(I'm NOT putting Bernard Lagat on this team, even though he's run 3:48.38 as an American citizen. He'd be 5 or 6 seconds slower now!)
(All times are OUTdoor times, so Galen Rupp's INdoor time of 3:50.92 is NOT included here!!)
Andy Wheating 3:51.74 (3:51.74)
Lopez Lomong 3:51.45 (7:43.19)
Leo Manzano 3:50.64 (11:33.83)
Centro 3:50.53 (15:24.36)
That breaks the current WR by 24.72 seconds, or an average per mile of 3:51.09!!!
Could a top Kenyan team break THAT mark?
Yes!
I don't have a lengthy Kenyan All-Time list, so I'll give the first 2 runners times of 3:50.0 each.
Then you add Kiprop and Kiplagat, with their PR's of about 3:48, and you've got a final time of 15:16.0!!
Again, how many US (or Kenyan!!!) teams could be created that would SMASH Ireland's WR to pieces?
MANY!!
Easily!!
So how about the Women?
I had to look it up to find a WR 4XMile by the female gender.
Want to guess what it is?
Based on my research, it is held by a COLLEGIATE team from the University of Oregon.
They ran it in 18:39.58 in 1985....30 years ago!!
And it was done on May 3rd----probably at that year's Oregon Twilight meet, though I'm not sure!---so it's almost EXACTLY 30 years ago!!
Kathy Hayes, Leann Warren, and Claudette Groendaal, three of UO's biggest EVER stars, comprised 3 of the 4 legs.
(Not totally related here, but if you want to see a GREAT movie about that 1985 Women's team----and the 2011 UO Women's team, featuring such athletes as English Gardner and Jordan Hasay, please seek out the DVD of "We Grew Wings". It's available on Amazon, I believe! I own it, and it's WONDERFUL!!)
Anyway, back to WR possibilities for the 4XMile Relay for Women!!
E-A-S-Y!!!
That's just approximately 4:39.89 for each (FULL) Mile leg!
If you made up a team of the 4 best High School Milers from recent years----those still active---you'd get a time of about 18:14 (Maybe Sarah Feeny or Wesley Frazier at 4:39, then Elise Cranny at an estimated 4:28--based on her 1500 PR!--then Alexa Efraimson at 4:24--again based on her 1500 best---then Mary Cain's 4:21---a time based on her 4:04 time at 1500, adding a 17 second last 109 meters!!), which bests the UO time by about 25 seconds!
Anyway, there's a few DOZEN teams from the US---or at least it's SEEMING that way recently!!---which could run (pun intended!) that record into the ground!!
With a team of Cain, Rowbury, Martinez, and Simpson, you could probably get a time of UNDER 17:20!!!
That's a full one minute and 19 seconds better than UO's mark!!
That's 4:20 per Mile, but their 1500 splits enroute would be "only" about 4:03 each---well within the capabilities of those 4 runners. Well, maybe not Cain----YET!! But you get the picture!!
So there you have it.
Three different Relays---or six, 3 for each gender!---with WR's being an ironclad certainty!!
Before I close, I'd like to correct a couple of athlete identity errors I made in my World Relays report a few days ago!
In the Men's 4X200, the baton pass foul-up did NOT involve Justin Gatlin, as I'd stated!
It happened with the 2nd and 3rd runners, Isaiah Young and Curtis Mitchell.
Gatlin ran a GREAT anchor, even though the US team had already caused a DQ!
Also, it was NOT Gatlin who faced Usain Bolt down the stretch of the 4X100.
It was Ryan Bailey!
(BTW, much has been made of his post-race imitation of Bolt's stance, and him basically dissing The Great One! It's all over the internet and the fine folks at Let's Run!! LOL)
Gatlin ran the 2nd leg of that final!
Here's some other new info from the Bahamas.
Chris Brown, age 36, ran his anchor for the home team in 44.17!!
Jeremy Wariner ran the heat and final for the US 4X400 team.
His times were good---44.87 and 44.80.
Natoya Goule, normally an 800 runner, ran her 400 leg in 51.72.
Watch out for her at the NCAA's!!
Phyllis Francis ran 49.74 in the heats for the US team!
And Nigeria's winning time in that shocking Women's 4X200 was a National Record--their time being 1:30.52.
Before I close, here's more new marks worth noting!
(And one correction!)
The correction is about Jessica Furlan, who ran the 3000SC at Payton Jordan in 9:39.20.
I'd said she was from the US!
She's not.
She's a Canadian, so her time is OFF my US list!!
Conor McCullough threw the Hammer to a PR of 248-11.
He moves from 17th to 7th on the A-T Collegiate list!
And he's now on the US list, at 11th, but tied with 1 other.
Brittany Smith has a new SP best---62-2.50!
She remains 9th A-T US, but she's no longer tied with 2 others!!
Brooke Pleger improved her HT best to 228-0.
She moves from 11th to 9th on the A-T Collegiate list.
And she moves from 21st to 18th on the US list!!
Finally, while NOT a PR, Kara Winger (formerly Patterson!) threw the Javelin 218-1 last weekend!
That's just 7 inches from her American Record!
(And she had 3 more throws at around 207, making this her best-EVER series!!)
Next post will be on Sunday.....or early Monday.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
World Relays--It had Everything!
You want beautiful beaches, exotic foods, unreal music, and HAPPY people?
Then you came to the right place--if you went to Nassau, The Bahamas for the 2nd edition (but not annual!) of the IAAF World Relays.
Or is your taste merely for the elegance and thrills our sport provides?
Again, you came where you'll find just that--and more.
Like, for instance, the amazing incredible unbelievable INSANELY maddening INCOMPETENCE of United States sprint relay teams, whether they be Men's or Women's.
Two prime examples came in the 4X200 Relays.
(Or, as the British announcers labeled them, the "two lap" relays!)
Let's take the Men first.
You had what might have been a (or THE) classic showdown of the entire meet.
It was going to be Jamaica (with Usain Bolt anchoring) against the US, with Justin Gatlin anchoring.
But it was announced that Bolt wouldn't be running.
Rumor was that he was tired (or hurt?) from running 2 legs--heat and final--of the 4X100 the previous day!
Anyway, the race began.
When it came to the 3rd hand-off, Gatlin took off, but without the baton.
The attempt(s) to get it into his hand all failed, with it finally dropping to the track--in Jamaica's lane!
So Gatlin moves over to get it, and finally does, then returns to his lane (I THINK!!), and takes off.
Granted, he sped down the final straight like a bat out of Hell, but he couldn't catch Jamaica.
Then, of course, he got the news the US was DQ'ed!
The Women's foul-up (I'd LOVE to use that "other" F word, but I'm trying to keep my blog relatively clean!) was worse!
I mean it!
It was worse.
Oh heck, I'm going to say it.
The pass (attempt) from Jeneba Tarmoh to Allyson Felix was a total FUCK-UP!!!
(Whew!!)
Tarmoh comes sprinting toward Felix, well ahead of everybody else, the US a sure winner.
But either Felix waited too long to take off, or took off too early.
I couldn't figure it out.
Whatever the case, the stick either (A) wasn't released into Felix's hand properly, or (B) Felix hadn't grabbed it tightly enough.
Whose fault it was doesn't really matter.
What happened immediately after this failed pass attempt made the Three Stooges slapstick routines look (Heh!) like child's play!!
Or, if you want to be "nice", you could say it looked like a botched ballet routine with a couple of VERY stoned people!!
Watch the replay---which I'm sure have already gone viral on YouTube!--and tell me what YOU think!
(I couldn't help but be reminded of that OTHER Tarmoh-Felix controversy, when they allegedly tied for 3rd place in the 2012 Olympic Trials 200!)
Well, enough of the F-ups!
Let's get to the professional track portion of the meet.
The distance events provided us with 2 World Records, and 3 American Records!
The 4X800's, run last year, were faster, but were somewhat less competitive.
The Women's race came on Saturday, and it didn't disappoint.
From the gun, the US led, with Chanelle Price running 2:01.30.
It looked like she played it safe the first 400 or more, before taking control.
Then Maggie Vessey, Track's Fashionista (but wearing the more conservative USA uniform!) took off, running a strong looking 2:00.92.
I think she ran even paced laps, doing two 60's.
She handed off to Molly Ludlow , who tore through a 1:59.50, before handing off to new Mom Alysia Montano!
She's BAAAACCCKKKK!!!
Mama ran like the Alysia of old!
Not sure, but I think her first lap was close to 56, which in the "olden days" (pre-pregnancy), was normal for Track's Flower Girl.
Her split was a fine 1:58.90, and the US's winning WR and AR and MR time was 8:00.62.
With better competition---heck, with ANY competition!!--they almost certainly would've dipped under 8 minutes!
But 2nd place, Poland, finished 11 seconds back!!
But they did set a National Record of 8:11.36.
As did Cuba, with their time of 8:15.84.
And so did Jamaica, running 8:16.04.
Where was Kenya?
They ran 8:33 and change!
Why, I'll never know!
The American Men won their race almost as easily, by 4 or 5 seconds, in 7:04.84, which is a Meet Record.
The time was just 2 seconds off the AR, but averaging 1:46.21 in early May, while running basically alone, is pretty good.
It's sort of unfair to add the Meet Records to the list of records broken in the DMR's, since they didn't run them last year, so these became automatic MR's.
That said, you CAN be proud to say that WORLD and American Records were broken--by both genders!
Let's start with the Men.
Their record breaking was unexpected, unlike the Women.
Look at my preview, where I said the US Men would win, but would NOT get the WR.
Thankfully, I was wrong on the latter point.
It started slower than was needed for a WR, as Kyle Merber ran just 2:53.6 for his 1200.
Brycen Spratling did his 400 in a pedestrian (for a relay leg!) 46.0.
But Brandon Johnson ripped his 800 in a great 1:44.8.
Then the fun began!
Remember the Penn Relays Men's 4X1Mile Relay, when Ed Cheserek and Jordan Williamz came to a STOP, daring the other to take the lead, thus killing any chance of an American and Collegiate Record?
Well, right after the hand-off, Kenya's Tim Cheruiyot was caught by US anchor Ben Blankenship.
Then Blankenship stared over at Cheruiyot---and practically STOPPED--nodding his head at Tim to take the lead.
Finally, Cheruiyot blinked, and took off.
I mean, he TOOK OFF!!
His first lap (of the 1600 leg) was reportedly timed in 51.9.
That's right, I said 51.9!!!
Whatever the real numbers, he opened up a 50 meter gap.
But Blankenship remained calm, before catching Cheruiyot on the 3rd lap.
His leg was timed in a FAST 3:51.2, reportedly the fastest 1600 relay leg EVER!!
The US ran 9:15.50, nipping Kenya's old WR by just 0.06 seconds!
Kenya didn't run slow, as their time was 9:17.20.
(And this was without the "big guns" of either team--such as Asbel Kiprop or Matt Centrowitz!)
Australia finished 3rd in 9:21.52, also a decent time, getting good legs from Ryan Gregson and the Penn Relays hero, Jordan Williamz.
In last place, a full 1:26 behind Germany, came Papua New Guinea, who ran 10:50.63, a time that the Villanova Women's team beat with their former WR and CR time of 10:48.38 back in 1988!!
The Women's DMR ran 10:36.50.
I'm thinking about writing a post on possible relay times--maybe soon, maybe not--so I won't go into why I think their time, while GREAT, COULD be a whole lot faster!!
Whatever the case, their time beat Villanova's (see above) OUTdoor WR by almost 12 full seconds.
And it beat the NB-US team's INdoor WR, set a few months ago, by about 6 seconds.
Treniere Moser led off with a 1200 of 3:18.38.
SRR, running like the SRR of old, ran the 400 in 50.12.
Ajee Wilson reliably ran her 800 in 2:00.08, before giving the baton to Moser's NOP teammate, Shannon Rowbury, who jogged her 1600 in 4:27.92.
They got the Meet Record, of course, as well as the other 2 records!
(Not to mention a $50,000 bonus check!!)
Behind them came 3 teams who also got National Records.
Kenya's NR was 10:43.35.
Poland's was 10:45.32.
And Australia's (minus Zoe Buckman!) was 10:46.94.
I said SRR was back.
Yes, she is!!
In the Women's 4X400 final, she ran the 3rd leg in a blazing 48.79!!
She handed off to Fran McCorory, who went almost as fast with her 49.27.
Phyllis Francis started things off with a 51.3, and Natasha Hastings also got under 50 with her 49.93.
Final time--a Meet Record--was 3:19.39!!
(A bit different team ran 3:24.05 in the heats!)
The "B" race of the Women's 4X100 was interesting.
Especially the final leg.
It pitted 39 year old Bahaman veteran Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie against 19 year old 2014 World Junior Championships star for Ecuador, Angela Tenorio.
It LOOKED like an easy win for the home team, as F-M had a 4 or 5 meter gap on Tenorio at the hand-off.
But Tenorio sped down the track, just nipping the superstar by a hair--or less!!
The teams were both given times of 44.14, but the slo-mo replay of the finish showed Tenorio HAD beat her!
In the "A" race, Jamaica beat the US fairly easily, although in a slow time (42.14), relatively speaking.
Last year's MR was 41.88!
This also came down to a solid match-up on the last leg.
Or what was HOPED to be solid!
Jamaica ran without Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (all weekend!!), while the US had a solid foursome.
(Although this race came AFTER that 4X200 fiasco, so US fans were sweating buckets!!)
Anyway, that leg pitted two all-star vets against each other, Veronica Campbell Brown and Carmelita Jeter.
And VCB won.
By a few tenths of a second!!
(And already, people are talking about Jeter being washed up!! We'll see, I guess!)
The Men had a featured duel too.
Usain Bolt against Justin Gatlin.
Or I should say, that piece of paper you just threw in the trash had a "featured duel" on it!
In actuality, the US was too far ahead for even Mr Bolt to put a dent in their lead.
The US beat Jamaica with a Meet Record time of 37.38.
BTW, that Women's 4X200 talked about earlier?
Nigeria beat Jamaica, even though the latter had the services of VCB!
In the heats for the Men's 4X100, Barbados broke their National Record, running 38.85.
They then broke that record in the final, time of 38.70.
However, that latter time does NOT make my Top 24 list!!
The Dominican Republic also got a National Record, time of 38.94., also in a heat.
The final race of the 2 day affair (And I have little doubt there were some "affairs" going down in this beautiful island nation this weekend!!) was the Men's 4X400.
And it was a doozie!
The US won with the time of 2:58.43.
Second was the Bahamas, who ran 2:58.91.
Belgium--with the 3 Borlee brothers!--broke their National Record with their time of 2:59.33.
What gave US fans more pleasure than the win was seeing the strong leg run by none other than the much besieged (by critics!) vet of the 400 wars, Jeremy Wariner.
He ran a reported 44.80.
Not as fast as Tony McQuay's 2nd leg of 44.00, but still indicative of a possibly good strong year by this always-shades wearing dude!
David Verburg led off with 44.91, then came McQuay and Wariner, who handed off to LaShawn Merritt, who ran a slow (for him!) 44.72 on the anchor!
All in all, this meet is one I hope to see become an ANNUAL affair (sorry!).
They're not holding it next year, but will return (to the Bahamas again!!) in 2017.
Not only do I hope it becomes a meet held every year, I'd like to see it become like the World Marathon Majors (sort of), meaning that they would have FOUR (or 3 is okay) meets a year, with teams competing in all 3, with points allotted and everything.
I don't really have the details of my idea, but I definitely think this fabulous meet MUST become a mainstay of the Track World's schedule!
I LOVE IT!!!
Then you came to the right place--if you went to Nassau, The Bahamas for the 2nd edition (but not annual!) of the IAAF World Relays.
Or is your taste merely for the elegance and thrills our sport provides?
Again, you came where you'll find just that--and more.
Like, for instance, the amazing incredible unbelievable INSANELY maddening INCOMPETENCE of United States sprint relay teams, whether they be Men's or Women's.
Two prime examples came in the 4X200 Relays.
(Or, as the British announcers labeled them, the "two lap" relays!)
Let's take the Men first.
You had what might have been a (or THE) classic showdown of the entire meet.
It was going to be Jamaica (with Usain Bolt anchoring) against the US, with Justin Gatlin anchoring.
But it was announced that Bolt wouldn't be running.
Rumor was that he was tired (or hurt?) from running 2 legs--heat and final--of the 4X100 the previous day!
Anyway, the race began.
When it came to the 3rd hand-off, Gatlin took off, but without the baton.
The attempt(s) to get it into his hand all failed, with it finally dropping to the track--in Jamaica's lane!
So Gatlin moves over to get it, and finally does, then returns to his lane (I THINK!!), and takes off.
Granted, he sped down the final straight like a bat out of Hell, but he couldn't catch Jamaica.
Then, of course, he got the news the US was DQ'ed!
The Women's foul-up (I'd LOVE to use that "other" F word, but I'm trying to keep my blog relatively clean!) was worse!
I mean it!
It was worse.
Oh heck, I'm going to say it.
The pass (attempt) from Jeneba Tarmoh to Allyson Felix was a total FUCK-UP!!!
(Whew!!)
Tarmoh comes sprinting toward Felix, well ahead of everybody else, the US a sure winner.
But either Felix waited too long to take off, or took off too early.
I couldn't figure it out.
Whatever the case, the stick either (A) wasn't released into Felix's hand properly, or (B) Felix hadn't grabbed it tightly enough.
Whose fault it was doesn't really matter.
What happened immediately after this failed pass attempt made the Three Stooges slapstick routines look (Heh!) like child's play!!
Or, if you want to be "nice", you could say it looked like a botched ballet routine with a couple of VERY stoned people!!
Watch the replay---which I'm sure have already gone viral on YouTube!--and tell me what YOU think!
(I couldn't help but be reminded of that OTHER Tarmoh-Felix controversy, when they allegedly tied for 3rd place in the 2012 Olympic Trials 200!)
Well, enough of the F-ups!
Let's get to the professional track portion of the meet.
The distance events provided us with 2 World Records, and 3 American Records!
The 4X800's, run last year, were faster, but were somewhat less competitive.
The Women's race came on Saturday, and it didn't disappoint.
From the gun, the US led, with Chanelle Price running 2:01.30.
It looked like she played it safe the first 400 or more, before taking control.
Then Maggie Vessey, Track's Fashionista (but wearing the more conservative USA uniform!) took off, running a strong looking 2:00.92.
I think she ran even paced laps, doing two 60's.
She handed off to Molly Ludlow , who tore through a 1:59.50, before handing off to new Mom Alysia Montano!
She's BAAAACCCKKKK!!!
Mama ran like the Alysia of old!
Not sure, but I think her first lap was close to 56, which in the "olden days" (pre-pregnancy), was normal for Track's Flower Girl.
Her split was a fine 1:58.90, and the US's winning WR and AR and MR time was 8:00.62.
With better competition---heck, with ANY competition!!--they almost certainly would've dipped under 8 minutes!
But 2nd place, Poland, finished 11 seconds back!!
But they did set a National Record of 8:11.36.
As did Cuba, with their time of 8:15.84.
And so did Jamaica, running 8:16.04.
Where was Kenya?
They ran 8:33 and change!
Why, I'll never know!
The American Men won their race almost as easily, by 4 or 5 seconds, in 7:04.84, which is a Meet Record.
The time was just 2 seconds off the AR, but averaging 1:46.21 in early May, while running basically alone, is pretty good.
It's sort of unfair to add the Meet Records to the list of records broken in the DMR's, since they didn't run them last year, so these became automatic MR's.
That said, you CAN be proud to say that WORLD and American Records were broken--by both genders!
Let's start with the Men.
Their record breaking was unexpected, unlike the Women.
Look at my preview, where I said the US Men would win, but would NOT get the WR.
Thankfully, I was wrong on the latter point.
It started slower than was needed for a WR, as Kyle Merber ran just 2:53.6 for his 1200.
Brycen Spratling did his 400 in a pedestrian (for a relay leg!) 46.0.
But Brandon Johnson ripped his 800 in a great 1:44.8.
Then the fun began!
Remember the Penn Relays Men's 4X1Mile Relay, when Ed Cheserek and Jordan Williamz came to a STOP, daring the other to take the lead, thus killing any chance of an American and Collegiate Record?
Well, right after the hand-off, Kenya's Tim Cheruiyot was caught by US anchor Ben Blankenship.
Then Blankenship stared over at Cheruiyot---and practically STOPPED--nodding his head at Tim to take the lead.
Finally, Cheruiyot blinked, and took off.
I mean, he TOOK OFF!!
His first lap (of the 1600 leg) was reportedly timed in 51.9.
That's right, I said 51.9!!!
Whatever the real numbers, he opened up a 50 meter gap.
But Blankenship remained calm, before catching Cheruiyot on the 3rd lap.
His leg was timed in a FAST 3:51.2, reportedly the fastest 1600 relay leg EVER!!
The US ran 9:15.50, nipping Kenya's old WR by just 0.06 seconds!
Kenya didn't run slow, as their time was 9:17.20.
(And this was without the "big guns" of either team--such as Asbel Kiprop or Matt Centrowitz!)
Australia finished 3rd in 9:21.52, also a decent time, getting good legs from Ryan Gregson and the Penn Relays hero, Jordan Williamz.
In last place, a full 1:26 behind Germany, came Papua New Guinea, who ran 10:50.63, a time that the Villanova Women's team beat with their former WR and CR time of 10:48.38 back in 1988!!
The Women's DMR ran 10:36.50.
I'm thinking about writing a post on possible relay times--maybe soon, maybe not--so I won't go into why I think their time, while GREAT, COULD be a whole lot faster!!
Whatever the case, their time beat Villanova's (see above) OUTdoor WR by almost 12 full seconds.
And it beat the NB-US team's INdoor WR, set a few months ago, by about 6 seconds.
Treniere Moser led off with a 1200 of 3:18.38.
SRR, running like the SRR of old, ran the 400 in 50.12.
Ajee Wilson reliably ran her 800 in 2:00.08, before giving the baton to Moser's NOP teammate, Shannon Rowbury, who jogged her 1600 in 4:27.92.
They got the Meet Record, of course, as well as the other 2 records!
(Not to mention a $50,000 bonus check!!)
Behind them came 3 teams who also got National Records.
Kenya's NR was 10:43.35.
Poland's was 10:45.32.
And Australia's (minus Zoe Buckman!) was 10:46.94.
I said SRR was back.
Yes, she is!!
In the Women's 4X400 final, she ran the 3rd leg in a blazing 48.79!!
She handed off to Fran McCorory, who went almost as fast with her 49.27.
Phyllis Francis started things off with a 51.3, and Natasha Hastings also got under 50 with her 49.93.
Final time--a Meet Record--was 3:19.39!!
(A bit different team ran 3:24.05 in the heats!)
The "B" race of the Women's 4X100 was interesting.
Especially the final leg.
It pitted 39 year old Bahaman veteran Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie against 19 year old 2014 World Junior Championships star for Ecuador, Angela Tenorio.
It LOOKED like an easy win for the home team, as F-M had a 4 or 5 meter gap on Tenorio at the hand-off.
But Tenorio sped down the track, just nipping the superstar by a hair--or less!!
The teams were both given times of 44.14, but the slo-mo replay of the finish showed Tenorio HAD beat her!
In the "A" race, Jamaica beat the US fairly easily, although in a slow time (42.14), relatively speaking.
Last year's MR was 41.88!
This also came down to a solid match-up on the last leg.
Or what was HOPED to be solid!
Jamaica ran without Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (all weekend!!), while the US had a solid foursome.
(Although this race came AFTER that 4X200 fiasco, so US fans were sweating buckets!!)
Anyway, that leg pitted two all-star vets against each other, Veronica Campbell Brown and Carmelita Jeter.
And VCB won.
By a few tenths of a second!!
(And already, people are talking about Jeter being washed up!! We'll see, I guess!)
The Men had a featured duel too.
Usain Bolt against Justin Gatlin.
Or I should say, that piece of paper you just threw in the trash had a "featured duel" on it!
In actuality, the US was too far ahead for even Mr Bolt to put a dent in their lead.
The US beat Jamaica with a Meet Record time of 37.38.
BTW, that Women's 4X200 talked about earlier?
Nigeria beat Jamaica, even though the latter had the services of VCB!
In the heats for the Men's 4X100, Barbados broke their National Record, running 38.85.
They then broke that record in the final, time of 38.70.
However, that latter time does NOT make my Top 24 list!!
The Dominican Republic also got a National Record, time of 38.94., also in a heat.
The final race of the 2 day affair (And I have little doubt there were some "affairs" going down in this beautiful island nation this weekend!!) was the Men's 4X400.
And it was a doozie!
The US won with the time of 2:58.43.
Second was the Bahamas, who ran 2:58.91.
Belgium--with the 3 Borlee brothers!--broke their National Record with their time of 2:59.33.
What gave US fans more pleasure than the win was seeing the strong leg run by none other than the much besieged (by critics!) vet of the 400 wars, Jeremy Wariner.
He ran a reported 44.80.
Not as fast as Tony McQuay's 2nd leg of 44.00, but still indicative of a possibly good strong year by this always-shades wearing dude!
David Verburg led off with 44.91, then came McQuay and Wariner, who handed off to LaShawn Merritt, who ran a slow (for him!) 44.72 on the anchor!
All in all, this meet is one I hope to see become an ANNUAL affair (sorry!).
They're not holding it next year, but will return (to the Bahamas again!!) in 2017.
Not only do I hope it becomes a meet held every year, I'd like to see it become like the World Marathon Majors (sort of), meaning that they would have FOUR (or 3 is okay) meets a year, with teams competing in all 3, with points allotted and everything.
I don't really have the details of my idea, but I definitely think this fabulous meet MUST become a mainstay of the Track World's schedule!
I LOVE IT!!!
The Good (and Bad) of Payton Jordan
There's good news....and there's bad news.
It was the best of times, and the worst of times.
Those two (probably mis-quoted) statements pretty much sum up what happened at the latest Payton Jordan distance festival.
You had some GREAT results, and then you had some (more than expected!) people would rather forget.
So let's see what happened yesterday, shall we?
The Women's races were far more productive than the Men's, at least as far as top marks went.
For example, 15 women went sub-15:20 in the 5000, and 15
went sub-32:00 in the 10000.
Sally Kipyego, as expected, won the 5000 in 14:57 and change.
Not a PR--not even close!--but an easy win against a deep field.
Betsy Saina PR'ed, just missing the 14's.
But how about Nicole Tully!
Remember her 4:28 INdoor DMR leg that Brenda Martinez barely beat?
Well, now she's a 5000 woman, as her 15:05.58 places her 22nd A-T US!!
Another who impressed was the mostly unsung Jessica Tonn of Stanford, who mostly has been in the shadow of Aisling Cuffe.
But with Cuffe sidelined this year, Tonn roared forward with the 9th A-T Collegiate mark of 15:18.85!
That cut her best by 14 seconds!
She's a Pro now, but Marielle Hall got a PR also, with her 15:09.90.
Further back, with mixed results, were the following:
Dominique Scott ran 15:32.55 in 18th place!
It's a PR, but after a GREAT season, INdoors and OUT so far, more was expected.
That said, she missed the Collegiate DDD by just 1.52 seconds!
Erin Finn ran her 2015 fastest, a 15:32.88.
Her previous 2015 best was 15:41.
But her PR is 15:26.08 from last year.
She has a good excuse--she's returning from injury!
But what about Abbey D'Agostino?
You COULD say the same about her as was said about Finn.
But she's been a Pro for almost a full year now, and while this was her "Pro rust-buster", it surely left Abbey D fans disappointed!
She was just 21st in the race!
Lisa Uhl's first race in awhile wasn't exactly hot!
She ran just 16:31.38 in 11th place in her section.
But she tweeted later that she was satisfied, and was looking forward to faster times!
Then there's Alexa Efraimson.
Talk about good AND bad--or best AND worst!
She was in a different section than the ones just mentioned.
But most races had rabbits, so Alexa followed right behind her.
They were going at 5:00 mile pace, and Alexa looked like she was just loping, and was on her way to a FAST time.
She passed 3200 meters in about 10:01.
Then, as happened in a couple of road races she ran last fall, she faded BADLY towards the end.
Her final time was 16:09.44, which means her final mile was about 5:30.
Word is she was VERY wobbly after crossing the line!
That said, on the OVERALL HS list (meaning the combined amateur-pro list!), her time is the 7th best ever!!
She DOES get the HS PRO record, but she's the ONLY HS Pro who's run the distance on the track, soooo....!!
She finished in 19th place!! (Remember, she was LEADING through 2 miles!!)
The Women's 3000SC changed the Collegiate list in big ways!
Courtney Frerichs, who had run 9:49 a week or 2 ago, improved that by about 17 seconds, running a great 9:32.12.
She moves from 24th A-T Collegiate all the way into 3rd!!
Only Jenny (Barringer) Simpson and Emma Coburn are ahead of her!
And she's now 12th A-T US!!
Right behind her came Colleen Quigley's 9:33.63.
That was a 5 second improvement on her PR.
She moves up one spot on the A-T Collegiate list, from 5th to 4th!
She also moves from 16th to 13th on the A-T US list!!
Jessica Furlan's 9:39.20 makes her 18th A-T US!!
(Aisha Praught, who I deemed the favorite in my preview post, ran 9:40+, not a PR!)
The Women's 10000 was deep and fast--although not as fast as last year!
Susan Kuijken won the main section in 31:31 and change.
It was her first track 10K!!
And she beat 14:50 5K gal Buze Diriba!!
There were TWO "races within races" here!
The one I did NOT expect was the chase for the Canadian National Record of 31:44.
Well, I DID expect Lanni Marchant to go after it, as i stated in my preview post.
And she ran a great time of 31:46+, which missed the record by 2 seconds!
But not to worry.
Another fast Canadian, Natasha Wodak, took care of it!
She ran 31:41.59 for the record!
Apparently, they worked together most of the way, before turning it into a RACE!
(Now THAT is the way to get a record!!)
The other "race within a race" was for the Collegiate Record!
Alas, the 3 main contenders didn't even try!!
They stayed with the slowish pace of 15:50 at the half, before deciding to start running.
In the end, Lisa Uhl's CR remained on the books, but it was Emily Sisson (Natch!) who led the Collegiate trio.
Her 31:38.03 is now 4th A-T Collegiate!
And she moves into 21st place on the US list!
Next in line came Brit Kate Avery, an Iona senior, whose 31:41.44 gives her the 5th slot on the Collegiate list.
Then we have Emma Bates, who most loudly proclaimed her intentions to go after the record.
She did improve her PR by a few seconds, running 32:13.28.
This moved her from 12th to 8th on the A-T Collegiate list.
But she finished just 18th in the race!
She tweeted today that she fell in the shower before the race, which slowed her down!
Emily Infeld finished right behind the other Emily (Sisson!), running a solid 31:38.71.
This makes her 23rd A-T US!!
Alexi Pappas had a good first track 10K, running 32:02.22, although she finished just 16th in the big race!
Natosha Rogers's comeback race wasn't too promising, although she too is apparently satisfied with it!
She ran just 33:42.11, and finished in 33rd place!!
I touted Megan Goethals as the favorite in her 10K section.
Well, she had problems too!
She finished just 24th, running 33:20.01.
(She too tweeted she was OK with her race!)
Before I turn to the Men, let's look at the Women's 1500.
The best result came from a High School Junior!
And it was NOT Katie Rainsberger, as I said in my preview!
It was Christine Aragon, from Montana, who ran 4:16.36 from basically out of nowhere--although she ran a 4:42 in the 1600 last year!
This makes her 5th A-T HS!!
The first 4 are Mary Cain, Alexa Efraimson, Elise Cranny, and Jordan Hasay!!
She's in EXCELLENT company!!
Katie ran a good race, however, time of 4:23.28, but finished just 11th in her section!
Speaking of Cranny, remember I said in the preview that she's been hot and cold this year?
Well, here she was COLD!
She ran just 4:16.22 for 11th in her race.
Phoebe Wright was 2nd in her race, but ran a good 4:14.80.
Her PR of 4:08 is from 2011, and she's mainly an 800 runner, so this wasn't bad!
The 2 Steeplers ran good in their speed tests over 1500 meters!
In fact, Shalaya Kipp WON her section, hitting an okay 4:14.34 PR.
Bridget Franek finished 5th in her race, running 4:16.68.
Lauren Wallace won her section, running 4:14.67.
Oh, and Collier Lawrence won her Steeplechase section in 9:50.37.
I brought in Lawrence here, instead of placing her with the other SC women, for a reason.
She's with Oiselle.
And so are Lauren Wallace and Shalaya Kipp!!
So that makes THREE Oiselle women who WON their races!!
Not bad for a "small" company catering to women in a hippie-ish sort of way!!
Well, the men weren't entirely inert at Payton Jordan.
Just a bit less overwhelming than the women were!
As with Aragon's race (See above!), maybe the best result came from a HS'er!
Grant Fisher (Who else?) ran the 1500 in 3:42.89.
While he was a few places behind the winner, his time makes him 5th A-T HS!!
The previous week, he'd run 3:46.15, which was then his OUTdoor PR, and which missed the A-T list by just 0.06 seconds!
Well, no need to worry about THAT anymore!!
The other 1500 guys?
Well, let's just say that 3:38's are okay, but not earthquake material, especially in a meet like the PJ!
(The "fast" section was actually a wee bit slower than the 2nd section, which is supposed to be slower!!)
Nick Symmonds ran only 3:44 in his first OUTdoor outing, after a winter of beer miles and other silly stuff (like getting his memoir published---which I've read and highly recommend!!).
Kemoy Campbell didn't win the main section of the 5000, but his 13:20.39 is good for 11th A-T Collegiate.
(I'll have to do some research to find out if that is the National Record of Jamaica also!)
Lopez Lomong didn't win either, his 13:21.32 giving him 9th place!
Nor did highly touted (by yours truly!) Norwegian Henrik Ingebrigtsen.
His 13:27.10 gave him just 11th place!
Jason Witt's 27:54.25 in the 10000 makes him 20th A-T Collegiate!
Stanley Kebenai beat Dan Huling in the 3000SC, running 8:23.93.
He moves up a notch on the Collegiate list, from 18th to 17th.
But more important, he gets the Meet Record!
Tabor Stevens also makes the Collegiate list, in 23rd!
He ran 8:26.81.
Removed FROM the list was former star Brian Diemer, whose mark dated from 1983!
Another Meet Record was set by 800 runner Boris Berian.
He ran 1:45.30 for the win.
Brannon Kidder ran 1:45.58, missing the Collegiate list by 0.27 seconds!
The Women's 800 was won by Chrishuna Williams of Arkansas in 2:01.61.
She misses the A-T Collegiate list by just 0.18 seconds!!
I'm saving the first day results from the World Relays for my post on that meet, coming later today (after the second day's races end!).
But I have several marks from other meets, both from this weekend and from a week or so ago to report.
Here they are!
Shawn Barber's done it AGAIN!!
He's now vaulted 19-4.75, up a half-inch on his former OUTdoor PR.
This of course is a new National Record of Canada!
(Quite a productive day for Canada, eh? See the report on Natasha Wodak above!)
It's also the Collegiate Soph Class record, surpassing his own!
And while it doesn't move him up the Collegiate list, it does....in a way!
You see, his previous mark was tied with 1 other.
Now he stands alone in 2nd place on the list!
Oh yes, forgot to mention his mark leaves him just 0.75 inches from making the World list!!
Mondo Duplantis continues to break his own HS Frosh Class record!
His latest upped his old best by 3 inches, as he flew over 17-4.
This leaves him just 2 inches away from making the A-T HS list!
Remember, he's in the 9th grade!!
Tori Bliss went past Raven Saunders on the OUTdoor Collegiate list, tossing the SP out to 60-8!
She's now 7th A-T Collegiate!
And 20th A-T US!!
Cut OFF my Top 24 list?
Raven Saunders!
(Small world!)
Also in the SP, Jeneva Stevens hit 61-3.
This moves her up one spot on the US list, from 18th to 17th.
Darrell Hill threw the ball out to 68-2.50, making him 21st A-T Collegiate!
DeAnna Price got her Hammer out 222-2, moving her from 21st to 19th on the A-T Collegiate list!
John Amponah threw the Javelin 267-8, for 11th on the A-T Collegiate list.
It's also the National Record of Ghana!
Carlos Davis got a DT of 214-4, moving him from 18th to 13th on the A-T HS list!
I don't include any Shuttle Hurdle Relay records in my Record Book.
Maybe I should, because BOTH World Records were broken last week!!
The Men's 4X110H Relay WR is now 52.94.
It's also the American Record, as the team was called USA Blue.
Who was on it?
Oh, just Jason Richardson, Aleec Harris, Aries Merritt, and David Oliver!
That's an average of 13.23+ per leg!!
The Women's team was also called USA Blue.
Brianna Rollins, Dawn Harper-Nelson, Queen Harrison, and Kristi Castlin ran their 4X100H race in the World (and American) Record time of 50.50.
They averaged about 12.62 per leg!!
Both races took place at the Drake Relays!
Wilson Kipsang's London Marathon time of 2:04:47 is the Age 33 record!!
It's not often that HS'ers run track 5000's outside of the New Balance meets (INdoors or OUT!).
So it was a welcome sight seeing a good time out of Audrey Belf in April!
She ran it in 16:29.68, making her 17th A-T HS!
I'll end this tome with more Women's 1500 results---but not from Payton Jordan!
Destiny Collins, the main stud on the stud Great Oaks girl's distance factory, finished 2nd in a race against Collegians and Pro's at the Steve Scott meet.
Her time was 4:23.85, very close to what Katie Rainsberger ran at PJ. (See above!)
Leah O'Connor, who ran that 4:27.18 mile INdoors, now has a 1500 time that pretty much matches it in quality!
She ran 4:11.04 in a meet in Ohio, beating the 2nd place girl by about 10 seconds.
So it was basically a solo time trial!
She misses the Collegiate list by just 0.25 seconds!
BTW, this time was faster than anything run at Payton Jordan!!
Last but certainly not least, Mary Cain was suddenly (and unexpectedly!) entered in the Oregon State University High Performance meet, held Friday.
And she WON!!
That's the good news.
The "bad" news is that she ran just 4:15.42!
I don't know what her final 100 or 150 was like, but her last 400 was just 66.96.
Definitely NOT a "Mary Cain" finish!!
She was paced for the first 1200 by Geena Lara!
Shortly afterwards, she ran the first 10 minutes of the 5000.
I have no idea if this was an intentional DNF, or planned.
(Keep in mind her coach's penchant for having his athletes do double duty--running either 2 races a few minutes apart, or giving them torturous workouts minutes after they break some record or other!!)
To be fair, Mr Salazar said in an interview after the meet that she was training hard, it was windy, and that she would be "in 4:07 shape" by June!
Well, that's nice, Al, but 4:07 AIN'T gonna get you too far when it comes to the WC Trials!!
Not sure, but I believe she (and NOP) will be at the Oxy meet in 2 weeks!
(Or is that next week??)
Almost forgot!
Mary turned 19 years old today!
Happy Birthday, Ms Cain!!
Before I close, here's my Kayla Montgomery report!
And like this post's title states, there's both good and bad stuff!
She (and several Lipscomb teammates!) flew west to run in the aforementioned meet at Oregon State.
Two Lipscomb girls ran in the mid-16:20's in the 5000, finished just 14 or so seconds behind winner Waverly Neer of UO!!
But Kayla had a slight hip problem---nothing serious---which caused her coaches to pull her out of the 10K just past the halfway point!
She was off the pace she wanted also, so they decided to save her for Conference in a couple of weeks.
Before the meet, the coaches said she was ready to run in the 34's!!
Remember, she ran her first 10K recently in 35:49!!
So she's apparently in GREAT shape!!
BTW, her race started just 85 minutes after Mary Cain's race.
There were the 2 5000's in between.
So I'm wondering if Kayla and Mary met---maybe even jogged together a bit!!
Well, as noted above, I'll have my complete and detailed account of all the World Relays action later today!
See you then!
It was the best of times, and the worst of times.
Those two (probably mis-quoted) statements pretty much sum up what happened at the latest Payton Jordan distance festival.
You had some GREAT results, and then you had some (more than expected!) people would rather forget.
So let's see what happened yesterday, shall we?
The Women's races were far more productive than the Men's, at least as far as top marks went.
For example, 15 women went sub-15:20 in the 5000, and 15
went sub-32:00 in the 10000.
Sally Kipyego, as expected, won the 5000 in 14:57 and change.
Not a PR--not even close!--but an easy win against a deep field.
Betsy Saina PR'ed, just missing the 14's.
But how about Nicole Tully!
Remember her 4:28 INdoor DMR leg that Brenda Martinez barely beat?
Well, now she's a 5000 woman, as her 15:05.58 places her 22nd A-T US!!
Another who impressed was the mostly unsung Jessica Tonn of Stanford, who mostly has been in the shadow of Aisling Cuffe.
But with Cuffe sidelined this year, Tonn roared forward with the 9th A-T Collegiate mark of 15:18.85!
That cut her best by 14 seconds!
She's a Pro now, but Marielle Hall got a PR also, with her 15:09.90.
Further back, with mixed results, were the following:
Dominique Scott ran 15:32.55 in 18th place!
It's a PR, but after a GREAT season, INdoors and OUT so far, more was expected.
That said, she missed the Collegiate DDD by just 1.52 seconds!
Erin Finn ran her 2015 fastest, a 15:32.88.
Her previous 2015 best was 15:41.
But her PR is 15:26.08 from last year.
She has a good excuse--she's returning from injury!
But what about Abbey D'Agostino?
You COULD say the same about her as was said about Finn.
But she's been a Pro for almost a full year now, and while this was her "Pro rust-buster", it surely left Abbey D fans disappointed!
She was just 21st in the race!
Lisa Uhl's first race in awhile wasn't exactly hot!
She ran just 16:31.38 in 11th place in her section.
But she tweeted later that she was satisfied, and was looking forward to faster times!
Then there's Alexa Efraimson.
Talk about good AND bad--or best AND worst!
She was in a different section than the ones just mentioned.
But most races had rabbits, so Alexa followed right behind her.
They were going at 5:00 mile pace, and Alexa looked like she was just loping, and was on her way to a FAST time.
She passed 3200 meters in about 10:01.
Then, as happened in a couple of road races she ran last fall, she faded BADLY towards the end.
Her final time was 16:09.44, which means her final mile was about 5:30.
Word is she was VERY wobbly after crossing the line!
That said, on the OVERALL HS list (meaning the combined amateur-pro list!), her time is the 7th best ever!!
She DOES get the HS PRO record, but she's the ONLY HS Pro who's run the distance on the track, soooo....!!
She finished in 19th place!! (Remember, she was LEADING through 2 miles!!)
The Women's 3000SC changed the Collegiate list in big ways!
Courtney Frerichs, who had run 9:49 a week or 2 ago, improved that by about 17 seconds, running a great 9:32.12.
She moves from 24th A-T Collegiate all the way into 3rd!!
Only Jenny (Barringer) Simpson and Emma Coburn are ahead of her!
And she's now 12th A-T US!!
Right behind her came Colleen Quigley's 9:33.63.
That was a 5 second improvement on her PR.
She moves up one spot on the A-T Collegiate list, from 5th to 4th!
She also moves from 16th to 13th on the A-T US list!!
Jessica Furlan's 9:39.20 makes her 18th A-T US!!
(Aisha Praught, who I deemed the favorite in my preview post, ran 9:40+, not a PR!)
The Women's 10000 was deep and fast--although not as fast as last year!
Susan Kuijken won the main section in 31:31 and change.
It was her first track 10K!!
And she beat 14:50 5K gal Buze Diriba!!
There were TWO "races within races" here!
The one I did NOT expect was the chase for the Canadian National Record of 31:44.
Well, I DID expect Lanni Marchant to go after it, as i stated in my preview post.
And she ran a great time of 31:46+, which missed the record by 2 seconds!
But not to worry.
Another fast Canadian, Natasha Wodak, took care of it!
She ran 31:41.59 for the record!
Apparently, they worked together most of the way, before turning it into a RACE!
(Now THAT is the way to get a record!!)
The other "race within a race" was for the Collegiate Record!
Alas, the 3 main contenders didn't even try!!
They stayed with the slowish pace of 15:50 at the half, before deciding to start running.
In the end, Lisa Uhl's CR remained on the books, but it was Emily Sisson (Natch!) who led the Collegiate trio.
Her 31:38.03 is now 4th A-T Collegiate!
And she moves into 21st place on the US list!
Next in line came Brit Kate Avery, an Iona senior, whose 31:41.44 gives her the 5th slot on the Collegiate list.
Then we have Emma Bates, who most loudly proclaimed her intentions to go after the record.
She did improve her PR by a few seconds, running 32:13.28.
This moved her from 12th to 8th on the A-T Collegiate list.
But she finished just 18th in the race!
She tweeted today that she fell in the shower before the race, which slowed her down!
Emily Infeld finished right behind the other Emily (Sisson!), running a solid 31:38.71.
This makes her 23rd A-T US!!
Alexi Pappas had a good first track 10K, running 32:02.22, although she finished just 16th in the big race!
Natosha Rogers's comeback race wasn't too promising, although she too is apparently satisfied with it!
She ran just 33:42.11, and finished in 33rd place!!
I touted Megan Goethals as the favorite in her 10K section.
Well, she had problems too!
She finished just 24th, running 33:20.01.
(She too tweeted she was OK with her race!)
Before I turn to the Men, let's look at the Women's 1500.
The best result came from a High School Junior!
And it was NOT Katie Rainsberger, as I said in my preview!
It was Christine Aragon, from Montana, who ran 4:16.36 from basically out of nowhere--although she ran a 4:42 in the 1600 last year!
This makes her 5th A-T HS!!
The first 4 are Mary Cain, Alexa Efraimson, Elise Cranny, and Jordan Hasay!!
She's in EXCELLENT company!!
Katie ran a good race, however, time of 4:23.28, but finished just 11th in her section!
Speaking of Cranny, remember I said in the preview that she's been hot and cold this year?
Well, here she was COLD!
She ran just 4:16.22 for 11th in her race.
Phoebe Wright was 2nd in her race, but ran a good 4:14.80.
Her PR of 4:08 is from 2011, and she's mainly an 800 runner, so this wasn't bad!
The 2 Steeplers ran good in their speed tests over 1500 meters!
In fact, Shalaya Kipp WON her section, hitting an okay 4:14.34 PR.
Bridget Franek finished 5th in her race, running 4:16.68.
Lauren Wallace won her section, running 4:14.67.
Oh, and Collier Lawrence won her Steeplechase section in 9:50.37.
I brought in Lawrence here, instead of placing her with the other SC women, for a reason.
She's with Oiselle.
And so are Lauren Wallace and Shalaya Kipp!!
So that makes THREE Oiselle women who WON their races!!
Not bad for a "small" company catering to women in a hippie-ish sort of way!!
Well, the men weren't entirely inert at Payton Jordan.
Just a bit less overwhelming than the women were!
As with Aragon's race (See above!), maybe the best result came from a HS'er!
Grant Fisher (Who else?) ran the 1500 in 3:42.89.
While he was a few places behind the winner, his time makes him 5th A-T HS!!
The previous week, he'd run 3:46.15, which was then his OUTdoor PR, and which missed the A-T list by just 0.06 seconds!
Well, no need to worry about THAT anymore!!
The other 1500 guys?
Well, let's just say that 3:38's are okay, but not earthquake material, especially in a meet like the PJ!
(The "fast" section was actually a wee bit slower than the 2nd section, which is supposed to be slower!!)
Nick Symmonds ran only 3:44 in his first OUTdoor outing, after a winter of beer miles and other silly stuff (like getting his memoir published---which I've read and highly recommend!!).
Kemoy Campbell didn't win the main section of the 5000, but his 13:20.39 is good for 11th A-T Collegiate.
(I'll have to do some research to find out if that is the National Record of Jamaica also!)
Lopez Lomong didn't win either, his 13:21.32 giving him 9th place!
Nor did highly touted (by yours truly!) Norwegian Henrik Ingebrigtsen.
His 13:27.10 gave him just 11th place!
Jason Witt's 27:54.25 in the 10000 makes him 20th A-T Collegiate!
Stanley Kebenai beat Dan Huling in the 3000SC, running 8:23.93.
He moves up a notch on the Collegiate list, from 18th to 17th.
But more important, he gets the Meet Record!
Tabor Stevens also makes the Collegiate list, in 23rd!
He ran 8:26.81.
Removed FROM the list was former star Brian Diemer, whose mark dated from 1983!
Another Meet Record was set by 800 runner Boris Berian.
He ran 1:45.30 for the win.
Brannon Kidder ran 1:45.58, missing the Collegiate list by 0.27 seconds!
The Women's 800 was won by Chrishuna Williams of Arkansas in 2:01.61.
She misses the A-T Collegiate list by just 0.18 seconds!!
I'm saving the first day results from the World Relays for my post on that meet, coming later today (after the second day's races end!).
But I have several marks from other meets, both from this weekend and from a week or so ago to report.
Here they are!
Shawn Barber's done it AGAIN!!
He's now vaulted 19-4.75, up a half-inch on his former OUTdoor PR.
This of course is a new National Record of Canada!
(Quite a productive day for Canada, eh? See the report on Natasha Wodak above!)
It's also the Collegiate Soph Class record, surpassing his own!
And while it doesn't move him up the Collegiate list, it does....in a way!
You see, his previous mark was tied with 1 other.
Now he stands alone in 2nd place on the list!
Oh yes, forgot to mention his mark leaves him just 0.75 inches from making the World list!!
Mondo Duplantis continues to break his own HS Frosh Class record!
His latest upped his old best by 3 inches, as he flew over 17-4.
This leaves him just 2 inches away from making the A-T HS list!
Remember, he's in the 9th grade!!
Tori Bliss went past Raven Saunders on the OUTdoor Collegiate list, tossing the SP out to 60-8!
She's now 7th A-T Collegiate!
And 20th A-T US!!
Cut OFF my Top 24 list?
Raven Saunders!
(Small world!)
Also in the SP, Jeneva Stevens hit 61-3.
This moves her up one spot on the US list, from 18th to 17th.
Darrell Hill threw the ball out to 68-2.50, making him 21st A-T Collegiate!
DeAnna Price got her Hammer out 222-2, moving her from 21st to 19th on the A-T Collegiate list!
John Amponah threw the Javelin 267-8, for 11th on the A-T Collegiate list.
It's also the National Record of Ghana!
Carlos Davis got a DT of 214-4, moving him from 18th to 13th on the A-T HS list!
I don't include any Shuttle Hurdle Relay records in my Record Book.
Maybe I should, because BOTH World Records were broken last week!!
The Men's 4X110H Relay WR is now 52.94.
It's also the American Record, as the team was called USA Blue.
Who was on it?
Oh, just Jason Richardson, Aleec Harris, Aries Merritt, and David Oliver!
That's an average of 13.23+ per leg!!
The Women's team was also called USA Blue.
Brianna Rollins, Dawn Harper-Nelson, Queen Harrison, and Kristi Castlin ran their 4X100H race in the World (and American) Record time of 50.50.
They averaged about 12.62 per leg!!
Both races took place at the Drake Relays!
Wilson Kipsang's London Marathon time of 2:04:47 is the Age 33 record!!
It's not often that HS'ers run track 5000's outside of the New Balance meets (INdoors or OUT!).
So it was a welcome sight seeing a good time out of Audrey Belf in April!
She ran it in 16:29.68, making her 17th A-T HS!
I'll end this tome with more Women's 1500 results---but not from Payton Jordan!
Destiny Collins, the main stud on the stud Great Oaks girl's distance factory, finished 2nd in a race against Collegians and Pro's at the Steve Scott meet.
Her time was 4:23.85, very close to what Katie Rainsberger ran at PJ. (See above!)
Leah O'Connor, who ran that 4:27.18 mile INdoors, now has a 1500 time that pretty much matches it in quality!
She ran 4:11.04 in a meet in Ohio, beating the 2nd place girl by about 10 seconds.
So it was basically a solo time trial!
She misses the Collegiate list by just 0.25 seconds!
BTW, this time was faster than anything run at Payton Jordan!!
Last but certainly not least, Mary Cain was suddenly (and unexpectedly!) entered in the Oregon State University High Performance meet, held Friday.
And she WON!!
That's the good news.
The "bad" news is that she ran just 4:15.42!
I don't know what her final 100 or 150 was like, but her last 400 was just 66.96.
Definitely NOT a "Mary Cain" finish!!
She was paced for the first 1200 by Geena Lara!
Shortly afterwards, she ran the first 10 minutes of the 5000.
I have no idea if this was an intentional DNF, or planned.
(Keep in mind her coach's penchant for having his athletes do double duty--running either 2 races a few minutes apart, or giving them torturous workouts minutes after they break some record or other!!)
To be fair, Mr Salazar said in an interview after the meet that she was training hard, it was windy, and that she would be "in 4:07 shape" by June!
Well, that's nice, Al, but 4:07 AIN'T gonna get you too far when it comes to the WC Trials!!
Not sure, but I believe she (and NOP) will be at the Oxy meet in 2 weeks!
(Or is that next week??)
Almost forgot!
Mary turned 19 years old today!
Happy Birthday, Ms Cain!!
Before I close, here's my Kayla Montgomery report!
And like this post's title states, there's both good and bad stuff!
She (and several Lipscomb teammates!) flew west to run in the aforementioned meet at Oregon State.
Two Lipscomb girls ran in the mid-16:20's in the 5000, finished just 14 or so seconds behind winner Waverly Neer of UO!!
But Kayla had a slight hip problem---nothing serious---which caused her coaches to pull her out of the 10K just past the halfway point!
She was off the pace she wanted also, so they decided to save her for Conference in a couple of weeks.
Before the meet, the coaches said she was ready to run in the 34's!!
Remember, she ran her first 10K recently in 35:49!!
So she's apparently in GREAT shape!!
BTW, her race started just 85 minutes after Mary Cain's race.
There were the 2 5000's in between.
So I'm wondering if Kayla and Mary met---maybe even jogged together a bit!!
Well, as noted above, I'll have my complete and detailed account of all the World Relays action later today!
See you then!
Friday, May 1, 2015
The USA & Jamaica "World" Relays Preview
They're calling it the WORLD Relays., second edition.
(It's NOT an annual meet, as they're apparently skipping next year!)
But when you've read through the following, you'll see that TWO nations (out of umpteen on the planet) are set to take home most, if not all, of the Gold medals!
I was waiting for the final heat sheets to come out, so I could be certain of who's on which team in what event, BUT....when the first day's entries were released, it only showed the names of the teams, with NO indication of the athletes involved!
Soooooo....I'm going to have to mostly wing it, using the entry lists from a few days ago, not being 100% certain of who might have dropped out, gotten injured, etc.
However, as noted, when you have just TWO teams winning everything (??), not much extra research is necessary.
As with the Payton Jordan preview (See earlier post from today!), I'll go event by event, with the Men first.
But let's begin with the schedule!
Day 1--May 2
(All times are Pacific Time!)
11:00 a.m.--M 4X400 Heats
11:29 a.m.--W 4X200 Heats
11:46 a.m.--M 4X100 Heats
12:09 p.m.--M 4X800 FINAL
12:32 p.m.--W 4X400 Heats
1:02 p.m.---W DMR FINAL
1:29 p.m.---M 4X100 FINAL (B race--I guess they're doing it as a 2-section race!)
1:36 p.m---W 4X200 FINAL
1:52 p.m.---M 4X100 FINAL (A race)
Day 2--May 3
11:00 a.m.--M 4X200 Heats
11:20 a.m.--W 4X100 Heats
11:40 a.m.--W 4X800 FINAL
12:02 p.m.--W 4X400 FINAL (B race)
12:12 p.m.--W 4X400 FINAL (A race)
12:31 p.m.--M DMR FINAL
12:57 p.m.--M 4X400 FINAL (B race)
--M 4X400 FINAL (A race)
1:06 p.m.---M 4X200 FINAL
1:23 p.m.---W 4X100 FINAL (B race)
1:30 p.m.---W 4X100 FINAL (A race)
Okay, now for the serious stuff!
4X100-Men
IF--and it's a HUGE IF!!--the US team passes perfectly, they should win....DESPITE Jamaica having Usain Bolt on anchor!
Jamaica has some other good guys, but the US has FOUR guys who, together, outweigh the brilliance of one man (God??).
It's Gatlin, Gay, Mike Rodgers and Ryan Bailey vs Bolt, Nesta Carter, Kemar Bailey-Cole and a player to be named later!
With PERFECT passing (a MUST!!), I'm giving it to the US by a couple of hairs!
Everybody else should have saved their travel expenses!
That said, Japan has Yoshihide Kiryu, France has Jimmy Vicaut and Chris Lemaitre, Great Britain has Rich Kilty, and Nigeria has Mark Jelks.
One interesting name for Antigua is Rai Benjamin!
Yes, the same Rai Benjamin who tore up INdoor tracks this winter as a HS senior....which he still is!
It appears he holds dual Antigua-USA citizenship!
One person missing is Kim Collins from the St Kitts & Nevis squad!
Nothing personal, it seems--he just had a previously scheduled appointment elsewhere!!
(HA!)
4X200-Men
Jamaica by more hairs than 2!
With Warren Weir and Nickel Ashmeade leading up to Mr Bolt, I have to give Jamaica the edge here, even though the US again has a VERY strong team.
There's Gatlin and Bailey again, plus Wallace Spearmon.
Passes aren't quite as "risky" in this longer race as in the 4X100, so not much to worry about here.
Carvin Nkanata, the guy who ran 20.14 a few weeks ago, leads the Kenyan team, but based on what I know, the other 3 won't help much!
Rai Benjamin is again on the Antigua team.
So that's one each, so far, for the US and Jamaica!
4X400-Men
If someone (literally!) DIES enroute, the US will lose.
However, God forbid that happening, the Americans are a LOCK DELUXE to top the podium here!
With David Verburg, Brycen Spratling, Tony McQuay, and Lashawn Merritt as the US foursome, they appear unbeatable.
One question is whether Jeremy Wariner will run just the heats, or whether he'll run the final!
But whatever their line-up, the USA should take it.
Belgium, of course, has the 3 Borlee's, plus someone else.
Martyn Rooney leads the British team.
Lelonde Gordon heads Trinidad and Tobago's squad.
Chris Brown will be the home team's hero....again (even at age 36!)
Luguelin Santos heads the Dominican Republic 4-some.
And 800 specialist Nijel Amos heads Botswana's team!
Now it's 2 to 1, US over Jamaica, after 3 events!
4X800-Men
I don't know who the Kenyans are.
Oh, I know their names, but have no idea what kind of speed they have.
When you have a team of unknowns, you go with the "other" team.
That "other" team is again the good old US of A.
And they're not half-bad!
There's 5 guys listed, so one will either be just a back-up (in case!), or be transferred to the DMR (or just not run at all!!).
But a team of Robby Andrews, Eric Sowinski, Duane Solomon, Brandon Johnson, and/or Casimir Loxsom won't only win, they COULD threaten the World Record (7:02.43 by Kenya in 2006) and/or the American Record (7:02.82, also in 2006, in the SAME RACE--the Brussels meet!)
To get either record, they'd need to average AT LEAST 1:45.70 per leg (or 1:45.60 for the WR!).
But unless they have a SERIOUS challenger, they'll win, but the record(s) will remain!
It's 3 to 1, US over Jamaica!
Oh, BTW, there ARE other teams in the race!
Ryan Gregson leads the Aussies.
Tim Kiptum is the only known Kenyan name, but I haven't seen his name at or near the top of any lists recently, soooo....!!
Poland does have Marcin Lewandowski and Adam Kszczot, but you don't win major races with 2 guys!
DMR-Men
Again, it comes down to an unknown (to me!) Kenyan team vs a MOSTLY known US squad!
I say "mostly" for a good reason!
Two of the US's runners are also listed as starters (on the FINAL heat sheets issued yesterday!) for the 800 at the Payton Jordan meet.
They are Andy Wheating and Mac Fleet.
I've heard (but not confirmed!) that Wheating is OUT from both meets, due to a recent blister problem!
But what of Fleet?
The rest of the US team SHOULD be enough to win here, even if they have to recruit 1 or 2 from other events!
(Jeremy Wariner??)
There's Kyle Merber, Ben Blankenship, and Will Leer left.
The WR is 9:15.56.
That works out to about 2:50 for the 1200, 45 for the 400, 1:45 for the 800, and 3:55 for the 1600.
(You can shake a second off here, add a second there!)
But again, without SERIOUS competition, that record is safe.
The top of the podium, however, is under USA control!
Although Australia has Ryan Gregson...AND recent Penn Relays 4X1Mile HERO, Jordan Williamsz on their team!!
Can Williamsz do it again....albeit NOT against Ed Cheserek??
NO!
USA by a 4 to 1 margin on the Men's side!!
ZERO for anyone else!
Now let's see how the "dual meet" will go on the Women's side.
4X100-Women
The Jamaican team--at least to my limited knowledge--is up in the air.
WHO is running?
Veronica Campbell-Brown--I THINK---is running.
But not SAFP!
The United States, however, has a VERY strong 4-some!
Carmelita Jeter, Tianna Bartoletta, Jeneba Tarmoh, AND Allyson Felix!!
Caveat: WILL they get the baton around the track??
HUGE question mark (as with the men!)!!
IF they do, and despite no top-notch times so far this year, I can't see the US losing!
Unless Nigeria runs to the top of their game!!
They have Blessing Okagbare and Gloria Asumnu on their team.
But 2 needs 2 more to make 4!
An interesting member of the home team (Bahamas!) is 39 year old Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie!
Is she the female version of Kim Collins?
Michelle Lee Ayhe leads the Trinidad & Tobago team.
Verena Sailer tops the German squad.
Mujinga Kambundji heads the Swiss team.
And Irene Ekeland is on the Swedish 4-some.
But I have to give it to the US!
1-zip, US over Jamaica!
4X200-Women
IF....IF Jamaica has 2 others who can run even with the US, besides VCB and SAFP (who IS running here!), then they'll give the less-than-super US team a race!
Not taking anything away from Kim Duncan, Shalonda Solomon, and High School Pro Kaylin Whitney, none of them can stay with VCB and SAFP at their best!
Question is, WILL those two be at their best?
(Whitney ran a GREAT anchor at Penn in the 4X100!!)
Nigeria has a good team here, with Okagbare, Dominique Duncan, and Regina George, plus someone else.
The Bahamas have Anthonique Strachan and Shaunae Miller!
Kambundji leads Switzerland again!
This one is a toss-up, BUT....I'll give the edge to Jamaica this time.
With SAFP and VCB leading Jamaica, the US has too much catch up to do!
So it's 1 to 1 for the top teams on the women's side!
BTW, I don't see the World or American records going down here!!
4X400-Women
WHY are the other teams here?
To enjoy the beaches, music, and food?
Probably.
While they're doing THAT, the Americans will be winning this event....with EASE!!
How can you deny a US squad that has Jessica Beard, Natasha Hastings, Francena McCorory, and SRR, better known as Sanya Richards-Ross??
Jamaica---I THINK!--will have Novlene Williams-Mills and Stephanie McPherson, but again, you do NOT win a race needing FOUR runners when you have just TWO!
That said, there ARE unknowns here!
Who has dropped out of the Jamaica team...if anyone?
Great Britain also has two good ones, in Seren Bundy-Davies and Shana Cox.
Regina George leads Nigeria again!
But it's the US....by a country mile....so to speak!!
Two to one, US over Jamaica!
4X800-Women
The main question here is--Will the US team go for the American (and Meet) record they set last year?
They need to average 2:00.39 (or very close to that) to get that 8:01.58 AR.
But a team of Maggie Vessey, Chanelle Price, Molly Ludlow, and new mother Alysia Montano CAN run that fast...or even dip under the magic 8:00 barrier!
Question is...What can the unknown (to moi!!) Kenyan women run?
With limited knowledge of them, I'd say the US should have an easy go of it!
And that makes chasing a MAJOR record VERY difficult!
And it doesn't REALLY matter that Ajee Wilson and Brenda Martinez aren't running.
Zoe Buckman runs for Australia.
Sahily Diago leads Cuba.
And Natoya Goule heads Jamaica's team!
But it's really no contest here.
US up by 3 to 1 for the women!
DMR-Women
Sign the others up for margaritas with umbrellas on the beautiful Bahaman beaches near their posh hotels!
Who needs them, when you have the next WORLD Record team at FULL power here?
The United States team of Gabe Grunewald, Treniere Moser, Ajee Wilson, and Shannon Rowbury are capable of going UNDER 10:30!!
That would be 18+ seconds faster than the OUTdoor WR, set by a Villanova team 27 years ago, time of 10:48.38.
And it would be more than 12 seconds better than a NB-US team ran INdoors this year, time of 10:42 and change!
What's needed for a 10:30?
Grunewald needs to run 3:10 over 1200 meters.
Moser (??) runs the 400 in 55.
Wilson does 2:00 for her 800.
And Rowbury would need to anchor the 1600 in 4:25.
Again, you can adjust the times by a second or 2 or 3 for each leg, and still get a 10:30 final time!!
NO ONE will be close at the end.
UNLESS that ubiquitous UNKNOWN (to yours truly, tra la la!) Kenyan team pops a shocker!
I'm guessing they won't!
So, bottom line, that makes the final totals---for the ten races (5 each for the 2 genders)--
Eight to Two, USA over Jamaica!
NO Golds for any other team!!
Will that happen?
Maybe.
Probably not.
(One dropped pass messes everything up!!)
As for records, I see WORLD Records in the Men's 4X200 (close!), Men's 4X800 (maybe!), and the Men's DMR (but probably not!)
So NO guaranteed records on the Men's side.
The Women, however, WILL get the DMR World Record!
The others are safe.
(Although 1 or 2 folks are saying the Jamaican 4X200 Women will snag the WR here!! But not me!)
As for American Records, I see the Men's 4X800 as a slight possibility.
Again, the Women's US DMR team has the WR already checked off their To-Do list!
Well, that does it!
Enjoy the meet.
Or should I say meet(s)??
I'll be watching Flotrack's (hopefully) perfect coverage of the Payton Jordan, but keeping a VERY close eye on the first day results from the Bahamas!
(The PJ meet is a 1 day affair, the Bahamas meet finishes on Sunday!)
See you Sunday evening or early Monday morning with a FULL DETAILED report from the 2 meets, plus whatever else goes down this weekend!
(It's NOT an annual meet, as they're apparently skipping next year!)
But when you've read through the following, you'll see that TWO nations (out of umpteen on the planet) are set to take home most, if not all, of the Gold medals!
I was waiting for the final heat sheets to come out, so I could be certain of who's on which team in what event, BUT....when the first day's entries were released, it only showed the names of the teams, with NO indication of the athletes involved!
Soooooo....I'm going to have to mostly wing it, using the entry lists from a few days ago, not being 100% certain of who might have dropped out, gotten injured, etc.
However, as noted, when you have just TWO teams winning everything (??), not much extra research is necessary.
As with the Payton Jordan preview (See earlier post from today!), I'll go event by event, with the Men first.
But let's begin with the schedule!
Day 1--May 2
(All times are Pacific Time!)
11:00 a.m.--M 4X400 Heats
11:29 a.m.--W 4X200 Heats
11:46 a.m.--M 4X100 Heats
12:09 p.m.--M 4X800 FINAL
12:32 p.m.--W 4X400 Heats
1:02 p.m.---W DMR FINAL
1:29 p.m.---M 4X100 FINAL (B race--I guess they're doing it as a 2-section race!)
1:36 p.m---W 4X200 FINAL
1:52 p.m.---M 4X100 FINAL (A race)
Day 2--May 3
11:00 a.m.--M 4X200 Heats
11:20 a.m.--W 4X100 Heats
11:40 a.m.--W 4X800 FINAL
12:02 p.m.--W 4X400 FINAL (B race)
12:12 p.m.--W 4X400 FINAL (A race)
12:31 p.m.--M DMR FINAL
12:57 p.m.--M 4X400 FINAL (B race)
--M 4X400 FINAL (A race)
1:06 p.m.---M 4X200 FINAL
1:23 p.m.---W 4X100 FINAL (B race)
1:30 p.m.---W 4X100 FINAL (A race)
Okay, now for the serious stuff!
4X100-Men
IF--and it's a HUGE IF!!--the US team passes perfectly, they should win....DESPITE Jamaica having Usain Bolt on anchor!
Jamaica has some other good guys, but the US has FOUR guys who, together, outweigh the brilliance of one man (God??).
It's Gatlin, Gay, Mike Rodgers and Ryan Bailey vs Bolt, Nesta Carter, Kemar Bailey-Cole and a player to be named later!
With PERFECT passing (a MUST!!), I'm giving it to the US by a couple of hairs!
Everybody else should have saved their travel expenses!
That said, Japan has Yoshihide Kiryu, France has Jimmy Vicaut and Chris Lemaitre, Great Britain has Rich Kilty, and Nigeria has Mark Jelks.
One interesting name for Antigua is Rai Benjamin!
Yes, the same Rai Benjamin who tore up INdoor tracks this winter as a HS senior....which he still is!
It appears he holds dual Antigua-USA citizenship!
One person missing is Kim Collins from the St Kitts & Nevis squad!
Nothing personal, it seems--he just had a previously scheduled appointment elsewhere!!
(HA!)
4X200-Men
Jamaica by more hairs than 2!
With Warren Weir and Nickel Ashmeade leading up to Mr Bolt, I have to give Jamaica the edge here, even though the US again has a VERY strong team.
There's Gatlin and Bailey again, plus Wallace Spearmon.
Passes aren't quite as "risky" in this longer race as in the 4X100, so not much to worry about here.
Carvin Nkanata, the guy who ran 20.14 a few weeks ago, leads the Kenyan team, but based on what I know, the other 3 won't help much!
Rai Benjamin is again on the Antigua team.
So that's one each, so far, for the US and Jamaica!
4X400-Men
If someone (literally!) DIES enroute, the US will lose.
However, God forbid that happening, the Americans are a LOCK DELUXE to top the podium here!
With David Verburg, Brycen Spratling, Tony McQuay, and Lashawn Merritt as the US foursome, they appear unbeatable.
One question is whether Jeremy Wariner will run just the heats, or whether he'll run the final!
But whatever their line-up, the USA should take it.
Belgium, of course, has the 3 Borlee's, plus someone else.
Martyn Rooney leads the British team.
Lelonde Gordon heads Trinidad and Tobago's squad.
Chris Brown will be the home team's hero....again (even at age 36!)
Luguelin Santos heads the Dominican Republic 4-some.
And 800 specialist Nijel Amos heads Botswana's team!
Now it's 2 to 1, US over Jamaica, after 3 events!
4X800-Men
I don't know who the Kenyans are.
Oh, I know their names, but have no idea what kind of speed they have.
When you have a team of unknowns, you go with the "other" team.
That "other" team is again the good old US of A.
And they're not half-bad!
There's 5 guys listed, so one will either be just a back-up (in case!), or be transferred to the DMR (or just not run at all!!).
But a team of Robby Andrews, Eric Sowinski, Duane Solomon, Brandon Johnson, and/or Casimir Loxsom won't only win, they COULD threaten the World Record (7:02.43 by Kenya in 2006) and/or the American Record (7:02.82, also in 2006, in the SAME RACE--the Brussels meet!)
To get either record, they'd need to average AT LEAST 1:45.70 per leg (or 1:45.60 for the WR!).
But unless they have a SERIOUS challenger, they'll win, but the record(s) will remain!
It's 3 to 1, US over Jamaica!
Oh, BTW, there ARE other teams in the race!
Ryan Gregson leads the Aussies.
Tim Kiptum is the only known Kenyan name, but I haven't seen his name at or near the top of any lists recently, soooo....!!
Poland does have Marcin Lewandowski and Adam Kszczot, but you don't win major races with 2 guys!
DMR-Men
Again, it comes down to an unknown (to me!) Kenyan team vs a MOSTLY known US squad!
I say "mostly" for a good reason!
Two of the US's runners are also listed as starters (on the FINAL heat sheets issued yesterday!) for the 800 at the Payton Jordan meet.
They are Andy Wheating and Mac Fleet.
I've heard (but not confirmed!) that Wheating is OUT from both meets, due to a recent blister problem!
But what of Fleet?
The rest of the US team SHOULD be enough to win here, even if they have to recruit 1 or 2 from other events!
(Jeremy Wariner??)
There's Kyle Merber, Ben Blankenship, and Will Leer left.
The WR is 9:15.56.
That works out to about 2:50 for the 1200, 45 for the 400, 1:45 for the 800, and 3:55 for the 1600.
(You can shake a second off here, add a second there!)
But again, without SERIOUS competition, that record is safe.
The top of the podium, however, is under USA control!
Although Australia has Ryan Gregson...AND recent Penn Relays 4X1Mile HERO, Jordan Williamsz on their team!!
Can Williamsz do it again....albeit NOT against Ed Cheserek??
NO!
USA by a 4 to 1 margin on the Men's side!!
ZERO for anyone else!
Now let's see how the "dual meet" will go on the Women's side.
4X100-Women
The Jamaican team--at least to my limited knowledge--is up in the air.
WHO is running?
Veronica Campbell-Brown--I THINK---is running.
But not SAFP!
The United States, however, has a VERY strong 4-some!
Carmelita Jeter, Tianna Bartoletta, Jeneba Tarmoh, AND Allyson Felix!!
Caveat: WILL they get the baton around the track??
HUGE question mark (as with the men!)!!
IF they do, and despite no top-notch times so far this year, I can't see the US losing!
Unless Nigeria runs to the top of their game!!
They have Blessing Okagbare and Gloria Asumnu on their team.
But 2 needs 2 more to make 4!
An interesting member of the home team (Bahamas!) is 39 year old Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie!
Is she the female version of Kim Collins?
Michelle Lee Ayhe leads the Trinidad & Tobago team.
Verena Sailer tops the German squad.
Mujinga Kambundji heads the Swiss team.
And Irene Ekeland is on the Swedish 4-some.
But I have to give it to the US!
1-zip, US over Jamaica!
4X200-Women
IF....IF Jamaica has 2 others who can run even with the US, besides VCB and SAFP (who IS running here!), then they'll give the less-than-super US team a race!
Not taking anything away from Kim Duncan, Shalonda Solomon, and High School Pro Kaylin Whitney, none of them can stay with VCB and SAFP at their best!
Question is, WILL those two be at their best?
(Whitney ran a GREAT anchor at Penn in the 4X100!!)
Nigeria has a good team here, with Okagbare, Dominique Duncan, and Regina George, plus someone else.
The Bahamas have Anthonique Strachan and Shaunae Miller!
Kambundji leads Switzerland again!
This one is a toss-up, BUT....I'll give the edge to Jamaica this time.
With SAFP and VCB leading Jamaica, the US has too much catch up to do!
So it's 1 to 1 for the top teams on the women's side!
BTW, I don't see the World or American records going down here!!
4X400-Women
WHY are the other teams here?
To enjoy the beaches, music, and food?
Probably.
While they're doing THAT, the Americans will be winning this event....with EASE!!
How can you deny a US squad that has Jessica Beard, Natasha Hastings, Francena McCorory, and SRR, better known as Sanya Richards-Ross??
Jamaica---I THINK!--will have Novlene Williams-Mills and Stephanie McPherson, but again, you do NOT win a race needing FOUR runners when you have just TWO!
That said, there ARE unknowns here!
Who has dropped out of the Jamaica team...if anyone?
Great Britain also has two good ones, in Seren Bundy-Davies and Shana Cox.
Regina George leads Nigeria again!
But it's the US....by a country mile....so to speak!!
Two to one, US over Jamaica!
4X800-Women
The main question here is--Will the US team go for the American (and Meet) record they set last year?
They need to average 2:00.39 (or very close to that) to get that 8:01.58 AR.
But a team of Maggie Vessey, Chanelle Price, Molly Ludlow, and new mother Alysia Montano CAN run that fast...or even dip under the magic 8:00 barrier!
Question is...What can the unknown (to moi!!) Kenyan women run?
With limited knowledge of them, I'd say the US should have an easy go of it!
And that makes chasing a MAJOR record VERY difficult!
And it doesn't REALLY matter that Ajee Wilson and Brenda Martinez aren't running.
Zoe Buckman runs for Australia.
Sahily Diago leads Cuba.
And Natoya Goule heads Jamaica's team!
But it's really no contest here.
US up by 3 to 1 for the women!
DMR-Women
Sign the others up for margaritas with umbrellas on the beautiful Bahaman beaches near their posh hotels!
Who needs them, when you have the next WORLD Record team at FULL power here?
The United States team of Gabe Grunewald, Treniere Moser, Ajee Wilson, and Shannon Rowbury are capable of going UNDER 10:30!!
That would be 18+ seconds faster than the OUTdoor WR, set by a Villanova team 27 years ago, time of 10:48.38.
And it would be more than 12 seconds better than a NB-US team ran INdoors this year, time of 10:42 and change!
What's needed for a 10:30?
Grunewald needs to run 3:10 over 1200 meters.
Moser (??) runs the 400 in 55.
Wilson does 2:00 for her 800.
And Rowbury would need to anchor the 1600 in 4:25.
Again, you can adjust the times by a second or 2 or 3 for each leg, and still get a 10:30 final time!!
NO ONE will be close at the end.
UNLESS that ubiquitous UNKNOWN (to yours truly, tra la la!) Kenyan team pops a shocker!
I'm guessing they won't!
So, bottom line, that makes the final totals---for the ten races (5 each for the 2 genders)--
Eight to Two, USA over Jamaica!
NO Golds for any other team!!
Will that happen?
Maybe.
Probably not.
(One dropped pass messes everything up!!)
As for records, I see WORLD Records in the Men's 4X200 (close!), Men's 4X800 (maybe!), and the Men's DMR (but probably not!)
So NO guaranteed records on the Men's side.
The Women, however, WILL get the DMR World Record!
The others are safe.
(Although 1 or 2 folks are saying the Jamaican 4X200 Women will snag the WR here!! But not me!)
As for American Records, I see the Men's 4X800 as a slight possibility.
Again, the Women's US DMR team has the WR already checked off their To-Do list!
Well, that does it!
Enjoy the meet.
Or should I say meet(s)??
I'll be watching Flotrack's (hopefully) perfect coverage of the Payton Jordan, but keeping a VERY close eye on the first day results from the Bahamas!
(The PJ meet is a 1 day affair, the Bahamas meet finishes on Sunday!)
See you Sunday evening or early Monday morning with a FULL DETAILED report from the 2 meets, plus whatever else goes down this weekend!
Stanford is all about DISTANCE
It's the Payton Jordan Invitational, held on the campus where he coached for many years, and it's tomorrow!
About 8 hours of non-stop action, most of it centered on distance running, from the 800 to the 10000.
Following is my preview of who's running what, and whether we can expect any records or list-making marks.
The weather should be perfect.
Most of the athletes have already run fast this year, and seek to run faster (or in different events).
This Stanford meet always produces a legion of fast times, and deep fields.
I'll be watching via Flotrack's livestream.
My preview follows, event by event, men first.
800-Men
Section 1 is the big race.
BUT there's some confusion as to who's running, DESPITE having the final heat sheets stating Andy Wheating and Mac Fleet are among the stars.
You see, they're ALSO listed for tomorrow's World Relays DMR team for the USA!
Obviously, they can't be both places!
If they're not here, Ed Kemboi and Mark Wieczorek will be the ones to watch.
Don't expect any super fast times.
Maybe 1:45, but more likely closer to 1:46.
Section 2 has Tomas Squella.
Section 3 has Richard Jones.
1500-Men
Section 1 is loaded! Lawi Lalang, Nate Brannen, Evan Jager, and Ryan Hill lead the field.
But watch out also for Christian Soratos, Andy Bayer, and Jack Bolas.
Brannen probably will NOT get Kevin Sullivan's National record for Canada!
Jager and Hill could get times good enough for my Top 24 US list (3:34.25 is needed!).
Section 2 has Nick Symmonds, German Fernandez, Robby Creese, and Kirubel Erassa.
Symmonds & Fernandez are also NOT yet on the US list!
Section 3 has 3 former or current HSers to watch.
Ben Saarel and Blake Haney, Collegiates, will be facing Grant Fisher.
24th on the Collegiate list is 3:37.33.
Fisher isn't yet on the OUTdoor 1500 list, but might be more interested in topping the 2015 HS leader, Matt Maton's 3:42.54--which is worth a sub-4:00 mile!!
They'll have Chad Noelle to lead the way.
3000SC-Men
Section 1 has a clear favorite, Dan Huling.
Stan Kebenai and Ben Bruce are in this section too.
Kebenai has an 8:24.95 PR from 2013.
There's no really elite runners in Section 3, but there IS a guy whose NAME......well, let's just say it fits this event really well.
His name is....TRIPP HURT.
He runs for Furman University.
5000-Men
Section 1 is the biggie.
Lopez Lomong is the former INdoor AR holder.
But he'll be challenged by Diego Estrada, Garrett Heath, Trevor Dunbar, David Torrence, and Will Leer, who is looking to run a LOT faster than his 13:20 PR!
Two foreigners will be serious contenders.
They are Jamaica's Kemoy Campbell and Norway's Henrik Ingebrigtsen.
In fact, Ingebrigtsen could easily be considered the favorite!.
I could see a possible sub-13:00 here, but only IF they work together the ENTIRE way, and push the pace, no "strategizing"!
Section 2 has Cory Leslie and Sean McGorty.
Missing is Galen Rupp, as the NOP crew pulled out, with the excuse of "schedule changes".
10000-Men
Section 1 has the real elites.
Watch mainly for Ben True, whose 27:41.17 PR from 2012 is just 22nd on the US list.
He COULD move way up!
Bobby Curtis, Mo Ahmed, Shadrack Kipchirchir, Ryan Vail, Hassan Mead, Jake Riley, Paul Shrader, Tyler Pennel, and Parker Stinson could run good times too, as well as Great Britain's Andy Vernon.
If True runs up to his potential, a sub-27:00 is possible.
Most likely, we'll see a bunch of sub-27:40's, with True maybe at 27:15 to 27:20.
The Women have lots to offer too!
Let's take a look!
800-Women
Section 1 has Natalya Piliusina, Claudia Saunders, and Melissa Bishop.
But watch for INdoor 600 gal, Hanna Green, whose 1:28.78 promises a fast 800.
Section 2 has Lynsey Harper and Maddie Berkson.
But don't expect any sub-2:00's here.
1500-Women
Section 1, as always, has most of the big names.
If she'd shown a bit more so far in her Frosh year at Stanford, I'd list Elise Cranny as the clear favorite.
But alas, she's run hot and cold...so to speak.
So watch for Stephanie Charnigo, who shone INdoors, Stephanie Schappert, Cory McGee, Brie Felnagle, Kate Van Buskirk, and Katrina Coogan to offer a challenge to Cranny.
A dark horse could be Villanova's Angel Piccirillo, who ran some great relay legs at Penn last week!
Cranny and Piccirillo would need to run 4:10.79 or faster to make the A-T Collegiate list!
Mary Cain, who will NOT run here (See NOP note above!), is in 24th place on the US list.
I doubt anyone will displace her here!
Section 2 has Hillary Stellingwerf and Viola Lagat.
But it also has Phoebe Wright, who took 3rd in that VERY loaded 13 woman 800 field at Drake last week!
If she's RACING (instead of pacing!), look for a possible 1500 PR from her.
I believe it's in the 4:08 zone now.
Section 3 has USATF INdoor 1000 winner Lauren Wallace of Oiselle leading the way.
Sarah Feeny, a Collegiate Frosh, ran a 4:39 Mile last year in HS.
But a CURRENT HSer is one to watch!
Remember Cranny's big breakthrough happened right here in 2013, when she ran 4:15.07 in a field of Collegiates.
Another Colorado HSer, Katie Rainsberger---just an 11th Grader!--could come close to that time!
She's that talented!
Bridget Franek is either pacing this section, or looking for a good fast prep for her Steeplechase season!
Section 4 has another renowned Steepler in Shalaya Kipp! Is she also looking at this as a speed test?
3000SC-Women
Section 1 has Aisha Praught, Colleen Quigley, and Courtney Frerichs, as well as Puerto Rico's Bev Ramos.
I'd look for a definite sub-9:40 time here.
Frerichs's 9:49.06 PR is now 24th on the Collegiate list.
Will she move up...and how far?
Quigley's PR is 9:38.23.
But Praught and Ramos should be the top 2.
Jamie Cheever will headline Section 2.
But is she anywhere near her 9:29.13 shape from 2013?
Haven't seen any evidence of that!
5000-Women
Section 1, natch, has most of the stars.
Sally Kipyego is the clear leader.
Last year, she ran the 10K in 30:42, winning over Molly Huddle's 30:47.
That time is equivalent to about 14:45 to 14:50.
She's run faster.
How fast does she WANT to go?
If Sally guns it, no one will stay close!
It would be a solo race against time.
If she's closer to 15:00 or 15:10, look for Betsy Saina, Marielle Hall, and Katie Mackey to be her main challengers.
But a few others offer intriguing possibilities!
Namely, former Collegiate standout Abbey D'Agostino, in what I believe is her first SERIOUS track 5000 since she left Dartmouth.
But look also for CURRENT Collegiate star Dominique Scott to challenge.
Rachel Johnson might run good, as well as Ashley Higginson, normally a Steepler, and Angela Bizzari.
Erin Finn is also in this section, but she's still emerging from injury, despite her 15:41 from a week or so ago, so don't expect her to run up to her 15:26 PR from last year!
Yet!
Section 2 offers some intriguing names too.
But it looks like Chelsea Reilly, Stephanie Garcia, and Juliet Bottorff will be the leaders of this section.
Sheila Reid, the Canadian star, is coming back from injury, and this is, I believe, her first race back!
She's CAPABLE of a 15:00 time, but I highly doubt she's READY for it!
Last but certainly not least (in the intriguing category) is HS Pro Alexa Efraimson.
Formerly entered in the 1500 also, she's now listed ONLY in the 5000.
Whatever she runs, she'll set the HS PRO record!
The "amateur" HSR is, of course, Mary Cain's 15:45.46 from 2013.
I'm predicting a time of UNDER 15:30 for Efraimson!
She ran 1500 in 4:09.43 at Mt SAC, and looked good doing so.
IMHO, she's capable of surpassing Cain's amateur AND Professional times in everything but the 800---NOW!!
So if the pace is right, and if she goes after it, a VERY fast time is possible!
Section 3 has the Collegiate Record holder, Lisa Uhl, in it.
But she's had some problems the past year or 2, so what she runs here is a BIG question mark!
Alice Wright, Christine Babcock, and Stanford's Sophie Chase might offer a challenge.
10000-Women
Section 1 leads the way.
I don't know if she's doubling, but Betsy Saina is listed here, as well as in the 5000.
Buze Diriba could be the winner here.
Others who could challenge are Neeley Spence Gracey, Alisha Williams, Emily Infeld, Alexi Pappas, as well as a few ladies better known as Half and Full Marathoners, namely Meghan Peyton, Kellyn Taylor, and Canada's Marathon record holder, Lanni Marchant, who said she was disappointed with her 32:11 at Mt SAC, and might be seeking the Canadian National record of 31:44 and change!
Susan Kuijken of the Netherlands has run 15:04 for 5000, so might be ready for a 31:00 10K.
But there's also a "race within a race" here!
I'm talking about the race to beat Uhl's Collegiate Record of 31:18.07 from 2010.
Emma Bates has said she wants it!
But Brit Kate Avery might have something to say about that!
And do NOT overlook Emily Sisson, who got the INdoor Collegiate record in the 5K this winter!
She appears VERY ready to go after the CR here!
Hopefully, they won't get locked into a strategic race for 2015 Collegiate supremacy instead!!
IF they SERIOUSLY go for it, and maybe even HELP each other through the first 8000 or so, then that record is VERY likely to go down!!
The last character is this drama WAS an excellent Collegiate 10K girl!
Her name is Natosha Rogers.
She sort of disappeared after winning the 2012 NCAA 10K in 32:41 and change, then blasting through to a 31:59 in the Olympic Trials race.
This is her first KNOWN race back!
Section 2 offers Megan Goethals as the big name.
But watch out for Marathoners Serena Burla and Mattie Suver.
Whether my predictions come true or not, expect some real fireworks, and MASSIVE 2015 list adjustments at this always HOT meet.....and I ain't talking about the weather!!
My World Relays preview will follow in a few hours!
About 8 hours of non-stop action, most of it centered on distance running, from the 800 to the 10000.
Following is my preview of who's running what, and whether we can expect any records or list-making marks.
The weather should be perfect.
Most of the athletes have already run fast this year, and seek to run faster (or in different events).
This Stanford meet always produces a legion of fast times, and deep fields.
I'll be watching via Flotrack's livestream.
My preview follows, event by event, men first.
800-Men
Section 1 is the big race.
BUT there's some confusion as to who's running, DESPITE having the final heat sheets stating Andy Wheating and Mac Fleet are among the stars.
You see, they're ALSO listed for tomorrow's World Relays DMR team for the USA!
Obviously, they can't be both places!
If they're not here, Ed Kemboi and Mark Wieczorek will be the ones to watch.
Don't expect any super fast times.
Maybe 1:45, but more likely closer to 1:46.
Section 2 has Tomas Squella.
Section 3 has Richard Jones.
1500-Men
Section 1 is loaded! Lawi Lalang, Nate Brannen, Evan Jager, and Ryan Hill lead the field.
But watch out also for Christian Soratos, Andy Bayer, and Jack Bolas.
Brannen probably will NOT get Kevin Sullivan's National record for Canada!
Jager and Hill could get times good enough for my Top 24 US list (3:34.25 is needed!).
Section 2 has Nick Symmonds, German Fernandez, Robby Creese, and Kirubel Erassa.
Symmonds & Fernandez are also NOT yet on the US list!
Section 3 has 3 former or current HSers to watch.
Ben Saarel and Blake Haney, Collegiates, will be facing Grant Fisher.
24th on the Collegiate list is 3:37.33.
Fisher isn't yet on the OUTdoor 1500 list, but might be more interested in topping the 2015 HS leader, Matt Maton's 3:42.54--which is worth a sub-4:00 mile!!
They'll have Chad Noelle to lead the way.
3000SC-Men
Section 1 has a clear favorite, Dan Huling.
Stan Kebenai and Ben Bruce are in this section too.
Kebenai has an 8:24.95 PR from 2013.
There's no really elite runners in Section 3, but there IS a guy whose NAME......well, let's just say it fits this event really well.
His name is....TRIPP HURT.
He runs for Furman University.
5000-Men
Section 1 is the biggie.
Lopez Lomong is the former INdoor AR holder.
But he'll be challenged by Diego Estrada, Garrett Heath, Trevor Dunbar, David Torrence, and Will Leer, who is looking to run a LOT faster than his 13:20 PR!
Two foreigners will be serious contenders.
They are Jamaica's Kemoy Campbell and Norway's Henrik Ingebrigtsen.
In fact, Ingebrigtsen could easily be considered the favorite!.
I could see a possible sub-13:00 here, but only IF they work together the ENTIRE way, and push the pace, no "strategizing"!
Section 2 has Cory Leslie and Sean McGorty.
Missing is Galen Rupp, as the NOP crew pulled out, with the excuse of "schedule changes".
10000-Men
Section 1 has the real elites.
Watch mainly for Ben True, whose 27:41.17 PR from 2012 is just 22nd on the US list.
He COULD move way up!
Bobby Curtis, Mo Ahmed, Shadrack Kipchirchir, Ryan Vail, Hassan Mead, Jake Riley, Paul Shrader, Tyler Pennel, and Parker Stinson could run good times too, as well as Great Britain's Andy Vernon.
If True runs up to his potential, a sub-27:00 is possible.
Most likely, we'll see a bunch of sub-27:40's, with True maybe at 27:15 to 27:20.
The Women have lots to offer too!
Let's take a look!
800-Women
Section 1 has Natalya Piliusina, Claudia Saunders, and Melissa Bishop.
But watch for INdoor 600 gal, Hanna Green, whose 1:28.78 promises a fast 800.
Section 2 has Lynsey Harper and Maddie Berkson.
But don't expect any sub-2:00's here.
1500-Women
Section 1, as always, has most of the big names.
If she'd shown a bit more so far in her Frosh year at Stanford, I'd list Elise Cranny as the clear favorite.
But alas, she's run hot and cold...so to speak.
So watch for Stephanie Charnigo, who shone INdoors, Stephanie Schappert, Cory McGee, Brie Felnagle, Kate Van Buskirk, and Katrina Coogan to offer a challenge to Cranny.
A dark horse could be Villanova's Angel Piccirillo, who ran some great relay legs at Penn last week!
Cranny and Piccirillo would need to run 4:10.79 or faster to make the A-T Collegiate list!
Mary Cain, who will NOT run here (See NOP note above!), is in 24th place on the US list.
I doubt anyone will displace her here!
Section 2 has Hillary Stellingwerf and Viola Lagat.
But it also has Phoebe Wright, who took 3rd in that VERY loaded 13 woman 800 field at Drake last week!
If she's RACING (instead of pacing!), look for a possible 1500 PR from her.
I believe it's in the 4:08 zone now.
Section 3 has USATF INdoor 1000 winner Lauren Wallace of Oiselle leading the way.
Sarah Feeny, a Collegiate Frosh, ran a 4:39 Mile last year in HS.
But a CURRENT HSer is one to watch!
Remember Cranny's big breakthrough happened right here in 2013, when she ran 4:15.07 in a field of Collegiates.
Another Colorado HSer, Katie Rainsberger---just an 11th Grader!--could come close to that time!
She's that talented!
Bridget Franek is either pacing this section, or looking for a good fast prep for her Steeplechase season!
Section 4 has another renowned Steepler in Shalaya Kipp! Is she also looking at this as a speed test?
3000SC-Women
Section 1 has Aisha Praught, Colleen Quigley, and Courtney Frerichs, as well as Puerto Rico's Bev Ramos.
I'd look for a definite sub-9:40 time here.
Frerichs's 9:49.06 PR is now 24th on the Collegiate list.
Will she move up...and how far?
Quigley's PR is 9:38.23.
But Praught and Ramos should be the top 2.
Jamie Cheever will headline Section 2.
But is she anywhere near her 9:29.13 shape from 2013?
Haven't seen any evidence of that!
5000-Women
Section 1, natch, has most of the stars.
Sally Kipyego is the clear leader.
Last year, she ran the 10K in 30:42, winning over Molly Huddle's 30:47.
That time is equivalent to about 14:45 to 14:50.
She's run faster.
How fast does she WANT to go?
If Sally guns it, no one will stay close!
It would be a solo race against time.
If she's closer to 15:00 or 15:10, look for Betsy Saina, Marielle Hall, and Katie Mackey to be her main challengers.
But a few others offer intriguing possibilities!
Namely, former Collegiate standout Abbey D'Agostino, in what I believe is her first SERIOUS track 5000 since she left Dartmouth.
But look also for CURRENT Collegiate star Dominique Scott to challenge.
Rachel Johnson might run good, as well as Ashley Higginson, normally a Steepler, and Angela Bizzari.
Erin Finn is also in this section, but she's still emerging from injury, despite her 15:41 from a week or so ago, so don't expect her to run up to her 15:26 PR from last year!
Yet!
Section 2 offers some intriguing names too.
But it looks like Chelsea Reilly, Stephanie Garcia, and Juliet Bottorff will be the leaders of this section.
Sheila Reid, the Canadian star, is coming back from injury, and this is, I believe, her first race back!
She's CAPABLE of a 15:00 time, but I highly doubt she's READY for it!
Last but certainly not least (in the intriguing category) is HS Pro Alexa Efraimson.
Formerly entered in the 1500 also, she's now listed ONLY in the 5000.
Whatever she runs, she'll set the HS PRO record!
The "amateur" HSR is, of course, Mary Cain's 15:45.46 from 2013.
I'm predicting a time of UNDER 15:30 for Efraimson!
She ran 1500 in 4:09.43 at Mt SAC, and looked good doing so.
IMHO, she's capable of surpassing Cain's amateur AND Professional times in everything but the 800---NOW!!
So if the pace is right, and if she goes after it, a VERY fast time is possible!
Section 3 has the Collegiate Record holder, Lisa Uhl, in it.
But she's had some problems the past year or 2, so what she runs here is a BIG question mark!
Alice Wright, Christine Babcock, and Stanford's Sophie Chase might offer a challenge.
10000-Women
Section 1 leads the way.
I don't know if she's doubling, but Betsy Saina is listed here, as well as in the 5000.
Buze Diriba could be the winner here.
Others who could challenge are Neeley Spence Gracey, Alisha Williams, Emily Infeld, Alexi Pappas, as well as a few ladies better known as Half and Full Marathoners, namely Meghan Peyton, Kellyn Taylor, and Canada's Marathon record holder, Lanni Marchant, who said she was disappointed with her 32:11 at Mt SAC, and might be seeking the Canadian National record of 31:44 and change!
Susan Kuijken of the Netherlands has run 15:04 for 5000, so might be ready for a 31:00 10K.
But there's also a "race within a race" here!
I'm talking about the race to beat Uhl's Collegiate Record of 31:18.07 from 2010.
Emma Bates has said she wants it!
But Brit Kate Avery might have something to say about that!
And do NOT overlook Emily Sisson, who got the INdoor Collegiate record in the 5K this winter!
She appears VERY ready to go after the CR here!
Hopefully, they won't get locked into a strategic race for 2015 Collegiate supremacy instead!!
IF they SERIOUSLY go for it, and maybe even HELP each other through the first 8000 or so, then that record is VERY likely to go down!!
The last character is this drama WAS an excellent Collegiate 10K girl!
Her name is Natosha Rogers.
She sort of disappeared after winning the 2012 NCAA 10K in 32:41 and change, then blasting through to a 31:59 in the Olympic Trials race.
This is her first KNOWN race back!
Section 2 offers Megan Goethals as the big name.
But watch out for Marathoners Serena Burla and Mattie Suver.
Whether my predictions come true or not, expect some real fireworks, and MASSIVE 2015 list adjustments at this always HOT meet.....and I ain't talking about the weather!!
My World Relays preview will follow in a few hours!
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