HS Lists Revision Reaches Mach Speed

 High School kids make all kinds of decisions--school, home, love, life!
But to make them choose between shoe companies also??!!
As you know, this past week saw Nike, Adidas, Brooks, and New Balance vie for the talents of the top HS kids!
In the end, the 4 meets got SOME of the best, not ALL of the best, as the New Balance Nationals had been doing for decades!!
The results suffered, and bred confusion for the fans as to whom to watch, for the parents as to where to send their child, and to coaches who only wanted top tier competition for their athletes!

So who won??
Brooks, by a mile (sic!).
NB was good, much better than Nike and Adidas,  but nowhere near their deep and abundant quality of the past!!
Despite all this catastrophic bullshit with the shoe companies, there WERE many great results, which I'm about to report!
Let's begin with the best--the Brooks PR meet!

The Mile has been the Star of the HS world, for both sexes, in 2022.
Simeon Birnbaum became the 16th boy to break 4 minutes OUTdoors, winning in 3:59.51 off a casual pace through 1320 yards!
It's the Brooks Meet Record, and makes him 12th A-T HS!
Zane Bergen ran a fine 4:00.48 in 2nd, making him 19th A-T HS!
Devan Kipyego followed in 4:00.64, making him 21st A-T HS!
Not making my list, but running good times, were Aaron Sahlman (4:01.34) and James Donahue (4:01.39)!

For the Women, speed AND great depth connected in harmony!
Juliette Whittaker emerged the victor, her 4:36.23 breaking her own Brooks Meet Record!
Sadie Englehardt, the Freshman wonder, ended close in 4:36.50!
Julia Flynn took 3rd in 4:37.73!
This makes her 9th A-T HS!
Riley Stewart's 4:38.21 makes her 12th A-T HS!
In 5th came Samantha McDonnell, her time of 4:38.44 ranking her 13th A-T HS!
Isabel Conde's 4:38.55 gave her 6th, making her 15th A-T HS!
Mia Cochran ran 4:39.23 in 7th, making her 16th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
Wow!

The Two Mile (Brooks has always run the full distance!) saw a fantastic sprint finish, with Dalia Frias's 9:50.70 squeaking by Irene Riggs's 9:50.72!
A photo finish in a two mile race!!
Frias gets the MR, the Senior Class Record, AND the OUTdoor HSR!!
(My Record Book & blog doesn't recognize 1600 or 3200 times, nor times converted from them!
I know there have been some fast times over 3200, but I don't include them on my lists!
Thus, Frias breaks Brie Oakley's HSR of 9:51.35 for the full Two Miles--which, interestingly, was also run at Brooks!!)
Her 3000 split enroute was 9:14.56, which ranks her 8th A-T HS!
Riggs gets the Junior Class Record, as well as 2nd A-T HS!
Her 9:14.72 enrouts ranks her 9th A-T HS!
Eve Klingbell ran 10:03.61 for 3rd, but isn't on my list!
She WAS, but other Deuce results (See below!) saw her drop from the list!

Colin Sahlman beat a quality 800 field, his 1:48.07 making him 16th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
Nick Plant's 1:48.52 edged the 1:48.59 by Gary Martin!
Will Sumner got another Brooks PR Meet Record with his 400 win in 45.90!
Christine Mallard's 52.12 also got a Meet Record, while defeating Roisin Willis, who ran 53.23!
Connor Burns won the Men's Two Mile, his 8:45.52 ranking him 20th A-T HS!
Allison Ince took the 800 in 2:04.14.

The Nike meet was pretty good also!
Kate Peters took their Two Mile, her 9:51.48 making her 4th A-T HS!!
She passed 3000 in 9:15.14, making her 11th A-T HS!
Ellie Shea was 2nd in 9:56.11, making her 10th A-T HS!
Her split was 9:16.74, making her 17th A-T HS!
Julia Flynn took 3rd in 10:00.88, making her 16th A-T HS!
She split 9:19.85 at 3K, but doesn't make that revised list!!

A couple of HS icons were knocked OFF the 3000 list!
Julia Stamps's 9:19.63 from 1996, and Kim Gallagher's 9:19.67 from 1981 are GONE!

Sadie Englehardt's 4:38.40 won the Mile!
Amanda Moll continues her fantastic season, clearing 14-8 to win the PV, with sister Hana taking 2nd at 13-10!
Will Sumner clocked 1:48.41 in the 800, but there were Professionals in the race!
The 3000 Walks went to Talia Green (14:04.90) and Ryan Allen (13:45.62).
Akala Garrett won the 400H in 57.46, making her 19th A-T HS!
Zane Bergen won the 800 in 1:49.18!
Addy Wiley took the Women's race in 2:04.64!
Roisin Willis sped 52.64 to take the 400!
The Multi's were decent!
Landon Helms's 7051 won the Decathlon, while the Heptathlon was won by the 5122 of Shaina Zinter!

A group called Real Training TC dominated the Relays!
Their Girls DMR team ran 11:33.91.
The 4 X 800 was timed in 8:51.75!
And the 4 X Mile went to their 19:48.12!
They're from Colorado!
The Dale TC from Illinois timed 7:32.14 for the 4 X 800!
And the Valley Project TC from New Jersey took the DMR in 9:56.63!

The NBN was highlighted by Cade Flatt's attack on the 800 HSR.
He JUST missed, his 1:46.48 making him 2nd A-T HS!
He gets the NBN Meet Record!
The Women's Long Jump was tight at the top, as Alyssa Jones's 21-2.50 edged the 21-1.50 by Gianna Locci!
Jones now ranks 11th A-T HS, while Locci is 13th A-T HS, tied with 2 others!

Angelina Napoleon won the 2000SC in 6:30.51.
Gary Martin won the Mile in 4:03.57!
Angelina Perez took the Two Mile in 10:03.18, making her 23rd A-T HS!
Rocky Hansen's 8:46.97 won the Men's race!
And Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan won the Hammer Throw with 241-1.

The Adidas meet produced just one mark worthy of note!
That was the 14-3.25 PV by Tessa Mudd!
It makes her 10th A-T HS!
Some marks came in from other meets.
The rarely run 3000SC saw a fantastic up front race, and a trio of list-making times!
Nikhil DeNatale won it in 9:01.18, making him 8th A-T HS!
He nipped Julian Franjeh's 9:01.19, which makes him 9th A-T HS!
In 3rd came the 9:04.79 of Colton Kempney, making him 14th A-T HS!

Mia Cochran ran a Two Mile in 10:04.61, which ranked her 23rd A-T HS at the time, but is no longer on my list at all!!
Jeremiah Nubbe sent his Hammer sailing 245-5, making him 8th A-T HS!
And last but not least, Jaicieonna Gero-Holt scored 5108 in the Heptathlon, which smashed the Frosh Class Record!!

I'll close with a few news items!
Jenn Suhr, veteran of veteran Pole Vaulters, has apparently officially retired!!
She scratched from the USATF meet!
Her list of Records is long, her win count is uncountable, and her persona has made Women's PV's around the world a focal point!
She's just 40, although that's older than any other elite PV'er has ever competed at a high level!
She is already greatly missed, although she has yet to announce her plans!

Another gap in the Women's PV world was opened by another retirement--that of Cuba's Yarisley Silva!
A pair of 16 footers retired--at about the same time!

Anita Wlodarczyk fought off some guy who was trying to steal her car, but while the police arrested him, she required surgery to repair the damage done!
She joked about joining the MMA!!
She'll be out the rest of the season!

No news yet on the lawsuit filed by Robyn Stevens to get her on the team for the 20K and 35K RaceWalks!!
She's confident she'll win the suit, but whether they'll put her on the team is still not known!!

Remember Alicia Monson's recent 5000 of 14:31.11?
Well, that time helped move her up on three of my Combined Events lists!
Her 4:07.09 and 14:31.11 adds to 18:38.20, placing her 4th on the A-T US list for that C-E!
Add her 10K of 30:51.09 to her new 5K time, and her time of 45:22.20 makes her 5th A-T US!
Finally, add her 3000 best of 8:40.08 to her 5000 & 10000, and her total time is 54:02.28, which also ranks her 5th A-T US!!

Tomorrow begins the USATF Junior Championships, or "U20" meet!
It's being held in conjunction with the senior USATF meet, which is also serving as the pseudo team trials for the World Championships!!
Because of the "Wild Card" rule, which doesn't force the "bye" athletes from making anything but a token appearance, I will NOT be previewing the meet, at least not in my normal fashion!
How can I make predictions when I don't know what kind of "effort" the "byes" will be making?
Or even if they'll compete beyond the heats or semi's!!
It's a rule that needs change...swift change!!
Don't return them to Eugene for the WC's if they don't complete their event, and put out an "honest effort".
Here you have Robyn Stevens--the best American RaceWalker by far--being kept off the team because she raced in Europe (shattering the 35K American Record by 11 minutes!!) instead of returning home to race the USATF 20K!!
It's insane!
We need to adopt a different system to choose our team, where the best aren't left behind!!

Sorry for the rant!
LOL

See you soon!

From a Loaded Weekend, the DL's

 The legendary Bislett Games from Oslo, and the Paris Diamond League would be enough to satisfy most lovers of the best sport there is!
But this past weekend had heavy action from elsewhere as well.
For once this season, we had two strong DL's in a row!

Jakob Ingebrigtsen was hyped as the Oslo headliner, and he came through, even though he fell short of the European Mile record!
He did break his own Norway National Record, his 3:46.46 bringing him to 6th A-T World!
He passed the 1500 mark in 3:31.08!
But he had some company!
Oliver Hoare took down Australia's National Record with his 3:47.48 in 2nd!
He ranks 13th A-T World!
He passed 1500 in 3:31.71.
Jake Wightman's 3:50.30 was a distant 3rd, ahead of Neil Gourley's 3:52.91, and the 3:53.20 by Charles Grethen, who got Luxembourg's NR!

Mondo Duplantis is inching higher, moving toward another Age record, but his 19-9 only broke his own Bislett MR!
Pawel Fajdek also got a MR with his Hammer Throw of 264-4!
Alison Dos Santos seems to be stuck in the 47.20's, as his 400H winner timed 47.26!
Keely Hodgkinson won a Battle of the Brits, as her 800 time of 1:57.71 beat Laura Muir's 1:58.09.
Renelle Lamote was 3rd in 1:58.50!
Femke Bol ran 52.61 to win the 400H easily!
She gets the Meet Record and the Age 22 Record!

The 5000 was solid, with some good depth!
Dawit Seyaum won it in 14:25.84, making her 16th A-T World!
She beat some good ones, as Gudaf Tsegay was 2nd in 14:26.69, and WR holder Letesenbet Gidey took 3rd in 14:26.92!
After serving as unofficial rabbit for most of the race, Karolina Grovdal faded over the last lap, her 14:31.07 nonetheless smashing Ingrid Kristensen's former Norway National Record (& WR at the time, in 1986!!) by 6 seconds!

Right behind her came Alicia Monson's 14:31.11, which ranks 3rd A-T US!!
Another former WR holder (in the 10000), Almaz Ayana, was 6th in 14:32.17!
(It should be noted Ayana ran 14:31 for her 2nd 5K of her WR 10K in Rio!!)
Hawi Feysa was 7th in 14:33.66.
A few seconds back came Konstanze Klosterhalfen's 14:37.94!
Yasman Can got the best 9th Place mark with her 14:41.40!
Laura Galvan broke through the 15 minute barrier with her 14:51.15, breaking her own Mexico NR!
Cut OFF the World list was Paula Radcliffe's 14:29.11 from 2002!

Chase Ealey exploded out to 66-0.50 in the Shot Put!
She ranks 4th A-T US!
Jessica Schilder's 63-10.25 in 2nd breaks her own National Record of the Netherlands!
Auriol Dongmo was 3rd with 63-9!
The Discus Throw saw another Valarie Allman vs Sandra Perkovic duel, with Perky taking this one, her 219-3 defeating Allman's 216-3!
The Men's 5000 was close, but slowish!
Telahun Haile won it in 13:03.51, with Sam Tefera 2nd in 13:04.35!
Third went to American Joe Klecker, who ended in 13:04.92!

And in the 4 X 400 Relay, Great Britain and Norway had a close fight, but GB won it in 3:28.57, with Norway's 3:28.58 being their National Record!

Paris brought a shocker, as previous unknown Luxola Adams crushed his half lapper in 19.82!!
No one saw that one coming, and a few raised doubts about its veracity!
Looked legal to me!
Alexander Ogando's 20.03 in 2nd is the National Record of the Dominican Republic!!

The Men's 800 had a bit of Paul Chelimo-type controversy!
Benjamin Robert (pronounced "row--bear"--My HS French came in handy here!  LOL) timed 1:43.75 to win it!
But he first had to get through the wall of two other runners!
So he just plowed through the phalanx without so much as a "Pardon Moi!" (Sic!)!
They DQ'ed him, but his appeal won, and he was later reinstated!!
Peter Bol survived the altercation to run 1:44.00, breaking his own National Record of Australia!
Tony van Diepen was next in 1:44.14.
Two other Frenchmen were in the race, Gabriel Tual taking 4th in 1:44.23, and veteran Pierre Ambroise Bosse taking 6th in 1:44.54!

Steven Gardiner pretty much soloed to a 44.21 to win the 400!
Wojciech Nowicki got the Paris Meet Record with his Hammer Throw of 266-7!
BTW, this and the Oslo HT were apparently the first time these meets held the event, thus apparently creating these MR's!!
Pawel Fajdek took 2nd with 262-10!

Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce keeps on keeping on, as she proved here with her 10.67 blaster in the Century!
It's the Paris MR, and ties her own Age 35 Record!
Daryll Neita was a distant, but good 2nd in 10.99!
Tobi Amusan cut 0.01 seconds from her 100H PR, her 12.41 breaking her own National Record of Nigeria!
She ranks 22nd A-T World, tied with 1 other!
Shaunae Miller-Uibo made 50.10 look easy in winning the 400 over the 50.24 by Natalia Kaczmarak, and the 50.28 by Anna Kielbasinska!

Winfred Yavi is becoming a very serious contender for World Championship Gold, as she won the 3000SC in 8:56.55 after a solo time trial!
She ranks 4th A-T World, and gets the Age 23 Record!
(Her birthdate is listed as just 1999 (no month or day), so until I find out otherwise, I've given her the standard January 1 birthdate  allowed for those who don't know when they were born!)
Simbo Alemayehu was a distant 2nd, her 9:09.19 ranking her 24th A-T World, tied with 1 other!
More significantly, she breaks her own Age 17 Record---by 9 seconds!!
Mikedes Abebe was 3rd in 9:11.09.

Great Britain's Elizabeth Bird broke her own National Record with her 9:19.46 in 4th!
Chiara Scherrer was 5th in 9:20.28, getting the NR of Switzerland!

Jordan Diaz's 57-11.25 eeked out the Triple Jump win over Andy Diaz's 57-11, with Pablo etc Pichardo reaching 57-4.75!
Ben Broeders and Renaud Lavillenie both cleared 19-0.25 in the PV, with Broeders getting the victory!
Selemon Barega cruised to 12:56.19 in the 5000, while Devon Allen took the 110H in 13.16!
Valarie Allman took this round of the Discus Throw, her 225-4 topping the 223-8 of Sandra Perkovic!
And two Ukranian High Jumpers got loud cheers from a sympathetic crowd!
Yaroslava Mahuchukh got a World Leading 6-7 to beat the 6-6 by Iryna Herashchenko!!

The Paavo Nurmi meet in Turku had some solid marks!
Oliver Helender took the Javelin Throw with 294-8, making him 22nd A-T World!
Second went to the 293-0 of Neeraj Chopra, who breaks his own National Record of India!
But he just missed the World list, as Helender got there first!
Rasmus Maji broke his own NR of Estonia with his 47.82 in the 400H!
Daniel Stahl took the Discus Throw with 231-8.
Andrius Gudzius was 2nd with 223-4, topping the 222-4 of Kristjan Ceh!
And Max Burgin is having his best year, as he won the 800 in 1:43.52 over the 1:44.24 by Tony van Diepen!

Other marks from around the world---
In Spain, Jordan Diaz improved his TJ to 58-3.25, breaking his own NR of Spain, and making him 23rd A-T World!
Sara Gallego also got a Spain NR with her 400H time of 54.87!
Yulimar Rojas TJ'ed a World Leading 48-8 to win with ease!
A meet in Switzerland saw Lene Retzius break her own NR of Norway---again!!
She cleared 15-5 for the W!
Gabby Scott's 50.97 over one lap got her the National Record of Puerto Rico!
Cravont Charleston doubled in the 100 and 200, timing 9.98 and 20.19!

Maggie Malone and Kara Winger went 1-2 in the Javelin Throw at the Harry Jerome meet!
Malone's 215-7 is the World Leader, while Winger reached 206-7!
In Switzerland, Ese Brume LJ'ed 22-8.50!
Mujinga Kambundji breaks her own National Record with her 200 in 22.18!
She also won the 100 in 11.11.
In Spain, Sara Fantini's Hammer Throw measured 248-7, giving her Italy's NR!!
But she falls 1 foot short of the World list!!

A Chula Vista meet saw Emily Grove rise to 15-7 in the PV, making her 5th A-T US!!
Keturah Orji TJ'ed 48-5.25, while Chris Benard TJ'ed 55-9.75!
In Oklahoma, Rachel Dincoff PR'ed in the Discus Throw, her 214-9 making her 9th A-T US!!

I actually have the major results from the Brooks PR meet, plus other HS marks of note, but I'm limited in space here, and I want to do my next post entirely on the High Schoolers!!

So, see you soon!!

NCAA Championships--WOMEN

 Apologies for the delay!
My computer has been on the fritz lately--will hopefully be repaired or replaced on Tuesday!

The Women's side of the NCAA Championships was--event by event--substantially better than the Men's, IMHO!
I may comment on this as we go through the schedule!
As in the Men's post, this will follow the schedule, so semi's are included!

Camryn Rogers has had a sensational year of Hammer Throwing!
Her 254-10 here just added to her list of Records!
She breaks her own National Record of Canada, her own Meet Record, her own Senior Class Record, and her own Collegiate Record!
She now ranks 8th A-T World, tied with 1 other!
Alyssa Wilson is also having the best year of her HT'ing career!
Her 245-4 in 2nd makes her 2nd A-T Collegiate, and 8th A-T US!!
Beatrice Llano took 3rd with 236-6, making her 9th A-T Collegiate!
Sara Killinen's 233-0 in 4th ranks her 13th A-T Collegiate!
And Shelby Moran reached 231-7 in 5th, making her 15th A-T Collegiate!
Definitely tops the Men's HT!

Texas took the 4 X 100 semi's in 42.34, making them 5th A-T School!
Kentucky ran 42.53, with LSU timing 42.59, and Oregon running 42.64!
There were 3 other School records!
Florida State's 42.78 in 5th makes them 11th A-T School!
Coastal Carolina ran 43.23, making them 20th A-T School!
And UCLA's 43.39 makes them 23rd A-T School!

Sintayehu Vissa cruised to 4:13.13 in the 1500 semi's.
Gabriela Leon topped 15-1 to take the Pole Vault!
Amanda Fassold and Lisa Gunnarsson both cleared 14-11, with Fassold taking 2nd.
She is now 15th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Rachel Baxter was 4th with 14-9!
The Women's PV has a very slight edge over the Men's, based on their better depth!

Logan Jolly's 9:38.13 was the fastest 3000SC semi!
It makes her 18th A-T Collegiate!
Olivia Markezich timed 9:40.81 in 2nd, making her 24th A-T Collegiate!
Alia Armstrong ran 12.55 in the 100H semi's!
This makes her 11th A-T Collegiate!
Ashton Riner won the Javelin Throw with 191-1.
Maddie Harris's 189-3 in 2nd makes her 24th A-T Collegiate!
Madison Wiltrout was 3rd with 185-3!
The Men outshone the Women here!!

The 100 semi's were HOT!
Julien Alfred nipped Abby Steiner, both being timed in 10.90!
For Steiner, it breaks her own Junior Class Record, and makes her 7th A-T Collegiate!
Melissa Jefferson timed 10.96 in 3rd.
Grace Nwokocha and Kemba Nelson both timed 10.97, with Nwokocha getting 4th!
They are 19th A-T Collegiate, tied with each other!
Jasmine Moore took a quiet Long Jump with 22-0.75!

Talitha Diggs continues adding on to the Clark family's history!
Her 50.08 in the 400 semi's ranks her 7th A-T Collegiate!
Stacey Ann Williams ran 50.18 in 2nd, making her 10th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Kennedy Simon's 50.45 ranks her 18th A-T Collegiate!
Charokee Young ran 50.46 as 4th best semi!
Kristie Schoffield led the 800 semi's with 2:01.79.
Anna Hall PR'ed in the 400H semi's, her 54.48 ranking her 14th A-T Collegiate!
Britton Wilson came through in 54.72.

Adelaide Aquilla crashed through to super elite status in the Shot Put!
Her 64-5.25 gives her the Collegiate Record and of course the Meet Record!
She gets the Senior Class Record as well.
She's now ranked 8th A-T US, tied with 1 other!
Jorinde Van Klinken took 2nd with 60-11.50!
This event easily tops the Men!

The 200 semi's moved the 4 best to the final!
Abby Steiner's 22.02 led the way!
This makes her 2nd A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Favour Ofili's 22.13 was 2nd, with Kynnedy Flannel 3rd in 22.25!
Anavia Battle PR'ed in 4th with 22.26!
This makes her 18th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others!
Mercy Chelangat jogged the 10000 in 32:37.08, extending her lead over the last 2K!
Texas A&M took the 4 X 400 semi's in 3:25.63, just beating the 3:25.67 by Kentucky.
Arkansas ran 3:27.52 in 3rd.

Anna Hall COULD have scored between 6600 and 6700 points in the Heptathlon..if she had foregone the 400H final, which was run about 15 minutes before the Hept 800!!
But she chose to take one for the team--which ironically, wound up winning withOUT Hall's 8 points from that event!!
So she sacrificed a 100% certain CR for...nothing!
That said, her 6385 easily took the 7-eventer!
The Decathlon takes this Multi's "contest" by a knockout!
Lamara Distin won the High Jump with 6-4.75!
Abigail Kwarteng surprised in 2nd, her 6-3.50 making her 20th A-T Collegiate, tied with 5 others!
And Jorinde Van Klinken won the Discus Throw with 203-11.

Texas won the 4 X 100 in 42.42!
Kentucky was 2nd in 42.55, while Oregon ended 3rd in 42.59!
Sintayehu Vissa won a tight 1500 final in 4:09.42.
Michaela Degenero was 2nd in 4:09.62, with Christine Aragon ending in 4:10.00.
Back in 7th, Shannon Flockhart ran 4:11.11, giving her the Frosh Class Record!
Jasmine Moore doubled back (Sic!) with a win in the Triple Jump!
Her 46-11.75 easily beat the 45-9.75 by Ruth Usoro!

OMG, the 3000SC!!!
A Collegiate Record (by 8.4 seconds!!), and 8 of the top 9 making my lists, or improving their previous position!
Courtney Wayment slaughtered the CR with her astounding 9:16.00!!
It's also the Senior Class Record, and ranks her 5th A-T US as well!!
She took the lead at 1K, and just ran away with it...literally!
Kayley Delay did not "delay" in taking 2nd (Sorry about that!!), but her time of 9:25.08 was maybe THE shock result of the meet!
It ranks her 3rd A-T Collegiate, and 13th A-T US!!
Ceili McCabe's 9:31.14 makes her 7th A-T Collegiate!
Maddy Boreman finally broke through with her 9:33.02 in 4th!
It makes her 12th A-T Collegiate!
Elise Thorner's 9:33.99 in 5th was not a PR!
Kaylee Mitchell ran 9:34.59, making her 16th A-T Collegiate!
Logan Jolly improved on her PR in the semi, her 9:34.76 making her 17th A-T Collegiate!
Adva Cohen ran 9:35.60, making her 18th A-T Collegiate!
And Grace Fetherstonhaugh's 9:37.56 in 9th makes her 20th A-T Collegiate!
This one beats the Men's, which were also very good, but not quite on the Women's level!

Alia Armstrong won the 100H final in 12.57!
Jasmine Jones was 2nd in 12.66, making her 21st A-T Collegiate!
The final of the 100 was nowhere near the quality or depth of the semi's!
Julien Alfred won it in 11.02, with Kemba Nelson getting the same time in 2nd!
Abby Steiner hit the line in 11.08 in 3rd!
Talitha Diggs subtracted 0.09 from her semi time to take the final in 49.99!
This makes her 5th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Charokee Young--once the heavy favorite!--was a distant 2nd in 50.65!
Kristie Schoffield's immediate emotional response to winning the 800 in 2:01.09 was better than the race itself!
If star-power encompasses a great personality as well as athletic talent, then Kristie Schoffield will be a name to watch!

Britton Wilson's 53.86 won the 400H over Anna Hall's 54.76!
Yes, this was the race that stole a guaranteed Collegiate Record in the Heptathlon from Hall's arms!!
It didn't do anything, for her OR her team!
Totally unnecessary, and extremely disappointing!

Abby Steiner SMASHED the Collegiate Record with her 21.80 stunner over half a lap!!
It was no contest from beginning to end, although Steiner's big and growing lead wasn't fully apparent until halfway through the curve!
She also gets the Meet Record and Junior Class Record!
(Recent speculation says she'll turn Pro soon, so won't have her senior year of collegiate competition!)
She ranks 8th A-T US, and 20th A-T World!
Favour Ofili's 22.05 in 2nd wasn't bad, but was far removed from Steiner!
Cut OFF my World list was the venerable Irina Privalova, her 21.87 dating from 1995!

Katelyn Tuohy got a good battle in the 5000.
Parker Valby stuck to her shoulder throughout, until Tuohy's last kick separated them, Tuohy timing 15:18.39 to Valby's 15:20.10!
Valby gets the Frosh Class Record, and ranks 21st A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Taylor Roe's 15:24.41 edged out Mercy Chelangat's 15:24.54 for 3rd!
Cut FROM my Collegiate list was Oregon's Kathy Hayes, whose 15:23.03 dated from 1985!!
BTW, if you want to see part of Hayes's then-record run, see the documentary "We Grew Wings", available on Amazon!
It's about the Duck Women's teams of 1985 and 2011, and also features English Gardner, among many others from those teams!

Finally, there was the 4 X 400 final!
It was fast, but the first 5 teams didn't run PR's!
Kentucky--with Abby Steiner running a phenomenal 3rd leg of 48.92!!--won it in 3:22.55!
Texas was next in 3:23.35, followed by Arkansas's 3:23.69, Texas A&M's 3:24.55, and South Carolina's 3:25.78.
In 6th was Howard, whose 3:28.39 makes them 22nd A-T School!!

Again, sorry for the delay, and hope you liked my coverage of this great meet!!

See you soon!

NCAA Champs--MEN (& the NYC Grand Prix)

 Here's my thinking---
I want to keep my posts as short as possible, but include as much as possible--if that makes sense!
So, because the Men's events weren't as Record-producing, or Collegiate list-producing as the Women's events (You'll see what I mean when you compare the two!), I'm going to add results from the Grand Prix meet held in Icahn Stadium in New York City to this Men's report from the NCAA's!
The Women's NCAA report will be inclusive only to them!
Also, the NCAA reports will be in order of the events, including Semi's AND Finals!

Logan Blomquist started things off on Wednesday with a Hammer Throw victory, but his mark of 240-8 was off the charts--in a negative way!
Houston was the fastest semi winner in the 4 X 100 Relay, timing 38.66.
Jonathan Davis ran a good 3:37.39 in his 1500 semi, leading a whole slough of sub-3:40's!

Sondre Guttormsen won the Pole Vault with his 18-10.25!
The 3000SC semi's were quick!
Fastest was Duncan Hamilton's 8:23.13, which makes him 13th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Kenneth Rooks ran 8:24.88, making him 23rd A-T Collegiate!
Parker Stokes's 8:26.04 fills the 24th A-T Collegiate spot!

Trey Cunningham started things off in the 110H semi's with his 13.21 cruiser!
Taking the Javelin Throw was Marc Minichello, his spear reaching 266-3, which makes him 15th A-T Collegiate!
Regionals surprise Ethan Dabbs was 2nd with 261-5!
Micah Williams sped 10.03 in his 100 semi!
The Long Jump was decided on 2nd best marks, as both Wayne Pinnock and Jeremiah Davis had marks of 26-3!

The 400 semi's saw Champion Allison run like a champion, his 44.29 PR making him 12th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Randolph Ross was 2nd in 44.43, with Jonathan Jones jogging in with a 44.97!

Navasky Anderson took the 800 semi's in 1:45.94, with Brandon Miller timing 1:46.00!
Mark Metivier ran 48.89 to top the 400H semi's!
Tripp Piperi won the Shot Put, and was the sole 70 footer with his 70-7.25!
Turner Washington's measurement was 69-0.75!
Joseph Fahnbulleh was fastest in the 200 semi's with 20.10!

The 10000 was yet another boringly snail-paced tactical affair, with Dylan Jacobs showing the best kick over the last 50 or so, ending in 28:12.32!
Wake me when it's over!

Texas and Alabama put on a good show in the 4 X 400 semi's, with Texas's 3:00.31 making them 14th A-T School, and Alabama's 3:00.42 making them 15th A-T School!

The Decathlon was held on Wednesday and Thursday!
Ayden Owens-Delerme pulled a minor upset by winning with 8457 points, also tying the Meet Record!!
Leo Neugebauer PR'ed mightily, his 8392 making him 8th A-T Collegiate!
Favored CR holder Kyle Garland made 8333 look easy!
He's going to the World Championships, so didn't have to score big points again!

Tejaswin Shankar took the High Jump by clearing 7-5.25!
But the Discus Throw brought thrills back to the sparse "crowd", as heavily favored Mykolas Alekna fell ONE INCH short of Gold, his 217-0 losing to the 217-1 by Claudio Romero!
Maybe they need to hold the next NCAA in Chula Vista!!

USC won the 4 X 100 Relay with their 38.49!
This broke their School record, set 55 years ago in 1967!!!
It ranks them 12th A-T School!
Florida took 2nd with 38.52, while Houston was 3rd in 38.64!

Challenging the 10K as worst time in a distance final--in fact, winning that "honor"!!--was Joe Waskom's 3:45.58 in the 1500!!
In a year when sub-4:00 Miles have become like ants around sugar, this was truly embarrassing!!
Chengetayi Mapaya PR'ed in the Triple Jump, winning with 56-7.50, which ranks him 8th A-T Collegiate!
Emmanuel Ihemeje was 2nd with 55-10.50!

The 3000SC final was the deepest, and fastest, race for the Men, and the best overall event for them!
THIS is how EVERY distance race should be run!!
Ahmed Jaziri took top honors with his 8:18.70.
It's the Junior Class Record, and makes him 2nd A-T Collegiate!
Duncan Hamilton ran 8:18.88, and now ranks 3rd A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
That "1 other" happens to be 3rd placer Parker Stokes, who also ran 8:18.88!!
Of course, this makes him also 3rd A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Ryan Smeeton ran 8:20.06, giving him the Senior Class Record, and a ranking of 9th A-T Collegiate!
In 5th came Ed Trippas, his 8:20.29 making him 10th A-T Collegiate!
Kenneth Rooks ran 8:22.56, making him 17th A-T Collegiate!
And in 7th came Alec Basten's 8:23.86, making him 23rd A-T Collegiate!
WOW!!

Can anyone follow that show-stopper??
How about Trey Cunningham?
His 13.00 broke his own Senior Class Record!
It ranks him 2nd A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others, 13th A-T US, tied with 1 other, and 23rd A-T World, tied with 3 others!
Eric Edwards PR'ed by a chunk, his 13.15 making him 5th A-T Collegiate!
Third went to the 13.26 by Joshua Zeller!

Joseph Fahnbulleh cranked up his tall body to a 10.00 winner in the 100!
Randolph Ross won the 400 in 44.13, turning back semi's winner Champion Allison, who ran 44.41.
Elijah Godwin took 3rd in 44.50, making him 23rd A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Moad Zahafi ran the 2 lapper in 1:44.69, defeating the 1:45.02 by Navasky Anderson, with the latter getting Jamaica's National Record!
Brandon Miller made it a race with his 1:45.09 in 3rd!

Shawn Burrell didn't run as fast as last year, but his 48.70 was enough to take the 400H!
Fahnbulleh dug deep to break the tape in 19.83 in the 200 final!
It's the Soph Class Record, and ranks him 5th A-T Collegiate!
It also breaks his own National Record of Liberia!

Olin Hacker (son of Tim) ran the 5000 in 13:27.73!
Another relative snoozer!
Florida ended the Men's show with their 2:58.88 Meet Record in the 4 X 400 Relay!
USC's Trojans took 2nd in 2:59.98.
In 3rd was Alabama's 3:00.17, making them 13th A-T School!!

Meanwhile, in NYC---
While Sha'Carri Richardson's personality quirks were comparatively subdued, her "uniform" stood out like a JAWS shark in a fish tank!!
She not only wore her now standard (??) cleavage-revealing V-neck one-piece, but added fishnet arm and leg coverings that brought memories of Las Vegas "entertainers" to light!!
And her NAILS!!!
Jeez!
That said, she actually sprinted like the Sha-Carri we knew, respected, and even maybe loved BEFORE she went crazy on us!!
She gave Aleia Hobbs a genuine race in the 100, her 10.85 only a bit behind Hobbs's 10.83 PR!
For Hobbs, it makes her 14th A-T US, tied with 2 others!
Richardson also won the 200, her 22.38 probably slowed by the weather!!

Noah Lyles ran one of his fastest 200's, his 19.61 a blaster, leaving Kyree King far back in 20.02!
Both Hurdles races were great!!
Devon Allen shocked everyone--except maybe himself--by speeding down the track in 12.84!
This made him 3rd A-T on both the World and US lists!!
Behind only Aries Merritt and Grant Holloway!!
That last name was maybe more of a shock than Allen's huge breakthrough!
Yes, his 13.06 was a full 0.22 seconds behind the future Philadelphia Eagles Pro footballer!
Daniel Roberts is maybe returning to form, as his 13.17 took 3rd!
In the Women's 100H, Alaysha Johnson also had a major PR to take home with her!
Her 12.40 makes her 9th A-T US, and 19th A-T World, tied with 2 others!
Tia Jones also PR'ed, her 12.53 making her 23rd A-T US, tied with 2 others!
Gabrielle Cunningham was 3rd in 12.56!!

A couple of Wilson's took 1st & 2nd in the Women's 800, with Ajee winning in 2:00.62, with Allie in 2nd in 2:00.80!
Bryce Hoppel won the Men's 800 in 1:45.07!
Jessica Ramsey won the SP with 62-0.25!
Christian Coleman won the 100 in 9.92, beating the 9.95 by Ackeem Blake!
Finally, Gianna Woodruff took the Women's 400H in 54.35!

In closing, let me speak to the "controversy" surrounding one of the most beloved T&F stars of this century--Sydney McLaughlin!
(I'll leave off the Levrone, as she seems to not mind being called by her maiden name!)
Much media hype and meet advertising focused on McLaughlin announcing she would run the 100H and the flat 400!
Incredible 400 times (some in the 48's!) were being predicted for her on Message Boards!
Speculation and anticipation was rampant on all the social media!

Then came the day of the meet!
First it was announced she would not run the 100H!!
Okay.
That would improve her chances of running even faster in the 400!
Right??
Maybe---IF she ran that race!!
But then came another announcement, just minutes before they lined up at their blocks!
She was being pulled from the 400 due to "something funny happening" in her leg during the warm-up!
Two races--Two DNS's!!

Then, in a post-meet interview, she said she was fine to run, that there was NO injury or niggle or anything wrong with her at all!
Because of some details of what happened beforehand, and her coach Bobby Kersee's conflicting statements, I strongly doubt she was at fault!
She was following Kersee's lead!
The losers?
NBC, and their announcers being left to "explain" what was happening!
Her legion of loving fans, many of whom were anticipating seeing Syd the Kid do her thing--for days!!
And the sport we love so much--Track and Field--which suffers every time something like this happens!
Which happens far too often for the health of the sport!
Especially when there was NOT any reason to DNS her--no injury, niggle, illness--nothing!
Just a coach who LIED to everyone--including maybe Sydney herself!

Enough, please!
Syd, we still adore you!!

See you soon with the Women's events at the NCAA!

It's Getting HOT in Here

 Is 2022 going to be one of the best ever OUTdoor seasons?
If measured by the number of major meets in a short period of time, I'd say Yes!
If you go by Records & Marks, it's heading in that direction!

From Rome's Golden Gala (aka Rome DL)---
Lamecha Girma continued his string of sub-8:00 3000SC's, yet his 7:59.23 didn't even set a Meet Record!
Abe Kibiwot (8:06.73) and Getnet Wale (8:06.74) sprint kicked to a wild chase for 2nd, while Consesius Kipruto ran a solid 8:08.76 in 4th!

Athing Mu strode to an easy 800 win in 1:57.01.
Renelle Lamote was 2nd in 1:58.48, while Italy's Elena Bello was 3rd in 1:58.97!
Shericka Jackson's 21.91 over half a ;lap upset Elaine Thompson-Herah, who finished in 22.25, barely beating the 22.27 by Dina Asher-Smith!
The All-Star field saw Shaunae Miller-Uibo take 4th in 22.48!
Jackson got the Meet Record!

Another Meet Record went to the 232-0 Discus Throw by Kristjan Ceh!
Lukas Weishaldinger was 2nd in a good 224-1!
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn broke her own Rome MR with her 12.37 over the 100H!
Brittany Anderson was 2nd in 12.50!
Femke Bol eased through the 400H in 53.02!
Sandi Morris took the Pole Vault with 15-9.25!
Four women cleared 15-1, with Roberta Bruni and Holly Bradshaw tying for 2nd, and Katie Nageotte and Tina Sutej tying for 4th!

The 5000 had some depth, as eight broke the 13 minute barrier!
Nicolas Kimeli won it in 12:46.33!
It broke the Meet Record of 12:46.53 held by Eliud Kipchoge, which he ran in 2004!
It ranks him 7th A-T World!
Jacob Krop tailed behind, but ran 12:46.79, making him 9th A-T World, tied with 1 other!
Yomif Kejelcha crossed the line in 12:52.10!
Selemon Barega took 4th in 12:54.87!
Canada's Mo Ahmed was 5th in 12:55.84!
In 8th came Thierry Ndikumwenayo's 12:59.39, which is the National Record of Burkina Faso!
Cut FROM my World list was Hicham El Guerrouj, whose 12:50.24 dated from 2003!
I believe he was a bit better known for another event!
LOL

Fred Kerley took the 100 in 9.92, while Kenny Bednarek won the 200 in 20.01.
Kirani James's 44.54 beat the 44.81 by Vernon Norwood over one lap!
Joe Kovacs took the Shot Put with 71-8.25!
Maryna Beth-Romanchuk took the Long Jump with 22-5.75!

Hengelo's FBK meet held the Ethiopian 10000 Trials, so we saw two solid races!
In the Women's race, however, a guest runner actually won the overall race.
Eilish McColgan slashed her mother's family record by about 39 seconds, her 30:19.02 a great solo run!
There was a 25 second gap between McColgan and the leading Ethiopian!
She was Letesenbet Gidey, whose 30:44.27 edged the 30:44.68 by Ejgayehu Taye!
Third went to the 30:45.00 run by Margaret Kipkemboi!
Bosene Mulate ran 30:47.55, beating Girmawit Gebrzihair's 30:47.72!
Returning to action after a 3 year absence was Almaz Ayana, who ran 30:48.48, not bad for being AWOL so long!
In 9th (overall) was Rachel Daniel, who got the Eritrea National Record with her 30:59.75!
Caroline Kipkurui got the NR of Kazakhstan with her 31:13.18 in 13th!

Both Hurdles races (for the Women) saw Meet Records!
Brittany Anderson's 12.51 in the 100H, and Femke Bol's 53.94 in the 400H got the MR's!
Faith Kipyegon won the 800 in 2:00.36!
Peruth Chemutai won the 3000SC in 9:14.00.
Luiza Gega ran 9:15.48 in 2nd, which gave her the National Record of Albania!
Celiphine Chespol took 3rd in 9:15.89!
In 4th, the 9:18.98 by Simbo Alemagehu will stand as the "0-17" Age Record, unless I find out otherwise!

Selemon Barega took the Men's Ethiopian 10K Trials in 26:44.73, making him 20th A-T World!
Following in quick succession, we saw Tadese Worku run 26:45.91 in 2nd, making him 21st A-T World!
Then came Berihu Aregawi's 26:46.13, making him 22nd A-T World!
Yomif Kejelcha wasn't far back, his 26:49.39 getting him the best 4th Place mark!
Barega moves up on two Combined Events lists!
His 7:32.17, 12:43.02, and 26:44.73 adds to 46:59.92, making him 7th A-T World!
His 5000 & 10000 times adds to 39:27.75, making him 9th A-T World!
Cut OFF my World list was the quite venerable Eliud Kipchoge, his 26:49.02 dating from 2007!
Anderson Peters won a good Javelin Throw with the Hengelo Meet Record of 297-9!
Julian Weber was 2nd with 293-9, making him 22nd A-T World, tied with 1 other!
Keshorn Walcott was a strong 3rd, reaching 292-2!
Finally (from Hengelo) came the Women's SP, which had Chase Ealey explode out to 65-6.75, giving her the Meet Record, and making her 5th A-T US!
Auriol Dongmo's 64-6.75 took 2nd, with Sarah Mitton taking 3rd with 63-1.50!
Jessica Schilder's 62-10.75 in 4th gives her the Netherlands National Record!

The Portland Track Festival saw some good distance marks run!
Canada's John Gay won the 3000SC in 8:22.93, with Benard Keter taking 2nd in 8:24.88.
Evan Jager ran 8:28.94 in 3rd!
The Women's race was won by Australian Amy Cashin in 9:27.91.
Courtney Frerichs fell, but got up and finished in 9:35.82.
Colleen Quigley ran her first Steeple in 3 years in 9:39.27!
In the 10000's, Tyrone Gorze ended just 20th, but his 29:09.92 makes him 6th A-T HS!

Yared Nuguse was the fastest in the 1500, time of 3:34.98.
Johnny Gregorek took 2nd in 3:35.29, with Grant Fisher running 3:35.53 in 3rd!
Brandon McBride won the 800 in 1:45.22.
Raevyn Rogers won the Women's race in 1:58.90!
Sabrina Southerland ran 1:59.69 in 2nd!

Pat Tiernan got the PTF Meet Record with his 5000 in 13:19.14!
Patrick Dever was 2nd in 13:20.12, while Woody Kincaid was 3rd in 13:21.61!
Weini Kelati ran her 5K in 14:57.07, making her 23rd A-T US!
As an aside, when I see Rachel Daniel (See above!) breaking Eritrean NR's, I think of how Kelati might be the one setting those NR's--if she'd remained Eritrean!
Anyway, Vanessa Fraser took 2nd in 15:05.04, beating the 15:05.51 by Sarah Inglis.
In 7th came the comebacking Allie Ostrander, who ran 15:26.50!

Karissa Schweizer won the Women's 1500 in a solo 4:00.75, though she was paced by BTC teammate Elise Cranny!
It's the PTF Meet Record!
Eleanor Fulton (4:04.26), Emma Coburn (4:04.44), and Whittni Orton-Morgan (4:04.86) all ran sub-4:05!
A bit slower, but maybe even more spectacular then Schweizer, was High School Freshman Sadie Englehardt!
Her 4:11.79 destroys her own Frosh Class Record, and makes her 6th A-T HS!!
Keep in mind 3 things--
Her time is almost as fast as Mary Cain ran as a Junior INdoors during her HSR in the Mile (4:11.72) in 2013!!
The NCAA winner (Report soon to come!) ran just over 2 seconds faster!
And as a reminder, Ms Englehardt is a 15 year old High School Frosh!!!
Another HS'er, Senior Kate Peters ran 4:17.80 in 28th, making her 18th A-T HS!!

Cut OFF my HS list was Suzy Favor (Hamilton), whose 4:18.62 dated from 1986!

A few more items, mostly from a couple of Tennessee meets---
Ackeem Blake of Jamaica ran the 100 in 9.92!
Noah Lyles won a 200 in 20.03!
Tamari Davis--just 19--won a Tennessee 100 in 10.91!
She beat Marybeth Sant-Price's 10.96!
But Sant-Price ran a PR of 10.95 in her heat!
Brittany Brown sped 21.99 over half a lap, making her 14th A-T US, tied with 1 other!
In the 800, Chrisann Gordon's 1:59.52 beat the 1:59.80 by Olivia Baker!
Alaysha Johnson won the 100H in 12.59!
Michelle Jenneke (Remember her??) was a far back 2nd in 13.01.
Even farther behind was 39 year old Lolo Jones, time of 13.73, who seemingly has returned to track after cavorting in the Winter Olympics bobsled!!
BTW, the Age 39 record is 13.40, while the Age 40 record is 13.55!
She turns 40 on August 5th!

Susan Ejore took the 1500 in 4:03.98!
She beat Danielle Aragon's 4:04.50!
In Kentucky, Daniel Haugh whipped his Hammer out 260-7, making him 6th A-T US!
He beat the 259-4 by AR holder Rudy Winkler!
Brooke Andersen won the Women's HT with 253-3!

In Russia, Ilya Ivanyuk HJ'ed 7-8, the World Leader!
Canada's Alysha Newman PV'ed 15-5!
A Slovakia 5000 saw Gudaf  Tsegay winning in 14:31.91.

Some good HS marks--
Benjamin Shue broke his own Frosh Class Record in the Discus Throw with 198-5!
Will Sumner sped an 800 in 1:46.53 in Tennessee, making him 3rd A-T HS!
Marcus Reilly cut the Soph Class Record in the 1500 down to 3:45.30!
Jeremiah Nubbe had a Hammer Throw mark of 236-7, making him 19th A-T HS!
James Doanhue ran an 800 in 1:49.81!

In the idiotic 1600 and 3200, a couple of HS'ers made news, despite my profound wish to ignore them!!
Angelina Perez ran 9:53.29 over 3200, while Addie Wiley shocked many with her 4:26.16 over 1600!
Both times are NOT eligible for Record or List purposes!!
IF ONLY Wiley had run another 18.688 meters!!
I ignore marks over those distances because the United States High School system is the ONLY body in the entire World that runs these distances!!
It's not fair to all those who run the MILE in HS!!
Those who choose to post converted times does a disservice to the REAL Milers!!

Finally, two more things!
While some are saying the 51.61 Sydney McLaughlin Levrone ran in a Tennessee 400H is legit, I disagree!
The 5th hurdle (in her lane) was misplaced, causing Syd to stutter step, as her step pattern was thrown off over at least two hurdles!
So  all performances in that race must be discounted!
But not to worry!
She's bound to run it a LOT faster pretty soon!!

And I need to make a correction!
The JT mark I reported for Elina Tzenggo in a previous post is NOT the Age 19 Record!!
That Record belongs to Osleidys Menendez's 218-1, which she threw in 1999!!
Sorry about that!

My NCAA posts are to follow!
The Men's NCAA report will also have results from the Grand Prix meet held in NYC!!
See you soon!

2022 NCAA Championships Preview

 It's gonna be lengthy, but I intend to do both Men's & Women's Previews here!
Men go first!
These are NOT predictions!
I list the events in order of their Finals!
I list the NCAA Meet Record--several of which are also the Collegiate Record!/
Then I give names of the main challengers for the Meet Record, without saying they're going to win!
The Men's days are Wednesday (today) & Friday, except that the Decathlon begins today, and ends tomorrow!
The Women's days are Thursday & Saturday, with the Heptathlon being on Thursday and Friday!

MEN
HAMMER THROW (265-3) Absolutely zero chance for a Meet Record!  Main players are Bobby Colontonio and Trey Knight!  Watch also for Logan Blomquist, Decio Andrade, and Kostas Zaltos!
POLE VAULT (19-6.25) Would need a BIG improvement to get this MR!  Sondre Guttormsen has been very active this spring!  His brother Simen is good, as are Zach McWhorter & Zach Bradford.
Clayton Fritsch and Branson Ellis are others with potential!
JAVELIN THROW (284-2) While Chinecherem Nnamdi, Ethan Dabbs, and Marc Minichello are all solid spearchuckers, the MR is quite safe!  Watch also for Arthur Petersen and Tzuriel Pedigo!
LONG JUMP (28-0) IF JuVaughn Harrison were still competing, I'd give him half a chance at the MR!  However---Corey McLeod and Isaac Grimes could reach 27, while followers include Johnny Brackins, Wayne Pinnock, and Brandon Hicklin!
SHOT PUT (72-2.25) Turner Washington and Tripp Piperi are candidates for 70 footers, but probably will fall short of the MR!  John Meyer and Isaac Odugbesan are other solid guys!
10000 (27:41.87) The lone track final on Wednesday!  And it's a solid contender for MR reduction!  Abdi Nur could win it--if he's healthy!  Charles Hicks, Adriaan Wildschutt, and Cole Sprout are solid.  Others include Amon Kemboi, James Mwaura, and Matt Pereira! If they go through 5K in 14:00, the MR is in danger!
DECATHLON (8457) The MR is an easy target for Kyle Garland, but he might just cruise through here, to save himself for the WC's!  Ayden Owens-Delerme is Garland's main foe!  Johannes Erm, Leo Neugebauer, Austin West, and Ryan Talbot are other 8000 point wannabes!  UO's Max Vollmer will hear best the cheers of the locals!

HIGH JUMP (7-9.75) ZERO chance for the MR, and not likely to go past 7-6!  Vernon Turner, Tejaswin Shankar, Darius Carbin, and Earnie Sears III are there to prove me wrong!
DISCUS THROW (215-8) Mykolas Alekna should crush this Meet Record on his very first throw!!  230 is in danger!!  Claudio Romero and Turner Washington are the best bets to be within 10 feet of Alekna!  Ralford Mullings Roje Stona, and Samuel Welsh are others to key on!
4 X 100 RELAY (37.97) Lucky for us, Collegiate sprint relayers are solid at keeping the baton in hand all the way through!  That said, best teams are NC A&T, Tennessee, Houston, USC, and Florida State!
With Micah Williams on anchor (?), the Ducks should make this fun for the home crowd!
1500 (3:35.30) I keep wishing for fast distance races, and mostly get tacticals in return!  But Eliud Kipsang can front run a fast time!  Give him strong odds to take this baby down!  Better still if Mario Romo and Jonathan Davis keep him honest!
TRIPLE JUMP (57-7.75) Chengetayi Mapaya seems to be the best here, but nowhere near the MR!
Keyshawn King and Emmanuel Ihemije are ones to watch!
3000SC (8:12.4) Henry Rono's 1978 MR will survive again!  Toss a coin to pick among Ahmed Jaziri, Alec Basten, Duncan Hamilton, Ed Trippas (Great name for a Steepler!), and Ryan Smeeton are the faster candidates!
110H (12.98) Is Trey Cunningham ready to pull a Grant Holloway?  Yes!  But the hurdles are dangerous barriers to success sometimes!  Eric Edwards and Joshua Zeller might get within 0.20 of Cunningham!
100 (9.82) The Hayward mob will go nuts when Micah Williams steps on the track!  Not to mention total bonkers if he can nab the MR--which I see as iffy, but possible!  If it's fast, watch the wind gauge!  Favour Ashe, Joe Fahnbulleh, Matt Boling, JuVaughn Martin, and Terrence Jones should all make the final!
400 (43.61) Randolph Ross has run 43.85, but 44.23 this year!  I'm calling it NO Meet Record, but a sub-44!  Jonathan Jones & Jacory Patterson are solid!  Johnny Blockburger and Champion Allison are others to watch!

800 (1:43.55) Moad Zahafi is within range, but unless Brandon Miller is on, he'll have to chase the MR solo style!  Luis Peralta might interfere!
400H (47.02) Meet Record is locked away in Fort Knox, so don't hope for Sean Burrell to suddenly imitate Rai Benjamin here!  And we're not even sure how fit Burrell is right now!  Isaiah Levingston, Moitelel Mpoke, Nathaniel Ezekiel, and Malik Metivier should fight for places!
200 (19.73) Most of the 100 guys are doubling here!  Fahnbulleh is the best at  this distance, but Boling and Camel are good!  Others to watch include Javonte Harding, Courtney Lindsey, Udodi Onwuzurike, and Micaiah Harris!
5000 (13:12.27) Again, these races usually go slow!  But the MR is vulnerable if they go after it!  Olin Hacker, Cole Sprout, Morgan Beadlescomb, Adriaan Wildschutt, and Nico Young are the key players!  Watch also for Amon Kemboi, Brian Fay, and Athanas Kioko!
4 X 400 RELAY (2:59.00) Florida broke the Collegiate Record (also the MR here) a bit ago with their 2:58.53!  Can they reduce it more here?  Kentucky, NC A&T, Texas, TCU, Texas A&M, and Georgia could put up a fight!  Last final for the Men!!

WOMEN
HAMMER THROW (250-10) The results page lists Camryn Rogers's 247-8 as the MR, but she broke it in that stupid "prelims" meet!!  She threw 250-10 there!  And she's likely to add to it here!  No chance for them, but have fun watching Alyssa Wilson, Madi Malone, Jillian Shippee, Beatrice Llano, and Anna Purchase trying to at least PR!
POLE VAULT (15-5) There are some 15 footers here, but they'd have to PR by about 4 inches to even tie this MR!  Lisa Gunnarsson, Rachel Baxter, and Gabriella Leon are the stars here!  But key on Olivia Lueking, Amanda Fassold, and Chloe Timberg also!
JAVELIN THROW (204-0) Have to admit that I'll be rooting for Madison Wiltrout to reach 200 feet for the first time AND break the MR!  Her main opponent is Ashton Riner!  Other good ones include Katelyn Fairchild, Sophia Rivera, Maddie Harris, and Rhema Otabor!
LONG JUMP (22-9.25) It would take Jasmine Moore, Monae Nichols, or Tyra Gittens to add a few inches to their PR to take this MR down--but it's possible!  Deborah Acquah, Ruth Usoro, and Ackelia Smith are others to watch!
SHOT PUT (63-5) If Adelaide Aquilla can break out of her 62-7ish rut, the MR is hers for the taking!  Jorinde Van Klinken is solid here!  Latavia Maines and Ana Da Silva are others to watch!
10000 (32:09.20)  On 3, say "DON'T JOG!", please!!  IF they don't, there's enough talent here to see a sub-32 happen at distance mad Hayward Field!  Mercy Chelangat, Lauren Gregory, Emily Covert, Haley Herberg, and Grace Forbes are the leaders!  Watch for Emma Heckel also!
HEPTATHLON (6527)  The MR is also the CR!  But Anna Hall (like Kyle Garland!) might just cruise through this one!  Kristine Blazevica, Erin Marsh, and Ida Eikeng will be happy getting 6000 points!

HIGH JUMP (6-5)  Guess what?  Lamara Distin has already jumped higher than the MR!  Can she do it here?  Tyra Gittens, Rachel Glenn, and Abigail Kwarteng are others capable of 6-2 or better!
DISCUS THROW (213-3) Jorinde Van Klinken hasn't come anywhere near her PR of 230-4 (WINDY!!!), but she should win here!  The MR is possible also!  Alexandra Emilianov is solid!
And--as USUAL--Seasons is one to watch!  LOL
4 X 100 RELAY (42.09) Based on who runs what, we could see a fast race, but probably will fall short of a MR!  Key on Texas A&M, LSU, Texas, Ohio State, Kentucky, and home favorite UO!
1500 (4:05.98) Katelyn Tuohy is closest to the MR this year, but she's doing the 5000 only!  So it's an even match between Krissy Gear, Julia Heymach, Christina Aragon, Sintayehu Vissa, Micaela Degenero, Olivia Howell, and Shannon Flockhart!
TRIPLE JUMP (47-8)  Hope for a legal wind, because Jasmine Moore has a great chance at the MR!  Natricia Hooper is solid, as are Ruth Usoro, Ruth Lasmane, Ackelia Smith and Titiana Marsh!  Also watch for Mekeisha Welcome!

3000SC (9:24.41)  The MR is also the Collegiate Record, but Courtney Wayment seems ready to take both down!  Joyce Kimeli and Ceili McCabe are strong also!  Watch for Elise Thorner!
100H (12.39) Ackera Nugent isn't here, due to injury!  Alia Armstrong might have an outside shot at the MR, as long as that Hayward breeze stays calm!  Demisha Roswell is solid, and don't neglect Jasmine Jones, Paula Salmon, Kaylah Robinson, or Masai Russell, who will be doubling in the 400H!  Rayniah Jones is another to watch!
100 (10.75) Julien Alfred has run 10.81 (& 10.80W), plus other speedy times!  She's the favorite, IMHO!  But focus on Celera Barnes (10.82W), Abby Steiner, Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, Jada Baylark, Anavia Battle, and Kevona Davis!  For the home folks, there's Kemba Nelson!  That's 9 women!  Will all make the final??
400 (49.57)  Charokee Young seems the solid choice--for the win and for the MR!  Stacey Ann Williams, Alexis Holmes, Talitha Diggs, and Kennedy Simon are all strong sub-51 women!

800 (1:59.11)  Oh, if only Athing Mu hadn't gone Pro, and racing in Rome's DL tomorrow!  Without her, the MR seems pretty safe!  In fact, a sub-2:00 would be a bit surprising!  That said, we should key on Avi-Tal Wilson-Perteete and Katy-Ann McDonald here!  Aaliyah Miller, Gabrielle Wilkinson, Aurora Rynda, and Claire Seymour are good ones also!  No runaways here!
400H (53.21)  We'd need a massive breakthrough from Britton Wilson to get this Meet Record!  But with a 50.05 PR over the flat 400 (& an even faster Relay leg!), she's capable of sub-53!  She'll have doubler Masai Russell and 2:03.11 800 & Star Heptathlete Anna Hall chasing fast times also!
200 (22.02) Several experts are seeing this final as THE race of the entire meet!!  Abby Steiner!  Favour Ofili!  Anavia Battle!  Kynnedy Flannel!  Melissa Jefferson!  There are mere mortals here also!  Watch for Kevona Davis and Rosemary Chukwuma to possibly crash the party!  That MR---wind legal--is in mortal danger!!
5000 (15:15.08) Katelyn Tuohy and Abby Nichols could fight each other lap by lap hard enough to bring not only the MR, but possibly the CR into sight!  (A sub-15 also??!!)  But Mercy Chelangat and Lauren Gregory don't like to dog paddle through!  Also key on Tuohy's NC State teammate Hanna Steelman, as well as Parker Valby, Taylor Roe, Marlee Starliper, and Emma Heckel!
4 X 400 RELAY (3:22.34)  Will we see another Collegiate Record here?  Whatever their time, it should be a great ending to this meet!  Candidates for Gold are Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Texas, Baylor, and South Carolina.

Enjoy the 4 days of Collegiate action, and please use this Preview as your guide!
Meet begins in a few hours!

See you soon!

Rabat, Ostrava & HS Milers

Lots to report, so I'm doing it by Event Group!

Multi's
Gotzis saw Damian Warner win with 8797 points, which got him the Age 32 Record!
Lindon Victor was 2nd with 8447, beating the 8377 by Simon Ehammer!
Ehammer broke his own National Record of Switzerland!
He also got a Decathlon Best with his 27-8.75 LJ, which added to his NR collection!
Niklas Kaul scored 8303 in 4th!

For the Women, Anouk Vetter's 6693 breaks her own National Record of the Netherlands!
Adrianna Sulek's 6429 took 2nd, while Vanessa Grimm scored 6323 in 3rd!
Annik Kalin's 6301 was 4th.

Holly Mills took the Battle of the Brits with her 6260 score beating the 6174 by Katerina Johnson-Thompson!
Chari Hawkins and Kendell Williams--the 2 Americans--both DNF'ed!

Pole Vault & High Jump
More HS girls hitting 14 feet or higher in the PV--
Rachel Homoly clearing 14-0!
Amanda Moll's 14-6 beating sister Hana's 14-0!
Jath Muhammad hitting 14-0, as did Lexi Evans!!

In the Ostrava meet, Tina Sutej's 15-3 beat the 15-3 by Leni Retzius!
Retzius smashed her own NR of Norway by 5 inches!!
In Rabat, Sandi Morris and Nina Kennedy both cleared 15-3, with Morris winning!
Katie Nageotte No Heighted!!
Rabat's HJ saw Ukranian Yaroslava Mahuchukh topping 6-5!

Kenna Stimmel upped her PR by clearing 14-6.25, making her 7th A-T HS!
Chris Nilsen had a couple of good Vaults--making 19-0.25 in Poland, then making 19-5 in Chorzow, also in Poland!
In the latter meet, he beat the 19-0.75's by Renaud Lavillenie and Pal Lillefosse!
Mariya Lasitskene HJ'ed 6-4.25 in Russia.
In Greece, Marija Vukovic HJ'ed 6-4.75, beating the 6-4.75 by Angelina Topic!
Topic is the 16 year old daughter of Dragutin Topic!!
She gets Serbia's NR, and gets the Age 16 Record as well!
However, my youngest Age category is called "0-17", meaning anyone 17 or younger qualifies for that record!
The actual Age 17 Record is 6-5, held by 4 athletes!!
I think she'll get it!!

Hammer and Javelin Throws
Quentin Bigot (I believe it's pronounced as "Bee-Joe"!) got a Hammer Throw PR of 262-11, beating the 262-2 by Wojciech Nowicki!
In Poland, Nowicki scored a win with his 263-5, just edging the 263-1 by Pawel Fajdek!
Another Poland meet saw Nowicki let fly to 267-8!
Bigot hit 264-3, while Fajdek could reach only 261-3!

In Russia, Valeriy Pronkin reached 262-1.
In Ostrava, Elina Tzenggo threw her Javelin 214-7, getting the Age 19 Record!
She also holds the Age "0-17" Record!!
Anderson Peters reached 288-4 in Ostrava.
Anita Wlodarczyk had a couple of okay meets--243-2 and 248-7, both in Poland!
And Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan improved his HT to 249-5, making him 7th A-T HS!

Distances (Except HS'ers)
The Ostrava 800 saw 17 year old sensation Emmanuel Wanyonyi win in 1:44.15, beating S Moula's 1:44.19 and the 1:44.54 by Max Burgin!
In a separate Ostrava race, Collins Kipruto ran 1:44.58!
Wanyonyi also won in Rabat with 1:45.47, but he beat Nijel Amos's 1:45.66!
Diribe Welteji was active, winning in Ostrava with her 1500 in 3:59.19!
Agul Dagnachew took 2nd in 3:59.87!
Welteji won again in France, timing 3:59.48!
She also won an 800 in Poland, her 1:58.28 beating Jemma Reekie's 1:58.44 and Sofia Ennaoui's 1:58.98!!

We saw our first sub-8 Steeplechase since 2018 when Lamecha Girma crashed that barrier with his 7:58.68 in Ostrava!
It gets him the Ostrava Meet Record, as well as the Ethiopia National Record!
He ranks 12th A-T World!!
Haile Amare was a distant 2nd in 8:07.70!
Then, in Rabat, Soufiane El Bakkali thrilled his home crowd by winning over Girma, 7:58.28 to 7:59.24!!
Third went to Haile Amare's 8:06.29!
For El Bakkali, he gets the Meet Record!!

For Americans, a good race saw Brian Barraza just edge Travis Mahoney--8:19.16 to 8:19.18!!
Barraza misses the US list by 0.06, while Mahoney misses it by 0.08 seconds!
Jake Wightman won the Rabat 1500 in 3:32.62!
Mary Moraa got the Rabat Meet Record with her 1:58.93 over 800 meters!
Prudence Sekgodisa took 2nd in 1:59.23!

Hirut Meshesha won a fast 1500 in Rabat, her time being 3:57.30!
Freweyni Hailu took 2nd in 3:58.18, while Axumawit Embaye was 3rd in 3:58.80!
It was slowish, but a great race--the 3000 in Rabat!
Mercy Cherono outkicked Amy-Eloise Markovic--8:40.29 to 8:40.32!
In Bydgoszcz Poland, Tony van Diepen took the 800 in 1:44.31, while Mohamed Muhamed won the 1500 in 3:35.69!

Patryk Dobek took the Chorzow 800 in 1:44.49, nipping the 1:44.53 by Benjamin Robert!
And in France, Daisy Jepkemai ran 5000 meters in 14:45.69, getting the National Record of Kazakhstan!!

All other events (except HS distances!)
Gracelynn Leitheth threw the Shot Put 52-6.75, making her 20th A-T HS!
Justin Braun raced a 400 in 45.65!
In Ostrava, Reece Prescod returned to elite racing, his 9.93 taking the Century!
Natalia Kaczmarek won the 400 in 50.16.
Candice McLeod and Anna Kielkasinska both ran 50.38, with McLeod given 2nd!
I should make note that Aminatou Seyni has been added to my list of high testosterone women--meaning I will ignore all marks run by her!!

The UK 4 X 100 squad ran a good 38.43!
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn took the Ostrava 100H in 12.56!
In a meet in Poland, she won in 12.43, made even better knowing she ran INTO a wind of 1.4!!
Ewe Swoboda took the 100 in 11.08!
Hadn't heard from her in awhile!

Millica Gardasevic won a LJ in Poland with 22-4.25.
Also reaching that distance (in 2nd) was Agate De Sousa!
Her mark gives her the National Record of Sao Tome & Principe!!
Natalia Kaczmarek won the 400 in Poland in 50.40!
She beat the 50.71 by the venerable Allyson Felix!
BTW, the Age 36 Record is 50.27!!

There were some good SP battles!
Ostrava saw Joe Kovacs's 73-0 beat the 71-1.50 by Tom Walsh!
In Bydgoszcz, Walsh won with 71-6.25 over Kovacs's 71-4.75!
Darlan Romani took 3rd with 70-4.50!
Then Walsh won again with his 73-2.50!
Kovacs reached 72-2.25, while Konrad Bukowiecki took 3rd with 71-0.75!

Thea Lafond won a TJ with 47-5.25!
Melissa Gonzalez ran the 400H in 54.80, the NR of Colombia!
Alexander Ogondo won the Chorzow 400 in 44.68!
Lazaro Martinez TJ'ed 56-9.25 in France, beating the 56-4.50 by PPPP, aka Pablo Pichardo!
In Germany, Jordan Diaz TJ'ed 56-9.25 also, his mark gaining him the National Record of Spain!
An Austria meet saw Lukas Weishaldinger get a DT mark of 226-9.
It's Austria's National Record!
In Germany, Germany (Sic!) ran the 4 X 100 Relay in 37.99, making them 13th A-T Nation, tied with 1 other!
Kenny Bednarek took the Rabat 200 in 20.21!

Also in Rabat, Marileidy Paulino won the 400 in 50.10.
Kristjan Ceh won the Discus Throw with his 228-7!
He beat Daniel Stahl's 220-4!
And Elaine Thompson-Herah broke her own Meet Record with her 100 in 10.83!

There was an quite interesting race in Ostrava!
Femke Bol ran the 300H (That's 300H, not 400H!)!
Her solo run in 36.88 CRUSHED the old World Record by over a second!
But it also led to LOTS of Twitter & T&FN Message Board chatter about its MEANING!!
What is it worth over 400H?
Some--myself most prominent!--believed it means she can run 50.8 over 400H!
My prognostication was of course strongly ridiculed!
We shall see!!
Meanwhile, it stands as the WR, the MR, and the NR of the Netherlands!

High School Distances
I saved these for last for a good reason, as you'll soon discover!
Roisin Willis ran an 800 in 2:03.09!
Good, but hold on!
She later ran 2:00.03!!
This was a solo run in her Ohio state meet, making this the fastest 800 in a HS-only race!!
It makes her 3rd A-T HS!

A good Mile race saw Rocky Hansen win in 4:00.76, making him 18th A-T HS!
Lex Young took 2nd in 4:01.52, missing the HS list by 0.18 seconds!
James Donahue was a solid 3rd in 4:02.98!

At the Hoka Festival of Miles, Gary Martin just beat his PR, winning in 3:57.89!!
This makes him 4th A-T HS!
Second went to Connor Burns, who walloped his PR by about 4 seconds, timing 3:58.83!!
This gives him the Junior Class Record, the old mark held by Jim Ryun, his 3:59.0 happening in 1964--a race I witnessed in person!!
And it makes him 5th A-T HS!

At 1500 enroute, Burns was leading Martin, so his 3:41.06 makes him 5th A-T HS, while Burns's 3:41.63 makes him 6th A-T HS!!

In another meet, Rheinhardt Harrison finally broke 4 minutes, his 3:59.33 making him 8th A-T HS!
Juliette Whittaker ran a Mile in 4:36.15, making her 5th A-T HS!
Nick Plant timed 1:48.65 over 800 meters!
In that 3:56.24 Colin Sahlman ran in the Pre Classic, he passed 1500 in 3:39.06, making him 4th A-T HS!
Ellie Shea was paced by Pro Rachel Smith (nee Schneider), but her 1500 of 4:14.35 makes her 8th A-T HS!

Finally, we have a new HSR in the 2000SC!!
Angela Napoleon took care of that by running 6:24.32!!
I just hope she runs the 3000SC this year, because the HSR of 10:00.72 by Brianna Nerud in 2012 is ripe for picking!!

Lots of great stuff coming!
The NCAA's!
The NBN!
The Brooks PR
The Portland Track Festival!
Rome's Golden Gala!

See you soon!

2022 Prefontaine Classic

 Did my Prefontaine Classic Preview help you follow and enjoy the meet?
(As ever, I missed a key name here and there, or was too giddy about a Record falling!)
But we're here to give you the facts--just the facts!

One way for me to measure how good an event was is to see how many athletes made my Top 24 A-T Performers lists (DDD's), or how many improved their marks, if already on the list!
With that criteria in mind, the Women's Two Mile topped the entire 2 days of action!
EIGHT of the runners are now on my World list (Only Konstanze Klosterhalfen was already there!), and SEVEN Americans made my US list!!

NOTE: As my readers know, I do NOT honor any results from Francine Niyonsaba, Caster Semenya, Margaret Wambui, Christine Mboma, or Beatrice Masilingi!!  Thus, the winner (as I see it!) of this race was Beatrice Chebet!!

Beatrice Chebet led a trail of Women in the Friday evening Two Mile, her 9:14.71 giving her the Age 22 Record!
She is ranked 10th A-T World!
Laura Galvan's 9:15.79 is the new National Record of Mexico!
She's ranked 11th A-T World!
KoKo was 3rd in 9:16.73, a PR for her!
She breaks her own National Record of Germany, and ranks 13th A-T World!

The first American was Helen Schlactenhaufen, her 9:17.62 making her 3rd A-T US, and 16th A-T World!
Elly Henes's 9:18.73 was next, making her 4th A-T US, and 17th A-T World!
Her 8:42.58 at 3000 enroute makes her 24th A-T US!
OFF the US list is a real oldies icon, Jan Merrill!
Her 8:42.6 was run in 1978!!

Edinah Jebitok was 6th, her 9:19.01 giving her the best 6th Place mark!
She also gets the Age 20 Record!
It makes her 18th A-T World!
Eleanor Fulton continued the string of US Women on the list!
Her 9:20.17 makes her 5th A-T US, and 20th A-T World!
More significantly, it's the Age 29 Record, and the best 7th Place mark!
Right on her shoulder came Whittni Morgan (formerly Orton), whose 9:20.19 is the best 8th Place mark!
She ranks 6th A-T US, and 21st A-T World!
Dani Jones was 9th in 9:35.67!
This makes her 13th A-T US!
Ella Donaghu ended 10th in 9:40.44!
She ranks 16th A-T US!
Finally, Taryn Rawlings's 9:41.11 ranks her 18th A-T US!

Before this race, the World's 24th place time was close to 9:25--it's now 4 seconds faster!
The US's 24th best was 9:54 & change before, and after, it's 9:44!!
Solid movement, but still WAY more to go!!

The "WR attempts" by Joshua Cheptegei and Letesenbet Gidey both failed!
Cheptegei won, but his 12:57.99 was 22 seconds off his target!
Gidey didn't even win the race!!
Ejgeyehu Taye took over and ran away to a great 14:12.98, giving her the Meet Record, and ranking her 5th A-T World!
Gidey struggled to a 2nd place 14:24.59!
Rachel Daniel was 3rd in 14:36.66, which breaks her own National Record of Eritrea!

The Women's 3000SC was a blazer, but the pair of top Americans didn't do too well!
Norah Tanui, now a citizen of Kazakhstan, broke her own National Record with her 8:57.97 winner!
She also gets the Age 26 Record!
Right with her till the last hurdle was Winfred Yavi, who finished in 8:58.71!
She ranks 7th A-T World!
In 3rd came Mekides Abebe, her 9:03.26 making her 12th A-T World!
Peruth Chemutai was next in 9:05.54, while in 6th was Werkwuha Getachew's 9:07.81!
This makes her 22nd A-T World!

Back a ways, and never in the mix, were Emma Coburn (9:18) and Courtney Frerichs (9:20)!
They were basically rust-busters for the pair!

Faith Kipyegon said she was surprised to run so fast, but I wasn't!
Her 3:52.59 broke her own Meet Record, so where's the surprise?
Plus, she had INdoor WR holder Gudaf Tsegay to push her!
Tsegay wound up running 3:54.21.
Then there was a big gap to the 2nd group, led by Gabby DeBues-Stafford's 3:58.62.
Sinclaire Johnson wins the prize for Biggest Surprise, as her 3:58.85 makes her 7th A-T US!
Jessica Hull's 3:59.31 and Elle Purrier St Pierre's 3:59.68 followed!
Cory McGee ended just 9th, but her 4:00.34 is a PR, and makes her 14th A-T US!

The iconic Bowerman Mile was the last distance race of the day!
There's no stopping Jakob Ingebrigtsen, it seems, no matter the pace!
He eased into place, then went ahead when needed, and won with 3:49.76.
Ollie Hoare took 2nd with his fastest--3:50.65!
Tim Cheruiyot remained steady, timing 3:50.77 in 3rd.
He held off Abel Kipsang's 3:50.87!

Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker used their old Ducks stomping grounds to prove they can run fast OUTdoor miles also!
Hocker's 3:50.97 makes him 12th A-T US!
Teare ran 3:51.70, ranking him 20th A-T US!

OFF the US list are two rather famous names--
Galen Rupp's 3:52.11 from 2013, and Craig Masback's 3:52.02--from 1979!!

Well back in 13th (But not last--that honor went to Clay Murphy!!) came HS sensation Colin Sahlman!
His 3:56.24 puts him 3rd A-T HS, behind only Alan Webb and Jim Ryun!
There are now 13 HS'ers who have gone sub-4 OUTdoors!!

Taken FROM the HS list was one Gerry Lindgren, whose 4:01.5 from 1964 was maybe his LEAST known time!!

Michael Norman ran the closest to his 2019 PR of 43.45 here Saturday, as his 43.60 gave him the Pre Classic Meet Record!!
Kirani James ended 2nd in 44.02, while Matthew Hudson-Smith JUST got the National Record of Great Britain with his 44.35!

Ryan Crouser used a new technique (Find the video on USATF-TV, because I'm an idiot when it comes to explaining technique!!) and won the SP with a Crouser-Common distance of 75-6.25!
Joe Kovacs was in good form, his 73-9.50 taking 2nd!
Tom Walsh threw 72-0.75 to beat the 71-8 by Darrell Hill!

Elaine Thompson-Herah cruised to an easy win in the 100, her 10.79 beating the 10.92's by Sha'Carri Richardson and Sharicka Jackson!
SCR came out in a costume worthy of Cher or Lady Gaga, even showing some cleavage with her deep V-cut top
And her long fingernails reminded me of Gail Devers in 1992!!
Nonetheless, her 10.92 was a solid "comeback" from recent personal controversies!

While Cheptegei failed miserably in his WR try, Berihu Arigawi used the Saturday race to beat the Meet Record, at least!
His 12:50.05 was a solo run, destroying Mo Farah's old MR!
It also ranks him 23rd A-T World!
Sam Tefera ran his first 5000, ending 2nd in 13:06.86!

In the absence of Athing Mu (a 2nd bout of Covid!!), and despite a good kick by Ajee Wilson, young Brit Keely Hodgkinson made her 1:57.72 look easy!
Wilson ended in 1:58.06, beating the 1:58.44 by Raevyn Rogers.
Sage Hurta ran 1:59.59 in 5th!

Other Pre marks---
Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce jogged 22.41 to take the 200!
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn fought a wind of 0.7 to run 12.45 over the 100H!
She beat Tobi Amusan's 12.58!
Khaddi Sagnia Long Jumped 22-9.75 to pull out the W!

Valarie Allman again defeated Sandra Perkovic in the DT, 224-3 to 214-11.
Trayvon Bromell won the 100 over Fred Kerley, 9.93 to 9.98!
Sam Tanner won a 1500 in 3:34.37, beating the 3:34.85 by Neil Gourley!
Back in 5th, but with a good time, came Hobbs Kessler in 3:36.63!

Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh won the High Jump with 6-6.75!
She missed 3 tries at 2.03!
Mondo Duplantis Pole Vaulted "only" 19-4.75, so no MR!
Chris Nilsen took 2nd with 19-0.75!
Matching that height in 3rd was Sondre Guttormsen!
But it makes him 8th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
BTW, Guttormsen also Q'ed for the NCAA in Arkansas on Wednesday, so had just 2 days to travel to Oregon and compete on Friday, since the PV (& Women's DT & HJ) was moved to Friday because of feared bad weather on Saturday!!

Finally, Alison Dos Santos had the 400H all to himself, so his 47.23 looks better knowing it was solo!
(Rai Benjamin was one of many dropouts from the meet just days before the event!!)
Khalifah Rosser was 2nd in 48.10, the same time given to Quincy Hall in 3rd!
Hall's mark ranks him 23rd A-T US!

Not a bad meet, but could've been better!
Too many defectors, not so great weather (but nowhere as bad as feared!), and too close to the USATF for Americans!
The "crowd" barely filled maybe one-third of the seats!
Nonetheless, the array of true elites gave those there a good show!

See you soon!

NCAA Qualifiers & USATF 10K's

 Hope you don't mind waiting a bit for my full Prefontaine Classic report!
I want to give that meet my full attention--and more space than I could if I were to include everything else that happened in the past week!
The most notable "else" were the NCAA "Regionals", but which are better described as qualifying meets for the Championships!
Many would prefer to stop this nonsense, and return to the time when the Championships would already have its final collection of elite Collegiates, and the fans would be able to spend a full 4 days watching everything--from the qualifying rounds for the field events, the Heptathlon and Decathlon, the heats, semis, and finals of all the running events--everything!!
But we instead have...THIS!

The East Regional was in Indiana, while the West was in Arkansas!
Men's events were on Wednesday and Friday, the Women's were on Thursday and Saturday!

EAST
Trey Cunningham ran 13.21 in the 1st round, but then PR'ed in the 2nd, his 13.07 breaking his own Senior Class Record!
He ranks 4th A-T Collegiate, and 21st A-T US!!
Randolph Ross sped 44.23 over one lap to easily "win" the Q prize!
Alia Armstrong opened with a 12.74 in the 100H, but then was outrun in the 2nd round!
Paula Salmon's 12.78 beat the 12.82 by Armstrong!

Marc Minichello had a Javelin Throw of 263-8, making him 20th A-T Collegiate!
Jillian Shippee's Hammer Throw went 229-10, making her 16th A-T Collegiate!
Adelaide Aquilla had a Shot Put of 62-7.75!

The "battle" (including Anavia Battle!) of the short sprinters was watched very closely.
The first round saw (in different races) Abby Steiner run 22.19, Favour Ofili 22.29, and Battle 22.38!
In the 100, Ofili's 11.02 topped the 11.04 by Steiner!
Steiner's 22.01 was helped by the slightest of illegal winds--2.1.
Favour was "favored" by a helping 0.7 to run 22.08!
Not sure if Steiner ran on the 4 X 100 Relay of Kentucky's 42.95, but they were beaten by Ohio State, whose 42.87 makes them 14th A-T School!

Anna Hall ran the 400H in 55.25, beating the 55.36 by Masai Russell.
Again, don't know if Steiner had a leg on Kentucky's 3:26.90 4 X 400 Relay, but it was enough for them to beat Florida's 3:27.37, and Howard's 3:28.91, which makes them 24th A-T School!!

Shannon Lockhart, a Frosh at Providence, had the fastest 1500 in the East, 4:10.80!
Katelyn Tuohy cruised in the 5000, her 15:27.14 beating the 15:29.07 by Parker Valby!

WEST
Micah Williams's 9.86 was the Sprint of the Regionals, East or West!
He gets the Soph Class Record!
And he ranks 2nd A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other, and 11th A-T US, tied with 3 others!
Jonathan Jones took the one lapper in 44.85 over the 44.87 by Jevaughn Powell!
Texas had the fastest 4 X 400 Relay time--3:00.70!
This makes them 15th A-T School!

Julien Alfred had a 1st round time of 11.00 in the Century!
Stacy Ann Williams's 50.70 beat the 51.04 by Charokee Young!
But Alfred sped a windy (2.2) 10.80 in the 2nd round!
Three other fast times--all also windy, from 2.6 to 2.8--went from 10.82 to 10.89!
In their 2nd round, Williams ran 50.66, while Young's 50.80 topped the 50.96 by Kennedy Simon!
Britton Wilson ran just the 400H (and maybe a Relay leg?), but her 54.87 was the fastest, East or West!
Oregon took the 4 X 100 Relay in 42.74.
Arkansas won the 4 X 400 in 3:25.16, followed by Texas's 3:25.93, Texas A&M's 3:26.49, and Baylor's 3:28.38!

Camryn Rogers just keeps upping her game!
And her Collegiate Record!
The Canadian superstar let her Hammer fly 250-10 for the Collegiate Record, the National Record of Canada, and the Senior Class Record!
She also gets the NCAA Meet Record, and ranks 20th A-T World!!
Alyssa Wilson was a good 2nd with her 239-0!
And don't forget, this was just the Qualifying round!!

Moad Zahafi's 800 took just 1:44.65.
Mykolas Alekna had a Discus Throw of 212-10!
Chinecherem Nnamdi's Javelin Throw sailed 266-2, making him 15th A-T Collegiate!
Chengtuaji's (sp??) Mapaya Triple Jumped a good 56-0, making him 19th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!

The 10000's at the USATF Championships were run over three weeks early, and NOT at the USATF Championships!
The 10K's, the Walks, and the Multi's were held separately, on separate dates than the rest of the meet!
While the 10's had the privilege of being held at the same venue--Hayward Field--as the remainder of the meet will be, there was still a strange atmosphere felt during the races!
For one thing, the crowd will no doubt be much larger in late June!

As part of the Friday night evening Distance program at the Pre meet, they went off fairly normally, and we now know who will be on TeamUSA at the World Championships in the longest track races!

The Men ran after the Women, but their race was boring (meaning: tactical & slow), and should have opened the two-race show!
After one of the favorites--Will Kincaid--DNF'ed with a side stitch, the race was set up for a snorefest the rest of the way!
Grant Fisher--with a 26:33 PR--should have just run away with it, but instead, he was outkicked by Joe Klecker late in the game!
Fisher's old Stanford teammate, Sean McGorty, took the 3rd spot with a good kick!
Times aren't even worth mentioning, but for history's sake, Klecker clocked  (Sic!) 28:28.71 to Fisher's 28:28.81, and McGorty's 28:29.57!

The Women's race also began slowly--15:50.43 at 5000--but then Alicia Monson took charge!
After a series of mid to high 70's laps, Monson whipped it down to 71.6!
Only Karissa Schweizer went with her!
(Elise Cranny--she of 30:14 fame--dropped from the entry list a few days before the race!!)
Lap after lap they went, hitting 71's and the occasional 72, all the way until 800 to go!
Someone had to move!
It was Monson, who nailed a 68.
But Schweizer didn't fall apart!
Then the next lap was 64, but Monson first had to stop a Schweizer charge on the inside!
So Karissa went outside, passed her, and that was that!!
Her 30:49.56 included a last 5000 of about 14:58.9!!
Monson's 30:51.09 was ended with a 15:00!!
Schweizer gets the USATF Meet Record, while Monson is now ranked 7th A-T US!

The fight for 3rd was fierce also!
Emily Infeld and Natosha Rogers sprinted like mad down the final 100, with Rogers JUST getting Infeld at the tape--31:29.80 to 31:30.04!!
Weini Kelati, who had been up front for the first half, faded to 5th, time of 31:39.90!

Some good Combined Event totals for Monson!
Her 14:42.56 and 30:51.09 adds to 45:33.65!
This makes her 6th A-T US!
Add her 3000 of 8:40.08 to that C-E total, and you have her 54:13.73 making her 5th A-T US!

To save even more space on my Pre report, I'll close with a few assorted marks from elsewhere---
Tori Franklin TJ'ed 47-0.75 in a meet in Greece!
Daniel Stahl went to Iceland (!!) to have his Discus go 227-3!
Great Britain's Jessie Knight had a good 400H time of 54.09 in Belgium!

And in the California State HS meet, there was a good Girls 1600!!
You know my thoughts on that distance, but this was a quality race!
Sadie Englehardt won it in 4:36.67!
Dalia Frias stayed close, running 4:37.09 for 2nd.
And in 3rd came the 4:37.37 by Sam McDonnell!!
(I'll assume that "Sam" is short for Samantha!!)

The Prefontaine Classic post is coming soon!!

Prefontaine Classic Preview

 This is it, my friends!
It's serious from this point forward!
Named after a man who redefined the words "tough" & "charisma", the 2022 Prefontaine Classic is just hours away!
A brief Guide to this Preview---
The events are listed in order of the (updated) schedule!
I give the Meet Record, and name a few athletes to key on.
This is NOT a Predictions Preview!
The 10000's are part of the USATF Championships, and while on the Pre Classic event schedule, are SEPARATE FROM this meet, as far as Meet Records go!
I'm doing this Preview based on the latest information available about who's in and who's not!
Lots of "discussion" has been ongoing on the T&FN Message Board about Athing Mu, Lamont Jacobs, Elise Cranny, and other late withdrawals from the meet!
But as you'll soon see, this is still one of the greatest & deepest fields of elite athletes ever assembled!
Three Field events have been moved to tonight's schedule, due to forecasts of weather bad for these events on Saturday!
So without further ado---!

FRIDAY, May 27th
Pole Vault--MEN (Meet Record is 19-10.25)
Mondo Duplantis is here!
The MR is in mortal danger!
Only Chris Nilsen is a credible threat, should Mondo be a bit "off".
Watch also for the Lavillenie brothers, Renaud & Valentin!
KC Lightfoot is also entered.

High Jump--WOMEN  (6-8)
As at the World INdoors, Yaroslava Muhuchukh should be the most watched & the most loved--and for the same reason--She's from Ukraine!!
Plus, she's a viable MR challenger!
Yuliya Levchenko and Nicole Olyslager (nee McDermott) are ones to watch!
Vashti Cunningham will give the home crowd someone to cheer for!

10000--WOMEN (USATF MR is 30:59.97)
Elise Cranny is not here, saying she's not ready!
That leaves her BTC teammate Karissa Schweizer to break the tape first, assuming SHE's ready!!
I think she is!
As are Alicia Monson, Weini Kelati, Emily Infeld, and Natasha Rogers!
Marielle Hall and Ednah Kurgat are others to watch.
This will be Stephanie Bruce's last USATF Championship race (unless she's also in the 5000!).

10000--MEN (USATF MR is 27:39.4 from 1979!  NOTE: I have separate MR's for the Olympic Trials!  So the OLY Trials MR of 27:25.33 is for THAT meet, not the annual USATF Champs!!)
Grant Fisher!
If he's in 12:53 & 26:33 shape, he'll not only win this race, but dictate how it plays out!
Offering SOME threat are Joe Klecker, Will Kincaid, Lopez Lomong, Ben True, Sean McGorty, Emmanuel Bor, and Shadrack Kipchirchir!
The MR should go down!!

Discus Throw--WOMEN  (227-5)
In their recent duel, Valarie Allman's 222 beat Sandra Perkovic's 220!
So the MR will insist they do better here!
I'm sure they will!
If they're both ON, watch for the 230 line to be crossed--maybe a few times!
One of the greatest clashes of this meet, and maybe of 2022!!
Kristin Pudenz and Liliana Ca are others to watch.

Two Mile--WOMEN  (9:06.74---NOTE--I ignore all marks by Francine Niyonsaba, so this MR is the one my Record Book and blog recognizes!!)
Not the greatest field, but good enough to create several revisions to my Top 24 A-T Performers lists!!
Konstanze Klosterhalfen could get the MR!
Beatrice Chebet will challenge!
Top Americans include Dani Jones, Helen Schlactenhaufen, Elly Henes, Whittni Orton Morgan, Ella Donaghu, Anna Camp Bennett, Eleanor Fulton, and Taryn Rawlings!
They need 9:24.89 to make the World list, and just 9:54.51 to make the US list!!
KK is currently 13th A-T World!
None of the Americans here are on that list, and neither are any of them on the US list!!
Can all 8 make it there tonight??

5000--WOMEN  (14:19.76)
Letesenbet Gidey has said she'll chase the WORLD Record here--weather permitting!
I put little credence in WR promises, wavelights, pacers, and "new shooz" notwithstanding!
But Gidey is serious shit!
She has THREE WR's, including the 5K!
And she will have some credible challengers--Fantu Worku, Caroline Kipkurui, Ejgeyehu Taye, Winnie Chebet, and Lemlem Hailu!
Is Rebecca Mehra there to rabbit, or to race?

5000--MEN  (12:56.98)
Reprint what I said about Gidey, but change the name to Joshua Cheptegei!
Yep, another WR attempt, he says!
While Hassan Mead, Zouhair Talbi, and Mason Ferlic are mainly lane fillers, watch to see what Ed Cheserek does!!
Will he stay with Cheptegei past halfway??

SATURDAY, May 28th
1500--MEN  (3:32.72)
This is the "B" race, or whatever it's called!
It has some top tier names--Neil Gourley, Sam Tanner, Marc Scott, Sam Prakel, Colby Alexander--and Hobbs Kessler!!

Long Jump--WOMEN  (23-11.75)
Is Ivana Vuleta (formerly Spanovic) ready to rip one?
What has Tara Davis been doing, aside from getting married, that is??
Esa Brume and Lorraine Ugen will make those ladies nervous!!

400H--MEN  (47.16)
Let's face it---we all wish Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin were here!
They're not--though Benjamin HAD been entered!
That said, Alison Dos Santos ain't a dead fish!
His 46.72 PR will threaten the MR--even in a solo run!
Yasmani Copello, Jaheel Hyde, and Quincy Hall will fill some lanes.

5000--MEN  (12:56.98)
Assuming the MR has already been smashed to 1000 pieces last night, the "new" MR will survive!!
But this field is good!
In fact, aside from Cheptegei, it's deeper than Friday's version!!
We have Berihu Aregawi, Selemon Barega, Jacob Kiplimo, Getnet Wale, Sam Tefera, Mo Ahmed, and Paul Chelimo, who is always "interesting"!

100--WOMEN  (10.54)
Whether the MR goes will be dependent on the wind reading, and whether the LOADED field is even thinking about times!!
Listen, friends!!
We have Elaine Thompson-Herah!
We have Dina Asher-Smith!
And Marie Josee Ta Lou, INdoor 60 World Champion Mujinga Kambundji, Shericka Jackson, Twanisha Terry, Teahna Daniels, and the youngster Brianna Williams!
Oh golly, I forgot!
We have someone who just survived an "abusive" lesbian relationship with Janeek Brown, and lived to kiss & tell about it to the 4 corners--and beyond!
Yes, the unclassifiable Sha'Carri Richardson!!
Put 9-1-1 on speed dial!!

100H--WOMEN  (12.24)
I'm not so sure this MR will last another year!
JCQ--aka Jasmine Camacho-Quinn is here, she of 12.26 fame!
Not to mention the WR holder, Kendra Harrison!
Then there's Nia Ali, Danielle Williams, Tobi Amusan, Anna Cockrell, and the late addition, Tonea Marshall!

1500--WOMEN  (3:53.23)
The MR has an "iffy" chance to fall, but even more fun will be watching Laura Muir and Faith Kipyegon go head to head!
Gudaf Tsegay, the INdoor WR holder, will give serious challenge, as might Jessica Hull!
Gabby DeBues-Stafford can't be denied, nor can Frewayni Hailu!
Then there's the Americans--Elle Purrier St Pierre, Sinclaire Johnson, Shannon Osika, and Josette Norris!
Only EPSP and Norris, among the Americans, have gone sub-4 OUTdoors!!

400--MEN  (43.92)
Will Michael Cherry finally go sub-44??
(And break the MR in the process??)
Michael Norman, Vernon Norwood, and Kirani James are in the race also!
Is Norman ready to BE Michael Norman??

Shot Put--MEN  (75-11.50)
Ryan Crouser has been somewhat "off" of late, despite having thrown in the 73's!
And remember his shocking loss to Darlan Romani INdoors!
But ALSO remember his gigantic World Record, and his steady put-put-put output (Sic!) of throws in the 74's, 75's, and his massive WR!!
He'll have Tom Walsh, Joe Kovacs, and Darrell Hill shadowing him!

800--WOMEN  (1:55.04)
Note the MR, then note that the holder of that mark AIN'T here!!!
(Read the T&FN MB thread about her withdrawal--it's, um, fascinating!  Let's Run's MB should be jealous!)
Whatever--the Brit Babes (My given moniker!) are here--Keely Hodgkinson and Jemma Reekie!
In Athing Mu's absence, Hodgkinson might feel she has something to prove--that she doesn't need Mu in the field to run FAST!!
Then there are Natoya Goule, Halimah Nakaayi, Raevyn Rogers!
We also have the Wilson's--the unrelated Allie and Ajee!
Remember that Allie recently exploded to a 1:58.18 PR!

3000SC--WOMEN  (8:53.65)
America's Dynamic Duo are here!
Will Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs go after the latter's American Record of 8:57.77??
Can they stay with Norah Tanui (Jeruto), Celiphine Chespol, Winfred Yavi, and Peruth Chemutai??
Even if it rains, what Steepler is afraid of getting wet??
LOL

200--WOMEN  (21.77)
I've been waiting for years for SAFP (Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce) to run REALLY fast over half a lap!
I know, she's run 21.79, but I'm talking F-A-S-T!!!
As in, well under this MR!!
Mujinga Kambundji is entered here also, but will she have enough left after the 100 to give serious challenge??
Brittany Brown, Jenna Prandini, Tamara Clark, and the youngster Shawnti Jackson are also in the field!

Bowerman Mile--MEN  (3:47.24)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen looked cool and calm at the press conference this morning!
He may just hang on to a solid pace, then whip through a final 200 that will take down the already super sensational Meet Record that HE set last August!!
Ollie Hoare, Abel Kipsang (Watch him closely!), Tim Cheruiyot, Cooper Teare, and Cole Hocker will try to hang with him--without damaging their own race!
Then there's the HS wonder, Colin Sahlman!
Can he come close to Alan Webb's 2001 HSR??
Or even just go sub-4...again??

100--MEN  (9.80)
This Historic Invitational (I generally ignore its Diamond League connection!) end with the Men's Century!
Despite--or maybe because of--Lamont Jacobs's withdrawal, the race could be a blazer!
Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarek, Noah Lyles, and Trayvon Bromell will be fighting for American pride and the flag and all that!
But Canadian Andre De Grasse won't be left in the blocks---we hope!
And what about Erriyon Knighton, who has that unbelievable 19.49 to his credit--but who has yet to go sub-10??
Assuming he gets THAT, how far under does he go?
9.7, 9.8?
Pray for a legal wind reading!!

Have a great time, and thank you for using this Preview as your handy guide!!

See you soon!