The Track & Field Superblog

Moving to a New Website!

2011-05-08T06:34:00.000-04:00

I have a new website for the blog: http://tracksuperfan.com.

So update your bookmarks. Call the neighbors. Wake the kids.

Don't worry, the blog will still be there will all the same stuff you've come to ~~tolerate~~ love. But there's more. Lots more. Tons more. And more added every day.

College Power Rankings

2011-05-04T19:32:00.001-04:00

Not much has changed at the top since last week. Powerful performances by LSU and Texas A&M at the Penn Relays prove why they're at the top of the rankings for both men and women.

The Superfan’s Men’s Power Rankings for May 4, 2011
(last week's ranking in parenthesis)
1. Texas A&M (1)
2. LSU (2)
3. Florida (4)
4. Florida State (3)
5. BYU (9)
6. Texas (5)
7. Arkansas (6)
8. Stanford (20)
9. Minnesota (7)
10. Nebraska (12)
11. Oregon (11)
12. Wisconsin (14)
13. Texas Tech (13)
14. Virginia Tech (10)
15. UCLA (15) - beat Southern Cal
16. Southern Cal (8) - lost to UCLA
17. Arizona State (16) - beat Arizona and Northern Arizona
18. Georgia (17)
19. Arizona (22) - lost to Arizona State, beat Northern Arizona
20. Indiana (18)
21. Ohio State (21)
22. Oklahoma (24)
23. Washington (19) - beat Washington State
24. Iowa (23)
25. Penn State (NR)
Close, but not quite: Air Force, Akron, Baylor, Cornell, Houston, Mississippi St., New Mexico, North Carolina, Princeton, Washington St.

The big movement upward was made by Stanford. This is partly due to me still tinkering with the formula, but also because they ran some pretty good times at the Cardinal Invitational.

The big movement downward was made by Southern Cal, who lost at home to UCLA.

The Superfan’s Women’s Power Rankings for May 4, 2011
(last week's ranking in parenthesis)
1. Texas A&M (1)
2. LSU (2)
3. Oregon (3)
4. Arkansas (5)
5. Nebraska (7)
6. Clemson (4)
7. Texas (6)
8. Oklahoma (9)
9. Arizona State (11) - beat Arizona and Northern Arizona
10. Arizona (8) - lost to Arizona State, beat Northern Arizona
11. Stanford (14)
12. Florida State (10)
13. Southern Cal (15) - beat UCLA
14. Texas Tech (12)
15. BYU (13)
16. Tennessee (17)
17. Penn State (20)
18. Georgia (18)
19. North Carolina (16)
20. Ohio State (19)
21. California (22)
22. Auburn (24)
23. Florida (NR)
24. Indiana (25)
25. Central Florida (21)
Close, but not quite: Baylor, Duke, Kansas State, Louisville, Michigan, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Sacramento St., South Carolina, Southern Illinois

More to the story

2011-05-03T18:20:00.001-04:00

Lots of time to kill at this meet. Plus I'm learning how to blog efficiently on an iPhone.

You may have heard the naked marathoner tased by police story. It even made it onto NPR today.

The guy, Brett Henderson, evaded police and refused to stop when ordered. Yeah, he was racing, but it's not like he could have been wearing a race number. I don't think there's a police officer in the country who would have let it go.

His story doesn't pass the smell test.

Both Henderson and his mother (!) said Monday that he had borrowed a pair of running shorts from his father, but they kept slipping down as he ran. “I looked but couldn’t find a drawstring … I kept fighting and pulling on them, and then the elastic gave way so I let them drop,” said Henderson.

That sounds fishy. But this is the kicker:

“This is something that happens and is tolerated in the running culture, along with runners who sometimes (urinate) or defecate during a race. Shouldn’t that be considered indecent exposure, too, if what I did was indecent? In fact, running naked was encouraged in a marathon I ran in San Francisco, so I don’t know why this was such a big deal.”

That's just weird.

Who is Brett Henderson? I got the following in an e-mail. Now, let me say that I haven't been able to check out the story yet. But this is what was sent to me.

This guy was a 2 time state wrestling champion at Graham HS. He was a former student of mine in elem. His mom was a teacher and his dad and mom now are bigtime realtors here. He was at West Point for 3 yrs and a varsity wrestler and letter winner there; kicked out for some unknown reason. He just moved back here from LA, where he was arrested a few yrs. ago by FBI for insider trading......

Weird.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Major track facility expanding

2011-05-03T17:33:00.001-04:00

A quick note as I sit in the pressbox working a truly dull high school tri-meet...

There is major expansion going on at an already major facility for track (and all kinds of other sports too). The GaREAT Sports Center in Geneva, Ohio, is changing its name to the Spire Academy.

The place already has a 300 meter 8-lane indoor facility which has fantastic spectator amenities and hosted this year's NAIA Championships. It already has a top-quality outdoor track.

So how is it being expanded? A second outdoor track. A throws stadium. Yeah, stadium. Michael Johnson will be training athletes on-site, and there will be dormitory space.

The facilities for other sports are similarly off-the-charts excellent. Read on. It's amazing..

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Who Did What: College Track Weekend Roundup

2011-05-03T08:11:00.002-04:00

This is the Penn / Drake Relays edition of the roundup. Penn takes and publishes splits, Drake does not. Get with it, Iowans!

Rankings within each event reflect the latest Track and Field News formcharts.

MEN

100 meters
1. Jeff Demps (Florida) - ran 4x100 and 4x200 at Penn
2. Ngoni Makusha’ (Florida State) - idle
3. Mookie Salaam (Oklahoma) - won Drake Relays (10.20)
4. Maurice Mitchell (Florida State) - idle
5. Gerald Phiri' (Texas A&M) - ran 4x100 and 4x200 at Penn
6. Prezel Hardy (Texas A&M) - idle
7. Charles Silmon (TCU) - 2nd at Penn Relays (10.41) behind Mvumvure (LSU)
8. Michael Granger (Mississippi) - 2nd at Drake Relays (10.24), ran 4x100
9. Woodrow Randall (Baylor) - did not qualify to Drake finals (10.96), ran 4x100 and 4x200
10. D'Angelo Cherry (Mississippi State) - idle

200 meters
1. Mookie Salaam (Oklahoma) - see 100 meters
2. Maurice Mitchell (Florida State) - idle
3. Brandon Byram (Florida State) - idle
4. Horatio Williams (LSU) - did not qualify to Penn 100m finals, ran 4x100 and 4x200
5. Antonio Sales (South Carolina) - ran 4x100 and 4x200, split 47.22 at Penn
6. Terrell Wilks (Florida) - ran 4x100, 4x200 and sprint medley at Penn
7. Gerald Phiri' (Texas A&M) - see 100 meters
8. Charles Clark (Florida State) - idle
9. Whitney Prevost (Baylor) - ran 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 at Drake
10. Dentarius Locke (Tennessee) - ran 4x100 at Penn Relays

400 meters
1. Kirani James' (Alabama) - split 44.6 at Penn (on Grenada team in USA v. The World)
2. Demetrius Pinder’ (Texas A&M) - ran 4x100 and 4x200, split 44.98 at Penn
3. Tabarie Henry' (Texas A&M) - ran 4x200 and sprint medley, split 44.87 at Penn
4. Gil Roberts (Texas Tech) - split 45.66 at Penn
5. Joey Hughes (USC) - 2nd in 200m vs. UCLA (21.13)
6. Josh Mance (USC) - 4th in 200m vs UCLA (21.20)
7. Michael Berry (Oregon) - idle
8. Torrin Lawrence (Georgia) - ran 4x100 and 4x400 at Drake
9. Darius Law (UNC Charlotte) - idle
10. Errol Nolan (Houston) - ran on 4x100 and 4x400 at Penn

800 meters
1. Robby Andrews (Virginia) - split 1:46.00 at Penn
2. Charles Jock (UC Irvine) - won Steve Scott Invitational 400m (46.30)
3. Cas Loxsom (Penn State) - split 1:46.70 and 46.3 (400m) at Penn
4. Fred Samoei’ (Alabama) - 5th (1st collegian) at Drake Relays mile (3:59.34)
5. Elijah Greer (Oregon) - idle
6. Mike Rutt (Connecticut) - split 1:47.67 at Penn
7. Cory Primm (UCLA) - won at USC (1:48.18)
8. Michael Preble (Texas A&M) - split 1:47.19 and 46.5 (400m) at Penn
9. Lance Roller (Virginia) - split 1:48.13 at Penn
10. Aaron Evans’ (Georgia) - won Drake Relays (1:48.93)

1500 meters
1. Miles Batty (BYU) - split 4:01.34 (1600m) and 1:47.38 (800m) at Penn
2. Matthew Centrowitz (Oregon) - idle
3. Dumisani Hlaselo’ (Florida) - idle
4. Dorian Ulrey (Arkansas) - split 4:02.43 (1600m) and 3:58.3 (mile) at Penn
5. Chris O’Hare’ (Tulsa) - 3rd (1st collegian) at Drake Relays mile (3:58.77)
6. A.J. Acosta (Oregon) - idle
7. Ryan Foster’ (Penn State) - split 1:47.95 and 1:48.78 (800m) at Penn
8. Duncan Phillips (Arkansas) - split 1:49.05 (800m) at Penn
9. German Fernandez (Oklahoma State) - 3rd (1st collegian) in heat at Cardinal Invitational (3:44.18)
10. Kris Gauson’ (Butler) - 2nd in 800m at Stan Lyons Invitational (1:49.84)

Steeplechase
1. Matt Hughes’ (Louisville) - idle
2. Donn Cabral (Princeton) - split 4:03.1 (mile) at Penn
3. Hillary Bor' (Iowa State) - ran on 4x1600m and distance medley at Drake
4. Bret Hales (Weber State) - won 5000m at Idaho-Utah Border Clash (14:46.28)
5. Cory Leslie (Ohio State) - idle
6. Travis Mahoney (Temple) - ran on distance medley at Penn Relays
7. DeSean Turner (Indiana) - split 2:56.53 (1200m) and 4:01.3 (mile) at Penn
8. Steve Sodaro (Cal) - idle
9. Stephen Finley (Oregon) - 9th (1st collegian) at Cardinal Invitational (8:36.98)
10. Ryan McDermott (Duke) - split 4:07.1 (mile) at Penn

5000 meters
1. Leonard Korir’ (Iona) - 8th (2nd collegian) in heat at Cardinal Invitational (27:29.40)
2. Elliott Heath (Stanford) - 2nd (1st collegian) in heat at Cardinal Invitational (13:26.14)
3. Sam Chelanga' (Liberty) - won Radford highlander Invitational (14:02.57)
4. Lawi Lalang’ (Arizona) - won 1500m (3:44.20) and 3000m (8:00.07) vs. Arizona State and Northern Arizona
5. Kevin Schwab (Oklahoma) - 3rd (1st collegian) in heat at Cardinal Invitational (13:40.81)
6. Maverick Darling (Wisconsin) - split 4:06.5 (1600m) at Drake
7. Ciaran O’Lionaird’ (Florida State) - ran 4xmile at Penn
8. Justin Tyner (Air Force) - 10th (2nd collegian) in steeplechase at Cardinal Invitational (8:37.54)
9. Ben Cheruiyot’ (Auburn) - Won Penn Relays 10k (29:18.58)
10. Hassan Mead (Minnesota) - ran on 4x1600m at Drake

10,000 meters
1. Sam Chelanga' (Liberty) - see 5000 meters
2. Ciaran O’Lionaird’ (Florida State) - see 5000 meters
3. Chris Derrick (Stanford) - 7th (4th collegian) in 5000m heat at Cardinal Invitational (13:29.74)
4. Stephen Sambu’ (Arizona) - 7th (1st collegian) in heat at Cardinal Invitational (27:28.64)
5. Mohammed Ahmed’ (Wisconsin) - idle
6. Diego Estrada (Northern Arizona) - 4th (3rd collegian) in 5000m heat at Cardinal Invitational (13:26.94)
7. Alfred Kipchumba’ (Portland) - 17th (9th collegian) in 5000m heat at Cardinal Invitational (13:40.98)
8. Colby Lowe (Oklahoma State) - idle
9. Jake Riley (Stanford) - 15th (7th collegian) in 5000m heat at Cardinal Invitational (13:39.49)
10. Joe Bosshard (Colorado) - 10th (6th collegian) in 5000m heat at Cardinal Invitational (13:34.57)

110m Hurdles
1. Barrett Nugent (LSU) - 2nd at Penn Relays (13.70)
2. Omo Osaghae (Texas Tech) - won Penn Relays (13.35)
3. Andrew Riley’ (Illinois) - 4th (1st collegian) at Drake Relays invitational section (13.63)
4. Oscar Spurlock (USC) - won vs. UCLA (13.47)
5. Ray Stewart (Cal) - won 200m at Cardinal Invitational (21.61)
6. Ronald Brookins (Sacramento State) - ran 100m (10.67w) and long jumped (6.90w) at Bulldog Invitational
7. Keiron Stewart’ (Texas) - dnf at Penn Relays, split 46.32
8. Brendan Ames (USC) - 2nd vs. UCLA (13.88)
9. Jeffrey Julmis (Kansas State) - idle
10. Wayne Davis (Texas A&M) - 4th (3rd D-1) at Penn Relays (13.80)

400m Hurdles
1. Jeshua Anderson (Washington State) - 2nd in 400m (47.12), won 110H (14.18), anchored 4x400 at Washington
2. Amaechi Morton’ (Stanford) - won 400m at Cardinal Invitational (46.52)
3. Bryce Brown (Texas Tech) - 2nd (1st D-I) at Penn Relays (50.92), split 47.5
4. Jamele Mason’ (Texas Tech) - split 44.85 at Penn
5. Reggie Wyatt (USC) - won vs. UCLA (50.38)
6. Lee Moore (Mississippi) - won Drake Relays (49.96), ran on 4x400
7. Leslie Murray’ (Delaware State) - split 46.03 at Penn
8. Eric Bailey (Oklahoma) - 2nd at Drake Relays (50.39), ran on 4x100
9. David Aristil (South Florida) - idle
10. William Wynne (Florida) - last in heat at Penn Relays (55.68)

High Jump
1. Erik Kynard (Kansas State) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Drake invitational section (2.31m)
2. Ricky Robertson (Mississippi) - 3rd (2nd collegian) at Drake invitational section (2.28m)
3. James Harris (Mississippi State) - 4th at Penn Relays (2.19m)
4. Edgar Rivera’ (Arizona) - 2nd vs. Arizona State and Northern Arizona (2.21m)
5. Geoff Davis (Purdue) - 5th at Penn Relays (2.16m)
6. Dwight Barbiasz (Maryland) - 2nd at Penn Relays (2.19m)
7. David Smith (Auburn) - won Drake Relays collegiate section (2.22m)
8. Nick Ross (Arizona) - won vs. Arizona State and Northern Arizona (2.21m)
9. Paul Hamilton (Nebraska) - 3rd in Drake Relays collegiate section (2.19m)
10. Maalik Reynolds (Penn) - won Penn Relays (2.23m)

Pole Vault
1. Scott Roth (Washington) - 2nd vs Washington State (4.86) behind Fegles (Washington)
2. Jack Whitt (Oral Roberts) - won Williams/Laptab Invitational (5.53m)
3. Jordan Scott (Kansas) - 2nd at Williams/Laptab Invitational (5.43m)
4. Ben Peterson (Minnesota) - won Drake Relays (5.20m)
5. Victor Weirich (BYU) - won Bulldog Invitational (5.35m)
6. Hunter Hall (Virginia Tech) - won Radford Highlander Invitational (5.05m)
7. Chris Little (BYU) - 3rd at Bulldog Invitational (5.20m)
8. Marcus McGehee (LSU) - last in Penn Relays championship section (4.90m)
9. Greg Woepse (UCLA) - won at USC (5.20m)
10. Michael Viken (Eastern Illinois) - no height at Drake Relays

Long Jump
1. Ngoni Makusha' (Florida State) - idle
2. Marquise Goodwin (Texas) - won Penn Relays (8.01w)
3. Will Claye (Florida) - 3rd at Penn Relays (7.91w)
4. Bryce Lamb (Texas Tech) - 6th at Penn Relays (7.78m)
5. Chris Phipps (Nebraska) - won Drake Relays (7.99w)
6. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - 9th at Penn Relays (7.35m)
7. Tarik Batchelor’ (Arkansas) - 5th at Penn Relays (7.79m)
8. Christian Taylor (Florida) - ran relays at Penn
9. Justin Hunter (Tennessee) - 4th at Penn Relays (7.88m)
10. Mike Hartfield (Ohio State) - 2nd at Drake Relays (7.95w)

Triple Jump
1. Will Claye (Florida) - see long jump
2. Christian Taylor (Florida) - see long jump
3. Julian Reid’ (Texas A&M) - 8th in long jump (7.57m) at Penn Relays
4. Omar Craddock (Florida) - won Penn Relays (16.46m)
5. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - see long jump
6. Tyron Stewart (Texas A&M) - 7th in long jump (7.69m) at Penn Relays
7. Troy Doris (Iowa) - 4th (2nd D-I) at Drake Relays (15.67m)
8. Chris Carter (Houston) - 3rd (2nd D-I) at Penn Relays (15.79m)
9. Hasheem Halim (Virginia Tech) - idle
10. Kyron Blaise’ (LSU) - 13th in long jump (7.20m) at Penn Relays

Shot Put
1. Mason Finley (Kansas) - won ULM Warhawk Classic (19.60m)
2. Luke Pinkelman (Nebraska) - won Drake Relays (18.25m)
3. Stephen Saenz (Auburn) - idle
4. Hayden Baillio (Texas) - won Penn relays (19.51m)
5. Jordan Clarke (Arizona State) - won vs. Arizona and Northern Arizona (18.65m)
6. Leif Arrhenius’ (BYU) - idle
7. Robert Golabek (Buffalo) - 2nd at Penn Relays (19.08m)
8. Blake Eaton (Penn State) - 7th at Penn Relays (17.88m)
9. Bozidar Antunovi ’ (Arizona) - 2nd vs. Arizona State and Northern Arizona (18.06m)
10. Michael Putman’ (Florida State) - idle

Discus Throw
1. Leif Arrhenius' (BYU) - idle
2. Mason Finley (Kansas) - won ULM Warhawk Classic (60.65m)
3. Julian Wruck' (Texas Tech) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Mean Green Twilight (59.94m)
4. James Plummer (Rutgers) - won Penn Relays (58.26m)
5. Michael Putman’ (Florida State) - idle
6. Dan Block (Wisconsin) - 5th (2nd collegian) at Drake Relays (55.72m)
7. Alex Rose (Central Michigan) - won Lyle Bennett Open (54.89m)
8. Luke Bryant (Oklahoma) - 6th (2nd D-1) at Mean Green Twilight (52.74m)
9. Jake Deiters (Southern Illinois) - 7th (4th collegian) at Drake Relays (53.24m)
10. Chad Wright’ (Nebraska) - 2nd at Penn Relays (57.34m)

Hammer Throw
1. Marcel Lomnický' (Virginia Tech) - idle
2. Alexander Ziegler' (Virginia Tech) - idle
3. Trey Henderson’ (USC) - won vs. UCLA (66.62m)
4. Dimítrios Fylladitákis' (UTEP) - 4th (3rd collegian) at Drake Relays (66.66m)
5. Walter Henning (LSU) - won Penn Relays (63.49m)
6. Justin Welch (Georgia) - won Drake Relays (68.63m)
7. Chris Cralle (Sam Houston St) - idle
8. K.P. Singh (Oklahoma) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Mean Green Twilight (62.02m)
9. Michael Lauro (LSU) - 2nd at Penn Relays (62.80m)
10. Ben Bishop (SIU-Edwardsville) - 18th at Drake Relays (58.39m)

Javelin Throw
1. Craig Kinsley (Brown) - idle
2. Ignacio Guerra’ (Western Kentucky) - won Drake Relays (75.10m)
3. Sam Humphreys (Texas A&M) - idle
4. Tim Glover (Illinois State) - 2nd at Drake Relays (73.65m)
5. Cooper Thompson (USC) - won vs. UCLA (69.10)
6. Kyle Nielsen' (Washington) - 2nd vs Washington State (72.89m) behind Zimmerman (Washington)
7. Nick Lyons (Baylor) - 6th at Drake Relays (64.51m)
8. Brian Moore (Georgia) - 5th at Drake Relays (67.23m)
9. Pontus Thomée’ (Boise State) - threw discus at Idaho-Utah Border Clash
10. Matt Byers (Iowa) - 4th at Drake Relays (68.10m)

Decathlon
1. Mike Morrison (Cal) - 110H (14.92), 400m (51.44), DT (39.14) at Cardinal Invitational
2. Mateo Sossah' (North Carolina) - idle
3. Gray Horn (Florida) - shuttle hurdles, LJ (7.49w) at Penn Relays
4. Miller Moss (Clemson) - ran 4x200 and 4x400 at Penn Relays
5. Lars Rise' (Missouri) - idle
6. Romain Martin’ (UT Arlington) - idle
7. Michael Ayers (Georgia) - idle
8. Jeremy Taiwo (Washington) - 110H (14.65), LJ (7.11m), PV (4.86m), 4x400 vs Washington State
9. Curtis Beach (Duke) - split 1:50.73 and 1:48.08 (800m) at Penn
10. David Klech (Oregon) - idle

WOMEN

100 meters
1. Kya Brookins (South Carolina) - 2nd (1st D-I) at Penn Relays (11.39), ran 4x100
2. Jeneba Tarmoh (Texas A&M) - ran 4x100, split 52.1 at Penn Relays
3. Semoy Hackett’ (LSU) - 3rd (2nd D-I) at Penn Relays (11.43), ran 4x100 and SMR
4. Jessica Young (TCU) - ran 4x100, split 52.3 at Penn Relays
5. Tiffany Townsend (Baylor) - 2nd at Drake Relays (11.19) behind McGrone (Oklahoma), ran 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400
6. Aurieyall Scott (Central Florida) - ran 4x100, split 51.87 at Penn Relays
7. Shayla Mahan (South Carolina) - ran 4x100 at Penn Relays
8. Jessica Davis (USC) - won vs. UCLA (11.24), 2nd in 200m (23.25)
9. English Gardner (Oregon) - idle
10. Dominique Duncan (Texas A&M) - ran 4x100 and 4x200 at Penn Relays

200 meters
1. Kimberlyn Duncan (LSU) - ran 4x100 and SMR at Penn Relays
2. Jeneba Tarmoh (Texas A&M) - see 100 meters
3. Sheniqua Ferguson’ (Auburn) - did not qualify to 100m finals at Penn (11.92), ran 4x100 and 4x200
4. Aareon Payne (USC) - won vs. UCLA (23.14), 2nd in 100m (11.45)
5. Dominique Duncan (Texas A&M) - see 100 meters
6. Aurieyall Scott (Central Florida) - see 100 meters
7. Tiffany Townsend (Baylor) - see 100 meters
8. Candyce McGrone (Oklahoma) - won Drake Relays 100 meters (11.17), ran 4x100 and 4x400
9. Jessica Young (TCU) - see 100 meters
10. Stormy Kendrick (Clemson) - ran 4x100 and 4x200 at Penn Relays

400 meters
1. Jessica Beard (Texas A&M) - ran 4x200, split 52.02 at Penn Relays
2. Joanna Atkins (Auburn) - ran 4x100 and 4x200 at Penn Relays
3. Shelise Williams (Arkansas) - 6th (1st collegian) at Drake Relays (52.92), ran 4x400
4. Amber Purvis (Oregon) - idle
5. Endurance Abinuwa’ (UTEP) - did not qualify to Drake Relays 100m final
6. Regina George’ (Arkansas) - ran 4x200, 4x400 and SMR at Drake Relays
7. Chantel Malone’ (Texas) - split 52.62 at Penn
8. Ibukun Mayungbe’ (Texas A&M) - ran SMR, split 52.4 at Penn Relays
9. Marlena Wesh (Clemson) - ran 4x100 and 4x200 at Penn Relays
10. Sharay Hale (Columbia) - ran on 4x100 and winning Heps 4x400 at Penn

800 meters
1. Anne Kesselring’ (Oregon) - idle
2. Lea Wallace (Sacramento State) - 7th (2nd collegian) in 1500m heat at Cardinal Invitational (4:11.31)
3. Jillian Smith (Michigan) - split 4:40.67 (1600m) at Penn
4. Christina Rodgers (Arizona) - won vs. Arizona State and Northern Arizona (2:04.16)
5. Lacey Bleazard (BYU) - split 2:06.50 and 2:07.23 at Penn
6. Renee Tomlin (Georgetown) - split 2:04.77, 3:19.81 (1200m) and 4:23.9 (1500m) at Penn
7. Chanelle Price (Tennessee) - split 2:04.27 and 2:03.46 at Penn
8. Katie Palmer (BYU) - split 2:03.35 and 3:23.27 (1200m) at Penn
9. Brittany Hall (LSU) - split 2:08.65, 2:07.83 and 2:07.43 at Penn
10. Kate Grace (Yale) - split 2:07.47 and 3:19.53 (1200m) at Penn

1500 meters
1. Jessica Pixler (Colorado) - idle
2. Sheila Reid’ (Villanova) - split 4:43.83 (1600m) and 4:13.4 at Penn
3. Emily Infeld (Georgetown) - split 4:31.56 (1600m), 4:16.9 and 2:07.19 (800m) at Penn
4. Kate Van Buskirk’ (Duke) - split 4:34.08 (1600m) and 2:05.70 (800m) at Penn
5. Lucy Van Dalen’ (Stony Brook) - split 3:19.87 (1200m) and 2:08.43 (800m) at Penn
6. Cory McGee (Florida) - split 2:07.53 (800m) at Penn
7. Stephanie Brown (Arkansas) - dnf at Cardinal Invitational
8. Morgane Gay (Virginia) - split 3:21.68 (1200m) at Penn
9. Brittany Sheffey (Tennessee) - split 4:36.09 (1600m) and 2:07.14 (800m) at Penn
10. Amanda Winslow (Florida State) - 5th (2nd collegian) in heat at Cardinal Invitational (4:16.20)

Steeplechase
1. Emma Coburn (Colorado) - won Cardinal Invitational (9:40.51)
2. Sarah Pease (Indiana) - 3rd at Penn (10:12.38), split 4:36.1 (1500m)
3. Ashley Higginson (Princeton) - idle
4. Shalaya Kipp (Colorado) - 9th (3rd collegian) at Cardinal Invitational (10:03.37)
5. Stephanie Garcia (Virginia) - split 4:34.23 (1600m) at Penn
6. Silje Fjørtoft’ (SMU) - won 1500m at Mean Green Twilight (4:28.47)
7. Alyssa Kulik (Clemson) - Won Penn Relays (10:06.11)
8. Klara Bodinson’ (SMU) - 5th in 1500m at Mean Green Twilight (4:33.11)
9. Shelby Greany (Providence) - idle
10. Rebekah Stowe (Kansas) - 5th (2nd collegian) at Cardinal Invitational (9:53.12)

5000 meters
1. Jordan Hasay (Oregon) - 5th (1st collegian) in 1500m heat at Cardinal Invitational (4:10.28)
2. Liz Costello (Tennessee) - split 3:24.20 (1200m), 4:25.8 (1500m) at Penn
3. Katie Flood (Washington) - idle
4. Risper Kimaiyo’ (UTEP) - 8th (1st collegian) in heat at Cardinal Invitational (15:48.14)
5. Bogdana Mimić’ (Villanova) - split 4:26.1 (1500m) at Penn
6. Paula Whiting’ (Tulsa) - 7th (1st collegian) in Drake Invitational 1500m (4:19.78)
7. Mia Behm (Texas) - idle
8. Natalie Gray’ (New Mexico) - idle
9. Dani Stack (Iowa State) - ran on Distance Medley at Drake
10. Katie Matthews (Boston U) - idle

10,000 meters
1. Tara Erdmann (Loyola-Marymount) - 11th (3rd collegian) in 5000m heat at Cardinal Invitational (15:50.20)
2. Betsy Saina’ (Iowa State) - ran on 4x1600m at Drake
3. Tonya Nero’ (Wichita State) - won 1500m (4:29.73) and 5000m (16:53.33) at BCS Buster Invitational
4. Kimberly Ruck (Clemson) - 17th at Penn Relays 5000m (16:56.27)
5. Juliet Bottorff (Duke) - split 4:38.4 (1500m) at Penn
6. Stephanie Marcy (Stanford) - won 5000m heat at Cardinal Invitational (16:05.35)
7. Aliphine Tuliamuk’ (Wichita State) - 2nd in 1500m (4:33.43) at BCS Buster Invitational
8. Ruth Senior’ (New Mexico) - 9th (2nd collegian) in 5000m heat at Cardinal Invitational (15:48.29)
9. Morgan Haws (BYU) - idle
10. Sarah Andrews (Oregon) - idle

100m Hurdles
1. Ti’erra Brown (Miami) - idle
2. Tiffani McReynolds (Baylor) - 3rd at Drake Relays (13.08)
3. Nia Ali (USC) - won vs. UCLA (12.97)
4. Natasha Ruddock’ (Texas A&M) - 3rd at Penn Relays (13.23), ran on winning shuttle hurdle relay
5. Brianna Rollins (Clemson) - idle
6. Jackie Coward (Central Florida) - 5th at Penn Relays (13.63)
7. Jasmin Stowers (LSU) - won Penn Relays (13.16)
8. Letecia Wright (Ohio State) - won Drake Relays (12.87)
9. Christina Manning (Ohio State) - 2nd at Drake Relays (12.99)
10. Gabby Mayo (Texas A&M) - last in finals at Penn Relays, ran on winning shuttle hurdle relay

400m Hurdles
1. Jasmine Chaney (Arizona State) - won vs. Arizona and Northern Arizona (57.59)
2. Cassandra Tate (LSU) - split 54.5 at Penn
3. Angele Cooper (Texas) - split 53.6 at Penn
4. LaToya James (North Carolina) - idle
5. Danielle Dowie’ (Texas) - split 56.2 at Penn
6. Ti’erra Brown (Miami) - idle
7. Ellen Wortham (Tennessee) - split 51.64 at Penn
8. Andrea Sutherland’ (Texas A&M) - split 53.2 (prelims), dropped baton (finals) at Penn
9. Kianna Elahi (Iowa State) - 2nd at Drake Relays (56.73) behind Krais (Kansas State)
10. Takecia Jameson (Miami) - idle

High Jump
1. Brigetta Barrett (Arizona) - won vs. Arizona State and Northern Arizona (1.83m)
2. Shanay Briscoe (Texas) - won Penn Relays (1.79m)
3. Holly Parent’ (Washington State) - won at Washington (1.74m)
4. Brittani Carter (LSU) - 5th at Penn Relays (1.75m)
5. Maya Pressley (Auburn) - won Drake Relays (1.81m)
6. Lisa Egarter’ (SMU) - 2nd at Mean Green Twilight (1.63m)
7. Victoria Lucas (Texas) - 3rd at Penn Relays (1.79m)
8. Ada Robinson (BYU) - idle
9. Tynita Butts (East Carolina) - idle
10. April Sinkler (Clemson) - idle

Pole Vault
1. Tina Šutej’ (Arkansas) - won Penn Relays (4.45m)
2. Katerina Stefanídi’ (Stanford) - idle
3. Shade Weygandt (Texas Tech) - idle
4. Rachel Laurent (LSU) - 7th at Penn Relays (3.95m)
5. Natalie Willer (Nebraska) - won Drake Relays (4.30m)
6. Denise von Eynatten’ (South Florida) - idle
7. Melissa Gergel (Oregon) - idle
8. Vera Neuenswander (Indiana) - 3rd at Penn Relays (4.15m)
9. Joanna Wright (Georgia Tech) - idle
10. Tori Anthony (UCLA) - won at USC (3.92m)

Long Jump
1. Tori Bowie (Sn Mississippi) - idle
2. Kim Williams’ (Florida State) - idle
3. Jamesha Youngblood (Oregon) - idle
4. Sonnisha Williams (Central Florida) - 5th at Penn Relays (6.07w)
5. Chantel Malone’ (Texas) - 4th at Penn Relays (6.12w)
6. Ti’Anca Mock (Oklahoma) - 3rd at Drake Relays (6.28m)
7. Christabel Nettey’ (Arizona State) - won vs. Arizona and Northern Arizona (6.37m)
8. Francine Simpson’ (Kansas) - second at Drake Relays (6.28m) behind Kokot (Kansas State)
9. Whitney Gipson (TCU) - won Penn Relays (6.69w)
10. Tracey Stewart (Cal) - idle

Triple Jump
1. Kim Williams’ (Florida State) - idle
2. Patricia Mamona’ (Clemson) - idle
3. Genna Demydova' (Sn Mississippi) - idle
4. Colleen Felix’ (Georgia) - idle
5. Melissa Ogbourne (LSU) - won Penn Relays (13.07m)
6. Tracey Stewart (Cal) - idle
7. April Sinkler (Clemson) - idle
8. Andrea Geubelle (Kansas) - 13th at Drake Relays (12.25m)
9. Whitney Liehr (Stanford) - idle
10. Jessica Ubanyionwu (Baylor) - 6th at Drake Relays (12.60m)

Shot Put
1. Julie Labonté (Arizona) - won vs. Arizona State and Northern Arizona (17.57m)
2. Karen Shump (Oklahoma) - 5th at Drake Relays (16.08m)
3. Faith Sherrill (Indiana) - won Penn Relays (17.64m)
4. Tia Brooks (Oklahoma) - won Drake Relays (17.37m)
5. Annie Alexander (Tennessee) - 3rd at Drake Relays (16.55m)
6. Anna Jelmini (Arizona State) - 3rd vs. Arizona and Northern Arizona (16.20m)
7. Skylar White (Baylor) - 4th at Drake Relays (16.48m)
8. Simoné du Toit (SMU) - see discus
9. Keely Medeiros (Florida) - 2nd at Drake Relays (17.26m)
10. Jeneva McCall (Southern Illinois) - idle

Discus Throw
1. Anna Jelmini (Arizona State) - won vs. Arizona and Northern Arizona (59.35m)
2. Jeneva McCall (Southern Illinois) - idle
3. Simoné du Toit (SMU) - 2nd at Mean Green Twilight (51.68m) behind Closse (Texas Tech)
4. Erin Pendleton (Michigan) - 4th (2nd collegian) at Drake Relays (54.74m)
5. Brittany Borman (Oklahoma) - 4th at Mean Green Twilight (50.31m)
6. Skylar White (Baylor) - 12th at Drake Relays (49.44m)
7. Annie Alexander (Tennessee) - no mark at Drake Relays
8. Samia Stokes (LSU) - 3rd at Penn Relays (50.69m) behind O'Brien (Buffalo) and Tzanakis (Minnesota)
9. Baillie Gibson (Arizona) - 2nd vs. Arizona State and Northern Arizona (52.85m)
10. Keely Medeiros’ (Florida) - 3rd (1st collegian) at Drake Relays (54.91m)

Hammer Throw
1. Dorotea Habazin’ (Virginia Tech) - idle
2. Jeneva McCall (Southern Illinois) - idle
3. Amanda Bingson (UNLV) - won Steve Scott Invitational (69.79m)
4. Gwen Berry (Southern Illinois) - won Drake Relays (70.52m)
5. Nikola Lomnická’ (Georgia) - 3rd at Drake Relays (62.90m)
6. Jenny Ozorai’ (USC) - won vs. UCLA (64.70m)
7. Laura Igaune’ (Western Kentucky) - 2nd at Drake Relays (63.52m)
8. Marissa Minderler (USC) - 3rd vs. UCLA (60.18m)
9. Felisha Johnson (Indiana State) - 6th (5th collegian) at Drake Relays (60.49m)
10. D’Ana McCarty (Louisville) - idle

Javelin Throw
1. Marissa Tschida (Washington State) - won at Washington (54.54m)
2. Brittany Borman (Oklahoma) - won Mean Green Twilight (50.84m)
3. Amanda Peterson (Washington) - 2nd vs Washington State (52.41m)
4. Karlee McQuillen (Penn State) - Won Penn Relays (48.28m)
5. Courtney Kirkwood (Washington State) - idle
6. Emalie Humphreys (Texas A&M) - idle
7. Sabine Kopplin’ (Nevada) - 3rd at Cardinal Invitational (43.53m)
8. Alanna Kovacs (DePaul) - 2nd at Stan Lyons Invitational (46.38m) behind Fraser (DePaul)
9. Ana Ružević’ (Tulane) - idle
10. Laura Asimakis (Texas A&M) - 2nd at Mean Green Twilight (48.01m)

Heptathlon
1. Brianne Theisen’ (Oregon) - idle
2. Chantae McMillan (Nebraska) - 100H, LJ (5.98m), JT (43.95m) at Drake Relays
3. Ryann Krais (Kansas State) - won 400H at Drake Relays
4. Chelsea Carrier (West Virginia) - idle
5. Dorcas Akinniyi (Wisconsin) - idle
6. Ellen Wortham (Tennessee) - ran 4x100, 4x200, split 51.64 at Penn Relays
7. Daphne Fitzpatrick (Texas A&M) - HJ (1.72m), 100H, SMR at Penn Relays
8. Liane Weber’ (Clemson) - idle
9. Keia Pinnick (Arizona State) - 400 (55.28), HJ (1.60m), LJ (6.09m), JT (30.72m) vs Arizona and Northern Arizona
10. Makeba Alcide’ (Arkansas) - 100H, HJ (1.70m) at Drake Relays

Monday Morning Decathlete: Special Penn Relays Edition

2011-05-02T07:57:00.001-04:00

What I learned in my first-ever trip to the Penn Relays, and lessons from its astounding success for the broader world of track and field...

It's a party.
They call it a carnival. Circus might do too.

Both the spectators and the participants take the Penn Relays seriously as a competitive event. They also see it as more than that. It's three days of tremendous fun. Not only is there stuff going in inside the stadium, but outside the stadium in the "festival" area.

The festival area had all kinds of sponsor tents set up with sales and giveaways and promotions. The sales tent set up by Nike included free haircuts and braiding, and the kids lined up and waited an hour or more to get them. Runnerspace was doing live broadcasts. During a storm delay on Thursday, an impromptu break dance competition broke out in the stands.

This is how college football and basketball operates. Tailgating is nothing but partying which is sometimes only nominally associated with a football game. When you go to a college basketball game, part of what you get out of it is the atmosphere: the crazy student section, the band, the cheerleaders, the announcer.

We need to work on keeping track meets fun. We can't sacrifice competitiveness for it, and we need to make sure it's actual fun, not what some fuddy-duddy thinks is fun (like head-splitting music during races). Fun is subjective, and what's appropriate is dependent on many things like place and time. What works at a massive meet like Penn is different than what works at, for example, a college dual meet. But if people start to think going to a track meet is fun, then everything else takes care of itself.

How to pronounce Mvuvure.
It's "voo-vure-ay". The M is silent.

LSU sprinter Gabriel Mvuvure won the collegiate 100 meter race. That's not a huge deal, as most of the big guns at the meet skipped it in favor of relays (although he did beat TCU's Charles Silmon, picked for 7th at the NCAA Championships by Track and Field News).

What's a bigger deal was how well he anchored the winning 4x100 and 4x200 relays for the Tigers. In the former the Tigers ran only 0.06 seconds off the year's leading time, trouncing Florida while Texas A&M dropped the baton. In the latter they again beat the Aggies and Gators. If LSU head coach Dennis Shaver thinks this guy belong on the anchor leg of his sprint relays, he must think a lot of him.

Until this weekend, he was not considered a threat to score points for LSU at the NCAA Championships. That calculation may have changed.

Penn is efficient.
There are few places with more wasted time than your typical track meet. This may be even more true at the levels where we are struggling for attention, the college and professional levels. When I went to this year's Mid-American Conference indoor championships, there were 20 minutes scheduled between every event—even between the 60 meters finals for men and women—and what should have been a two-hour meet stretched out for more than four hours.

The Penn Relays, on the other hand, waste no time at all. Typically there is less than a minute between the end of one race and the start of the next, sometimes less than 30 seconds. The phrase "military efficiency" is not all it's cracked up to be, so I would have to say the gold standard for efficiency is the Penn Relays.

They do some weird things at Penn that people put up with because it's Penn. The prelims of relay events do not use blocks. Yes, even the heats of the 4x100. You wouldn't do that anywhere else, and even if you tried no one would tolerate it. But the point is that athletes are asked to sacrifice a little bit to make things better for spectators.

The phrase "dead time" is important. It will kill off any interest you might be able to generate.

The other way that Penn is unbelievably efficient is through information technology. The Penn Relays website is an easily navigable warehouse of information, with splits for most races (auto-timed when possible) and schedules and results broken down by day and by level and by team and by conference and by state. If you want to find out something about the meet, it won't take you very long.

Penn is participation-oriented.
My two traveling companions and I figured this out on the train from the airport to downtown. We ended up sitting next to a guy who ran in a couple of masters races on Friday. This is how I plan to eventually get into Penn to run.

The Penn Relays is all-inclusive. There are 5th-and 6th-grade relays, middle-school relays, high school and college events, post-collegiate "Olympic Development" (read: club team) events, professional events, corporate events, masters events, Special Olympics events. At each and every one of these levels you have to be good to get into the meet, and the spectators know this. But it really adds to the meet to know that ordinary everyday people can get on the track.

Road racing likes to bill itself as a sport where the Joes run with the pros. But, with the exception of the Boston Marathon, any fatass willing to plunk down an entry fee and suffer through the whole thing can get in. 99% of them don't know or care what the top athletes do. I don't think it's an accident that the Boston Marathon is a major spectator event, and the locals have some degree of understanding of the elite level of marathoning, because they know that everyone in it has to have worked pretty hard to get there.

So if you're going to use participation as a way to connect with spectators, you may want to require some level of achievement from the participants. Maybe not an exceedlingly high one, but some.

How the U.S. soccer team feels.
Whenever the U.S. soccer team plays a home game against another national side, it's almost never really a "home" game. There are more people in the stands cheering for the visiting team than the USA.

This is because immigrant groups from that country virtually always use the game as a gathering point. Families and communities spread out over the whole country will join up at the game, not just to see the match and cheer for their former country but as a way of reconnecting with each other.

The Penn Relays appears to the annual gathering of the northeast's Jamaican-American expatriate community. In addition, there are a significant number of Jamaican-Jamaicans who fly in for this weekend. The end result is that the stadium is blanketed in green and yellow, and the place explodes with sound when Jamaican teams are competing well. Team USA's relays were not the crowd favorites.

There is, however, a significant difference. Soccer fans are known for being rowdy and mean. Track fans are not. The Jamaicans cheer for everybody. For example, when Long Beach Poly's 4x800 team trounced the Jamaican high school teams and ran an amazing time of 7:31, the Jamaicans clapped and yelled for them on their victory lap.

There's a stereotype of the happy Jamaican, and of course it can't b universally true. But I didn't run into many this weekend, if any, who weren't happy to be there and take in the whole experience.

When track meet and road race promoters have expatriate communities come out for an event, it's usually by accident. The indoor meet at Boston has had some Ethiopian-Americans come and be vocal. The same thing has to be possible elsewhere, but I'm not aware that it happens. And no matter what nationality the athletes are, there are Americans who share their heritage. We have to be able to make the connection and take advantage of it.

I think this was the idea behind the invention of the USA versus The World series. Having good Jamaican teams in it every year has definitely upped the excitement of the meet, and possibly increased the attendance. If I were the guy bringing in foreign talent to, for example, the Detroit Marathon, I'd make sure I got a Moroccan or two and promoted it in the Dearborn area and maybe arrange a meet-and-greet. And in Chicago or New York, well, you can pull that off for any nationality.

The USA versus The World relays exposed our strengths and weaknesses.
I came out of the weekend with 52 points out of a possible 60 in the USATF Pick N' Win game, which puts me 25th in the standings. When the lineups were announced on Friday night and I finalized my picks, I was pretty confident about five of them. The sixth was a crapshoot.

In the men's 4x100, I thought the Jamaicans had the horses. With the exception of Usain Bolt and maybe one or two others, they had their A team on the track. The USA's lineup was decent, , with our A team for the first two legs, but the last two legs were outclassed. That the Jamaicans won was, from my perspective, completely expected.

The same was true for the women's 4x100, but the national roles were reversed. With Allyson Felix and Carmelita Jeter on the USA Red team, and Jamaica without Veronica Campbell-Brown, it was obvious to me which was the best team on the track. Team USA Red ran a meet record.

What both of these teams have in common is a use of early-season relay meets. The two main Jamaican clubs, MVP and Racers, run some relays at Jamaican invitationals in February and March. Two of the American women, Lauryn Williams and Marshevet Myers, have run a bunch of relays together at April college meets. You run relays with regularity, you do well at relays. It's a pretty simple relationship. Some of the USA men’s sprinters blamed bad handoffs for their loss; I say it shouldn’t have been their first time this year passing a stick.

But the other thing the weekend's pro races reminded us of is that on the men's side, the Jamaicans are deeper in sprinters than the Americans are. Even if we manage to fix the many exchange problems our men's team has had, they're still outgunned.

In both of the 4x400s, Team USA had the depth on the Jamaicans and won. In the women's sprint medley, I picked the Jamaicans based on two observations. One, they had Melaine Walker running the 400 leg, and she's no slouch. Two, Kenia Sinclair was anchoring and every year it seems that about the best she runs all year is at the Penn Relays. True to form, she anchored in 1:57.06—which is much faster than her P.R. of 1:57.88. Pheobe Wright ran well, but against that she had no chance.

The real head-scratcher for me was the men's distance medley. When the lineups were announced, I had no idea what to do. The USA's A team was supposedly the Red team, but it had Russell Brown on the anchor, who I thought was the weakest of all the American milers in the race. He's run a few good races, but Leo Manzano, David Torrence, and of course Bernard Lagat have run a lot more good races and better ones to boot. So I wasn't too confident about the US teams.

I thought Amine Laalou was the best miler in the race, but didn't know if his teammates could keep it close enough. I knew the Kenyans had strong legs in the 800 and 1600, bu didn't recognize the name of the 1200 leg, which made me question them as well. And I didn't really know what to make of the Aussies. In the end I decided you couldn't go too wrong betting on Kenyans in a middle-distance competition. I was wrong, as that 1200 leg I was worried about cratered and destroyed their chances.

Russell Brown got the stick a bit ahead, but didn't have the confidence to push it. I said during the race that if he let either Manzano or Laalou back in the race he would regret it, and I turned out to be right. Besides being a good runner, the anchor of a race like that has to have confidence and tactical acumen; Brown was the worst choice of all the available runners. That race was lost on Friday night, not Saturday afternoon.

It's all about the team.
There are a lot of meets that call themselves "relays", but none are more relay-oriented than Penn. The field events and the individual races are almost an afterthought.

Team competition is what really gets people hyped up. Villanova brought a cheering section for Friday's men's distance medley, and they stood up and stomped and clapped and chanted "No-va! No-va!". The same happened for a local Jersey high school team on Friday, who won their race as well.

The other thing that makes relay races exciting is that the outcome remains in doubt for much longer. In an individual race, the guy who has a big lead is usually going to win. This is not necessarily true in relays. For example, both Arkansas and Indiana had decent-sized leads in the men's 4xmile relay, but Princeton ended up winning. Team USA ran the best split in each of the first three legs of the men's distance medley, but Amine Laalou's excellence erased that deficit.

I really think that team is where it's at. "We" is more fun than "me", and it sure does bring more people into the fold. It's much more stable as well; good athletes come and go, but Villanova's tradition at the Penn Relays will always be there.

Not all college track meets can (or should) be all-relay affairs. There's a feeling that dual meets and other scored meets should be a greater portion of the college schedule, which I certainly agree with. But it’s also important to realize that there's more than one way to emphasize team competition.

What really irks me is college teams that constantly split their squads. Some teams even do this when they have a home meet. I've noticed that both Texas A&M and LSU take relays very seriously, do some scored meets, and never split their squads. This is should be the model for college track programs.

College Power Rankings

2011-04-27T20:26:00.000-04:00

This week's college power rankings show no movement at the top, but some shakeups below that. The big winners were the teams that did well at the ACC Championships.

The Superfan’s Men’s Power Rankings for April 27, 2011
(last week's ranking in parenthesis)
1. Texas A&M (1)
2. LSU (3)
3. Florida State (6)
4. Florida (2)
5. Texas (4)
6. Arkansas (10)
7. Minnesota (5)
8. Southern Cal (7)
9. BYU (9)
10. Virginia Tech (21)
11. Oregon (8)
12. Nebraska (11)
13. Texas Tech (15)
14. Wisconsin (13)
15. UCLA (12)
16. Arizona State (17)
17. Georgia (16)
18. Indiana (18)
19. Washington (22)
20. Stanford (14)
21. Ohio State (20)
22. Arizona (19)
23. Iowa (23)
24. Oklahoma (24)
25. Princeton (25)
Close, but not quite: Air Force, Akron, California, Cornell, Houston, Mississippi St., New Mexico, North Carolina, Penn State, Washington St.

ACC Champions Florida State moves strongly into third.

This week there are some good dual meets. On Saturday Washington State goes to #18 Washington and #22 Arizona goes to #16 Arizona State, and on Sunday is the big one as #15 UCLA goes to #8 Southern Cal.

The Superfan’s Women’s Power Rankings for April 27, 2011
(last week's ranking in parenthesis)
1. Texas A&M (1)
2. LSU (2)
3. Oregon (3)
4. Clemson (9)
5. Arkansas (4)
6. Texas (5)
7. Nebraska (7)
8. Arizona (6)
9. Oklahoma (8)
10. Florida State (15)
11. Arizona State (10)
12. Texas Tech (13)
13. BYU (12)
14. Stanford (14)
15. Southern Cal (11)
16. North Carolina (NR)
17. Tennessee (16)
18. Georgia (17)
19. Ohio State (18)
20. Penn State (19)
21. UCF (20)
22. California (25)
23. Minnesota (21)
24. Auburn (23)
25. Indiana (NR)
Close, but not quite: Baylor, Florida, Kansas State, Louisville, Michigan, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Southern Illinois, UCLA, Wichita State

Again, the big move up was by the ACC Champions, Clemson. Florida State and North Carolina moved up in a big way as well.

The big scored-meet showdown this weekend is between #8 Arizona and #11 Arizona State in their annual double-dual with Northern Arizona.

Who is Where

2011-04-27T15:57:00.001-04:00

Here's my weekly roundup of where all the top college athletes are competing this weekend. However, the heavy team emphasis this week makes it a harder task than usual.

There are essentially only six meets this weekend featuring top collegiate talent: the Penn Relays, the Drake Relays, the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational, Washington State at Washington, Arizona and Northern Arizona at Arizona State, and UCLA at Southern Cal.

The first two, Penn and Drake, are so relay-oriented that about 90% of the country’s best collegiate athletes in the flat running events are doing nothing but relays this week. And with relays, you don’t always know who’s running what, and even the coaches who make the lineups are still juggling things.

The last three meets on the list are two dual meets and a double-dual. Those aren’t easy to figure out lineups either.

If I tried to make my usual list of who is where, there would be an awful lot of “I don’t know”s. That doesn’t help the fan follow what’s going on.

Instead, this week only, I’m breaking things down differently. I’m only listing the top athletes entered at Penn, Drake or Stanford, and dividing it up by meet and then by event.

Remember, the ranking refers to Track and Field News’ most recent NCAA formcharts.

117th Penn Relays
Thursday through Saturday, Franklin Field, Philadelphia PA
Website | Schedule and live results (with splits!)
Live webcast link ($$) | Flotrack coverage
TV coverage: 8:00 PM Saturday on ESPN2

MEN
100 METERS
5. Keenan Brock (Auburn)
9. Charles Silmon (TCU)
4. (200m) Horatio Williams (LSU)

110m HURDLES
1. Barrett Nugent (LSU)
2. Omo Osaghae (Texas Tech)
4. Keiron Stewart' (Texas)

400m HURDLES
4. Bryce Brown (Texas Tech)
7. William Wynne (Florida)
10. Emanuel Mayers' (Mississippi State)

4 x 100
1. Florida
2. Texas A&M
3. LSU
6. TCU
7. Mississippi State
8. Auburn
10. South Carolina

4 x 400
1. Texas A&M
4. Mississippi State
5. LSU
9. South Carolina

HIGH JUMP
3. James Harris (Mississippi State)
4. Geoff Davis (Purdue)
9. Dwight Barbiasz (Maryland)
10. Jamal Wilson' (Texas)

LONG JUMP
2. Marquise Goodwin (Texas)
3. Will Claye (Florida)
4. Tarik Batchelor' (Arkansas)
6. Christian Taylor (Florida)
7. Zedric Thomas (LSU)
8. Bryce Lamb (Texas Tech)
10. Justin Hunter (Tennessee)

TRIPLE JUMP
4. Omar Craddock (Florida)
7. Chris Carter (Houston)
8. Kyron Blaise' (LSU)
9. Zedric Thomas (LSU)
10. Tarik Batchelor' (Arkansas)

SHOT
4. Hayden Baillio (Texas)
5. Blake Eaton (Penn State)
10. Joe Kovacs (Penn State)

DISCUS
9. James Plummer (Rutgers)
10. Chad Wright' (Nebraska)

HAMMER
1. Walter Henning (LSU)
9. Michael Lauro (LSU)

WOMEN
100 METERS
1. Jessica Young (TCU)
2. Kya Brookins (South Carolina)
4. Semoy Hackett' (LSU)
7. Shayla Mahan (South Carolina)
8. Terra Evans (Texas Tech)
1. (200m) Kimberlyn Duncan (LSU)
3. (200m) Sheniqua Ferguson' (Auburn)

STEEPLE
2. Sarah Pease (Indiana)

5000 METERS
3. Liz Costello (Tennessee)

100 HURDLES
1. Ti’erra Brown (Miami)
4. Natasha Ruddock' (Texas A&M)
6. Jasmin Stowers (LSU)
9. Gabby Mayo (Texas A&M)
10. Jackie Coward (Central Florida)

400 HURDLES
4. Danielle Dowie' (Texas)
5. Ellen Wortham (Tennessee)
7. Andrea Sutherland' (Texas A&M)
10. Takecia Jameson (Miami)

4 x 100
1. Texas A&M
2. Auburn
3. LSU
5. Central Florida
7. Houston
8. Texas
9. South Carolina

4 x 400
1. Texas A&M
2. Texas
3. LSU
6. Penn State
8. Auburn
9. Clemson
10. Miami

HIGH JUMP
2. Shanay Briscoe (Texas)
4. Brittani Carter (LSU)
7. Victoria Lucas (Texas)

POLE VAULT
1. Tina Šutej' (Arkansas)
4. Rachel Laurent (LSU)
6. Denise von Eynatten' (South Florida)
8. Vera Neuenswander (Indiana)

LONG JUMP
1. Tori Bowie (Sn Mississippi)
4. Sonnisha Williams (Central Florida)
5. Chantel Malone' (Texas)
9. Whitney Gipson (TCU)

TRIPLE JUMP
2. Patricia Mamona' (Clemson)
5. Melissa Ogbourne (LSU)
6. April Sinkler (Clemson)

SHOT
3. Faith Sherrill (Indiana)

DISCUS
8. Samia Stokes (LSU)

JAVELIN
4. Karlee McQuillen (Penn State)

102nd Drake Relays
Thursday through Saturday, Drake Stadium, Des Moines IA
Website
Schedule | Results
Live webcast link ($$) | Flotrack coverage

MEN
100 METERS
2. Mookie Salaam (Oklahoma)
7. Woodrow Randall (Baylor)
10. Michael Granger (Mississippi)

800 METERS
8. Fred Samoei' (Alabama)
9. Aaron Evans' (Georgia)

STEEPLE
9. Matt Cleaver (Georgia)

5000 METERS
6. (10k) Mo Ahmed (Wisconsin)

110 HURDLES
3. Andrew Riley' (Illinois)
8. Jeffrey Julmis (Kansas State)
10. Terrence Somerville (Cincinnati)

400 HURDLES
6. Lee Moore (Mississippi)

4 x 100
5. Baylor

4 x 400
2. Baylor
7. Iowa
8. Ohio State

HIGH JUMP
1. Erik Kynard (Kansas State)
2. Ricky Robertson (Mississippi)
7. Paul Hamilton (Nebraska)

POLE VAULT
3. Jordan Scott (Kansas)
4. Ben Peterson (Minnesota)
8. Nate Polacek (Nebraska)

LONG JUMP
5. Chris Phipps (Nebraska)

TRIPLE JUMP
5. Troy Doris (Iowa)

SHOT
2. Luke Pinkelman (Nebraska)
9. Matt DeChant (Ohio State)

DISCUS
8. Jake Deiters (Southern Illinois)

HAMMER
5. Dimítrios Fylladitákis' (UTEP)
6. Justin Welch (Georgia)

JAVELIN
2. Ignacio Guerra' (Western Kentucky)
6. Tim Glover (Illinois State)

WOMEN
100 METERS
5 Tiffany Townsend (Baylor)
8. (200m) Candyce McGrone (Oklahoma)
5. (400m) Endurance Abinuwa' (UTEP)

1500 METERS

9. (stpl) Martina Tresch (Kansas State)

5000 METERS
2. (10k) Betsy Saina' (Iowa State)

100 HURDLES
2. Tiffani McReynolds (Baylor)
7. Letecia Wright (Ohio State)
8. Christina Manning (Ohio State)

400 HURDLES
8. Kianna Elahi (Iowa State)
5. (800m) Sofie Persson' (Mississippi)

4 x 400
4. Arkansas
7. Baylor

HIGH JUMP
5. Maya Pressley (Auburn)

POLE VAULT
5. Natalie Willer (Nebraska)
9. Joanna Wright (Georgia Tech)

LONG JUMP
6. Ti’Anca Mock (Oklahoma)
8. Francine Simpson' (Kansas)

TRIPLE JUMP
7. Andrea Geubelle (Kansas)
9. Jessica Ubanyionwu (Baylor)

SHOT
2. Karen Shump (Oklahoma)
4. Tia Brooks (Oklahoma)
5. Annie Alexander' (Tennessee)
7. Skylar White (Baylor)
9. Keely Medeiros' (Florida)

DISCUS
4. Erin Pendleton (Michigan)
6. Skylar White (Baylor)
8. Annie Alexander' (Tennessee)
10. Brittany Smith (Illinois State)

HAMMER
3. Nikola Lomnická' (Georgia)
5. Gwen Berry (Southern Illinois)
9. Laura Igaune' (Western Kentucky)

Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational
Sunday, Angell Field, Palo Alto CA
Schedule | Live results
Flotrack coverage

MEN
1500 METERS
Heat 1

4. A.J. Acosta (Oregon)
7. (Stpl) Steve Sodaro (Cal)
Heat 2

7. German Fernandez (Oklahoma State)

STEEPLE

Heat 1

6. Gilbert Limo (Texas Tech)

8. Stephen Finley (Oregon)
6. (5k) Justin Tyner (Air Force)

Heat 2

4. John Sullivan (Stanford)

5000 METERS
Heat 1

2. Elliott Heath (Stanford)
4. Kevin Schwab (Oklahoma)
7. Ryan Hill (NC State)

2. (10k) Chris Derrick (Stanford)
5. (10k) Jake Riley (Stanford)
7. (10k) Diego Estrada (Northern Arizona)
8. (10k) Alfred Kipchumba' (Portland)

10,000 METERS
Heat 1

3. Stephen Sambu' (Arizona)

1. (5k) Leonard Korir' (Iona)
Heat 2

10. Luke Puskedra (Oregon)

10. (5k) Michael Fout (Florida State)

400 HURDLES
2. Amaechi Morton' (Stanford)

WOMEN
1500 METERS

Heat 1
1. (5k) Jordan Hasay (Oregon)

8. (800m) Lea Wallace (Sacramento St.)

Heat 2

10. Amanda Winslow (Florida St.)

STEEPLE
Heat 1

1. Emma Coburn (Colorado)
4. Shalaya Kipp (Colorado)
7. Rebekah Stowe (Kansas)
10. Claire Michel (Oregon)

5000 METERS
Heat 1

5. Risper Kimaiyo' (UTEP)
1. (10k) Tara Erdmann (Loyola-Marymount)

Heat 2
8. (10k) Stephanie Marcy (Stanford)

Penn Relays Preview

2011-04-25T19:14:00.000-04:00

You want a Penn Relays preview? You bet you do. And while I'm a fan, and a self-styled pundit, and an obsessive, there's another guy out there who is the expert. His name is Walt Murphy.

Murphy writes the Eastern Track newsletter and does stats for USATF Visa Championship Series broadcasts. He's the man. ESPN Rise has his Penn Relays preview issue online.

Here we go again. For many fans of the Penn Relays, this is the best weekend of the track and field year, second to none. Anticipation starts back in the fall, during the x-country season, and builds to a crescendo during indoors and the first few weeks of April. And now it’s here, with three days of action that has something for everyone.

With the Relays falling as late in the month as possible. hopes were high that we might be treated to warm temperatures. Fans have been checking the always-changing long-range weather forecasts for more than a week and the current outlook is a relatively good one. It looks like there will be highs near 70-degrees all three days, with a possible thunderstorm on Thursday.

Penn is always great, but it will be hard to match the excitement of last year’s Relays, when Usain Bolt’s presence helped draw a record crowd of 54,130. It’s not likely that he will be back this year, but he will hardly be missed(well, maybe a little).

There is great depth in the college men’s and women’s sprint relays this year, with Texas A&M and LSU leading the way in all six events.

No less than four men’s teams have already gone under 39-seconds in the 4x100 this spring--Texas A&M(38.71), LSU(38.78), Florida State(38.87),and Florida(38.81). A&M also tops the list in the 4x400 with a great time of 3:00.45, which is better than the Relays Record of 3:01.10. LSU is the #1 seed in the 4x200 with a time of 1:20.45.

In the women’s sprint relays, A&M has run 3:27.33 in the 4x400, which is faster than the Relays Record of 3:27.64, and they also have the fastest time in the 4x100--42.87. LSU has run 1:30.88 in the 4x200.

If the Tennessee women have another good weekend(they’ve won the three long relays the last two years), Chanelle Price could emerge as the all-time Penn Relays “watch-leader”. The junior from Easton Area(Pa) H.S. already has five prized watches, which are given to each winner at Penn, in her possession and is chasing Tennessee’s Cathy Rattray and Villanova’s Kathy Franey and Michelle Bennett, who share the lead at seven.

Price is entred in the distance medley on Thursday, the 4x1500 and sprint medley on Friday, and the 4x800 on Saturday. Whichever races Price runs(she’s not likely to do all four), Tennessee will be among the favored teams.

Villanova, with Sheila Reid on the anchor, won the women’s distance medley at the NCAA Indoor Championships and is favored in that event at Penn. The Wildcats haven’t won at Penn since taking the DMR in 2006. A hoped-for rematch with Oregon, which finished 2nd at the NCs, fell apart when the Ducks suffered some minor ailments and decided to pass on the Relays this year.

Robby Andrews, a freshman at the time, provided one of the great thrills at last year’s Relays when he ran down Oregon’s Andrew Wheating on the anchor leg of the 4x800 relay to give Virginia the victory. He missed the indoor season with a foot injury, but showed he’s back in top form after finishing 2nd in the 1500-meters at this past weekend’s ACC Champinships(running a 53.5 last 400). It’s not known at this time if he will run in all three events, but, in addition to the 4x800, Andrews is also entered in the sprint medley and distance medley.

Brigham Young has never won a relay at Penn (Clint Larsen won the men’s high jump in 1917!), but the Cougars are among the favorites in the men’s distance medley(they won the NCAA Indoor title) and the women’s 4x800.

Another team looking for a rare win at Penn is Indiana, one of the favorites in the men’s 4-mile relay. The Hoosiers haven’t won at Penn since they won the same event in 1954!

As always, Jamaica will be strong in the high school sprint relays, led by Munro College in the boys 4x100(39.92) and 4x400(3:10.66) and Vere Tech in the girls 4x400(3:33.17).

Bernard Lagat, Allyson Felix, and Sanya Richards-Ross are among the U.S. and international stars expected to be on hand for the 11th edition of the USA vs the World Series.

My thanks to Penn Relays Director Dave Johnson, Tim Hickey, Jack Pfeifer, Jim Spier, and Dyestat.com for their help in putting together this preview.

Following is an event-by-event look at the 117th running of the Penn Relays. Bib numbers/letters are listed where available, as well as 2011 bests. Be sure to buy the Penn Relays program--it’s the best in the sport.

Really, there's a preview of every event. About 36 hours' worth of running events plus at least 50 field events. The mind boggles.

Read on...and on and on...

Monday Morning Decathlete

2011-04-25T09:49:00.000-04:00

What did we learn this week?

The Boston Marathon discussion won't die down. Last Monday, Geoffrey Mutai won the annual Patriot's Day race in an astounding 2:03:02, followed closely by Moses Mosop in 2:03:06. Both were well under the official World Record of 2:03:59. But, due to Boston's course quirks (point-to-point and overall downhill) it won't be approved by the IAAF as a world record.

This hasn't stopped the Boston Athletic Association from submitting an application, though. It will be rejected. From the perspective of the larger sports media, this all seems very silly. No one has to submit an application for a record in Major League Baseball or the NFL or NBA; when a record is set there, it's just a record. Why does track and field have to have such rigamarole?

The answer lies in history, and the nature of the sport. Baseball, for example, is a bit of a closed system; there are 30 major league teams, each with 25 players. Each game is well-documented, and management doesn't let any funny business happen (see: Eddie Gaedel). If it's in the box score, it's official, and taken at face value.

But track and field is a worldwide sport, with thousands of top-level athletes and competitions scattered all over the globe. You can't just assume that everything is on the level. The challenge can only be compared to FIFA attempting to create a list of records from all the world's professional leagues combined. You can imagine that some things could happen that shouldn't be accepted as records, due to various irregularities that might or might not include corruption.

In this day and age, it's a little harder for something fishy to get by. For example, no one is claiming that the Boston Marathon course isn't the full 26 miles, 385 yards. But that used to be one of the main things involved in the world record application process.

The IAAF was founded in 1912 for a couple of reasons that were becoming increasingly important. International competition in track and field was beginning to become a fairly common occurrence, and there needed to be an agreed-upon set of rules for competition. Prior to that, athletes and teams sometimes spent an awful lot of time arguing about whose rules were going to be used. But also, the IAAF was there to settle arguments about records.

Think back a hundred years ago: tracks had to be lined every time they were used, and errors in measurement of distance happened. There was no guarantee that a track was level, either, and records in the 100 yards or long jump could be rejected for being run downhill (and were). All kinds of things had to be taken into account to make sure that a record was legitimate.

The IAAF never got into the game of certifying world records for road races very late, in 2003. Here's where the issues involved in Boston came up; the limit for how downhill a race can be is 1 in 1000, and the start line can't be more than 50% of the race distance away from the finish line. For various reasons, each of these can affect the legitimacy of a result.

In 2011, we have some records on the books that probably aren't legitimate. Let's ignore for the moment the issue of performance-enhancing drugs and the dozens of records that were almost assuredly assisted by them. Florence Griffith-Joyner's 100 meter record was officially not wind-aided, due to either a measurement error or an oddity in the environment. But it was, and should never have been approved.

The whole thing can best be summed up by a 2006 Onion Sports Network "article"...

If the winds behind me are similar to that of a Category 4 hurricane without the rain and hail; the course we are running on is a steep, flat drop from the apex of a tall mountain; my shoes are three ounces lighter than usual and sport aerodynamic jet propellers; my mother is in the stands cheering, but not loud enough to the point where it is distracting; the other participants in the race are chasing me with weapons; and I neglect to wear my lucky but weighty gold chain, there is no question that I can run it [100 meters] in 3.2 seconds," [Justin]Gatlin said.
...
U.S. racing officials have said that, though they wouldn't mind watching this race, any record-breaking time recorded under these conditions would lack legitimacy.

Should Mutai's record be considered legitimate or aided? That all depends on what you mean by "aided", and who you ask. Everyone seems to have an agenda.

Noted track writer Pat Butcher earlier this week suggested that Boston's net downhill profile should disqualify it from even being called a marathon. It's too much of an aid, he says. For the moment I'll take his argument at face value, and ignore the fact that he's being a jackass. Is Boston's course aided?

Well, how many times in the past, before the IAAF's stringent rules came into effect, was the Boston Marathon's winning time the best on record? If it happened a lot, then Boston's course is "aided". If it didn't, then maybe not. For a long time, Boston was the world's most prestigious non-championship marathon. It got the world's best runners together with regularity. You'd expect it to produce a lot of fast times.

But it hasn't. The only other time this happened in the men's race was way back in 1947. Boston is a notoriously slow course...with certain exceptions.

There was another time that the best marathon on record was at Boston. In 1983, Joan Benoit ran the women's world best time at the Patriot's Day classic, beating the best on record by more than two minutes. And that was a year much like this year, when there was a distinct tailwind.

So is Boston's course aided? No. Are some of the races run on it aided? Yes. By so much that the times run on it cannot be considered "legitimate"? Aye, there's the rub.

Delving into this argument are Ken Young, the guy who runs the Association of Road Racing Statisticians, and Ross Tucker and Jonathan Dugas, who write the Science of Sport blog.

One of the things Young does for his organization and website is use some fancy calculations to figure out how much faster or slower than expected the results of a race are. It's very much like Sabrmetricians factoring out the effects of a baseball player whose home games are in a quirky park that favor either hitters or pitchers. Young wrote:

According to the Young's Race Time Bias (RTB) calculation, a measure of how fast athletes run based on their previous performances over all distances, the times at Boston were 1:37 fast for the men and 1:42 seconds fast for the women. That worked out to 2.29 seconds per kilometer for the men and 2.41 seconds per kilometer for the women. Both figures are well within the 5 seconds per kilometer value the ARRS uses to disqualify performances as excessively aided.

Tucker and Dugas respond:

First, the overall conclusion (and heading of the article) is flawed because 1:37 is a big difference to make if that is their estimate. To illustrate, it takes the time from being greatest ever by almost a minute, to making Mutai only 6th fastest performer in history, so I don't know how they arrived at "not excessively aided"...it's a huge difference.

The thing about that is they've set what is a very poor (and possibly arbitrary) cut off for "excessively aided" at 5 sec/km. I am not sure why they've chosen this size, but when was the last time we saw the marathon world record bettered by 3:30?

What Tucker and Dugas don't understand is that ALL world records are aided in some way. 100 meter and long jump records don't get set with headwinds. 200 meter and 400 meter records don't get set on tracks with tight turns. Long distance records don't get set without rabbits. And no records get set in horrible weather. Every record is set under favorable conditions, and marathons are no different.

Haile Gebrselassie's official marathon world record was aided by about 11 seconds, as calculated by Young. Geb's previous world record, run at Berlin in 2007, was aided by 2:29. That's far more than what was calculated for Boston this year.

So the issue here is that an arbitrary cutoff line was not exceeded. One person points this out, and the other points out that it's arbitrary and awfully high. OK, points taken.

What Young is saying is that when you factor in Boston's lack of pacemakers and challenging course, the 2011 tailwind wasn't any bigger aid than the flat course and phalanx of pacemakers in Berlin '07. What other people are pointing out is that the latter is within the rules, and the former isn't.

(By the way, Young's calculations say the "best" marathon of all time was the stunning 2:06:32 in the heat and humidity and pollution of the 2008 Beijing Olympics...which is what virtually all observers said at the time.)

So here's the question: Was this year's Boston Marathon wind-aided?

Answer: Yes.

Follow-up question: Was it excessively wind-aided?

Answer: We don't have any way of determining that.

And it's not because of limitations of measuring wind. It's that we don't have any kind of wind-aiding rule in road racing. Instead we say that records can't be set on so-called "point-to-point" courses because of the possibility of wind-aiding. Which is kind of stupid, considering the 100 meters is a point-to-point race.

What do I think? I think the IAAF should never have gotten into the business of certifying road-racing records. I know why they did—because the pace of new records in track and field were slowing down, and records generate headlines, and thus the IAAF could get itself and its sport back in the headlines. But now you see the silliness inherent in the system.

Who Did What (Women)

2011-04-24T20:37:00.003-04:00

Here's the roundup of the weekend's action for the top collegiate women athletes in each event.

100 meters
1. Jessica Young (TCU) - 2nd at Michael Johnson Classic (11.22w) behind McGrone (Okla)
2. LaKya Brookins (SoCar) - idle
3. Jeneba Tarmoh (TAMU) - see 200 meters
4. Semoy Hackett (LSU) - won LSU Alumni Gold (11.08w)
5. Tiffany Townsend (Bay) - see 200 meters
6. Marecia Pemberton (FlSt) - 3rd at ACC Championships (11.52w)
7. Shayla Mahan (SoCar) - idle
8. Terra Evans (TxT) - won 200m at Texas Tech Open (23.59w)
9. Dominique Booker (UCF) - idle
10. Amber Purvis (Ore) - see 200 meters

200 meters
1. Kimberlyn Duncan (LSU) - won LSU Alumni Gold (22.18w)
2. Jeneba Tarmoh (TAMU) - 2nd at Michael Johnson Classic (23.09) behind Young (TCU)
3. Shanequa Ferguson (Aub) - won 100m at Mississippi Open (11.41)
4. Amber Purvis (Ore) - won Oregon Relays (23.13)
5. Dominique Duncan (TAMU) - 4th at Michael Johnson Classic 100 meters (11.33)
6. Auriyall Scott (UCF) - idle
7. Tiffany Townsend (Bay) - 4th at Michael Johnson Classic (23.25)
8. Candyce McGrone (Okla) - 5th at Michael Johnson Classic (23.34)
9. Semoy Hackett (LSU) - see 100 meters
10. Shavon Greaves (PennSt) - won Jesse Owens Classic (23.70)

400 meters
1. Jessica Beard (TAMU) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Michael Johnson Classic (52.37)
2. Joanna Atkins (Aub) - 2nd in 100m at Mississippi Open (22.47)
3. Shelise Williams (Ark) - ran on 4x100 at John McDonnell Invitational
4. Chantel Malone (Tex) - 4th (2nd collegian) at Michael Johnson Classic (53.42)
5. Endurance Abinuwa (UTEP) - won Texas Tech Open (52.28)
6. Regina George (Ark) - 3rd (1st collegian) in 200m at John McDonnell Invitational (23.63w)
7. Briana Nelson (Tex) - 5th (3rd collegian) at Michael Johnson Classic (53.42)
8. Ibukun Mayungbe (TAMU) - 2nd in heat at Michael Johnson Classic (53.40)
9. Ciara Short (CSF) - 3rd in 800m vs. UC Irvine (2:16.43)
10. Sharay Hale (Col) - won Larry Ellis Invitational (53.10)

800 meters
1. Lacey Bleazard (BYU) - ran on 4x400 at Robison Invitational
2. Jillian Smith (Mich) - idle
3. Christina Rodgers (Ariz) - idle
4. Lea Wallace (SacSt) - idle
5. Sofie Persson (Miss) - won 400H at Mississippi Open (57.77)
6. Chanelle Price (Tenn) - idle
7. Charlene Lipsey (LSU) - 4th (1st collegian) at LSU Alumni Gold (2:06.13)
8. Kate Grace (Yale) - won Larry Ellis Invitational (2:05.48)
9. Renee Tomlin (Gtn) - idle
10. Caitlin Bailey (BosC) - 6th at ACC Championships (2:06.63)

1500 meters
1. Jessica Pixler (Colo) - idle
2. Anne Kesselring (Ore) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Oregon Relays 800 meters (2:02.44)
3. Sheila Reid (Vill) - idle
4. Kate Van Buskirk (Duke) - won ACC Championships (4:16.68)
5. Lucy Van Dalen (SBrk) - idle
6. Emily Infeld (Gtn) - idle
7. Becca Friday (Ore) - 6th (3rd collegian) at Oregon Relays 800 meters (2:09.02)
8. Keri Bland (WVa) - idle
9. Brittany Sheffey (Tenn) - idle
10. Amanda Winslow (FlSt) - 2nd at ACC Championships (4:18.12)

Steeplechase
1. Emma Coburn (Colo) - idle
2. Sarah Pease (Ind) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Polytan Invitational 5000 meters (16:31.68)
3. Ashley Higginson (Prin) - idle
4. Shalaya Kipp (Colo) - idle
5. Stephanie Garcia (UVa) - won ACC Championships (9:55.10)
6. Silje Fjortoft (SMU) - idle
7. Rebeka Stowe (Kans) - won Kansas Relays 1500 meters (4:28.89)
8. Shelby Greany (Prov) - idle
9. Martina Tresch (KsSt) - idle
10. Claire Michel (Ore) - 7th (3rd collegian) at Oregon Relays 1500 meters (4:29.84)

5000 meters
1. Jordan Hasay (Ore) - idle
2. Maire Louise Asselin (WVa) - idle
3. Liz Costello (Tenn) - idle
4. Katie Flood (Wash) - idle
5. Risper Kimaiyo (UTEP) - idle
6. Megan Goethals (Wash) - idle
7. Mia Behm (Tex) - idle
8. Anna Nosenko (WFst) - idle
9. Deborah Maier (Cal) - idle
10. Betsy Saina (IaSt) - idle

10,000 meters
1. Tara Erdmann (LMU) - idle
2. Betsy Saina (IaSt) - idle
3. Tonya Nero (WichSt) - idle
4. Pasca Cheruiyot (FlSt) - idle
5. Amanda Goetschius (Char) - won 1500m at Charlotte Invitational (4:26.70)
6. Kimberly Ruck (Clem) - won ACC Championships (33:47.85)
7. Juliet Bottorff (Duke) - 2nd at ACC Championships 5000 meters (16:22.57)
8. Stephanie Marcy (Stan) - idle
9. Morgan Haws (BYU) - won Robison Invitational 5000 meters (17:11.02A)
10. Sarah Andrews (Ore) - idle

100m Hurdles
1. Tierra Brown (MiaFl) - won ACC Championships (12.94)
2. Tiffani McReynolds (Bay) - 2nd at Michael Johnson Classic (13.02w)
3. Nia Ali (USC) - idle
4. Natasha Ruddock (TAMU) - won Michael Johnson Classic (12.96w)
5. Brianna Rollins (Clem) - 2nd at ACC Championships (12.99)
6. Jasmin Stowers (LSU) - 2nd (1st collegian) at LSU Alumni Gold (12.93w)
7. Letecia Wright (OhSt) - 3rd at Jesse Owens Classic (13.37w)
8. Christina Manning (OhSt) - 2nd at Jesse Owens Classic (13.05w) behind Carrier (WVa)
9. Gabby Mayo (TAMU) - ran on 4x440y at Michael Johnson Classic
10. Jackie Coward (UCF) - idle

400m Hurdles
1. Tierra Brown (MiaFl) - 2nd at ACC Championships (57.58)
2. Angele Cooper (Tex) - 7th (4th collegian) at Michael Johnson Classic 400 meters (53.91)
3. Jasmine Chaney (AzSt) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Sun Devil Open 100m Hurdles (13.22)
4. Danielle Dowie (Tex) - 5th in heat at Michael Johnson Classic 400 meters (54.01)
5. Ellen Wortham (Tenn) - won Vanderbilt Invitational (58.36)
6. Cassandra Tate (LSU) - won LSU Alumni Gold (56.31)
7. Andrea Sutherland (TAMU) - ran 200m and 4x440y at Michael Johnson Classic
8. Kianna Elahi (IaSt) - ran 200m and 400m at Musco Twilight
9. LaToya James (UNC) - won ACC Championships (55.83)
10. Takecia Jameson (MiaFl) - 4th at ACC Championships (58.18)

High Jump
1. Brigetta Barrett (Ariz) - idle
2. Shanay Briscoe (Tex) - won Michael Johnson Classic (1.81m)
3. Holly Parent (WaSt) - idle
4. Brittani Carter (LSU) - won LSU Alumni Gold (1.79m)
5. Maya Pressley (Aub) - won Mississippi Open (1.78m)
6. Brianne Theisen (Ore) - see heptathlon
7. Victoria Lucas (Tex) - 2nd at Michael Johnson Classic (1.80m)
8. Ada Robinson (BYU) - won Robison Invitational (1.76m)
9. Tynita Butts (ECar) - won Charlotte Invitational (1.68m)
10. Krystle Schade (Ala) - idle

Pole Vault
1. Tina Sutej (Ark) - won John McDonnell Invitational (4.32m)
2. Katerina Stefanidi (Stan) - won Brutus Hamilton Invitational (4.37m)
3. Shade Weygandt (TxT) - idle
4. Rachel Laurent (LSU) - 3rd at LSU Alumni Gold (4.02m)
5. Natalie Willer (Neb) - won Kansas Relays (4.00m)
6. Denise vonEynatten (USF) - won LSU Alumni Gold (4.12m)
7. Melissa Gergel (Ore) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Oregon Relays (4.21m)
8. Vera Neuenswander (Ind) - ran 100m at Polytan Invitational
9. Joanna Wright (GaT) - no-height at ACC Championships
10. Tori Anthony (UCLA) - 6th (4th collegian) at Triton Invitational (4.00m)

Long Jump
1. Tori Bowie (SnMs) - won LSU Alumni Gold (6.43w)
2. Kim Williams (FlSt) - won ACC Championships (6.25m)
3. Jamesha Youngblood (Ore) - 2nd at Oregon Relays triple jump (12.45m)
4. Sonnisha Williams (UCF) - idle
5. Chantel Malone (Tex) - ran 200m and 400m at Michael Johnson Classic
6. TiAnca Mock (Okla) - won Michael Johnson Classic (6.43w)
7. Christabel Nettey (AzSt) - won Sun Devil Open triple jump (12.31w)
8. Francine Simpson (Kans) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Kansas Relays (6.16m)
9. Whitney Gipson (TCU) - idle
10. Arantxa King (Stan) - idle

Triple Jump
1. Kim Williams (FlSt) - won ACC Championships (14.05m)
2. Patricia Mamona (Clem) - 2nd at ACC Championships (13.04m)
3. Ganna Demydova (SnMs) - idle
4. Colleen Felix (UGa) - won javelin vs. Missouri (46.78m)
5. Melissa Ogbourne (LSU) - 4th at LSU Alumni Gold long jump (6.23w)
6. April Sinkler (Clem) - 6th at ACC Championships (12.68m)
7. Andrea Geubelle (Kans) - 3rd (2nd D-I) at Kansas Relays (12.70w)
8. Whitney Liehr (Stan) - idle
9. Jessica Ubanyionwu (Bay) - won Michael Johnson Classic (13.17m)
10. Allison Wilder (UCR) - idle

Shot Put
1. Julie Labonte (Ariz) - 3rd (1st collegian) at Triton Invitational (17.83m)
2. Karen Shump (Okla) - won John Jacobs Invitational (16.78m)
3. Faith Sherrill (Ind) - won Polytan Invitational (17.40m)
4. Tia Brooks (Okla) - won Michael Johnson Classic (17.60m)
5. Annie Alexander (Tenn) - 7th (3rd collegian) at Triton Invitational (16.66m)
6. Anna Jelmini (AzSt) - 6th (2nd collegian) at Triton Invitational (16.84m)
7. Skylar White (Bay) - 2nd at Michael Johnson Classic (16.84m)
8. Simone du Toit (SMU) - idle
9. Keely Medeiros (Fla) - idle
10. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - won Vanderbilt Invitational (16.59m)

Discus Throw
1. Anna Jelmini (AzSt) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Triton Invitational (60.54m)
2. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - won Vanderbilt Invitational (54.63m)
3. Simone du Toit (SMU) - idle
4. Erin Pendleton (Mich) - won Jesse Owens Classic (54.21m)
5. Brittany Borman (Okla) - 2nd at Michael Johnson Classic (53.22m)
6. Skylar White (Bay) - won Michael Johnson Classic (53.22m)
7. Annie Alexander (Tenn) - 17th (8th collegian) Triton Invitational (49.16m)
8. Samia Stokes (LSU) - 11th at LSU Alumni Gold (42.10m)
9. Baillie Gibson (Ariz) - 7th (2nd collegian) at Triton Invitational (54.22m)
10. Brittany Smith (IlSt) - 3rd at Louisville quad (49.24m)

Hammer Throw
1. Amanda Bingson (UNLV) - 4th (1st collegian) at Triton Invitational (65.75m)
2. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - won Vanderbilt Invitational (68.07m)
3. Nikola Lomnicka (UGa) - won vs. Missouri (64.70m)
4. Dorotea Habazin (VaT) - won ACC Championships (68.36m)
5. Gwen Berry (SnIl) - 2nd at Vanderbilt Invitational (66.78m)
6. Marissa Minderler (USC) - 2nd at Tiny Lister Classic (61.73m)
7. Felisha Johnson (InSt) - 2nd at Pacesetter Invitational (57.78m)
8. Jenny Ozorai (USC) - won Tiny Lister Classic (61.73m)
9. Laura Iguane (WnKy) - won Louisville quad (63.56m)
10. D'Ana McCarty (Lou) - 2nd at Louisville quad (61.22m)

Javelin Throw
1. Marissa Tschida (WaSt) - won Cougar Invitational (52.52m)
2. Brittany Borman (Okla) - won Michael Johnson Classic (52.29m)
3. Amanda Peterson (Wash) - idle
4. Karlee McQuillen (PennSt) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Jesse Owens Classic (51.63m)
5. Courtney Kirkwood (WaSt) - 2nd at Cougar Invitational (51.17m)
6. Emalie Humphreys (TAMU) - idle
7. Sabine Kopplin (Nev) - won Brutus Hamilton Open (47.32m)
8. Ana Ruzevic (Tul) - idle
9. Laura Asimakis (TAMU) - 2nd at Michael Johnson Classic (49.34m)
10. Randi Hicks (LBSt) - won Triton Invitational (49.44m)

Heptathlon
1. Brieanne Theisen (Ore) - idle
2. Kiani Profit (Md) - idle
3. Ryann Krais (KsSt) - idle
4. Chelsea Carrier (WVa) - 100H (12.97w), 400H (60.91), 4x100 at Jesse Owens Classic
5. Dorcas Akinniyi (Wisc) - idle
6. Chantae McMillian (Neb) - 100H (14.89w), LJ (6.05m) at Kansas Relays
7. Ellen Wortham (Tenn) - see 400 hurdles
8. Daphne Fitzpatrick (TAMU) - 100H (15.05), LJ (5.54w), SP (11.71m) at Michael Johnson Classic
9. Keia Pinnick (AzSt) - 100H (14.36), LJ (6.03w), SP (10.16m), JT (32.39m) at Sun Devil Open
10. Makeba Alcide (Ark) - 100H (14.69w), HJ (1.72m), LJ (5.15m), JT (32.44m) at John McDonnell Invitational

Who Did What (Men)

2011-04-24T20:17:00.002-04:00

Here's the weekly rundown of the weekend's action by the top ten men in each event (as projected by Track and Field News).

In my mind, the biggest development of the weekend is only included here as a footnote: Florida State's Ngoni Makusha ran 9.97 (+2.0) to win the 100 meters at the ACC Championships. That stamps him as a major player in the event on a national level, which not only has implications in the 100 meters but for the team championship as well.

100 meters
1. Jeff Demps (Fla) - idle
2. Mookie Salaam (Okla) - 2nd (1st collegian) at LSU Alumni Gold (10.04w)
3. Gerald Phiri (TAMU) - false start at Michael Johnson Classic
4. Maurice Mitchell (FlSt) - 2nd at ACC Championships (10.03) behind Makusha (FlSt)
5. Keenan Brock (Aub) - idle
6. Prezel Hardy (TAMU) - won Michael Johnson Classic (10.13)
7. Woodrow Randall (Bay) - 3rd (2nd D-I) at Michael Johnson Classic (10.23)
8. Harry Adams (Aub) - idle
9. Charles Silmon (TCU) - false start at Michael Johnson Classic
10. Michael Granger (Miss) - 3rd (1st collegian) at Mississippi Open (10.27)

200 meters
1. Maurice Mitchell (FlSt) - won ACC Championships (20.19)
2. Mookie Salaam (Okla) - idle
3. Brandon Byram (FlSt) - 2nd at ACC Championships (20.57)
4. Horatio Williams (LSU) - won LSU Alumni Gold (20.32w)
5. Antonio Sales (SoCar) - idle
6. Charles Clark (FlSt) - 3rd at ACC Championships (20.78)
7. Terrell Wilks (Fla) - idle
8. Gerald Phiri (TAMU) - see 100 meters
9. Dentarius Locke (Tenn) - idle
10. Justin Austin (Iowa) - won Musco Twilight (20.87m)

400 meters
1. Kirani James (Ala) - won Mississippi Open (45.12)
2. Tabarie Henry (TAMU) - idle
3. Demetrius Pinder (TAMU) - ran on 4x100 at Michael Johnson Classic
4. Joey Hughes (USC) - idle
5. Gil Roberts (TxT) - won Texas Tech Open (45.81)
6. Tony McQuay (Fla) - idle
7. Errol Nolan (Hous) - 4th (3rd collegian) at LSU Alumni Gold (20.68w)
8. Tavaris Tate (MsSt) - 3rd at Mississippi Open (47.20)
9. Josh Mance (USC) - idle
10. Bryshon Nellum (USC) - idle

800 meters
1. Robby Andrews (UVa) - 2nd at ACC Championships 1500m (3:40.77)
2. Charles Jock (UCI) - won 400m at Cal St. Fullerton (47.58)
3. Cas Loxsom (PennSt) - won Jesse Owens Classic (1:46.45)
4. Cory Primm (UCLA) - idle
5. Elijah Greer (Ore) - 4th (3rd collegian) at Oregon Relays 1500 meters (3:49.98)
6. Michael Rutt (UConn) - won 1500m at Albany (3:53.63)
7. Michael Preble (TAMU) - idle
8. Fred Samoi (Ala) - idle
9. Aaron Evans (UGa) - 2nd vs. Missouri (1:54.60) behind Dixon (Mo)
10. Lance Roller (UVa) - 2nd at ACC Championships (1:49.44)

1500 meters
1. Dorian Ulrey (Ark) - 3rd at John McDonnell Invitational (3:42.76)
2. Matt Centrowitz (Ore) - won Oregon Relays (3:42.49)
3. Miles Batty (BYU) - ran on 4x400 at Robison Invitational
4. A.J. Acosta (Ore) - last in heat at Oregon Relays (3:57.63)
5. Chris O'Hare (Tulsa) - 2nd at John McDonnell Invitational (3:42.54) behind Farrell (OkSt)
6. Dumi Hlaselo (Fla) - idle
7. German Fernandez (OkSt) - 7th at John McDonnell Invitational (3:44.68)
8. Ryan Foster (PennSt) - idle
9. Lawi Lalang (Ariz) - idle
10. Jeremy Rae (UND) - idle

Steeplechase
1. Matt Hughes (Lou) - DNF in 1500m at Louisville quad
2. Donn Cabral (Prin) - 6th in mile at Larry Ellis Invitational (4:07.83)
3. Hillary Bor (IaSt) - idle
4. John Sullivan (Stan) - idle
5. Corey Leslie (OhSt) - won Jesse Owens Classic (8:51.06)
6. Gilbert Limo (TxT) - idle
7. Steve Sodaro (Cal) - 8th (5th collegian) at Brutus Hamilton Invitational mile (4:07.78)
8. Steve Finley (Ore) - idle
9. Matt Cleaver (UGa) - won vs. Missouri (8:53.85)
10. Brett Hales (WebSt) - idle

5000 meters
1. Leonard Korir (Iona) - idle
2. Elliot Heath (Stan) - idle
3. Sam Chelanga (Lib) - idle
4. Kevin Schwab (Okla) - idle
5. Maverick Darling (Wisc) - idle
6. Justin Tyner (AFA) - idle
7. Ryan Hill (NCSt) - won ACC Championships 10,000 meters (29:39.56)
8. Andrew Poore (Ind) - 3rd at Polytan Invitational (13:59.84)
9. Hassan Mead (Minn) - idle
10. Michael Fout (FlSt) - 12th at ACC Championships (14:23.39)

10,000 meters
1. Sam Chelanga (Lib) - idle
2. Chris Derrick (Stan) - idle
3. Stephen Sambu (Ariz) - idle
4. Ciaran O'Lionaird (FlSt) - won ACC Championships 1500m (3:40.69) and 5k (13:52.11)
5. Jake Riley (Stan) - idle
6. Mo Ahmed (Wisc) - idle
7. Diego Estrada (NnAz) - idle
8. Alfred Kipchumba (Port) - idle
9. Colby Lowe (OkSt) - idle
10. Luke Puskedra (Ore) - idle

110m Hurdles
1. Barrett Nugent (LSU) - won LSU Alumni Gold (13.35w)
2. Omo Osaghae (TxT) - won Texas Tech Open (13.18w)
3. Andrew Riley (Ill) - won 100 meters at Musco Twilight (10.61)
4. Keiron Stewart (Tex) - 2nd at Michael Johnson Classic (13.74) behind Davis (TAMU)
5. Ray Stewart (Cal) - won Brutus Hamilton Invitational (13.55)
6. Brendan Ames (USC) - idle
7. Oscar Spurlock (USC) - idle
8. Jeff Julmis (KsSt) - idle
9. Ronald Brookins (SacSt) - idle
10. Terrence Somerville (Cin) - won Polytan Invitational (13.92)

400m Hurdles
1. Jeshua Anderson (WaSt) - idle
2. Amaechi Morton (Stan) - won Brutus Hamilton Invitational (49.69)
3. Jamele Mason (TxT) - idle
4. Bryce Brown (TxT) - idle
5. Reggie Wyatt (USC) - idle
6. Lee Moore (Miss) - won Mississippi Open (49.82)
7. William Wynne (Fla) - idle
8. David Aristil (USF) - won Polytan Invitational (51.34)
9. Leslie Murray (DeSt) - idle
10. Emanuel Mayers (MsSt) - idle

High Jump
1. Erik Kynard (KsSt) - idle
2. Ricky Robertson (Miss) - won Mississippi Open (2.13m)
3. James Harris (MsSt) - ran 200m, 400m and 4x100 at Mississippi Open
4. Geoff Davis (Purd) - won Jesse Owens Classic (2.21m)
5. David Smith (Aub) - idle
6. Nick Ross (Ariz) - idle
7. Paul Hamilton (Neb) - idle
8. Edgar Rivera-Morales (Ariz) - idle
9. Dwight Barbiasz (Md) - won ACC Championships (2.12m)
10. Jamal Wilson (Tex) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Michael Johnson Classic (2.15m)

Pole Vault
1. Scott Roth (Wash) - won Oregon Relays (5.50m)
2. Jack Whitt (ORU) - won John McDonnell Invitational (5.20m)
3. Jordan Scott (Kans) - 3rd (1st collegian) at Kansas Relays (5.17m)
4. Ben Peterson (Minn) - won LSU Alumni Gold (5.38m)
5. Victor Weirich (BYU) - no-height at Robison Invitational
6. Yavgeniy Olhovskiy (VaT) - idle
7. Chris Little (BYU) - no-height at Robison Invitational
8. Nate Polacek (Neb) - 8th (6th collegian) at Kansas Relays (5.02m)
9. Luke Schoen (Alb) - idle
10. Hunter Hall (VaT) - 6th at ACC Championships (4.95m)

Long Jump
1. Ngoni Makusha (FlSt) - won ACC Championships (7.72m)
2. Marquise Goodwin (Tex) - idle
3. Will Claye (Fla) - idle
4. Tarik Batchelor (Ark) - idle
5. Chris Phipps (Neb) - 6th (4th D-I) at Kansas Relays (7.25m)
6. Christian Taylor (Fla) - idle
7. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - see triple jump
8. Bryce Lamb (TxT) - won Texas Tech Open (7.93m)
9. Reindell Cole (CSN) - idle
10. Justin Hunter (Tenn) - idle

Triple Jump
1. Will Claye (Fla) - idle
2. Christian Taylor (Fla) - idle
3. Julian Reid (TAMU) - ran 100m atn 4x100 at Michael Johnson Classic
4. Omar Craddock (Fla) - idle
5. Troy Doris (Iowa) - won Musco Twilight (15.67m)
6. Tyron Stewart (TAMU) - 2nd at Michael Johnson Classic long jump (7.94m)
7. Chris Carter (Hous) - 2nd at LSU Alumni Gold (15.72w)
8. Kyron Blaise (LSU) - idle
9. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - won LSU Alumni Gold (17.05w)
10. Tarik Batchelor (Ark) - idle

Shot Put
1. Mason Finley (Kans) - won Kansas Relays (18.40m)
2. Luke Pinkelman (Neb) - idle
3. Stephen Saenz (Aub) - idle
4. Hayden Baillio (Tex) - won Michael Johnson Classic (18.54m)
5. Blake Eaton (PennSt) - 4th (3rd collegian) at Jesse Owens Classic (17.28m)
6. Leif Arrhenius (BYU) - won Robison Invitational (18.55m)
7. Jordan Clarke (AzSt) - threw discus and hammer at Triton Invitational
8. Michael Putman (FlSt) - 2nd at ACC Championships (17.89m) behind Padgett (Clem)
9. Matt DeChant (OhSt) - 8th at Jesse Owens Classic (16.81m)
10. Joe Kovacs (PennSt) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Jesse Owens Classic (17.40m)

Discus Throw
1. Leif Arrhenius (BYU) - won Robison Invitational (60.94m)
2. Mason Finley (Kans) - won Kansas Relays (57.15m)
3. Julian Wruck (TxT) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Texas Tech Open (58.41m)
4. Michael Putman (FlSt) - won ACC Championships (57.28m)
5. Luke Bryant (Okla) - 3rd (1st D-I) at Michael Johnson Classic (54.89m)
6. Colin Boevers (Kty) - 18th at Triton Invitational (54.86m)
7. Andres Rossini (NnAz) - won Sun Devil Open (55.85m)
8. Jake Deiters (SnIl) - won Vanderbilt Invitational (54.00m)
9. James Plummer (Rutg) - won Larry Ellis Invitational (60.43m)
10. Chad Wright (Neb) - 3rd at Kansas Relays (55.61m)

Hammer Throw
1. Walter Henning (LSU) - 2nd at LSU Alumni Gold (66.71m)
2. Marcel Lomnicky (VaT) - won ACC Championships (75.84m)
3. Alexander Ziegler (VaT) - 2nd at ACC Championships (71.99m)
4. Trey Henderson (USC) - won Tiny Lister Classic (66.66m)
5. Dimitrios Fylladitakis (UTEP) - idle
6. Justin Welch (UGa) - won vs. Missouri (66.64m)
7. Chris Cralle (SHSU) - idle
8. K.P. Singh (Okla) - threw discus at Michael Johnson Classic
9. Michael Lauro (LSU) - won LSU Alumni Gold (64.75m)
10. Jordan Stray (Ore) - 3rd (1st collegian) at Oregon Relays (64.27m)

Javelin Throw
1. Craig Kinsley (Brown) - idle
2. Ignacio Guerra (WnKy) - idle
3. Sam Humphreys (TAMU) - idle
4. Cooper Thompson (USC) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Tiny Lister Classic (68.40m)
5. Kyle Nielsen (Wash) - idle
6. Tim Glover (IlSt) - idle
7. Joe Zimmerman (Wash) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Oregon Relays (70.58m)
8. Pontus Thomee (BoiSt) - 5th (3rd D-I) at Oregon Relays (68.03m)
9. Sam Crouser (Ore) - idle
10. Alex Wolff (Ore) - 3rd (2nd collegian) at Oregon Relays (69.70m)

Decathlon
1. Michael Morrison (Cal) - 110H (14.77m), PV (4.85m) at Brutus Hamilton Invitational
2. Miller Moss (Clem) - 2nd at ACC Championships (7706 pts) behind Sossah (UNC)
3. Gray Horn (Fla) - idle
4. Romain Martin (UTA) - 110H (14.64w), LJ (6.92w) at Michael Johnson Classic
5. Lars Rise (Mo) - idle
6. Michael Ayers (UGa) - LJ (3.92m), PV (4.61m) vs. Missouri
7. Moritz Cleve (KsSt) - idle
8. Jeremy Taiwo (Wash) - idle
9. Curtis Beach (Duke) - 3rd at ACC Championships (7543 pts)
10. David Klech (Ore) - idle

The Exchange Zone: Rob Myers

2011-04-21T20:32:00.000-04:00

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The Exchange Zone with Jesse Squire

In Episode 2, I sat down with miler and 3 time indoor US champion Rob Myers. Rob is scheduled to open up his outodoor season this weekend at the Jesse Owens Classic and will participate in the Drake Relays invitational mile next weekend. The former Ohio State Buckeye talks frankly about his career up and downs, his current goals going into World Championship and Olympic Trials and his future off the track.

Taking Track (and Field) to the People

2011-04-21T16:00:00.001-04:00

The special downtown "street shot" put held last night as part of the Kansas Relays was well-received. The reports are that over 2,500 people came out to see it. The photo might not reflect that, but think about the vantage point of the photographer--a second- or third-story window--and that many of the adjacent businesses are restaurants or bars with balconies, and you've got yourself a nice little stadium.

Tonight they're trying it again with a street long jump. This follows a general trend we've seen lately, which is to take an event or two out of the stadium and into other kinds of spaces. It allows people to see the athletes compete in a far more intimate atmosphere than would otherwise be possible. And when they see them close up, the insanity of the speed or strength of these athletes becomes much more appreciable.

Pole vaulting has done this for a long time, with street vaults and beach vaults and whatnot. Next week the Drake Relays is reprising one of their more popular stunts, in which a pole vault competition is held inside Des Moines' biggest shopping mall.

High jumpers have done these kinds of things from time to time, too, even in their high-jump only tours held in basketball gyms. Over in England, they've done some on-street sprint and hurdle races, bringing in big names like Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay and Allyson Felix.

Road racing, of course, is the original "outside the stadium" sport. The Boston Marathon is estimated to have half a million live spectators, and going out to see it in person is a major Hub tradition. ESPN's "Sports Guy", Bill Simmons, explains it in his usual entertaining fashion.

The people who put these on are well aware of the novelty of their acts. They don't like to wear out their welcome. The mall pole vault in Des Moines was only brought back due to huge public demand for it.

If there's one part of track and field that gets left out of this, it's the long throws. I joked about waiting to see a street javelin. If we do want to keep on taking track and field to the people, what are some new ideas? And how can we incorporate the hammer, discus and javelin?

Hammer throwers have already figured this out in Germany. The Sparkassen Hammerwurf-Meeting in Fränkisch-Crumbach is an all-hammer competition in a park in a small German village, complete with beer and bratwurst and a party atmosphere. Friend of the blog Martin Bingisser has thrown there and says it's the best hammer meet in the world. Here in the USA, it wouldn't be too hard to add a hammer competition to an outdoor summer German/Polish/Russian/whathaveyou ethnic festival. Toledo has a German-American festival, and has the space, and I may try to get together with local throwers and the festival organizers and see what we can do.

We need to keep on doing these in whatever way we can. I joked about the street javelin, but I have an idea for something kind of like it. Take the javelin to a minor league baseball game. Either before or after the game, put down a temporary foul line between home plate and the mound and throw to the outfield. The jav does the least damage to turf, and doesn't require a cage, so it's an easier sell than the discus. You just have to make sure that the athletes aren't good enough to put it in the stands...

Who is Where This Weekend

2011-04-21T14:53:00.006-04:00

Want to know where all the college stars are competing this weekend? Here's a listing of where the top ten in each event (as determined by Track and Field News) are scheduled to compete.

As you can see, many of these are still up in the air as of now. I'll update as the weekend goes along.

MEN

100 meters
1. Jeff Demps (Fla) - idle
2. Mookie Salaam (Okla) - LSU Alumni Gold
3. Gerald Phiri (TAMU) - Michael Johnson Classic
4. Maurice Mitchell (FlSt) - ACC Championships
5. Keenan Brock (Aub) - idle
6. Prezel Hardy (TAMU) - Michael Johnson Classic
7. Woodrow Randall (Bay) - Michael Johnson Classic
8. Harry Adams (Aub) - unknown, team at Mississippi Open
9. Charles Silmon (TCU) - Michael Johnson Classic
10. Michael Granger (Miss) - unknown, team at Mississippi Open

200 meters
1. Maurice Mitchell (FlSt) - ACC Championships
2. Mookie Salaam (Okla) - see 100 meters
3. Brandon Byram (FlSt) - ACC Championships
4. Horatio Williams (LSU) - LSU Alumni Gold
5. Antonio Sales (SoCar) - idle
6. Charles Clark (FlSt) - ACC Championships
7. Terrell Wilks (Fla) - idle
8. Gerald Phiri (TAMU) - Michael Johnson Classic
9. Dentarius Locke (Tenn) - idle
10. Justin Austin (Iowa) - unknown, team at Musco Twilight

400 meters
1. Kirani James (Ala) - idle
2. Tabarie Henry (TAMU) - Michael Johnson Classic 200 meters
3. Demetrius Pinder (TAMU) - Michael Johnson Classic relay duty
4. Joey Hughes (USC) - idle
5. Gil Roberts (TxT) - Texas Tech Open
6. Tony McQuay (Fla) - idle
7. Errol Nolan (Hous) - LSU Alumni Gold
8. Tavaris Tate (MsSt) - unknown, team at Mississippi Open
9. Josh Mance (USC) - idle
10. Bryshon Nellum (USC) - idle

800 meters
1. Robby Andrews (UVa) - idle
2. Charles Jock (UCI) - unknown, team at Cal St. Fullerton
3. Cas Loxsom (PennSt) - Jesse Owens Classic
4. Cory Primm (UCLA) - idle
5. Elijah Greer (Ore) - Oregon Relays 1500 meters
6. Michael Rutt (UConn) - unknown, team at Albany
7. Michael Preble (TAMU) - idle
8. Fred Samoi (Ala) - idle
9. Aaron Evans (UGa) - unknown, team vs. Missouri
10. Lance Roller (UVa) - idle

1500 meters
1. Dorian Ulrey (Ark) - unknown, team at John McDonnell Invitational
2. Matt Centrowitz (Ore) - Oregon Relays
3. Miles Batty (BYU) - Robison Invitational 4x400 relay
4. A.J. Acosta (Ore) - Oregon Relays
5. Chris O'Hare (Tulsa) - unknown, team at John McDonnell Invitational
6. Dumi Hlaselo (Fla) - idle
7. German Fernandez (OkSt) - unknown, team at John McDonnell Invitational
8. Ryan Foster (PennSt) - idle
9. Lawi Lalang (Ariz) - idle
10. Jeremy Rae (UND) - idle

Steeplechase
1. Matt Hughes (Lou) - unknown, team at Louisville quad
2. Donn Cabral (Prin) - Larry Ellis Invitational mile
3. Hillary Bor (IaSt) - unknown, team at Musco Twilight
4. John Sullivan (Stan) - idle
5. Corey Leslie (OhSt) - Jesse Owens Classic
6. Gilbert Limo (TxT) - idle
7. Steve Sodaro (Cal) - Brutus Hamilton Invitational mile
8. Steve Finley (Ore) - idle
9. Matt Cleaver (UGa) - unknown, team vs. Missouri
10. Brett Hales (WebSt) - unknown, team at Springfest Collegiate Shootout

5000 meters
1. Leonard Korir (Iona) - idle
2. Elliot Heath (Stan) - idle
3. Sam Chelanga (Lib) - Big South Championships
4. Kevin Schwab (Okla) - idle
5. Maverick Darling (Wisc) -
6. Justin Tyner (AFA) - unknown, team at Jack Christiansen Invitational
7. Ryan Hill (NCSt) - ACC Championships 10,000 meters
8. Andrew Poore (Ind) - Polytan Invitationa;
9. Hassan Mead (Minn) - unknown, team at Musco Twilight
10. Michael Fout (FlSt) - ACC Championships

10,000 meters
1. Sam Chelanga (Lib) - see 5000 meters
2. Chris Derrick (Stan) - idle
3. Stephen Sambu (Ariz) - idle
4. Ciaran O'Lionaird (FlSt) - ACC Championships 1500 meters
5. Jake Riley (Stan) - idle
6. Mo Ahmed (Wisc) -
7. Diego Estrada (NnAz) - idle
8. Alfred Kipchumba (Port) - idle
9. Colby Lowe (OkSt) - unknown, team at John McDonnell Invitational
10. Luke Puskedra (Ore) - idle

110m Hurdles
1. Barrett Nugent (LSU) - LSU Alumni Gold
2. Omo Osaghae (TxT) - Texas Tech Open
3. Andrew Riley (Ill) - unknown, team at Musco Twilight
4. Keiron Stewart (Tex) - idle
5. Ray Stewart (Cal) - Brutus Hamilton Invitational
6. Brendan Ames (USC) - idle
7. Oscar Spurlock (USC) - idle
8. Jeff Julmis (KsSt) - idle
9. Ronald Brookins (SacSt) - Brutus Hamilton Open
10. Terrence Somerville (Cin) - Polytan Invitational

400m Hurdles
1. Jeshua Anderson (WaSt) - idle
2. Amaechi Morton (Stan) - Brutus Hamilton Invitational 100m and 200m
3. Jamele Mason (TxT) - idle
4. Bryce Brown (TxT) - idle
5. Reggie Wyatt (USC) - idle
6. Lee Moore (Miss) - unknown, team at Mississippi Open
7. William Wynne (Fla) - idle
8. David Aristil (USF) - Polytan Invitational
9. Leslie Murray (DeSt) - unknown, team at Morgan State Legacy Meet
10. Emanuel Mayers (MsSt) - unknown, team at Mississippi Open

High Jump
1. Erik Kynard (KsSt) - idle
2. Ricky Robertson (Miss) - unknown, team at Mississippi Open
3. James Harris (MsSt) - unknown, team at Mississippi Open
4. Geoff Davis (Purd) - Jesse Owens Classic
5. David Smith (Aub) - unknown, team at Mississippi Open
6. Nick Ross (Ariz) - idle
7. Paul Hamilton (Neb) - Kansas Relays
8. Edgar Rivera-Morales (Ariz) - idle
9. Dwight Barbiasz (Md) - ACC Championships
10. Jamal Wilson (Tex) - Michael Johnson Classic

Pole Vault
1. Scott Roth (Wash) - Oregon Relays
2. Jack Whitt (ORU) - unknown, team at John McDonnell Invitational
3. Jordan Scott (Kans) - Kansas Relays
4. Ben Peterson (Minn) - unknown, team at Musco Twilight
5. Victor Weirich (BYU) - Robison Invitational
6. Yavgeniy Olhovskiy (VaT) - idle
7. Chris Little (BYU) - Robison Invitational
8. Nate Polacek (Neb) - Kansas Relays
9. Luke Schoen (Alb) - unknown, team vs. UConn
10. Hunter Hall (VaT) - ACC Championships

Long Jump
1. Ngoni Makusha (FlSt) - ACC Championships
2. Marquise Goodwin (Tex) - idle
3. Will Claye (Fla) - idle
4. Tarik Batchelor (Ark) - unknown, team at John McDonnell Invitational
5. Chris Phipps (Neb) - Kansas Relays
6. Christian Taylor (Fla) - idle
7. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - see triple jump
8. Bryce Lamb (TxT) - idle
9. Reindell Cole (CSN) - unknown, team at Cal St. LA Twilight
10. Justin Hunter (Tenn) - idle

Triple Jump
1. Will Claye (Fla) - idle
2. Christian Taylor (Fla) - idle
3. Julian Reid (TAMU) - unknown, team at Michael Johnson Classic
4. Omar Craddock (Fla) - idle
5. Troy Doris (Iowa) - unknown, team at Musco Twilight
6. Tyron Stewart (TAMU) - Michael Johnson Classic long jump
7. Chris Carter (Hous) - LSU Alumni Gold
8. Kyron Blaise (LSU) - LSU Alumni Gold
9. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - LSU Alumni Gold
10. Tarik Batchelor (Ark) - unknown, team at John McDonnell Invitational

Shot Put
1. Mason Finley (Kans) - Kansas Relays
2. Luke Pinkelman (Neb) - Kansas Relays
3. Stephen Saenz (Aub) - unknown, team at Mississippi Open
4. Hayden Baillio (Tex) - Michael Johnson Classic
5. Blake Eaton (PennSt) - Jesse Owens Classic
6. Leif Arrhenius (BYU) - Robison Invitational
7. Jordan Clarke (AzSt) - Triton Invitational
8. Michael Putman (FlSt) - ACC Championships
9. Matt DeChant (OhSt) - Jesse Owens Classic
10. Joe Kovacs (PennSt) - Jesse Owens Classic

Discus Throw
1. Leif Arrhenius (BYU) - Robison Invitational
2. Mason Finley (Kans) - Kansas Relays
3. Julian Wruck (TxT) - Texas Tech Open
4. Michael Putman (FlSt) - ACC Championships
5. Luke Bryant (Okla) - Michael Johnson Classic
6. Colin Boevers (Kty) - idle
7. Andres Rossini (NnAz) - Sun Devil Open
8. Jake Deiters (SnIl) - unknown, team at Vanderbilt Invitational
9. James Plummer (Rutg) -
10. Chad Wright (Neb) - Kansas Relays

Hammer Throw
1. Walter Henning (LSU) - LSU Alumni Gold
2. Marcel Lomnicky (VaT) - ACC Championships
3. Alexander Ziegler (VaT) - ACC Championships
4. Trey Henderson (USC) - idle
5. Dimitrios Fylladitakis (UTEP) - idle
6. Justin Welch (UGa) - unknown, team vs. Missouri
7. Chris Cralle (SHSU) - Michael Johnson Classic
8. K.P. Singh (Okla) - Michael Johnson Classic
9. Michael Lauro (LSU) - LSU Alumni Gold
10. Jordan Stray (Ore) - Oregon Relays

Javelin Throw
1. Craig Kinsley (Brown) - idle
2. Ignacio Guerra (WnKy) - unknown, team at Louisville quad
3. Sam Humphreys (TAMU) - idle
4. Cooper Thompson (USC) - idle
5. Kyle Nielsen (Wash) - idle
6. Tim Glover (IlSt) - unknown, team at Louisville quad
7. Joe Zimmerman (Wash) - Oregon Relays
8. Pontus Thomee (BoiSt) - unknown, team at Springfest Collegiate Shootout
9. Sam Crouser (Ore) - idle
10. Alex Wolff (Ore) - Oregon Relays

Decathlon
1. Michael Morrison (Cal) - Brutus Hamilton Invitational (110H, LJ, PV, 4x400)
2. Miller Moss (Clem) - ACC Championships
3. Gray Horn (Fla) - idle
4. Romain Martin (UTA) - Michael Johnson Classic (LJ)
5. Lars Rise (Mo) - unknown, team at Georgia
6. Michael Ayers (UGa) - unknown, team vs. Missouri
7. Moritz Cleve (KsSt) - idle
8. Jeremy Taiwo (Wash) - idle
9. Curtis Beach (Duke) - ACC Championships
10. David Klech (Ore) - Oregon Relays (400H, PV, DT)

WOMEN

100 meters
1. Jessica Young (TCU) - Michael Johnson Classic
2. LaKya Brookins (SoCar) - idle
3. Jeneba Tarmoh (TAMU) - see 200 meters
4. Semoy Hackett (LSU) - LSU Alumni Gold
5. Tiffany Townsend (Bay) - Michael Johnson Classic
6. Marecia Pemberton (FlSt) - ACC Championships
7. Shayla Mahan (SoCar) - idle
8. Terra Evans (TxT) - Texas Tech Open 200 meters
9. Dominique Booker (UCF) - idle
10. Amber Purvis (Ore) - see 200 meters

200 meters
1. Kimberlyn Duncan (LSU) - LSU Alumni Gold
2. Jeneba Tarmoh (TAMU) - Michael Johnson Classic
3. Shanequa Ferguson (Aub) - unknown, team at Mississippi Open
4. Amber Purvis (Ore) - Oregon Relays
5. Dominique Duncan (TAMU) - Michael Johnson Classic 100 meters
6. Auriyall Scott (UCF) - idle
7. Tiffany Townsend (Bay) - Michael Johnson Classic
8. Candyce McGrone (Okla) - Michael Johnson Classic
9. Semoy Hackett (LSU) - see 100 meters
10. Shavon Greaves (PennSt) - Jesse Owens Classic

400 meters
1. Jessica Beard (TAMU) - Michael Johnson Classic
2. Joanna Atkins (Aub) - unknown, team at Mississippi Open
3. Shelise Williams (Ark) - unknown, team at John McDonnell Invitational
4. Chantel Malone (Tex) - Michael Johnson Classic
5. Endurance Abinuwa (UTEP) - idle
6. Regina George (Ark) - unknown, team at John McDonnell Invitational
7. Briana Nelson (Tex) - Michael Johnson Classic
8. Ibukun Mayungbe (TAMU) - Michael Johnson Classic
9. Ciara Short (CSF) - unknown, team vs. UC Irvine
10. Sharay Hale (Col) - Larry Ellis Invitational

800 meters
1. Lacey Bleazard (BYU) - Robison Invitational 4x400
2. Jillian Smith (Mich) - unknown, team at EMU Twilight
3. Christina Rodgers (Ariz) - idle
4. Lea Wallace (SacSt) - Brutus Hamilton Open 1500 meters
5. Sofie Persson (Miss) - unknown, team at Mississippi Open
6. Chanelle Price (Tenn) - unknown, team at Vanderbilt Invitational
7. Charlene Lipsey (LSU) - LSU Alumni Gold
8. Kate Grace (Yale) - Larry Ellis Invitational
9. Renee Tomlin (Gtn) - idle
10. Caitlin Bailey (BosC) - ACC Championships

1500 meters
1. Jessica Pixler (Colo) - unknown, team at Jack Christiansen Invitational
2. Anne Kesselring (Ore) - Oregon Relays 800 meters
3. Sheila Reid (Vill) - idle
4. Kate Van Buskirk (Duke) - ACC Championships
5. Lucy Van Dalen (SBrk) - idle
6. Emily Infeld (Gtn) - idle
7. Becca Friday (Ore) - Oregon Relays 800 meters
8. Keri Bland (WVa) - Jesse Owens Classic
9. Brittany Sheffey (Tenn) - unknown, team at Vanderbilt Invitational
10. Amanda Winslow (FlSt) - ACC Championships

Steeplechase
1. Emma Coburn (Colo) - unknown, team at Jack Christiansen Invitational
2. Sarah Pease (Ind) - Polytan Invitational 5000 meters
3. Ashley Higginson (Prin) - idle
4. Shalaya Kipp (Colo) - unknown, team at Jack Christiansen Invitational
5. Stephanie Garcia (UVa) - ACC Championships
6. Silje Fjortoft (SMU) - idle
7. Rebeka Stowe (Kans) - Kansas Relays 1500 meters
8. Shelby Greany (Prov) - idle
9. Martina Tresch (KsSt) - idle
10. Claire Michel (Ore) - Oregon Relays

5000 meters
1. Jordan Hasay (Ore) - idle
2. Maire Louise Asselin (WVa) - idle
3. Liz Costello (Tenn) - unknown, team at Vanderbilt Invitational
4. Katie Flood (Wash) - idle
5. Risper Kimaiyo (UTEP) - idle
6. Megan Goethals (Wash) - idle
7. Mia Behm (Tex) - idle
8. Anna Nosenko (WFst) - idle
9. Deborah Maier (Cal) - idle
10. Betsy Saina (IaSt) - unknown, team at Musco Twilight

10,000 meters
1. Tara Erdmann (LMU) - idle
2. Betsy Saina (IaSt) - unknown, team at Musco Twilight
3. Tonya Nero (WichSt) - idle
4. Pasca Cheruiyot (FlSt) - idle
5. Amanda Goetschius (Char) - unknown, team at Charlotte Invitational
6. Kimberly Ruck (Clem) - ACC Championships
7. Juliet Bottorff (Duke) - ACC Championships 5000 meters
8. Stephanie Marcy (Stan) - idle
9. Morgan Haws (BYU) - Robison Invitational 5000 meters
10. Sarah Andrews (Ore) - idle

100m Hurdles
1. Tierra Brown (MiaFl) - ACC Championships
2. Tiffani McReynolds (Bay) - Michael Johnson Classic
3. Nia Ali (USC) - idle
4. Natasha Ruddock (TAMU) - Michael Johnson Classic
5. Brianna Rollins (Clem) - ACC Championships
6. Jasmin Stowers (LSU) - LSU Alumni Gold
7. Letecia Wright (OhSt) - Jesse Owens Classic
8. Christina Manning (OhSt) - Jesse Owens Classic
9. Gabby Mayo (TAMU) - Michael Johnson Classic
10. Jackie Coward (UCF) - idle

400m Hurdles
1. Tierra Brown (MiaFl) - ACC Championships
2. Angele Cooper (Tex) - Michael Johnson Classic 400 meters
3. Jasmine Chaney (AzSt) - Sun Devil Open 100m Hurdles
4. Danielle Dowie (Tex) - Michael Johnson Classic 400 meters
5. Ellen Wortham (Tenn) - unknown, team at Vanderbilt Invitational
6. Cassandra Tate (LSU) - LSU Alumni Gold
7. Andrea Sutherland (TAMU) - Michael Johnson Classic 4x440y relay
8. Kianna Elahi (IaSt) - unknown, team at Musco Twilight
9. LaToya James (UNC) - ACC Championships
10. Takecia Jameson (MiaFl) - ACC Championships

High Jump
1. Brigetta Barrett (Ariz) - idle
2. Shanay Briscoe (Tex) - Michael Johnson Classic
3. Holly Parent (WaSt) - idle
4. Brittani Carter (LSU) - LSU Alumni Gold
5. Maya Pressley (Aub) - unknown, team at Mississippi Open
6. Brianne Theisen (Ore) - see heptathlon
7. Victoria Lucas (Tex) - Michael Johnson Classic
8. Ada Robinson (BYU) - Robison Invitational
9. Tynita Butts (ECar) - unknown, team at Charlotte Invitational
10. Krystle Schade (Ala) - unknown, team at Mississippi Open

Pole Vault
1. Tina Sutej (Ark) - unknown, team at John McDonnell Invitational
2. Katerina Stefanidi (Stan) - Brutus Hamilton Invitational
3. Shade Weygandt (TxT) - idle
4. Rachel Laurent (LSU) - LSU Alumni Gold
5. Natalie Willer (Neb) - Kansas Relays
6. Denise vonEynatten (USF) - LSU Alumni Gold
7. Melissa Gergel (Ore) - Oregon Relays
8. Vera Neuenswander (Ind) - Polytan Invitational 100 meters
9. Joanna Wright (GaT) - ACC Championships
10. Tori Anthony (UCLA) - Triton Invitational

Long Jump
1. Tori Bowie (SnMs) - LSU Alumni Gold
2. Kim Williams (FlSt) - ACC Championships
3. Jamesha Youngblood (Ore) - Oregon Relays
4. Sonnisha Williams (UCF) - idle
5. Chantel Malone (Tex) - Michael Johnson Classic triple jump
6. TiAnca Mock (Okla) - Michael Johnson Classic
7. Christabel Nettey (AzSt) - Sun Devil Open triple jump
8. Francine Simpson (Kans) - Kansas Relays
9. Whitney Gipson (TCU) - idle
10. Arantxa King (Stan) - Brutus Hamilton Invitational

Triple Jump
1. Kim Williams (FlSt) - ACC Championships
2. Patricia Mamona (Clem) - ACC Championships
3. Ganna Demydova (SnMs) - LSU Alumni Gold
4. Colleen Felix (UGa) - unknown, team vs. Missouri
5. Melissa Ogbourne (LSU) - LSU Alumni Gold long jump
6. April Sinkler (Clem) - ACC Championships
7. Andrea Geubelle (Kans) - Kansas Relays
8. Whitney Liehr (Stan) - idle
9. Jessica Ubanyionwu (Bay) - Michael Johnson Classic
10. Allison Wilder (UCR) - Triton Invitational

Shot Put
1. Julie Labonte (Ariz) - Triton Invitational
2. Karen Shump (Okla) - Michael Johnson Classic
3. Faith Sherrill (Ind) - Polytan Invitational
4. Tia Brooks (Okla) - Michael Johnson Classic
5. Annie Alexander (Tenn) - Triton Invitational
6. Anna Jelmini (AzSt) - Triton Invitational
7. Skylar White (Bay) - Michael Johnson Classic
8. Simone du Toit (SMU) - idle
9. Keely Medeiros (Fla) - idle
10. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - unknown, team at Vanderbilt Invitational

Discus Throw
1. Anna Jelmini (AzSt) - Triton Invitational
2. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - unknown, team at Vanderbilt Invitational
3. Simone du Toit (SMU) - idle
4. Erin Pendleton (Mich) - Jesse Owens Classic
5. Brittany Borman (Okla) - Michael Johnson Classic
6. Skylar White (Bay) - Michael Johnson Classic
7. Annie Alexander (Tenn) - Triton Invitational
8. Samia Stokes (LSU) - LSU Alumni Gold
9. Baillie Gibson (Ariz) - Triton Invitational
10. Brittany Smith (IlSt) - unknown, team at Louisville quad

Hammer Throw
1. Amanda Bingson (UNLV) - Triton Invitational
2. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - unknown, team at Vanderbilt Invitational
3. Nikola Lomnicka (UGa) - unknown, team vs. Missouri
4. Dorotea Habazin (VaT) - ACC Championships
5. Gwen Berry (SnIl) - unknown, team at Vanderbilt Invitational
6. Marissa Minderler (USC) - idle
7. Felisha Johnson (InSt) - unknown, team at Pacesetter Invitational
8. Jenny Ozorai (USC) - idle
9. Laura Iguane (WnKy) - unknown, team at Louisville quad
10. D'Ana McCarty (Lou) - unknown, team at Louisville quad

Javelin Throw
1. Marissa Tschida (WaSt) - Cougar Invitational
2. Brittany Borman (Okla) - Michael Johnson Classic
3. Amanda Peterson (Wash) - idle
4. Karlee McQuillen (PennSt) - Jesse Owens Classic
5. Courtney Kirkwood (WaSt) - Cougar Invitational
6. Emalie Humphreys (TAMU) - idle
7. Sabine Kopplin (Nev) - Brutus Hamilton Open
8. Ana Ruzevic (Tul) - idle
9. Laura Asimakis (TAMU) - Michael Johnson Classic
10. Randi Hicks (LBSt) - Triton Invitational

Heptathlon
1. Brieanne Theisen (Ore) - Oregon Relays (400m, SP)
2. Kiani Profit (Md) - idle
3. Ryann Krais (KsSt) - idle
4. Chelsea Carrier (WVa) - Jesse Owens Classic (100H, LJ)
5. Dorcas Akinniyi (Wisc) - unknown, team at Musco Twilight
6. Chantae McMillian (Neb) - Kansas Relays (100H, HJ, LJ, JT)
7. Ellen Wortham (Tenn) - unknown, team at Vanderbilt Invitational
8. Daphne Fitzpatrick (TAMU) - Michael Johnson Classic (LJ, SP)
9. Keia Pinnick (AzSt) - Sun Devil Open (100H, HJ, LJ, SP, JT)
10. Makeba Alcide (Ark) - unknown, team at John McDonnell Invitational

Kansas Relays Downtown Shot Put: Armstrong!

2011-04-20T22:13:00.000-04:00

From the Kansas Relays website:

The Kansas Relays took their show to downtown Lawrence Wednesday night to much success. An estimated crowd of at least 2,500 gathered around a man-made shot put area on the corner of Eighth and New Hampshire Streets and witnessed some of the best in the world perform in a fun, excitement-packed setting.

Armstrong's winning distance is quite good, just 6 centimeters off his own Canadian Record.

If 2,500 is an accurate number, it's among the 25 best-attended "track meets" in the USA this year.

Christian Cantwell had been announced as an entrant when the lineups were first made public, but apparently he's not recovered from shoulder surgery yet.

For more, such as that the event was popular and well-received despite Larry Rawson's announcing, check out this Kansas City Star article.

Results:
1. Dylan Armstrong (CAN), 70-07.25 (21.52m)
2. Reese Hoffa, 69-03.50 (21.12m)
3. Adam Nelson, 68-05.25 (20.85m)
4. Corey Martin, 67-11.75 (20.72m)
5. Ryan Whiting, 67-11.00 (20.70m)
6. Dorian Scott (JAM), 66-00.50 (20.12m)
7. Noah Bryant, 65-11.00 (20.09m)
8. Dan Taylor, 62-07.25 (19.08m)

Penn Relays Press Conference #1

2011-04-20T21:50:00.000-04:00

The Penn Relays is such a big deal in Philly that they have two press conferences. The first one took place today, and the second will be on Monday.

Today's presser included head coaches from Florida, Villanova, Tennessee and BYU. Yes, BYU is coming. I'm not sure if they've ever come to Penn before.

The coaches tipped their hands as to which relays they're entering and how they think they'll do. Florida's men, the elephant in the room, is running the 4x100, 4x200, sprint medley and shuttle hurdles, but no 4x400, as they've got a few banged-up runners.

For the others, read on.

LSU Coach Dennis Shaver on subdividing D-I track

2011-04-20T17:15:00.001-04:00

Recently I listened to a portion of the audiobook version of Tina Fey's memoir Bossypants. It's just as funny and insightful as you'd expect out of such a brilliant comedy mind.

One of the more interesting bits is about the "Rules of Improvisation" that she learned at Chicago's famed Second City. "The rules of improvisation appealed to me not only as a way of creating comedy, but as a world view. It set me on a career path toward Saturday Night Live. It changed the way I look at the world." She explains how those rules are a good way to interact with others in the workplace or in personal relations.

The first rule of improvisation is AGREE. Always agree and SAY YES. When you're improvising, this means you are required to agree with whatever your partner has created. So if we're improvising and I say, "Freeze, I have a gun," and you say, "That's not a gun. It's your finger. You're pointing you finger at me," our improvised scene has ground to a halt. But if I say, "Freeze, I have a gun!" and you say, "The gun I gave you for Christmas! You bastard!" then we have started a scene because we have AGREED that my finger is in fact a Christmas gun.

Now, obviously in real life you're not always going to agree with everything everyone says. But the Rule of Agreement reminds you to "respect what your partner has created" and to at least start from an open-minded place. Start with a YES and see where that takes you.

As an improviser, I always find it jarring when I meet someone in real life whose first answer is no. "No, we can't do that." "No, that's not in the budget." "No, I will not hold your hand for a dollar." What kind of way is that to live?

The second rule of improvisation is not only to say yes, but YES, AND. You are supposed to agree and then add something of your own. If I start a scene with "I can't believe it's so hot in here," and you just say, "Yeah..." we're kind of at a standstill. But if I say, "I can't believe it's so hot in here,"...and you say "I told you we shouldn't have crawled into this dog's mouth," now we're getting somewhere.

There's a lot more to this. There are several more rules, and all of it really makes sense. I won't put them here because this is about track, not Tina Fey, and also I might end up breaking copyright laws.

Anyway, it is with this mindset that I respond to an item in a Track and Field News interview with LSU head coach Dennis Shaver.

[W]e need to develop a model like what they have for the NCAA football championships. The Bowl Championship teams need to have their own… we need to have our own track meet. The Division I-A teams need to have their own track meet. You understand where I’m coming from?

T&FN: You mean dividing up Division I track like the way football does it?

Shaver: Exactly. Because right now, what’s in LSU’s, what’s in Oregon’s, what’s in Texas A&M’s, Florida’s, and Texas’s best interests—and Tennessee’s; I don’t want to leave anybody out, but I can’t read them all out—is not the same thing that’s in, and I have to be careful here, but let’s just say the “mid-majors.”

It just seems to me most of those universities would find it next to impossible to win the national championship in football. But, they’re trying to create a level playing field with us.

I see it in our coaches association, when there’s voting that takes place, and my one vote counts the same as their one vote. I just think that if we created a manageable national championship with teams that are, let’s say bowl-championship teams, there’s about 100 of us, and those are the only ones that are going to be able to win the championship for the largest division of track and field.

And then the Division I-AA, or whatever you’d call it, would have their national championship, because they can set it up for what’s best for them. But currently the way it is set up, the prelim and the quarterfinal round of the championship is in one location, separate from the others, and you finish that meet up and nobody really wins anything, they just advance. Am I making any kind of sense here?

T&FN: Yes, please continue.

Shaver: I think if we developed a system, and I hate to use the term “tiered,” but if you develop the different levels like what exists in other sports that have been successful, then we could go and eliminate this play-in kind of thing like we have now. The national championship meet for Division I could go back to the old system of descending-order lists, or truly do a team championship.

Normally I would have said that Shaver is off his rocker, that the NCAA would never in a million years agree to subdivide Division I in track and field. This is only done for football because football is fundamentally different from every other sport.

But that would be saying no, and grinding the discussion to a halt. It would violate Tina Fey's rules of improv, which are also a way of looking at the world. So instead I'll say yes. YES, let's subdivide Division I track and field into two divisions.

YES, AND let's look at how football subdivides itself. Is it that the most competitive teams are placed into the Bowl Subdivision? That's where they end up, but it's not how they get placed there. You'd be confusing correlation with causation. The teams in the Bowl Subdivision are not necessarily the best football teams, but the ones that take football the most seriously.

The requirements for FBS status that are related directly to an institution's football program are awarding at least 90% of the 85 allowable scholarships; playing at least 5 home games a year; and averaging at least 15,000 home attendance. There once was a requirement for minimum stadium seating capacity, but that has been dropped.

So if we take Shaver's idea seriously (and it's an idea also floated by Arkansas coach Chris Bucknam), then membership in this new track subdivision would be dependent on having lots of home meets and managing to get people to come to them. That would be the most important thing for a college track program. I could get behind that. Considering how things are now, Drake would be in the top division and Baylor in the bottom one, which is not what anyone expects.

Of course, I don't think what I'm talking about is what Shaver is talking about. I think he's talking about being frustrated about democracy, which gives the have-nots equal say with the have-mores, and that qualifying to the NCAA Championships looks to him like an expensive hassle for no good reason.

Here's the thing: qualifying to nationals via marks alone is very bad for track. If a school is not located in the south or the west, they have to travel there with regularity in order for their athletes to get good marks, which does not engage any home fans. (My golf league got SNOWED OUT on Monday, and more than half of the Big Ten is located to my north.) Concentrating on marks to the exclusion of everything else make competition meaningless. It results in college track being little more than a giant circle jerk about times and heights and distances, where literally no one who is not an athlete or coach or administrator gives a damn what any of those people do.

Qualifying to nationals via regionals isn't good for track either. The old four-region system wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. It was too easy to qualify to nationals and did not create any tension. It was made for TV but never on it. Championships were awarded but I bet you can't even name one regional champion team. The new two-region system is worse--no team scoring, no finals, takes all damn day for three days in a row. And it ends up making a month between meaningful competitions (conferences and nationals), which sure as hell doesn't create any end-of-the-year drama. And yes, if you have a boatload of qualifiers it does add significant travel expenses (which Shaver addresses).

What we need is some other way to get to nationals which doesn't depend entirely on marks or regionals. Something where we have some automatic qualifiers, and then we add some more at-large qualifiers based on who beat who during the regular season. If only there were a sport where we could do this...

Oh yeah, there is one. It's called CROSS COUNTRY. We've been doing it this way for decades. We can do it for track, too. Somebody out there, some creative type, has to be able to improvise a way to make this happen. Don't say no. Say yes. Say yes, and...

Wallace Spearmon on Mythbusters

2011-04-20T12:40:00.001-04:00

A quick heads up: Wallace Spearmon will be on the Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters" show tonight. Apparently they're looking into walking on water or something like that.

Like they always say, check your local listings for time and channel.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

College Power Rankings: Women

2011-04-19T17:50:00.000-04:00

There's a new Number One in the rankings.

For the first time since January, Oregon is not the #1 team. This week that honor goes to the Aggies of Texas A&M, matching the #1 ranking of their men's team.

The Superfan’s Women’s Power Rankings for April 19, 2011
last week's ranking in parenthesis
1. Texas A&M (2)
2. LSU (3)
3. Oregon (1)
4. Arkansas (5)
5. Texas (4)
6. Arizona (8)
7. Nebraska (6)
8. Oklahoma (10)
9. Clemson (7)
10. Arizona State (13)
11. Southern Cal (9)
12. BYU (14)
13. Texas Tech (12)
14. Stanford (18)
15. Florida State (11)
16. Tennessee (16)
17. Georgia (17)
18. Ohio State (15)
19. Penn State (19)
20. UCF (24)
21. Minnesota (21)
22. Florida (NR)
23. Auburn (NR)
24. South Carolina (20)
25. California (NR)
Close, but not quite: Baylor, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Michigan, North Carolina, Ole Miss, UCLA, Wichita State

As the indoor season fades further into the past, Oregon's dominance of that portion of the year becomes less and less important. A&M dominates the current portion of the year.

Major scored-meet action this weekend included Stanford beating Cal, and Indiana winning a quad.

Scored-meet action coming up this week includes the ACC Championships (with #9 Clemson and #15 Florida State) and Missouri at #17 Georgia.

College Power Rankings: Men

2011-04-19T15:52:00.002-04:00

The top team stays the same, but there’s some shuffling behind them.

The Superfan’s Men’s Power Rankings for April 19, 2011
last week's ranking in parenthesis
1. Texas A&M (1)
2. Florida (3)
3. LSU (2)
4. Texas (6)
5. Minnesota (13)
6. Florida State (4)
7. Southern Cal (7)
8. Oregon (9)
9. BYU (8)
10. Arkansas (5)
11. Nebraska (10)
12. UCLA (12)
13. Wisconsin (17)
14. Stanford (21)
15. Texas Tech (24)
16. Georgia (23)
17. Arizona State (16)
18. Indiana (11)
19. Arizona (19)
20. Ohio State (22)
21. Virginia Tech (14)
22. Washington (15)
23. Iowa (18)
24. Oklahoma (NR)
25. Princeton (20)
Close, but not quite: Air Force, Akron, Cal, Houston, Mississippi State, New Mexico, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn State, Washington State

Florida had a stronger weekend than LSU, propelling them into the #2 spot. Florida State’s mostly idle weekend dropped them a few sports. Big Ten indoor champ Minnesota is starting to crank up the outdoor season, as is rival Wisconsin.

Major scored-meet action included Oregon and UCLA in a tie, Stanford beating Cal, Indiana winning a quad meet, and Ohio State beating Michigan in some truly horrid weather. (How bad? It was 40 minutes away and I didn’t go.)

Major scored-meet action this coming week includes the ACC Championships and Missouri at Georgia.

Monday Morning Decathlete (Special Tuesday Edition)

2011-04-19T09:57:00.001-04:00

The Boston Marathon's traditional Monday date pushed this week's column back a day.

What did we learn this week?

NBC/Universal has shown its true colors.I planned on starting off this column writing about what happened in the Boston Marathon—and A LOT happened. From the perspective of a fan, though, the biggest news was not about the athletes or what they did.

The biggest news was the tremendous difficulty many of us had in seeing the greatest Boston Marathon of all time. The fact that one of the USA's biggest Olympic-oriented events was so difficult to watch tells us a lot about NBC/Universal, specifically that the corporation is harmful to domestic Olympic sports such as track and field and road running.

The race has, in the past, been on national television. To say that this year's race was on national television is an exercise in semantics. It was on Universal Sports TV, which is not regional, but it most certainly not available everywhere in the country. NBC has not put its full force behind getting the channel wide distribution. The majority of fans simply do not have television as a viewing option for the race.

The only real viewing option for the majority of fans is the companion website, UniversalSports.com, which can only be described as amateur at best. There is no end to the list of problems the site has at almost any time a track fan wants to watch one of their webcasts. Monday was even worse than usual.

Without going into the gory details, let's just say that only the truly determined could wade through the various bugs, errors, glitches and fuckups the website threw at us. For my $4.95 I got to see maybe 15 minutes of the race. Seriously. To top it all off, the dramatic race finishes were killed by a cutout of the video.

UniversalSports.com is simply not prepared to deal with a large number of people wanting to watch what it has to offer. That's bad business—not just for Universal, but for everyone involved. I wrote to the BAA suggesting strongly that they never again award the national broadcast rights to Universal, as it is not in the best interests of the organization. I sent the same to its major sponsors, John Hancock Financial Services and adidas.

New ownership of NBC/Universal will probably pull the plug on serious bidding for Olympic broadcast rights, leading to another network broadcasting the next few Olympics. This would almost assuredly mean the death of the Universal Sports TV channel and its companion website. It would be fantastic news for track fans.

There would not be a gaping hole in coverage of track and road racing. We already have that, as Universal Sports TV isn't widely available and the website has so many problems. Universal Sports' predecessor, WCSN, is still in existence in Australia, and could come back to life here. Besides, whatever other broadcaster wins the rights to the next Olympics will fill the void. And I ask you, could it be worse than what we have now?

Yes, track and field broadcasts on ESPN suck. But those aren't really ESPN broadcasts, they're time bought by USATF on ESPN. No one who knows that should be surprised by their poor quality. When ABC/ESPN puts its efforts into something, it does not do it halfway. One need look no further than the World Cup to see that they take the job seriously. NBC/Universal is not serious.

When is a record not a record?In track, generally only when it's wind-aided. But can a marathon be wind-aided? You bet.

Earlier in the week, LetsRun.com talked of once-in-a-lifetime conditions for fast running, with temperatures hovering around 50 degrees and with a perfectly-aligned tailwind for virtually all of Boston's northeasterly point-to-point course. It turned out pretty much that way; the tailwinds were hovering near 20 miles per hour with gusts into the 30s.

"A near-20 mph tailwind might chop three or four minutes off someone's finishing time," said Mr. Kellogg. "A sub-2:03:59 clocking wouldn't actually shock me. I'll tell you this - if Boston had rabbits and the field that is assembled for the 2011 London marathon was running with a time bonus on the line, I'd actually be a little surprised if someone didn't run the fastest marathon time ever recorded."

Boston doesn't have pacemakers, though. Wouldn't the runners all pack up and take no chances, making the race a sit-and-kick affair? I mean, you can't run fast without pacemakers, right?

Yeah, but...the race had Mr. Unpredictable, Ryan Hall. He led for most of the first ten miles, taking everyone through a fast pace that projected to about 2:03:00. There was your pacemaker. At least ten guys came through halfway in 1:01:58. Records were being broken at every checkpoint.

The sixteenth mile was run in 4:23, and then the Newton Hills came into play. Hall got dropped, the lead group was down to six, and they were still fighting. At 20 miles Emmanuel Mutai took off.

But it wasn't over. Moses Mosop caught him three miles later on the downside of Heartbreak Hill. The two stayed together until Boylston Street, when Mutai kicked hardest for the win. The times: 2:03:02 and 2:03:06.

Hall kept it together and got fourth in 2:04:58, catching NYC champ Gebre Gebremariam at 24 miles. Ten guys ran under 2:07. Nuts.

Regardless of the wind, the point-to-point and net downhill course does not meet requirements for record status and set out either by the IAAF or USATF. The particular structure of Boston's course makes it debatable as to whether or not the elevation drop is advantageous, and the point-to-point part is only important when there's a tailwind. The times are more deserving of an asterisk than Roger Maris' 61 home runs were.

Still, this race was insane.

It was that close... I was particularly infuriated about missing the dramatic finish of the women's race at Monday's Boston Marathon. It was good.

I meet a bunch of guys for breakfast every Monday morning. One of them asked me who was going to win Boston, to which I replied "Kenyans". He said that there was an article in the paper the day before about an American woman (Kara Goucher) who had a chance to win. I said that while there was an American who might win, it wasn't Goucher. I meant Desiree Davila.

If I had been wrong, I never would have written about that discussion. But when I'm right I like to gloat about it. Davila definitely had a chance. Let's Run said she had "zero chance", but they were wrong and I knew it.

The early leader was Kiwi Kim Smith, who went far ahead of the leaders for most of the race, but a calf cramp at 18 miles made all her gutsy front-running for naught. She ended up as a DNF.

Goucher was not with the group that overtook the lead, and neither was Davila. But Davila caught that group, and over the last few mile three runners—her, Sharon Cherop, and eventual winner Caroline Kilel—battled back and forth until the final turns. Cherop was dropped right at the turn onto Hereford Street, and Kilel was able to outrun Davila down the last few blocks before collapsing in a heap after crossing the finish line.

Someone on Let's Run said that while going home on the T, he overheard people saying it was great that Kara Goucher was second. A Rodney Dangerfield moment for Davila for sure ("No respect, no respect at all...") Goucher was actually was fifth, an amazing feat for someone who had a baby only eight months ago.

Why doesn't Davila get any attention? She was obviously the American to watch going into this race. It's because she runs for Hansons-Brooks, which is located in the decidedly unglamorous Detroit area, and which does not have the massive PR machines of Nike or adidas. She also never did much in college. She never even scored a point at an NCAA Championships. She's kind of like Bill Rodgers, a great runner who didn't fulfill potential until hitting the roads. But he got famous, and she still isn't, even among the running crowd.

It would have been fitting for Davila to have broken the long US drought in Boston. The last US winner was Lisa Rainsberger in 1985, a Battle Creek native who went on to run at Michigan. The last men's winner was Grand Rapids native Greg Meyer, who also ran for the Wolverines.

Mary Keitany is ready for prime time. The Kenyan runner already owns the world records for the half marathon and 25k, but her first marathon last fall in New York wasn't quite at the same level she had shown in those midrange road races.

On Sunday morning in London she ran her second marathon, and this time she put on a clinic. She ran with the lead pack, led out by pacemakers on a 2:21 pace and hitting 1:10:37 at halfway. A mile later, just past marker 14, she took off to run on her own and that was that, leaving everyone else to fight for second.

Keitany's finishing time of 2:19:19 is a Kenyan record and puts her as the fifth fastest marathoner of all time, with the seventh-fastest race ever run. She ran a notable negative split, covering the second half nearly two minutes faster than the first half. That's almost unheard of in professionally-paced invitational marathons.

How does that second half of 1:08:42 measure up? It's the fifth-fastest of all time, beaten thrice by Paula Radcliffe and once by Catherine Ndereba. This tells us that Keitany isn't quite at the level of those other two yet. But it might not be long.

Potential is sometimes a bigger deal. On the men's side of the race, Emmanuel Mutai set a course record of 2:04:40, the ~~fifth~~ seventh-fastest of all time. Compared to Keitany, his is objectively a better time. It is higher on the world list and closer to the world record.

But Keitany got the headlines. She's the lead story at Athletics Weekly's website, the British publication for which the London race is one of the major happenings of the year. Runner's World's website similarly made her the headline. What gives? Doesn't Mutai deserve the greater amount of attention?

The answer lies in how we imagine the future. Mutai has run a full career's worth of marathons, seven times under 2:10, with five of those under 2:07 (but only two wins to show for it). Keitany, on the other hand, is new to this. Based on the very short life span of top marathoners, I say it's most likely that Mutai never runs this fast again. I would not make that statement about Keitany.

There's also the style in which the race was run. Mutai was the survivor of the typical live-fast-die-young-leave-a-good-looking-corpse race, where a bunch of guys are going really fast until one breaks out late and most of the rest implode. Keitany went out and just plain whupped ass. While Mutai's race was more interesting to watch, if you actually got up at 4 AM and turned on the computer, Keitany's was more interesting to write about.

Timing is everything. I was out of the loop on this one. I didn't even know Grete Waitz was sick. She passed away early Tuesday, at the end of Super Marathon Weekend, after a six-year battle with cancer.

I feel like we've lost Willie Mays, or Magic Johnson, or Gordy Howe. The nine-time New York champion was so loved here in the USA and was at least as popular a figure as any American runner. She was The Legend of marathoning, and was so accessible to the masses. She made no attempt to hide either the joy or the pain of running, those things that bring hundreds of thousands of us out onto the roads.

When I first started following track, the easiest thing to see on TV was the New York City Marathon. It was live back then. It was a big deal, and Waitz always seemed to win.

The last marathon Waitz ever ran was in 1992, when she helped an ailing Fred Lebow through a 5:32 effort in the same NYC Marathon they had together made world-famous.

Garrison Keillor once said that it's no tragedy when an old man dies. Waitz was 57. That's not old, and by marathoner standards it's positively young. This is a tragic loss.

Oregon won't be going to UCLA for another dual meet anytime soon. Not because the Ducks tied the Bruins, which from Oregon's perspective is as good as a loss. It's because the crowd was sparse to say the least. Duck head coach Vin Lananna made it clear that his team's first trip to Westwood for a dual since 1976 was a one-off occurrence unless attendance was good. And it was not. I don't yet have an official number, but it was not good.

Ken Goe, for The Oregonian:

The meet would have drawn a minimum of 5,000 fans to Hayward. There weren't 500 on a beautiful day at UCLA. In fact, there might not have been 50.

For all the clamor among track fans for more scored meets, the hard reality is that outside of a few select venues, there doesn't seem to be the interest.

It's true that 5,000 would have come out to Hayward (5,209 did for this meet last year). But 5,000+ people will come out to see any track meet at Hayward Field. You'd get four figures for a Ducks JV intrasquad meet.

I don't think the problem with the attendance at UCLA on Sunday is due to a lack of interest in dual meets. The problem is a lack of interest in college track meets of any kind, anywhere, any time, period. Outside of relay carnivals and meets at Hayward Field, nobody comes to see regular-season track meets. Duals, invitationals, it doesn' matter. It wouldn't make a difference if there was a stripper pole on the infield with a traveling Playboy Mansion. When I say nobody comes to track meets, I really mean nobody.

In terms of outdoor regular-season track meets that are mainly collegiate in nature, this is what I found for the 2010 season. My data is incomplete, but I think it conveys the idea.

6,118	Oregon Twilight	Eugene, OR	May 8
5,918	Oregon Preview	Eugene, OR	March 21
5,700e	Jesse Owens Classic	Columbus, OH	May 1
5,321	Pepsi Team Challenge	Eugene, OR	April 10
5,209	Men of Oregon v. UCLA	Eugene, OR	April 17
4,904	USC at UCLA	Westwood, CA	May 1
2,100e	Michigan at Ohio State	Columbus, OH	April 3
850e	The Big Meet	Berkeley, CA	April 10
850e	Brutus Hamilton Invitational	Berkeley, CA	April 24
600e	Sea Ray Relays (final day)	Knoxville, TN	April 10
482	Nebraska at Texas Tech	Lubbock, TX	May 1

USC versus UCLA gets good numbers because it draws fans from two relatively nearby institutions, and hated rivals at that. Ditto for Cal-Stanford. Ohio State manages to get good attendance (or they're good at making stuff up, because both meets were estimated numbers). These are the exceptions.

There might have been five hundred people in the stands at UCLA on Sunday. Unless a meet has high school kids, or is a championship, or is in Eugene, that's a good number. As a general rule, attendance at college track meets is more or less parents, girlfriends/boyfriends, and maybe a homeless guy or a stray dog. People who are either socially obligated to be there or who don't have anything better to do.

It's really, really hard to get people to go to college track meets. This is because they have been so god-damn boring for so long. It's going to take a lot of work over a very long period of time to change this perception. There are also a significant number of college coaches out there who still don't give a rat's ass if no one comes to see.

As for the meet itself, it was interesting. Both this one and the previous days' Cal at Stanford dual were webcast by Flotrack.org, and they're getting better and better on the technology end. For example, the team scores were always on screen (something pioneered in other sports some seventeen years ago). There was at least a nominal attempt to cover field events, albeit one that can get better.

The Ducks were short-handed, with a bunch of injuries (Sam Crouser, Mac Fleet, Travis Thompson) and a few concentrating their season's efforts on other things (David Klech, Luke Puskedra). But UCLA didn't just get the tie handed to them. They got the breaks and Oregon didn't, and earned what basically amounts to a victory for them.

Paul Merca likes my line. The Seattle-based writer, blogger and announcer asked the rhetorical question "what did we learn from Monday's Boston Marathon?"

It's not actually my line; it's a melding of a few lines commonly used by a few of Sports Illustrated's online writers. I like that Paul is using it. I also like his analysis

When I saw the quote from Davila reposted on Twitter by Hanson's/Brooks Distance Project teammate and reader of the blog Jenny Scherer, I replied, "as much of a wack job as Charlie Sheen's been, I applaud Desi's mentality- #winning. More USA runners need to have (that) mindset (of winning)"

To follow up on my statement, I've always felt that the perceived inferiority complex that seemed to permeate elite American distance runners had to change if they were ever to compete against the world's best.

This is something I have written several times in regards to Alan Webb, that his mental state has always been one that gets in the way of his prodigious talents. He castigates himself for not winning, but he doesn't believe in his heart of hearts that he can.

I think one thing that is changing, and something that Merca touched on, is that domestic competition in distance running is getting better and better. It's not just the medals won at Worlds and Olympics since 2004, it's the depth. Now there are fewer spots available for Team USA in several distance events than there are top-level runners fighting for them. That fundamentally changes the thinking among American runners. If you're good enough to get a Diamond League or World Marathon Majors invite but might not make the US team, then it's not just Kenyans and Ethiopians you have to treat with respect. It's Americans too. Mentally, that balances the scales a little bit.

Who Did What (Women)

2011-04-18T19:59:00.000-04:00

Again the weekly roundup of the top collegiate action, this time for the women.

Top ten rankings are according to the latest Track and Field News formchart.

100 meters
1. Jessica Young (TCU) - 3rd at Tom Jones Memorial (11.23w) behind Scott (UCF) and Collier (TAMU)
2. LaKya Brookins (SoCar) - won War Eagle Invitational (11.10)
3. Jeneba Tarmoh (TAMU) - see 200 meters
4. Semoy Hackett (LSU) - see 200 meters
5. Tiffany Townsend (Bay) - idle
6. Marecia Pemberton (FlSt) - idle
7. Shayla Mahan (SoCar) - did not qualify to finals at War Eagle Invitational (11.56w)
8. Terra Evans (TxT) - 5th (2nd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (11.46)
9. Dominique Booker (UCF) - 3rd in heat at Tom Jones Memorial (11.58w)
10. Amber Purvis (Ore) - 4th (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (11.42)

200 meters
1. Kimberlyn Duncan (LSU) - 2nd (1st collegian) in 100m at Hurricane Alumni Invitational (11.19w)
2. Jeneba Tarmoh (TAMU) - 2nd at Tom Jones Memorial (23.26w)
3. Shanequa Ferguson (Aub) - 2nd in 100m at War Eagle Invitational (11.17)
4. Amber Purvis (Ore) - see 100 meters
5. Dominique Duncan (TAMU) - won Tom Jones Memorial (22.79w)
6. Auriyall Scott (UCF) - won 100m at Tom Jones Memorial (11.17w)
7. Tiffany Townsend (Bay) - idle
8. Candyce McGrone (Okla) - won John Jacobs Invitational (22.86w)
9. Semoy Hackett (LSU) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Tom Jones Memorial (22.92)
10. Shavon Greaves (PennSt) - did not qualify to 100m finals at War Eagle Invitational (11.86)

400 meters
1. Jessica Beard (TAMU) - ran 100m at Tom Jones Memorial
2. Joanna Atkins (Aub) - 2nd (1st collegian) at War Eagle Invitational (52.61)
3. Shelise Williams (Ark) - idle
4. Chantel Malone (Tex) - idle
5. Endurance Abinuwa (UTEP) - 3rd (1st collegian) in 200m at UTEP Invitational (23.11A)
6. Regina George (Ark) - 2nd (1st collegian) at John Jacobs Invitational (52.73)
7. Briana Nelson (Tex) - idle
8. Ibukun Mayungbe (TAMU) - 2nd in 200m heat at Tom Jones Invitational (23.81)
9. Ciara Short (CSF) - 4th in 200m at Mt. SAC Relays Oly Dev heat (23.61)
10. Sharay Hale (Col) - won 200m at Jace Lacoste Invitational (23.83w)

800 meters
1. Lacey Bleazard (BYU) - 4th (2nd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (2:04.78)
2. Jillian Smith (Mich) - won 1500m at Tom Jones Memorial (4:14.65)
3. Christina Rodgers (Ariz) - won Mt. SAC Relays Oly Dev heat (2:03.93)
4. Lea Wallace (SacSt) - 3rd (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (2:03.67)
5. Sofie Persson (Miss) - idle
6. Chanelle Price (Tenn) - won Sea Ray Relays (2:06.90)
7. Charlene Lipsey (LSU) - ran 400m at Hurrican Alumni Invitational (55.77)
8. Kate Grace (Yale) - won 800m (2:09.92) and 1500m (4:27.07) vs. Harvard
9. Renee Tomlin (Gtn) - 5th in 1500m at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (4:13.15)
10. Caitlin Bailey (BosC) - idle

1500 meters
1. Jessica Pixler (Colo) - idle
2. Anne Kesselring (Ore) - won Mt. SAC Relays Oly Dev heat (4:16.55)
3. Sheila Reid (Vill) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (4:11.85)
4. Kate Van Buskirk (Duke) - idle
5. Lucy Van Dalen (SBrk) - won UNC Invitational (4:17.12)
6. Emily Infeld (Gtn) - 3rd (2nd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (4:12.04)
7. Becca Friday (Ore) - last in Mt. SAC Relays Oly Dev heat (4:26.76)
8. Keri Bland (WVa) - idle
9. Brittany Sheffey (Tenn) - 3rd (2nd collegian) at Sea Ray Relays (4:23.47)
10. Amanda Winslow (FlSt) - 7th in 800m at War Eagle Invitational (2:10.13)

Steeplechase
1. Emma Coburn (Colo) - 8th (4th collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (4:14.34)
2. Sarah Pease (Ind) - won Indiana quad (10:13.08)
3. Ashley Higginson (Prin) - idle
4. Shalaya Kipp (Colo) - won 5k at Mt. SAC Relays open heat (16:01.26)
5. Stephanie Garcia (UVa) - idle
6. Silje Fjortoft (SMU) - 9th in 800m at Beach Invitational (2:12.39)
7. Rebeka Stowe (Kans) - idle
8. Shelby Greany (Prov) - idle
9. Martina Tresch (KsSt) - 9th (3rd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (10:14.96)
10. Claire Michel (Ore) - idle

5000 meters
1. Jordan Hasay (Ore) - 11th (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (15:37.29)
2. Maire Louise Asselin (WVa) - idle
3. Liz Costello (Tenn) - won Sea Ray Relays (16:12.30)
4. Katie Flood (Wash) - idle
5. Risper Kimaiyo (UTEP) - idle
6. Megan Goethals (Wash) - idle
7. Mia Behm (Tex) - idle
8. Anna Nosenko (WFst) - idle
9. Deborah Maier (Cal) - idle
10. Betsy Saina (IaSt) - dnf at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat

10,000 meters
1. Tara Erdmann (LMU) - 18th (5th collegian) in 5k at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (15:54.31)
2. Betsy Saina (IaSt) - see 5k
3. Tonya Nero (WichSt) - won 5k at Woodman Classic (16:19.17)
4. Pasca Cheruiyot (FlSt) - idle
5. Amanda Goetschius (Char) - 20th in 5k at Mt. SAC Relays Oly Dev heat (16:24.76)
6. Kimberly Ruck (Clem) - idle
7. Juliet Bottorff (Duke) - idle
8. Stephanie Marcy (Stan) - 2nd in 300m vs Cal (9:34.77)
9. Morgan Haws (BYU) - idle
10. Sarah Andrews (Oreg) - idle

100m Hurdles
1. Tierra Brown (MiaFl) - won Hurricane Alumni Invitational (13.16)
2. Tiffani McReynolds (Bay) - idle
3. Nia Ali (USC) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (12.89)
4. Natasha Ruddock (TAMU) - 2nd at Tom Jones Memorial (12.99)
5. Brianna Rollins (Clem) - idle
6. Jasmin Stowers (LSU) - 2nd at Hurricane Alumni Invitational (13.22)
7. Letecia Wright (OhSt) - 2nd at Dave Rankin Invitational (13.44w)
8. Christina Manning (OhSt) - won Dave Rankin Invitational (13.08w)
9. Gabby Mayo (TAMU) - ran 4x400 at Tom Jones Memorial
10. Jackie Coward (UCF) - won Tom Jones Memorial (12.96)

400m Hurdles
1. Tierra Brown (MiaFl) - 4th (3rd collegian) in 400m at Hurricane Alumni Invitational (54.53)
2. Angele Cooper (Tex) - idle
3. Jasmine Chaney (AzSt) - won Mt. SAC Relays open heat (57.71)
4. Danielle Dowie (Tex) - idle
5. Ellen Wortham (Tenn) - won Sea Ray Relays (57.48)
6. Cassandra Tate (LSU) - won Hurricane Alumni Invitational (57.02)
7. Andrea Sutherland (TAMU) - 2nd at Tom Jones Memorial (57.98) behind Coward (UCF)
8. Kianna Elahi (IaSt) - won Mt. SAC Relays Oly Dev heat (57.79)
9. LaToya James (NoCar) - 2nd in 100H at UNC Invitational (13.60)
10. Takecia Jameson (MiaFl) - 3rd at Hurricane Alumni Invitational (59.00)

High Jump
1. Brigetta Barrett (Ariz) - won Mt. SAC Relays (1.90m)
2. Shanay Briscoe (Tex) - idle
3. Holly Parent (WaSt) - 7th at Mt. SAC Relays (1.75m)
4. Brittani Carter (LSU) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Hurrican Alumni Invitational (1.79m)
5. Maya Pressley (Aub) - won War Eagle Invitational (1.77m)
6. Brianne Theisen (Ore) - idle
7. Victoria Lucas (Tex) - idle
8. Ada Robinson (BYU) - won Mark Faldmo Invitational (1.75m)
9. Tynita Butts (ECar) - idle
10. Krystle Schade (Ala) - idle

Pole Vault
1. Tina Sutej (Ark) - idle
2. Katerina Stefanidi (Stan) - won vs. Cal (4.30m)
3. Shade Weygandt (TxT) - 4th (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (4.32m)
4. Rachel Laurent (LSU) - won Hurricane Alumni Invitational (4.05m)
5. Natalie Willer (Neb) - won Tom Jones Memorial (4.07m)
6. Denise vonEynatten (USF) - won Sea Ray Relays (4.10m)
7. Melissa Gergel (Ore) - idle
8. Vera Neuenswander (Ind) - won Indiana quad (4.20m)
9. Joanna Wright (GaT) - idle
10. Tori Anthony (UCLA) - 2nd at Mt. SAC Relays open section (4.15m)

Long Jump
1. Tori Bowie (SnMs) - idle
2. Kim Williams (FlSt) - idle
3. Jamesha Youngblood (Ore) - 4th (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (6.45m)
4. Sonnisha Williams (UCF) - 2nd at Tom Jones Memorial (6.15m)
5. Chantel Malone (Tex) - idle
6. TiAnca Mock (Okla) - idle
7. Christabel Nettey (AzSt) - 7th (2nd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (6.30m)
8. Francine Simpson (Kans) - won John Jacobs Invitational (6.36m)
9. Whitney Gipson (TCU) - won Tom Jones Memorial (6.38m)
10. Arantxa King (Stan) - idle

Triple Jump
1. Kim Williams (FlSt) - idle
2. Patricia Mamona (Clem) - idle
3. Ganna Demydova (SnMs) - idle
4. Colleen Felix (Ga) - idle
5. Melissa Ogbourne (LSU) - idle
6. April Sinkler (Clem) - idle
7. Andrea Geubelle (Kans) - ran 100m at John Jacobs Invitational (12.31)
8. Whitney Liehr (Stan) - 2nd vs Cal (13.32m) behind Stewart (Cal)
9. Jessica Ubanyionwu (Bay) - idle
10. Allison Wilder (UCR) - 7th (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (13.17)

Shot Put
1. Julie Labonte (Ariz) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (17.47m)
2. Karen Shump (Okla) - won John Jacobs Invitational (16.78m)
3. Faith Sherrill (Ind) - won Indiana quad (17.36m)
4. Tia Brooks (Okla) - 2nd at John Jacobs Invitational (16.51m)
5. Annie Alexander (Tenn) - won Sea Ray Relays (16.48m)
6. Anna Jelmini (AzSt) - 4th (2nd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (17.24m)
7. Skylar White (Bay) - idle
8. Simone du Toit (SMU) - won Bryan Clay Invitational (16.18m)
9. Keely Medeiros (Fla) - won Tom Jones Memorial (15.92m)
10. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - 3rd (1st collegian) at War Eagle Invitational (16.24m)

Discus Throw
1. Anna Jelmini (AzSt) - won Mt. SAC Relays (60.30m)
2. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - 2nd (1st collegian) at War Eagle Invitational (53.82m)
3. Simone du Toit (SMU) - 5th (2nd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (53.60m)
4. Erin Pendleton (Mich) - 11th at Tom Jones Memorial (47.03m)
5. Brittany Borman (Okla) - won John Jacobs Invitational (55.93m)
6. Skylar White (Bay) - idle
7. Annie Alexander (Tenn) - won Sea Ray Relays (54.43m)
8. Samia Stokes (LSU) - won Hurricane Alumni Invitational (52.84m)
9. Baillie Gibson (Ariz) - 6th (3rd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (53.46m)
10. Brittany Smith (IlSt) - won

Hammer Throw
1. Amanda Bingson (UNLV) - 8th (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (66.72m)
2. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - won War Eagle Invitational (66.17m)
3. Nikola Lomnicka (Ga) - idle
4. Dorotea Habazin (VaT) - idle
5. Gwen Berry (SnIl) - 11th at War Eagle Invitational (52.79m)
6. Marissa Minderler (USC) - last at Mt. SAC Relays (58.90m)
7. Felisha Johnson (InSt) - won Indiana quad (57.78m)
8. Jenny Ozorai (USC) - 11th (2nd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (63.71m)
9. Laura Iguane (WnKy) - won Sea Ray Relays (63.14m PR)
10. D'Ana McCarty (Lou) - 2nd at Sea Ray Relays (62.16m)

Javelin Throw
1. Marissa Tschida (WaSt) - idle
2. Brittany Borman (Okla) - see discus
3. Amanda Peterson (Wash) - 5th (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (50.40m)
4. Karlee McQuillen (PennSt) - won War Eagle Invitational (50.14m)
5. Courtney Kirkwood (WaSt) - idle
6. Emalie Humphreys (TAMU) - won Tom Jones Memorial (51.18m)
7. Sabine Kopplin (Nev) - 11th (6th collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (46.42m)
8. Ana Ruzevic (Tul) - idle
9. Laura Asimakis (TAMU) - 2nd at Tom Jones Memorial (48.26m)
10. Randi Hicks (LBSt) - 8th (3rd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (49.88m)

Heptathlon
1. Brieanne Theisen (Ore) - idle
2. Kiani Profit (Md) - idle
3. Ryann Krais (KsSt) - 100h (13.87), JT (38.13m), 400H (57.60) at Woodman Classic
4. Chelsea Carrier (WVa) - 100h (13.36), 4x100, 4x100 at UNC Invitational
5. Dorcas Akinniyi (Wisc) - 8th (4th collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (5352 pts)
6. Chantae McMillian (Neb) - 3rd (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (5822 pts)
7. Ellen Wortham (Tenn) - 100H (13.76), 400H (57.48), 4x100, 4x400 at Sea Ray Relays
8. Daphne Fitzpatrick (TAMU) - 100H (14.55w), 4x400 at Tom Jones Memorial
9. Keia Pinnick (AzSt) - 100H (14.14), 400H (57.97), 4x400 at Mt. SAC Relays
10. Makeba Alcide (Ark) - 100H (14.52), LJ (5.94w) at John Jacobs Invitational

Who Did What (Men)

2011-04-18T14:00:00.000-04:00

Some meets going late yesterday kept me from posting this until today.

Rankings within each event are the same as those in the latest Track and Field News formcharts.

100 meters
1. Jeff Demps (Fla) - won Tom Jones Memorial (9.96w)
2. Mookie Salaam (Okla) - won John Jacobs Invitational (10.33)
3. Gerald Phiri (TAMU) - see 200 meters
4. Maurice Mitchell (FlSt) - idle
5. Keenan Brock (Aub) - 3rd in 200m at War Eagle Invitational (20.77)
6. Prezel Hardy (TAMU) - 4th (2nd collegian) at Tom Jones Memorial (10.18w)
7. Woodrow Randall (Bay) - idle
8. Harry Adams (Aub) - did not qualify to final at War Eagle Invitational (10.42w)
9. Charles Silmon (TCU) - 5th (3rd collegian) at Tom Jones Memorial (10.19w)
10. Michael Granger (Miss) - won War Eagle Invitational (10.49)

200 meters
1. Maurice Mitchell (FlSt) - idle
2. Mookie Salaam (Okla) - won John Jacobs Invitational (20.27)
3. Brandon Byram (FlSt) - idle
4. Horatio Williams (LSU) - 7th (1st collegian) at Hurrican Alumni Invitational (10.49w)
5. Antonio Sales (SoCar) - 2nd at War Eagle Invitational (20.73) behind Lawrence (Ga)
6. Charles Clark (FlSt) - idle
7. Terrell Wilks (Fla) - won collegian heat at Tom Jones Memorial (20.51)
8. Gerald Phiri (TAMU) - 4th at Tom Jones Memorial (20.78)
9. Dentarius Locke (Tenn) - won 400m heat at Sea Ray Relays (47.61)
10. Justin Austin (Iowa) - did not qualify to 100m final at War Eagle Invitational (10.53)

400 meters
1. Kirani James (Ala) - won 200m at UTEP Invitational (20.41A)
2. Tabarie Henry (TAMU) - 2nd in 200m heat at Tom Jones Memorial (20.79w)
3. Demetrius Pinder (TAMU) - won Tom Jones Memorial (45.26)
4. Joey Hughes (USC) - 2nd at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (45.46)
5. Gil Roberts (TxT) - won Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (45.29)
6. Tony McQuay (Fla) - idle
7. Errol Nolan (Hous) - 4th (3rd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (45.89)
8. Tavaris Tate (MsSt) - Won Jace Lacoste Invitational (46.26)
9. Josh Mance (USC) - won Mt. SAC Relays Oly Dev heat (45.74)
10. Bryshon Nellum (USC) - won Beach Invitational (46.74)

800 meters
1. Robby Andrews (UVa) - idle
2. Charles Jock (UCI) - won Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (1:45.19)
3. Cas Loxsom (PennSt) - last at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (1:54.01)
4. Cory Primm (UCLA) - 3rd vs. Oregon (1:51.69)
5. Elijah Greer (Ore) - won at UCLA (1:50.46)
6. Michael Rutt (UConn) - won Hurricane Alumni Invitational (1:50.34)
7. Michael Preble (TAMU) - won 400m heat at Tom Jones Memorial (46.41)
8. Fred Samoi (Ala) - 2nd at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (1:45.52)
9. Aaron Evans (UGa) - idle
10. Lance Roller (UVa) - idle

1500 meters
1. Dorian Ulrey (Ark) - idle
2. Matt Centrowitz (Ore) - won at UCLA (3:45.86)
3. Miles Batty (BYU) - 3rd (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (3:36.25 PR)
4. A.J. Acosta (Ore) - 2nd in steeple at UCLA (9:08.54)
5. Chris O'Hare (Tulsa) - won 800m at John Jacobs Invitational (1:49.98)
6. Dumi Hlaselo (Fla) - won Tom Jones Memorial (3:40.66)
7. German Fernandez (OkSt) - idle
8. Ryan Foster (PennSt) - 6th at Athletics Australia Championships (1:48.84)
9. Lawi Lalang (Ariz) - won Mt. SAC Relays 5k Oly Dev heat (13:34.62)
10. Jeremy Rae (UND) - 2nd at Mt. SAC Relays Oly Dev heat (3:41.11)

Steeplechase
1. Matt Hughes (Lou) - 4th at Mt. SAC Relays open heat (14:05.50)
2. Donn Cabral (Prin) - idle
3. Hillary Bor (IaSt) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (8:40.83)
4. John Sullivan (Stan) - 3rd vs Cal (9:02.73)
5. Corey Leslie (OhSt) - won 1500m (3:59.22), 2nd in 800m (1:57.92) at Michigan
6. Gilbert Limo (TxT) - 9th in Mt. SAC Relays 1500m open heat (3:49.63)
7. Steve Sodaro (Cal) - 1st at Stanford (8:55.27)
8. Steve Finley (Ore) - won at UCLA (8:57.59)
9. Matt Cleaver (UGa) - 5th in 5k at War Eagle Invitational (14:04.80)
10. Brett Hales (WebSt) - 4th (2nd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (8:42.93)

5000 meters
1. Leonard Korir (Iona) - idle
2. Elliot Heath (Stan) - won 800m (1:52.50) and 1500m (3:43.58) vs Cal
3. Sam Chelanga (Lib) - idle
4. Kevin Schwab (Okla) - last in 1500m heat at UNC Invitational (4:01.06)
5. Maverick Darling (Wisc) - dnf at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat
6. Justin Tyner (AFA) - 24th (6th collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (13:58.90)
7. Ryan Hill (NCSt) - won 1500m at UNC Invitational (3:44.32)
8. Andrew Poore (Ind) - idle
9. Hassan Mead (Minn) - 8th (5th collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays Oly Dev heat (13:45.68)
10. Michael Fout (FlSt) - idle

10,000 meters
1. Sam Chelanga (Lib) - idle
2. Chris Derrick (Stan) - won 3000m vs Cal (8:06.46)
3. Stephen Sambu (Ariz) - 9th (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays 5k elite heat (13:34.19)
4. Ciaran O'Lionaird (FlSt) - idle
5. Jake Riley (Stan) - 3rd in 3000m vs Cal (8:11.70)
6. Mo Ahmed (Wisc) - 16th (4th collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays 5k elite heat (13:44.96)
7. Diego Estrada (NnAz) - 5th at Mt. SAC Relays 1500m Oly Dev heat (3:41.80)
8. Alfred Kipchumba (Port) - won Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (28:38.34)
9. Colby Lowe (OkSt) - idle
10. Luke Puskedra (Ore) - idle

110m Hurdles
1. Barrett Nugent (LSU) - won Hurrican Alumni Invitational (13.61)
2. Omo Osaghae (TxT) - won Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (13.27w)
3. Andrew Riley (Ill) - won Sea Ray Relays (13.63)
4. Keiron Stewart (Tex) - 4th (2nd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (13.46w)
5. Ray Stewart (Cal) - won at Stanford (13.81)
6. Brendan Ames (USC) - dnf at Mt. SAC Relays
7. Oscar Spurlock (USC) - won Mt. SAC Relays Oly Dev heat (13.33)
8. Jeff Julmis (KsSt) - won Woodman Classic (13.87)
9. Ronald Brookins (SacSt) - 2nd at Mt. SAC Relays Oly Dev heat (13.42)
10. Terrence Somerville (Cin) - won All-Ohio Championships (13.90)

400m Hurdles
1. Jeshua Anderson (WaSt) - ran on 4x400 at Mt. SAC Relays
2. Amaechi Morton (Stan) - won vs. Cal (52.34)
3. Jamele Mason (TxT) - 4th (3rd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (
4. Bryce Brown (TxT) - won Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (49.25)
5. Reggie Wyatt (USC) - 3rd (2nd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays elite heat (50.00)
6. Lee Moore (Miss) - 2nd (1st collegian) at War Eagle Invitational (50.29)
7. William Wynne (Fla) - last in heat at Tom Jones Memorial (56.48)
8. David Aristil (USF) - won Sea Ray Relays (51.13)
9. Leslie Murray (DeSt) - won Delaware State Invitational 400 meters (48.32)
10. Emanuel Mayers (MsSt) - ran on 4x400 at Jace Lacoste Invitational

High Jump
1. Erik Kynard (KsSt) - idle
2. Ricky Robertson (Miss) - idle
3. James Harris (MsSt) - ran 400 and 4x400 at Jace Lacoste Invitational
4. Geoff Davis (Purd) - won Dave Rankin Invitational (2.09m)
5. David Smith (Aub) - 3rd (2nd collegian) at War Eagle Invitational (2.05m)
6. Nick Ross (Ariz) - 7th (2nd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (2.20m)
7. Paul Hamilton (Neb) - won Concordia Invitational (2.14m)
8. Edgar Rivera-Morales (Ariz) - 4th (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (2.28m)
9. Dwight Barbiasz (Md) - idle
10. Jamal Wilson (Tex) - 11th (4th collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (2.15m)

Pole Vault
1. Scott Roth (Wash) - won Mt. SAC Relays (5.72m)
2. Jack Whitt (ORU) - won John Jacobs Invitational (5.25m)
3. Jordan Scott (Kans) - 2nd at John Jacobs Invitational (5.25m)
4. Ben Peterson (Minn) - idle
5. Victor Weirich (BYU) - idle
6. Yavgeniy Olhovskiy (VaT) - idle
7. Chris Little (BYU) - idle
8. Nate Polacek (Neb) - won Tom Jones Memorial (5.22m)
9. Luke Schoen (Alb) - idle
10. Hunter Hall (VaT) - won Sea Ray Relays (5.40m)

Long Jump
1. Ngoni Makusha (FlSt) - idle
2. Marquise Goodwin (Tex) - ran 100m and 4x100 at Mt. SAC Relays
3. Will Claye (Fla) - ran 100m at Tom Jones Memorial
4. Tarik Batchelor (Ark) - idle
5. Chris Phipps (Neb) - idle
6. Christian Taylor (Fla) - ran 200m, 4x100 and 4x400 at Tom Jones Memorial
7. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - idle
8. Bryce Lamb (TxT) - won Mt. SAC Relays (8.08m)
9. Reindell Cole (CSN) - idle
10. Justin Hunter (Tenn) - spring football

Triple Jump
1. Will Claye (Fla) - see long jump
2. Christian Taylor (Fla) - see long jump
3. Julian Reid (TAMU) - won long jump at Tom Jones Memorial (7.50m)
4. Omar Craddock (Fla) - idle
5. Troy Doris (Iowa) - idle
6. Tyron Stewart (TAMU) - won Tom Jones Memorial (14.80m)
7. Chris Carter (Hous) - idle
8. Kyron Blaise (LSU) - ran 100m at Hurrican Alumni Invitational
9. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - idle
10. Tarik Batchelor (Ark) - idle

Shot Put
1. Mason Finley (Kans) - idle
2. Luke Pinkelman (Neb) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Tom Jones Memorial (18.65m)
3. Stephen Saenz (Aub) - 2nd (1st collegian) at War Eagle Invitational (19.38m)
4. Hayden Baillio (Tex) - 5th (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (19.03m)
5. Blake Eaton (PennSt) - 4th (3rd collegian) at War Eagle Invitational (18.44m)
6. Leif Arrhenius (BYU) - see discus
7. Jordan Clarke (AzSt) - threw discus and hammer at Mt. SAC Relays
8. Michael Putman (FlSt) - idle
9. Matt DeChant (OhSt) - won at Michigan (17.59m)
10. Joe Kovacs (PennSt) - 3rd (2nd collegian) at War Eagle Invitational (18.91m)

Discus Throw
1. Leif Arrhenius (BYU) - won Mark Faldmo Invitational (61.16m)
2. Mason Finley (Kans) - idle
3. Julian Wruck (TxT) - 4th (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (60.42m)
4. Michael Putman (FlSt) - idle
5. Luke Bryant (Okla) - 3rd (1st collegian) at John Jacobs Invitational (58.35m)
6. Colin Boevers (Ky) - 3rd (1st collegian) at Sea Ray Relays (53.44m)
7. Andres Rossini (NnAz) - 3rd at Beach Invitational (56.14m)
8. Jake Deiters (SnIl) - won War Eagle Invitational (57.00m)
9. James Plummer (Rutg) - idle
10. Chad Wright (Neb) - 3rd (1st collegian) at Tom Jones Memorial (57.88m)

Hammer Throw
1. Walter Henning (LSU) - idle
2. Marcel Lomnicky (VaT) - idle
3. Alexander Ziegler (VaT) - idle
4. Trey Henderson (USC) - 6th (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (66.08m)
5. Dimitrios Fylladitakis (UTEP) - won UTEP Invitational (65.86m)
6. Justin Welch (Ga) - idle
7. Chris Cralle (SHSU) - idle
8. K.P. Singh (Okla) - won John Jacobs Invitational (64.00m)
9. Michael Lauro (LSU) - won Hurricane Alumni Invitational (65.89m)
10. Jordan Stray (Ore) - 2nd at UCLA (62.56) behind Faldermeyer (UCLA)

Javelin Throw
1. Craig Kinsley (Brown) - won Brown Invitational (76.33m)
2. Ignacio Guerra (WnKy) - idle
3. Sam Humphreys (TAMU) - won Tom Jones Memorial (76.70m)
4. Cooper Thompson (USC) - idle
5. Kyle Nielsen (Wash) - 5th (2nd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (71.49m)
6. Tim Glover (IlSt) - 3rd (1st collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (73.95m)
7. Joe Zimmerman (Wash) - 10th (4th collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (67.61m)
8. Pontus Thomee (BoiSt) - no mark in discus at Mark Faldmo Invitational
9. Sam Crouser (Ore) - idle
10. Alex Wolff (Ore) - 1st at UCLA (67.56m)

Decathlon
1. Michael Morrison (Cal) - PV (4.90m), LJ (7.39m), 4x400 at Stanford
2. Miller Moss (Clem) - idle
3. Gray Horn (Fla) - won Mt. SAC Relays (7791 pts)
4. Romain Martin (UTA) - PV (4.56m) at Northwestern State Invitational
5. Lars Rise (Mo) - 2nd at Mt. SAC Relays (7770 pts)
6. Michael Ayers (UGa) - won Sea Ray Relays (7659 pts)
7. Moritz Cleve (KsSt) - 110H (14.52), 4x400 at Woodman Classic
8. Jeremy Taiwo (Wash) - 6th (5th collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (7335 pts)
9. Curtis Beach (Duke) - DT (36.15m), PV (4.65m), 110H (14.56) at UNC Invitational
10. David Klech (Ore) - 4th (3rd collegian) at Mt. SAC Relays (7533 pts)

An Open Letter to Bill Cosby

2011-04-15T10:20:00.000-04:00

Bill Cosby
P.O. Box 4049
Santa Monica, CA 90411
USA

The Brokaw Company
9255 Sunset Boulevard
Suite 804
Los Angeles, CA 90069
USA

Dear Mr. Cosby,

Let me start by saying that I have always been, and always will be, a huge fan of yours. I believe you belong on the short list of the greatest Americans of this generation or any other.

A few years ago I was asked who my childhood hero was. I couldn’t think of one. I didn’t worship any one athlete or actor or celebrity. The people I really looked up to were in my family, my neighborhood and my school. This is, of course, how it should be for our children.

But as I revisited the idea from time to time, I realized there was one celebrity I respected more than any other, one William H. Cosby, Jr. He had always been there; comedy routines and albums, the Fat Albert cartoon, Captain Kangaroo, The Cosby Show, and so on. The latter was without a doubt the most important cultural happening of the 1980s.

The Cosby Show, coming along in my junior high and high school years, had a huge impact on my life in particular. There were the situations and jokes that everyone in my school found hilarious and repeated until we were sick of them (which took a very long time). One of my high school classmates even got dubbed “Bud”. It gently portrayed the American family life we all wanted—not one without struggle or conflict, but one with clear ideas of right and wrong, and one where everyone cared for each other.

Two episodes in particular were important to me, “Back to the Track, Jack” and “Off to the Races”, which showed Cliff getting back into shape to run masters 4x400 relays and relive his college exploits. They helped shape the impression that track and field is A Big Deal, and encouraged me to join my high school team. The day I began to run was the day my life changed. I continued on my college team and beyond, and I coached track and worked as an official, and now announce meets and write about track and field. It is my passion, probably running over into an obsession. I owe this in part to you, and your portrayal of it as a highly competitive but still friendly affair.

Track is not my job, though. For pay, I am an educator. And it is in that way that I really appreciate what you have done for America. Your work has always sought to educate in some way as well as entertain. Fat Albert always had a lesson. Picture Pages on Captain Kangaroo was explicitly educational. Other work, like The Cosby Show, often illustrated how we should treat each other.

A generally unknown piece, Bill Cosby on Prejudice, was part of my 8th grade English curriculum and I have never forgotten it. The message that hatred inevitably leads to isolation has stayed with me, encouraging me not to return hatred when it is directed towards me. That is at times a very difficult task, but it's the lesson of the 20th century.

In two weeks I will finally get to attend the Penn Relays, an event I’ve always wanted to go to since seeing it on your show twenty-five years ago. I’m going with my old high school coach, Bob Hayton, a man who has spent the last forty years teaching and inspiring and generally making life better for the youth of Toledo’s rough neighborhoods. I know that he is at least as big a fan of yours as I am.

I also know that everyone wants some of your time and attention. Despite that, I’d like to ask if we could meet you sometime during the Penn Relays weekend. If I met The Cos at the Penn Relays with my high school coach, it would be the greatest moment of my life. I’ll still tell my wife it was our wedding day, because she’s Italian and I’d like to keep on living. But I’d know what it really was.

Sincerely,

Jesse Squire, aka “The Track & Field Superfan”

Who is Where This Weekend

2011-04-14T18:50:00.016-04:00

Another roundup of where all the top college talent is competing this week.

Webcasts are all over the place this weekend. Mt. SAC Relays live on Runnerspace on Friday and Saturday, ~~Dogwood~~ Sea Ray Relays live at UTSports.com on Friday and Saturday, Cal at Stanford for The Big Meet live on Flotrack on Saturday, and then Oregon at UCLA live on Flotrack on Sunday.

For previews of the distance races at the Mt. SAC Relays, check out Flotrack.

Very few start lists have been released as of yet, so much of this is incomplete. I'lll update this as I get more information.

MEN

100 meters
1. Jeff Demps (Fla) - Tom Jones Memorial
2. Mookie Salaam (Okla) - John Jacobs Invitational
3. Maurice Mitchell (FlSt) - idle
4. Keenan Brock (Aub) - War Eagle Invitational (200m)
5. Prezel Hardy (TAMU) - Tom Jones Memorial
6. Luther Ambrose (ULM) - unknown, team at NSU Invitational
7. Gerald Phiri (TAMU) - see 200 meters
8. Harry Adams (Aub) - War Eagle Invitational
9. Michael Granger (Miss) - War Eagle Invitational
10. Charles Silmon (TCU) - Tom Jones Memorial

200 meters
1. Maurice Mitchell (FlSt) - idle
2. Mookie Salaam (Okla) - John Jacobs Invitational
3. Charles Clark (FlSt) - War Eagle Invitational
4. Brandon Byram (FlSt) - idle
5. Horatio Williams (LSU) - Hurricane Alumni Invitational 100 meters
6. Antonio Sales (SoCar) - War Eagle Invitational
7. Terrell Wilks (Fla) - Tom Jones Memorial
8. Gerald Phiri (TAMU) - Tom Jones Memorial
9. Dentarius Locke (Tenn) - idle (injured)
10. Justin Austin (Iowa) - War Eagle Invitational 100 meters

400 meters
1. Kirani James (Ala) - UTEP Invitational 200 meters
2. Tabarie Henry (TAMU) - Tom Jones Memorial 200 meters
3. Demetrius Pinder (TAMU) - Tom Jones Memorial
4. Joey Hughes (USC) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
5. Gil Roberts (TxT) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
6. Tony McQuay (Fla) - idle
7. Errol Nolan (Hous) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
8. Tavaris Tate (MsSt) - unknown, team at Jace LaCoste Invitational
9. Josh Mance (USC) - Mt. SAC Relays (Oly Dev heat)
10. Bryshon Nellum (USC) - idle

800 meters
1. Robby Andrews (UVa) - idle
2. Charles Jock (UCI) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
3. Cas Loxsom (PennSt) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
4. Cory Primm (UCLA) - 800m and 1500m vs. Oregon
5. Elijah Greer (Ore) - unknown, team at UCLA
6. Michael Rutt (UConn) -
7. Fred Samoi (Ala) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
8. Aaron Evans (UGa) -
9. Lance Roller (UVa) - idle
10. Michael Preble (TAMU) - Tom Jones Memorial 400 meters

1500 meters
1. Dorian Ulrey (Ark) - Mt. SAC Relays 5k (Elite heat)
2. Matt Centrowitz (Ore) - 800m, 1500m and 5k at UCLA
3. Miles Batty (BYU) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
4. A.J. Acosta (Ore) - steeple, 1500m and 5k at UCLA
5. Chris O'Hare (Tulsa) - John Jacobs Invitational 800 meters
6. Dumi Hlaselo (Fla) - Tom Jones Memorial
7. German Fernandez (OkSt) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
8. Ryan Foster (PennSt) - Athletics Australia Championships (800m)
9. Lawi Lalang (Ariz) - Mt. SAC Relays 5k (Oly Dev heat)
10. Patrick Casey (MtSt) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)

Steeplechase
1. Matt Hughes (Lou) - Mt. SAC Relays (open heat)
2. Donn Cabral (Prin) - unknown, team at Delaware Invitational
3. Hillary Bor (IaSt) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
4. John Sullivan (Stan) - steeple and 3k vs. Cal
5. Corey Leslie (OhSt) - unknown, team at Michigan
6. Gilbert Limo (TxT) - Mt. SAC Relays (open heat)
7. Steve Sodaro (Cal) - steeple, 1500m and 3k at Stanford
8. Steve Finley (Ore) - at UCLA
9. Matt Cleaver (UGa) - War Eagle Invitational 5000 meters
10. Brett Hales (WebSt) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)

5000 meters
1. Leonard Korir (Iona) - unknown, team at Mets Championships
2. Elliot Heath (Stan) - 1500m, 800m and 3k vs. Cal
3. Sam Chelanga (Lib) - idle
4. Kevin Schwab (Okla) - idle
5. Maverick Darling (Wisc) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
6. Justin Tyner (AFA) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
7. Ryan Hill (NCSt) - unknown, team at Carolina Invitational
8. Andrew Poore (Ind) - idle
9. Hassan Mead (Minn) - Mt. SAC Relays (Oly Dev heat)
10. Donn Cabral (Prin) - unknown, team at Delaware Invitational

10,000 meters
1. Sam Chelanga (Lib) - idle
2. Chris Derrick (Stan) - 3k vs. Cal
3. Stephen Sambu (Ariz) - Mt. SAC Relays 5k (Elite heat)
4. Ciaran O'Lionaird (FlSt) - idle
5. Jake Riley (Stan) - 3k vs. Cal
6. Mo Ahmed (Wisc) - Mt. SAC Relays 5k (Elite heat)
7. Diego Estrada (NnAz) - Mt. SAC Relays 1500m (Oly Dev heat)
8. Colby Lowe (OkSt) - unknown, team at John Jacobs Invitational
9. Luke Puskedra (Ore) - idle
10. Joe Bosshard (Colo) - Mt. SAC Relays 5k (Oly Dev heat)

110m Hurdles
1. Omo Osaghae (TxT) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
2. Andrew Riley (Ill) - Sea Ray Relays
3. Barrett Nugent (LSU) - Hurricane Alumni Invitational
4. Keiron Stewart (Tex) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
5. Ray Stewart (Cal) - 110H, 100m and 200m at Stanford
6. Brendan Ames (USC) - Mt. SAC Relays (Oly Dev heat)
7. Oscar Spurlock (USC) - Mt. SAC Relays (Oly Dev heat)
8. Jeff Julmis (KsSt) - Woodman Classic
9. Ronald Brookins (SacSt) - Mt. SAC Relays (Oly Dev heat)
10. Terrence Somerville (Cin) - All-Ohio Championships

400m Hurdles
1. Jeshua Anderson (WaSt) - Mt. SAC Relays 400m (Oly Dev heat)
2. Amaechi Morton (Stan) - 110H and 400H vs. Cal
3. Jamele Mason (TxT) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
4. Bryce Brown (TxT) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
5. Reggie Wyatt (USC) - Mt. SAC Relays (Elite heat)
6. Lee Moore (Miss) - War Eagle Invitational
7. William Wynne (Fla) - Tom Jones Memorial
8. David Aristil (USF) - Sea Ray Relays
9. Leslie Murray (DeSt) - unknown, team at Hornet Invitational
10. Emanuel Mayers (MsSt) - unknown, team at Jace LaCoste Invitational

High Jump
1. Erik Kynard (KsSt) - idle
2. Ricky Robertson (Miss) - War Eagle Invitational
3. James Harris (MsSt) - unknown, team at Jace LaCoste Invitational
4. Geoff Davis (Purd) - Dave Rankin Invitational
5. David Smith (Aub) - War Eagle Invitational
6. Nick Ross (Ariz) - Mt. SAC Relays
7. Paul Hamilton (Neb) - idle
8. Edgar Rivera-Morales (Ariz) - Mt. SAC Relays
9. Dwight Barbiasz (Md) - idle
10. Jamal Wilson (Tex) - Mt. SAC Relays

Pole Vault
1. Scott Roth (Wash) - Mt. SAC Relays
2. Jordan Scott (Kans) - John Jacobs Invitational
3. Jack Whitt (ORU) - John Jacobs Invitational
4. Ben Peterson (Minn) - unknown, team split at three meets
5. Victor Weirich (BYU) - unknown, team at Utah State Invitational
6. Yavgeniy Olhovskiy (VaT) - idle
7. Chris Little (BYU) - unknown, team at Utah State Invitational
8. Nate Polacek (Neb) - Tom Jones Memorial
9. Luke Schoen (Alb) - idle
10. Hunter Hall (VaT) - Sea Ray Relays

Long Jump
1. Ngoni Makusha (FlSt) - idle
2. Marquise Goodwin (Tex) - Mt. SAC Relays
3. Will Claye (Fla) - idle
4. Tarik Batchelor (Ark) - idle
5. Chris Phipps (Neb) - idle
6. Christian Taylor (Fla) - Tom Jones Memorial
7. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - Hurricane Alumni Invitational 100 meters
8. Bryce Lamb (TxT) - Mt. SAC Relays
9. Reindell Cole (CSN) - idle
10. Justin Hunter (Tenn) - spring football

Triple Jump
1. Will Claye (Fla) - idle
2. Christian Taylor (Fla) - see long jump
3. Julian Reid (TAMU) - Tom Jones Memorial long jump
4. Omar Craddock (Fla) - idle
5. Chris Carter (Hous) - idle
6. Troy Doris (Iowa) - idle
7. Tyron Stewart (TAMU) - Tom Jones Memorial
8. Kyron Blaise (LSU) - Hurricane Alumni Invitational 100 meters
9. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - see long jump
10. Tarik Batchelor (Ark) - idle

Shot Put
1. Mason Finley (Kans) - John Jacobs Invitational
2. Luke Pinkelman (Neb) - Tom Jones Memorial
3. Stephen Saenz (Aub) - War Eagle Invitational
4. Hayden Baillio (Tex) - Mt. SAC Relays
5. Blake Eaton (PennSt) - War Eagle Invitational
6. Leif Arrhenius (BYU) - unknown, team at Utah State Invitational
7. Jordan Clarke (AzSt) - Mt. SAC Relays
8. Michael Putman (FlSt) - idle
9. Matt DeChant (OhSt) - at Michigan
10. Joe Kovacs (PennSt) - War Eagle Invitational

Discus Throw
1. Mason Finley (Kans) - John Jacobs Invitational
2. Julian Wruck (TxT) - Mt. SAC Relays
3. Leif Arrhenius (BYU) - unknown, team at Utah State Invitational
4. Michael Putman (FlSt) - idle
5. Luke Bryant (Okla) - John Jacobs Invitational
6. Colin Boevers (Ky) - Sea Ray Relays
7. Andres Rossini (NnAz) - unknown, team split at three meets
8. Jake Deiters (SnIl) - War Eagle Invitational
9. James Plummer (Rutg) - unknown, team at Mets Championships
10. Chad Wright (Neb) - Tom Jones Memorial

Hammer Throw
1. Walter Henning (LSU) - idle
2. Marcel Lomnicky (VaT) - idle
3. Alexander Ziegler (VaT) - idle
4. Trey Henderson (USC) - Mt. SAC Relays
5. Dimitrios Fylladitakis (UTEP) - UTEP Invitational
6. Justin Welch (Ga) - idle
7. Chris Cralle (SHSU) - idle
8. K.P. Singh (Okla) - John Jacobs Invitational
9. Michael Lauro (LSU) - Hurricane Alumni Invitational
10. Jordan Stray (Ore) - at UCLA

Javelin Throw
1. Craig Kinsley (Brown) - Brown Invitational
2. Ignacio Guerra (WnKy) - idle
3. Sam Humphreys (TAMU) - Tom Jones Memorial
4. Cooper Thompson (USC) - Mt. SAC Relays
5. Kyle Nielsen (Wash) - Mt. SAC Relays
6. Tim Glover (IlSt) - unknown, team at Gateway Classic
7. Joe Zimmerman (Wash) - Mt. SAC Relays
8. Pontus Thomee (BoiSt) - unknown, team at Utah State Invitational
9. Sam Crouser (Ore) - idle
10. Alex Wolff (Ore) - at UCLA

Decathlon
1. Michael Morrison (Cal) - at Stanford (LJ, JT, 110H, 400m)
2. Miller Moss (Clem) - idle
3. Mateo Sossah (UNC) - unknown, team at Carolina Invitational
4. Jeremy Taiwo (Wash) - Mt. SAC Relays
5. Lars Rise (Mo) - idle
6. Gray Horn (Fla) - Mt. SAC Relays
7. Michael Ayers (UGa) - Sea Ray Relays
8. Moritz Cleve (KsSt) - Woodman Classic (110H)
9. Bjorn Barrefors (Neb) - idle
10. Curtis Beach (Duke) - unknown, team at Carolina Invitational

WOMEN

100 meters
1. LaKya Brookins (Clem) - idle
2. Tiffany Townsend (Bay) - idle
3. Jessica Young (TCU) - Tom Jones Memorial
4. Takeia Pinckney (LSU) - idle
5. Jeneba Tarmoh (TAMU) - Tom Jones Memorial 200 meters
6. Kenyanna Wilson (LSU) - Hurricane Alumni Invitational
7. Amber Purvis (Ore) - Mt SAC Relays (Elite heat)
8. Auriyall Scott (UCF) - Tom Jones Memorial
9. Gabby Mayo (TAMU) - idle
10. Shanequa Ferguson (Aub) - War Eagle Invitational

200 meters
1. Jeneba Tarmoh (TAMU) - unknown, team at Tom Jones Memorial
2. Kimberlyn Duncan (LSU) - Hurricane Alumni Invitational 100 meters
3. Tiffany Townsend (Bay) - idle
4. Candyce McGrone (Okla) - John Jacobs Invitational
5. Semoy Hackett (LSU) - Hurricane Alumni Invitational 4x100
6. Nivea Smith (Aub) - War Eagle Invitational
7. Amber Purvis (Ore) - Mt SAC Relays (Elite heat)
8. Shanequa Ferguson (Aub) - see 100 meters
9. Dominique Duncan (TAMU) - Tom Jones Memorial
10. Jessica Beard (TAMU) - Tom Jones Memorial 100 meters

400 meters
1. Jessica Beard (TAMU) - see 200 meters
2. Shelise Williams (Ark) - Mt SAC Relays (Elite heat)
3. Joanna Atkins (Aub) - War Eagle Invitational
4. Regina George (Ark) - John Jacobs Invitational
5. Briana Nelson (Tex) - idle
6. Angele Cooper (Tex) - idle
7. Endurance Abinuwa (UTEP) - UTEP Invitational 100 meters and 200 meters
8. Jessica Young (TCU) - Tom Jones Memorial 200 meters
9. Sharay Hale (Col) - idle
10. Ciara Short (CSF) - Mt SAC Relays 200 meters (Elite heat)

800 meters
1. Lacey Bleazard (BYU) - unknown, team at Utah State Invitational
2. Christina Rodgers (Ariz) - Mt SAC Relays (Oly Dev heat)
3. Chanelle Price (Tenn) - Sea Ray Relays
4. Lea Wallace (SacSt) - Mt SAC Relays (Elite heat)
5. Jillian Smith (Mich) - Tom Jones Memorial
6. Rebecca Addison (Mich) - Tom Jones Memorial
7. Sofie Persson (Miss) - War Eagle Invitational (4x400)
8. Caitlin Bailey (BosC) - unknown, team at Solomon Invitational
9. Heather Wilson (UConn) - unknown
10. Brittany Hall (LSU) - Hurricane Alumni Invitational 400 meters

1500 meters
1. Jordan Hasay (Ore) - Mt SAC Relays 5k (Elite heat)
2. Lucy Van Dalen (SBrk) - idle
3. Kate Van Buskirk (Duke) - unknown, team at Carolina Invitational
4. Anne Kesselring (Ore) - Mt SAC Relays (Oly Dev heat)
5. Keri Bland (WVa) - unknown, team at Carolina Invitational
6. Jessica Pixler (Colo) - Mt SAC Relays (Elite heat)
7. Amanda Winslow (FlSt) - War Eagle Invitational
8. Sheila Reid (Vill) - Mt SAC Relays (Elite heat)
9. Mihaela Susa (OkSt) - idle
10. Caroline King (BosC) - unknown, team at Solomon Invitational

Steeplechase
1. Emma Coburn (Colo) - Mt SAC Relays 1500m (Oly Dev heat)
2. Stephanie Garcia (UVa) - idle
3. Ashley Higginson (Prin) - idle
4. Silje Fjortoft (SMU) - Mt SAC Relays 1500m (open heat)
5. Sarah Pease (Ind) - Indiana Invitational
6. Claire Michel (Ore) - idle
7. Shalaya Kipp (Colo) - Mt SAC Relays 5k (open heat)
8. Melanie Thompson (Ore) - Mt SAC Relays 1500m (open heat)
9. Shelby Greany (Prov) - Mt SAC Relays 5k (Oly Dev heat)
10. Martina Barinova (Neb) - idle

5000 meters
1. Jessica Pixler (Colo) - Mt SAC Relays (Elite heat)
2. Liz Costello (Tenn) - Sea Ray Relays
3. Betsy Saina (IaSt) - Mt SAC Relays (open heat)
4. Mia Behm (Tex) - idle
5. Aliphine Tuliamuk (WichSt) - Mt SAC Relays (Elite heat)
6. Maire Louise Asselin (WVa) - unknown, team at Carolina Invitational
7. Risper Kimaiyo (UTEP) - idle
8. Laurynne Chetetlat (Cal) - idle
9. Natalie Gray (NMex) - Mt SAC Relays (Elite heat)
10. Anna Nosenko (WFst) - idle

10,000 meters
1. Tara Erdmann (LMU) - Mt SAC Relays 5k (Elite heat)
2. Betsy Saina (IaSt) - see 5k
3. Tonya Nero (WichSt) - Woodman Classic 5000 meters
4. Kimberly Ruck (Clem) - idle
5. Katie Matthews (BosU) - unknown, team at Brown Invitational
6. Juliet Bottorff (Duke) - unknown, team at Carolina Invitational
7. Pasca Cheruiyot (FlSt) - idle
8. Zsofia Erdelyi (USC) - Mt SAC Relays 5k (Oly Dev heat)
9. Liz Costello (Tenn) - see 5k
10. Amanda Goetschius (Char) - Mt SAC Relays 5k (Oly Dev heat)

100m Hurdles
1. Brianna Rollins (Clem) - idle
2. Jackie Coward (UCF) - Tom Jones Memorial
3. Tierra Brown (MiaFl) - Hurricane Invitational
4. Tiffani McReynolds (Bay) - idle
5. Gabby Mayo (TAMU) - idle
6. Letecia Wright (OhSt) - Dave Rankin Invitational
7. Christina Manning (OhSt) - Dave Rankin Invitational
8. Nia Ali (USC) - Mt SAC Relays (Elite heat)
9. Chelsea Carrier (WVa) - unknown, team at Carolina Invitational
10. Natasha Ruddock (TAMU) - Tom Jones Memorial

400m Hurdles
1. Tierra Brown (MiaFl) - Hurricane Alumni Invitational 400 meters
2. Jasmine Chaney (AzSt) - Mt SAC Relays (Oly Dev heat)
3. Angele Cooper (Tex) - idle
4. Ellen Wortham (Tenn) - Sea Ray Relays
5. Turquoise Thompson (UCLA) - Mt SAC Relays 400m (Oly Dev heat)
6. LaToya James (NoCar) - unknown, team at Carolina Invitational
7. Dalilah Muhammad (USC) - Mt SAC Relays (Elite heat)
8. Tameka Jameson (MiaFl) - idle
9. Kianna Elahi (IaSt) - Mt SAC Relays (Oly Dev heat)
10. Cassandra Tate (LSU) - Hurricane Alumni Invitational

High Jump
1. Brigetta Barrett (Ariz) - Mt. SAC Relays
2. Shanay Briscoe (Tex) - idle
3. Tynita Butts (ECar) - unknown, team at Carolina Invitational
4. Brittani Carter (LSU) - Hurricane Alumni Invitational
5. Ada Robinson (BYU) - unknown, team at Utah State Invitational
6. Krystle Schade (Ala) - idle
7. Victoria Lucas (Tex) - idle
8. Priscilla Frederick (StJ) - unknown, team at Mets Championships
9. April Sinkler (Clem) - idle
10. Brianne Theisen (Ore) - idle

Pole Vault
1. Tina Sutej (Ark) - idle
2. Katerina Stefanidi (Stan) - vs. Cal
3. Natalie Willer (Neb) - idle
4. Melissa Gergel (Ore) - Mt. SAC Relays
5. Shade Weygandt (TxT) - Mt. SAC Relays
6. Denise vonEynatten (USF) - Sea Ray Relays
7. Rachel Laurent (LSU) - Hurricane Alumni Invitational
8. Joanna Wright (GaT) - idle
9. Tara Diebold (Ark) - idle
10. Samantha Sonnenberg (Minn) - unknown, team split at three meets

Long Jump
1. Jamesha Youngblood (Ore) - Mt. SAC Relays
2. Chantel Malone (Tex) - idle
3. Tori Bowie (SnMs) - idle
4. Kim Williams (FlSt) - idle
5. TiAnca Mock (Okla) - idle
6. April Sinkler (Clem) - idle
7. Arantxa King (Stan) - idle
8. Christabel Nettey (AzSt) - Mt. SAC Relays
9. Whitney Gipson (TCU) - Tom Jones Memorial
10. Nina Kokot (KsSt) - idle

Triple Jump
1. Kim Williams (FlSt) - idle
2. Ganna Demydova (SnMs) - idle
3. April Sinkler (Clem) - idle
4. Chantel Malone (Tex) - idle
5. Colleen Felix (Ga) - idle
6. Melissa Ogbourne (LSU) - idle
7. Whitney Liehr (Stan) - long jump and triple jump vs. Cal
8. Patricia Mamona (Clem) - idle
9. Jessica Ubanyionwu (Bay) - idle
10. Andrea Geubelle (Kans) - John Jacobs Invitational long jump

Shot Put
1. Julie Labonte (Ariz) - Mt. SAC Relays
2. Faith Sherrill (Ind) - Indiana Invitational
3. Karen Shump (Okla) - John Jacobs Invitational
4. Tia Brooks (Okla) - John Jacobs Invitational
5. Simone du Toit (SMU) - Mt. SAC Relays
6. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - War Eagle Invitational
7. Brittany Smith (IlSt) - Mt. SAC Relays
8. Anna Jelmini (AzSt) - Mt. SAC Relays
9. Annie Alexander (Tenn) - Sea Ray Relays
10. Kristy Woods (Buff) - unknown, team at Bucknell Classic

Discus Throw
1. Anna Jelmini (AzSt) - Mt. SAC Relays
2. Simone du Toit (SMU) - Mt. SAC Relays
3. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - War Eagle Invitational
4. Brittany Borman (Okla) - John Jacobs Invitational
5. Annie Alexander (Tenn) - Sea Ray Relays
6. Skylar White (Bay) - idle
7. Erin Pendleton (Mich) - Tom Jones Memorial
8. Nicole Tzanakis (Minn) - unknown, team at Holst Invitational
9. Beth Rohl (MiSt) - Indiana Invitational
10. Karen Shump (Okla) - John Jacobs Invitational

Hammer Throw
1. Nikola Lomnicka (Ga) - idle
2. Dorotea Habazin (VaT) - idle
3. Amanda Bingson (UNLV) - Mt. SAC Relays
4. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - War Eagle Invitational
5. Gwen Berry (SnIl) - War Eagle Invitational
6. Laura Iguane (WnKy) - Sea Ray Relays
7. Marissa Minderler (USC) - Mt. SAC Relays
8. D'Ana McCarty (Lou) - Sea Ray Relays
9. Valerie Wert (Akr) - All-Ohio Championships
10. Ida Storm (UCLA) - Mt. SAC Relays (open competition)

Javelin Throw
1. Marissa Tschida (WaSt) - idle
2. Brittany Borman (Okla) - John Jacobs Invitational
3. Amanda Peterson (Wash) - Mt. SAC Relays
4. Courtney Kirkwood (WaSt) - idle
5. Karlee McQuillen (PennSt) - War Eagle Invitational
6. Randi Hicks (LBSt) - Mt. SAC Relays
7. Sabine Kopplin (Nev) - Mt. SAC Relays
8. Ana Ruzevic (Tul) - Sea Ray Relays
9. Laura Asimakis (TAMU) - Tom Jones Memorial
10. Kristine Busa (USC) - idle

Heptathlon
1. Brieanne Theisen (Ore) - idle (sore back)
2. Kiani Profit (Md) - idle
3. Chantae McMillian (Neb) - Mt. SAC Relays
4. Liane Weber (Clem) - idle
5. Dorcas Akinniyi (Wisc) - Mt. SAC Relays
6. Chelsea Carrier (WVa) - unknown, team at Carolina Invitational
7. Ryann Krais (KsSt) - Woodman Classic (100H, 400H, JT)
8. Nia Ali (USC) - see 100H
9. Megan Wheatley (Neb) - idle
10. Diana Dumitrescu (Kent) - Sea Ray Relays

College Power Rankings: Women

2011-04-12T19:51:00.001-04:00

Oregon stays at #1

Unlike the men's rankings, the women's saw very little movement from last week. All of the top five spots remain unchanged.

In the only major scored-meet action of the weekend, Oregon defended its #1 ranking by winning the Pepsi Team Invitational over Nebraska, Stanford and Washington.

The Superfan’s Women’s Power Rankings for April 12, 2011
(last week's ranking in parenthesis)

1. Oregon (1)
2. Texas A&M (2)
3. LSU (3)
4. Texas (4)
5. Arkansas (5)
6. Nebraska (7)
7. Clemson (8)
8. Arizona (9)
9. Southern Cal (6)
10. Oklahoma (10)
11. Florida State (14)
12. Texas Tech (11)
13. Arizona State (16)
14. BYU (15)
15. Ohio State (12)
16. Tennessee (13)
17. Georgia (24)
18. Stanford (17)
19. Penn State (19)
20. South Carolina (21)
21. Minnesota (18)
22. Baylor (NR)
23. North Carolina (22)
24. UCF (23)
25. Louisville (NR)
Close, but not quite: Auburn, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Ole Miss, Sacramento St., Southern Illinois, UCLA, Wichita State

Scored meet action this coming week includes Cal at #18 Stanford.

College Power Rankings: Men

2011-04-12T12:16:00.002-04:00

The only top-level scored action this past weekend were a couple of quad meets, the Pepsi Team Invitational and the Big West Challenge Cup.

All four teams in the Pepsi meet -- Oregon, Nebraska, Washington and Stanford--are now in the top 25. Oregon's win shot them up eight places, into the top ten for the first time since February 15. By finishing ahead of Stanford, Washington enters the top 25.

Idle Florida slips a spot, while Florida State has shown some real power outdoors and has moved to fourth.

The Superfan’s Men’s Power Rankings for April 12, 2011
(last week's ranking in parenthesis)

1. Texas A&M (1)
2. LSU (3)
3. Florida (2)
4. Florida State (8)
5. Arkansas (4)
6. Texas (9)
7. Southern Cal (6)
8. BYU (7)
9. Oregon (17)
10. Nebraska (11)
11. Indiana (10)
12. UCLA (16)
13. Minnesota (5)
14. Virginia Tech (14)
15. Washington (NR)
16. Arizona State (24)
17. Wisconsin (13)
18. Iowa (15)
19. Arizona (19)
20. Princeton (20)
21. Stanford (12)
22. Ohio State (18)
23. Georgia (25)
24. Texas Tech (22)
25. Houston (NR)
Close, but not quite: Akron, Cornell, Long Beach St., Michigan State, Mississippi St., North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, Washington St.

Scored meets coming up this week include Cal at #21 Stanford, #22 Ohio State at Michigan, and #9 Oregon at #12 UCLA.

Included in the rankings, albeit only in a small way, is performance in the non-standard relay events that are often held at relay carnivals. They are definitely part of college track, and success in them is valued, even though they are not part of championship meets. There are many ways to evaluate success in college track , and these rankings are an attempt to summarize all of them together.

Women's rankings will hopefully be posted later today, but if not they'll definitely be up tomorrow.

Toledo is the capital of...

2011-04-11T16:32:00.000-04:00

There is an interesting article in the AP today about Eastern Michigan distance runner Austin Hendrix. It's linked to the "Quote of the Day" header at LetsRun.com, which is how it came to my attention.

Hendrix is one of an extremely small number of openly gay athletes on the college or pro level. He didn't come out just now; there was an article at OutSports.com last December, and Hendrix hasn't hid his sexual orientation since midway through high school.

Though accepting of him, his parents were fearful of how their community would treat their only son. Their hometown of Sylvania, Ohio, is small, less than 20,000 people, and word of mouth travels fast.

. Actually, no, no it doesn't. You know why? Because I live in Sylvania. Less than half a mile away from the high school Hendrix ran for. While I don't personally know the kid, I know his coaches and a lot of people who train with him. I never knew this about Hendrix.

Sylvania is not a small town. It once was, and where I live is a vestige of that, but it's a sprawling new-money suburb of decidedly blue-collar Toledo.

Interestingly enough, the only current or former NBA player who is out of the closet is John Amaechi. He's quoted in the story. Amaechi also went to high school in Toledo.

Considering the extremely small number of openly gay college and professional athletes, this might be more than a coincidence.

Unless you're from the Rust Belt, you probably don't understand. You'd think blue-collar cities wouldn't be accepting of people different in that way. I don't think it's any easier here than anywhere else, but there is a trump card. What we care about here more than anything is if you can get the job done.

Eastern Michigan is the blue-collar school down the street from the U of Michigan. It's where you go if you can't afford Ann Arbor. And what did his teammates say? More or less, you get the job done and that's what matters to us.

Monday Morning Decathlete

2011-04-11T12:34:00.000-04:00

What did we learn this week?

Texas A&M is the best relay squad in the country. At the Texas Relays this weekend, the Aggies won a meet-record six relay events. The only relays the Aggie men didn't win were the 4x1500 and distance medley, and the 4x200—in which they dropped the baton and still finished fourth. The Aggie women won two relays (4x100 and 4x400) and in the 4x200 they were second behind LSU's meet record.

Most impressive to me is how A&M capped the weekend, with a meet-record 3:00.45 in the men's 4x400. It's not the fastest a college team has ever run in April, but under the circumstances I'd argue it's the best a team has ever run this early. Austin's usual windy conditions on Saturday were less than ideal conditions for fast 400 running. These guys weren't fresh either, as all ran two or three races in two days.

Why did the Aggie men rack up so many more wins than the women? They have two highly unusual and versatile weapons in Michael Preble and Joey Roberts. Both sport 800 meter PRs of 1:47. Preble has run a 45.2 split for a 400m relay leg on multiple occasions, while Roberts has split 46.5. Guys that fast are quarter-mile stars on any other squad, whereas at A&M they're B-team material.

Roberts is a junior and Preble a sophomore, and their 800 improvement curves have been eye-popping. Roberts went from 1:49.46 last year (his first in the event) to 1:47.54 this winter; Preble from 1:51.92 to 1:47.27 in the same time frame. Transfer those to an outdoor track, give them another two months to improve, and 1:46 this year seems likely. If they both manage to do something big at the NCAA Championships—and the 800 is always an unpredictable race—the Aggies could be in the championship hunt.

Preble was a quarter-miler in high school, and while Roberts ran the 800 as a prep it was definitely not his area of emphasis. I don't know who convinced them to move up to the 800, but it has worked out very well for them. They should be an example to other young quarter-milers.

The USA has always produced vast quantities of top 400 runners, yet the ranks of our top 800 runners have always been rather thin. It's always been a mystery as to why some of the former don't become the latter. I think it's because our obsession with relays makes top 400 guys valuable, plus reluctance of both coaches and athletes to try something new.

The NCAA Championships men's 5000 meters is going to be an amazing race. The indoor championships 5k was off-the-charts fast and deep, with four runners under 13:30 and nine under 13:40. For comparison, the meet record was 13:28.93; the first three runners all beat that.

Sitting out the indoor season, and somewhat unnoticed for doing so, was Florida State senior Ciaran O'Lionaird. The transfer from Michigan was a three-time age-group Irish cross country champion, but in Ann Arbor he struggled with injuries and illness. Apparently having time to do nothing but train during the winter sat well with him.

He is noticed now. Two weeks ago he was the top collegian in the 10,000 meters at the Stanford Invitational with 28:32.30, which is second on the '11 college list. On Friday he won the 1500 meters at the low-key Seminole Invitational in 3:41.02, which leads the '11 college outdoor list.

That kind of versatility in races so different from each other does not happen very often, in college or anywhere else. Good 10k + good 1500 = kickass 5k.

O'Lionaird will run the 10k at the NCAA Championships, I'm sure. Florida State is in a good position for a top team finish there and will want to get all the points they can. But he won't win the 10k because no one is going to beat Chelanga.

By the way, Track and Field News' initial formcharts for the NCAA Championships predicts a final score of 68 points for Florida to Florida State's 56. But they don't have O'Lionaird down for any points at all. Given that, the NCAA team championship competition may be a tight one.

O'Lionaird will run the 5k, which will be the second-to-last men's event in the meet, and he is the only one expected to be in the race whose team will desperately need his points. But you need only look at the indoor championships to know that he'll be facing probably the deepest championship field ever assembled. It will be a wild ride.

If there's a formula for successful television track broadcasts, it was displayed on Saturday. Comcast Sportsnet Northwest did a live two-and-a-half hour HD broadcast of Oregon's four-team Pepsi Invitational. It was also available online (for a fee) at the Ducks' website, which is how I got to see it. It was good.

One thing that always rankles me about the VISA Championship Series coverage is the format. The cycle is talking heads, a race, a breathless and incoherent post-race interview, a dissection of said race, and then commercials. Repeat this ten or twelve times and that's the show. That's less action per minute than you get in baseball, a remarkable achievement.

CSN, however, showed several races back-to-back before cutting to commercial. Post-race interviews were not obligatory, but took place only when something unexpected happened, like an upset. Team scores were constantly updated. The announcers were not brain-dead.

If there's a criticism to be leveled, it's (as always) about coverage of the field events. Admittedly, it's not an easy task, with sixteen events (eight each for men and women) taking place in a short period of time. Merely making the production staff aware of what's going on in all of them is a very hard thing, let alone transmitting that knowledge to the viewers.

But in this instance it was an important thing. The men's competition was expected to be close between Nebraska and Oregon; I thought the Huskers had the upper hand. Their strength is in the field events. Oregon neutralized that advantage just enough to come away with a narrow victory. Even if a camera can't be spared to rove around the field events, a person can be, and they can send info about an impending upset or down-the-line heroics to the booth to be announced.

CSN did very well with what they were given, but meet management deserves at least as much credit for what they gave CSN. This was a made-for-TV event. The scheduling was tight. Each school was represented in every race. It was team competition, and not a blowout either. In an era of ever-increasing amounts of cable sports TV, it's what college track needs to have all the time.

That word doesn't mean what you think it means. This weekend, Georgia hosted the Spec Towns National Team Invitational. Does the word "team" indicate to you that "teams" would be an important part of the competition? I guess not. It was the usual split-squad crap with no "team" scores. I guess by "team", meet management meant "this is not a spectator event, nothing to see here folks, move along". Sigh...

Who Did What (Women)

2011-04-10T22:07:00.000-04:00

On to the roundup of the weekend's action for college track's top women athletes.

100 meters
1. LaKya Brookins (Clem) - won Spec Towns Invitational (11.34m), ran on 4x100
2. Tiffany Townsend (Bay) - 4th at Texas Relays (11.09w), ran on 4x100 and 4x400
3. Jessica Young (TCU) - 3rd (only collegian) in Invite 100m at Texas Relays (11.13w), ran on 4x100 and 4x400
4. Takeia Pinckney (LSU) - idle
5. Jeneba Tarmoh (TAMU) - won Texas Relays (10.94w), split 52.5 (4x400), ran on 4x100
6. Kenyanna Wilson (LSU) - did not qualify at Texas Relays, ran on 4x100
7. Amber Purvis (Ore) - won 400m at Pepsi Team Invitational (52.80), ran on 4x100 and 4x400
8. Auriyall Scott (UCF) - idle
9. Gabby Mayo (TAMU) - ran on 4x100 at Texas Relays
10. Shanequa Ferguson (Aub) - see 200 meters

200 meters
1. Jeneba Tarmoh (TAMU) - see 100 meters
2. Kimberlyn Duncan (LSU) - 3rd in 100m at Texas Relays (11.07w), ran on 4x100 and 4x200
3. Tiffany Townsend (Bay) - see 100 meters
4. Candyce McGrone (Okla) - ran on 4x100 at Sun Angel Classic
5. Semoy Hackett (LSU) - 2nd in 100m at Texas Relays (10.98m), ran on 4x100 and 4x200
6. Nivea Smith (Aub) - 2nd in 100m at Seminole Invitational (11.57), ran on 4x100
7. Amber Purvis (Ore) - see 100 meters
8. Shanequa Ferguson (Aub) - won Seminole Invitational (22.92), ran on 4x100
9. Dominique Duncan (TAMU) - 7th in 100m at Texas Relays (11.20w), ran on 4x100 and 4x200
10. Jessica Beard (TAMU) - see 400 meters

400 meters
1. Jessica Beard (TAMU) - split 49.6 (4x400), ran on 4x100 and 4x200 at Texas Relays
2. Shelise Williams (Ark) - ran on 4x400 and SMR at Texas Relays
3. Joanna Atkins (Aub) - idle
4. Regina George (Ark) - ran on 4x400 and SMR at Texas Relays
5. Briana Nelson (Tex) - ran on 4x100, 4x400 and SMR at Texas Relays
6. Angele Cooper (Tex) - see 400 Hurdles
7. Endurance Abinuwa (UTEP) - 2nd in Invitational 100m B-heat at Texas Relays (11.29w)
8. Jessica Young (TCU) - see 100 meters
9. Sharay Hale (Col) - won Husky Invitational (53.35), 2nd in 200m (24.01), ran on 4x400
10. Ciara Short (CSF) - 5th in 800m (2:17.48) at Big West Challenge Cup

800 meters
1. Lacey Bleazard (BYU) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Sun Angel Classic (2:05.82), ran on 4x400
2. Christina Rodgers (Ariz) - won 1500m at Texas Relays (4:39.81), ran on 4x400
3. Chanelle Price (Tenn) - idle
4. Lea Wallace (SacSt) - won Mondo Mid-Major Challenge (2:02.95), ran on 4x400
5. Jillian Smith (Mich) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Johnson-JJK Invitational (2:06.87), ran on 4x400
6. Rebecca Addison (Mich) - 3rd (2nd collegian) at Johnson-JJK Invitational (2:07.13), ran on 4x400
7. Sofie Persson (Miss) - won 400H at Ole Miss Invitational (58.01)
8. Caitlin Bailey (BosC) - won UMass Invitational (2:07.00)
9. Heather Wilson (UConn) - 3rd in 1500m at Husky Invitational (4:28.93), ran on 4x400
10. Brittany Hall (LSU) - split 2:05.5 (4x800), ran on DMR at Texas Relays

1500 meters
1. Jordan Hasay (Ore) - won Pepsi Team Invitational (4:18.61)
2. Lucy Van Dalen (SBrk) - idle
3. Kate Van Buskirk (Duke) - 2nd in 800m at Duke Invitational (2:06.42), ran on 4x400
4. Anne Kesselring (Ore) - 2nd in 800m at Pepsi Team Invitational (2:06.67)
5. Keri Bland (WVa) - idle
6. Jessica Pixler (Colo) - won 800m at CU Invitational (2:08.23), ran on 4x400
7. Amanda Winslow (FlSt) - idle
8. Sheila Reid (Vill) - idle
9. Mihaela Susa (OkSt) - idle
10. Caroline King (BosC) - won 800m at UMass Invitational (2:05.43)

Steeplechase
1. Emma Coburn (Colo) - 4th in 800m at CU Invitational (2:11.55), ran on 4x400
2. Stephanie Garcia (UVa) - won Mason Spring Invitational (9:56.96), steeple debut
3. Ashley Higginson (Prin) - idle
4. Silje Fjortoft (SMU) - idle
5. Sarah Pease (Ind) - won Kentuckiana Border Battle (10:29.28), 9th in 1500m (4:40.69)
6. Claire Michel (Ore) - 3rd at Pepsi Team Invitational (10:13.11)
7. Shalaya Kipp (Colo) - 2nd in 1500m at CU Invitational (4:29.63), ran on 4x400
8. Melanie Thompson (Ore) - won Pepsi Team Invitational (10:12.09), steeple debut
9. Shelby Greany (Prov) - idle
10. Martina Barinova (Neb) - 2nd at Pepsi Team Invitational (10:12.45), steeple debut

5000 meters
1. Jessica Pixler (Colo) - see 1500 meters
2. Liz Costello (Tenn) - idle
3. Betsy Saina (IaSt) - idle
4. Mia Behm (Tex) - idle
5. Aliphine Tuliamuk (WichSt) - 3rd in 1500m at Mondo Mid-Major Challenge (4:29.03)
6. Maire Louise Asselin (WVa) - idle
7. Risper Kimaiyo (UTEP) - won Texas Relays (16:36.20)
8. Laurynne Chetetlat (Cal) - idle
9. Natalie Gray (NMex) - idle
10. Anna Nosenko (WFst) - idle

10,000 meters
1. Tara Erdmann (LMU) - won mile at Johnson-JJK Invitational (4:46.18)
2. Betsy Saina (IaSt) - idle
3. Tonya Nero (WichSt) - won 1500m at Mondo Mid-Major Challenge (4:22.74)
4. Kimberly Ruck (Clem) - idle
5. Katie Matthews (BosU) - idle
6. Juliet Bottorff (Duke) - 4th in 1500m at Duke Invitational (4:25.72)
7. Pasca Cheruiyot (FlSt) - idle
8. Zsofia Erdelyi (USC) - idle
9. Liz Costello (Tenn) - idle
10. Amanda Goetschius (Char) - 10th in 1500m at Duke Invitational (4:30.88)

100m Hurdles
1. Brianna Rollins (Clem) - 4th at Texas Relays (12.96w), ran on 4x400
2. Jackie Coward (UCF) - idle
3. Tierra Brown (MiaFl) - idle
4. Tiffani McReynolds (Bay) - won Texas Relays (12.74w), ran on 4x100
5. Gabby Mayo (TAMU) - see 100 meters
6. Letecia Wright (OhSt) - idle
7. Christina Manning (OhSt) - idle
8. Nia Ali (USC) - 2nd at Texas Relays (12.74w)
9. Chelsea Carrier (WVa) - idle
10. Natasha Ruddock (TAMU) - did not qualify at Texas Relays

400m Hurdles
1. Tierra Brown (MiaFl) - idle
2. Jasmine Chaney (AzSt) - won Sun Angel Classic (56.61), won 110H (13.50), ran on 4x100 and 4x400
3. Angele Cooper (Tex) - won Texas Relays 400H (57.19), ran on 4x100 and 4x400
4. Ellen Wortham (Tenn) - idle
5. Turquoise Thompson (UCLA) - idle
6. LaToya James (NoCar) - idle
7. Dalilah Muhammad (USC) - idle
8. Tameka Jameson (MiaFl) - idle
9. Cassandra Tate (LSU) - ran on 4x200 and 4x400 at Texas Relays
10. Kianna Elahi (IaSt) - 2nd at Sun Angel Classic (57.07)

High Jump
1. Brigetta Barrett (Ariz) - won Texas Relays (1.86m)
2. Shanay Briscoe (Tex) - 2nd at Texas Relays (1.86m)
3. Tynita Butts (ECar) - won Mountains v. Beaches (1.75m)
4. Brittani Carter (LSU) - 7th at Texas Relays (1.75m)
5. Ada Robinson (BYU) - no height at UVU Open
6. Krystle Schade (Ala) - idle
7. Victoria Lucas (Tex) - 4th at Texas Relays (1.80m)
8. Priscilla Frederick (StJ) - idle
9. April Sinkler (Clem) - see LJ/TJ
10. Brianne Theisen (Ore) - idle (injured)

Pole Vault
1. Tina Sutej (Ark) - won Texas Relays (4.50m)
2. Katerina Stefanidi (Stan) - won Pepsi Team Invitational (4.37m)
3. Natalie Willer (Neb) - 2nd at Pepsi Team Invitational (4.20m)
4. Melissa Gergel (Ore) - idle
5. Shade Weygandt (TxT) - 2nd at Texas Relays (4.45m)
6. Denise vonEynatten (USF) - 4th at Texas Relays (4.30m)
7. Rachel Laurent (LSU) - 3rd at Texas Relays (4.35m)
8. Joanna Wright (GaT) - won Seminole Invitational (4.31m)
9. Tara Diebold (Ark) - 5th at Texas Relays (4.10m)
10. Samantha Sonnenberg (Minn) - idle

Long Jump
1. Jamesha Youngblood (Ore) - won Pepsi Team Invitational (6.16m), 6th in TJ (11.99m)
2. Chantel Malone (Tex) - 3rd at Texas Relays (6.47w), ran on 4x100, 4x400 and SMR
3. Tori Bowie (SnMs) - won Texas Relays (6.58w)
4. Kim Williams (FlSt) - see triple jump
5. TiAnca Mock (Okla) - 3rd at Sun Angel Classic (6.06m), ran on 4x100
6. April Sinkler (Clem) - 8th at Texas Relays (6.21w)
7. Arantxa King (Stan) - idle
8. Christabel Nettey (AzSt) - won Sun Angel Classic (6.38m)
9. Whitney Gipson (TCU) - 14th at Texas Relays (6.02w), ran on 4x100
10. Nina Kokot (KsSt) - 6th at Texas Relays (6.30m)

Triple Jump
1. Kim Williams (FlSt) - won Texas Relays (14.25w)
2. Ganna Demydova (SnMs) - 2nd at Texas Relays (13.91w)
3. April Sinkler (Clem) - 6th at Texas Relays (13.08m)
4. Chantel Malone (Tex) - see long jump
5. Colleen Felix (Ga) - won Spec Towns Invitational (13.58w), won JT (46.89m)
6. Melissa Ogbourne (LSU) - 15th at Texas Relays (12.35m)
7. Whitney Liehr (Stan) - won Pepsi Team Invitational (12.65m), ran on 4x400
8. Patricia Mamona (Clem) - 3rd at Texas Relays (13.82m)
9. Jessica Ubanyionwu (Bay) - 7th at Texas Relays (13.07w)
10. Andrea Geubelle (Kans) - 9th at Texas Relays (12.93w)

Shot Put
1. Julie Labonte (Ariz) - won Texas Relays (17.71m)
2. Faith Sherrill (Ind) - won Kentuckiana Border Battle (17.49m)
3. Karen Shump (Okla) - won Sun Angel Classic (17.36m)
4. Tia Brooks (Okla) - 2nd at Sun Angel Classic (17.36m)
5. Simone du Toit (SMU) - see discus
6. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - won Ole Miss Invitational (16.33m)
7. Brittany Smith (IlSt) - won Lee Calhoun Invitational (15.22m)
8. Anna Jelmini (AzSt) - 5th at Sun Angel Classic (17.00m)
9. Annie Alexander (Tenn) - idle
10. Kristy Woods (Buff) - idle

Discus Throw
1. Anna Jelmini (AzSt) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Sun Angel Classic (57.02m)
2. Simone du Toit (SMU) - 7th at Texas Relays (51.60m)
3. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - won Ole Miss Invitational (53.73m)
4. Brittany Borman (Okla) - 3rd (1st collegian) at Mesa Classic (56.44m)
5. Annie Alexander (Tenn) - idle
6. Skylar White (Bay) - 4th at Texas Relays (52.73m)
7. Erin Pendleton (Mich) - won Johnson-JJK Invitational (50.95)
8. Nicole Tzanakis (Minn) - 4th (2nd collegian) at Mesa Classic (54.88m)
9. Beth Rohl (MiSt) - 4th at Sun Angel Classic (49.81m)
10. Karen Shump (Okla) - 5th (3rd collegian) at Mesa Classic (52.85m)

Hammer Throw
1. Nikola Lomnicka (Ga) - 4th (2nd collegian) at Spec Towns Invitational (63.41m)
2. Dorotea Habazin (VaT) - 3rd (1st collegian) at Spec Towns Invitational (65.27m)
3. Amanda Bingson (UNLV) - won Pomona-Pitzer Invitational (68.08m)
4. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - won Ole Miss Invitational (65.74m)
5. Gwen Berry (SnIl) - 2nd at Ole Miss Invitational (15.65m)
6. Laura Iguane (WnKy) - won Hilltopper Relays (63.02m)
7. Marissa Minderler (USC) - 6th (4th collegian) at Spec Towns Invitational (59.31m)
8. D'Ana McCarty (Lou) - won Kentuckiana Border Battle (58.10m)
9. Valerie Wert (Akr) - 2nd at Texas Relays (57.50m) behind Alexander (UTEP)
10. Ida Storm (UCLA) - won Johnson-JJK Invitational (62.11m)

Javelin Throw
1. Marissa Tschida (WaSt) - won Texas Relays (52.80m)
2. Brittany Borman (Okla) - won Sun Angel Classic (51.81m)
3. Amanda Peterson (Wash) - won Pepsi Team Invitational (53.09m)
4. Courtney Kirkwood (WaSt) - 4th at Texas Relays (49.00m)
5. Karlee McQuillen (PennSt) - idle
6. Randi Hicks (LBSt) - won Big West Challenge Cup (48.73m)
7. Sabine Kopplin (Nev) - 14th in DT at Mondo Mid-Major Challenge (39.58m)
8. Ana Ruzevic (Tul) - idle
9. Laura Asimakis (TAMU) - idle
10. Kristine Busa (USC) - idle

Heptathlon
1. Brieanne Theisen (Ore) - idle (injured)
2. Kiani Profit (Md) - idle
3. Chantae McMillian (Neb) - JT (47.81m) at Pepsi Team Invitational
4. Liane Weber (Clem) - 200m (25.62), 100H (13.94), LJ (5.90m), JT (42.44m) at Spec Towns Invitational
5. Dorcas Akinniyi (Wisc) - idle
6. Chelsea Carrier (WVa) - won Texas Relays (5927)
7. Ryann Krais (KsSt) - 2nd at Texas Relays (5848)
8. Nia Ali (USC) - see 100 Hurdles
9. Megan Wheatley (Neb) - 200m (25.78), LJ (5.57m) at Pepsi Team Invitational
10. Diana Dumitrescu (Kent) - 100H (14.85), JT (34.80m) at Miami Invitational

Who Did What (Men)

2011-04-10T19:59:00.000-04:00

Want to know what all the top collegians did this past weekend? It's all here.

This week I've broken up the men's and women's results into two different posts. The top ten in each event below are as listed in the most recent Track and Field News NCAA formcharts.

100 meters
1. Jeff Demps (Fla) - idle
2. Mookie Salaam (Okla) - ran on 4x100 at Mesa Classic
3. Maurice Mitchell (FlSt) - won Seminole Invitational (10.28), ran on 4x400
4. Keenan Brock (Aub) - 4th in 100m (10.50), 6th in 200m (21.37) at Seminole Invitational
5. Prezel Hardy (TAMU) - 6th in 100m (10.29), ran on 4x100 and 4x200 at Texas Relays
6. Luther Ambrose (ULM) - did not qualify to finals at Texas Relays
7. Gerald Phiri (TAMU) - won 100m (10.06), ran on 4x100 and 4x200 at Texas Relays
8. Harry Adams (Aub) - won 200m (20.84), ran on 4x400 at Seminole Invitational
9. Michael Granger (Miss) - won 100m (10.22w), 3rd in 200m (20.98w), ran on 4x100 at Ole Miss Invitational
10. Charles Silmon - ran on 4x100 and SMR at Texas Relays

200 meters
1. Maurice Mitchell (FlSt) - see 100 meters
2. Mookie Salaam (Okla) - see 100 meters
3. Charles Clark (FlSt) - 2nd in 200m (21.00), 10th I 400m (49.16) at Seminole Invitational
4. Brandon Byram (FlSt) - idle
5. Horatio Williams (LSU) - 4th in Invite 100m (10.26w), ran on 4x100 at Texas Relays
6. Antonio Sales (SoCar) - 2nd in 100m (10.45), 2nd in 200m (20.81), ran on 4x100 and 4x400 at Spec Towns Invitational
7. Terrell Wilks (Fla) - idle
8. Gerald Phiri (TAMU) - see 100 meters
9. Dentarius Locke (Tenn) - idle
10. Justin Austin (Iowa) - idle

400 meters
1. Kirani James (Ala) - ran on 4x100 at Texas Relays
2. Tabarie Henry (TAMU) - ran on SMR, split 45.0 (4x400) at Texas Relays
3. Demetrius Pinder (TAMU) - ran on 4x200, split 45.00 (4x400) at Texas Relays
4. Joey Hughes (USC) - ran on 4x100 and 4x400 at Texas Relays
5. Gil Roberts (TxT) - ran on 4x400 at Texas Relays
6. Tony McQuay (Fla) - idle
7. Errol Nolan - ran on 4x400 at Texas Relays
8. Tavaris Tate (MsSt) - ran on 4x100, 4x400 and SMR at Texas Relays
9. Josh Mance (USC) - ran on 4x400 and SMR at Texas Relays
10. Bryshon Nellum (USC) - ran on 4x400 at Texas Relays

800 meters
1. Robby Andrews (UVa) - 2nd in heat at Mason Spring Invitational (1:49.59)
2. Charles Jock (UCI) - won 400m (47.07), ran on 4x400 at Big West Challenge Cup
3. Cas Loxsom (PennSt) - idle
4. Cory Primm (UCLA) - 7th in mile at Johnson-JJK Invitational (4:08.36)
5. Elijah Greer (Ore) - 3rd (2nd collegian) at Pepsi Team Invitational (1:48.87), ran on 4x400
6. Michael Rutt (UConn) - won 1500 (3:51.81) at Husky Invitational, ran on 4x400
7. Fred Samoi (Ala) - won Invite mile at Texas Relays (4:13.86)
8. Aaron Evans (Ga) - idle
9. Lance Roller (UVa) - 6th in heat at Mason Spring Invitational (1:50.97)
10. Michael Preble (TAMU) - split 45.3 (4x400), 45.2 (SMR), 1:51.3 (4x800) at Texas Relays

1500 meters
1. Dorian Ulrey (Ark) - split 4:06.63 (DMR) and 1:48.38 (4x800) at Texas Relays
2. Matt Centrowitz (Ore) - won 5k at Pepsi Team Invitational (13:56.65)
3. Miles Batty (BYU) - 3rd in 800m at Sun Angel Classic (1:49.32)
4. A.J. Acosta (Ore) - won Pepsi Team Invitational (3:46.99)
5. Chris O'Hare (Tulsa) - idle
6. Dumi Hlaselo (Fla) - idle
7. German Fernandez (OkSt) - 13th in Invite mile at Texas Relays (4:17.71)
8. Ryan Foster (PennSt) - idle
9. Lawi Lalang (Ariz) - 6th at Sun Angel Classic (3:44.25)
10. Patrick Casey (MtSt) - idle

Steeplechase
1. Matt Hughes (Lou) - won Kentuckiana Border Battle (8:52.96)
2. Donn Cabral (Prin) - 3rd in 1500m at Mason Spring Invitational (3:46.13)
3. Hillary Bor (IaSt) - idle
4. John Sullivan (Stan) - idle
5. Corey Leslie (OhSt) - idle
6. Gilbert Limo (TxT) - ran on 4x1500 and DMR at Texas Relays
7. Steve Sodaro (Cal) - idle
8. Steve Finley (Ore) - won Pepsi Team Invitational (8:52.04)
9. Matt Cleaver (Ga) - 4th in 1500m at Spec Towns Invitational (4:01.90)
10. Brett Hales (WebSt) - idle

5000 meters
1. Leonard Korir (Iona) - won Duke Invitational (13:52.59)
2. Elliot Heath (Stan) - 6th in 800m at Pepsi Team Invitational (1:50.46)
3. Sam Chelanga (Lib) - idle
4. Kevin Schwab (Okla) - ran on 4x1500 at Texas Relays
5. Maverick Darling (Wisc) - idle
6. Justin Tyner (AFA) - won 1500m at Sun Angel Classic (3:42.51)
7. Ryan Hill (NCSt) - idle
8. Andrew Poore (Ind) - 2nd in 1500m (3:47.97), 3rd in steeple (8:58.63) at Kentuckiana Border Battle
9. Hassan Mead (Minn) - idle
10. Donn Cabral (Prin) - see steeplechase

10,000 meters
1. Sam Chelanga (Lib) - idle
2. Chris Derrick (Stan) - 3rd in 1500m at Pepsi Team Invitational (3:48.26)
3. Stephen Sambu (Ariz) - idle
4. Ciaran O'Lionaird (FlSt) - won 1500m at Seminole Invitational (3:41.02)
5. Jake Riley (Stan) - 7th in 1500m at Pepsi Team Invitational (3:50.60)
6. Mo Ahmed (Wisc) - idle
7. Diego Estrada (NnAz) - idle
8. Colby Lowe (OkSt) - idle
9. Luke Puskedra (Ore) - idle
10. Joe Bosshard (Colo) - 3rd in 1500m (3:52.24), ran on 4x400 at CU Invitational

110m Hurdles
1. Omo Osaghae (TxT) - 2nd at Texas Relays (13.22w)
2. Andrew Riley (Ill) - idle
3. Barrett Nugent (LSU) - won Texas Relays (13.19w), ran on 4x100
4. Keiron Stewart (Tex) - 5th at Texas Relays (13.43w), ran on 4x400
5. Ray Stewart (Cal) - idle
6. Brendan Ames (USC) - 4th at Texas Relays (13.42w)
7. Oscar Spurlock (USC) - 3rd at Texas Relays (13.39w)
8. Jeff Julmis (KsSt) - dnf at Texas Relays, ran on 4x100
9. Ronald Brookins (SacSt) - won Mid-Major Challenge (13.79w), 7th in 100m (10.68w)
10. Terrence Somerville (Cin) - won Miami Invitational (13.93), ran on 4x100

400m Hurdles
1. Jeshua Anderson (WaSt) - 3rd at Texas Relays (50.41), ran on 4x400
2. Amaechi Morton (Stan) - 2nd in 200m (21.55), 5th in 110H (14.54), ran on 4x100 and 4x400 at Pepsi Team Invitational
3. Jamele Mason (TxT) - 2nd at Texas Relays (50.30), ran on 4x400
4. Bryce Brown (TxT) - won Texas Relays (50.08), ran on 4x400
5. Reggie Wyatt (USC) - 5th at Texas Relays (51.30), ran on 4x400
6. Lee Moore (Miss) - won Ole Miss Invitational (49.86), ran on 4x400
7. William Wynne (Fla) - idle
8. David Aristil (USF) - did not qualify at Texas Relays
9. Leslie Murray (DeSt) - 3rd in 200m at Don Webster Invitational (21.85), ran on 4x100
10. Emanuel Mayers (MsSt) - 4th at Texas Relays (51.21), ran on 4x400

High Jump
1. Erik Kynard (KsSt) - won Texas Relays (2.28m)
2. Ricky Robertson (Miss) - won Ole Miss Invitational (2.13m), 2nd in LJ (7.58m)
3. James Harris (MsSt) - no-height at Texas Relays, ran on 4x100, 4x400 and SMR
4. Geoff Davis (Purd) - 2nd at Sun Angel Classic (2.10m) behind McBride (AzSt)
5. David Smith (Aub) - won Seminole Invitational (2.05m)
6. Nick Ross (Ariz) - 4th (3rd collegian) at Texas Relays (2.20m)
7. Paul Hamilton (Neb) - 2nd at Pepsi Team Invitational (2.14m) behind Frick (Ore)
8. Edgar Rivera-Morales (Ariz) - 3rd (2nd collegian) at Texas Relays (2.20m)
9. Dwight Barbiasz (Md) - idle
10. Jamal Wilson (Tex) - 5th (4th collegian) at Texas Relays (2.15m), won B-section TJ (16.23m)

Pole Vault
1. Scott Roth (Wash) - won Pepsi Team Invitational (5.50m)
2. Jordan Scott (Kans) - 2nd at Texas Relays (5.50m)
3. Jack Whitt (ORU) - won Texas Relays (5.60m)
4. Ben Peterson (Minn) - idle
5. Victor Weirich (BYU) - 6th at Texas Relays (5.35m)
6. Yavgeniy Olhovskiy (VaT) - idle
7. Chris Little (BYU) - 5th at Texas Relays (5.35m)
8. Nate Polacek (Neb) - no hieght at Pepsi Team Invitational
9. Luke Schoen (Alb) - 10th at Texas Relays (5.05m)
10. Hunter Hall (VaT) - won Lynchburg Classic (5.11m)

Long Jump
1. Ngoni Makusha (FlSt) - won Texas Relays (8.40w)
2. Marquise Goodwin (Tex) - 3rd at Texas Relays (8.07w), ran on 4x100
3. Will Claye (Fla) - idle
4. Tarik Batchelor (Ark) - idle
5. Chris Phipps (Neb) - 2nd at Pepsi Team Invitational (7.57m) behind Gordon (Neb), won TJ (15.39w)
6. Christian Taylor (Fla) - idle
7. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - see triple jump
8. Bryce Lamb (TxT) - no mark at Texas Relays
9. Reindell Cole (CSN) - idle (reshirting?)
10. Justin Hunter (Tenn) - spring football

Triple Jump
1. Will Claye (Fla) - idle
2. Christian Taylor (Fla) - idle
3. Julian Reid (TAMU) - won Texas Relays (16.68w)
4. Omar Craddock (Fla) - idle
5. Chris Carter (Hous) - 5th at Texas Relays (16.11w)
6. Troy Doris (Iowa) - 12th in LJ at Sun Angel Classic (6.96m)
7. Tyron Stewart (TAMU) - 5th in LJ at Texas Relays (7.84w)
8. Kyron Blaise (LSU) - 3rd at Texas Relays (16.24w)
9. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - 2nd at Texas Relays (16.49w)
10. Tarik Batchelor (Ark) - idle

Shot Put
1. Mason Finley (Kans) - see discus
2. Luke Pinkelman (Neb) - won Pepsi Team Invitational (18.53m), won DT (51.68m)
3. Stephen Saenz (Aub) - idle
4. Hayden Baillio (Tex) - 3rd at Texas Relays (18.38m), 6th in DT (51.91m)
5. Blake Eaton (PennSt) - idle
6. Leif Arrhenius (BYU) - 5th at Texas Relays (18.33m)
7. Jordan Clarke (AzSt) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Sun Angel Classic (18.81m)
8. Michael Putman (FlSt) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Seminole Invitational (18.30m)
9. Matt DeChant (OhSt) - idle
10. Joe Kovacs (PennSt) - idle

Discus Throw
1. Mason Finley (Kans) - 4th (3rd collegian) at Texas Relays (58.41m)
2. Julian Wruck (TxT) - 3rd (2nd collegian) at Texas Relays (58.59m)
3. Leif Arrhenius (BYU) - won Texas Relays (60.75m)
4. Michael Putman (FlSt) - see shot put
5. Luke Bryant (Okla) - 3rd (2nd collegian) at Sun Angel Classic (57.05m)
6. Colin Boevers (Ky) - no mark at Kentuckiana Border Battle
7. Andres Rossini (NnAz) - 6th (3rd colleigan) at Sun Angel Classic (55.74m)
8. Jake Deiters (SnIl) - won Ole Miss Invitational (54.88m)
9. James Plummer (Rutg) - won Sun Angel Classic (59.36m)
10. Chad Wright (Neb) - 3rd at Pepsi Team Invitational (53.83m)

Hammer Throw
1. Walter Henning (LSU) - 5th at Texas Relays (63.27m)
2. Marcel Lomnicky (VaT) - won Spec Towns Invitational (70.86m)
3. Alexander Ziegler (VaT) - idle
4. Trey Henderson (USC) - 2nd at Spec Towns Invitational (65.73m)
5. Dimitrios Fylladitakis (UTEP) - 2nd at Texas Relays (65.74m)
6. Justin Welch (Ga) - 3rd at Spec Towns Invitational (65.32m)
7. Chris Cralle (SHSU) - Won Texas Relays (67.38m)
8. K.P. Singh (Okla) - 3rd (2nd collegian) at Sun Angel Classic (63.53m)
9. Michael Lauro (LSU) - 3rd at Texas Relays (64.17m)
10. Jordan Stray (Ore) - won Pepsi Team Invitational (65.28m)

Javelin Throw
1. Craig Kinsley (Brown) - idle
2. Ignacio Guerra (WnKy) - won Hilltopper Relays (72.65m)
3. Sam Humphreys (TAMU) - won Texas Relays (76.73m)
4. Cooper Thompson (USC) - no mark at Spec Towns Invitational
5. Kyle Nielsen (Wash) - won Pepsi Team Invitational (71.27m)
6. Tim Glover (IlSt) - won Lee Calhoun Invitational (72.41m)
7. Joe Zimmerman (Wash) - 4th at Pepsi Team Invitational (65.93m)
8. Pontus Thomee (BoiSt) - 4th (3rd collegian) at Sun Angel Classic (62.61m)
9. Sam Crouser (Ore) - idle (injured)
10. Alex Wolff (Ore) - 3rd at Pepsi Team Invitational (70.50m)

Decathlon
1. Michael Morrison (Cal) - won Texas Relays (7921 PR)
2. Miller Moss (Clem) - 110H (14.27), JT (49.86m) at Spec Towns Invitational
3. Mateo Sossah (UNC) - 110H (14.75), HJ (1.94m), LJ (6.09m), 4x400 at Duke Invitational
4. Jeremy Taiwo (Wash) - 110H (14.55), HJ (1.98), 4x400 at Pepsi Team Invitational
5. Lars Rise (Mo) - SP (15.83m), DT (42.31m) at Tom Botts Invitational
6. Gray Horn (Fla) - idle
7. Michael Ayers (UGa) - PV (no height) at Spec Towns Invitational
8. Moritz Cleve (KsSt) - idle
9. Bjorn Barrefors (Neb) - idle
10. Curtis Beach (Duke) - 4x400 at Duke Invitational

Who is Where This Weekend

2011-04-07T22:18:00.000-04:00

It's time once again for my rundown of where all the top collegians are competing this weekend. Let's get to it!

MEN
100 meters
1. Jeff Demps (Fla) - idle
2. Maurice Mitchell (FlSt) - Seminole Invitational (100m)
3. Mookie Salaam (Okla) - Sun Angel Classic
4. Michael Granger (Miss) - unknown, team at Ole Miss Invitational
5. Gerald Phiri (TAMU) - Texas Relays (100m, 4x100, 4x200)
6. Marcus Rowland (Aub) - idle
7. Luther Ambrose (ULM) - Texas Relays
8. Woodrow Randall (Bay) - Texas Relays (100m, 4x100, SMR)
9. D'Angelo Cherry (MsSt) - Texas Relays (100m, 4x100, 4x200)
10. Terrell Wilks (Fla) - idle

200 meters
1. Maurice Mitchell (FlSt) - Seminole Invitational (100m)
2. Mookie Salaam (Okla) - Sun Angel Classic (100m)
3. Brandon Byram (FlSt) - unknown, team at Seminole Invitational
4. Horatio Williams (LSU) - Texas Relays (100m, 4x100)
5. Demetrius Pinder (TAMU) - Texas Relays (4x200, 4x400, SMR)
6. Zye Boey (EnIl) - unknown, team at Hilltopper Relays
7. Tony McQuay (Fla) - idle
8. Charles Clark (FlSt) - Seminole Invitational (400m, 4x400)
9. Terrell Wilks (Fla) - idle
10. Justin Austin (Iowa) - Sun Angel Classic (100m, 4x400)

400 meters
1. Kirani James (Ala) - Texas Relays (4x100)
2. Tabarie Henry (TAMU) - Texas Relays (4x400, SMR)
3. Demetrius Pinder (TAMU) - Texas Relays (4x200, 4x400, SMR)
4. Torrin Lawrence (Ga) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
5. Tony McQuay (Fla) - idle
6. Tavaris Tate (MsSt) - Texas Relays (4x200, 4x400, SMR)
7. Joey Hughes (USC) - Texas Relays (4x100, 4x400)
8. Brady Gehret (PennSt) - idle
9. Gil Roberts (TxT) - idle
10. Christian Taylor (Fla) - idle

800 meters
1. Fred Samoi (Ala) - Texas Relays (800m, Mile)
2. Robby Andrews (UVa) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
3. Cory Primm (UCLA) - Johnson-JJK Invitational (mile)
4. Charles Jock (UCI) - Big West Challenge Cup (400m, 4x400)
5. Michael Rutt (UConn) - unknown, team at UConn Spring Invitational
6. Michael Preble (TAMU) - Texas Relays (4x400, 4x800)
7. Elijah Greer (Ore) - Pepsi Team Invitational
8. Aaron Evans (Ga) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
9. Lance Roller (UVa) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
10. Sharif Webb (Ky) - unknown, team at Kentuckiana Border Battle

1500 meters
1. Miles Batty (BYU) - Sun Angel Classic (800m)
2. Chris O'Hare (Tulsa) - idle
3. Dumi Hlaselo (Fla) - idle
4. A.J. Acosta (Ore) - Pepsi Team Invitational
5. Erik Van Ingen (Bing) - unknown, team at Cornell April Open
6. German Fernandez (OkSt) - Texas Relays (Inv. Mile)
7. Matt Centrowitz (Ore) - Pepsi Team Invitational (1500m, 5k)
8. Ryan Foster (PennSt) - idle
9. Corey Leslie (OhSt) - idle
10. Riley Masters (Maine) - unknown, team at New Hampshire Invitational

Steeplechase
1. Matt Hughes (Lou) - unknown, team at Kentuckiana Border Battle
2. Donn Cabral (Prin) - unknown, team at Mason Spring Invitational
3. Hillary Bor (IaSt) - idle
4. Joonas Harjamaki (Lam) - idle
5. Steve Sodaro (Cal) - idle
6. Matt Cleaver (Ga) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
7. J.T. Sullivan (Stan) - Pepsi Team Invitational (1500m)
8. Brett Hales (WebSt) - Utah Spring Classic (1500m)
9. Gilbert Limo (TxT) - Texas Relays (4x1500, DMR)
10. Steve Finley (Ore) - Pepsi Team Invitational

5000 meters
1. Sam Chelanga (Lib) - unknown, team at Carolinas Cup
2. Leonard Korir (Iona) - idle
3. Stephen Sambu (Ariz) - idle
4. Diego Estrada (NnAz) - idle
5. Chris Derrick (Stan) - Pepsi Team Invitational (1500m)
6. Elliot Heath (Stan) - Pepsi Team Invitational (800m)
7. Kevin Schwab (Okla) - idle
8. Hassan Mead (Minn) - idle
9. Maverick Darling (Wisc) - idle
10. William Mulherin (VaT) - Sun Angel Classic

10,000 meters
1. Sam Chelanga (Lib) - unknown, team at Carolinas Cup
2. Ciaran O'Lionaird (FlSt) - Seminole Invitational (1500m)
3. Jake Riley (Stan) - Pepsi Team Invitational (1500m)
4. Girma Mecheso (OkSt) - idle
5. Eric Fernandez (Ark) - Texas Relays (1500m)
6. Stephen Sambu (Ariz) - idle
7. Colby Lowe (OkSt) - idle
8. Luke Puskedra (Ore) - idle
9. Chris Derrick (Stan) - Pepsi Team Invitational (1500m)
10. Elliot Heath (Stan) - Pepsi Team Invitational (800m)

110m Hurdles
1. Andrew Riley (Ill) - idle
2. Barrett Nugent (LSU) - Texas Relays (110H, 4x100)
3. Omo Osaghae (TxT) - Texas Relays
4. Keiron Stewart (Tex) - Texas Relays (110H, 400H, 4x100, 4x400)
5. Jeff Julmis (KsSt) - Texas Relays (110H, 4x100)
6. Oscar Spurlock (USC) - Texas Relays
7. Devon Hill (MiaFl) - idle
8. Brendan Ames (USC) - Texas Relays
9. Ronald Brookins (SacSt) - unknown, team at Mondo Mid-Major Challenge
10. Keith Hayes (Ky) - unknown, team at Kentuckiana Border Battle

400m Hurdles
1. Jeshua Anderson (WaSt) - Texas Relays (400H, 4x400)
2. Bryce Brown (TxT) - Texas Relays
3. Amaechi Morton (Stan) - Pepsi Team Invitational (200m, 110H)
4. Jamele Mason (TxT) - Texas Relays
5. Reggie Wyatt (USC) - Texas Relays (400H, 4x400)
6. Emanuel Mayers (MsSt) - Texas Relays (110H, 400H, 4x400)
7. David Aristil (USF) - Texas Relays (110H, 400H)
8. Lee Moore (Miss) - unknown, team at Ole Miss Invitational
9. Thomas Phillips (UCD) - unknown, team at Mondo Mid-Major Challenge
10. William Wynne (Fla) - idle

High Jump
1. Erik Kynard (KsSt) - Texas Relays
2. Ricky Robertson (Miss) - unknown, team at Ole Miss Invitational
3. Nick Ross (Ariz) - Texas Relays
4. James Harris (MsSt) - Texas Relays
5. Major Clay (InSt) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
6. Geoff Davis (Purd) - Sun Angel Classic
7. Paul Hamilton (Neb) - Pepsi Team Invitational
8. Clint Silcock (UtSt) - unknown, team at Mondo Mid-Major Challenge
9. Dwight Barbiasz (Md) - unknown, team at Maryland Invitational
10. Jamal Wilson (Tex) - Texas Relays

Pole Vault
1. Scott Roth (Wash) - Pepsi Team Invitational
2. Jack Whitt (ORU) - Texas Relays
3. Ben Peterson (Minn) - idle
4. Victor Weirich (BYU) - Texas Relays
5. Nate Polacek (Neb) - Pepsi Team Invitational
6. Yavgeniy Olhovskiy (VaT) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
7. Chris Little (BYU) - Texas Relays
8. Hunter Hall (VaT) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
9. Pierson (IdSt) - unknown, team at Utah Valley
10. Jeremy Klas (Idaho) - unknown, team at World WAR IV

Long Jump
1. Marquise Goodwin (Tex) - Texas Relays
2. Ngoni Makusha (FlSt) - Texas Relays
3. Christian Taylor (Fla) - idle
4. Bryce Lamb (TxT) - Texas Relays
5. Tarik Batchelor (Ark) - Texas Relays
6. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - Texas Relays
7. Chris Phipps (Neb) - Pepsi Team Invitational (LJ, TJ)
8. Will Claye (Fla) - idle
9. Reindell Cole (CSN) - idle
10. Damar Forbes (LSU) - Texas Relays

Triple Jump
1. Christian Taylor (Fla) - idle
2. Will Claye (Fla) - idle
3. Julian Reid (TAMU) - Texas Relays
4. Chris Carter (Hous) - Texas Relays
5. Omar Craddock (Fla) - idle
6. Tyron Stewart (TAMU) - Texas Relays
7. Troy Doris (Iowa) - Sun Angel Classic (LJ)
8. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - Texas Relays
9. Tarik Batchelor (Ark) - Texas Relays (LJ)
10. Kyron Blaise (LSU) - Texas Relays

Shot Put
1. Mason Finley (Kans) - Texas Relays (DT)
2. Leif Arrhenius (BYU) - Texas Relays
3. Luke Pinkelman (Neb) - Pepsi Team Invitational
4. Eric Werskey (Aub) - idle
5. Joe Kovacs (PennSt) - idle
6. Matt DeChant (OhSt) - idle
7. Kamal Mesic (Fla) - idle
8. Blake Eaton (PennSt) - idle
9. Stephen Saenz (Aub) - idle
10. Hayden Baillio (Tex) - Texas Relays

Discus Throw
1. Julian Wruck (TxT) - Texas Relays
2. Mason Finley (Kans) - Texas Relays
3. Leif Arrhenius (BYU) - Texas Relays
4. James Plummer (Rutg) - Sun Angel Classic
5. Michael Putman (FlSt) - Seminole Invitational
6. Luke Bryant (Okla) - Sun Angel Classic
7. Colin Boevers (Ky) - unknown, team at Kentuckiana Border Battle
8. Jake Deiters (SnIl) - unknown, team at Ole Miss Invitational
9. Jared Thomas (USF) - Texas Relays
10. Alex Rose (CMi) - unknown, team at Mondo Mid-Major Challenge

Hammer Throw
1. Marcel Lomnicky (VaT) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
2. Walter Henning (LSU) - Texas Relays
3. Alexander Ziegler (VaT) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
4. Trey Henderson (USC) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
5. Dimitrios Fylladitakis (UTEP) - Texas Relays
6. Chris Cralle (SHSU) - Texas Relays
7. Justin Welch (Ga) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
8. K.P. Singh (Okla) - Sun Angel Classic
9. Jordan Stray (Ore) - Pepsi Team Invitational
10. Adonson Shallow (SELa) - unknown, team at USA Invitational

Javelin Throw
1. Craig Kinsley (Brown) - unknown, team at UConn Spring Invitational
2. Ignacio Guerra (WnKy) - unknown, team at Hilltopper Relays
3. Sam Humphreys (TAMU) - Texas Relays
4. Kyle Nielsen (Wash) - Pepsi Team Invitational
5. Tim Glover (IlSt) - Lee Calhoun Invitational
6. Pontus Thomee (BoiSt) - Sun Angel Classic
7. Sam Crouser (Ore) - idle
8. Cooper Thompson (USC) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
9. Matt Byers (Iowa) - Sun Angel Classic
10. Joe Zimmerman (Wash) - Pepsi Team Invitational

Decathlon
1. Michael Morrison (Cal) - Texas Relays
2. Lars Rise (Mo) - Tom Botts Invitational (LJ, DT, JT)
3. Miller Moss (Clem) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
4. Michael Ayers (UGa) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
5. Gray Horn (Fla) - idle
6. Mantas Silkauskas (KsSt) - Texas Relays (110H)
7. Bjorn Barrefors (Neb) - Pepsi Team Invitational (110H, PV)
8. Romain Martin (UTA) - Texas Relays
9. Jeremy Taiwo (Wash) - Pepsi Team Invitational (110H, HJ)
10. Philip Adam (Rice) - idle

WOMEN
100 meters
1. LaKya Brookins (Clem) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
2. Tiffany Townsend (Bay) - Texas Relays
3. Jessica Young (TCU) - Texas Relays
4. Takeia Pinckney (LSU) - idle
5. Jeneba Tarmoh (TAMU) - Texas Relays
6. Kenyanna Wilson (LSU) - Texas Relays
7. Amber Purvis (Ore) - Pepsi Team Invitational (200m, 400m)
8. Auriyall Scott (UCF) - idle
9. Gabby Mayo (TAMU) - Texas Relays
10. Shanequa Ferguson (Aub) - Seminole Invitational (200m, 4x100)

200 meters
1. Jeneba Tarmoh (TAMU) - Texas Relays (100m)
2. Kimberlyn Duncan (LSU) - Texas Relays (100m)
3. Tiffany Townsend (Bay) - Texas Relays (100m)
4. Candyce McGrone (Okla) - Sun Angel Classic (200m, 4x100)
5. Semoy Hackett (LSU) - Texas Relays (100m)
6. Nivea Smith (Aub) - Seminole Invitational (100m, 4x100)
7. Amber Purvis (Ore) - Pepsi Team Invitational (200m, 400m)
8. Dominique Duncan (TAMU) - Texas Relays (100m)
9. Sheniqua Ferguson (Aub) - Seminole Invitational (200m, 4x100)
10. Jessica Beard (TAMU) - Texas Relays (4x100, 4x400)

400 meters
1. Jessica Beard (TAMU) - Texas Relays (4x100, 4x400)
2. Shelise Williams (Ark) - Texas Relays (4x100, 4x400, SMR)
3. Joanna Atkins (Aub) - Seminole Invitational (200m, 4x100)
4. Regina George (Ark) - Texas Relays (4x100, 4x400, SMR)
5. Briana Nelson (Tex) - Texas Relays (100m, 4x100, 4x400)
6. Angele Cooper (Tex) - Texas Relays (400H, 4x100, 4x400)
7. Endurance Abinuwa (UTEP) - Texas Relays (100m)
8. Jessica Young (TCU) - Texas Relays (100m, 4x100, 4x200, 4x400)
9. Sharay Hale (Col) - unknown, team at Mason Spring Invitational
10. Ciara Short (CSF) - Big West Challenge Cup (800m)

800 meters
1. Lacey Bleazard (BYU) - Sun Angel Classic (800m, 4x400)
2. Christina Rodgers (Ariz) - Texas Relays (1500m, 4x400)
3. Chanelle Price (Tenn) - idle
4. Lea Wallace (SacSt) - unknown, team at Mondo Mid-Major Challenge
5. Jillian Smith (Mich) - Johnson-JJK Invitational (800m, 4x400)
6. Rebecca Addison (Mich) - Johnson-JJK Invitational (800m, 4x400)
7. Sofie Persson (Miss) - unknown, team at Ole Miss Invitational
8. Caitlin Bailey (BosC) - unknown, team at UMass Invitational
9. Heather Wilson (UConn) - unknown, team at UConn Spring Invitational
10. Brittany Hall (LSU) - Texas Relays (4x400, 4x800, SMR, DMR)

1500 meters
1. Jordan Hasay (Ore) - Pepsi Team Invitational
2. Lucy Van Dalen (SBrk) - idle
3. Kate Van Buskirk (Duke) - Duke Invitational (800m)
4. Anne Kesselring (Ore) - Pepsi Team Invitational (800m)
5. Keri Bland (WVa) - idle
6. Jessica Pixler (Colo) - unknown, team at CU Invitational
7. Amanda Winslow (FlSt) - Seminole Invitational (3000m)
8. Sheila Reid (Vill) - unknown, team at Mason Spring Invitational
9. Mihaela Susa (OkSt) - idle
10. Caroline King (BosC) - unknown, team at UMass Invitational

Steeplechase
1. Emma Coburn (Colo) - unknown, team at CU Invitational
2. Ashley Higginson (Prin) - unknown, team at Mason Spring Invitational
3. Silje Fjortoft (SMU) - idle
4. Sarah Pease (Ind) - unknown, team at Kentuckiana Border Battle
5. Shalaya Kipp (Colo) - unknown, team at CU Invitational
6. Claire Michel (Ore) - Pepsi Team Invitational
7. Shelby Greany (Prov) - unknown, team at George Davis Invitational
8. Klara Bodinson (SMU) - idle
9. Alyssa Kulik (Clem) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
10. Chantelle Gorenewoud (Ill) - idle

5000 meters
1. Jessica Pixler (Colo) - unknown, team at CU Invitational
2. Liz Costello (Tenn) - idle
3. Betsy Saina (IaSt) - idle
4. Mia Behm (Tex) - Texas Relays (5k, 1500m)
5. Aliphine Tuliamuk (WichSt) - unknown, team at Mondo Mid-Major Challenge
6. Maire Louise Asselin (WVa) - idle
7. Risper Kimaiyo (UTEP) - Texas Relays
8. Laurynne Chetetlat (Cal) - idle
9. Natalie Gray (NMex) - idle
10. Anna Nosenko (WFst) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational

10,000 meters
1. Tara Erdmann (LMU) - Johnson-JJK Invitational (mile)
2. Betsy Saina (IaSt) - idle
3. Tonya Nero (WichSt) - unknown, team at Mondo Mid-Major Challenge
4. Kimberly Ruck (Clem) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
5. Katie Matthews (BosU) - unknown, team at George Davis Invitational
6. Juliet Bottorff (Duke) - Duke Invitational (1500m, 3k, 5k)
7. Pasca Cheruiyot (FlSt) - Seminole Invitational (1500m)
8. Zsofia Erdelyi (USC) - idle
9. Liz Costello (Tenn) - idle
10. Amanda Goetschius (Char) - Duke Invitational (1500m, 3k, 5k)

100m Hurdles
1. Brianna Rollins (Clem) - Texas Relays (100H, 4x400)
2. Jackie Coward (UCF) - idle
3. Tierra Brown (MiaFl) - idle
4. Tiffani McReynolds (Bay) - Texas Relays (100H, 4x100)
5. Letecia Wright (OhSt) - idle
6. Gabby Mayo (TAMU) - Texas Relays (100m)
7. Christina Manning (OhSt) - idle
8. Chelsea Carrier (WVa) - idle
9. Natasha Ruddock (TAMU) - Texas Relays
10. Jasmin Stowers (LSU) - Texas Relays (100H, 4x100)

400m Hurdles
1. Tierra Brown (MiaFl) - idle
2. Ellen Wortham (Tenn) - idle
3. Angele Cooper (Tex) - Texas Relays (400H, 4x100, 4x400)
4. Turquoise Thompson (UCLA) - Johnson-JJK Invitational (4x400)
5. Dalilah Muhammad (USC) - idle
6. LaToya James (NoCar) - idle
7. Tameka Jameson (MiaFl) - idle
8. Cassandra Tate (LSU) - Texas Relays (4x200, 4x400)
9. Jasmine Chaney (AzSt) - Sun Angel Classic (100H, 400H, 4x100, 4x400)
10. Danielle Dowie (Tex) - Texas Relays (400H, 4x400)

High Jump
1. Brigetta Barrett (Ariz) - Texas Relays
2. Shanay Briscoe (Tex) - Texas Relays
3. Tynita Butts (ECar) - unknown, team at Mountains v. Beaches
4. Brittani Carter (LSU) - Texas Relays
5. Ada Robinson (BYU) - Sun Angel Classic
6. Krystle Schade (Ala) - unknown, team at Ole Miss Invitational
7. Victoria Lucas (Tex) - Texas Relays
8. Priscilla Frederick (StJ) - unknown, team at Rutgers Invitational
9. Langley Iverson (Utah) - unknown, team at Utah Spring Classic
10. Holly Parent (WaSt) - unknown, team at World WAR IV

Pole Vault
1. Tina Sutej (Ark) - Texas Relays
2. Katerina Stefanidi (Stan) - Pepsi Team Invitational
3. Natalie Willer (Neb) - Pepsi Team Invitational
4. Melissa Gergel (Ore) - Pepsi Team Invitational
5. Shade Weygandt (TxT) - Texas Relays
6. Denise vonEynatten (USF) - Texas Relays
7. Rachel Laurent (LSU) - Texas Relays
8. Tara Diebold (Ark) - Texas Relays
9. Samantha Sonnenberg (Minn) - idle
10. Joanna Wright (GaT) - Seminole Invitational

Long Jump
1. Jamesha Youngblood (Ore) - Pepsi Team Invitational (LJ, TJ)
2. Chantel Malone (Tex) - Texas Relays (LJ, TJ)
3. Tori Bowie (SnMs) - Texas Relays
4. Kim Williams (FlSt) - idle
5. TiAnca Mock (Okla) - Sun Angel Classic
6. April Sinkler (Clem) - Texas Relays (LJ, TJ)
7. Arantxa King (Stan) - idle
8. Christabel Nettey (AzSt) - Sun Angel Classic (100H, LJ)
9. Whitney Gipson (TCU) - Texas Relays
10. Nina Kokot (KsSt) - Texas Relays

Triple Jump
1. Kim Williams (FlSt) - idle
2. Ganna Demydova (SnMs) - Texas Relays
3. April Sinkler (Clem) - Texas Relays (LJ, TJ)
4. Chantel Malone (Tex) - Texas Relays (LJ, TJ)
5. Colleen Felix (Ga) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
6. Melissa Ogbourne (LSU) - Texas Relays
7. Whitney Liehr (Stan) - Pepsi Team Invitational
8. Patricia Mamona (Clem) - Texas Relays
9. Jessica Ubanyionwu (Bay) - Texas Relays
10. Andrea Geubelle (Kans) - Texas Relays

Shot Put
1. Julie Labonte (Ariz) - Texas Relays
2. Faith Sherrill (Ind) - unknown, team at Kentuckiana Border Battle
3. Karen Shump (Okla) - Sun Angel Classic (SP, DT)
4. Tia Brooks (Okla) - Sun Angel Classic
5. Simone du Toit (SMU) - Texas Relays (DT)
6. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - unknown, team at Ole Miss Invitational
7. Brittany Smith (IlSt) - idle
8. Anna Jelmini (AzSt) - Sun Angel Classic (SP, DT, HT)
9. Annie Alexander (Tenn) - idle
10. Kristy Woods (Buff) - idle

Discus Throw
1. Anna Jelmini (AzSt) - Sun Angel Classic (SP, DT, HT)
2. Simone du Toit (SMU) - Texas Relays
3. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - unknown, team at Ole Miss Invitational
4. Brittany Borman (Okla) - Sun Angel Classic (DT, JT)
5. Skylar White (Bay) - Texas Relays
6. Annie Alexander (Tenn) - idle
7. Beth Rohl (MiSt) - Sun Angel Classic (DT, HT)
8. Erin Pendleton (Mich) - Johnson-JJK Invitational (SP, DT, HT)
9. Karen Shump (Okla) - Sun Angel Classic (SP, DT)
10. Samia Stokes (LSU) - Texas Relays

Hammer Throw
1. Nikola Lomnicka (Ga) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
2. Dorotea Habazin (VaT) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
3. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - unknown, team at Ole Miss Invitational
4. Amanda Bingson (UNLV) - idle
5. Gwen Berry (SnIl) - unknown, team at Ole Miss Invitational
6. Laura Iguane (WnKy) - unknown, team at Hilltopper Relays
7. Alena Krechyk (Kans) - idle
8. Valerie Wert (Akr) - Texas Relays
9. Felisha Johnson (InSt) - Tom Botts Invitational
10. Olga Ciura (SnIl) - unknown, team at Ole Miss Invitational

Javelin Throw
1. Marissa Tschida (WaSt) - unknown, team at World WAR IV
2. Brittany Borman (Okla) - Sun Angel Classic (DT, JT)
3. Hannah Mayer (Harv) - unknown, team at George Davis Invitational
4. Courtney Kirkwood (WaSt) - unknown, team at World WAR IV
5. Karlee McQuillen (PennSt) - idle
6. Randi Hicks (LBSt) - Big West Challenge Cup
7. Sabine Kopplin (Nev) - unknown, team at Mondo Mid-Major Challenge
8. Ana Ruzevic (Tul) - unknown, team at USA Invitational
9. Laura Asimakis (TAMU) - idle
10. Victoria Paterra (MiaOh) - unknown, team at Miami Invitational

Heptathlon
1. Brieanne Theisen (Ore) - Pepsi Team Invitational (100H, HJ, LJ)
2. Kiani Profit (Md) - unknown, team at Maryland Invitational
3. Chantae McMillian (Neb) - Pepsi Team Invitational (LJ, JT)
4. Dorcas Akinniyi (Wisc) - idle
5. Liane Weber (Clem) - unknown, team at Spec Towns Invitational
6. Nia Ali (USC) - idle
7. Megan Wheatley (Neb) - Pepsi Team Invitational (200m, 100H, LJ)
8. Ryann Krais (KsSt) - Texas Relays
9. Diana Dumitrescu (Kent) - unknown, team at Miami Invitational
10. Precious Nwokey (Ky) - unknown, team at Kentuckiana Border Battle

What happened to the dual meet?

2011-04-06T12:32:00.000-04:00

Yesterday’s post on Ken Goe’s Oregon track blog was the summary of a chat with Duck head coach Vin Lananna about college dual meets* and why they are like the California condor: once nearly extinct, now merely critically endangered.

*I will use the Track and Field News definition of a dual meet, which is a scored meet between two, three or four teams.

As part of a preview of this week’s Pepsi Invitational, a quad meet with Stanford, Washington and Nebraska, Lananna lamented the demise of the dual. Like many (including yours truly), he says increasing scored competition is in the long-term interest of college track.

Lananna squarely placed the blame for the dual’s disappearance on tight scholarship budgets, 12.6 for men and 18 for women, as he said it makes it difficult to field a full team. “There are 21 events in track and field and 12.6 grants”, he said. “We don’t even have a starting lineup.”

I’m not sure I agree with that assessment as to why the dual meet is a rarity. First of all, women’s teams get nearly 50% more scholarships than men’s teams do, but there are quite a few dual meets where only men participate. If the scholarship issue was really the problem, then women’s teams would participate in duals to a greater degree than men’s teams. But they don’t, and the difference is significant.

Twenty-five to thirty athletes is enough to be reasonably competitive in a scored meet among two or three or four teams. When I was running college track, our men’s team had only nine scholarships but seventy athletes. We weren’t particularly good, but the ability to fill spots in a dual meet wasn’t our problem. If there’s a numbers game to blame, it’s the roster limitations on men’s programs that became commonplace in the 1990s.

Nobody has seventy athletes on a team anymore, but almost everyone in the major conferences has thirty or so. A sizable majority of college track teams have the resources to compete in dual meets, but also a sizable majority of teams choose not to compete in a dual.

Let’s take a closer look at the life cycle of the college dual meet. Along with relay carnivals, for decades they were the backbone of the college season. Their numbers began to decline all the way through the 1980s, were rare in the 1990s, and all but completely disappeared by the turn of the century, before rebounding a bit to where we are today.

Correlation does not show causation. But there is a very strong correlation here with the system of qualifying to the NCAA Championships. Up into the 70s it was an all-comers affair; anyone whose team spent the money to send them could compete. Then we came up with the system of qualifying to the nationals via marks—times, heights, distances. It stayed that way until the invention of the regional system in 2003, which has since been altered but is still very much alive.

I’m pretty sure that qualifying to the NCAA Championships via marks is what nearly killed the dual meet, and a move away from that towards competition-based qualifying has allowed it to come back a bit. Dual meets aren’t the easiest places to run fast times.

You don’t have to be an economist to know that incentives have a large effect on behavior. Qualifying to nationals via marks de-incentivize dual meets, whereas qualifying via regionals doesn’t. If we go back to the old way, we will again see the demise the dual meet. (Lananna, it should be noted, is college track’s most outspoken critic of the regional qualifying system.)

Does college track have to return to dual meets to regain relevance? I’m not sure about that. Last Saturday’s LSU Invitational had six teams, which isn’t a dual. But it was scored, and close and thrilling, and the results of every event mattered. Don’t forget that the relay carnivals, such as Penn and Drake, are very popular too. I think duals should be a part of every serious track program’s schedule, but there’s something to be said for variety as well.

What college track really needs are meets that cater to the needs of spectators. That can mean meets that crown winning teams; whether there are only two or three teams or six or eight or twelve is, in the big picture, not that big a deal. Catering to the needs of spectators definitely means meets that can be fit into three hours or less, or at least putting the highlights of the meet into that kind of time frame. It also means making who wins an event at least as important as what their time is.

Dual meets are widely called for because they accomplish all these things all at once. If you can come up with other ways to make a spectator-friendly college track meet, by all means go for it. But please, no more meets with forty-seven heats of a single event.

Big Distance Medley matchup on tap

2011-04-06T07:06:00.001-04:00

Ken Goe of The Oregonian reports there will be a big distance medley relay matchup on Friday, May 6 at Hayward Field. If I'm not mistaken, that's the night before the Oregon Twilight meet.

EDIT: it's during the Oregon Twilight, which is on Friday not Saturday.

The race will include A-teams from the Ducks and the Oregon Track Club. The OTC will bring out Nick Symmonds, Ashton Eaton, Tyler Mulder and anchor with either Andrew Wheating or Russell Brown. Oregon will line up AJ Acosta, Michael Berry, Matt Centrowitz and Elijah Greer.

Could the American Record be broken? Maybe. It's a tough one, 9:15.63 in one of those USA v. The World deals at the Penn Relays. That included a 1:44 leg by Khadevis Robinson and a 3:53 anchor by Bernard Lagat.

The best time ever recorded by an all-US club team is 9:21.77 by the Oregon TC, run at Washington's Dempsey Indoor last year.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

College Power Rankings

2011-04-05T17:00:00.000-04:00

Listed along with rankings are last week's scored-meet action and the coming week's scored-meet action.

The Superfan’s Men’s Power Rankings for April 5, 2011

Team	This week’s result	Next week’s meet
1. Texas A&M	1) LSU Invitational
2. Florida
3. LSU	2) LSU Invitational
4. Arkansas
5. Minnesota	1) Jim Click Shootout
6. Southern Cal	1) vs BYU and Cal St. Northridge
7. BYU	2) vs Southern Cal and Cal St. Northridge
8. Florida State
9. Texas
10. Indiana
11. Nebraska	1) vs Wichita State and Northern Iowa	Pepsi Team Invitational
12. Stanford		Pepsi Team Invitational
13. Wisconsin
14. Virginia Tech		Spec Towns Invitational
15. Iowa	3) LSU Invitational
16. UCLA	beat Tennessee
17. Oregon		Pepsi Team Invitational
18. Ohio State	2) Jim Click Shootout
19. Arizona	3) Jim Click Shootout
20. Princeton
21. Oklahoma
22. Texas Tech
23. Penn State
24. Arizona State
25. Georgia		Spec Towns Invitational

The Superfan’s Women’s Power Rankings for April 5, 2011

Team	This week’s result	Next week’s meet
1. Oregon		Pepsi Team Invitational
2. Texas A&M	1) LSU Invitational
3. LSU	2) LSU Invitational
4. Texas
5. Arkansas
6. USC	1) vs BYU, Cal St. Northridge and Nevada
7. Nebraska	1) vs Wichita St. and Northern Iowa	Pepsi Team Invitational
8. Clemson
9. Arizona	1) Jim Click Shootout
10. Oklahoma
11. Texas Tech
12. Ohio State	2) Jim Click Shootout
13. Tennessee	beat UCLA
14. Florida State
15. BYU	2) vs Southern Cal, Cal St. Northridge and Nevada
16. Arizona State
17. Stanford		Pepsi Team Invitational
18. Minnesota	3) Jim Click Shootout
19. Penn State
20. Auburn
21. South Carolina
22. North Carolina
23. UCF
24. Georgia		Spec Towns Invitational
25. Florida

A&M Deeeeep with Quarter-Milers

2011-04-05T15:42:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday at LSU, the Texas A&M Aggies did something unusual. Their men ran both the year's fastest collegiate time and the year's fastest American time in the 4x400 relay.

What's so unusual about that? It happens all the time, when a team runs and gets credit for both leaders. Here's the kicker, though--the Aggies did it with two different relay teams.

A&M's "A" team of Joey Roberts (46.5 split), Tabarie Henry (45.4), Brian Miller (45.6) and Demetrius Pinder (44.7) ran 3:02.21 for the collegiate leader. But since Henry and Pinder are foreign athletes, that foursome can't post the American leader.

The Aggies' "B" team of Carlyle Roudette (47.3), Tran Howell (44.8), Michael Preble (45.2) and Oscar Ramirez (47.4) are all Americans, and their time of 3:04.69 is the fastest in 2011 by an all-US foursome.

This has never been done before. And it must be the fastest B-team ever put together.

Who Did What

2011-04-04T20:55:00.001-04:00

On Thursday I posted a listing of the scheduled weekend action of the top collegians in each event. Now it's time for a roundup of how it turned out.

100 meters
1. Jeff Demps (Fla) - Won 100m (10.07w), ran on 3rd place (2nd collegiate) 4x100 (38.91) at Florida Relays
2. Maurice Mitchell (FlSt) - Won 200m (20.36), ran on 2nd place (1st collegiate) 4x100 (38.87) at Florida Relays
3. Mookie Salaam (Okla) - idle
4. Michael Granger (Miss) - Won 100m heat (10.50) at Florida Relays (100m, 200m & relays)
5. Gerald Phiri (TAMU) - Ran on winning 4x100 (39.11) at LSU Invitational
6. Marcus Rowland (Aub) - idle
7. Luther Ambrose (ULM) - idle
8. Reggie Dixon (Hamp) - 4th in 100m heat (10.39w), ran on SMR at Florida Relays
9. Woodrow Randall (Bay) - 4th (3rd collegian) in 100m heat (10.34w), ran on 2nd-place 4x100 (39.91) at Bobby Lane Invitational
10. Terrell Wilks (Fla) - 2nd in 100m heat (10.35w), won 200m heat (20.69), ran on 3rd place (2nd collegiate) 4x100 (38.91) at Florida Relays

200m
1. Maurice Mitchell (FlSt) - Won 200m (20.36), ran on 2nd place (1st collegiate) 4x100 (38.87) at Florida Relays
2. Mookie Salaam (Okla) - idle
3. Brandon Byram (FlSt) - Won 200m heat (20.56), ran on 2nd place (1st collegiate) 4x100 (38.87) at Florida Relays
4. Horatio Williams (LSU) - 3rd in 100m (10.25), won 200m (20.67) at LSU Invitational
5. Marvin Bonde (ORU) - idle
6. Demetrius Pinder (TAMU) - 2nd in 400m (44.83), split 44.7 at LSU Invitational
7. Gerald Phiri (TAMU) - Ran on winning 4x100 (39.11) at LSU Invitational
8. Tony McQuay (Fla) - idle
9. Charles Clark (FlSt) - 5th (3rd collegian) in 200m heat (21.30) at Florida Relays
10. Zye Boey (EnIl) - Won Big Blue Classic 100m(10.15w) and 200m (20.67)

400m
1. Kirani James (Ala) - idle
2. Tabarie Henry (TAMU) - Won 400m (44.83), split 45.4 at LSU Invitational
3. Demetrius Pinder (TAMU) - 2nd in 400m (44.83), split 44.7 at LSU Invitational
4. Torrin Lawrence (Ga) - 5th (3rd collegian) in 400m at Florida Relays (46.54)
5. Tavaris Tate (MsSt) - Won 200m at Bulldog Twilight (20.88), ran on winning 4x100 (39.70) and 4x400 (3:27.94) and 2nd place 4x200 (1:23.17)
6. Joey Hughes (USC) - 2nd in 400m (46.04), ran on winning 4x100 (40.85) vs. BYU & Cal St. Northridge
7. Tony McQuay (Fla) - idle
8. Brady Gehret (PennSt) - Won 200m heat (20.93), 2nd in 400m heat (46.88), ran on 4x400 at Florida Relays
9. Gil Roberts (TxT) - 2nd in 100m (10.33w), won 200m (20.65) at Texas Tech Open
10. Christian Taylor (Fla) - Won Florida Relays (45.21)

800m
1. Robby Andrews (UVa) - won Colonial Relays (1:49.58)
2. Fred Samoi (Ala) - idle
3. Cory Primm (UCLA) - Won vs. Tennessee (1:51.16)
4. Charles Jock (UCI) - idle
5. Elijah Greer (Ore) - idle
6. Michael Preble (TAMU) - Won 400m heat (46.61), ran on B 4x400 (3:04.69) at LSU Invitational
7. Aaron Evans (Ga) - 4th in heat at Florida Relays (1:50.61)
8. Michael Rutt (UConn) - 5th in 1500m (3:52.30), ran on 4x400 at LSU Invitational
9. Lance Roller (UVa) - 5th in heat at Colonial Relays (1:51.05)
10. Chris Carrington (GMa) - idle

1500m
1. Miles Batty (BYU) - idle
2. Chris O'Hare (Tulsa) - idle
3. Dumi Hlaselo (Fla) - Ran on 2nd place 4x800 at Florida Relays
4. A.J. Acosta (Ore) - idle
5. Erik Van Ingen (Bing) - idle
6. German Fernandez (OkSt) - idle
7. Matt Centrowitz (Ore) - idle
8. Dylan Ferris (Stan) - idle
9. Riley Masters (Maine) - idle
10. Ryan Foster (PennSt) - 2nd in 800m at Florida Relays (1:47.83)

Steeple
1. Matt Hughes (Lou) - idle
2. Donn Cabral (Prin) - Won Sam Howell Invitational (8:54.55)
3. Hillary Bor (IaSt) - idle
4. Joonas Harjamaki (Lam) - idle
5. Matt Cleaver (Ga) - Won Florida Relays (8:45.76)
6. Steve Sodaro (Cal) - idle
7. Steve Finley (Ore) - idle
8. J.T. Sullivan (Stan) - idle
9. Brett Hales (WebSt) - idle
10. Gilbert Limo (TxT) - DNF in 1500m at Texas Tech Open

5k
1. Sam Chelanga (Lib) - idle
2. Leonard Korir (Iona) - idle
3. Stephen Sambu (Ariz) - 2nd in 1500m at Jim Click Shootout (3:50.93)
4. Diego Estrada (NnAz) - idle
5. Chris Derrick (Stan) - idle
6. Elliot Heath (Stan) - idle
7. Kevin Schwab (Okla) - idle
8. Hassan Mead (Minn) - idle
9. William Mulherin (VaT) - 4th in 1500m heat (3:48.81), anchored wnning DMR at Colonial Relays
10. Donn Cabral (Prin) - see steeplechase

10k
1. Sam Chelanga (Lib) - idle
2. Ciaran O'Lionaird (FlSt) - idle
3. Jake Riley (Stan) - idle
4. Girma Mecheso (OkSt) - idle
5. Eric Fernandez (Ark) - idle
6. Stephen Sambu (Ariz) - see 5000m
7. Luke Puskedra (Ore) - idle
8. Colby Lowe (OkSt) - idle
9. Mo Ahmed (Wisc) - idle
10. Elliot Heath (Stan) - idle

110H
1. Andrew Riley (Ill) - 2nd in 110H (13.61), 5th in 100m (10.52), led off 2nd place 4x100 (40.19) at LSU Invitational
2. Barrett Nugent (LSU) - Won LSU Invitational (13.58)
3. Omo Osaghae (TxT) - Won Texas Tech Open (13.29)
4. Keiron Stewart (Tex) - idle
5. Oscar Spurlock (USC) - 2nd vs. BYU & Cal St. Northridge (13.93)
6. Jeff Julmis (KsSt) - idle
7. Devon Hill (MiaFl) - won heat at Florida Relays (14.12)
8. Brendan Ames (USC) - won vs. BYU & Cal St. Northridge (13.80)
9. Ronald Brookins (SacSt) - won 110H (13.80w), 2nd in 100m (10.80), 2nd in LJ (7.30w), ran on winning 4x100 (42.51) at UC Davis
10. Chris Kinney (Gtn) - idle

400 Hurdles
1. Jeshua Anderson (WaSt) - won 110H (13.86w) and 400H (49.330, ran on 4x400 at Jim Click Shootout
2. Amaeichi Morton (Stan) - idle
3. Bryce Brown (TxT) - 2nd at Texas Tech Open (49.39)
4. Jamele Mason (TxT) - 3rd in 110H (13.65w), won 400H (49.30) at Texas Tech Open
5. Reggie Wyatt (USC) - won 400H (51.60), ran on winning 4x400 (3:11.59) vs. BYU & Cal St. Northridge
6. Emanuel Mayers (MsSt) - idle
7. Aristil (USF) - idle
8. Lee Moore (Miss) - 3rd in heat (50.81), ran on 4x400 at Florida Relays
9. Thomas Phillips (UCD) - won 400m (48.80), ran on 4x400 vs. Sacramento State
10. William Wynne (Fla) - idle

High Jump
1. Ricky Robertson (Miss) - 2nd at Florida Relays (2.20m)
2. Erik Kynard (KsSt) - idle
3. Nick Ross (Ariz) - 2nd in HJ (2.20m), 6th in LJ (7.38m) at Jim Click Shootout
4. James Harris (MsSt) - won 400m (46.34), ran on winning 4x400 (3:27.94) at Bulldog Twilight
5. Major Clay (InSt) - idle
6. Paul Hamilton (Neb) - won at Wichita State w/ Northern Iowa (2.15m)
7. Clint Silcock (UtSt) - won Tailwind Invitational (2.14m)
8. Geoff Davis (Purd) - idle
9. Dwight Barbiasz (Md) - won Florida Relays (2.23m)
10. Edgar Rivera-Morales (Ariz) - won Jim Click Shootout (2.23m)

Pole Vault
1. Scott Roth (Wash) - idle
2. Jack Whitt (ORU) - won Texas Tech Open (5.58m PR)
3. Ben Peterson (Minn) - won Jim Click Shootout (5.26m)
4. Victor Weirich (BYU) - won at Southern Cal w/ Cal St. Northridge (5.22m)
5. Yavgeniy Olhovskiy (VaT) - idle
6. Nate Polacek (Neb) - 2nd at Wichita State w/ Northern Iowa (5.05m)
7. Jared Jodon (VaT) - 2nd at Florida Relays (5.17m) behind Hall (VaT)
8. Kevin Schipper (UND) - idle
9. Parker Smith (NoCar) - 4th at Florida Relays (5.17m)
10. Connor Landry (Cal) - idle

Long Jump
1. Marquise Goodwin (Tex) - idle
2. Ngoni Makusha (FlSt) - ran on 2nd place (1st collegiate) 4x100 at Florida Relays (38.87)
3. Christian Taylor (Fla) - Won Florida Relays 400m (45.46)
4. Bryce Lamb (TxT) - idle
5. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - 6th at LSU Invitational (7.29m)
6. Tarik Batchelor (Ark) - idle
7. Chris Phipps (Neb) - won LJ (7.64m) and TJ (15.46m) at Wichita State w/ Northern Iowa
8. Will Claye (Fla) - 7th (5th collegian) at Florida Relays (7.39m)
9. Reindell Cole (CSN) - idle
10. Nicholas Gordon (Neb) - 3rd in TJ (14.95m), 9th in 200m (22.38), ran on winning 4x100 (41.33) at Wichita State w/ Northern Iowa (TJ, 200m)

Triple Jump
1. Christian Taylor (Fla) - Won Florida Relays 400m (45.46)
2. Will Claye (Fla) - 7th (5th collegian) in LJ at Florida Relays (7.39m)
3. Julian Reid (TAMU) - 4th in LJ (7.36m), ran 100m (11.05) at LSU Invitational (100m, LJ)
4. Omar Craddock (Fla) - idle
5. Chris Carter (Hous) - won TJ (15.58), 2nd in LJ (7.27) at Shirley Crowe Invitational
6. Tyron Stewart (TAMU) - 3rd in LJ (7.42m) at LSU Invitational (LJ)
7. Troy Doris (Iowa) - 8th in LJ (7.03m), ran 100m (10.90) at LSU Invitational
8. Zedric Thomas (LSU) - see long jump
9. Devon Bond (UTSA) - idle
10. Tarik Batchelor (Ark) - 6th in LJ at LSU Invitational (7.29m)

Shot Put
1. Mason Finley (Kans) - see discus throw
2. Leif Arrhenius (BYU) - idle
3. Luke Pinkelman (Neb) - Won SP (19.08m), 2nd in DT (57.18m) at Wichita State w/ Northern Iowa
4. Matt DeChant (OhSt) - 2nd in SP (18.09m) behind Gire (Ariz), 6th in DT (50.95m) at Jim Click Shootout
5. Eric Werskey (Aub) - Won Tiger Track Classic (19.01m)
6. Joe Kovacs (PennSt) - 3rd at Florida Relays (18.38m)
7. Blake Eaton (PennSt) - idle
8. Hayden Baillio (Tex) - idle
9. Clarke (AzSt) - idle
10. Stephen Saenz (Aub) - Won DT (52.84m) at Tiger Track Classic

Discus Throw
1. Julian Wruck (TxT) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Texas Tech Elite Discus Throw (61.88m), won Texas Tech Open (61.57m)
2. Mason Finley (Kans) - Won Razorback Spring Invitational (60.36m)
3. Leif Arrhenius (BYU) - idle
4. Michael Putman (FlSt) - 3rd (1st collegian) at Florida Relays (57.31m)
5. James Plummer (Rutg) - Won DT (58.09), 2nd in SP (151.6m) at Colonial Relays (SP, DT)
6. Luke Bryant (Okla) - 4th at Texas Tech Open (56.91m)
7. Colin Boevers (Ky) - 4th (2nd collegian) at Florida Relays (57.26m)
8. Jake Deiters (SnIl) - won at Joey Haines Invitational (57.59m)
9. Tyler Hitchler (Neb) - idle
10. Jared Thomas (USF) - idle

Hammer Throw
1. Marcel Lomnicky (VaT) - Won Florida Relays (73.37m)
2. Walter Henning (LSU) - Won LSU Invitational(66.08m)
3. Alexander Ziegler (VaT) - idle
4. Trey Henderson (USC) - vs. BYU & Cal St. Northridge
5. Dimitrios Fylladitakis (UTEP) - 2nd at Texas Tech Open (65.75m)
6. Chris Cralle (SHSU) - idle
7. Justin Welch (Ga) - 3rd (2nd collegian) at Florida Relays (65.47m)
8. Jordan Stray (Ore) - idle
9. K.P. Singh (Okla) - Won Texas Tech Open (66.70m)
10. Michael Lauro (LSU) - 2nd at LSU Invitational (61.65m)

Javelin Throw
1. Craig Kinsley (Brown) - idle
2. Ignacio Guerra (WnKy) - Won Florida Relays (78.69m)
3. Sam Humphreys (TAMU) - 2nd at LSU Invitational (74.32) behind Byers (Iowa)
4. Pontus Thomee (BoiSt) - idle
5. Nielsen (Wash) - idle
6. Tim Glover (IlSt) - Won Big Blue Classic (75.90m)
7. Cooper Thompson (USC) - won vs. BYU & Cal St. Northridge (68.48m)
8. Zimmerman (Wash) - idle
9. Adam Montague (Fla) - idle
10. Matt Byers (Iowa) - Won LSU Invitational (74.89m)

Decathlon
1. Morrison (Cal) - idle
2. Lars Rise (Mo) - Missouri Relays (15.83m SP, 42.31m DT)
3. Michael Ayers (Ga) - Florida Relays (15.83 110H)
4. Miller Moss (Clem) - Florida Relays (14.26 110H)
5. Adam (Rice) - Stephen F. Austin Alumni Invitational (15.30w 110H, 1.95m HJ, 13.98m SP, 4x400)
6. Silkauskas (KsSt) - idle
7. Gray Horn (Fla) - Florida Relays (14.77 110H)
8. Cleve (KsSt) - idle
9. Bjorn Barrefors (Neb) - SP (13.51m), DT (41.55m) at Wichita St. w/ Northern Iowa
10. Bray (Hous) - Shirley Crowe Invitational (4.60m PB, 12.85m SP)

100 meters
1. LaKya Brookins (Clem) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Florida Relays (11.60)
2. Jessica Young (TCU) - ran on 2nd place 4x100 (44.69) at Bobby Lane Invitational
3. Tiffany Townsend (Bay) - won 100m (11.24w), ran on winning 4x100 (44.25) at Bobby Lane Invitational
4. Jeneba Tarmoh (TAMU) - 2nd in 100m (11.27) behind Hackett (LSU), ran on winning 4x100 (43.16) at LSU Invitational
5. Takeia Pinckney (LSU) - idle
6. Amber Purvis (Ore) - idle
7. Shanequa Ferguson (Aub) - Ran on winning 4x100 (43.80) and 4x400 (3:38.82) at Tiger Track Classic
8. Gabby Mayo (TAMU) - idle
9. Auriyall Scott (UCF) - 2nd (1st collegian) in 200m (22.98), ran on 4x100, 4x200 and SMR at Florida Relays
10. Kenyanna Wilson (LSU) - 4th in 100m (11.41), 4th in 200m (23.93), anchored 2nd place 4x100 (43.48) at LSU Invitational

200m
1. Jeneba Tarmoh (TAMU) - 2nd in 100m (11.27) behind Hackett (LSU), ran on winning 4x100 (43.16) at LSU Invitational
2. Kimberlyn Duncan (LSU) - 3rd in 100m (11.31), won 200m (22.76), ran on 2nd place 4x100 (43.48) at LSU Invitational
3. Tiffany Townsend (Bay) - see 100m
4. Nivea Smith (Aub) - Ran on winning 4x100 (43.80) and 4x400 (3:38.82) at Tiger Track Classic
5. Candyce McGrone (Okla) - 7th in 400m (55.34), ran on 4x100 and 4x400 at Razorback Spring Invitational
6. Semoy Hackett (LSU) - Won 100m (11.23), ran on 2nd place 4x100 (43.48) at LSU Invitational
7. Dominique Duncan (TAMU) - 2nd in 200m (23.23), ran on winning 4x100 (43.16) at LSU Invitational
8. Amber Purvis (Ore) - idle
9. Sheniqua Ferguson (Aub) - Ran on winning 4x100 (43.80) and 4x400 (3:38.82) at Tiger Track Classic
10. Jessica Beard (TAMU) - see 400m

400m
1. Jessica Beard (TAMU) - won 400m (51.55), anchored 4x100 relay (43.16) at LSU Invitational
2. Shelise Williams (Ark) - won 400m (52.20), ran on 4x100 and 4x400 at Razorback Spring Invitational
3. Joanna Atkins (Aub) - ran on winning 4x100 (43.80) and 4x400 (3:38.82) at Tiger Track Classic
4. Regina George (Ark) - idle
5. Briana Nelson (Tex) - idle
6. Angele Cooper (Tex) - idle
7. Jessica Young (TCU) - ran on 2nd place 4x100 (44.29) at Bobby Lane Invitational
8. Sharay Hale (Colu) - 8th (4th collegian) at Florida Relays (54.05)
9. Endurance Abinuwa (UTEP) - won 400m (52.66), 3rd in 200m (23.07w), ran on 4x400 at Texas Tech Open
10. Jody-Ann Muir (MsSt) - ran on winning 4x100 at Bulldog Twilight (45.37)

800m
1. Lacey Bleazard (BYU) - idle
2. Christina Rodgers (Ariz) - won 1500m (4:30.53), ran on winning 4x400 at Jim Click Shootout
3. Chanelle Price (Tenn) - 2nd in 1500m at UCLA (4:22.87)
4. Lea Wallace (SacSt) - won 800m (2:11.20), 2nd in 400m (56.60), ran on 4x400 at UC Davis
5. Rebecca Addison (Mich) - won 3000m (9:40.46), ran on winning 4x1500 (18:04.14 MR) at Colonial Relays
6. Jillian Smith (Mich) - anchored winning 4x1500 (18:04.14 MR) at Colonial Relays
7. Sofie Persson (Miss) - 4th in 400H at Florida Relays (58.23)
8. Caitlin Bailey (BosC) - 3rd in 1500m at Tufts Snowflake Classic (4:38.57)
9. Anne Kesselring (Ore) - idle
10. Kate Grace (Yale) - ran on 4x400 at Sam Howell Invitational

1500m
1. Jordan Hasay (Ore) - idle
2. Lucy Van Dalen (SBrk) - idle
3. Kate Van Buskirk (Duke) - idle
4. Keri Bland (WVa) - 6th in 800m heat (2:09.70), ran on 3rd place 4x800 (9:00.63) at Colonial Relays
5. Anne Kesselring (Ore) - idle
6. Sheila Reid (Vill) - idle
7. Jessica Pixler (Colo) - idle
8. Amanda Winslow (FlSt) - idle
9. Mihaela Susa (OkSt) - idle
10. Caroline King (BosC) - idle

Steeple
1. Emma Coburn (Colo) - idle
2. Ashley Higginson (Prin) - idle
3. Sarah Pease (Ind) - idle
4. Silje Fjortoft (SMU) - idle
5. Shalaya Kipp (Colo) - idle
6. Shelby Greany (Prov) - 6th in 5000m at Bryant Invitational (18:23.47)
7. Claire Michel (Ore) - idle
8. Rebeka Stowe (Kans) - idle
9. Marie Lawrence (WaSt) - idle
10. Klara Bodinson (SMU) - 3rd in 1500m at Bobby Lane Invitational (4:33.61)

5k
1. Jessica Pixler (Colo) - idle
2. Liz Costello (Tenn) - 7th in 800m (2:17.29), 3rd in 1500m (4:28.28) at UCLA
3. Betsy Saina (IaSt) - idle
4. Mia Behm (Tex) - idle
5. Risper Kimaiyo (UTEP) - won 1500m at Texas Tech Open (4:30.86)
6. Maire Louise Asselin (WVa) - idle
7. Aliphine Tuliamuk (WichSt) - idle
8. Laurynne Chetetlat (Cal) - idle
9. Anna Nosenko (WFst) - idle
10. Kathy Kroeger (Stan) - idle

10k
1. Tara Erdmann (LMU) - idle
2. Betsy Saina (IaSt) - idle
3. Tonya Nero (WichSt) - idle
4. Pasca Cheruiyot (FlSt) - idle
5. Kimberly Ruck (Clem) - 2nd in 1500m heat at Florida Relays (4:37.25)
6. Amanda Goetschius (Char) - idle
7. Zsofia Erdelyi (USC) - idle
8. Stephanie Marcy (Stan) - idle
9. Katie Matthews (BosU) - idle
10. Jessica Rydberg (UND) - idle

100H
1. Jackie Coward (UCF) - 3rd in heat at Florida Relays (13.64) behind Rollins (Clem) and Beckles (SoCar)
2. Tierra Brown (MiaFl) - see 400H
3. Letecia Wright (OhSt) - won 100H (12.93w), ran on winning 4x100 (44.70) at Jim Click Shootout
4. Tiffani McReynolds (Bay) - won 100H (12.91w), ran on winning 4x100 (44.25) at Bobby Lane Invitational
5. Brianna Rollins (Clem) - Won heat at Florida Relays (13.40)
6. Jasmine Stowers (LSU) - 2nd in100H (13.20) behind Ruddock (TAMU), won 100m heat (12.00) at LSU Invitational
7. Gabby Mayo (TAMU) - idle
8. Jasmine Chaney (AzSt) - idle
9. Tamika Robinson (Ill) - 3rd in 100H (13.32w), 8th in 100m (11.91), ran on 4x100 at LSU Invitational
10. Kimberley Liang (Ala) - 2nd in 100H (13.53), ran on 4x100 at Tiger Track Classic

400H
1. Tierra Brown (MiaFl) - won 400H (56.91), ran on 4x400 at Florida Relays
2. Angele Cooper (Tex) - idle
3. Tameka Jameson (MiaFl) - idle
4. Jasmine Chaney (AzSt) - idle
5. Dalilah Muhammad (USC) - won vs. BYU & Cal St. Northridge (58.75)
6. LaToya James (NoCar) - 2nd (1st collegian) in 100H heat (13.66), 5th (4th collegian) in 400H heat (59.53), ran on 4x400 at Florida Relays
7. Takecia Jameson (MiaFl) - last in 400H heat (60.04), ran on 4x100 and 4x400 at Florida Relays
8. Danielle Dowie (Tex) - idle
9. Cassandra Tate (LSU) - Won 400H (57.25), anchored 2nd place 4x400 (3:3.63) at LSU Invitational
10. Ellen Wortham (Tenn) - won 400H (56.62), 2nd in 100H (13.84), ran on 2nd place 4x400 (3:43.49) at UCLA

High Jump
1. Brigetta Barrett (Ariz) - 2nd at Jim Click Shootout (1.85m)
2. Tynita Butts (ECar) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Florida Relays (1.80m)
3. Shanay Briscoe (Tex) - idle
4. Amber Kaufman (Haw) - idle
5. Brittani Carter (LSU) - Won at LSU Invitational (1.77m)
6. Ada Robinson (BYU) - won at Southern Cal w/ Cal St. Northridge (1.80m)
7. Krystle Schade (Ala) - idle
8. Priscilla Frederick (StJ) - idle
9. Victoria Lucas (Tex) - idle
10. Maya Pressley (Aub) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Tiger Track Classic (1.75m)

Pole Vault
1. Tina Sutej (Ark) - won PV (4.30m), ran on 3rd place 4x100 (44.80) at Razorback Spring Invitational
2. Katerina Stefanidi (Stan) - idle
3. Natalie Willer (Neb) - won at Wichita State w/ Northern Iowa (4.20m)
4. Melissa Gergel (Ore) - idle
5. Shade Weygandt (TxT) - won Texas Tech Open (4.25m)
6. Rachel Laurent (LSU) - won LSU Invitational (4.25m)
7. Denise vonEynatten (USF) - won South Florida Invitational (4.20)
8. Tara Diebold (Ark) - 2nd at Razorback Spring Invitational (4.20m)
9. Stephanie James (UCSD) - idle
10. Samantha Sonnenberg (Minn) - no-height at Jim Click Shootout

Long Jump
1. Tori Bowie (SnMs) - Anchored 13th place 4x100 (47.30) at Tiger Track Classic
2. Jamesha Youngblood (Ore) - idle
3. Chantel Malone (Tex) - idle
4. Kim Williams (FlSt) - idle
5. TiAnca Mock (Okla) - idle
6. April Sinkler (Clem) - see triple jump
7. Arantxa King (Stan) - idle
8. Whitney Gipson (TCU) - 7th in 200m (24.38w) at Bobby Lane Invitational
9. Andrea Geubelle (Kans) - idle
10. Christabel Nettey (AzSt) - idle

Triple Jump
1. Kim Williams (FlSt) - idle
2. Ganna Demydova (SnMs) - 2nd (1st collegian) at Tiger Track Classic (13.02m)
3. April Sinkler (Clem) - 3rd in HJ (1.80m), 2nd in TJ (13.02m) at Florida Relays
4. Chantel Malone (Tex) - idle
5. Colleen Felix (Ga) - 4th in JT (45.70m) at Florida Relays
6. Melissa Ogbourne (LSU) - Won LSU Invitational (12.97m)
7. Whitney Liehr (Stan) - idle
8. Deanna Young (NMex) - won TJ (13.17m), 5th in LJ (5.81m) at Tailwind Invitational
9. Andrea Geubelle (Kans) - idle
10. Tiffany Peters (TAMU) - 3rd at LSU Invitational (5.80m) behind Leacock (Iowa) and Clayton (LSU)

Shot Put
1. Faith Sherrill (Ind) - idle
2. Karen Shump (Okla) - Texas Tech Open
3. Julie Labonte (Ariz) - idle
4. Tia Brooks (Okla) - idle
5. Simone du Toit (SMU) - 2nd (1st collegian) in SP (16.64m), won DT (58.81m) at Bobby Lane Invitational
6. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - won SP (16.27m), won DT (49.00m), won HT (66.56m) at Joey Haines Invitational
7. Anna Jelmini (AzSt) - idle
8. Annie Alexander (Tenn) - won SP (17.62m), won DT (54.77m) at UCLA
9. Brittany Smith (IlSt) - won SP (15.41m), 2nd in HT (55.42m), 3rd in DT (50.20m) at Big Blue Classic
10. Kristy Woods (Buff) - idle

Discus Throw
1. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - see shot put
2. Anna Jelmini (AzSt) - idle
3. Brittany Borman (Okla) - won Texas Tech Open (55.13m)
4. Simone du Toit (SMU) - see shot put
5. Erin Pendleton (Mich) - idle
6. Skylar White (Bay) - 3rd in SP (16.64m), 2nd in DT (53.66m) at Bobby Lane Invitational
7. Beth Rohl (MiSt) - idle
8. Karen Shump (Okla) - 2nd in SP (16.80m), 4th in DT (50.78m) at Texas Tech Open
9. Annie Alexander (Tenn) - Won DT (54.77m) and SP (17.62m) at UCLA
10. D'Ana McCarty (Lou) - won SP (16.25m), 5th in DT (50.73m) at Florida Relays

Hammer Throw
1. Nikola Lomnicka (Ga) - 4th at Florida Relays (60.78m)
2. Dorotea Habazin (VaT) - won Florida Relays (63.21m)
3. Amanda Bingson (UNLV) - idle
4. Jeneva McCall (SnIl) - see shot put
5. Gwen Berry (SnIl) - 2nd in SP (15.94m), 2nd in HT (64.50m) at Joey Haines Invitational
6. Alena Krechyk (Kans) - idle
7. Felisha Johnson (InSt) - won Big Blue Classic (60.43m)
8. Valerie Wert (Akr) - idle
9. D'Ana McCarty (Lou) - see discus throw
10. Lauren Chambers (USC) - idle

Javelin Throw
1. Marissa Tschida (WaSt) - won Jim Click Shootout (52.13m)
2. Hannah Mayer (Harv) - idle
3. Brittany Borman (Okla) - idle
4. Karlee McQuillen (PennSt) - 2nd at Florida Relays (48.78m)
5. Courtney Kirkwood (WaSt) - 2nd at Jim Click Shootout (51.64m)
6. Randi Hicks (LBSt) - idle
7. Maggie Mullen (OhSt) - 3rd at Jim Click Shootout (46.55m)
8. Ana Ruzevic (Tul) - idle
9. Laura Asimakis (TAMU) - 2nd in PV (4.08) at LSU Invitational
10. Emily Tyrell (MtSt) - idle

Heptathlon
1. Brieanne Theisen (Ore) - idle
2. Kiani Profit (Md) - idle
3. Chantae McMillian (Neb) - 100H (14.17), JT (47.28m) at Wichita St. w/ Northern Iowa
4. Liane Weber (Clem) - JT (42.33m), LJ (5.82m), 4x400 at Florida Relays
5. Megan Wheatley (Neb) - HJ (1.69m) at Wichita St. w/ Northern Iowa
6. Dorcas Akinniyi (Wisc) - 100H (14.32), HJ (1.70m), 4x200, SHR at Florida Relays
7. Nia Ali (USC) - idle
8. Ryann Krais (KsSt) - idle
9. Diana Dumitrescu (Kent) - idle
10. Olimpia Nowak (NnIa) - 100H (13.68), 400H (61.69) at Wichita St. w/ Nebraska

Monday Morning Decathlete

2011-04-04T12:20:00.002-04:00

The weekly column, my version of "Monday morning quarterbacking", is making a permanent move to Mondays.

What did we learn this week?

Alan Webb has left the Oregon Project. It was first announced as a tweet by David Monti, then quickly followed up on by Flotrack and Let’s Run.

Officially, Webb moved on to find a more middle-distance oriented group and there was no bad blood. I don’t for a minute think that Salazar told him to take a hike, because athletes fire coaches, not the other way around, and coaches especially don’t fire guys with Webb’s talent. It may have been Webb’s decision.

I say “may” because it may have been someone else’s decision. Let’s Run and others are citing an off-the-record tip that Webb’s contract with Nike has not been renewed. Salazar told Ken Goe of The Oregonian that Webb drifted towards this decision over “a period of five to six weeks”, so it doesn’t appear that he was forced out due to his non-contract status. But it probably added to his reasons to find another home.

In any case, Webb has always been a bit like track’s version of the character Nuke Laloosh from Bull Durham. (Laloosh was based on a real young and wild star, named Steve Dalkowski, who burned out early in the minors. He once had 24 strikeouts, 18 walks, 6 wild pitches and four hit batsmen in a single game.) Webb had his trip to the big leagues, most notably in 2007 when he broke records and made the US team for the Worlds.

Since 2007, though, he’s most definitely been in the minor leagues. He hasn’t been relevant on the national stage, let alone the world stage. He’s gotten more attention for his post-race tantrum in Boston in February, the track equivalent of beating the hell out of the water cooler, than for any actual race result.

I feel for the guy. He’d once been on Letterman and SportsCenter did a live cut-in to the USATF Championships to see him run. Now he doesn’t have a steady paycheck. His impatience and instability has contributed to all of this, no doubt. But it’s been a rough several years.

Oregon is going all-out to win the Pepsi Team Invitational. That's their home four-way scored meet next weekend against Nebraska, Washington and Stanford. Vin Lananna told The Oregonian that he'll bring out every big gun the Ducks have in order to try to win the meet.

Which begs the question: why would you hold back and not try to win a meet? The answer is that if your season is going long and there's nothing at stake in the short term, you always look at the long picture. This is what happened last year, when Andrew Wheating didn't start his outdoor season until after the Pepsi quad-meet.

So why the change in strategy? There could be multiple reasons. One is that Lananna doesn't see any of his top athletes stretching their track seasons past June. The three athletes specifically mentioned were A.J. Acosta, Matt Centrowitz, and Jordan Hasay. Unlike Wheating, none have even the slightest chance of making Team USA for the worlds, nor of having an impact on the European summer circuit.

Another possible reason is pretty obvious to anyone who saw the NCAA Indoor Championships: as a team: the Duck men will not make an impact on the outdoor nationals this year. They're going to have a fight on their hands for the Pac-10 title. And the dual with UCLA is in Westwood this year. So the Pepsi meet is the only scored meet at Hayward Field this year, and as such the only chance for the Ducks to get a W in front of the home crowd. And on the men's side, at least, that's going to take a full effort (especially considering frosh throws star Crouser is out with a back injury).

I hope another reason is in play here. Coaches of other prominent programs, like Texas A&M's Pat Henry and Arkansas' Chris Bucknam, have spoken publicly about how college track desperately needs a re-emphasis on scored meets. UCLA coach Mike Maynard has talked about how winning is a skill separate from chasing personal records, and that it must be practiced in order to be learned. If Lananna, one of the most influential people in the domestic track scene, is starting to sign on to these ideas, then it's not just talk. It's a movement.

The Tennessee men's program has fallen far. UCLA's men's team broke a four-meet dual losing streak by trashing the Volunteers 111-50. Ouch. The Vols have four national championships to their credit, but these days they are nothing like what they once were.

It's funny how you select college teams you cheer for when they're in a totally different part of the country from you. I'm a Vols fan, especially when it comes to track, but Knoxville is an 8-hour drive away from me.

I've always like Neyland Stadium and its checkerboard end zones. That, coupled with Rocky Top, makes football at Tennessee a unique experience. My brother spent several years in Knoxville and came away from the university with a Ph.D. and a wife. And the Great Smoky Mountains is one of my favorite places on the earth. None of these are why I like Volunteer track, though.

The spiritual leader of my high school track team the year we won the Ohio championship was Jeremy Lincoln, a two-sport star. He chose Tennessee over all the other schools pursuing him because the Vols would let him both run track and play football. He was good enough in both, as he ran on a 4x100 relay that scored at the NCAA Championships and played in the NFL for ten years.

At the time, Tennessee was known as the place of Willie Gault ant Sam Graddy, the speed city of college football. They hosted USA and NCAA Championships. They had the Dogwood Relays. Track was a big deal there. I found this out because my high school team started going all the way to Knoxville from Toledo for the Volunteer Track Classic. I thought Tom Black Track was the coolest place ever. I’ve been a Vol track fan ever since.

The men’s program has fallen on hard times. Ten years ago, the Vols won an NCAA championship. Last year they were ninth out of eleven at the SEC Outdoor Championships and dead last indoors. This year they were seventh at the SEC indoor, a small step up, but they’re still weak compared to the Tennessee tradition.

Other Tennessee traditions have dropped off as well. It’s been 16 years since Knoxville has hosted a major championship, the longest drought since Tom Black Track was opened. The Dogwood Relays, now known as the Sea Ray Relays, no longer draws much in the way of spectators or top teams. The Volunteer Classic, a high school meet, used to feature the Vols against other collegiate teams in a few relays, but that’s been canned too.

J.J. Clark is now the coach for both the men's and women's programs at Tennessee. He guided the women to an indoor NCAA Championship just two years ago, and is committed to bringing the men's program back to prominence. I’ll still wear my UT Orange and white regardless, but I hope it's for pride in the present rather than in the past.

Robbie Andrews is likely back for the college outdoor season. The Virginia 800 star had a couple of big victories during his 2010 freshman campaign, running down Andrew Wheating at the NCAA Indoors and the Penn Relays 4x800. Apparently due to injury, he redshirted the indoor season, and his only appearance on the track was as a pacemaker for Bernard Lagat's 2-mile record attempt (Virginia was competing in the concurrent collegiate meet).

On Friday he opened up his season at the Colonial Relays in Williamsburg VA, and won with 1:49.58 while running unattached. Coach Jason Vigilante probably took no chance of his star using a year of eligibility until he knew the kid was ready for the season.

1:49.58 doesn't sound all that great, but the conditions were reportedly something like 50 degrees and 20 mph winds. Here's how you really know the conditions were bad and Andrews ran well: of the 79 athletes in the men's 800 meters, he was the only one who beat his seed time.

Jeff Demps is progessing nicely. He won the Florida Relays 100 meters in 10.07. It was wind-aided (+2.2), but in terms of pure numbers it's still one of the best races of his life. Never has he run this well this early.

Demps’ career best races are below, both with raw time and adjusted for wind.

Raw Time	Wind	(adjusted)	Site	Date
10.01	1.6	(10.09)	Eugene	6/28/08
10.06	1.3	(10.13)	Greensboro	5/28/10
10.06	1.3	(10.14)	Knoxville	5/16/10
10.03w	2.2	(10.14)	Clermont	6/14/08
9.96w	2.5	(10.18)	Eugene	6/11/10
10.07w	2.2	(10.18)	Gainesville	4/1/11

Playing around with adjusting for wind can be a tricky business. Wind readings are always a single number representing an average of air movement parallel to the track at a single point in space. That doesn’t always reflect the reality of wind conditions, though, as it can be any direction, can change during the race, and be different at different parts of the straightaway. The wind readings at the Florida Relays changed from one race to the next, often switching from a tailwind to a headwind in consecutive heats, which means it wasn't consistent during races either. So it’s possible to read too much into the time in combination with the wind reading.

Instead, you can look at the fact that Demps beat second place by 0.28 seconds. Second wasn’t chopped liver, either; it was teammate Terrell Wilks, who sports a 10.15 PR and nearly made the NCAA 100 meter finals last year.

Better yet, you can just watch the race:

How good can Demps be? We’ll probably never find out. He plays football for the Gators and he does it well. As track fans, we have to look at each of his seasons as maybe his last. Rumors flew early this year that new Florida football coach Will Muschamp was not going to allow Demps to run, as his predecessor Urban Meyer did. Obviously they turned out to be false, but you never know what next year may bring. Besides what Muschamp might do, there’s simply the nature of football, where it’s always true that your next play may be your last.

Could we be so lucky that Demps picks track over football once college is over? Fat chance. Unless your name is Usain Bolt, a single subpar year in the NFL pays better than a lifetime of track. It probably feeds your ego better, even if your name is Bolt. The last prominent college footballers who were legitimate track stars were Eric Metcalfe and Rod Woodson, and there was no hesitation on their part. I can’t recall any track star who was even a middling college football player who didn’t choose the NFL over track.

The only possible reason why Demps might go against the grain is our ever-increasing knowledge of the deleterious long-term effects of football. Is he going to take that into consideration? Well, how far into the future did you look when you were 22 years old?

Weekend Preview

2011-04-01T09:00:00.002-04:00

The relay season kicks off this weekend with the Florida Relays on Friday and Saturday. Friday is the individual events, Saturday is the relays.

Besides all the hot collegiate action, which I previewed yesterday, some big-name pros are getting started here too. David Oliver is running his first outdoor race of the year; Francena McCorory and Mary Wineberg are facing off in the 400; and a foursome of Vet Myers, Lauryn Williams, Natasha Hastings, and Bianca Knight are running the 4x100 and 4x200. (Tyson Gay had considered running on a 4x400 here, but it looks like that's not happening.)

And then there's the brainchild of Florida sprinters Terrell Wilks and Jeff Demps: the fastest mascot challenge.

Flotrack will have coverage and DistancePreps.com will have a live webcast on both days. Don't miss it!

Another quality relay meet this weekend is the 46th annual Colonial Relays at William and Mary. The Missouri Relays also takes place in Columbia.

Scored Meets
If you're like me, and you love meets that keep score, you'll have a lot to keep you happy this weekend.

The inaugural LSU Invitational has the home Tigers plus Texas A&M, Illinois, Iowa, UConn and Army. On both the men's and the women's side, the team battle should be a war. In terms of individual events, the men's 110 hurdles lines up the top two in the country, Barret Nugent (LSU) and Andrew Riley (Illinois).

The Jim Click Shootout lines up the home Arizona Wildcats against Ohio State, Minnesota and Washington State. The two from the Big Ten are deep teams that do very well in this kind of competition.

There's a revival of a once-great dual meet series as Tennessee travels to UCLA. Nebraska and Northern Iowa go to Wichita State. BYU and Cal St. Northridge come to USC, and that one should be a close matchup between the Cougars and the Trojans.

High Schools
The best track meet in the entire world, the Jamaican Boys' and Girls' Championships (aka "The Champs") is going on in Kingston. TrackAlerts.com is your one-stop shop for updates, and the live webcast features Ato Boldon.

Road Racing
Here in the USA we have the Cooper River Bridge Run, the Carlsbad 5000, and the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. Eliud Kipchoge is in Carlsbad and wants the road world record; Runnerspace is at Cherry Blossom and will be running a new three-feed webcast.

Overseas there's the Prague Half Marathon, the Paralleloop, and the Berlin Half Marathon, plus a special Iberic Trophy 10,000 meters in Spain.