GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA, April 12–13 – Noah Lyles made his outdoor debut in a tight matchup with Kenny Bednarek, and very nearly started the season with a loss. Bednarek, who had raced two 400s last month, got a much better start and remained ahead of the world champion for 99 of the 100m. Lyles finally managed to pull close at the end and on the lean came out 0.005 ahead, both being given 10.01s. Very close behind were Kyree King (10.02) and Japan’s Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (10.04).
That was just one of many great fields that showed. On Friday night, Alabama junior Tarsis Orogot once again impressed with a 19.90 win in the invitational section over Penn State’s Cheickna Traore (20.25). “I’m really glad SECs will be here and I will keep building on this performance and make sure I will be more consistent with my times so I can try to win NCAA Outdoors,” said Orogot, who rocketed a windy 19.60 here last year.
Courtney Lindsey went even faster in the Olympic development race, clocking a 19.88 to nearly eclipse his personal best of 19.85. From lane 7 the Texas Tech alum, who World Ranked No. 9 in ’23, made short work of a field that included Joe Fahnbulleh in 6 (20.06).
“I always try to focus on the man above me [next lane] so once I hit my drive phase and came up and saw that I caught him and was in a good position, I just rode that last 100 out,” said Lindsey, who opened his season last week with a 10.32 dash at Miramar. “This week I was a little sore, but running wise I felt better than last week.”
Grant Holloway ran a world leader in the hurdles, topping Dylan Beard 13.21–13.33, into a 1.4 wind. Earlier in the day he had a 2.5 boost for a 13.10 in his heat.
Alabama’s Chris Robinson, the reigning NCAA champion, used a strong stretch run in the 400H to lower his PR by 0.17 seconds to win in a world-leading 47.95. “I did a lot of practice coming into the meet and I knew what I was capable of,” said Robinson, who celebrated with a yell after he finished. “Early this indoor season I was hurt so it didn’t go as expected, but I finished up strong and got ready for outdoor season, so I knew something was coming.”
In the 400, Georgia’s Christopher Morales Williams, the NCAA Indoor champ, held off Texas A&M’s revitalized Auhmad Robinson, 44.91–44.98.
“I definitely heard him towards the end so it was all I could do to just keep fighting and fighting,” said Morales Williams. “There was not much I could do, but just to hold it and so I did so I was lucky to hold him off toward the end. I’m definitely going to use my indoor time as motivation, but indoors is indoor and that was my peak. This is outdoors so I’m not going to start off at 44.49 and run that every single time. It doesn’t work like that. I have to restart and rebuild. I don’t want to be running so fast and then die out in the end.”
“This is my second 400 of the season and it’s a huge PR, so I’m happy,” noted Robinson, whose previous best was 45.61 from ’21. “I kind of fell asleep on the backstretch, but you learn and you move on.”
On the field, Georgia’s Marc Minichello took the javelin with his 265-10 (81.03) over Baylor’s Chinecherem Nnamdi (258-10/78.90) and Auburn’s Keyshawn Strachan (250-2/76.25). LSU’s Claudio Romero flung the disc 213-1 (64.96).
JONES MEMORIAL MEN’S RESULTS
Inv100(1.7): 1. Noah Lyles (adidas) 10.01; 2. Kenny Bednarek (Nike) 10.01; 3. Kyree King (Nike) 10.02; 4. Abdul Hakim Sani Brown’ (Jpn) 10.04; 5. Joe Fahnbulleh’ (Lbr) 10.07; 6. Ryiem Forde’ (Jam) 10.12; 7. Filippo Tortu’ (Ita) 10.15.
100: I(0.1)–1. Shaun Maswanganyi’ (Hous-SA) 10.12; 2. **Saminu Abdul-Rasheed’ (SFl-Gha) 10.13; 3. *Godson Oghenebrume’ (LSU-Ngr) 10.16.
Inv200(1.6): 1. Courtney Lindsey (Nike) 19.88 (WL);
2. Fahnbulleh’ 20.06; 3. Zhenye Xie’ (Chn) 20.15; 4. Jereem Richards’ (Tri) 20.35; 5. Matthew Boling (unat) 20.52; 6. Josephus Lyles (adidas) 20.59.
200: I(1.8)–1. ***Jordan Ware (MsSt) 20.29; 2. Kennedy Lightner (Ky) 20.30; 3. Dominick Yancy (TxSt) 20.49.
II(1.9)–1. *Tarsis Orogot’ (Al-Uga) 19.90; 2. Cheickna Traore’ (PennSt-CI) 20.25; 3. **Cameron Miller (Pur) 20.33.
Inv400: I–1. Bryce Deadmon (Nike) 45.20; 2. Alison dos Santos’ (Bra) 45.25; 3. Champion Allison (Puma) 45.49; 4. Jacory Patterson (unat) 45.54; 5. Ryan Willie (adidas) 45.79.
II–1. Boling 45.23; 2. Chris Bailey (unat) 45.36.
400: I–1. **Christopher Morales Williams’ (Ga-Can) 44.91; 2. *Auhmad Robinson (TxAM) 44.98; 3. **Judson Lincoln (VaT) 45.20; 4. Khaleb McRae (Al) 45.25.
II–1. JeVaughn Powell’ (Fl-Jam) 45.21; 2. ***Samuel Ogazi’ (Al-Ngr) 45.29; 3. *Jenoah McKiver (Fl) 45.41.
III–1. Dubem Amene’ (Mi-Ngr) 45.72.
IV–1. *Dillon Bedell (LSU) 45.30; 2. Jevon O’Bryant (TxAM) 45.37.
800: I–1. *Kimar Farquharson’ (TxAM-Jam) 1:46.69; 2. Navasky Anderson’ (Jam) 1:46.76; 3. Tarees Rhoden’ (Clem-Jam) 1:46.82; 4. ***Tinoda Matsatsa (Gtn) 1:47.14; 5. *Sam Austin (Fl) 1:47.42; 6. Tyrese Reid’ (MsSt-Jam) 1:47.67.
II–1. *Anass Essayi’ (SC-Mor) 1:47.28.
1500: 1. Joey Hoey (adidas) 3:38.63; 2. Jaxon Hoey (adidas) 3:39.40; 3. *Sam Whitmarsh (TxAM) 3:40.74.
110H(2.5): 1. ***Malachi Snow (SJSt) 13.33w; 2. *Daniel Harrold (TxSt) 13.35w; 3. Jaheem Hayles’ (Syr-Jam) 13.38w; 4. **Demaris Waters (SJSt) 13.40w.
Inv110H(-1.4): 1. Grant Holloway (adidas) 13.21; 2. Dylan Beard (unat) 13.33; 3. Jamal Britt (HurdM) 13.62; 4. Andrew Pozzi’ (GB) 13.64; 5. Josh Zeller’ (GB) 13.66.
400H: I–1. Chris Robinson (Al) 47.95 (6, 6 C);
2. Clement Ducos’ (Tn-Fra) 48.26; 3. *Nathaniel Ezekiel’ (Bay-Ngr) 48.29; 4. Gerald Drummond’ (CR) 49.38; 5. Aldrich Bailey (USAr) 49.74.
II–1. Sean Burrell (LSU) 49.69.
4 x 100: II–1. Auburn 38.64 (Fahmi’, Ashe’, Matau’, Ajayi’); 2. LSU 38.93 (Thomas, McKay, Fleming, Oghenebrume’); 3. Kentucky 38.96 (Bascus, Muunga’, Jones, Lightner); 4. Texas Tech 39.21; 5. Baylor 39.33; 6. Florida 39.43.
III–1. Alabama 39.09; 2. Tennessee 39.49.
IV–1. Arkansas 39.46; 2. Iowa 39.55; 3. Georgia 39.57.
Inv4 x 100: 1. China 39.12;… dq—USA Red (Lindsey, Austin, K. Williams, N. Lyles).
4 x 400: I–1. Florida 3:01.20 (Hayles’, McCoy’, Powell’ 44.78, McKiver 45.21); 2. Texas A&M 3:01.30 (O’Bryant, Escobar, Robinson 44.08, Farquharson’ 45.24); 3. LSU 3:02.11 (Burrell, Epps, McKay 45.30, Bedell 44.16); 4. Texas Tech 3:03.69 (Edlund’ 45.96); 5. Arkansas 3:03.89 (McElroy 46.62).
Inv4 x 400: 1. Gainesville Elite 3:02.52 (Patterson, Willie, Bassitt, Allison); 2. Bahamas 3:04.99.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Omamuyovwi Erhire’ (TxT-Ngr) 7-3 (2.21); 2. ***Riyon Rankin (Ga) 7-3.
PV: 1. Keaton Daniel (Ky) 18-7¼ (5.67); 2. *James Rhoads (Penn) 17-8½ (5.40); 3. Scott Toney (Penn) 17-8½; 4. *Nikolai van Huyssteen’ (Ga-SA) 17-8½.
LJ: 1. Marquis Dendy (Puma) 26-5 (8.05); 2. Cameron Crump (unat) 25-11½ (7.91); 3. **Jordan Turner’ (FlSt-Jam) 25-10w (7.87); 4. *Malcolm Clemons (Fl) 25-4 (7.72).
TJ: 1. Donald Scott (adidas) 55-8½ (16.98); 2. Chengetayi Mapaya’ (Zim) 54-11½ (16.75); 3. Kaiwan Culmer’ (Bah) 54-5½ (16.60); 4. ***Luke Brown’ (Ky-Jam) 54-1 (16.48);
5. Christian Taylor (Nike) 53-10¼ (16.41).
SP: 1. *Dylan Targgart (SC) 67-1¼ (20.45); 2. *Christopher Licata (SC) 66-11¼ (20.40); 3. **Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan (Ms) 66-1¾ (20.16); 4. Hayden Tobias (OhSt) 64-8½ (19.72).
DT: 1. Claudio Romero’ (LSU-Chi) 213-1 (64.96); 2. ***Uladzislau Puchko’ (VaT-Blr) 198-0 (60.36); 3. **Konstantinos Bouzakis’ (Rut-Gre) 197-6 (60.20); 4. Kai Chang’ (Fl-Jam) 196-5 (59.88); 5. **Seth Allen (Pur) 194-7 (59.32).
HT: 1. Robinson-O’Hagan 222-1 (67.69); 2. William Gross (Fl) 217-8 (66.35); 3. Eli Winter (Mi) 215-4 (65.64); 4. *Ruben Banks’ (Al-GB) 212-6 (64.77).
JT: 1. Marc Minichello (Ga) 265-10 (81.03); 2. *Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi’ (Bay-Ngr) 258-10 (78.90); 3. **Keyshawn Strachan’ (Aub-Bah) 250-2 (76.25); 4. *Sam Hankins (TxAM) 246-2 (75.05).