Des Moines, Iowa, June 24—The final day of action at the 2018 USATF Championships kicked off with temperatures above 80. Quick sprint performances looked promising, but a thunder and lightning delay in the heart of the schedule dampened momentum built throughout the weekend. Nonetheless, many familiar names brought their best to Drake Stadium and battled both their competitors and weather volatility.
‘16 Olympic 800 bronze medalist Clayton Murphy arrived in Des Moines looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2017 USATF champs where hamstring trouble denied Worlds qualification. Running strong through the rounds, the Akron grad positioned himself near the lead early in the final. Former BYU Cougar Abraham Alvarado carried the field through a slow 54.54 at halfway. Murphy moved to the front with 350 to go as Erik Sowinski and newly minted NCAA champ Isaiah Harris stayed near. Harris attempted a move around Murphy inside of 200m, but this action simply spurred Murphy to kick. Closing the final lap in 51.97, Murphy took the win in 1:46.50 to Harris’ 1:47.11. In one of the standout negative-split races in memory, Murphy covered his halves in 54.53/51.97.
“It’s fun to be out there again,” said Murphy. “There were 7 good guys out there and I knew I needed to be on top of my game. It was all about having fun today and getting that competitive drive back.”
Annually, Evan Jager fills the steeplechase stat sheet, and this year is no exception. Looking to tie barrier legend Henry Marsh with a seventh straight title, Jager play the familiar role of strong favorite. The weather delay was called just minutes in advance of the gun, and all waited just over 3 hours before returning to the track. Early on, conservative pacing was dictated by the U.S. Army’s Haron Lagat and Hillary Bor. Jager stayed near the leaders and moved to the front after 2000m. Bor and Andy Bayer, a past Jager training partner, responded to the move. Jager gradually increased his lead and equalled Marsh’s streak, winning in 8:20.10.
Three-time winner Devon Allen, WR holder Aries Merritt and reigning NCAA champ Grant Holloway showed fine form in the 110H semifinals. Merritt was quickest to the first hurdle in heat I before Holloway moved to the front. Holloway stopped the clock at 13.34, just ahead of Merritt’s 13.43. Allen handled the second, winning in 13.38. Former Syracuse Orangeman Freddie Crittenden, running outside of Allen, was in qualifying position before clipping the last barrier and crashing to the track. Like the steeple, the hurdle final was on a wet post-delay surface. Holloway exploded out of the blocks and immediately grabbed a lead that appeared large enough to lock up the win. Even with two barriers left, Holloway was clear of contenders. In a game of inches, Allen’s lean made the difference. Both were timed in 13.46 with Allen winning by 0.002.
Reggie Jagers had a Championships to remember in the discus. The NCAA runner-up for Kent State a year ago, Jagers demolished his PR and broke the Drake Stadium record in round 5 with a throw of 225-1 (68.61). WC bronze medalist Mason Finley had a decent day, notching a 220-0 (67.06) seasonal best to finish 2nd.
The 200 was highly anticipated at the day’s start. In the first semi, defending champ Ameer Webb showed quick form and controlled the field out of the blocks, coasting to a 20.14 win, the fastest time of the rounds. Dedric Dukes, also in heat I, pulled up suddenly in the homestretch and sprawled on the track in pain. The second semi featured Michael Norman gapping the field in the first 40m before cruising to victory in 20.35 with little effort. The final occurred after the delay with Norman opting to scratch. Webb moved away from the field without trouble, using a burst off the curve to repeat as US champion in 20.47 (-1.9 m/s). Kansas State’s Terrell Smith was a distant 2nd in 20.74.
Rio 5000 silver medalist Paul Chelimo entered Sunday’s final as the clear favorite, and he executed his race plan with precision. While Chelimo’s winning time of 13:29.47 was far from notable, his tempo was brilliant. An opening kilometer of 2:40.50 strung the field out, he allowed regrouping through 3000m (8:10.85) but stayed near the front. With 800 to go, Chelimo struck again, closing the final two circuits in 1:57.94. A 55.78 last lap held off Ryan Hill, who finished in 13:29.67.
London World Championship qualifier and former NCAA division II standout Jeron Robinson bested Olympic silver medalist Erik Kynard in the high jump. A clearance of 7-5¾ (2.28) on Robinson’s third attempt made the difference, as Kynard was unsuccessful at that height. Robinson topped 7-7 (2.31) to finish the day.
Jeff Henderson soared to 26-7 (8.10) on his first leap, and that proved to be enough. The gold medalist in Rio, Henderson took attempts in rounds 2 & 3 before the weather caused him to pass his remaining jumps. New NCAA Champ Zack Bazile jumped 26-6¼ (8.08) before opting out of his last two attempts. □