JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA & SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, May 24–27—The NCAA Regionals is a meet focused on generating a list of qualifiers for the Finals in Austin two weeks later, rather than creating great head-to-head matchups and scintillating performances.
Though two massive meets with 48 contestants per event (24 for the relays) and no finals remains a concept that shapes one’s brain into a pretzel, athletes put up fine marks anyway.
In the West men’s steeple heats, Duncan Hamilton ran to a highly unexpected 8:16.23 clocking, splashing to No. 2 all-time — with all-time great Henry Rono the only man faster in collegiate history. The Montana State senior won by nearly 19 seconds, grabbed the world lead and clipped 0.61 from the American Collegiate Record set by BYU’s Kenneth Rooks 3 weeks earlier.
Hamilton said Bobcat coach Lyle Weese had “made it pretty clear that this would be a great opportunity to run fast. It was the perfect conditions, running at sea level with an ideal temperature, all of which encourage you to run faster. It really was the first opportunity all season to have a race like this.”
The favorable conditions were not lost on the fastest West women’s steepler, Greta Karinauskaitė, even though she raced the next day. The Cal Baptist junior’s 9:26.88 claimed the collegiate lead.
Two others upgraded collegiate leads, as well:
• Texas super-sprinter Julien Alfred’s West 100 time of 10.83 was 0.01 faster than her winner at the Big 12 and the No. 4 all-time collegiate performance.
• In the East, Harvard soph Stephanie Ratcliffe whirled her hammer out to 239-10 (73.11), moving to No. 5 on the ATL.
Wind-aided sprints yielded blinder marks. LSU’s Da’Marcus Fleming dashed to the all-conditions 100 lead with a 9.85 (5.5 wind) equaling the eighth best all-time a-c collegiate clocking with two others sub-9.90 behind him: Virginia Tech’s Cole Beck (9.87w) and Florida’s PJ Austin (9.88w). Nine East 100 men ran sub-10 with wind aid.
Georgia frosh Kaila Jackson’s 10.95w East heat winner (wind 2.6) jumped her to equal-No. 8 on the World Junior all-conditions list and No. 3 a-c among U.S. U20 sprinters.
In a wind-legal West quarterfinal, Stanford soph Udodi Onwuzurike dashed 9.92 to reach equal-No. 7 on the college ATL. Texas Tech junior Terrence Jones finished just behind at 9.93, equal to the No. 9 all-time collegiate mark.
Kentucky’s CR-holding 100 hurdler Masai Russell burned a 12.40w in her heat (wind 4.9), equal to the No. 5 a-c time on the collegiate compilation.
Cal’s soph discus standout Mykolas Alekna took care of business with a 222-3 (67.75) throw.
REGIONALS WINNERS
(best marks achieved by quarterfinal/Q round section winners; *** = frosh; ** = soph; * = junior; all others are seniors; ‘ = not ineligible for U.S. national teams)
East Men
100: *Da’Marcus Fleming (LSU) 9.85w (a-c CL) (a-c: =8, =8 C; =4, =4 AmC). 200: **Robert Gregory (Fl) 19.60w (a-c AL, AmCL; =WL, =CL) (a-c: =8, x A; =2, =2 C; 1, 1 AmC). 400: *Ryan Willie (Fl) 45.70. 800: ***Will Sumner (Ga) 1:49.22. 1500: **Liam Murphy (Vill) 3:48.35. Steeple: **Nathan Mountain (Va) 8:37.40. 5000: **Graham Blanks (Harv) 13:52.97. 10,000: **Victor Kiprop’ (Al-Ken) 28:54.97. 110H: Cameron Murray (NCSt) 13.39w. 400H: *Corde Long (Al) 49.98. 4 x 100: Florida 38.82 (Willie, Patterson, Austin, Gregory). 4 x 400: Georgia 3:04.71 (Godwin, Boling, Cavanaugh 44.64, Sumner 46.83).
HJ: 9 cleared 7-¼ (2.14). PV: 8 cleared 17-8½ (5.40). LJ: **Malcolm Clemons (Fl) 25-11w (7.90). TJ: *Sean Dixon-Bodie (Fl) 55-5w (16.89). SP: *Alexander Kolesnikoff’ (Harv-Aus) 66-9¾ (20.36). DT: *Francois Prinsloo’ (SAl-SA) 201-7 (61.44). HT: **Kenneth Ikeji’ (Harv-GB) 239-1 (72.88). JT: *Tzuriel Pedigo (LSU) 250-11 (76.49).
West Men
100: **Udodi Onwuzurike’ (Stan-Ngr) 9.92 (=7, =7 C). 200: 1. Courtney Lindsey (TxT) 19.92w. 400: **Justin Robinson (AzSt) 44.65. 800: **Aidan McCarthy (SLO) 1:46.26. 1500: **Nathan Green (Wa) 3:38.13. Steeple: Duncan Hamilton (MtSt) 8:16.23 AmCR (old AmCR 8:17.62 Kenneth Rooks [BYU] ’23) (WL, AL, CL) (2, 4 C). 5000: *Ky Robinson’ (Stan-Aus) 13:22.29. 10,000: 1. Isai Rodriguez (OkSt) 28:17.98. 110H: *Connor Schulman (TxAM) 13.43. 400H: Ayden Owens-Delerme’ (Ar-PR) 48.39. 4 x 100: Arizona 38.82 (White-Austin, Limage, Hicks, Onanubosi). 4 x 400: Baylor 3:02.20 (Moorer, Barr, Ezekiel 45.45, Bedell 44.95).
HJ: 3 cleared 7-1½ (2.17). PV: 9 cleared 17-8½ (5.40). LJ: **Wayne Pinnock’ (Ar-Jam) 26-5 (8.05). TJ: ***Jaydon Hibbert’ (Ar-Jam) 55-2 (16.81). SP: Turner Washington (AzSt) 68-10½ (20.99). DT: **Mykolas Alekna’ (Cal-Lit) 222-3 (67.75). HT; *Kostas Záltos’ (Mn-Gre) 244-2 (74.42). JT: *Arthur Petersen’ (Nb-Den) 247-7 (75.47).
East Women
100: McKenzie Long (Ms) 11.00w. 200: Long 22.46w. 400: *Talitha Diggs (Fl) 51.07. 800: **Michaela Rose (LSU) 2:02.01. 1500: **Shannon Flockhart’ (Prov-GB) 4:11.51. Steeple: *Olivia Markezich (NDm) 9:52.54. 5000: **Katelyn Tuohy (NCSt) 15:31.00. 10,000: Eleanor Mancini (LaS) 33:13.35. 100H: Masai Russell (Ky) 12.58w (12.40wh—a-c: x, =5 C; x, =5 AmC). 400H: **Savannah Sutherland’ (Mi-Can) 56.06. 4 x 100: Kentucky 42.99 (Perrow, Charlton, Russell, Davis). 4 x 400: I–1. Florida 3:31.33 (Elliott, Diggs, Hollis 52.24, Watson 53.96).
HJ: 7 cleared 5-11½ (1.82). PV: 7 cleared 13-10 (4.22). LJ: *Claire Bryant (Fl) 21-7¼ (6.58). TJ: Charisma Taylor’ (Tn-Bah) 45-9¼ (13.95). SP: *Veronica Fraley (Vand) 58-3¾ (17.77). DT: Fraley 185-4 (56.51). HT: **Stephanie Ratcliffe’ (Harv-Aus) 239-10 (73.11) (CL) (5, x C). JT: Madison Wiltrout (NC) 184-11 (56.37)
West Women
100: *Julien Alfred’ (Tx-StL) 10.83 (CL) (x, 4 C). 200: 1. Lanae Thomas (Tx) 22.12w (a-c: =10, x AmC). 400: II–1. *Britton Wilson (Ar) 49.51 (x, =4 C); III–1. *Rhasidat Adeleke’ (Tx-Ire) 49.54 (2, 6 C); 2. Effiong 50.17 (10, x AmC); 2. **Rosey Effiong (Ar) 50.17 (10, x AmC). 800: ***Roisin Willis (Stan) 2:02.51. 1500: **Sophie O’Sullivan’ (Wa-Ire) 4:08.06 (out CL); 2. **Mia Barnett (UCLA) 4:08.44 (9, x AmC). Steeple: *Greta Karinauskaitė’ (CalBap-Lit) 9:26.88 (CL) (5, =6 C). 5000: *Everlyn Kemboi’ (UtV-Ken) 15:30.25. 10,000: Kemboi’ 32:05.56. 100H: *Ackera Nugent’ (Ar-Jam) 12.69. 400H: Wilson 53.71 (x, =8 C). 4 x 100: Texas 42.15 (8 C) (Alfred, Abba, Adeleke, Davis). 4 x 400: Arkansas 3:25.95 (Peoples, Pryce, Effiong 50.54, Reid’ 51.93). LJ: **Ackelia Smith’ (Tx-Jam) 21-11½ (6.69). TJ: *Rūta Lasmane’ (TxT-Lat) 46-2 (14.07). SP: Jorinde van Klinken’ (Or-Neth) 62-5 (19.02). DT: van Klinken’ 205-11 (62.76). HT: Anna Purchase’ (Cal-GB) 230-5 (70.25). JT: *Arianne Morais’ (UTEP-Nor) 189-0 (57.61).