THE WORLD RECORD & AMERICAN RECORD departments weren’t the only busy ones in February. The NCAA all-time bests also saw some rewriting, particularly on the women’s side:
Julien Alfred Still On Fire In The 60
Texas junior Julien Alfred closed out January with the fastest collegiate 60 ever, 7.00(A) in Albuquerque. The altitude aid was less at the Big 12 in Lubbock, but she was faster, first setting a low-altitude Collegiate Record of 7.03 in the heats.
In the final, the St. Lucian became the first collegian — as well as the youngest woman ever — under 7-flat, ripping a 6.97 that moved her to No. 8 on the all-time world list. For good measure, she also won the 200 in 22.36, the No. 2 collegiate time ever and No. 4 in world history.
Alfred wasn’t the only Longhorn taking down records in Lubbock. In the 400, Rhasidat Adeleke went out in 23.62 and finished in 50.33, nipping 0.01 off the standard of 50.34 that USC’s Kendall Ellis set at the ’18 NCAA. For the 20-year-old it was also an Irish Record, which was some consolation, since her CR lasted less than a half-hour (see next section).
Talitha Diggs Takes Over In The 400
We featured Talitha Diggs in the February issue, and now the Florida soph has created more headlines. At the SEC she broke the American and Collegiate records in the 400 with a 50.15 about 25 minutes after the collegiate mark of 50.33 had been set by Texas’s Rhasidat Adeleke at the Big 12 meet. The old U.S. mark of 50.34 had been set by USC’s Kendall Ellis in ’18.
Diggs went through halfway in 23.39 in Fayetteville, finishing with a 26.76. That put her well ahead of the PR 50.68 run by Amber Anning of Arkansas. On Instagram, she indicated that her focus is solidly on Nationals, saying, “Now I’m back to work & staying locked into the process.”
Cowboys Produce Fastest DMR Ever
The weekend before the big conference meets is traditionally a big one for distance medleys. The Arkansas Qualifier generated the fastest time ever as the Oklahoma State men went more than 3 seconds faster than Oregon’s ’21 best.
A foursome of Fouad Messaoudi (2:49.49), DeJuana McArthur (46.81), Hafez Mahadi (1:47.27) & Ryan Schoppe (3:52.83) totaled 9:16.40, a world indoor best that also counts as an absolute CR, just as the Oregon mark had. It will not, however, be an American CR, as Messaoudi is Moroccan and Mahadi is Qatari.
After leading for three legs, Washington ended up No. 2 on the all-time list at 9:16.65 and Arkansas (9:22.13) at No. 7. However, the American CR fell to Virginia in 4th place, as the Cavaliers clocked 9:23.71 with Conor Murphy (2:50.59), Alex Sherman (46.37), Gary Martin (1:48.56) & Wes Porter (3:58.19). That beat the 9:25.20 set by Texas last year.
A Record For BYU Women Too
The Arkansas Q women’s race was nearly as eventful: Oregon beat the hosts 10:49.07–10:49.14, moving to 3 and 4 on the all-time collegiate list.
In 3rd, BYU took down the American CR at 10:49.24, topping the 10:50.98 set by Tennessee in ’09. The team of Taylor Rohatinsky (3:20.59), Annalise Hart (52.83), Alena Ellsworth (2:03.33) & Sadie Sargent (4:32.49) had led at the final exchange.
Samirah Moody Dashes 7.07 AmCR
The Pac-12 doesn’t have an indoor conference meet but many of the loop’s stars showed up for Washington’s Shannon Memorial. Coming in with a PR of just 7.19(A), Samirah Moody blistered a 7.07 in the 60 to tie the American-born CR that Oregon’s Hannah Cunliffe set in ’17 and Aleia Hobbs of LSU tied in ’18.
The mark tied the USC soph for No. 3 overall in NCAA history. She won by 0.06 over Oregon’s Jadyn Mays (7.13).
A Big Put For Jorinde van Klinken
Better known as a discus thrower outdoors, Oregon’s Jorinde van Klinken took down the Collegiate Record in the shot at the Kirby Elite Invitational, reaching 64-2½ (19.57), a centimeter farther than the mark that Raven Saunders of Mississippi set in ’17 at the NCAA Champs. It’s No. 2 ever indoors or out, behind a 64-5¼ (19.64) by Ohio State’s Adelaide Aquilla last year. For van Klinken, a grad transfer from Arizona State, it’s also a Dutch national record. ◻︎