BIG PRO MEETS in Boston and New York provided Collegiate Record action from Drew Bosley of Northern Arizona and Katelyn Tuohy of NC State but the collegiate circuit has been exciting in its own right:
Collegiate 600 Record To Britton Wilson
A great 3-lap matchup between 400 hurdlers Shamier Little and Britton Wilson at the Arkansas Invitational found both moving into the all-time world Top 10. A 1:24.65 gave the win to Little, making her No. 7 ever. Wilson moved to No. 10 as she crossed in 1:25.16, breaking the Collegiate Record 1:25.80 that Athing Mu of Texas A&M set in ’21.
Little tore out from the start, reaching 200 in 25.06 (Wilson 25.23). Over the next lap the Razorback soph drew closer, and at the bell was on Little’s shoulder (53.04-53.06). Little, a volunteer assistant for the Arkansas team, pulled away on the final lap to score the win.
“It was real exciting to feed off the crowd’s energy and feed off Shamier,” said Wilson. “It gives me a lot of confidence and promise going into the rest of the season.” (She did not compete at the subsequent Razorback Invitational because of a virus.)
Julien Alfred Lowers Her Own 60 CR
Wasting no time reasserting her place as the premier women’s sprinter in the NCAA, Texas senior Julien Alfred blistered her first final of the year in a Collegiate Record 7.02 to win Albuquerque’s MLK Collegiate Invitational. That came after a 7.05 heat that in itself narrowly missed her own CR from last season by 0.01.
Starting from lane 4 in the final, the St. Lucia native had what appeared to be an average start, but by mid-race her continuing acceleration put a hefty margin between her and Irish teammate Rhasidat Adeleke (7.20). In the 200, Adeleke turned the tables on Alfred, 22.52–22.71.
A fast 600 saw the Longhorns’ Kennedy Simon move to No. 4 all-time collegian at 1:26.69, with Baylor’s Lily Williams becoming No. 8 in 1:27.57.
On the men’s side, prize Georgia recruit Will Sumner recorded his first collegiate win with a blazing 600, hitting 1:15.32 to move to No. 9 among Americans all-time and =No. 7 among collegians. Texas’s Jonathan Jones led from the start and it wasn’t until the final turn that the yearling made his move, catching him decisively on the homestretch. Jones finished in 1:15.72 with teammate Yusuf Bizimana closing well in 1:15.79.
Masai Russell Claims 60H CR
Kentucky hurdler Masai Russell is on a tear. Less than a week after knocking down her PR twice (7.92 & 7.88) at the McCravy Memorial, the senior came to the Red Raider Open and blasted a 7.75 to break the Collegiate Record 7.78 set by Brianna McNeal of Clemson in ’13 and tied by Florida’s Grace Stark last year.
Russell, who was runner-up in the NCAA Indoor last year, started the day with an 8.10 in the heats. In the final, a lightning start helped give her a 0.23 win over Texas Tech’s Demisha Roswell (7.98) along with the record.
“I can’t even believe it,” Russell said on her YouTube vlog. “Well, I guess I can believe it… This is the first time ever in my track career that I did something that made me emotional in a good way.”
Consistent TJ Show By Jasmine Moore
Florida junior Jasmine Moore put on a display of quality triple jumping at the Clemson Invitational, opening up at 47-4½ (14.44), the No. 4 jump in collegiate history, and then landing three more on the top 10 list. A 46-11½ (14.31) came next, followed by marks of 47-4¼ (14.43), 46-4¾ (14.14), 46-11¾ (14.32) and 46-4 (14.12).
Teammate Talitha Diggs burned 300 in a PR 36.12, to become =6 all-time among Americans. She topped teammate Laila Owens (37.21) by more than a second. Diggs PRed in the 60 as well, winning in 7.14.
Matthew Boling also found success over a lap-and-a-half. The Georgia star crushed a 32.40 to become the No. 10 American ever, and No. 3 collegian. ◻︎