GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA, March 31–April 01 — As blustery breezes affected sprint times, Florida Relays women’s competition nonetheless produced a flurry of superb early-outdoor marks.
Host Florida’s junior 400 star Talitha Diggs put in an impressive two days of shorter sprinting. On Friday Diggs led off the Gators’ 43.23 heat win in the 4 x 100, a short-lived collegiate leader, before dashing to a 22.61 win in the 200.
With the half-lap mark an outdoor PR equal to the indoor best Diggs set in February, she won by 0.21 from USC senior Caisja Chandler.
Diggs’ Saturday began with the 4×1 final. Again she led off, but a bobble between Jayla Hollis and Kynnedy Flannel on the final handoff kept the Gators from improving on their heat time. They finished in 43.37 as Flannel outlasted former Florida Gator and Texas A&M anchor Semira Killebrew.
Diggs was back at it in the 100 finals where she got a great start and with a 4.1 wind at her back powered to a 10.92 victory over USC soph Samirah Moody. In all, five went under 11.16 in the fast final. It was the only heat of the five contested with wind over the allowable.
In the Invitational 100, Tamari Davis returned to her hometown of Gainesville ready to race fast after a ’22 season that was her best yet as a pro. Out of nowhere a 5.2 gust blew up to push her to a dominating 10.83 win over Kortnei Johnson at 11.14.
Texas A&M teammates Jermaisha Arnold and Tierra Robinson-Jones reeled off a swift 400. Arnold closed best to overtake Robinson-Jones 50.71–50.90, with the winning time an outdoor world leader. It was also a PR by 0.53 for the fast improving Arnold, a transfer from Coastal Carolina, and a near personal best by Robinson-Jones who ran 50.89 on the same track just under a year ago at the Tom Jones Memorial.
Multis star Anna Hall focused on individual events over the two days. On Friday, she led wire to wire to win the 400H in 54.94 and then on Saturday, she high jumped 6-2¼ (1.89) before taking three attempts at 6-3½ (1.92).
Approximately 45 minutes later, Hall showed her resolve in the 800. Hall ran on the shoulder of Emily Richards through a 61.4 first lap before being challenged by Gators Imogen Barrett and Gabrielle Wilkinson in the final 200 and then getting challenged once again by a rejuvenated Richards who made a final charge over the last 50. Hall held on to win in 2:03.23 to Richards’ 2:03.32. Vanderbilt’s Taiya Shelby also had a notable time as she opened with a 57.4 split in the second heat and finished in 2:03.89.
In the Invitational 4×1, the Empire Athletics team of Kortnei Johnson, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Mackenzie Dunmore and Davis sped to a 42.01 to win by nearly a second over team AdiPure. Dunmore replaced Natalliah Whyte 30 minutes before the start of the race, but that didn’t keep them from erasing the Relays’ record of 42.34 set by the Oregon team of Dunmore, Hannah Cunliffe, Deajah Stevens and Ariana Washington in ’17.
Rayniah Jones of Central Florida had a fine 100 hurdles weekend, with a windy 12.76 prelim followed by a legal 12.75 final to overtake fast-starting Grace Stark (12.83). The winning mark was Jones’ fastest since ’21.
Gator frosh Alida van Daalen, the shot’s indoor SEC champ, won here with 58-10¼ (17.94), an outdoor best for the 20-year-old.
FLORIDA RELAYS WOMEN’S RESULTS
100: I(4.1)–1. *Talitha Diggs (Fl) 10.92w; 2. **Samirah Moody (USC) 10.99w; 3. Kynnedy Flannel (Fl) 11.10w; 4. **Jayla Jamison (SC) 11.11w; 5. Beyonce Defreitas’ (UCF-BVI) 11.16w.
Inv 100(5.2): 1. Tamari Davis (adidas) 10.83w; 2. Kortnei Johnson (EmpA) 11.14w; 3. Shannon Ray (EmpA) 11.20w.
200(-0.5): 1. Diggs 22.61 PR; 2. Caisja Chandler (USC) 22.82; 3. Jamison 23.17; 4. *Ziyah Holman (Mi) 23.36 PR.
Inv 200(0.8): 1. Makenzie Dunmore (EmpA) 22.68.
400: I–1. **Jermaisha Arnold (TxAM) 50.71 PR (out WL, AL);
2. Tierra Robinson-Jones (TxAM) 50.90; 3. Holman 51.21 PR; 4. Bailey Lear (USC) 51.69;.
II–1. Maya Singletary (Char) 51.73 PR.
Inv 400: 1. Gabby Scott’ (PR) 51.24; 2. Charokee Young’ (Jam) 51.31; 3. Stephanie Davis (EmpA) 51.87.
800: I–1. Anna Hall (adi) 2:03.23; 2. Emily Richards (unat) 2:03.32; 3. Rachel Gearing (PennSt) 2:03.92; 4. Imogen Barrett’ (Fl-Aus) 2:04.28; 5. ***Hayley Kitching’ (PennSt-Aus) 2:04.33; 6. Gabrielle Wilkinson (Fl) 2:04.63. II–1. Taiya Shelby (Vand) 2:03.89 PR.
1500: 1. Esther Gitahi’ (Ken) 4:13.77; 2. **Şilan Ayyıldız’ (SC-Tur) 4:14.13; 3. Imogen Barrett’ (Fl-Aus) 4:15.61; 4. Gabrielle Wilkinson (Fl) 4:15.65; 5. *Flomena Asekol’ (Al-Ken) 4:16.24.
St: 1. Hayleigh Haid (Jack) 10:04.34 PR.
100H(1.8): 1. *Rayniah Jones (UCF) 12.75; 2. *Grace Stark (Fl) 12.83; 3. Allie Jones (USC) 13.11 PR; 7. Paula Salmon (NCAT) 13.49;
4. ***Jaiya Covington (TxAM) 13.13 PR; 5. **Jalaysiya Smith (USC) 13.14; 6. *Jayla Hollis (Fl) 13.27.
400H: I–1. Hall 54.94 (WL, AL); 2. **Savannah Sutherland’ (Mi-Can) 55.36 PR (CL);
3. *Jasmine Jones (USC) 56.17 PR; 4. Deshae Wise (unat) 57.27; 5. *Vanessa Watson (Fl) 57.51.
II–1. **Tyra Wilson (FlSt) 57.47 PR; 2. Sanique Walker’ (SFl-Jam) 57.84. III–1. ***Allyria McBride (Vand) 57.88 PR.
4 x 100: 1. Florida 43.37 (Diggs, Stark, Hollis, Flannel);
2. Texas A&M 43.61; 3. UCF 43.77; 4. USC 44.37; 5. UCF 44.93.
Inv 4 x 100: 1. Empire Athletics 42.01; 2. AdiPure 43.06).
4 x 400: 1. Texas A&M 3:28.41 (Wade, Arnold, Robinson-Jones 51.13, Jallow 52.25);
2. USC 3:32.16 (John 52.90); 3. South Carolina 3:34.81; 4. Iowa 3:35.17; 5. Vanderbilt 3:36.57; 6. South Florida 3:37.70.
Inv 4 x 400: 1. Empire Athletics 3:30.09 (Davis, Dunmore, Wimbley 52.30, Scott’ 54.54).
4 x 800: 1. South Carolina 8:45.92; 2. Iowa 8:49.00; 3. Vanderbilt 8:54.67.
4 x 100H: I–1. UCF 53.45 (WL, AL, CL) (#7 school) (Harris, Madison, Coleman, Jones);
2. Vanderbilt 55.77. II–1. South Florida 55.77.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Hall 6-2¼ (1.89) out PR (out AL).
PV: 1. **Heather Abadie’ (TxAM-Can) 14-½ (4.28) PR.
LJ: 1. *Temitope Ojora’ (USC-GB) 20-10¾ (6.37) PR.
Inv LJ: 1. *Claire Bryant (Fl) 21-6¼ (6.56) (out CL);
2. *Nia Robinson’ (SFl-Jam) 21-½ (6.41); 3. **Joniar Thomas’ (TxAM-Grn) 20-4½ (6.21).
TJ: 1. Ojora’ 44-¾w (13.43) (43-8¾/13.33); 2. *Cierra Pyles (VaT) 43-7¾w (13.30) (42-3½/12.89 =PR); 3. *Alissa Braxton (Fl) 43-7¼w (13.29) (42-11/13.08); 4. *Dominique Ruotolo (USC) 43-6½ (13.27); 5. *Mahogany Jenkins (In) 42-2¼ (12.86).
SP: 1. Jasmine Van Note (Rut) 54-8¼ (16.67) PR; 2. Corinne Jemison (Mi) 54-2 (16.51); 3. Kathleen Young (SC) 52-11 (16.13); 4. ***Katrin Brzyszkowská’ (VaT-CzR) 52-10¾ (16.12); 5. **Erikka Hill (Mia) 52-7½ (16.04) PR.
Inv SP: 1. ***Alida van Daalen’ (Fl-Neth) 58-10¼ (17.94) PR (out CL); 2. Hannah Hall (Mia) 58-8½ (17.89) PR; 3. *Sarah Omoregie’ (Harv-GB) 56-5¾ (17.21) PR; 4. *Mallory Kauffman (PennSt) 54-11½ (16.75); 5. Divine Oladipo’ (GB) 52-10¼ (16.11).
DT: 1. *Veronica Fraley (Vand) 197-8 (60.24); 2. **Caisa-Marie Lindfors’ (FlSt-Swe) 192-9 (58.75); 3. ***Alida van Daalen’ (Fl-Neth) 192-7 (58.70); 4. *Adrienne Adams’ (UCF-Jam) 186-7 (56.88); 5. Essence Henderson (VaT) 181-8 (55.38); 6. *Estel Valeanu’ (Harv-Isr) 179-7 (54.74).
HT: 1. **Stephanie Ratcliffe’ (Harv-Aus) 230-2 (70.15) PR (CL);
2. Sade Olatoye’ (Ngr) 226-10 (69.15); 3. Rebecca Mammel (VaT) 203-7 (62.07); 4. ***Barbora Štejfová’ (VaT-CzR) 197-0 (60.05).
JT: 1. **Lianna Davidson’ (TxAM-Aus) 187-3 (57.09) PR; 2. **Katelyn Fairchild (TxAM) 181-8 (55.39) PR; 3. **Makayla Hunter (In) 156-1 (47.59) PR. ◻︎