Men’s Teams: Oregon
“Just an insane group of guys,” is how Cole Hocker put it. The winner of the mile and 3000 described how the emergence of sprinter Micah Williams and triple jumper Emmanuel “EJ” Ihemeje over the course of the season got the men of Oregon thinking of themselves as potential winners.
“We’re all confident of our abilities on the distance side, but when you see [other events improve so much], it’s just a massive boost of team excitement and the feeling that we can win this thing as a team.”
The scoring started on Friday with a dominating win in the distance medley. On Saturday came Hocker’s double, plus Ihemeje’s adding 10 in the TJ, Charlie Hunter with 10 in the 800, plus additional points from Gaston Bouchereau (60), Reed Brown (mile), Cooper Teare (3000) and Max Vollmer (heptathlon).
That all added up to 79 points, the second-highest tally in meet history and the highest in 26 years. “That point total is absolutely crazy,” said head coach Robert Johnson. “A lot of praise and accolades will go to the national champions but we don’t want to forget those guys that were second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth because they make this championship and make it special.
“With all that’s gone on in the world and having this meet canceled a year ago, I couldn’t be prouder.”
LSU kept the score close for a long time, but ended up a far-back 2nd with a 56-point total that would have been good enough to win in many editions of the meet. Between them, the two powerhouses won 10 of the 17 titles available, Oregon 6, LSU 4. /Roy Conrad/
NCAA MEN’S TEAM SCORES
1. Oregon 79;
2. LSU 56;
3. Georgia 35;
4. Florida 34;
5. North Carolina A&T 30;
6. Florida State 23;
7. tie, Alabama & Arkansas 22;
9. Tennessee 21;
10. Mississippi 20;
11. USC 17;
12. North Dakota State 15;
13. Iowa State 14;
14. tie, Kentucky & Texas 12;
16. tie, BYU & Virginia Tech 11;
18. tie, Arizona State, Baylor, Michigan & North Carolina, 10;
22. tie, Indiana, Miami/Ohio & South Dakota 9;
25. tie, Arizona, Colorado State, Iowa, Minnesota & TCU 8;
30. Texas Tech 7;
31. tie, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Michigan State, Missouri, & Texas A&M 6;
37. tie, Drake, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Pitt & Purdue & 5;
42. tie, Auburn & Cincinnati, Nebraska & Southern Mississippi 4;
46. tie, Eastern Kentucky, Samford, Southeastern Louisiana, South Carolina, Villanova, Virginia & Western Illinois 3;
53. tie, Buffalo, Clemson, Eastern Michigan, Louisville, Mississippi State & Sam Houston 2;
59. tie, Akron, Furman, Houston Baptist, Kent State & UT–Arlington 1.
Competed But Did Not Score
Air Force, Alcorn State, Georgia Tech, Houston, Middle Tennessee State, Montana State, NC State, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Rice, Rutgers, South Alabama, South Dakota State, Stephen F. Austin, Washington, Washington State, Wichita State, Wisconsin.
60 Meters: Micah Williams (Oregon)
Saturday’s second men’s track final was the 60, and coming right after Cole Hocker’s win in the mile, it gave Oregon a chance to bang out consecutive wins in its drive for the team title. Frosh Micah Williams made the most of the opportunity, becoming the first Duck ever to win the straightaway dash.
Although he had an abysmal reaction time (0.194, the slowest in the field), the powerful Williams stayed low, his legs spread wide, à la Bob Hayes as he soon bulled his way to the fore. At the halfway point the three medalists-to-be had been identified, with Williams and Raymond Ekevwo of Florida at 3.85 and Rikkoi Brathwaite of Indiana just 0.02 behind them.
From that point, Williams, undefeated this year, steadily pulled away to equal his own collegiate-leading time of 6.49. This one was the more impressive of the two, as the first came in the thin air of Colorado Springs. Only 6 other collegians have ever run faster.
Said the winner, “I just got out, executed and finished the race. That’s what my coach told me to do; execute and everything would fall into place. If I get out it’ll be hard for anybody to catch me.”
Ekevwo (a seasonal-best 6.54) and Brathwaite (6.56) came closest. Leading the second rank, Tavarius Wright of North Carolina A&T (6.64) edged Oregon’s Gaston Bouchereau (6.65) and Purdue’s Marcellus Moore (6.65 PR). /Garry Hill/
NCAA MEN’S 60 RESULTS
FINAL (March 13)
1. ***Micah Williams (Or) 6.49 =PR (=CL; low-alt CL) (=7, =9 C; =6, =7 AmC) (3.85/2.64);
2. Raymond Ekevwo’ (Fl-Ngr) 6.54 (3.85/2.69);
3. *Rikkoi Brathwaite’ (In-BVI) 6.56 (3.87/2.69);
4. Tavarius Wright (NCAT) 6.64 (3.92/2.72);
5. Gaston Bouchereau (Or) 6.65 (3.94/2.71);
6. **Marcellus Moore (Pur) 6.65 PR (3.96/2.69);
7. *Sterling Warner-Savage (Louis) 6.67 (3.92/2.75);
8. *Brendon Stewart (USC) 6.69 (3.97/2.72).
HEATS (March 12)
I–1. Brathwaite’ 6.55 =PR; 2. Wright 6.56 PR; 3. Stewart 6.60; 4. Warner-Savage 6.62 PR; 5. Bouchereau 6.63 low-alt PR; 6. **Taylor Banks (FlSt) 6.66; 7. ***Shaun Maswanganyi’ (Hous-SA) 6.67; 8. Rieker Daniel (Or) 6.92.
II–1. Williams 6.52; 2. Ekevwo’ 6.64; 3. Moore 6.65 PR; 4. *Dante Brown (Aub) 6.66; 5. ***Don’drea Swint (FlSt) 6.70; 6. Bralon Robinson (Alc) 6.73; 7. Fabian Hewitt’ (Clem-Jam) 6.78.
200 Meters: Matthew Boling (Georgia)
With mad skills not only in the 100, 200 and 400, but also in the long jump, Matthew Boling has plenty of people guessing what his best event might be. After his brilliant 1-lap tour of Arkansas’s swift oval, at least for now let’s say it’s the indoor version of the 200.
Two weeks earlier the Georgia soph (outdoor frosh) had not only suffered a loss to Terrance Laird of LSU on this track at the SEC, but also ended up DQed on a lane violation. It was obvious we were headed for another Boling/Laird clash here as they co-led the heats with their 20.49s.
For the final, the black-clad Boling drew the outside lane, 6, with Laird in purple & gold a corridor inside him. Boling blasted away from the gun and had perhaps a meter’s lead in the first quarter of the race. Laird wasn’t done, however, making up all but a foot or so of his deficit around the curve. Boling widened the gap again by a little early in the homestretch, but Laird had cut it to inches at the finish.
Both PRed, Boling’s 20.19 moving him to =No. 6 on the all-time world list, Laird’s 20.20 giving him No. 8. Third in the 2-section time final went to first-group winner Joe Fahnbulleh of Florida at 20.38.
Asked about his prime discipline, Boling confirmed, “My best event and my favorite event is probably the 200. I feel like I can use my 100 speed and my 400 strength and combine it in the 200.” /Garry Hill/
NCAA MEN’S 200 RESULTS
FINAL (March 13; 2-section time final)
1. **Matthew Boling (Ga);
2. Terrance Laird (LSU);
3. **Joe Fahnbulleh (Fl);
4. ***Javonte Harding (NCAT);
5. Micaiah Harris (Tx);
6. **Lance Lang (Ky);
7. Terryon Conwell (Clem);
8. **Tyler Davis (Fl).
Sections: I–1. Fahnbulleh 20.38; 2. Harris 20.43; 3. Conwell 21.09; 4. Davis 21.44.
II–1. Boling 20.19 PR (WL, AL, CL) (=6, =9 W; =4, =4 A; =5, =6 C; =4, =4 AmC);
2. Laird 20.20 PR (8, 12 W; 6, 7 A; 7, 8 C; 6, 6 AmC);
3. Harding 20.39 PR; 4. Lang 20.88.
HEATS (March 12)
I–1. Fahnbulleh 20.53; 2. Davis 20.72 PR; 3. *Evan Miller (SC) 21.33;… dq—*JoVaughn Martin (FlSt).
II–1. Boling 20.49; 2. Conwell 20.87; 3. Demarius Smith (Ok) 20.97.
III–1. Laird 20.49; 2. Harding 20.62; 3. Zach Shinnick (USC) 20.91; 4. ***Robert Gregory (TCU) 21.05.
IV–1. Harris 20.62; 2. Lang 20.83; 3. Tinotenda Matiyenga’ (TCU-Zim) 20.88.
400 Meters: Noah Williams (LSU)
A transfer to LSU from Akron, Noah Williams came to Baton Rouge with 45.72 credentials. Improvement has come fast, and 2 weeks ago the 22-year-old junior won the SEC title in a PR 45.26. That only made him the No. 5 seed on his return to the Fayetteville track, however. The No. 1 seed with an oversized 45.07, Ohio State’s Tyler Johnson did not survive the heats. Williams, however, impressed with the fastest qualifier, a 45.34.
The first section of the final saw Randolph Ross of North Carolina A&T, the No. 2 seed at 45.21, chase down Virginia Tech’s Jacory Patterson (No. 4) and nab him in the final few strides, 44.99–45.14.
In the second section, Williams and A&M’s Bryce Deadmon both blasted out hard to get the pole position at halfway. It was close. While Deadmon actually split ahead 20.91–20.94, Williams held the inside lane and fought to keep Deadmon outside around the turn.
Striding big with one yellow sock on, Williams continued to stretch his margin over Deadmon. He came off the final turn in fine form and finished with a 5-meter lead. His time, 44.71, sealed the win over Ross. “I knew I had to be aggressive,” said Williams. “I felt them putting the pressure on me.”
Florida frosh Ryan Willie caught Deadmon in the final strides with a 45.40 PR, but no one could dent Williams’ margin. “I put it all together for the first time,” he said.
Now the No. 3 collegian ever after only Michael Norman and Kerron Clement, Williams said, “It’s an honor, but it’s like a reality check too. It’s like I’m on the field with these guys. It’s all the more motivation.” /Jeff Hollobaugh/
NCAA MEN’S 400 RESULTS
FINAL (March 13)
1. *Noah Williams (LSU);
2. **Randolph Ross (NCAT);
3. *Jacory Patterson (VaT);
4. ***Ryan Willie (Fl);
5. Bryce Deadmon (TxAM);
6. Champion Allison (Al);
7. Trevor Stewart (NCAT);
8. Dwight St. Hillaire’ (Ky-Tri).
Sections: I–1. Ross 44.99 PR (WL, AL, CL) (10, 13 W; 7, 9 A; 8, 8 C; 6, 6 AmC) (21.18/23.82);
2. Patterson 45.14 PR (9, x AmC) (21.05/24.09);
3. Allison 45.79 PR (21.38/24.41);
4. Stewart 45.83 (21.36/24.47).
II–1. Williams 44.71 PR (WL, AL, CL) (4, 5 W, A; 3, 3 C) (20.94/23.77);
2. Willie 45.40 PR (21.34/24.06);
3. Deadmon 45.54 (20.91/24.63);
4. St. Hillaire’ 45.89 (21.55/24.34).
HEATS (March 12)
I–1. Williams 45.34; 2. ***Sean Burrell (LSU) 46.06; 3. Brian Faust (Pur) 46.56; 4. *Tyler Johnson (OhSt) 46.76. II–1. Ross 45.53; 2. St. Hillaire’ 45.97; 3. Allison 45.97; 4. *Elija Godwin (Ga) 46.04. III–1. Patterson 45.64; 2. Stewart 45.86; 3. *Taj Burgess (Rut) 46.46; 4. Leander Forbes (Al) 57.22. IV–1. Deadmon 45.37; 2. Willie 45.72; 3. Isaiah Palmer (NC) 46.57;… dnc—*Wayne Lawrence (Ia).
800 Meters: Charlie Hunter (Oregon)
He may have been the collegiate leader at 1:45.59 coming in, but winning the 800 on the big stage did not come easily for Charlie Hunter. On the first lap, it was Texas Tech’s Takieddine Hedeilli who grabbed the lead ahead of Finley McLear of Miami/Ohio. Hedeilli split a fast 25.85; Oregon junior Hunter, wisely perhaps, stayed out of the fray and passed the first pole in last at 26.60.
On the second lap, Iowa State’s Jason Gomez bolted from the pack and took over the lead. Hunter made his first big move, one that aimed at putting himself on Gomez’s shoulder. Instead, at 400 (52.62 for Gomez), he ran into Hedeilli’s elbow and fell back into 4th in the tight lead pack.
Gomez held the lead through 600 in 1:19.20 as Hunter mounted another big move, looking to take the lead around the penultimate turn. This time it was McLear who panicked and crashed into him, making a frantic move while Hedeilli elbowed his way past Gomez into the lead. Hunter again lost a step and was rapidly running out of moves as well as real estate.
On the backstretch he passed Gomez. Midway through the final turn he tagged Hedeilli. That put him two strides behind the surprising British 20-year-old on the straight. He put on his best sprint and leaned past McLear at the line, taking the win by the narrowest of margins, 1:45.90–1:45.91.
For Hunter, it meant 10 more points for the Duck juggernaut. For McLear, it represented a massive improvement, as he skipped the 1:46s altogether in moving to No. 9 ever among collegians, improving on his oversized best of 1:47.47 (and his outdoor PR of 1:47.33).
“That was just grit today,” said the Australian winner. “It was messy like a Sunday dinner. I kind of let it rip in that homestraight.” /Jeff Hollobaugh/
NCAA MEN’S 800 RESULTS
FINAL (March 13)
1. *Charlie Hunter’ (Or-Aus) 1:45.90 (x, =9 C)
(26.60, 26.15 [52.75], 26.75 [1:19.50], 26.40) (52.75/53.15);
2. **Finley McLear’ (MiaO-GB) 1:45.91 PR (9, 11 C)
(26.03, 26.95 [52.98], 26.34 [1:19.32], 26.59) (52.98/52.93);
3. Takieddine Hedeilli’ (TxT-Alg) 1:46.84
(25.85, 26.89 [52.74], 26.49 [1:19.22], 27.62) (52.74/54.10);
4. *Samuel Voelz (NDm) 1:47.62 PR
(26.17, 26.67 [52.84], 26.97 [1:19.81], 27.81) (52.84/54.78);
5. **Jason Gomez (IaSt) 1:48.06
(26.29, 26.33 [52.62], 26.58 [1:19.20], 28.86) (52.62/55.44);
6. *Ackeen Colley’ (WnIl-Jam) 1:49.01
(26.18, 27.52 [53.70], 28.03 [1:21.73], 27.28) (53.70/55.31);
7. Kieran Taylor (Ar) 1:50.79
(26.50, 27.30 [53.80], 28.16 [1:21.96], 28.83) (53.80/56.99);
8. *Bashir Mosavel-Lo (VaT) 1:51.83
(26.27, 27.27 [53.54], 28.33 [1:21.87], 29.96) (53.54/58.29).
HEATS (March 12)
I–1. Gomez 1:47.65; 2. Voelz 1:47.82; 3. Hedeilli’ 1:48.07; 4. Mosavel-Lo 1:48.18; 5. Colley’ 1:48.56; 6. ***Marco Vilca’ (TxT-Per) 1:48.66; 7. *Baylor Franklin (Ms) 1:49.83; 8. *Juan Diego Castro’ (OkSt-CR) 1:50.09. II–1. Hunter’ 1:48.47; 2. McLear 1:48.56; 3. Taylor 1:49.01; 4. Cooper Williams (In) 1:49.16; 5. ***Abdullahi Hassan’ (Wi-Can) 1:49.58; 6. **Luis Peralta’ (Or-PR) 1:49.87; 7. *Christopher Conrad (Mo) 1:50.73; 8. ***Allon Clay’ (TxAM-Jpn) 1:52.41.
Mile: Cole Hocker (Oregon)
Still a teenager and at 19 the youngest man in the field, Cole Hocker ran the mile final like the coolest of veterans, taking the lead on the first lap and controlling every step of the contest on his way to the fastest race in meet history.
Texas frosh Yusuf Bizimana stayed close, as did Alabama’s neophyte runner, the ungainly Eliud Kipsang. From the 400 on, Hocker sped up every lap. He passed 809m, just past halfway, at 2:01.42. A lap later, his steady increase in tempo began to show itself as the field behind him gradually stretched and broke.
His penultimate circuit took just 27.61 and he had more left — a lot more. At that point only Kipsang had managed to stay within hailing distance. It wouldn’t matter. Hocker sped a final loop of 25.87, taking not just the win but also the meet record in 3:53.71. His final 400 took 53.47, last 800 a stunning 1:52.29.
“I just wanted to make it a true mile race,” he quipped.
Behind him, Kipsang held on for a PR 3:33.93, while Mississippi’s Waleed Suliman grabbed 3rd in 3:57.26. Drake’s Adam Fogg ran an aggressive race for 4th in 3:57.32. Hocker’s teammate, Reed Brown, delivered more points to the Ducks with his 3:57.62 in 5th.
Fans were deprived of one of the meet’s most anticipated battles when two major players weren’t available. Sam Tanner, Washington’s 1500 CR holder, failed to advance from his heat by 0.01. And Cooper Teare, Oregon’s mile CR holder who had been anchored the winning distance medley the previous night with a 1600 in 3:52.98, concentrated on the 3000. /Jeff Hollobaugh/
NCAA MEN’S MILE RESULTS
FINAL (March 13)
1. **Cole Hocker (Or) 3:53.71 (x, 7 C; x, 3 AmC) (MR)
(pace—30.54, 30.90 [61.44], 30.05 [1:31.49], 29.93 [2:01.42], 29.91 [2:31.33], 28.91 [3:00.24], 27.60 [3:27.84], 25.87)
(finish—25.87, 53.47, 1:52.29);
2. ***Eliud Kipsang’ (Al-Ken) 3:55.93 PR
(27.77, 55.51, 1:54.39);
3. Waleed Suliman (Ms) 3:57.26
(27.91, 56.20, 1:55.30);
4. *Adam Fogg’ (Drake-Aus) 3:57.32
(28.63, 56.60, 1:55.14);
5. *Reed Brown (Or) 3:57.62
(27.63, 56.09, 1:55.27);
6. ***Sean Dolan (Vill) 3:57.91
(28.14, 56.47, 1:55.54);
7. *Tom Dodd’ (Mi-GB) 3:58.65
(27.85, 56.82, 1:56.04);
8. ***Yusuf Bizimana’ (Tx-GB) 3:59.55
(30.08, 58.80, 1:57.88);
9. ***Lucas Bons (BYU) 4:01.97
(29.92, 59.63, 1:59.83);
10. *George Kusche’ (Nb-SA) 4:03.23
(31.33, 61.56, 2:01.36).
HEATS (March 12)
I–1. Hocker 3:56.57; 2. Dodd’ 3:57.00; 3. Dolan 3:57.20; 4. Suliman 3:57.64; 5. Brown 3:58.01; 6. *Kusche 3:58.24; 7. **Benjamin Nibbelink (VaT) 3:58.34; 8. **Davis Bove (LSU) 3:58.40. II–1. Kipsang’ 4:05.63; 2. Bizimana’ 4:05.64; 3. Fogg’ 4:05.73; 4. Bons 4:06.19; 5. **Sam Tanner’ (Wa-NZ) 4:06.20; 6. *Zach Stallings (WaSt) 4:09.05; 7. *Aaron Wier (Furm) 4:09.80; 8. **Duncan Hamilton (MtSt) 4:10.34.
3000 Meters: Cole Hocker (Oregon)
For Duck teammates Cole Hocker and Cooper Teare, it didn’t seem like a tall order. “Coach told us we needed about 8 points to clinch it and we said, ‘How about 18?’” recounted Teare.
The 3000, though, came near the end of a hard few days for the Oregon stars. Both had run on the meet record distance medley. And Hocker had broken the MR for the mile just an hour before he lined up for this 15-lap contest.
At the start their Arkansas rivals Gilbert Boit and Amon Kemboi went to the fore and tried to keep the proceedings slow. The Ducks weren’t having any of that. Teare went around them fast and set out to control the pace from that point on. Hocker caught up and slipped in behind him at 500.
Through the 1000 in 2:38.75, Teare maintained a steady clip with Hocker a step behind. Mississippi’s Mario García Romo and Kemboi stayed closest. Little changed over the middle kilometer of 2:39.55 (5:18.30 for 2K). Then 100m later, Virginia Tech’s Antonio Lopez Segura made a big move into the lead.
With 3 to go the field bunched. A half lap later Teare went for it. Both Romo and Kemboi covered his move and with 2 left Romo challenged for the lead. Teare held on and led at the bell. Hocker moved into 2nd with 150 left. A few strides later, an Oregon 1-2 looked assured. On the final turn, tired legs be damned, Hocker went after Teare, catching him before the line and taking the win, 7:46.15–7:46.23.
Said Teare, who was all smiles after getting pipped, “I just went for it. I gave all I had. I knew Cole had amazing finishing speed. I did all I could to hold him off.”
“Getting the result I wanted in the mile took off a lot of pressure,” explained Hocker, who had churned the final lap in 25.49. “I made Cooper do most of the dirty work.” /Jeff Hollobaugh/
NCAA MEN’S 3000 RESULTS
(March 13)
1. **Cole Hocker (Or) 7:46.15 PR (8, x AmC)
(31.95, 33.37 [65.32], 30.82 [1:36.14], 31.24 [2:07.38], 31.58 [2:38.96], 31.67 [3:10.63], 31.70 [3:42.33], 31.91 [4:14.24], 32.28 [4:46.52], 32.01 [5:18.53], 31.52 [5:50.05], 31.34 [6:21.39], 30.54 [6:51.93], 28.73 [7:20.66], 25.49)
(25.49, 54.22, 1:56.10);
2. Cooper Teare (Or) 7:46.23
(26.07, 54.49, 1:56.40);
3. **Mario García Romo’ (Ms-Spa) 7:48.59
(28.10, 56.78, 1:58.32);
4. Amon Kemboi’ (Ar-Ken) 7:50.54
(29.56, 58.52, 2:00.15);
5. Alec Basten (Mn) 7:52.05 PR
(29.86, 59.55, 2:00.03);
6. *Ahmed Jaziri’ (EnKy-Tur) 7:53.19 PR
(29.99, 60.42, 2:02.36);
7. *Baldvin Magnússon’ (EnMi-Ice) 7:53.72 PR
(31.95, 61.59, 2:03.12);;
8. *Cameron Ponder (Furm) 7:54.56 PR
(30.93, 62.23, 2:03.37);
9. *Antonio Lopez Segura’ (VaT-Spa) 7:55.87 PR;
10. Colton Johnsen (WaSt) 7:57.38;
11. Gilbert Boit’ (Ar-Ken) 7:57.90;
12. **Tom Brady (Mi) 7:57.92 PR;
13. Andrew Kent (GaT) 7:58.34;
14. **Benjamin Nibbelink (VaT) 7:59.74;
15. Waleed Suliman (Ms) 8:02.31;
16. **Ben Fleming (VaT) 8:08.12.
60 Hurdles: Damion Thomas (LSU)
Trey Cunningham of Florida State came in as the event’s yearly leader at 7.55. He improved on that by 0.02 in the final, but that ended up good for only 3rd as half of the 8-man field scored PRs.
One of those was LSU’s Jamaican senior Damion Thomas, who was clearly on a roll. Coming into the year with a lifetime best of 7.66, he had won the SEC with a PR 7.60, then led the heats here with another, 7.56.
In the final, it was Thomas’s teammate Eric Edwards who broke best, his reaction time being a rare 0.100, right on the limit. He led over the first hurdle, but then the field began to bunch. At halfway only 0.02 separated the first four: Edwards and Iowa’s Jamal Britt were at 4.23, Cunningham at 4.24 and Thomas at 4.25.
The two LSU runners were going in opposite directions, however, as Thomas had the race’s fastest second half as his PR 7.51 inched him across the line ahead of Britt’s 7.52 PR and Cunningham’s 7.53. Both Thomas and Britt claimed spots in the all-time collegiate top 10, Thomas at =No. 7, Britt at =No. 10.
“The race was a blur to me,” said Thomas. “Honestly, that might have been one of the best starts of my career. I usually take a bit longer to get going, but I came out smooth and everything clicked. I cleared a few hurdles and then did my best to get to the finishline. It took a bit for them to get the results sorted, so those were anxious moments, but when I saw my name pop up first it felt unbelievable.” /Garry Hill/
NCAA MEN’S 60H RESULTS
FINAL (March 13)
1. Damion Thomas’ (LSU-Jam) 7.51 PR (CL) (=7, x C) (4.25/3.27);
2. *Jamal Britt (Ia) 7.52 PR (AmCL) (=10, x C; =7, x AmC) (4.23/3.29);
3. Trey Cunningham (FlSt) 7.53 (4.24/3.29);
4. **Phillip Lemonious’ (Ar-Jam) 7.54 PR (4.26/3.28);
5. *Eric Edwards (LSU) 7.58 PR (4.23/3.35);
6. **Filip Demšar’ (SC-Slo) 7.74 (4.33/3.41);
7. *Jesse Henderson (MsSt) 7.77 (4.37/3.40);
8. *Tre’Bien Gilbert (Ar) 7.79 (4.38/3.41).
HEATS (March 12)
I–1. Thomas’ 7.56 PR; 2. Britt 7.58 PR; 3. Lemonious’ 7.60 PR; 4. Gilbert 7.73; 5. Demsar’ 7.74 PR; 6. *Rasheem Brown’ (NCAT-Cay) 7.76 PR; 7. **Brithton Senior’ (SD-Jam) 7.79; 8. Sam Brixey (WaSt) 7.79. II–1. Cunningham 7.57; 2. Henderson 7.66 PR; 3. Edwards 7.70; 4. Kentre Patterson (AzSt) 7.81; 5. *Giano Roberts (Clem) 7.83; 6. **Sincere Rhea (PennSt) 7.99; 7. *Joseph Holthusen (Wich) 8.31;… dnf—***Jamar Marshall (AzSt).
4 x 400 Relay: North Carolina A&T
As it turned out, Georgia had the fastest leadoff and anchor legs, but only ended up 4th when its middle two legs weren’t strong enough.
The Bulldogs had the worst lane assignment, 3, in the last of three sections, but that didn’t hamper Matthew Boling in the slightest. Looking every bit the 200 winner that he was, the Georgia star was ahead at the break and never let up, scorching his two laps in 45.28. North Carolina A&T also opened with an individual star, 400 runner-up Randolph Ross bringing his squad to the handoff in 2nd with his 45.68.
The second leg was a thriller, with Kentucky and A&T touching off a 100th ahead of Georgia. The Wildcats had received a brilliant carry from Lance Lang, who came from a second and a half down with his 44.94 to hand off just ahead.
Georgia’s hopes evaporated on the third carry when 100/200 specialist Delany Dunkly could muster only a 48.91. Up front, meanwhile, top-seeded Tennessee had received a 45.80 from Emmanuel to be 0.03 up on Kentucky, which in turn led A&T by 0.16.
The anchor saw A&T’s Trevor Stewart slip by Kentucky’s Dwight St. Hilaire at the halfway point, then target Tennessee’s Jonathan Sacoor. Stewart blazed the backstretch and pulled in front to stay with a half lap to go to bring the Aggies home in a world-leading 3:03.16 with his 44.67. In the last 20m, St. Hilaire (45.28) passed Sacoor (45.81) as Kentucky (school record 3:03.61) and Tennessee (3:04.10) took 2nd and 3rd.
Pretty much ignored as the 3-way battle for first was playing out, Georgia’s Elija Godwin was unleashing the best carry of the day, a brilliant 44.21.
Said A&T anchor Stewart, “People are always going to discredit us no matter what we do. It boils down to we’re an HBCU. We’re not supposed to be doing this. It almost forces us to do it bigger and better. But we’re fine with that. It makes us better people, and it prepares us for life after college. Bigger and better is what the world is going to expect from us too.” /Garry Hill/
NCAA MEN’S 4×4 RESULTS
(March 13; 3-section time final)
1. North Carolina A&T;
2. Kentucky;
3. Tennessee;
4. Georgia;
5. Florida;
6. Arkansas;
7. Texas A&M;
8. Texas;
9. Alabama;
10. LSU;
11. Ohio State;
…dnc—Virginia Tech.
Sections: I–1. Texas 3:07.71
(Maas 47.06, Jones’ 45.71, Harris 48.87, Wright 46.07);
2. LSU 3:08.49
(Williams 45.88, Camel 47.33, Lewis 48.82, Burrell 46.46);
3. Ohio State 3:08.83
(James 47.26, Johnson 45.54, Hayes 46.79, Cooper 49.24);… dnc—Virginia Tech.
II–1. Florida 3:06.31
(Willie 45.88, Davis 46.49, Villaman’ 46.78, Sawyers’ 47.16);
2. Arkansas 3:06.35
(Farr 47.56, Brown 46.88, Schwartz 46.27, Milholen 45.64);
3. Texas A&M 3:06.77
(Deadmon 45.98, Smith 46.82, Etiwe’ 46.76, Mpoke’ 47.21);
4. Alabama 3:08.25
(Serrano’ 47.34, Allison 46.91, St. Clair 46.60, Martin 47.40).
III–1. North Carolina A&T 3:03.16 (WL, AL, CL) (#5 school)
(Randolph Ross 45.68, Daniel Stokes 46.04, Elijah Young 46.77, Trevor Stewart 44.67);
2. Kentucky 3:03.61 (#7 school)
(Jacob Smith 46.79, Lance Lang 44.93, Kenroy Williams 46.61, Dwight St. Hillaire’ 45.28);
3. Tennessee 3:04.10
(Sebastian Cooper 47.72, Christopher Bailey’ 44.79, Emmanuel Bynum 45.79, Jonathan Sacoor’ 45.80);
4. Georgia 3:04.84
(Boling 45.28, Cavanaugh 46.45, Dunkley’ 48.91, Godwin 44.20).
Pole Vault: KC Lightfoot (Baylor)
Shawn Barber’s 6-year-old meet record fell as KC Lightfoot authored a 19-5½ (5.93) clearance to cap off a second successive undefeated indoor season (one which had featured three raisings of the CR coming in). His last loss to a collegian had come as a frosh when he was 4th at the ’19 NCAA Outdoor. But this event was not without peril for the Baylor junior, as he jeopardized his winning chances with two misses at 19-¼ (5.80).
The three top seeds, Lightfoot, BYU’s Zach McWhorter and Zach Bradford of Kansas, were the only vaulters to pass the opening height. Lightfoot’s first-attempt clearance at 17-8½ (5.40) put him in a 3-way tie for 1st, after which he passed his next two heights, returning at 18-4½ (5.60).
Only 6 jumpers remained, with Bradford the first in the order. He cleared on first attempt, with Lightfoot and McWhorter also needing just one, joined only by South Dakota’s Estonian frosh Eerik Haamer, who cleared on his third. At this point Lightfoot’s clean card had him in the lead, with McWhorter and Bradford each showing a previous miss.
The four remaining vaulters passed the next height, opting for the bar to move to 18-8¼ (5.70). Bradford and Lightfoot again cleared on first go, but McWhorter needed a pair. At 18-10¼ (5.75) Lightfoot had another first-jump clearance, with McWhorter needing two, and Bradford going out.
The next height, 18-10¼ (5.80), was the moment of peril for Lightfoot. He and McWhorter each missed once, and when Lightfoot missed again followed by a McWhorter clearance, the pressure was on. Lightfoot put together the jump he needed, saying later, “I’ve had some third-attempts before, so I’m getting better at dealing with them.”
A first attempt clearance for Lightfoot at 19-2¼ (5.85) was enough for the win when McWhorter missed three times. Lightfoot then broke Mondo Duplantis’s arena record with a second jump at 19-5½ (5.93) before missing three times at a Collegiate Record 19-9 (6.02), 2cm above the mark he himself owns.
Looking forward to new venues, Lightfoot said, “I feel good for outdoors.” /Dave Johnson/
NCAA MEN’S POLE VAULT RESULTS
(March 13)
1. *KC Lightfoot (Bay) 19-5½ (5.93) (x, =11 A; x, =4 C) (in/out: x, =8 C; x, =6 AmC) (MR);
2. **Zach McWhorter (BYU) 19-¼ (5.80) PR (=8, x C; =6, x AmC; in/out: =9, x AmC);
3. *Zach Bradford (Ks) 18-8¼ (5.70);
4. ***Eerik Haamer’ (SD-Est) 18-4½ (5.60);
5. Ethan Bray (SD) 18-½ (5.50);
6. *Caleb Witsken (BYU) 18-½ (5.50);
7. Clayton Fritsch (SHous) 18-½ (5.50);
8. ***Hunter Garretson (Akr) 17-8½ (5.40);
9. **Nathan Stone (In) 17-8½ (5.40);
10. Trent Francom (SDSt) 17-4½ (5.30);
11. ***Kyle Rademeyer’ (SAl-SA) 17-4½ (5.30);
=12. Etamar Bhastekar’ (Ar-Isr) 17-4½ (5.30);
=12. Greg Skage (AF) 17-4½ (5.30);
… nh—*James Courson (Aub), *Branson Ellis (SFA), Mitch Lipe (AF).
| 17-4½ | 17-8½ | 18-½ | 18-2½ | 18-4½ | 18-6½ | 18-8¼ | 18-10¼ | 19-¼ | 19-2¼ | 19-5½ | 19-9 | |
| Rademeyer | xo | xxx | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bradford | — | — | xo | — | o | — | o | xxx | — | — | — | — |
| Haamer | o | o | o | xxo | xxo | — | xxx | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ellis | xxx | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stone | o | xxo | xxx | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lipe | xxx | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Garretson | xxo | o | xxx | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Courson | xxx | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fritsch | o | xxo | xxo | — | xxx | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Skage | xxo | xxx | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Witsken | o | xxo | xo | xxx | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lightfoot | — | o | — | — | o | — | o | o | xxo | o | xo | xxx |
| Mcwhorter | — | xo | o | — | o | — | xo | xo | xo | xxx | — | — |
| Bray | o | o | o | — | xxx | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Francom | o | xxx | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bhastekar | xxo | xxx | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5.30 | 5.40 | 5.50 | 5.55 | 5.60 | 5.65 | 5.70 | 5.75 | 5.80 | 5.85 | 5.93 | 6.02 |
Triple Jump: Emmanuel Ihemeje (Oregon)
Nigerian-turned-Italian Emmanuel Ihemeje produced one of the biggest surprises of the meet with his PR 56-7½ (17.26), which made him the =No. 7 collegian ever indoors. The No. 6-seeded Oregon frosh had entered the meet with a PR 53-10¼ (16.41) set 6 weeks earlier, then improved by leaps and bounds here to 54-0 (16.65), 54-7½ (16.65) and finally to 56-7½.
The top three seeds, Carey McLeod of Tennessee, TCU’s Du Mapaya and Alabama’s Christian Edwards appeared to have early difficulties with the runway, taking several jumps to get near their best form. At the end of the first round, Mapaya led at 53-1 (16.18), with Ihemeje standing 9th after a poor first jump of 44-5¼ (13.54).
As the fifth jumper in round 2 Ihemeje popped his first PR (54-0/16.65) to move into 1st, but was dropped to 2nd later in the round when McLeod reached 54-8¾ (16.68). Mapaya stood 3rd at the end of the sequence with a jump of 53-11¾ (16.45).
On his third jump, Ihemeje regained the lead with his 54-7½ (16.65). Edwards moved into 3rd with a 54-6 (16.61) before McLeod came within a centimeter of the leader with a 54-7¼ (16.64).
With the reordering of the field for the final three rounds, Mapaya was the first jumper up among the four leaders. He moved from 4th to the lead with his best for the day, a PR 55-7½ (16.95). McLeod pressed him closely with a 55-6½ (16.93) to move to 2nd, dropping Ihemeje to 3rd. Ihemeje’s response was quick and decisive, his 56-7½ jump regaining the lead for good and putting him a foot up on Mapaya.
Ihemeje had iced the field so effectively that only he was able to summon another 55-foot jump, reaching 55-11¾ (17.06) on his final jump after a round 5 foul. /Dave Johnson/
NCAA MEN’S TRIPLE JUMP RESULTS
(March 13)
1. ***Emmanuel Ihemeje’ (Or-Ita) 56-7½ (17.26) PR (CL) (=7, =7 C) (in/out: =9, x C)
(44-5¼, 54-0 PR, 54-7½ PR, 56-7½ PR, p, 55-11¾) (13.54, 16.46, 16.65, 17.26, p, 17.06);
2. Du Mapaya’ (TCU-Zim) 55-7½ (16.95) PR
(53-1, 53-11¾, 52-11½, 55-7½, 54-3¾, 54-1) (16.18, 16.45, 16.14, 16.95, 16.55, 16.48);
3. *Carey McLeod’ (Tn-Jam) 55-6½ (16.93)
(51-0, 54-8¾, 54-7¼, 55-6½, 54-2, 53-4½) (15.54, 16.68, 16.64, 16.93, 16.51, 16.27);
4. *Christian Edwards (Al) 54-6 (16.61)
(52-8¾, 53-3¾, 54-6, 54-½, 53-3½, 53-10½) (16.07, 16.25, 16.61, 16.47, 16.24, 16.42);
5. ***Sean Dixon-Bodie (LSU) 54-5¼ (16.59) PR
(f, f, 53-8½, 52-7¼, 51-6½, 54-5¼) (f, f, 16.37, 16.03, 15.71, 16.59);
6. **Owayne Owens’ (Va-Jam) 54-2¾ (16.53) PR
(51-8¼, 52-9½, 53-5¾, f, 53-1, 54-2¾) (15.75, 16.09, 16.30, f, 16.18, 16.53);
7. Tamar Greene’ (Pur-Bah) 53-5 (16.28) PR;
8. **Georgi Nachev’ (Mo-Bul) 53-1¾ (16.20) PR;
9. **Clarence Foote-Talley (OhSt) 53-1 (16.18);
10. Jalen Seals (TxT) 52-8¼ (16.06);
11. Tejaswin Shankar’ (KsSt-Ind) 52-4¾ (15.97);
12. *Chris Welch (HousB) 52-2 (15.90);
13. Jalen Tate (Tn) 49-7¾ (15.13);
14. *Jonathan Miller’ (Fl-Bar) 49-7 (15.11);
… dnc—*Papay Glaywulu (Nb), ***Malcolm Clemons (Fl). □