JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA & COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, May 26-29 — All too often in the history of the NCAA’s Regionals setup (or “preliminaries” as the official designation goes) there have been long days with little to write home about as the top 12 individual performers from each event in the two regions earn NCAA Championships spots.
This year’s edition, however, had many sparkling highlights, none of them moreso than the single lap of the track put together by scintillating Athing Mu. The Texas A&M frosh, who is widely expected to tackle the 800 — the event in which she set a Collegiate Record 1:57.73 on April 17 — at the Olympic Trials, went for the 400 here. The result was the same: not only a CR, but also an AJR for the young talent, who will turn 19 on June 08.
Her 49.68 bettered the CR of 49.71 set by Courtney Okolo of Texas in ’16 and her own AJR of 49.84 from May 15. Only 3 other Juniors have bettered the mark internationally.
Yearly world-leading times went to both the 4×4 winners, North Carolina A&T’s 2:59.21 and A&M’s 3:25.84 (anchored by Mu in 50.07. The A&T bunch, finished off by Trevor Stewart’s brilliant 43.69, produced the No. 3 time in collegiate history, missing the CR by just 0.21.
In addition to Mu’s mark and the 4x4s, new yearly collegiate-leading performances were produced in the men’s 400H (LSU’s Sean Burrell at 48.86, then Oklahoma’s Isaiah Levingston at 48.58) & JT (Mississippi State’s Sindri Gudmundsson at 261‑11/79.83) and the women’s 100 (USC’s TeeTee Terry at 10.89), 200 (Alabama’s Tamara Clark at 22.13) & 100H (LSU’s Tonea Marshall at 12.44).
REGIONALS WINNERS
(*** = frosh; ** = soph; * = junior; all others are seniors; ‘ = not ineligible for U.S. national teams)
East Men
100: **JoVaughn Martin (FlSt) 9.97w. 200: *Terrance Laird (LSU) 19.94w. 400: Trevor Stewart (NCAT) 44.59. 800: **Finley McLear’ (M/O-GB) 1:46.87. 1500: ***Eliud Kipsang’ (Al-Ken) 3:35.49 (6, 6 C). St: Kigen Chemadi’ (MTn-Ken) 8:37.93. 5000: *Morgan Beadlescomb (MiSt) 13:40.43. 10,000: *Alex Masai’ (Hof-Ken) 28:29.97. 110H: Robert Dunning (Al) 13.24. 400H: ***Sean Burrell (LSU) 48.86 (CL) (9, x AJ). 4×1: North Carolina A&T 38.54 (Akeem Sirleaf’, Randolph Ross, Daniel Stokes, Javonte Harding). 4×4: North Carolina A&T 2:59.21 (WL, CL) (3 C; #3 school) (Stokes, Ross, Sirleaf’ 45.64, Stewart 43.69);
HJ: 8 cleared 7-2¼(2.19), including *JuVaughn Harrison (LSU). PV: 3 cleared 17-6½ (5.35). LJ: Harrison 26-8½ (8.14). TJ: R’Lazon Brumfield (TnSt) 53-11¼ (16.44). SP: Andrew Liskowitz (Mi) 66-6½ (20.28). DT: ***Francois Prinsloo’ (SAl-SA) 216-0 (65.85). HT: Thomas Mardal’ (Fl-Nor) 233-10 (71.29). JT: Sindri Gudmundsson’ (MsSt-Ice) 261-11 (79.83) (CL).
West Men
100: ***Micah Williams (Or) 10.00. 200: ***Shaun Maswanganyi’ (Hous-SA) 20.19. 400: Bryce Deadmon (TxAM) 44.57. 800: ***Brandon Miller (TxAM) 1:45.57 (5, 6 AJ). 1500: ***Cole Hocker (Or) 3:38.29. St: *Bennett Pascoe (ArSt) 8:37.45. 5000: **Wesley Kiptoo’ (IaSt-Ken) 13:42.70. 10,000: Kiptoo’ 28:50.11. 110H: Jaylan McConico (Ia) 13.41. 400H: *Isaiah Levingston (Ok) 48.58 (CL). 4×1: Texas A&M 38.93 (Emmanuel Yeboah’, Devon Achane, Lance Broome, Jace Comick). 4×4: USC 3:02.85 (Nicholas Ramey, Brian Herron, Cameron Samuel, Isaiah Jewett).
HJ: 11 cleared 7-2¼ (2.19). PV: 11 cleared 17-10½ (5.45). LJ: *Rayvon Allen (Ok) 26-8¼w (8.13). TJ: ***Emmanuel Ihemeje’ (Or-Ita) 55-8½ (16.98). SP: **Turner Washington (AzSt) 68-½ (20.74). DT: Washington 212-10 (64.87). HT: Gleb Dudarev’ (Ks-Blr) 234-8 (71.53). JT: Logan Wolfley (KsSt) 237-6 (72.40).
East Women
100: **Cambrea Sturgis (NCAT) 10.92 (=5, =7 C). 200: *Tamara Clark (Al) 22.13 (CL) (4, 4 C) [also ***Favour Ofili’ (LSU-Ngr) 22.30—4, 8 WJ]. 400: Natassha McDonald’ (Al-Can) 51.03. 800: Michaela Meyer (Va) 2:00.40 (9, x C; 7, x AmC). 1500: ***Amaris Tyynismaa (Al) 4:09.48. St: Gabrielle Jennings (Furm) 9:40.53. 5000: **Mercy Chelangat’ (Al-Ken) 15:45.59. 10,000: Chelangat 33:06.83. 100H: Tonea Marshall (LSU) 12.44 (AL, CL) (. =13, x A; 4, 4 C; 2, 2 AmC) [in heats, Marshall 12.49w (a-c CL) (a-c: 6, 8 C; 4, 6 AmC)]. 400H: Andrenette Knight’ (Va-Jam) 56.07. 4×1: LSU 42.63 (Marshall, Ofili’, Symone Mason, Thelma Davies). 4×4: LSU 3:28.84 (Mason, Amber Anning’, Milan Young 53.66, Ofili’ 51.62).
HJ: 9 cleared 5-11½ (1.82). PV: 7 cleared 14-0 (4.27). LJ: ***Claire Bryant (Fl) 21-9½ (6.64). TJ: ***Rūta Lasmane’ (FlSt-Lat) 46-5¼w (14.15). SP: *Adelaide Aquilla (OhSt) 60-11½ (18.58). DT: Shanice Love’ (FlSt-Jam) 200-10 (61.22). HT: Autavia Fluker (SAl) 229-9 (70.02). JT: Kylee Carter (Aub) 183-9 (56.01).
West Women
100: TeeTee Terry (USC) 10.89 (CL) (4, 4 C). 200: Terry 22.54. 400: ***Athing Mu (TxAM) 49.68 CR, AJR (AL). 800: *Aaliyah Miller (Bay) 2:02.13. 1500: *Julia Heymach (Stan) 4:09.89. St: *Courtney Wayment (BYU) 9:42.02. 5000: Heymach 15:55.72. 10,000: ***Grace Forbes (Rice) 33:28.47. 100H: ***Ackera Nugent’ (Bay-Jam) 12.76 (4, 4 WJ) [in heats, Nugent 12.63w (a-c: 1, 1 WJ). 400H: Anna Cockrell (USC) 56.47. 4×1: USC 42.88 (Jasmine Jones, Angie Annelus, Lanae-Tava Thomas, Terry). 4×4: Texas A&M 3:25.84 (WL, CL) (Tierra Robinson-Jones, Charokee Young’, Jaevin Reed 52.19, Mu 50.07).
HJ: 9 cleared 5-11½ (1.82). PV: 8 cleared 14-0 (4.27). LJ: *Tyra Gittens’ (TxAM-Tri) 22-9¾w (6.95) (a-c: x, 10 C). TJ: *Deborah Acquah’ (TxAM-Gha) 45-¼ (13.72). SP: Lagi Tausaga (Ia) 58-11½ (17.97). DT: *Jorinde Van Klinken’ (AzSt-Neth) 211-5 (64.44) [also Tausaga 207-7 (63.28) (AmCL) (8, x AmC)]. HT: *Camryn Rogers’ (Cal-Can) 236-9 (72.16). JT: **Akealy Moton (NDSt) 179-1 (54.58). ◻︎