BRIGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS, March 07-09 — Our coverage of the NCAA Indoor is divided into 4 parts: men’s track & field and women’s track & field.
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Teams — Texas Tech’s First Title
Whereas the Arkansas men came in as defending champs with 14 scoring opportunities including in the 4×4, the formchart suggested that Texas Tech, living by the sprints and hurdles, had the horses to challenge. That Wes Kittley’s Red Raiders did successfully, scoring 50½ to Chris Bucknam’s Razorbacks’ 41 with Florida 3rd at 39.
In winning its first indoor team crown — Kittley’s men won the outdoor title in 2019 — Tech banked 42 points in the 60, 200, 400 and 60 hurdles (plus 3½ in the high jump) before adding 5 more for good measure in the 4×4.
Day 1 concluded with Northern Arizona knotted in the lead with Arkansas at 18 points — 12 to the Lumberjacks from the 5000, 6 scored by weightman Garret Bernt; Arkansas with the LJ winner plus 4 points each from the 5000 and DMR. Oklahoma State, the DMR winner, held 3rd with 13. Florida had 7 points and potential, if all broke the way of Mike Holloway’s Gators, to contend. Tech had zero on the board but powerful possibilities: 3 advancers to the 60, including defending titlist Terrence Jones, who also advanced in the 200, plus No. 1 60H seed Caleb Dean.
Omamujovri Erhire started Tech off in Day 2’s first (non-hept) event, tying for 5th in the HJ. For Arkansas, turned-pro phenom Jaydon Hibbert’s 10 TJ points in ’23 were sorely missed.
In 40 minutes of scoring — led by two Jones dash wins and Dean’s in the hurdles — Tech added that 42-point track haul.
With a cushion of 5½ over the Razorbacks entering the 4×4, even if Arkansas were to win the relay, Tech needed just 4th or better to secure the team title. Fourth in the relay is what Tech got, Arkansas 8th. Florida, too, had a chance with the relay, in which it placed 2nd. A Gator baton win combined with Tech and Arkansas DNFs or DQs could, by the math, have won it by a point. /Sieg Lindstrom/
TEAM SCORES
1. Texas Tech 50½;
2. Arkansas 41;
3. Florida 39;
4. Northern Arizona 31;
5. North Carolina 26;
6. Texas A&M 24; 7. tie, Oklahoma State & USC 23; 9. Iowa 21; 10. Washington 20; 11. Kentucky 18; 12. tie, Nebraska & Virginia Tech 17; 14. Wisconsin 16; 15. tie, Alabama, Florida State, Georgia & Mississippi 14; 19. tie, Texas & Villanova 13; 21. tie, Georgetown & Penn State 12; 23. Iowa State 11; 24. tie, Arizona State, Arkansas State, Harvard, Miami, South Carolina & Stanford 10; 30. tie, Kansas & Penn 9; 32. tie, Arkansas–Pine Bluff, Cal State Northridge & Michigan State 8; 35. New Mexico 7; 36. tie, BYU & Virginia 6; 38. tie, Fairleigh Dickinson, Houston & Illinois 5; 41. tie, Clemson & Wake Forest 4; 43. Southern Mississippi 3½; 44. tie, Indiana, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Rutgers, Southeast Missouri, Syracuse & Tennessee 3; 51. tie, DePaul & Rice 2; 53. tie, Baylor, High Point, LSU, Northeastern, South Dakota & South Florida 1.
60: Terrence Jones (Texas Tech) 6.54
Terrence Jones may have led the dash list coming in with his 6.49, but that didn’t mean he had a lock on the crown. Both teammate Don’dre Swint — the Big 12 champ — and Iowa’s Kalen Walker had sprinted 6.51, and USC’s Travis Williams boasted a 6.52.
The defending champion, a key cog in the Red Raiders title hopes, breezed through the heats with the fastest time, a 6.56. Walker and Williams both had 6.60s, along with Florida soph Wanya McCoy.
Jones drew lane 4 for the final, flanked by Williams (3) and Walker (5). Swint landed in lane 6. What they all had that Jones didn’t was a good start — after 5m he trying to fight his way out of last place, while Swint got out fastest.
Yet Jones produced a mid-race drive that proved to be the envy of the field. He pulled even by halfway, pressed hard by Walker. In the closing strides his margin became apparent from every angle. He crossed in 6.54, not even close to the 6.46 he ran last year in Albuquerque’s altitude. Yet it was more than enough to win at sea-level.
Walker claimed runner-up honors with his 6.59, and Swint topped McCoy by just 0.002 as both were given official 6.60s. That left Williams 5th in 6.64, ahead of the 6.67 by Caleb Dean, who would come back in the hurdles. With Jones, Swint and Dean going 1-3-6, the Red Raiders piled up a welcome 19 points.
Said Jones, “Definitely feeling a lot more confident now, especially now that we have this off our backs… We’ve set the pace for everyone else on this team.”
As for his start, “My reaction was slow and lacked what I wanted. But I can’t be too mad about it because I still won, but definitely some stuff to work on.” /Jeff Hollobaugh/
RESULTS
FINAL (March 09)
1. *Terrence Jones’ (TxT-Bah) 6.54;
2. *Kalen Walker (Ia) 6.59;
3. Don’dre Swint (TxT) 6.60;
4. **Wanya McCoy’ (Fl-Bah) 6.60;
5. *Travis Williams’ (USC-Jam) 6.64;
6. Caleb Dean (TxT) 6.67;
7. Cheickna Traore’ (PennSt-CI) 6.68;
8. *Saminu Abdul-Rasheed’ (SFl-Gha) 6.69.
HEATS (March 08)
I–1. Walker 6.60; 2. Swint 6.61; 3. Dean 6.61; 4. Traore’ 6.61; 5. Abdul-Rasheed’ 6.62; 6. Shaun Maswanganyi’ (Hous-SA) 6.63; 7. **Antoine Andrews’ (TxT-Bah) 6.64; 8. Marcellus Moore (Tx) 6.67.II–1. Jones’ 6.56; 2. Williams’ 6.60; 3. McCoy’ 6.60; 4. **Jordan Anthony (Ar) 6.63; 5. *David Foster (Cal) 6.63; 6. *Shawn Brown (TxT) 6.64; 7. **Justin Braun (USC) 6.70; 8. Cameron Rose (Clem) 6.77.
200: Terrence Jones (Texas Tech) 20.24
While Terence Jones won the 60 last year, he had never even finished a 200 indoors until this season. This time, though, Texas Tech needed every point it could get to challenge Arkansas for the team crown. So Jones, a 19.87 man outdoors, took on the challenge. He led the list of entries with his 20.21 Big 12 win.
Big 10 champ Cheickna Traore of Penn State set the standard in the first section. Running in lane 5, he reeled in Florida’s Robert Gregory (6) on the second turn, emerging with a narrow lead which he held to the finish, 20.30–20.37.
In the second section, Jones found himself in 6, with Alabama’s Tarsis Orogot in 4 and Florida’s SEC champion Wanya McCoy in 5. Jones got out fast, outperforming his stagger on the backstretch. On the final turn, McCoy and Orogot made some headway, then McCoy pulled up. Jones streaked to the line in 20.24 to take the win, with Orogot crossing in 20.46 to finish 4th overall.
The only Red Raider in the final, Jones delivered his 10 points to put his team 5½ ahead of Arkansas going into the 3000. That couldn’t have made him happier.
“Extremely proud,” he described himself. “I had a hiccup at the start, didn’t really compete the way I wanted to. But, to come out here on this stage, when it really matters, put all my effort into it, I’m really proud and grateful to have won.”
Not a big fan of tight indoor turns, Jones, the first successful 60/200 doubler since Houston’s Elijah Hall in ’18, said he seems to be getting the hang of them. “I don’t know what clicked. But I think it did.” /Jeff Hollobaugh/
RESULTS
FINAL (March 09: 2-section time-final)
1. *Terrence Jones’ (TxT-Bah)
2. Cheickna Traore’ (PennSt-CI)
3. Robert Gregory (Fl)
4. *Tarsis Orogot’ (Al-Uga)
5. *Anthony Greenhow (SC)
6. Lance Lang (Ar)
7. **Wanya McCoy’ (Fl-Bah)
…dq—*Cameron Miller (Pur).
Sections:
I–1. Traore’ 20.30; 2. Gregory 20.37; 3. Greenhow 20.84;… dq—Miller.
II–1. Jones’ 20.23; 2. Orogot’ 20.46; 3. Lang 20.95; 4. McCoy’ 25.60.
HEATS (March 08)
I–1. Miller 20.54; 2. *Shawn Brown (TxT) 20.75; 3. Kennedy Lightner (Ky) 20.92; 4. *Laurenz Colbert (Bay) 21.45.
II–1. Gregory 20.51; 2. Greenhow 20.73; 3. Dominick Yancy (TxSt) 20.80; 4. Shaun Maswanganyi’ (Hous-SA) 20.87.
III–1. Jones’ 20.34; 2. Orogot’ 20.52; 3. Lang 20.57; 4. Javonte Harding (Tn) 20.81.
IV–1. McCoy’ 20.34; 2. Traore’ 20.38; 3. *Shevioe Reid’ (SFl-Jam) 20.81; 4. Demar Francis’ (Bay-Jam) 21.06.
400: Christopher Morales Williams (Georgia) 44:67
All eyes would be on Georgia’s Christopher Morales Williams to see if he could better his 44.49 performance from the SEC Championships and put to bed the starting blocks fubar that had followed.
It would be no walk in the park for the Canadian soph, as he was only the fourth-fastest qualifier at 45.88 after USC’s William Jones (45.40), Virginia Tech’s Judson Lincoln (45.72) and Texas A&M’s Auhmad Robinson (45.85).
Last year’s champion, Elija Godwin of Georgia, came out of section 1, so Morales Williams was hoping to replicate his former teammate’s achievement. Robinson would line up in 5, Morales Williams on his outside in 6, Baylor’s Nathaniel Ezekiel in 3 and Florida’s JeVaughn Powell, the sole senior in the final, in 4.
Morales Williams charged to the front and came off the break leading Robinson 21.00–21.25 at 200. Morales Williams knew Robinson was a danger, so he worked his arms as they came off the final turn and held on to win 44.67–44.91 with Powell 3rd in 45.59.
In section 2, Jones would start in 5, with Lincoln in 6, Texas Tech’s Shaemar Uter 3 and Texas’s Brian Herron 4.
Jones appeared to stumble coming out of the blocks and could not get it going to lead at the break. Uter would pass 200 in 21.06 followed by Jones, Lincoln and Herron.
Down the final straight Uter faltered and was passed by Lincoln and Jones who would finish in 45.57 and 45.78.
The final placings were Morales Williams, Robinson and Lincoln by 0.02 over Powell.
An appreciative Morales Williams said, “I just thought about coming out, win the 200 just like I did at SECs and I just tried to do the same thing. I didn’t want to change anything up, just run the same way.
When asked what this 44.6 felt like compared to 44.4, he said, “It felt good, it felt like I was in suede. I definitely was tired from yesterday, but I mean overall, it feels good that I can do it consistently and knowing that I’ll be this strong going into the outdoor season. It was amazing.” /Brian Russell/
RESULTS
(March 09: 2-section time-final)
1. **Christopher Morales Williams’ (Ga-Can)
2. *Auhmad Robinson (TxAM)
3. **Judson Lincoln (VaT)
4. JeVaughn Powell’ (Fl-Jam)
5. **William Jones (USC)
6. **Shaemar Uter’ (TxT-Jam)
7. *Brian Herron (Tx)
8. *Nathaniel Ezekiel’ (Bay-Ngr).
Sections:
I–1. Morales Williams’ 44.67 (x, 6 W; x, 4 C) (21.00/23.67); 2. Robinson 44.91 PR (8, 10 A; 10, 10 C) (21.25/23.66);
3. Powell’ 45.59 (21.43/24.16); 4. Ezekiel’ 46.32 (21.87/24.45).
II–1. Lincoln 45.57 (21.45/24.12); 2. Jones 45.78 (21.15/24.63); 3. Uter’ 45.94 (21.06/24.88); 4. Herron (Tx) 46.01 (21.18/24.83).
HEATS (March 08)
I–1. Jones 45.40 PR; 2. Powell’ 46.05; 3. Chris Robinson (Al) 46.16; 4. D’Andre Anderson (Clem) 46.35.
II–1. Herron 45.97; 2. Dubem Amene’ (Mi-Ngr) 46.39; 3. *Michael Joseph’ (Ks-StL) 46.47;… dq—Khaleb McRae (Al).
III–1. Morales Williams’ 45.88; 2. Uter’ 46.09; 3. Ezekiel’ 46.14; 4. *Justin Robinson (AzSt) 47.10.
IV–1. Lincoln 45.72; 2. A. Robinson 45.85; 3. Eugene Omalla’ (KsSt-Uga) 46.37; 4. Dominick Yancy (TxSt) 46.62.
800: Rivaldo Marshall (Iowa) 1:46.96
A competitive 800 was anticipated as the 8 finalists all had season’s bests within 0.65 of each other. A a lot of the race’s luster left the building after the heats, however, when defending champion and yearly list leader Yusuf Bizimana of Texas and Washington’s Nathan Green (list No. 2 albeit on an oversized track) failed to qualify.
All that did was open the door for the rest, as Wisconsin’s Abdullahi Hassan, Iowa State’s Darius Kipyego, Penn State’s Handal Roban, Iowa’s Rivaldo Marshall, Villanova’s Sean Dolan, Virginia Tech’s Nicholas Plant, Clemson’s Tarees Rhoden and Iowa State’s Finley McLear, the ’21 runner-up while competing for Miami of Ohio, were ready to clash and crown a new champion.
At the gun, Rhoden led the field through the opening furlong in 25.10 followed by Marshall, Dolan, Hassan, et al. At 400, much remained the same as Rhoden stayed in front at 52.14 with the others bunched and angling for position.
After a 26.78 third 200, Hassan found himself side-by-side with Dolan and a step ahead of Marshall as Hassan began to fade.
Down the backstretch, Dolan was pressing, trying to build a gap, but Marshall did not shrink. He stayed on Dolan’s shoulder and passed as they entered the straight for a 1:46.96–1:47.61 victory. But the best finish belonged to McLear, whose 27.31 final circuit moved him into 3rd as he finished in 1:47.68, ahead of Plant by 0.07.
When asked how he felt on his last lap, Marshall succinctly summed it up, saying, “I told myself, ‘Once it’s the last lap, no one’s beating me from there on.’ You know I trained myself to go hard the last lap, so that’s about it.” /Brian Russell/
RESULTS
FINAL (March 09)
1. *Rivaldo Marshall’ (Ia-Jam) 1:46.96 (25.17, 27.23 [52.40], 27.03 [1:19.42], 27.54) (52.40/54.56);
2. Sean Dolan (Vill) 1:47.61 (25.36, 26.97 [52.23], 27.16 [1:19.38], 28.23) (52.23/55.38);
3. Finley McLear’ (IaSt-GB) 1:47.68 (25.57, 27.36 [52.93], 27.46 [2:20.38], 27.31) (52.93/54.75);
4. **Nicholas Plant (VaT) 1:47.75 (52.51/55.24);
5. Tarees Rhoden’ (Clem-Jam) 1:47.79 (52.14/55.65);
6. *Darius Kipyego (IaSt) 1:47.99 (52.70/55.29);
7. **Handal Roban’ (PennSt-StV) 1:48.16 (53.02/55.14);
8. *Abdullahi Hassan’ (Wi-Can) 1:50.78 (52.60/58.18).
HEATS (March 08)
I–1. Marshall’ 1:47.21; 2. Plant 1:47.26; 3. McLear’ 1:47.49; 4. Roban’ 1:47.55; 5. Hassan’ 1:47.70; 6. **Nathan Green (Wa) 1:48.38; 7. **Carter Fitzgerald (PennSt) 1:49.99;… dnf—*Conor Murphy (Va).
II–1. Dolan 1:47.57; 2. Rhoden’ 1:47.66; 3. Kipyego 1:47.67; 4. ***Tinoda Matsatsa (Gtn) 1:47.81; 5. Yusuf Bizimana’ (Tx-GB) 1:47.87; 6. *Sam Austin (Fl) 1:49.08; 7. *Cole Lindhorst (Tx) 1:52.07; 8. ***Leo Davis (Hamp) 1:52.98.
Mile: Luke Houser (Washington) 4:01.72
The 10-man field bunched together throughout the final, with everyone still in range to win with a lap to go. Defending champion Luke Houser of Washington, a senior, presided over the sometimes chaotic parade, which an announcer compared to roller derby, from the front. He took over the lead halfway through and, despite numerous coup attempts, held his inside position and broke the tape first once again.
“I took the lead early because I knew positioning is so important,” Houser said. “I was getting challenged every lap, someone was coming up on my shoulder, but [I was] just able to fight them off.”
Foremost among his challengers was Wisconsin junior Adam Spencer, who led the first three laps before Houser leapfrogged him for good halfway through Lap 4. A late surge moved Spencer back into 2nd, a half-stride behind Houser. BYU’s Lucas Bons finished 3rd. The Cougar junior was initially DQed, apparently for a chain-reaction bumping incident that tumbled Virginia soph Gary Martin to the track on the last turn.
Houser’s winning time of 4:01.72 was a tick faster than his mark last year, although far off his 3:51.73 personal best. The tactical race saw them pass 809 meters, roughly halfway, in just 2:08. Houser turned on the afterburners, with each of the last four laps successively faster: 30.19, 28.97, 27.46, 26.82.
Houser, who finished a disappointing 10th in the Outdoor 1500 last year, focused on repeating as Indoor titlist.
“I knew what it took to win,” he said. “Every day I showed up to practice with that champion mentality, and put in the work all year to get to this point.” /Dan Simmons/
RESULTS
(March 09)
1. Luke Houser (Wa) 4:01.72
(26.81, 54.27, 1:53.42);
2. *Adam Spencer’ (Wi-Aus) 4:01.92
(26.83, 54.38, 1:53.45);
3. *Lucas Bons (BYU) 4:02.12
(26.89, 54.45, 1:53.18);
4. *Ethan Strand (NC) 4:02.44
(27.51, 54.93, 1:53.32);
5. *Abel Teffra (Gtn) 4:02.57
(26.86, 54.40, 1:53.31);
6. **Colin Sahlman (NnAz) 4:02.57
(27.42, 54.94, 1:53.38);
7. ***Parvej Khan’ (Fl-Ind) 4:03.05; 8. *Joe Waskom (Wa) 4:03.26; 9. Nick Foster (Mi) 4:05.32; 10. **Gary Martin (Va) 4:12.44 (fell).
HEATS (March 08)
I–1. Spencer’ 3:57.08; 2. Waskom 3:57.13; 3. Khan’ 3:57.13; 4. Martin 3:57.29; 5. Strand 3:57.73; 6. Foster 3:57.85; 7. *Steven Jackson (BC) 4:10.97;… dnf—*Anass Essayi (SC).
II–1. Bons 3:58.60; 2. Houser 3:58.62; 3. Sahlman 3:58.73; 4. Teffra 3:58.77; 5. *Aidan Troutner (BYU) 3:59.07; 6. **Isaiah Labra (SnUt) 4:00.67; 7. Isaac Basten (Drake) 4:10.87; 8. *Carson Williams (Furm) 4:20.88.
3000: Nico Young (Northern Arizona) 7:41.01 MR
With an overwhelming win in the previous night’s 5000, Northern Arizona’s Nico Young stamped himself as the favorite in the 15-lapper. Sure, he’d be tired from his previous race, but he wouldn’t be alone. Of the 16 starters, 11 had already raced, including his biggest challengers, Kai Robinson of Stanford, Parker Wolfe of North Carolina and Luke Houser of Washington.
The race started slowly, Houser leading past 400 in 66.68. Oklahoma State’s Alex Maier gave it an injection of speed, covering the next 400 in 61.62. Then Maier’s teammate Ryan Schoppe took over. He had anchored the winning Cowboy DMR the previous night, but he still showed plenty of giddyap here, taking the field through 1600 in 4:12.99 and 3K in 5:15.52. Behind him, Young sat poised and ready to go, with a pair of frosh shadowing: Brian Musau of Oklahoma State and Habtom Samuel of New Mexico.
That lead pack shattered when Young exploded into action at 2200. His 29.94 circuit busted up the band and only Wolfe emerged to chase him. A 28.36 started distancing Young from Wolfe, and a 27.73 on the penultimate lap made it a rout. The Lumberjack junior closed powerfully, his 28.03 giving him a 7:41.01 meet record.
Wolfe finished in 7:42.38, Maier grabbed 3rd at 7:44.68 and Villanova’s Liam Murphy came up for 4th in 7:45.64. The top 4 all bettered the meet record of 7:45.94 set by Arizona’s Lawi Lalang in ’13. Robinson finished 5th (7:46.13) and mile winner Houser never factored, crossing in 15th.
Of his big move — the 1:54.06 over the final 800 — Young said, “I didn’t anticipate for it to happen like that, but one thing I did tell myself was if and when I did make the move, I had to be quick and decisive. And it worked out really well.” /Jeff Hollobaugh/
RESULTS
(March 09)
1. *Nico Young (NnAz) 7:41.01 (28.03, 55.76, 1:54.05);
2. *Parker Wolfe (NC) 7:42.38 (28.03, 56.38, 1:55.13);
3. Alex Maier (OkSt) 7:44.68 (27.91, 57.59, 1:57.02);
4. *Liam Murphy (Vill) 7:45.64 (27.87, 57.32, 1:57.86);
5. *Ky Robinson’ (Stan-Aus) 7:46.13 (28.98, 58.60, 1:58.71);
6. ***Brian Musau’ (OkSt-Ken) 7:46.79 (29.31, 60.61, 1:59.64);
7. ***Habtom Samuel’ (NM-Eri) 7:46.86; 8. *Ryan Schoppe (OkSt) 7:48.11; 9. Aaron Las Heras’ (NnAz-Spa) 7:50.54; 10. *Anass Essayi’ (SC-Mor) 7:54.67; 11. *David Mullarkey’ (FlSt-GB) 7:55.42; 12. Yaseen Abdalla’ (Tn-Sud) 7:55.57; 13. Theo Quax’ (NnAz-NZ) 7:56.35; 14. ***Marco Langon (Vill) 8:00.83; 15. Luke Houser (Wa) 8:08.03; 16. *Matt Strangio (Port) 8:24.07.
5000: Nico Young (Northern Arizona) 13:25.29
Northern Arizona’s Nico Young entered the meet with the absolute Collegiate Record of 12.57.14, and had also demonstrated some impressive closing speed in the Big Sky mile, so the question was whether anyone would take it to the Lumberjack junior, and if so, to what effect.
That question remained unanswered for the first two kilos, as the pace remained modest. Young hung out on the rail toward the back of the pack.
Ky Robinson of Stanford, last year’s Outdoor 5/10 double winner, finally injected some pace after 9 laps, stringing out the field into a single file line, and prompting Young to move through the pack into 4th around halfway.
But a few 33-and-change circuits bunched the field back up again, until Robinson, and then Peter Maru of Arkansas moved with a mile to go, spreading things out once more.
North Carolina’s Parker Wolfe, his outside right leg covered in cupping marks, bolted into the lead with three laps remaining, with Maru and Robinson responding. Young didn’t panic.
He took his time to pass Maru and Robinson, and then finally launched his own kick with 250m to go, opening up a lead over Wolfe, and speeding to a 13:25.29 win. Robinson closed well over the final lap, but fell short of catching the Tar Heel 13:27.37–13:27.79.
Young’s impressive closing splits included a final 1600 of 3:59.72, and his final 3000 of 7:46.57, albeit with a running start, was faster than all but three NCAA Indoor winning times at that distance, the event having changed from 2 Miles in 1984.
Said Young of winning his first NCAA title, ”Having not won one of these before, the anticipation can almost be worse than the actual pain of a race, so it was good to be able to get through that in a dominant way.” /Dan Lilot/
RESULTS
(March 08)
1. *Nico Young (NnAz) 13:25.29
(27.29, 54.39, 1:54.42);
2. *Parker Wolfe (NC) 13:27.37
(29.16, 56.91, 1:56.66);
3. *Ky Robinson’ (Stan-Aus) 13:27.79
(28.33, 56.71, 1:57.16);
4. ***Habtom Samuel’ (NM-Eri) 13:30.07
(28.54, 57.77, 1:58.87);
5. ***Peter Maru’ (Ar-Uga) 13:30.51
(30.82, 59.69, 2:00.07);
6. Alex Maier (OkSt) 13:31.17
(28.77, 58.23, 1:59.51);
7. Aaron Las Heras’ (NnAz-Spa) 13:31.55; 8. Jackson Sharp’ (Wi-Aus) 13:31.63; 9. Kirami Yego’ (Ar-Ken) 13:36.32; 10. *Said Mechaal’ (IaSt-Spa) 13:36.99; 11. *Patrick Kiprop’ (Ar-Ken) 13:39.18; 12. Alex Phillip (NC) 13:43.00; 13. ***Denis Kipngetich’ (OkSt-Ken) 13:43.26; 14. Theo Quax’ (NnAz-NZ) 13:45.34; 15. ***Evans Kiplagat’ (NM-Ken) 13:46.41; 16. Tom Brady (Mi) 13:48.32.
60 Hurdles: Caleb Dean (Texas Tech) 7.56
After silver medals at last year’s meet and this year’s Big 12 in both the flat 60 and 60 hurdles, it’s safe to say Texas Tech senior Caleb Dean was tired of being a runner-up.
In Boston, Dean finally reached the top of the podium, both individually and with the rest of his teammates — his 13 individual points combined between hurdles and flat (where he placed 6th), plus his leg on the 4th-place 4 x 400, more than made the difference in Tech’s team title.
Dean (7.56) edged out USC junior Johnny Brackins (7.57) in a win that was precarious and almost resulted in disaster for both.
Brackins came in looking like the favorite as the collegiate list leader (7.55) and fastest qualifier (7.58). Both Dean (lane 5) and Brackins (lane 4) started fast and quickly separated themselves from the field, despite both hitting several hurdles.
Brackins then hit the last one hard and stumbled into lane 5, nearly taking Dean down with him. But the Red Raider held his form, and even if he had fallen might still have reached the line first on momentum.
Texas A&M soph Jaqualon Scott placed 3rd in 7.59.
Brackins’ hurdling might have cost him points in the long jump. A delay in the hurdling heats limited him to two jumps. He finished 4th but believed he could have placed higher with a full six leaps.
“From falling short last year to winning it, it’s just so surreal,” Dean said. “I can’t express how grateful and thankful I am for my coaches, supporting cast, everyone who helped me get to this point.
“It just went by so fast. I remember I got a good start, and I was leading and then the runner next to me caught me after the third hurdle, and then after hurdle 5, I used all my speed and energy to lean for that line. I’m just so grateful to have won.” ½
At this point, Tech still lagged 1½ points behind Arkansas. Dean said his mindset was, “Just finish, finish what we started. That’s all.” /Lee Nichols/
60 HURDLES
FINAL (March 09)
1. Caleb Dean (TxT) 7.56;
2. *Johnny Brackins (USC) 7.57;
3. **Jaqualon Scott (TxAM) 7.59;
4. De’Vion Wilson (Hous) 7.65;
5. Connor Schulman (TxAM) 7.66;
6. Jaheem Hayles’ (Syr-Jam) 7.73;
7. *Darius Brown (DeP) 7.74;
8. *Ethan Exilhomme (NEn) 7.82.
HEATS (March 08)
I–1. Dean 7.61; 2. Exilhomme 7.65; 3. Hayles’ 7.65; 4. Wilson 7.70; 5. ***Demario Prince’ (Bay-Jam) 7.71; 6. Tai Brown (Ar) 7.74; 7. **Antoine Andrews’ (TxT-Bah) 7.78; 8. Grant Conway (Ia) 7.81.
II–1. Brackins 7.58; 2. Scott 7.58; 3. Schulman 7.59; 4. Brown 7.63; 5. Daniel Harrold (TxSt) 7.73; 6. **Jason Holmes (NCAT) 7.74; 7. Darius Luff (Nb) 7.80.
4 x 400: Arizona State 3:02.35
Going into the 4 x 400, Texas Tech still boasted a 5½-point lead over Arkansas. The Razorbacks, the No. 3 seed in the relay, still had a chance, as the Red Raiders were seeded fifth.
However, with the two squads in separate sections, fans were denied a chance to see the team battle play out directly. In section I, Tennessee topped LSU, 3:04.63–3:05.30, and only the Vols would end up in the final points, finishing 6th overall.
In Section II, Texas Tech lined up against Texas A&M, Texas and Alabama. A&M grabbed the early lead on the strength of Auhmad Robinson’s 45.99 opener, but Tech’s Caleb Dean (46.17) stayed close in 2nd. At halfway, the race got even closer, as Samuel Ogazi blasted a 45.25 to bring Alabama back into contention. Coming into the final exchange, Alabama passed Tech after Khaleb McRae ran 44.97 and Tech’s Josh Bour stumbled before handing off. On the last leg, Alabama battled A&M for the lead.
With 100 to go, all four teams were packed tightly. Texas anchor Brian Herron got out of a box by dropping to last and making his way around the tumult, leaning at the line in 3:03.34, just nipping A&M (3:03.35) and Tech (3:03.37) with his 44.78 anchor. It was all for nought, as the Longhorns were disqualified because their leadoff took several steps on the white line.
Arkansas faced tough math in Section III. The Razorbacks would not just need to win, they would also need all four teams in the race to run faster than Texas Tech’s time in order to get the team victory. It wasn’t to be, as the squad never got out of 4th place. Florida’s JeVaughn Powell led the first leg in 45.69, just ahead of Arizona State’s Justin Robinson (45.73). Kaleb Simpson (46.18) brought the Sun Devils back to the front, and Jayden Davis extended that lead with a 45.24. On the last leg, Florida’s Reheem Hayles made it close with his 45.13, but Sun Devil anchor Gamali Felix had just enough with his 45.21 to take the win, 3:02.35–3:02.53. Texas Tech would finish 4th overall — good enough for a celebration. /Jeff Hollobaugh/
RESULTS
(March 09: 3-section time-final)
1. Arizona State
2. Florida
3. Texas A&M
4. Texas Tech
5. Alabama
6. Tennessee
7. USC
8. Arkansas
9. LSU
10. Kansas State
11. BYU
…dq—Texas.
Sections:
I–1. Tennessee 3:04.63
(Ducos’ 46.33, Parker 45.93, Nuriddin 45.98, Griffith 46.39);
2. LSU 3:05.30
(Burrell 46.30, Epps 46.21, Bedell-Bass 46.33, McKay 46.46);
3. Kansas State 3:05.39
(E. Omalla’ 45.85, Gale’ 45.62, J. Omalla’ 47.15, Underwood 46.77);
4. BYU 3:05.56
(Hazlett 46.61, Taylor 45.76, Schaap 46.71, Jackson 46.48).
II–1. Texas A&M 3:03.35
(Robinson 45.99, O’Bryant 46.23, Scott 45.62, Farquharson’ 45.51);
2. Texas Tech 3:03.37
(Dean 46.17, Hicks 46.43, Bour 45.94, Uter’ 44.83);
3. Alabama 3:03.94
(Barr 47.63, Ogazi’ 45.25, McRae 44.96, Robinson 46.10);… dq. Texas
(3:03.34 – 46.60, 46.11, 45.86, 44.77).
III–1. Arizona State 3:02.35
(Robinson 45.73, Simpson 46.17, Davis 45.24, Felix’ 45.21);
2. Florida 3:02.53
(Powell’ 45.69, Gregory 46.26, McKiver 45.46, Hayles’ 45.12);
3. USC 3:04.67
(Braun 47.27, Blockburger 45.27, Andrews 45.64, Jones 46.49);
4. Arkansas 3:04.77
(Washington 47.63, Lang 45.05, Tomlyanovich 45.93, McElroy 46.16).
Distance Medley: Oklahoma State 9:25.24
The entire field seemed content to take the 1200 leg somewhat easy, as Virginia Tech’s Nicholas Plant (2:54.49) led the whole way, holding off a late surge by Wes Porter of Virginia, to give the Hokies the lead at the exchange.
Judson Lincoln extended the Hokies’ lead with his 45.29 carry, the race’s fastest. DJ McArthur (45.60) of defending champ Oklahoma State moved the Cowboys into 2nd, handing off about 5m behind.
The field contracted over the 800 leg, with Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Virginia and Georgetown maintaining a bit of a gap over the rest. Heading into the leg’s final lap, Georgetown’s Tim McInerney tried to take the lead, but was rebuffed by Hokie Christian Jackson. McInerney had the fastest carry (1:47.70), but Oklahoma State’s Mehdi Yanouri (1:49.20) was able to move by Jackson to give the Cowboys the lead at the final handoff.
As he did last year, Oklahoma State anchor Ryan Schoppe received the baton in the lead, and gave a masterclass in how to maintain it.
With 3 laps remaining, he had pulled Virginia and Georgetown 4m clear of the rest, and then proceeded to open a gap on everyone over the next circuit. As Virginia dropped back, Hoya anchor Camden Gilmore moved into striking distance of Schoppe at the bell. But the Cowboy junior managed to open up a margin that only grew to the finish, his anchor leg of 3:55.59 making Oklahoma State (9:25.24) the first repeat champion team since Oregon in 2016.
Georgetown finished well clear of Virginia for 2nd, 9:25.77–9:27.18. Virginia Tech faded to 10th (9:32.20).
Said Schoppe, the only Cowboy to also run on last year’s winning squad, “It shows that we have great team culture. We have different guys who can do it all.” /Dan Lilot/
DISTANCE MEDLEY
(March 08)
1. Oklahoma State 9:25.24
(Musau’ 2:54.86, McArthur 45.59, Yanouri’ 1:49.20, Schoppe 3:55.59);
2. Georgetown 9:25.77
(Payamps 2:55.80, Paige 46.85, McInerney 1:47.69, Gilmore 3:55.43);
3. Virginia 9:27.18
(Porter 2:54.60, Sherman 46.50, Leath 1:49.29, Sado 3:56.79);
4. North Carolina 9:27.96
(Neal 2:55.32, Regnier 47.91, Reinheimer 1:48.59, Gebhardt 3:56.14);
5. Arkansas 9:28.88
(Schreml’ 2:57.70, Spencer 46.60, Wells 1:48.56, Shearer 3:56.02);
6. Indiana 9:29.37
(Haskett 2:57.29, Laidler 46.49, Raymond 1:49.79, Marshall 3:55.80);
7. Iowa State 9:30.07
(Rop’ 2:58.10, Langford 48.18, Gomez 1:48.97, Winders 3:54.82);
8. Wisconsin 9:30.16
(dosReis 2:57.57, Williams 46.79, Casey 1:47.95, Liking 3:57.85);
9. Washington 9:30.40
(Jenkins 2:56.93, Gaik 46.79, McMahon-Staggs’ 1:48.65, Dashbach 3:58.03);
10. Virginia Tech 9:32.20
(Plant 2:54.49, Lincoln 45.29, Jackson 1:50.09, Coleman 4:02.33);
11. Northern Arizona 9:38.25
(Bosley 2:58.66, Givens 47.36, Nyoak 1:50.67, Sahlman 4:01.56);
12. Michigan 9:38.40
(McFarland 2:56.88, Amene 46.00, Brown 1:48.21, Foster 4:07.31).