NCAA Prelims Day Two Recap: No Murphy? No Kidder? No Problem for Men's 800m
NCAA Prelims Day Two Recap: No Murphy? No Kidder? No Problem for Men's 800m
Two days of NCAA West Prelim action were condensed into one due to weather in Kansas, which made for one wild morning of track and field on Friday. [tweet u
Two days of NCAA West Prelim action were condensed into one due to weather in Kansas, which made for one wild morning of track and field on Friday.
Track events originally scheduled for Thursday took place bright and early today—well, except for section three of the men’s steeplechase, which was halted for hours due to severe weather. Laned races (sprints, hurdles and the 800m) were contested in six heats of eight with the winners plus the next six times advancing to Eugene, so athletes needed to get through one round in these races instead of the regularly scheduled two.
Did this create an advantage over the East's athletes? Oregon's Annie Leblanc could be smiling about it. Leblanc successfully advanced in the women's 800m today and is attempting to also qualify in the 1500m tomorrow. At the Pac-12 Championships, she completed this double by finishing runner-up in the 800m and third in the 1500m, but NCAA Prelims are a very different game. Anyway: one down, one to go!
Mississippi State’s Brandon McBride cruised a solo 1:44.89 to win his section of the East Prelims. Watch his interview here!
Just when you thought the men’s 800m was going to be less exciting without Akron's Clayton Murphy and Penn State's Brannon Kidder, an on-fire McBride and a reemerging Donavan Brazier spiced up the field.
Texas A&M freshman Brazier won his West Prelim 800m section in 1:46.53—nearly a second and a half faster than the next qualifier. He led section two in through 400m in 52.08 and closed in 54.45. After an injury forced him to pull up mid-race at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Brazier is rounding into form at the perfect time.
Two notables who didn’t make the cut? Florida’s Andres Arroyo and Arizona’s Pac-12 champion, Collins Kibet.
The Oregon women secured three athletes in the women’s 800m with Raevyn Rogers (2:05), Leblanc (2:05), and Brooke Feldmeier (2:06) advancing from their respective sections in the West. In the East, Georgetown ruled the event by sending three athletes: Sabrina Southerland (2:03), Sarah Schmidt (2:03) and Emma Keenan (2:03).
Steeplechase Fields Set for Eugene
New Mexico star Courtney Frerichs dominated the West Prelims to win her section in 9:51—nearly 18 seconds ahead of the next finisher. Similar to the Lady Lobos' domination in the fall, the question is not “Will Frerichs win?” but “How fast will she run?” After her flawless 9:29 opener at Payton Jordan, we can’t help but think Jenny Simpson’s collegiate record (9:25.54) will go down in Eugene. In the East region, New Hampshire’s Elinor Purrier held down the fort with the fastest qualifying time (9:55). A 4:29-miler, she’s come a long way since finishing seventh last spring in Eugene.
Michigan’s Mason Ferlic strengthened his case for NCAA steeplechase champion by taking the East region in 8:29.54, which was just a second off his PB. Ferlic hung with the pack until closing his final 400m in 64 seconds, dragging Jakob Abrahamsen of Eastern Kentucky to a six-second PB of 8:34 for runner-up. Top returners, Louisville's Edwin Kibichiy and Florida State's Zak Seddon, won their heats easily and will challenge Ferlic in Eugene.
Racing hard at 8:00AM is no easy task, but the West 10,000m athletes made do. Oregon’s Edward Cheserek nabbed only his second victory of the 2016 outdoor season in 29:45.41. Most impressively, he closed his final 400m in 58 seconds. Why? The top 12 advance to Eugene, but maybe the King needed a boost of confidence before tomorrow’s 5000m qualifier. NAU’s Futsum Zienasellassie, the only collegian with the Olympic standard, was second in 29:50, while Colorado’s Pierce Murphy was third in 29:51.
2015 runner-up Dominique Scott defeated New Mexico’s Alice Wright and Washington’s Katie Knight to take the women’s race in 34:20. With four-time NCAA champion Molly Seidel out with injury and Michigan’s Erin Finn redshirting, Scott has the best wheels (4:08/15:25 PBs) and is the clear favorite in Eugene. Should she qualify in the 5000m tomorrow, 20 points could be in Arkansas’ favor.
Demi Payne Scratches Late in Pole Vault, More NCAA Prelim Drama
What’s a championship without a few shockers? Stephen F. Austin’s Demi Payne scratched late in the women’s pole vault, meaning a new NCAA champion will be crowned. Payne, the NCAA indoor record-holder, outdoor champion and Bowerman finalist has not competed since the Texas Relays in April, where her pole snapped and she was forced to go to the hospital. She was on the initial start list.
Texas freshman Teahna Daniels missed out on qualifying in the women’s 100m by .002 in 11.52. The 2016 60m champion ran a world junior lead of 11.21 on March 26 before racing sparingly the rest of the season. Daniels, 19, will likely compete for the Longhorns in the 4x100m relay tomorrow.
Another star sat out the Prelims in Oregon’s Jasmine Todd, a member of the silver medal-earning Team USA 4x100m. She was slated to compete in the 100m. Later, Todd took to Instagram to announce that she was done competing for the Oregon Ducks for "unforeseen reasons not injury related but out of her control."
Kansas throwing star Daina Levy, ranked NCAA No. 2 in the hammer throw, fouled out of the competition on her home turf. And in the East, three-time NCAA high jump champion Leontia Kallenou of Georgia did not qualify. The senior has not come close to her 1.93m PB since the 2015 SEC Championships.
Lightning, Thunder and a Tornado Watch weren't enough. We're now in a Severe Thunderstorm Warning #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/Z43WYjsQBU
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) May 26, 2016
Track events originally scheduled for Thursday took place bright and early today—well, except for section three of the men’s steeplechase, which was halted for hours due to severe weather. Laned races (sprints, hurdles and the 800m) were contested in six heats of eight with the winners plus the next six times advancing to Eugene, so athletes needed to get through one round in these races instead of the regularly scheduled two.
Did this create an advantage over the East's athletes? Oregon's Annie Leblanc could be smiling about it. Leblanc successfully advanced in the women's 800m today and is attempting to also qualify in the 1500m tomorrow. At the Pac-12 Championships, she completed this double by finishing runner-up in the 800m and third in the 1500m, but NCAA Prelims are a very different game. Anyway: one down, one to go!
No Kidder? No Murphy? No Problem for Men's 800m
Mississippi State’s Brandon McBride cruised a solo 1:44.89 to win his section of the East Prelims. Watch his interview here!
Thankful
— Brandon McBride (@mcbride46) May 28, 2016
Just when you thought the men’s 800m was going to be less exciting without Akron's Clayton Murphy and Penn State's Brannon Kidder, an on-fire McBride and a reemerging Donavan Brazier spiced up the field.
Texas A&M freshman Brazier won his West Prelim 800m section in 1:46.53—nearly a second and a half faster than the next qualifier. He led section two in through 400m in 52.08 and closed in 54.45. After an injury forced him to pull up mid-race at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Brazier is rounding into form at the perfect time.
Two notables who didn’t make the cut? Florida’s Andres Arroyo and Arizona’s Pac-12 champion, Collins Kibet.
The Oregon women secured three athletes in the women’s 800m with Raevyn Rogers (2:05), Leblanc (2:05), and Brooke Feldmeier (2:06) advancing from their respective sections in the West. In the East, Georgetown ruled the event by sending three athletes: Sabrina Southerland (2:03), Sarah Schmidt (2:03) and Emma Keenan (2:03).
Steeplechase Fields Set for Eugene
New Mexico star Courtney Frerichs dominated the West Prelims to win her section in 9:51—nearly 18 seconds ahead of the next finisher. Similar to the Lady Lobos' domination in the fall, the question is not “Will Frerichs win?” but “How fast will she run?” After her flawless 9:29 opener at Payton Jordan, we can’t help but think Jenny Simpson’s collegiate record (9:25.54) will go down in Eugene. In the East region, New Hampshire’s Elinor Purrier held down the fort with the fastest qualifying time (9:55). A 4:29-miler, she’s come a long way since finishing seventh last spring in Eugene.
Michigan’s Mason Ferlic strengthened his case for NCAA steeplechase champion by taking the East region in 8:29.54, which was just a second off his PB. Ferlic hung with the pack until closing his final 400m in 64 seconds, dragging Jakob Abrahamsen of Eastern Kentucky to a six-second PB of 8:34 for runner-up. Top returners, Louisville's Edwin Kibichiy and Florida State's Zak Seddon, won their heats easily and will challenge Ferlic in Eugene.
Edward Cheserek, Dominique Scott Secure 10,000m Victories
Racing hard at 8:00AM is no easy task, but the West 10,000m athletes made do. Oregon’s Edward Cheserek nabbed only his second victory of the 2016 outdoor season in 29:45.41. Most impressively, he closed his final 400m in 58 seconds. Why? The top 12 advance to Eugene, but maybe the King needed a boost of confidence before tomorrow’s 5000m qualifier. NAU’s Futsum Zienasellassie, the only collegian with the Olympic standard, was second in 29:50, while Colorado’s Pierce Murphy was third in 29:51.
2015 runner-up Dominique Scott defeated New Mexico’s Alice Wright and Washington’s Katie Knight to take the women’s race in 34:20. With four-time NCAA champion Molly Seidel out with injury and Michigan’s Erin Finn redshirting, Scott has the best wheels (4:08/15:25 PBs) and is the clear favorite in Eugene. Should she qualify in the 5000m tomorrow, 20 points could be in Arkansas’ favor.
Running straight to Eugene!@RazorbackTFs Dominique Scott wins #ncaaTFWest Womens 10k with a time of 34:20. pic.twitter.com/tUWfxj78UN
— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) May 27, 2016
Demi Payne Scratches Late in Pole Vault, More NCAA Prelim Drama
What’s a championship without a few shockers? Stephen F. Austin’s Demi Payne scratched late in the women’s pole vault, meaning a new NCAA champion will be crowned. Payne, the NCAA indoor record-holder, outdoor champion and Bowerman finalist has not competed since the Texas Relays in April, where her pole snapped and she was forced to go to the hospital. She was on the initial start list.
Texas freshman Teahna Daniels missed out on qualifying in the women’s 100m by .002 in 11.52. The 2016 60m champion ran a world junior lead of 11.21 on March 26 before racing sparingly the rest of the season. Daniels, 19, will likely compete for the Longhorns in the 4x100m relay tomorrow.
Another star sat out the Prelims in Oregon’s Jasmine Todd, a member of the silver medal-earning Team USA 4x100m. She was slated to compete in the 100m. Later, Todd took to Instagram to announce that she was done competing for the Oregon Ducks for "unforeseen reasons not injury related but out of her control."
Kansas throwing star Daina Levy, ranked NCAA No. 2 in the hammer throw, fouled out of the competition on her home turf. And in the East, three-time NCAA high jump champion Leontia Kallenou of Georgia did not qualify. The senior has not come close to her 1.93m PB since the 2015 SEC Championships.