This was a busy weekend in college track and field, with several high-profile meets. Under the new NCAA Championships qualifying format, this was almost “first chance” weekend for distance races.
Down at the bottom, I have a compilation of the best marks of the weekend in each event. Don’t miss it!
There were so many big performances, I couldn’t give out just one Athlete of the Week award in Division I. I went with three.
Let’s get to it!
Athletes of the Week
Sprints: David Verburg, George Mason
Verburg won the 400 meters on Saturday at the Spire D-1 Invitational in 45.83 seconds, a world-leading time, defeating 2012 NCAA indoor runner-up Brycen Spratling in the process. A few hours later he led off his 4×400 relay team with a split of 46.2 and his teammates brought it home in 3:07.29, the #5 time in the NCAA this year.
Distance: Kennedy Kithuka, Texas Tech
Kithuka won the 5000 meters on Friday at the Tyson Invitational in 13:26.65, a world-leading time and tenth-best in collegiate history. He got no help at all in this, winning by over a minute—he nearly lapped the entire field twice. The next day he anchored the winning distance medley relay in 4:00.
Field: Jeremy Taiwo, Washington
Taiwo won the heptathlon at the Boise State Team Challenge with a score of 6156 points, third-best in collegiate history and 7th-best in US history. It also stood as the world’s leading score, if only for a few hours. Taiwo cleared 7′ 4½” (2.25m) during the competition, the best high jump mark ever made in a heptathlon.
Division II: Enock Rono, Northwood
Rono took second in the 800 meters on Saturday at Grand Valley State’s Big Meet in 1:49.09. This makes him the fifth-fastest indoor runner in D-II history.
Division III: Dan Sullivan, Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Sullivan won the 800 meters in a triangular against Wis-Whitewater and Wis-Oshkosh in 1:52.29, the year’s D-III leading time by nearly a full second.
NAIA: Pierre Banks, Wayland Baptist
Banks took second in the 60 meter hurdles at New Mexico’s Don Kirby Elite meet in a time of 7.78 seconds. Among the D-I athletes he defeated was Cal’s Ray Stewart, an NCAA outdoor championships qualifier last year in the 110 hurdles.
CIS: Andrew Nixon, Guelph
Nixon won the 3000 meters at the Spire NCAA D-I Invitational in a time of 8:01.75, which makes him the fastest Canadian collegian of the year.
Team of the Week
Arkansas Razorbacks
Competing at their own Tyson Invitational, the Hogs put together this week’s best series of marks. They got notable marks out of the 400 meters, 800 meters, 60 hurdles 4×400 relay, high jump, pole vault and triple jump.
Honorable mention goes to the Florida Gators, who did well in the sprints, hurdles and jumps at Virginia Tech’s Elite Invitational.
Team Player: John Darmody, St. Ambrose
Darmody led his Fighting Bees to the Midwest Collegiate Conference championship with a busy weekend: he won the 800 meters, mile and 3000 meters, took third in the 600 meters, and anchored the winning 4×800 relay—all in a single day.
Notes
High jump madness
With Jeremy Taiwo’s clearance of 7′ 4½” / 2.25m (see above), there are now twenty NCAA D-I jumpers competing this year whose PRs are at 7′ 4¼” (2.24m) or better. That’s just nuts.
The two who own Olympic medals are continuing their at-a-distance rivalry, as they will not meet head-to-head until the NCAA Indoor Championships. Competing at Indiana’s Hoosier Hills Invitational, Canadian Olympian Derek Drouin cleared 7′ 7¼” (2.32 meters), just 1 centimeter below his lifetime best. Competing at the Don Kirby Elite meet in New Mexico, U.S. Olympian Erik Kynard had a more modest (for him) clearance of 7′ 5¾” (2.28 meters).
Pole vault heating up
The early season leader in the pole vault was Akron freshman Shawn Barber, who remains undefeated in five meets, but defending NCAA outdoor champion Jack Whitt of Oral Roberts was also doing well. But top marks came in droves this weekend. UCLA’s Michael Woepse tied Barber for the yearly lead with a PR of 18′ 4½” (5.60m). BYU’s Victor Weirich set a PR with 18′ 2″ (5.54m), as did Cale Simmons of Air Force, and the two are now tied for third on the yearly collegiate list. Tennessee freshman Jake Blankenship also set a PR of 18′ 1″ (5.51m). The path to the NCAA title suddenly got more crowded.
Weekend’s Top Marks
Key to symbols:
# = track size conversion applied
@ = altitude conversion applied
| 60 meters | ||
| Marvin Bracy, Florida State | 6.54 | Tyson Inv |
| Dentarius Locke, Florida State | 6.56 | Tyson Inv |
| Bryce Robinson, Tulsa | 6.62 | Tyson Inv |
| Clayton Vaughn, Texas-Arlington | 6.63 | Tyson Inv |
| Marqesh Woodson, Missouri | 6.63 | Tyson Inv |
| Brent Lee, Jackson State | 6.65 | Tiger Paw |
| Hugh Graham, Jr, Florida | 6.65 | VT Elite |
| Broderick Snoddy, Georgia Tech | 6.67 | Samford Inv |
| 200 meters | ||
| Trey Hadnot, Louisiana Tech | 20.81 | Tyson Inv |
| Everett Walker, Baylor | 20.99 | Tyson Inv |
| Ameer Webb, Texas A&M | 21.00 | Texas A&M Inv |
| Timothy Faust, Ohio State | 21.03 @ | Kirby Elite |
| Michael Bryan, Texas A&M | 21.06 | Texas A&M Inv |
| Brandon Stryganek, Illinois | 21.08 | SPIRE Inv |
| Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, LSU | 21.08 | Tyson Inv |
| Carlos Rodriguez, Kansas State | 21.08 @ | Kirby Open |
| Dedric Dukes, Florida | 21.08 | VT Elite |
| 400 meters | ||
| David Verburg, George Mason | 45.83 | SPIRE Inv |
| Brycen Spratling, Pittsburgh | 46.30 | SPIRE Inv |
| Carvin Nkanata, Pittsburgh | 46.31 | SPIRE Inv |
| Mike Berry, Oregon | 46.48 | Tyson Inv |
| Stephon Pamilton, Illinois | 46.51 | SPIRE Inv |
| Bralon Taplin, Texas A&M | 46.85 | Texas A&M Inv |
| Kyle Clemons, Kansas | 46.85 | Tyson Inv |
| Anton Kokorin, Arkansas | 46.88 | Tyson Inv |
| 800 meters | ||
| Declan Murray, Loyola (Ill.) | 1:47.59 | Big Meet |
| Patrick Rono, Arkansas | 1:47.66 | Tyson Inv |
| Austin Mudd, Wisconsin | 1:48.24 | Husky Classic |
| Chris O’Hare, Tulsa | 1:48.28 | Tyson Inv |
| Elijah Greer, Oregon | 1:48.42 | Tyson Inv |
| Ryan Waite, BYU | 1:48.49 | Husky Classic |
| Anthony Lieghio, Arkansas | 1:48.56 | Tyson Inv |
| Enock Rono, Northwood | 1:49.09 | Big Meet |
| Mile | ||
| Robby Creese, Penn State | 3:57.11 | Husky Classic |
| Raul Botezan, Oklahoma State | 3:57.79 | Husky Classic |
| Brett Johnson, Oregon | 3:58.62 | Husky Classic |
| Christopher Fallon, Ohio State | 3:59.37 | Tyson Inv |
| Chad Noelle, Oregon | 3:59.57 | Husky Classic |
| Frezer Legesse, Oklahoma | 3:59.83 | Tyson Inv |
| Nick Wade, Cornell | 4:00.00 | SPIRE Inv |
| Jordan Williamsz, Villanova | 4:00.12 | Husky Classic |
| 3000 meters | ||
| Ryan Hill, North Carolina St. | 7:49.20 | Husky Classic |
| Diego Estrada, Northern Arizona | 7:50.44 | Husky Classic |
| Eric Jenkins, Northeastern | 7:50.44 | Husky Classic |
| Kirubel Erassa, Oklahoma State | 7:50.92 | Husky Classic |
| Zachary Mayhew, Indiana | 7:51.61 | Hoosier Hills |
| Andrew Bayer, Indiana | 7:51.75 | Hoosier Hills |
| Thomas Farrell, Oklahoma State | 7:51.77 | Husky Classic |
| Nick Happe, Arizona State | 7:52.18 | Husky Classic |
| 5000 meters | ||
| Kennedy Kithuka, Texas Tech | 13:26.65 | Tyson Inv |
| Shadrack Kipchirchir, Oklahoma State | 13:38.57 | Husky Classic |
| Kevin Williams, Oklahoma | 13:38.57 | Husky Classic |
| Anthony Rotich, UTEP | 13:38.58 | Husky Classic |
| Maverick Darling, Wisconsin | 13:38.71 | Husky Classic |
| Jeramy Elkaim, Oregon | 13:39.35 | Husky Classic |
| Luke Caldwell, New Mexico | 13:40.39 | Husky Classic |
| Mohammed Ahmed, Wisconsin | 13:40.43 | Husky Classic |
| 60m Hurdles | ||
| Caleb Cross, Arkansas | 7.65 | Tyson Inv |
| Keiron Stewart, Texas | 7.66 | Tyson Inv |
| Eddie Lovett, Florida | 7.66 | VT Elite |
| Greggmar Swift, Indiana State | 7.68 | Tyson Inv |
| Jordan Mullen, Iowa | 7.73 | Tyson Inv |
| Demoye Bogle, Ohio State | 7.73 @ | Kirby Elite |
| Milan Ristic, UNC-Asheville | 7.75 | Tiger Paw |
| Johnathan Cabral, Oregon | 7.75 | Husky Classic |
| 4x400m Relay | ||
| Arkansas | 3:07.20 | Tyson Inv |
| George Mason | 3:07.29 | SPIRE Inv |
| Texas A&M | 3:07.77 | Texas A&M Inv |
| Pittsburgh | 3:08.54 | SPIRE Inv |
| Illinois | 3:08.55 | SPIRE Inv |
| Oregon | 3:09.25 | Tyson Inv |
| Kansas | 3:09.98 | Tyson Inv |
| Clemson | 3:10.33 # | Tiger Paw |
| Distance Medley | ||
| Indiana | 9:33.42 | Hoosier Hills |
| Indiana ‘B” | 9:40.43 | Hoosier Hills |
| Texas Tech | 9:40.71 | Tyson Inv |
| Purdue | 9:51.91 | SPIRE Inv |
| Miss State | 9:52.00 | Tyson Inv |
| Duke | 9:54.55 | VT Elite |
| Wake Forest | 9:54.87 | VT Elite |
| Tulsa | 9:57.00 | Tyson Inv |
| High Jump | ||
| Derek Drouin, Indiana | 7′ 7¼” / 2.32m | Hoosier Hills |
| Erik Kynard, Kansas State | 7′ 5¾” / 2.28m | Kirby Elite |
| Jeremy Taiwo, Washington | 7′ 4½” / 2.25m | Boise State Chall |
| Anthony May, Arkansas | 7′ 3¾” / 2.23m | Tyson Inv |
| Deante Kemper, Northern Arizona | 7′ 3¼” / 2.22m | Kirby Elite |
| Bryan McBride, Arizona State | 7′ 3¼” / 2.22m | Kirby Elite |
| Jules Sharpe, Stanford | 7′ 3¼” / 2.22m | Kirby Elite |
| James White, Nebraska | 7′ 3″ / 2.21m | Colligan Mem |
| Pole Vault | ||
| Michael Woepse, UCLA | 18′ 4½” / 5.60m | Kirby Elite |
| Victor Weirich, BYU | 18′ 2″ / 5.54m | Air Force Chall |
| Cale Simmons, Air Force | 18′ 2″ / 5.54m | Air Force Chall |
| Jake Blankenship, Tennessee | 18′ 1″ / 5.51m | Samford Inv |
| Shawn Barber, Akron | 18′ 1″ / 5.51m | VT Elite |
| Jack Whitt, Oral Roberts | 18′ 1″ / 5.51m | Tyson Inv |
| Sam Kendricks, Mississippi | 18′ ½” / 5.50m | Kirby Open |
| Kyal Meyers, Texas Tech | 17′ 9″ / 5.41m | Tyson Inv |
| Andrew Irwin, Arkansas | 17′ 9″ / 5.41m | Tyson Inv |
| Kevin Lazas, Arkansas | 17′ 9″ / 5.41m | Tyson Inv |
| Dustin Gehrke, Oral Roberts | 17′ 9″ / 5.41m | Tyson Inv |
| Long Jump | ||
| Marquis Dendy, Florida | 26′ 2¾” / 7.99m | VT Elite |
| Damar Forbes, LSU | 26′ ¾” / 7.94m | Tyson Inv |
| Stefan Brits, Florida State | 25′ 4″ / 7.72m | Tyson Inv |
| Kamal Fuller, Alabama | 25′ 0″ / 7.62m | Colligan Mem |
| Willie Alexander, Long Beach St. | 24′ 11¼” / 7.60m | Air Force Chall |
| Stephan Scott-Ellis, Washington St. | 24′ 11¼” / 7.60m | Kirby Elite |
| Patrick Raedler, Nebraska | 24′ 11″ / 7.59m | Colligan Mem |
| Johnny Carter, Academy of Art | 24′ 10″ / 7.57m | Kirby Elite |
| Triple Jump | ||
| Tarik Batchelor, Arkansas | 53′ 9″ / 16.38m | Tyson Inv |
| Omar Craddock, Florida | 53′ 9″ / 16.38m | VT Elite |
| Bryce Lamb, Texas Tech | 53′ 4¼” / 16.26m | Tyson Inv |
| Marquis Dendy, Florida | 52′ 10″ / 16.10m | VT Elite |
| Chris Benard, Arizona State | 52′ 6¾” / 16.02m | Kirby Elite |
| Felix Obi, Baylor | 52′ 5½” / 15.99m | Tyson Inv |
| Ricky Robertson, Mississippi | 52′ 2¾” / 15.92m | Kirby Elite |
| Phillip Young, Florida State | 52′ 1¾” / 15.89m | Tyson Inv |
| Shot Put | ||
| Jordan Clarke, Arizona State | 66′ 3¾” / 20.21m | Kirby Elite |
| Mason Finley, Wyoming | 65′ 1½” / 19.85m | Kirby Elite |
| Stephen Saenz, Auburn | 62′ 10½” / 19.16m | Samford Inv |
| Nick Vena, Georgia | 62′ 10″ / 19.15m | VT Elite |
| Travis Smith, UC Riverside | 61′ 11″ / 18.87m | Husky Classic |
| Stephen Mozia, Cornell | 61′ 6¾” / 18.76m | SPIRE Inv |
| Hayden Baillio, Texas | 61′ 0″ / 18.59m | Tyson Inv |
| Caleb Whitener, Georgia | 60′ 8¾” / 18.51m | VT Elite |
| Weight Throw | ||
| Alexander Ziegler, Virginia Tech | 71′ 7½” / 21.83m | VT Elite |
| Jon Lehman, Minnesota | 70′ 5″ / 21.46m | SPIRE Inv |
| Brandon Pounds, Indiana State | 69′ 3½” / 21.12m | Tyson Inv |
| Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, Purdue | 68′ 11¾” / 21.02m | SPIRE Inv |
| Antonio James, Michigan State | 68′ 7¾” / 20.92m | Big Meet |
| Lonnie Pugh, Michigan State | 68′ 5″ / 20.85m | Big Meet |
| Will Barr, Penn State | 67′ 11¾” / 20.72m | SPIRE Inv |
| Jeremy Postin, Florida | 67′ 8¾” / 20.64m | VT Elite |
| Heptathlon | ||
| Jeremy Taiwo, Washington | 6156 | Boise State Chall |
| Bilal Abdullah, Kennesaw State | 4980 | Samford Inv |
| Roderick Townsend, Boise State | 4904 | Boise State Chall |
| Kaarel Mangusson, Kennesaw State | 4633 | Samford Inv |
| Hendrik Themas, Kennesaw State | 4598 | Samford Inv |
| Michael Hurd, College of Idaho | 4590 | Boise State Chall |
| Joshua Mulder, Kennesaw State | 4583 | Samford Inv |
| Andre Dorsey, Kennesaw State | 4470 | Samford Inv |