Highlights From the 2019 NCAA Track & Field Championships – runnersworld.com

The top college Division I runners in the country—with 142 schools represented in women’s events and 126 programs in men’s events—took to the track at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas, from June 5-June 8 for a chance to claim a title at the NCAA Track & Field Championships.

The fourth and final day of the NCAA championships on Saturday featured a historic series of records in the women’s 100- and 200-meter sprints and exciting distance performances that kept the crowd on its feet through the finish line. In the team race, the Arkansas Razorbacks captured the victory with 64 points. USC followed for second with 57 points, and LSU closed for third with 43 points.

Friday featured the final rounds in the men’s track events. On the back of Divine Oduduru, who won both the 100- and 200-meter titles, the Texas Tech Red Raiders won the team championship with 60 points. The University of Florida was second with 50 points, and the University of Houston was third with 40 team points.

The team race came down to the last event of the day, the 4×400-meter relay where Arkansas and USC battled for the last opportunity for points towardsthe team crown.

The teams were both in contention on the third leg until USC’s baton came loose and fell to the ground 100 meters from the last exchange, leaving the Trojans in last place heading into the anchor leg. Meanwhile, Arkansas ran ahead with race leaders Texas A&M.

While the Aggies secured the event victory in a facility record of 3:25.57, the Razorbacks’ runner-up finish in 3:25.89 effectively secured the program’s second NCAA team title in the last four years.

Sinclaire Johnson Beats Defending Champion for 1500-Meter Crown

In a thrilling final 100-meter stretch on Saturday evening, junior Sinclaire Johnson took down defending champion Jessica Hull for the women’s 1500-meter crown. Johnson crossed the line in a massive personal best of 4:05.98, with Hull finishing in 4:06.27. Both runners achieved the entry standard for the 2019 IAAF World Championships by running under 4:06.50.

Johnson broke the NCAA meet record of 4:06.19, previously held by Florida State’s Hannah England, who ran the mark in the 2008 NCAA championship. She also broke an extensive winning streak for Oregon’s Hull, who hadn’t lost a race all season until Saturday.

“To beat her, to run what I did today, honestly, I’m at a loss for words. I really can’t believe it,” Johnson, a junior at Oklahoma State, said.

The performance marked a significant breakthrough for Sinclaire, who failed to make the NCAA final in 2018. All season, Johnson said that she embraced the “underdog” mentality, and the mindset paid off in a big way.

“It’s cool to not run with a target on your back, it takes a lot of pressure off and kudos to Jessica Hull having to run with a target on her back all season,” she said. “Being as successful as she is is incredible, but I think it helps being an underdog. I don’t have any pressure to beat anybody else. I put the biggest pressure on myself.”

The race started with Jessica Harris of Notre Dame assuming the lead and maintaining it until the athletes headed into the final lap, at which point Hull and Johnson pulled away. When the rivals reached the final turn, Hull attempted to drop Johnson, but Johnson responded with a kick of her own in the last 50 meters to win the race.

Johnson’s victory makes her the second Oklahoma State athlete in program history to win the event.

Allie Ostrander Wins Third Consecutive NCAA Steeplechase Title

Junior Allie Ostrander made NCAA history on Saturday in the steeplechase by winning her third consecutive NCAA title. The Boise State standout ran a lifetime best of 9:37.73 for a new facility record. In the process, she became the first athlete in history to win three consecutive NCAA titles in the event.

Ostrander began to pull away from her competition with about two laps remaining in the race and rode the momentum all the way to line. She finished seven seconds ahead of runner-up Charlotte Prouse of New Mexico, who ran a personal best in 9:44.50. Third-place finisher Hannah Steelman also ran a personal best when she finished in 9:46.08.

“A lot of the things that I’ve done in the NCAA have been done before, and this is just my own and it feels really special,” Ostrander told Runner’s World.

Sha’Carri Richardson’s 100-Meter Sprint Victory Breaks Slew of Records

Freshman Sha’Carri Richardson stunned the crowd on Saturday with a collegiate record to win the women’s 100-meter final. The sprint star even celebrated early before she crossed the finish line by throwing her arms in the air while the clock captured her historic run of 10.75.

“Coming into today, I never gave myself a time because I say, if you give yourself a goal, you limit yourself. As long as you expect greatness out of yourself, you’ll deliver greatness,” Richardson said.

Richardson’s winning time of 10.75 is a current world lead. The LSU standout took down the previous collegiate record held by LSU alum Dawn Sowell from 1989. Heading into the race, Richardson said that she didn’t expect to run 10.75, but her confidence has carried her to performances that surprise even herself.

“My mindset was just to execute my race the way I’ve been taught, the way I know I can and when I got out there,” she said. “I just did what I could for myself and my team and my supporters and even the people that doubt me.”

In total, the 19-year-old’s performance shattered the world junior record, the collegiate record, the school record, and the facility record.

Behind Richardson’s breakthrough, runner-up Kayla White of North Carolina A&T ran a personal best of 10.95 and Twanisha Terry of USC clocked in for third in a new personal best of 10.98.

Jazmine Fray Wins 800-Meter Title in New Facility Record

Senior Jazmine Fray didn’t leave anything to chance when it came to securing her first NCAA 800-meter title. The Texas A&M standout took the lead from the gun and never relinquished it from the first 400-meter split of 1:00.89 to the finish, which she reached in a faster split (1:00.43).

Her winning time of 2:01:31 is a new facility record.

“It feels amazing. Honestly, I don’t even have the words to explain. I’m honestly just so grateful and so thankful,” Fray said. “When I finished, I was almost in awe because I just waited for this moment for so long. I’ve dreamt about this and now it’s finally here.”

The victory was a long time coming for Fray, who started her collegiate career by breaking the NCAA indoor collegiate record in the 800 meters as a sophomore. However, an NCAA title alluded her for several years. In 2018, she finished fifth indoors and eighth outdoors, and at the 2019 NCAA indoor championship, she faded to eighth. But Saturday’s championship was an entirely different story, and the result of Fray learning from past mistakes and changing her competitive approach.

“I changed how I got out in my first 400. I know [the media] is used to me going out in 58 and just holding on, but I wanted to try a different approach this year,” Fray said of the tactic that wasn’t working for her. “I had to change it up a bit, and this was the perfect race strategy.”

200-Meter Final a Tight Battle to the Finish

In a tight battle all the way into the finish line, defending champion Anglerne Annelus of USC beat NCAA 100-meter champion and record holder Sha’Carri Richardson in the 200-meter final. Richardson was returning from a jaw-dropping performance in the 100.

Annelus had to run a facility record of 22.16 to beat Richardson’s 22.17, which was also a new world junior record. Richardson broke the world U-20 record previously held by Allyson Felix.

“My mindset was, this is my last race of the day of my first season college-wise, so just give it my all execute the best that I can,” Annelus said.

For Richardson, the historic 100 and 200-meter performances took place just 45 minutes apart and followed her contribution to the Tigers’ runner-up finish in the 4×100-meter relay earlier in the competition. She wowed the Texas crowd, which has watched Richardson develop from her prep days at Carter High School in Dallas.

Colorado Standout Returns From Injury to Clinch 5,000-Meter Crown

Junior Dani Jones made a heroic return from injury during the indoor season to secure another NCAA crown. The Colorado standout out-kicked Taylor Werner of Arkansas in the final 60 meters of the 5,000 meters to reach the line in 15:50.65, despite 95 degree temperatures.

For Jones, the victory marks her fourth NCAA title. She helped Colorado win the 2017 distance medley relay indoors before winning the indoor 3K. In 2018, she secured the NCAA cross-country crown.

But after winning cross country in November, Jones suffered from a stress reaction in her fibula and had to take a two-month break from running on the ground (she incorporated some runs on the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill).

Going from an extreme high of being the best distance runner in the NCAA to being unable to run at all was a challenge.

“I felt like I got to this peak and then someone just kicked me off of it and that’s super dramatic, but it was definitely tough to have to sit through indoors and a lot of outdoor. That’s just how it goes,” she said. “That’s not the last time I’ll be hurt, it’s not the last time I’ll go through something tough. You just have to roll with the punches. It’s never going to be perfect.”

In those tough moments when Jones doubted her fitness in her return to training, she said that she found reassurance from volunteer assistant coach and world champion 1500-meter runner Jenny Simpson.

“She [Simpson] reminded me, ‘This is what you prayed for for so long, to be back running, so even when it hurts or you’re not doing well, just appreciate it and know that God has done a lot more with a lot less,’” Jones said.

Jones returned to racing on April 27 with a victory in the 1500 meters at the Jack Christiansen Invitational. She continued the momentum at the Pac-12 Championships, with the 5K victory in a then-personal best of 15:54. Her next personal best came at the NCAA West Preliminary Round in May when she finished third in 15:46.

On Saturday, she became the first Colorado athlete to win the NCAA outdoor 5K crown since Kara Wheeler (now Goucher) accomplished the feat in 2000, according to the USTFCCCA.

McDonald Closes Out With 4th NCAA Title

The men’s 5,000-meter final on Friday came down to a duel between distance rivals Morgan McDonald of Wisconsin and Grant Fisher of Stanford. The race was determined with one final push from McDonald, who kicked past Fisher in the last 50 meters to win in 14:06.01. Fisher closed for second in 14:06.63.

McDonald’s performance marks his fourth NCAA crown after winning the 2018 cross-country title and the 2019 indoor 3,000- and 5,000-meters. He is just the third athlete in NCAA history to capture all four titles in one year, according to the USTFCCCA.

“This has been on my mind for so long, and it’s just amazing. It was always the goal, but I didn’t know that I was going to really get here. I was really nervous for this one since I hadn’t done it,” McDonald told Runner’s World in reference to winning his first outdoor 5K championship.

The race began at a conservative pace with Azaria Kirwa of Liberty in the lead while the rest of the competitors trailed in shifting paces ranging from 73-81 seconds per lap through the first 2600 meters.

With about seven laps remaining, McDonald took over at the front and injected a faster pace, going from a 70 to a 67-second split from 2600 to 3,000 meters. From that point, the Wisconsin Badger held his position up front, but his strongest competitors remained on his heels.

The highly anticipated move was made at the bell lap by Fisher, who shot ahead of McDonald with 400 meters left in the race. The distance rivals battled all the way down the backstretch and into the last 100 meters where Fisher remained one step ahead until McDonald made one last push. With 50 meters to go, McDonald sprinted past the 2017 NCAA champion and into the finish line. The 1-2 finish was a familiar sight as McDonald beat Fisher to the line at the 2018 NCAA Cross-Country Championships and the 2019 NCAA Indoor 3K championship.

For McDonald, the rivalry between himself and Fisher has motivated him greatly in his final collegiate season.

“I love it, you know it’s what gets me up in all of these races. I think it’s so good for both of us and it’s so good for the fans watching,” McDonald said. “Everyone knows that every time we race, it’s going to be something special, and I don’t think we’ve disappointed one time. Every time it’s back and forth and we’re closing. I think it’s exciting, and I think it’s what the sport needs.”

Fisher’s performance closed out his final collegiate outdoor season with a total of one NCAA title (5K in 2017) and 12 All-American honors earned in four years. Despite getting out-kicked in the final moments, Fisher was pleased with how he executed the race, which is the last time he will face McDonald as a collegiate athlete.

“That last 100 was tough. Morgan had a lot more than me in the tank at the end and he ran a great race. I wouldn’t say I ran a bad race, I think I actually ran pretty well today,” Fisher said. “Sometimes you’re in a race and someone is better, so that’s been the case a lot this year against Morgan. I have tremendous respect for what he’s done. He’s had a great year and I wish him the best in the future.”

A Divine Night

Texas Tech’s Divine Oduduru had three reasons to celebrate on the track on Friday night. The junior won his first NCAA title of the evening by running a 9.86 to take the 100 meters.

About an hour later, Oduduru entered the blocks for the 200 and followed up with his second victory of the night, finishing in 19.73. After each races, he revved the crowd up in Austin. Both performances propelled Texas Tech to the men’s team championship, the first ever for the program.

Kansas Junior Keeps Win Streak Alive Over 800 Meters

Bryce Hoppel extended his perfect season by winning his second NCAA crown in the men’s 800 meters. The Kansas standout ran a personal best of 1:44.41 to beat Texas A&M’s Devin Dixon to the line.

Hoppel’s performance was a personal best and a facility record. He remains undefeated at 800 meters in 2019, winning the indoor title earlier this year.

“It feels amazing. That’s what I was going for really just the title, but it’s great to have undefeated along with it,” he said after the race.

Hoppel accomplished the feat by running patiently behind race-leader Dixon, who led the field through 400 meters in 50 seconds, until the final 120 meters when Hoppel shot to the front from the inside lane and rode the momentum all the way into the finish line.

Grant Holloway Goes Sub-13 Seconds in the 110-Hurdles

In almost a heavyweight showdown, the University of Florida’s Grant Holloway, the two-time NCAA 110-meter hurdle champion, defended his title over Daniel Roberts from the University of Kentucky. Holloway’s 12.98 is an NCAA record, breaking Renaldo Nehemiah’s 40-year-old record of 13.00. Roberts, who set a meet record with a 13.06 in the prelims, pushed him the entire way by clocking a 13.00.

Steeple Brings the Drama in the Final Lap

Despite a fall over the final hurdle, Steven Fahy from Stanford University had enough of a lead to recover and win the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 8:38.46. Ryan Smeeton from Oklahoma State finished second (8:39.10), while Kigen Chemadi from Middle Tennessee State was third (8:40.22).

Fahy’s hard-fought victory really started 300 meters from the finish line when he chased down race leader, Daniel Michalski of Indiana. The Hoosier had the lead heading into the last water jump but fell tragically over the barrier, leaving Fahy to sprint for the finish.

While it appeared that Fahy had plenty of room to celebrate his victory, he too clipped the last hurdle and fell to the track. But the experienced fifth-year senior was able to get back up quickly and sprint to the finish before his competitors could reach him.

“The whole time I was telling myself, ‘You can win this.’ Seeing the guy go down was shocking, but it didn’t change my plan going into the last 150 and how I was going to compose myself. But I didn’t expect to clip that last barrier,” Fahy said. “I don’t think it was a fatigue thing as much as technical, but I think even when I went down, I knew I could get up and go win it.”

After winning the NCAA steeplechase title, his first NCAA crown after finishing third in 2018, Fahy credited the victory to developing with the culture of the Stanford program.

“This just speaks to the work that we put in over the past five years and all of my teammates who have really shown me the way. I think that we have a culture on our team where we’re fighting for every spot,” Fahy said. “It’s not just about win or bust. I think that taking that in over five years and having every day be purposeful and going out and racing to the best of my ability is what ultimately got me to be at this point.”

The Men’s 1500-Meter Final Can’t Get Any Closer

Yared Nuguse chased down Justine Kiprotich in the final 100 meters to win the men’s 1500 final by a nose. The Notre Dame standout won in 3:41.39, three thousandths of a second ahead of Kiprotich of Michigan State.

“I thought I was a little too late, and I was thinking about what my coach was going to tell me about getting a head further, but then I heard the cheering and I looked up and I was freaking out. I haven’t stopped smiling since,” Nuguse said.

The performance is the sophomore’s first individual NCAA title after kicking to win the distance-medley relay for the Irish at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships in March.

“It feels pretty amazing especially coming from the point where I didn’t think I could do it with the last 100 meters to go. It was pretty intense,” Nuguse said.

The race began with defending champion Oliver Hoare of Wisconsin assuming the lead up front. The junior continued to lead the race until the bell lap when the final sprint to the finish began between eight competitors.

With 100 meters remaining, Kiprotich appeared to have secured the victory by running a few steps ahead. But with one last push, Nuguse surged forward from the inside lane and fought to out-lean the Big Ten standout for the win in an exciting finish line reveal.

Florida Sprints to an NCAA Record

In the first race of Friday night, the University of Florida 4×100-meter team set an NCAA record, becoming the first team to run sub-38 seconds by clocking a 37.97.

Weini Kelati Fights Off Kick From Carmela Cardama Baez to Win 10K

After five top five finishes at the NCAA championships in various events, Weini Kelati finally earned her spot on the top of the podium with her first ever NCAA crown in the 10K.

But the effort was not without challenges Thursday evening, as sudden shifts in pace and a strong kick from her competitor threatened the title chase. Ultimately, the sophomore from New Mexico was the strongest runner, holding onto her lead through the finish line in a winning time of 33:10.84.

“It feels great. It feels like you don’t run 25 laps when you get a win,” Kelati said. “I’ve always been so close to championships. I don’t like this kind of race, a tactical race, but this year I prepared for it and I came strong.”

The race began at a conservative pace with what appeared to be initial hesitation for anyone to assume the lead. After the first mile, which was clocked in 5:44, All-American Anna Rohrer from Notre Dame shot to the front and increased the pace from an 85-second lap to a 75-second lap between 1600 meters and 2,000 meters.

With about 14 laps remaining, Kelati and her teammate Ednah Kurgat, the 2017 NCAA Cross Country champion, moved to the front.

With 10 laps remaining, Rohrer went to the lead again, but was swiftly overtaken when Kelati made a decisive move beyond the top pack with six laps to go. Between 7600 meters and 8,000 meters, Kelati dropped the rest of her competitors with a 74-second quarter split, and kept the momentum going with a sizeable gap on the field for most of the remaining 2,000 meters of the race.

Behind Kelati, a breakthrough was taking place for Carmela Cardama Baez, who worked her way towards the front after trailing Kelati from about a 40-meter distance. With every step in the remaining two laps of the race, the junior from Oregon continued to gain momentum.

With 100 meters remaining, Baez found herself on Kelati’s shoulder. All the while, the leader watched her rival’s progress on the jumbotron and was ready to respond with a kick of her own when the two runners were stride-for-stride with 50 meters to go.

“I’m not going to give up until the finish line,” Kelati thought in those last seconds.

With one final push, Kelati secured her title ahead of Cardama Baez, who closed for second in 33:11.56. Cardama Baez’s last 400-meter split was a blazing 68 seconds while Kelati’s was 72 seconds.

“I think I freaked out a little once I got next to her,” Cardama Baez said. “I was just looking at the line and trying to get there. She got that half a second on me, but I don’t know, I’m really happy with what I’ve done.”

The Oregon Duck’s runner-up performance marked her first ever NCAA outdoor championship final. She finished 19th in the 10K at the NCAA West Preliminary Round in 2018.

Kelati’s victory is the first ever NCAA 10K title in New Mexico program history. She also broke the facility record with her winning time.

Clayton Young Leads BYU to the Podium

The men’s 10,000 meters on Wednesday came down to a thrilling two-man battle in the final lap as BYU’s Clayton Young, 25, ran stride for stride with Gilbert Kigen, 24, of Alabama on the backstretch and into the final 100 meters. It was the BYU senior, however, who used a decisive kick to edge his way to the finish line first.

“It’s a very rare occasion that I’ve got that speed in me, but that whole race, I was just patient,” Young said. “Once I took the lead I knew that I had to give it all.”

The victory—earned in 29:16.60 with a blazing 55.88 last 400 meters—was Young’s first NCAA title after four previous top 10 performances in various events at the championship. It also marked the BYU program’s first NCAA 10,000 meter crown since head coach Ed Eyestone won in 1984 and 1985, and he enjoyed every second of that last lap.

On his way to victory, Young led teammates Connor McMillan (29:19.85) and Conner Mantz (29:19.93) to three of the top four places in the race with Kigen (29:18.10) closing for second. The BYU runners’ podium finishes were a hard-fought comeback from last year’s NCAA championship where Young finished 23rd, Mantz finished 22nd, and McMillan finished 12th.

“Last year, the BYU boys got rocked. We straight up got rocked. That was probably one of the worst days of my life,” Young said. “To bounce back this year, to have three guys go 1-3-4, I mean that’s unreal. That’s a dream we’ve been talking about since that day a year ago.”

While Young, McMillan, and Mantz finished top four, BYU was also represented in the race with efforts from Rory Linkletter (15th), Dallin Farnsworth (21st), and Connor Weaver (23rd) for a total of six runners in the championship. The Cougars earned 21 points in the race with the 1-3-4 finishes, the most scored by a men’s team in the event since Stanford earned 23 in 2000, according to USTFCCCA.

Chris Nilsen—Dad, Barista, and Pole Vault Champion—Breaks NCAA Meet Record

Over a year ago, Chris Nilsen’s life changed forever. On January 31, 2018, the South Dakota junior became a father to his son, Roman, a welcome addition that suddenly shifted Nilsen’s priorities. He was no longer just a defending NCAA champion out to chase his pole vault goals. Nilsen was now a father who needed to support his family.

In the past year, Nilsen, 21, has balanced working part-time as a barista, completing his junior year as a college student, and competing as one of the best vaulters in the country.

“I held him [Roman] for five seconds and I was like, ‘Oh my God I don’t know what to do, I just want to give him everything,’” Nilsen said. “The priorities definitely changed. They went from pole vault first to (now) Kelly [wife] and Roman, and then school, and pole vault. So being able to balance all of those and kind of focus on what you’re doing and where you’re at in that moment is the key.”

On Wednesday, Nilsen found himself in the moment to make history. His efforts paid off when he won his second NCAA crown in a meet record and personal best (5.95 meters) in what is being dubbed the greatest collegiate pole vault competition in history.

To the cheers of a roaring backstretch crowd, Nilsen led a thrilling competition between world championship finalist Mondo Duplantis of LSU, Clayton Fritsch of Sam Houston State, K.C. Lightfoot of Baylor, and Michael Carr of Arkansas State. Prior to Wednesday, Nilsen’s best clearance was 5.86 meters, which happened in May of 2018, though he recently hit a season’s best of 5.85 at the Drake Relays.

The favorite to win the NCAA crown was 19-year-old Duplantis, a freshman who won the 2018 European championships and recently broke the collegiate outdoor record with a clearance of 6.00 meters at the SEC Championships on May 11.

However, it was Nilsen who came out on top to become a three-time NCAA champion (2019 outdoors, 2018 outdoors, and 2017 indoors) while beating Duplantis, who cleared 5.80 for second.

Daniel Roberts Clocks NCAA Meet Record in 110-Meter Hurdles

Daniel Roberts, Kentucky’s star hurdler, made a statement in the preliminary rounds. The junior unleashed a personal best of 13.06 to win heat one of the 110-meter hurdles. The performance was an NCAA meet record, the second-fastest mark in collegiate history, and a world lead in the event.

Roberts established himself as an NCAA title contender at the SEC Championships in May when he upset five-time NCAA champion Grant Holloway for the victory. Roberts ran a then-personal best of 13.07 to beat the Florida Gator, which established an exciting rivalry.

Holloway went on to beat Roberts at the NCAA East Region Preliminary Round two weeks later. In Austin, Holloway won his heat easily in 13.16. The two conference rivals will meet once again in the final on Friday, June 7.

Anderson Peters Improves His Own NCAA Meet Record

At the 2018 NCAA Championship, Anderson Peters set the meet record in the javelin with a toss of 82.82 meters. One year later, the sophomore from Mississippi State not only improved on his record, but he led a top three sweep for the Bulldogs.

On Wednesday afternoon, Peters broke his own record with the first throw in 84.70 meters and continued to gain momentum with the next two throws at 86.62 and 86.48. His winning mark of 86.62 is a personal best and extended his undefeated streak, which has lasted since the 2018 Penn Relays. Behind Anderson, his teammates Curtis Thompson and Tyriq Horsford finished second and third, respectively, for a total of 24 points towards the team title chase.