Meet Recap: Big Moments Highlight 2022 NCAA DIII Outdoor T&F Championships

Everybody had high hopes for the 2022 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships after seeing how the regular season transpired.

From The USTFCCCA InfoZone: National Championships Central

Well, they certainly lived up to the hype — and then some.

Here are some moments that stood out the most to us in Geneva, Ohio!

What A Jump From Wei

Kenneth Wei wasn’t going to be denied on Thursday.

The MIT standout entered the final round of the Men’s Long Jump in second place, training Ahmir Johnson of Rowan, who put the marker out at 7.56m (24-9¾) in Round 2. Wei wasn’t too far behind Johnson at 7.48m (24-6½), which he traversed in Round 5 to put some distance between himself and third-place Sam Blaskowski of UW-La Crosse.

As it turns out, Wei was just warming up.

Wei soared 7.88m (25-10¼) on his final jump of the competition to wrest the national title away from Johnson and make history in the process. That broke the 48-year-old meet record of 7.82m (25-8) set by David Boyd of Fisk back in 1974. It also cemented Wei as the third-best performer in NCAA DIII history.

The Final Is Going To Be Fast

Ten sub-20.90 200s have been run in meet history, regardless of wind reading.

Four of the top-5 happened yesterday … in the prelims!

You could bet your bottom dollar that both Eric Gregory of Gallaudet and JP Vaught of Centre would be involved somehow. After all, Gregory and Vaught sit No. 1 and No. 2 on the NCAA DIII all-time chart in the event. Well, Vaught led all qualifiers with a wind-aided 20.64, which is now the all-time, all-conditions meet best. Gregory turned in a wind-legal 20.81.

Cheickna Traore of Ramapo is now the recognized meet record-holder after covering the distance in a wind-legal 20.73. That dipped under the previous meet record of 20.80, established by Sean Bernstein of SUNY Oneonta 10 years ago.

Sam Blaskowski of UW-La Crosse equaled Bernstein’s record of 20.80 in the same heat in which Traore went 0.07 seconds faster to go to the top of the record book.

Record Book Sprinting From Hogue

Isabella Hogue left nothing to chance in the prelims.

The Nebraska Wesleyan standout posted the fastest qualifying times in both the Women’s 100 Meters and Women’s 200 Meters.

Hogue truly left her mark in the 100, where she sprinted the distance in 11.74 seconds, barely missed the 20-year-old meet record of 11.71, established by Muffy Isreal in 2002. She is now No. 2 in meet history and No. 8 in NCAA DIII history.

That came one day after Hogue went 23.79 in the 200 for the sixth-fastest performance in meet history.

Combined Event Glory For Gibbins

What a difference one year makes!

Kennady Gibbins won the heptathlon title on Friday after a sterling two-day effort in which she totaled 5244 points to equal the fourth-best performer in meet history. Gibbins finished seventh at this meet last year.

To say Gibbins was locked in would be an understatement. Gibbins jumped to the top of the scoring table after Day 1 thanks to top marks in three of the four events – high jump, shot put and 200 meters. What happened in that other event? Gibbins had the second-fastest mark in the 100-meter hurdles.

It was the first heptathlon title in program history for Mount Union.

White Answers The Bell

Joseph White wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

As it turns out, White battled back to win an NCAA title.

White, who led the Men’s Shot Put through four rounds, but fell to second place after defending champion Kevin Reuchel of UW-Stout threw 17.58m (57-8¼) in Round 5, answered with a 17.85m (58-6¾) effort on the last attempt of the competition to wrest the crown from Reuchel.

It was the second outdoor shot put title for Carthage in program history, but just the first since 1977.