Record Book Update: DeAnna Price’s Historic Hammer Season

NEW ORLEANS – When it comes to the collegiate women’s hammer throw, the Price is right.

Defending NCAA champion DeAnna Price of Southern Illinois has been untouchable in her signature event this 2016 outdoor campaign and is in the midst of one of the most dominant seasons in collegiate history in any event, ever.

Her 72.48m (237-9) to win the Auburn Tiger Track Classic this weekend has been the high-water mark of her season thus far, checking in as the third-best individual throw in collegiate history (including post-NCAA Championships) – and the tide is still rising.

Her name still resides third on the all-time performers list, but if her upward trajectory continues that could change sooner rather than later.

She has recorded at least one mark that landed within the all-time collegiate top-25 performances chart in each of the four weekends she’s competed this year – including four just this past weekend, alone. In addition to her aforementioned best throw, she also heaved it 71.88m (235-10), 71.07m (233-2) and 70.10m (230-0).

Throwing farther than 230 feet four times in the same meet is a feat matched only by collegiate record holder Jenny Dahlgren of Georgia, who did it this same weekend back in 2007 in a series that included her all-time best 72.94m (239-3).

All told, Price has racked up nine of the 25 farthest throws in collegiate history this year, to go along with her NCAA winning mark from 2015 (which has now been banished to No. 11 all-time). Her 10 career top-25 marks is the most in event history, to Dahlgren’s eight.

Relative to the rest of the collegiate field, she’s in a sector all her own. She’s surpassed the top mark of 67.04m (219-11) by the nation’s No. 2 thrower, Heavin Warner of DII Central Missouri, 15 times in four weekends. Even more impressively, she’s only fouled five times in that same span, and has only thrown shorter than 67.04m four times.

The record books can take a breath this weekend as Price isn’t slated to get back into the ring until next weekend at the Missouri Tom Botts Invitational.

What else changed in the record books this weekend?

Men’s 800 Meters

Shaquille Walker of BYU ran 1:44.99 at the Sun Angel Track Classic to become just the 13th man in collegiate history to crack the 1:45.00 barrier during the collegiate season. His time is the 14th-fastest in collegiate history. Not since Charles Jock and Ryan Martin in 2012 had anyone gone under 1:45.

In that same race, Abraham Alvarado of NCAA Division II’s Cal State Stanislaus finished fourth in 1:47.23 to become just the eighth man in DII history to crack the 1:48.00 barrier. He’s back in action again this weekend at Mt. SAC against the likes of professionals Duane Solomon, Lopez Lomong and Brandon Johnson, as well as collegians Eliud Rutto of MTSU and Robert Heppenstall of Wake Forest.

Women’s Pole Vault

Alysha Newman of Miami (Fla.) became just the sixth woman in outdoor collegiate history to break the 15-feet barrier in the pole vault, clearing 4.60m (15-1) to win the Hurricane Alumni Invitational. She needed only two attempts at the height to get up and over the historic bar, which positions her in a share of the No. 4 spot on the all-time college performers list with a mark equal to the 12th-highest in college history. En route to her historic height, she also got 4.52m (14-10) on two attempts for the 21st-highest bar in college outdoor history.

Women’s Shot Put

After her shocking upset loss at the NCAA Indoor Championships last month, Raven Saunders of Mississippi has seemingly got back on track so far this outdoor campaign. She heaved 18.63m (61-1½) to win the Auburn Tiger Track Classic this weekend, and while it wasn’t a season’s best for her, it still made some history. She joins former NCAA Champions Tia Brooks of Oklahoma (2013) and Tressa Thompson of Nebraska (1998) as the only women in collegiate history to have thrown farther than 61 feet (18.59) at multiple meets in the same season.

Women’s 4×100 Relay

Oregon’s quartet of Jasmine Todd, Deajah Stevens, Hannah Cunliffe and Ariana Washington ran 42.88 on their home Hayward Field track this weekend to win the Pepsi Team Invitational and become the seventh-fastest school in college history.

Men’s Shot Put

Garrett Appier of NCAA Division II’s Pittsburg State is closing in on becoming just the third man in DII history to top the 20-meter plateau. After throwing 19.96m (65-6) last month, he threw 19.89m (65-3¼) this weekend at the SBU Bearcat Invitational. Those are the No. 4 and No. 5 throws in DII history.