Weekend Recap: Blistering Start To The 2021-22 Collegiate Indoor Season

They’re off and running (and jumping and throwing)!

The 2021-22 collegiate indoor track & field season got off to a quick start.

From The USTFCCCA InfoZone: Meets & Results | Records & Lists

How quick?

Try running under an American junior record: Katelyn Tuohy of NC State and Nico Young of Northern Arizona rose to the occasion on Saturday afternoon at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Boston. Tuohy ran faster than the current American junior record in the Women’s 3000 Meters when she crossed the finish line in 8:54.18 (Mary Cain holds the current ratified record at 9:04.51). That also was faster than the previous all-time American junior best of 8:58.88 set by Elise Cranny of Stanford back in 2015. Young went 13:22.59 to finish fifth in the elite section of the Men’s 5000 Meters to better his own American junior best that he set during the U.S. Olympic Trials this past June.

Try becoming the third-fastest athlete in collegiate history: Wesley Kiptoo of Iowa State quickly established himself as the favorite over 5000 meters come March. Kiptoo, who finished runner-up at the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships last month, took top collegiate honors in the elite section of the Men’s 5000 Meters at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in 13:14.74 and moved up to No. 3 on the all-time collegiate chart. That was also the fastest mark by a collegian over 5000 meters since 2012 (Lawi Lalang and Stephen Sambu at the NYRR Millrose Games).

Try two all-time divisional marks from the same race: Isaac Harding of Grand Valley State and Alex Phillip of John Carroll scorched the oversized oval at the GVSU Holiday Open in the Men’s 5000 Meters. Harding finished third in 13:41.78, which is the third fastest mark in NCAA Division II history, regardless of track size. Phillip took eighth in 13:58.42, which made him just the third man in NCAA Division III history to crack the 14-minute barrier on any indoor track. Oh, did we forget to mention that both Harding and Phillip won their respective division’s individual titles at the NCAA Cross Country Championships last month?

Try the fastest mark ever turned in by a collegian during the month of December: That’s what Brandon Miller of Texas A&M did in the 600 meters at the Wooo Pig Classic in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Miller traversed three laps of the Randal Tyson Track Center oval in 1:15.48, which put him sixth on the all-time collegiate chart (eighth, if you count oversized tracks). Miller finished runner-up in the 800 at last year’s NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Try cracking the top-10 of the collegiate indoor record book: Ceili McCabe of West Virginia continued her breakout year with an exciting victory in the Women’s 3000 Meters at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. McCabe ran 8:52.52 to Anna Camp-Bennett’s 8:52.53 to move up to No. 8 on the all-time collegiate chart in the event. McCabe finished third at the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships last month and entered that meet undefeated.

Try already beating the top mark from last year in the first meet: Lauren Gregory of Arkansas opened her season with a bang on Friday. Gregory, who finished 19th at the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships this past month, won the Women’s 5000 Meters going away at the Wooo Pig Classic in 15:34.58. That mark would have been No. 1 on the Descending Order List at the end of last year’s indoor regular season by nearly two seconds. It’s safe to say Gregory is ready to have a big year on the oval.