USTFCCCA News & Notes
Weekend Recap: Records Continue To Fall In Collegiate Track & Field
EDITOR’S NOTE: We’ll continue to update this post throughout the weekend.
3:16.24. 54.21. 2:01.93. 4:34.26.
Add those together – 10:46.62.
That’s a collegiate record.
From The USTFCCCA InfoZone: Meets & Results | Records & Lists
Washington took down Oregon’s six-year-old all-time collegiate best in the Women’s Distance Medley Relay on Friday night at the Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invitational. The Huskies won the race by more than 13 seconds and were up by four seconds at the first exchange.
Sophie O’Sullivan (1200), Marlena Preigh (400), Carley Thomas (800) and Anna Gibson (1600) were all members of Washington’s record-setting squad. O’Sullivan is the team’s top athlete this season in the 3000 meters, while Thomas and Gibson headline the Huskies in the 800 and mile, respectively.
This was the seventh collegiate record set this indoor season.
Wooo Pig. That’s Fast!
No collegiate record is safe this year.
Arkansas frightened the all-time collegiate best in the Men’s 4×400 Relay on Saturday at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic. The Razorbacks got the baton around in 3:01.10, which was 0.32 seconds shy of the five-year-old collegiate record set by Southern California’s talented foursome.
Connor Washington, James Benson II, Ayden Owens-Delerme, and Chris Bailey were part of Arkansas’ quartet. Bailey is currently the collegiate leader in the open 400 meters at 45.09.
Iowa Western CC Scares NJCAA DMR Best
Iowa Western CC went after the all-time NJCAA indoor best in the distance medley relay on Friday at the Bearcat Invitational at Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Missouri.
Competing on the Hughes Fieldhouse 300-meter flat track, the Reivers’ foursome came close, posting a time of 9:49.11 to become the No. 3 program all-time regardless of track size. Only the NJCAA record of 9:47.17 by Barton (Kan.) CC in 1993 and an oversized-track 9:47.27 by Iowa Central CC in 2011 rate faster.
Running for Iowa Western were Mohammed Kowa (1200 meters), Aaron Kilbert (400 meters), Steve Hines (800 meters) and Jacinto Gaspar (1600 meters). All but Hines are freshmen. The Reivers finished second in the race behind the host Bearcats, who set a fieldhouse record of 9:47.54.
Two All-Time Marks For Tinch
Pittsburg State had one athlete already run their way into the top-10 of the NCAA Division II all-time list in the 60-meter hurdles.
Why not a second?
Cordell Tinch became the second-fastest performer in NCAA DII history on Saturday afternoon at the Washburn Open. Tinch stopped the clock at 7.66 seconds in the finals to win by 0.34 seconds. Earlier in the day, Tinch went 7.73 in the prelims to lead all qualifiers. That effort initially made him the sixth-best performer before he clocked his blistering 7.66 in the finals.
Tinch moves ahead of former Ashland standout Trevor Bassitt, who ran 7.67 in 2021. The divisional record of 7.53 was set by Myles Hunter of Minnesota State back in 2016.
Tinch joins teammate TJ Caldwell as one of the best hurdlers in NCAA DII history. Caldwell, who was previously the seventh-best performer, is now eighth after his 7.74 effort last weekend at the Pittsburg State Invitational. The Gorillas also have Daylin Williams knocking on the door of the top-10 list, who is tied at No. 13 at 7.77.
That wasn’t all for Tinch.
He took his speed to the runway and became the sixth-best performer in NCAA DII history in the long jump. Tinch had a massive leap of 7.94m (26-¾) that came in Round 3 to seal the win.
Blaskowski Sprints To Another Record
Sam Blaskowski ran so fast he couldn’t wait to tell the world after.
Blaskowski, competing at the Mark Guthrie Legacy Invitational, tied the nine-year-old NCAA DIII record of 6.68 in the 60 meters. Wait for it – in the prelims. (He didn’t contest the final later.)
Earlier this season, Blaskowski shattered the NCAA DIII record in the 200 meters with his 21.13 at the Aurora Grand Prix. That took 0.04 seconds off the previous all-time best of 21.17, established by Thurgood Dennis in a winning effort at the 2014 NCAA DIII Indoor Championships.
A Historic Series For White
Joseph White only needed one throw to make NCAA Division III history.
White wasn’t done there, so he took another – and made more of it.
Competing at the Tadd Metzger Invitational, White broke the eight-year-old NCAA DIII record in the weight throw with his heave of 21.89m (71-10). The very next round, White bettered what is now his own record to 21.92m (71-11) to give him the top-2 marks in NCAA DIII history.
Wiley Sets NAIA Record In Mile
Another race, another win for Addy Wiley. And another record.
Racing in the elite mile at the JDL Fast Track’s Camel City Invitational, the Huntington (Ind.) freshman stopped the clock at 4:32.15 to shave more than five seconds off the previous best-known NAIA mark of 4:37.73 by Anna Shields of Point Park (Pa.) in 2019. Wiley’s time is also faster than the oversized 4:36.96 run by Hillary Holt of the College of Idaho in 2014.
Wiley is undefeated this indoor season. In five races she has NAIA-leading times in all of them. Besides the mile, she tops the 600 meters (1:29.77), 800 (2:09.76), 1000 (2:51.56) and 3000 (9:24.28). Her time in the 600 is also the best-known in NAIA history.
Goodness, Grace-ous
Facing off against NCAA Division I competition at the Notre Dame Meyo Invitational, the Grace College Lancers DMR wasn’t going to be denied.
Their relay squad of seniors Bryan Hernandez, Logan Rufenacht, and Dimitri Margaritidis, along with junior Tanner Sallee put themselves among the best DMRs in NAIA history, with a 9:49.19. The effort puts the Lancers atop the NAIA DMR rankings for the year, and slots them in at No. 3 on the NAIA all-time, all-conditions chart.
2 Leads Are Better Than 1
Kelsey Daniel of New Mexico JC made two big splashes at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.
The sophomore started Friday, leaping 7.99m (26-2¾) in finishing second. That made him the year’s first – and only – NJCAA 25-footer, let alone 26-footer. He’s also now No. 4 all-time in NJCAA indoor history.
He PRed again on Saturday in triple jump, bounding out to 16.04m (52-7½) in producing the NJCAA’s first 52-foot effort of the year (three of them, in fact). He now rates No. 14 all-time in the TJ.