WEEKEND WRAPUP – May 15, 2023

WILSON'S COLLEGIATE RECORDS TOP SPECTACULAR SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
 
Twice breaking her own collegiate record in the women's 400m and adding a big win in the 400m hurdles, Britton Wilson led Arkansas to the Southeastern Conference team title at Baton Rouge. Wilson, a gold medalist on Team USATF's 4x400m relay at last summer's World Championships and a fifth-place finisher in the 400m hurdles, clocked 49.40 in the heats of the 400m on Friday and then followed up with a stunning 49.13 in the final to move to No. 4 on the U.S. all-time performer list, passing Olympic legend Allyson Felix. Her time is a world leader in 2023 and puts her 17^th on the all-time world performer list. In the 400H, Wilson zipped to a 53.76 in the prelims and a 53.28 in the final, the fourth-fastest collegiate in-season performance ever.
 
Jacious Sears of Tennessee equaled the 10^th-fastest American collegiate time ever to win the women's 100m in 10.96, with Georgia freshman Kaila Jackson the runner-up in 11.04 to move to =7^th on the all-time U.S. U20 performer list. LSU's Michaela Rose sprinted to the lead in the women's 800m and was never really challenged as she went gun-to-tape in 1:59.73 to win by more than four seconds with the ninth-fastest collegiate performance ever.
 
2022 World Championships fourth-place finisher Alia Armstrong of LSU won the women's 100m hurdles in 12.40, putting her third on the all-time collegiate performer list, and led three women sub-12.50 in a wind-legal single race for the first time in collegiate history. Armstrong had the fastest all-conditions collegiate time ever with a 12.31 in the heats that was aided by a 2.2mps wind, just over the allowable. For the seventh time at an SEC or NCAA championship meet in the past two seasons, Jasmine Moore of Florida was a double victor in the horizontal jumps, taking gold in the long jump and triple jump with outdoor collegiate-leading marks.
 
Competition was just as hot on the men's side, with a pair of collegiate records by LSU and Florida in the relays and another team title for Arkansas. Florida's Ryan Willie took the No. 10 spot on the all-time collegiate performer list in the 400m with a 44.27 lifetime best and anchored the Gators to a 2:57.76 in the 4x400m relay with a 43.32 carry. That time has only ever been bettered by six nations.
 
In the 4x100m relay, LSU dropped the CR to 37.90 to edge Florida's 37.93. The Gators will claim the American collegiate record as LSU's quartet included Godson Oghenebrume of Nigeria on anchor. Already the collegiate record holder in the decathlon, Georgia's Kyle Garland put together another brilliant ten-eventer with a score of 8,589 points, the second-highest score ever by a collegian. Bulldog teammate Will Sumner, a freshman, won the 800m in 1:46.20.
 
RICHARDSON, TERRY, KASSANAVOID TOP PODIUM AT NAIROBI WORLD ATHLETICS CTG MEET
 
Three American women came away victorious at the Kip Keino Classic in Kasarani, Kenya, a World Athletics Continental Tour — Gold meet. Sha'Carri Richardson moved atop the U.S. list in the 200m with a majestic 22.07 win, while TeeTee Terry took the 100m in a windy 10.86 (wind +2.5). World Championships bronze medalist Janee' Kassanavoid opened her hammer season with a 74.25m/243-7 to take top honors, with Janeah Stewart second ahead of world record holder Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland.
 
Men's season bests went to Kenny Bednarek, second in the 100m at 9.98, and Kyree King, runner-up in the 200m at 20.18. Vernon Norwood also scored a 2023 best of 44.68 to place second in the 400m, with Marvin Bracy-Williams third in the 100m at 10.03.
 
SIX U.S. WINNERS AT NACAC NEW LIFE INVITATIONAL IN THE BAHAMAS
 
Trevor Stewart took the men's 400m in a season best 44.92 and Keturah Orji won the women's triple jump with a best of 14.02m/46-0 to lead a sextet of American victors at the NACAC New Life Invitational in Freeport, Bahamas. Skylyn Webb and Kameron Jones swept the 800m golds, and Amere Lattin won the men's 400m hurdles. Isaac Grimes was the winner of the men's long jump. In other action on the track, Cassandra Tate ran her fastest 400m hurdles since 2017 with a 54.68 in second.
 
BIG THROWS FOR NEBRASKA AT BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
 
Team champion Nebraska's Jonah Wilson and Maxwell Otterdahl went 1-2 in the men's shot put with efforts past 21m, including Wilson's 21.32m/69-11.5 winner in the final round. Otterdahl hit 21.22m/69-7.5 on his last attempt. Cornhusker teammate Dash Sirmon moved to No. 6 on the all-time U.S. U20 performer list in the javelin with a 75.35m/247-2 effort. Penn State's Tyler Merkley became the No. 10 all-time American collegian in the hammer with a 73.67m/241-8 to place second. Michigan won the women's team title, with Ziyah Holman's 50.90 lifetime best in the 400m the top performance for the Wolverines.
 
TEXAS TECH, TEXAS TAKE BIG 12 CROWNS
 
Courtney Lindsey scored a sprint double to lead the Texas Tech men to the Big 12 title at Norman, Oklahoma, and helped the Red Raiders to a 38.24 win in the 4x100m relay. That time puts Tech at No. 6 on the all-time schools list. Other top men's marks came from Oklahoma's Vernon Turner, who cleared 2.30m/7-6.5 in the high jump, and Zach Bradford of Texas Tech, who went over 5.87m/19-3 in the pole vault. Oklahoma's Zarik Brown dramatically slashed his lifetime best to 44.61 for 400m gold, lopping more than a half-second off his previous PB.
 
The Texas women won by 70 points on the strength of a collegiate record 41.89 in the 4x100m relay and sweeps of the 100/200/400 titles.
 
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES PROVES TALL TASK AT PAC-12
 
Enjoying better weather than many of the other conference championship meets around the country, USC's Allie Jones won the Pac-12 women's heptathlon with a collegiate-leading 6,234 points, moving her to 10^th on the all-time collegiate performer list, and Stanford freshman Alyssa Jones took over the No. 5 spot on the U.S. U20 all-time performer list in the long jump. Jones won with a wind-aided 6.79m/22-3.5 and had a wind-legal 6.74m/22-1.5.
 
USC freshman William Jones demolished his lifetime best in the 400m with a 44.65 win after setting a PB in the heats at 45.22. Coming into 2023, Jones had a best of 46.29, set while a high schooler in Kansas. Trojan teammate Johnny Brackins won the long jump with a windy 8.30m/27-2.75.
 
Oregon took the women's team title with a 31-point cushion, while Washington came out on top of the men's standings by 14.

Photo Credit: Errol Anderson