Sanya Richards of Texas, women's 400m NCAA winner. (© Kirby Lee)
The 400metres races on the final day of the NCAA championships (Saturday 14 June) were the most exciting and fastest performances of the week.
Adam Steele of Minnesota won the men's 400 in 44.57, beating Otis Harris of South Carolina by 0.006 second, with another Minnesotan, Mitch Potter, finishing a few cm behind them in 44.58.
The two Minnesotans are 22, and they entered this year with bests of 46.15 for Steele and 45.96 for Potter. Harris won't be 21 until June 30 and his best last year was 45.42. That makes the U.S. future in the 400 look pretty bright, and it will be interesting to see how they do next week at the national championships against the veterans who have been running in the low 45s.
The women's 400m was not quite as close, but the times were just as stunning. 19-year-old Sanya Richards of the University of Texas went out very fast and paid the price in the final straight - but so did everyone else in the race. So Richards held on to win in 50.58 - her third PB this spring -with Dee Dee Trotter of Tennessee and Nadia Davey of Lousiana State second and third in 50.66.
Although Richards came into the year as a known quantity with a 50.69 PB and a World Juniors silver medal, I can't find any bio information or 400 marks under 53 seconds prior to this year for either Trotter or Davey, and only a single 200m mark of 23.47 for Trotter last year. And no, the track isn't short, though I will go out tomorrow and check the 400 staggers (and probably get arrested).
If those two races had been the only events on the program, it would have been worthwhile, but there was a lot more, not all, by any means, involving American citizens. Candice Scott, who seems to set a Trinidad and Tobago national record almost every time she picks up the Hammer, threw it 69.79 twice, with her only other throw going 68.92. Look out world, Trinidad is now a throwing power! Scott, a U. of Florida student, is one of a number of Florida throwers who have blossomed since famed coach Larry Judge arrived last year.
Muna Lee, who finished second to Aleen Bailey (JAM) on Friday night in the 100 meters, found Bailey just as hard to beat at 200. Bailey won by a metre, 22.65 to 22.76.
The men's Triple Jump was another close competition at a pretty high level. Frenchman Julien Kapek of the U. Of Southern California won it with 17.12, but he was never safe until the last jump, being closely attended by Leevan Sands (BAH) of Auburn U. and American Allen Simms at 16.92 and 16.90 respectively. Ineta Radevica (LAT won the women's triple at 13.93.
The women's 1500 was one of the most exciting races I have ever seen. Some background: Tiffany McWilliams is a 20-year-old middle distance runner from the small town of Red Bay, Alabama. In high school, she won her state championships at 800, 1600 and 3200 four years in a row; the times weren't especially fast (Alabama is hot and sultry, not a place where one expects fast distance running); all this I have second-hand from a friend who is usually very reliable.
So Tiffany now attends Mississippi State University, where in 2002 as a first-year student she made her first mark on a U.S. list with a fourth-place finish in 4:20.13, not fast enough to rate a mention as one of Track & Field News' top 15 "Leading Collegiate Women's Eligibles" in January of this year,
Yet a month later she was in the top ten of T&FN's U.S. 800 list (2:05.08) and led the mile list at 4:36.89, about equal to something like 4:17 for 1500 meters.
So when I saw her for the first time in the NCAA indoor Mile, I watched her with interest. She has a long, sort of loping stride which makes her not look fast even when she IS scooting along at a pretty good clip - steady, but faster than you think. And she likes to take the lead and make a fast pace.
Well, in the indoor NCAA, she leads for 6 1/2 of the 8 laps, and then Johanna Nilsson, a tallish brunette Swede who attends Northen Arizona U., sails by her. And Tiffany has no answer: she just keeps loping along at the same pace and finishes four seconds behind Nilsson in 4:36.51. And I'm saying to myself, "What a pity! She can't kick!"
A couple of months later I read that she has won the Southeastern Conference 800 and 1500 in 2:02.74 and 4:12.18, and I assume that she is going to try to burn everyone off at the NCAA because, not having a finishing kick, that's the only way she can win.
Today, in the NCAA 1500m final, she took the lead as usual, and opened up a 15-metres gap over the first two laps, looking good. Then another Swedish Nilsson - Lena, a blonde who attends UCLA - begins to narrow the gap and by 1200 metres it's a race. And, of course just like they're following a script, going down the backstretch with 250 or so to go, zip, there goes Nilsson into the lead! I figure it's all over for Tiffany, although I notice that she was managing to hang on within three or four metres. Then, as they're two-thirds of the way through the final turn, Tiffany is fighting back, and then beginning to narrow margin. As they come into the straight, McWilliams puts on a spurt and passes Nilsson, who pretty much gives up 50m from the finish and leaves our heroine to romp home 20 meters ahead in - are you sitting down? - 4:06.75.
Wake up, America - Tiffany has landed!
Ain't athletics grand?
