Carl Myerscough (GBR) (© Getty Images)
No fewer than 12 individuals and five relay teams crashed their way onto the All-Time performers list here as university athletes wound up their indoor season in exciting fashion at the NCAA Indoor championships (14-15 March).
The best performance was a stunning 3:27.66 women’s 4x400 by the University of Texas. The Texas foursome – all American citizens, which isn’t always the case in the NCAA – were Keasha Downer, Raasin McIntosh, Moushami Robinson and Sanya Richards. Pushing them was South Carolina, which finished second in 3:28.25, also a top-ten all-time mark: the other eight were posted by all-star national teams from four different countries. The men’s 4x400 was even closer, and almost as fast: Louisiana State beat Texas Christian, 3:04.79 to 3:04.87, with South Carolina only a step behind in 3:05.10 – all three in the first 25 of all time.
Alistair Cragg, who competes for Ireland as well as for the University of Arkansas, won both distance races. First, in the 5000m he out-kicked Boaz Cheboiywo of Kenya (Eastern Michigan University), winning by a couple of metres, 13:28.93 to 13:29.26, big PBs for both of them. Next day in the 3000m, an obliging field went out slowly, allowing Cragg to blast a 2:33 last kilometre and win handily in 7:55.68 – a good comeback after running his first sub-13:30 5000 a day earlier.
The other two double victories were scored by women. Muna Lee of Louisiana State set a collegiate record (22.49) in the heats of the 200, then came back to win the final in 22.61 from Sanya Richards of Texas. Lee’s 22.49 puts her ninth on the all-time indoor list. A day later she overcame a bad start to win the 60 metre dash in 7.17 (7.15 heat). Lee is tiny (1.57m, 45kg), and seemingly made up entirely of fast-twitch muscle fibers.
Second in that 60, was Jamaican Elva Goulbourne, who had a remarkable two days. On the first day, she took a single Long Jump – and it was long, 6.81 -- then passed the next five to save energy for the 60 heats. That one jump proved good enough to win …by 36 cm! Next day, Goulborne again took the lead in the Triple Jump on her first try, 13.78, and then passed until her final jump. Her opener stood up just as it did in the Long Jump, but this time the margin was a single centimetre over defending champion Nicole Toney.
Asked if she is a triple jumper now, Goulbourne said, “No, I’m a long jumper, and a sprinter. I never practice the Triple Jump. I just looked at somebody doing it, and said to myself, ‘Hop, step, and jump – I can do that.’ “
And so she can.
Here are some quick takes of the other outstanding performances. Non-U.S. athletes are identified by nation, otherwise you can assume they’re Americans (12 of the 28 individual events were won by non-Americans).
- Carl Myerscough, a 2.08m tall, 154kg Englishman who attends the University of Nebraska, won the men’s Shot Put with a throw of 21.49m, making him the fourth-longest among currently active shot putters, and the 17th all-time, indoors. Myerscough, who didn’t throw competitively this season until five weeks ago because of a torn chest muscle, beat two other 140kg-plus heavers – Dan Taylor, (21.33m) and Christian Cantwell (20.64).
- Allen Simms of Southern California leapt onto the international stage in the Triple Jump, winning with a major PB of 17.26. Brian Johnson of Southern University did likewise in the Long Jump, winning with 8.28 and having two 8.15 efforts as well. Three other jumpers were over 8 meters.
- Brad Walker of the University of Washington became the latest member of the “Nineteen-foot Club,” clearing 5.80 to win the men’s Pole Vault. Lacey Janson of Florida State won the women’s vault, also with a significant PB of 4.45.
- Erin Gilreath of the University of Florida (different from Florida State) became the fifth longest thrower in the short history of the 20-pound weight throw, popping it out to 22.04m.
In the men’s sprints, Leo Bookman of Kansas won the 200m in 20.53, and Gary Kikaya, a U. of Tennessee student from the Congo, won the 400m in 45.71. Jabari Greer of Tennessee won the 60m hurdles in 7.55.
Jim Dunaway for the IAAF
Day ONE (March 14) Results -
http://www.ncaasports.com/indoortrack/mens/story/6253299
Day TWO (March 15 ) Results -
http://www.ncaasports.com/indoortrack/mens/story/6255378
