Shawn Barber Goes 19’4″ In Pole Vault, Trayvon Bromell Becomes #3 Fastest Person (Counting Pros) Ever At 200m Indoors, Brandon McBride, Natoya Goule Advance In 800

by LetsRun.com
March 13, 2015 –

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Day one of the 2015 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships are in the books, and below we recap the 800 prelims and the non distance action.

In the 800 meters, the former champions Brandon McBride of Mississippi State and Natoya Goule of Clemson both made it through to tomorrow’s final.

Goule, the 2013 indoor/outdoor champ at LSU now running for Clemson, won her heat in a quick 2:02.77 (the fastest time in the country this year) as the top six seeds all advanced to the eight-person final.

The men’s side saw a couple of high-profile casualties as two of the six men to break 1:46 this year failed to advance. Florida’s Andres Arroyo, seeded second, finished last in the first heat, putting a dent in the Gators’ team title hopes. Also in that race, Binghamton’s 1:46.98 man Jesse Garn false started and was disqualified prior to the race. Binghamton filed a protest but as of now it does not appear that Garn will race in Saturday’s final.

Quick Take #1: Natoya Goule says she is in the shape of her life

Goule said that she wasn’t worried after getting upset at ACCs as she knows that she is in incredible shape right now even if the result didn’t show it. She mentioned that she’s looking to PR in tomorrow’s final (we’re assuming she means her indoor PR of 2:01.89, not her outdoor PR of 1:59.93) so expect a fast race. She also mentioned that she read LRC’s preview of the race (we were bullish on Goule’s chances) as her coach told her it would be a good one to look at.

Quick Take #2: Brandon McBride thinks racing sparingly this year is a disadvantage — in the short term

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This was only McBride’s fifth race of 2015 (he’s run two 800s, a 500, and two 4x400s) and his first since February 21 (Mississippi State does not field a men’s team at SECs indoors). He said that today’s race was about “getting the rust off…hopefully it’s there tomorrow.” We asked whether he felt racing so infrequently was an advantage or disadvantage, and he said that right now at NCAAs, it’s probably a disadvantage but that down the road it will end up being an advantage (he’s planning on a long season, culminating at Worlds in Beijing in August).

 Shawn Barber Goes 19’4″ in Pole Vault, Trayvon Bromell Becomes #3 Fastest Person (Counting Pros) Ever at 200m Indoors
There were two incredible performances on the track and the field.

Akron’s Shawn Barber of Canada broke the NCAA record in the pole vault going 5.91 (19’4″). Watch it below.

Trayvon Bromell, who ran a wind-aided 9.77 last year and a legit 9.97, ran 20.23 in the 200 prelims to become the #3 fastest person at 200m indoors. The all-time indoor 200m list now is:

Frankie Fredericks 19.92
Wallace Spearmon 20.10
Trayvon Bromell 20.23

Pretty good for a prelim. Day 1 Results

*Day 1 Distance Photo Gallery

Shawn Barber Shawn Barber
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