Day 2 Recap: Some Big Names Go Home in the 800, Georgia Goes 1-2 in Long Jump & Oregon Catches a Break in 100 Semis

By LetsRun.com
June 8, 2017

EUGENE, Ore. — The 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships are halfway done and all of the remaining finals are set. Tomorrow will see the men take to the track for 11 finals (plus three more in the field) while the women will return for the final day of the meet on Saturday. Today then, which featured exclusively women’s events save for the decathlon, was mostly about qualifying on the track, though there were five champions crowned in the field and one in the 10,000-meter run. That 10k win went to San Francisco’s Charlotte Taylor, and it gets its own article here. Everything else that happened at Hayward Field today is covered below, and there is a lot to get to.

In the women’s 800, the semifinals were wild as four of the top seven seeds (by regular season SB) went home, including NCAA indoor record holder Jazmine Fray of Texas A&M. A great 1500 final is set as most of the big names advanced, led by heat winners (and NCAA indoor champs) Karisa Nelson and Dani Jones. 2016 NCAA mile champ Kaela Edwards of Oklahoma State was the biggest casualty there.

In non-distance action, Texas A&M’s Lindon Victor repeated in the decathlon, Georgia went 1-2 in the long jump with Kate Hall and Keturah Orji, and Oregon’s Ariana Washington and Deajah Stevens scraped through to the 100-meter final after making it as time qualifiers thanks to a friendly wind. There was also a surprise in the women’s 4×100 relay as LSU flubbed its first exchange and was disqualified. Incredibly, both LSU and Oregon tied the collegiate record this season, yet neither school even made the NCAA final (Oregon was DQ’d at regionals).

Women’s 800: Four of the top seven seeds are eliminated

The 800 usually sees the biggest casualties of any event in preliminary rounds as it’s tough to cut down from 24 to 8, and today’s event was no exception as four of the top seven seeds (based on season’s best) went home, including NCAA indoor record holder Jazmine Fray of Texas A&M (2:00.69 pb), Penn State freshman Danae Rivers (2:02.53 pb), Middle Tennessee State’s Agnes Abu (2:02.70 pb) and Villanova’s Penn Relays hero Siofra Cleirigh Buttner (2:02.11 pb).

Oklahoma State’s Kaylee Dodd used a big kick to win heat 1 in 2:04.35 ahead of last year’s NCAA runner-up Olivia Baker and two-time defending champ Raevyn Rogers of Oregon took care of business to win heat 2 easily in 2:05.63.

The real drama came in heat 3, which looked like the Heat of Death on paper and lived up to the billing. That heat featured three of the four fastest women from the regular season — Virginia Tech’s Hanna Green, Fray and BYU’s Shea Collinsworth — who also happened to go 2-3-4 at NCAA indoors. By rule, at least one of them would not advance automatically and it turned out that Fray would not advance at all as she ran out of gas on the homestretch after leading most of the way.

And neither Green nor Collinsworth won the heat; instead, that honor went to Oregon’s Brooke Feldmeier, who looked terrific in exploding to the front over the final 100 and pulling away to win in 2:03.43, just .30 off her PR. Green hung on for second, while Collinsworth made it as the final time qualifier, taking fourth in the heat, just behind Vanderbilt’s Courtney Clayton.

Heat 1 results

Pl	Ln		Athlete		Affiliation	Time	400m	800m
1	3		Kaylee DODD	JR	Oklahoma State	2:04.35 Q	1:01.92 [1:01.92]	2:04.35 [1:02.43]
2	5		Olivia BAKER	JR	Stanford	2:04.74 Q	1:01.57 [1:01.57]	2:04.74 [1:03.17]
3	7		Madeline KOPP	SR	Duke	2:04.79	1:01.78 [1:01.78]	2:04.79 [1:03.02]
4	1		Whitney ADAMS	SR	Kansas	2:05.74	1:01.86 [1:01.86]	2:05.74 [1:03.89]
5	4		Abike EGBENIYI	JR	Mid. Tenn. State	2:05.94	1:01.23 [1:01.23]	2:05.94 [1:04.72]
6	6		Rachel WEBER	SR	Ohio State	2:05.99	1:01.64 [1:01.64]	2:05.99 [1:04.35]
7	2		Julia RIZK	SO	UCLA	2:06.06	1:01.02 [1:01.02]	2:06.06 [1:05.04]
8	8		Emma KEENAN	JR	Georgetown	2:06.53	1:01.68 [1:01.68]	2:06.53 [1:04.85]

Heat 2 results

Pl	Ln		Athlete		Affiliation	Time	400m	800m
1	5		Raevyn ROGERS	JR	Oregon	2:05.63 Q	1:05.27 [1:05.27]	2:05.63 [1:00.37]
2	1		Rianna GOINS	SR	UC Davis	2:06.76 Q	1:05.34 [1:05.34]	2:06.76 [1:01.42]
3	3		Jasmine STAEBLER	SO	Iowa State	2:06.81	1:05.59 [1:05.59]	2:06.81 [1:01.23]
4	7		Danae RIVERS	FR	Penn State	2:07.07	1:05.49 [1:05.49]	2:07.07 [1:01.59]
5	4		Siofra CLEIRIGH BUTTNER	JR	Villanova	2:07.14	1:05.57 [1:05.57]	2:07.14 [1:01.58]
6	6		Susan ANENO	SO	Connecticut	2:07.64	1:05.32 [1:05.32]	2:07.64 [1:02.32]
7	8		Ruby STAUBER	FR	LSU	2:08.65	1:05.45 [1:05.45]	2:08.65 [1:03.21]
8	2		Lilian KOECH	SO	UTEP	2:09.30	1:05.36 [1:05.36]	2:09.30 [1:03.95]

Heat 3 results

Pl	Ln		Athlete		Affiliation	Time	400m	800m
1	2		Brooke FELDMEIER	JR	Oregon	2:03.43 Q	59.86 [59.86]	2:03.43 [1:03.58]
2	4		Hanna GREEN	SR	Virginia Tech	2:03.72 Q	59.68 [59.68]	2:03.72 [1:04.04]
3	7		Courtney CLAYTON	JR	Vanderbilt	2:04.24	1:00.28 [1:00.28]	2:04.24 [1:03.97]
4	1		Shea COLLINSWORTH	SR	BYU	2:04.30	59.71 [59.71]	2:04.30 [1:04.59]
5	3		Sadi HENDERSON	SO	Boise State	2:04.95	59.96 [59.96]	2:04.95 [1:04.99]
6	5		Jazmine FRAY	SO	Texas A&M	2:05.70	59.58 [59.58]	2:05.70 [1:06.12]
7	6		Agnes ABU	SR	Mid. Tenn. State	2:06.21	59.80 [59.80]	2:06.21 [1:06.42]
8	8		Alethia MARRERO	JR	Indiana State	2:13.24	59.93 [59.93]	2:13.24 [1:13.31]

Quick Take: Just another day at the office for Raevyn Rogers

Rogers has reached one of the highest levels of dominance at the NCAA level: she routinely makes difficult tasks look easy. Today, she cruised through her 800 prelim and still had the energy to split a 51.05 to anchor Oregon’s 4×400 to victory in heat 2.

But even after winning four straight NCAA 800-meter crowns, Rogers still feels the pressure of a championship meet.

“I got super nervous today,” Rogers said. “Because without prelims, there’s no final. So I feel like prelims is actually the hardest part. Because anything can happen, then you don’t make the final.”

Quick Take: Brooke Feldmeier said she felt great and had more in the tank

Feldmeier, who was 4th at Pac-12s, surprised us by winning this heat but she didn’t surprise herself as she said she’s been training really well this spring.

“I saw that it was gonna be fast and I was like okay, I’m going to rise to that challenge,” Feldmeier said.

Feldmeier wasn’t in great position on the last lap, but once she found a gap, she was gone.

“It was like all right, time for these people to move, I wanna qualify,” Feldmeier said.

She also credited her patient approach to her coach, who told her something we’ve always said about the 800: you only have one move.

Feldmeier is a big talent — she made the NCAA indoor final as a true freshman for Ole Miss in 2015 — but in her next three trips to NCAAs (indoors and outdoors), she went out in the prelims. Now she’s in the final again and well-positioned to help Oregon complete the triple crown — something she said was a big priority for her.

“That’s one of the biggest motivators I had,” Feldmeier said. “I wanted to come out here and make that final and contribute to the team points because if we win the triple crown, I want to say I made the final and scored some points for that.”

As for how high she can place in the final, Feldmeier said she hasn’t thought about beating teammate (and favorite) Raevyn Rogers.

“I don’t really think about beating her because we’re teammates and at the end of the day, those points go to Oregon because it doesn’t really matter,” Feldmeier said.

Women’s 1500: Saturday’s final will be loaded

After the semis were over, 7 of the top 8 seeds all advanced to the final of the women’s 1500 today, with the lone casualty being #3 seed Helen Schlachtenhaufen of Dartmouth, who had run a massive 7.10-second PB at regionals just to make it to Eugene. However, there was one big-name casualty. Oklahoma State senior Kaela Edwards, the 2016 NCAA indoor mile champ, was passed in the closing meters of heat #2 by Stanford senior Rebecca Mehra and failed to advance to Saturday’s final.  

In heat 1, Colorado sophomore Dani Jones, the indoor champ in the 3000 and DMR, won the heat in the #1 time in the NCAA this year (4:10.74). She and the others up front in the heat can thank Notre Dame’s Jessica Harris for their fast times as Harris went out in 63 and 2:09. The field was gapped big-time but had something to chase. When Harris had 200 left, she still led by more than 30 meters but she soon started to tie up big-time. However, she’d hold on just enough to grab the final time qualifier (4:12.14) in seventh.

Heat 1 results

Pl	Ln		Athlete		Affiliation	Time	300m	700m	1100m	1500m
1	5		Dani JONES	SO	Colorado	4:10.74 Q	48.51 [48.51]	1:57.09 [1:08.59]	3:05.75 [1:08.66]	4:10.74 [1:04.99]
2	7		Nikki HILTZ	JR	Arkansas	4:10.80 Q	48.32 [48.32]	1:56.91 [1:08.60]	3:05.61 [1:08.70]	4:10.80 [1:05.20]
3	4		Annemarie SCHWANZ	SR	Fresno State	4:10.93 Q	48.09 [48.09]	1:57.15 [1:09.07]	3:06.65 [1:09.50]	4:10.93 [1:04.28]
4	1		Amy-Eloise NEALE	JR	Washington	4:11.00 Q	48.29 [48.29]	1:57.42 [1:09.13]	3:05.97 [1:08.56]	4:11.00 [1:05.03]
5	6		Jaimie PHELAN	JR	Michigan	4:11.92 Q	48.84 [48.84]	1:57.74 [1:08.91]	3:06.56 [1:08.83]	4:11.92 [1:05.36]
6	8		Rhianwedd PRICE	JR	Miss State	4:12.07	48.16 [48.16]	1:56.63 [1:08.47]	3:06.36 [1:09.74]	4:12.07 [1:05.71]
7	2		Jessica HARRIS	SO	Notre Dame	4:12.14	47.00 [47.00]	1:52.60 [1:05.61]	3:00.32 [1:07.72]	4:12.14 [1:11.82]
8	9		Megan MOYE	SR	North Carolina St.	4:14.00	47.94 [47.94]	1:56.70 [1:08.76]	3:05.43 [1:08.74]	4:14.00 [1:08.57]
9	11		Frances SCHMIEDE	SR	Yale	4:15.70	48.41 [48.41]	1:57.37 [1:08.96]	3:06.77 [1:09.41]	4:15.70 [1:08.94]
10	10		Therese HAISS	SR	Arkansas	4:23.53	48.69 [48.69]	1:57.98 [1:09.29]	3:10.71 [1:12.74]	4:23.53 [1:12.82]
11	12		Shannon HUGARD	JR	Cornell	4:23.82	48.93 [48.93]	1:58.28 [1:09.36]	3:10.76 [1:12.48]	4:23.82 [1:13.07]
12	3		Taryn RAWLINGS	SO	Portland	4:26.91	48.64 [48.64]	1:58.72 [1:10.09]	3:12.10 [1:13.39]	4:26.91 [1:14.81]

Heat 2 results

Pl	Ln		Athlete		Affiliation	Time	300m	700m	1100m	1500m
1	3		Karisa NELSON	JR	Samford	4:18.85 Q	53.03 [53.03]	2:08.99 [1:15.97]	3:16.47 [1:07.48]	4:18.85 [1:02.39]
2	9		Christina ARAGON	FR	Stanford	4:19.08 Q	53.49 [53.49]	2:09.66 [1:16.17]	3:16.74 [1:07.08]	4:19.08 [1:02.34]
3	4		Danielle ARAGON	SR	Notre Dame	4:19.13 Q	52.53 [52.53]	2:08.83 [1:16.31]	3:16.35 [1:07.53]	4:19.13 [1:02.78]
4	5		Katie RAINSBERGER	FR	Oregon	4:19.21 Q	53.21 [53.21]	2:09.16 [1:15.96]	3:16.54 [1:07.38]	4:19.21 [1:02.68]
5	11		Rebecca MEHRA	SR	Stanford	4:19.37 Q	53.73 [53.73]	2:09.52 [1:15.79]	3:16.91 [1:07.40]	4:19.37 [1:02.46]
6	12		Kaela EDWARDS	SR	Oklahoma State	4:19.40	52.71 [52.71]	2:08.91 [1:16.21]	3:16.71 [1:07.80]	4:19.40 [1:02.70]
7	8		Helen SCHLACHTENHAUFEN	SR	Dartmouth	4:20.43	53.42 [53.42]	2:09.40 [1:15.99]	3:17.33 [1:07.93]	4:20.43 [1:03.11]
8	2		Grace BARNETT	JR	Clemson	4:20.77	52.83 [52.83]	2:09.02 [1:16.20]	3:16.96 [1:07.95]	4:20.77 [1:03.82]
9	7		Nicole HUTCHINSON	SO	Villanova	4:21.01	52.93 [52.93]	2:09.06 [1:16.14]	3:17.00 [1:07.94]	4:21.01 [1:04.02]
10	1		Jenna HINKLE	JR	UC Santa Barbara	4:21.11	53.25 [53.25]	2:09.27 [1:16.03]	3:17.10 [1:07.83]	4:21.11 [1:04.02]
11	6		Whittni ORTON	FR	BYU	4:21.74	53.29 [53.29]	2:09.35 [1:16.06]	3:17.22 [1:07.87]	4:21.74 [1:04.53]
12	10		Millie PALADINO	JR	Providence	4:22.44	53.53 [53.53]	2:09.17 [1:15.65]	3:17.41 [1:08.24]	4:22.44 [1:05.04]

Quick Take: Despite her big kick, Dani Jones said she’d prefer an honest final

Jones was the NCAA 3k champ indoors and our pick for the win in this race and she didn’t make us feel any less confident today as she cruised to the heat win in 4:10.74, a PR by almost two seconds and the fastest time in the NCAA this year.

Jones said after the race that even after relying on her big kick to win the 3k and DMR at NCAA indoors, she still prefers faster races.

“I just recently kind of have worked on my kick and my speed but I think strength is still my biggest strength,” Jones said.

She also wants to hit the USATF standard of 4:09.50 (though 4:10.74 could get her in anyway) and that’s not going to happen in a slow race. The good news for Jones is that the last two NCAA finals have been won in sub-4:10, and with this many fast women in the field, there’s a good chance that at least one of them tries to take it from the front.

Quick Take: A great day for the Aragon family

It’s not often that two siblings line up against each other at an NCAA championship, but it will happen twice in three days this week as Notre Dame’s Danielle Aragon and Stanford’s Christina Aragon were drawn against each other in today’s semis and both advanced to Saturday’s final. Father Chuck — himself a 3:51 miler — was also on hand shooting photos decked out in a Notre Dame pullover and Stanford hat and he got to witness his daughters’ joint interview in the mixed zone.

The two took different approaches in the race, Danielle leading most of the way while Christina ran from the back, but both wound up making it thanks in small part to some advice from dad.

“One thing he told is wherever you end up, whether it’s the front or the back, just stay calm where you’re at,” Danielle said.

She took that advice to heart as she didn’t plan on being at the front but once she found herself there, she kept her composure to advance to her first NCAA final.

Christina, a true freshman, has the fastest PR in the field at 4:08.71 but said she hasn’t put a lot of pressure on herself this year as she has enough of a challenging balancing running with Stanford’s tough academic schedule. She did add, however, that she’s having more fun running in college than she did in high school as she has women to run with in every workout.

Quick Take: Katie Rainsberger has the chance to cap an incredible freshman year with yet another All-American honor

Rainsberger has had quite a first year in Eugene. In the fall, she finished 4th at NCAA XC to lead the Ducks to the national title. Indoors, she anchored Oregon to an NCAA record in the DMR (and third place finish at NCAAs) and was third individually in the 3,000. Now she’s in her first NCAA outdoor final.

Unfortunately for Rainsberger, this final is loaded. But she’s already shown on multiple occasions this year that she can deliver against the best competition in the biggest stages.

QT: Notre Dame’s Jessica Harris is Fearless And Fine With Going Out in 63, 2:09

Afterward Harris said going out in 63 and 2:09 was part of the plan. She said she’s moving up from the 800 so “I’m comfortable from anywhere from 63 to 67 (on the first lap) adding anything slower than that feels a “little bit too slow, a little bit uncomfortable.” There’s a big difference from 63 to 67 in our book, but we liked Harris’ fearless attitude and so did the crowd which cheered her on the final straight away hoping she’d make the final which she did.

Karisa Nelson interview prefers being the favorite

Until Nelson won the NCAA mile indoors she said she didn’t feel it was quite appropriate to say too much about her chances or speak to all the other runners. Now she’s the champ and likes being in that role.

Amy-Eloise Neale interview

Women’s steeple: A couple of surprising heat winners, but the favorites all move on to the final

Steeplechase heats normally aren’t very dramatic and that was the case this evening as well as the top six seeds moved on to the final, with the first casualty being #7 seed Claire Borchers (9:56.67 sb) of Michigan.

However, that doesn’t mean there weren’t a few surprises. The names of the two heat winners were a little surprising as both women ran massive PBs. The winner of heat #1 was Colorado freshman sensation Madison Boreman, the Pac-12 champion. She lowered her PB from 10:06.83 to 9:51.00 to win.

In the second heat, Northern Illinois senior Hope Schmelzle ran even faster and also had a massive PB. She went from 10:04.37 all the way down to 9:50.51. Coming into today’s races, UNH junior Elinor Purrier led the NCAA at 9:43/65 with Penn State senior Tori Gerlach second at 9:50.60.

Heat 1 results

Pl	Ln		Athlete		Affiliation	Time	Lap 1	Lap 2	Lap 3	Lap 4	Lap 5	Lap 6	Lap 7	3000m
1	3		Madison BOREMAN	FR	Colorado	9:51.00 Q	46.72 [46.72]	2:06.88 [1:20.17]	3:25.24 [1:18.36]	4:45.10 [1:19.87]	6:02.81 [1:17.71]	7:20.93 [1:18.12]	8:38.62 [1:17.69]	9:51.00 [1:12.38]
2	6		Elinor PURRIER	JR	New Hampshire	9:52.59 Q	46.43 [46.43]	2:06.49 [1:20.06]	3:24.85 [1:18.37]	4:44.73 [1:19.88]	6:02.47 [1:17.74]	7:20.67 [1:18.20]	8:38.29 [1:17.62]	9:52.59 [1:14.31]
3	1		Grayson MURPHY	JR	Utah	9:53.04 Q	46.35 [46.35]	2:06.62 [1:20.27]	3:25.05 [1:18.44]	4:44.87 [1:19.82]	6:02.60 [1:17.73]	7:20.75 [1:18.15]	8:38.40 [1:17.65]	9:53.04 [1:14.64]
4	4		Brianna ILARDA	JR	Providence	9:57.04 Q	46.17 [46.17]	2:06.38 [1:20.21]	3:25.02 [1:18.64]	4:45.00 [1:19.99]	6:02.81 [1:17.81]	7:21.03 [1:18.23]	8:39.50 [1:18.47]	9:57.04 [1:17.55]
5	11		Ellie ABRAHAMSON	SR	Wake Forest	10:00.02 Q	47.58 [47.58]	2:07.15 [1:19.58]	3:26.03 [1:18.89]	4:45.72 [1:19.69]	6:03.76 [1:18.04]	7:22.69 [1:18.94]	8:42.03 [1:19.34]	10:00.02 [1:18.00]
6	12		Paige STONER	SO	Syracuse	10:02.65	47.28 [47.28]	2:07.33 [1:20.05]	3:25.90 [1:18.57]	4:45.82 [1:19.93]	6:04.66 [1:18.84]	7:25.77 [1:21.12]	8:46.36 [1:20.59]	10:02.65 [1:16.29]
7	5		Nell CROSBY	SO	Columbia	10:05.84	46.93 [46.93]	2:07.10 [1:20.17]	3:25.68 [1:18.59]	4:45.38 [1:19.71]	6:04.49 [1:19.11]	7:25.83 [1:21.35]	8:47.14 [1:21.32]	10:05.84 [1:18.71]
8	10		Amy CASHIN	JR	West Virginia	10:11.86	47.51 [47.51]	2:07.72 [1:20.21]	3:27.43 [1:19.72]	4:47.60 [1:20.17]	6:08.37 [1:20.77]	7:30.86 [1:22.49]	8:53.66 [1:22.81]	10:11.86 [1:18.20]
9	9		Taylor JANSSEN	SR	N. Dakota St.	10:17.40	47.45 [47.45]	2:07.62 [1:20.17]	3:26.86 [1:19.25]	4:46.70 [1:19.84]	6:08.18 [1:21.49]	7:31.44 [1:23.26]	8:55.18 [1:23.75]	10:17.40 [1:22.22]
10	8		Audra DESTEFANO	SR	Wyoming	10:20.50	47.10 [47.10]	2:07.30 [1:20.21]	3:26.50 [1:19.21]	4:46.97 [1:20.48]	6:08.85 [1:21.88]	7:33.52 [1:24.68]	8:58.38 [1:24.86]	10:20.50 [1:22.12]
11	7		Sage HURTA	FR	Colorado	10:20.59	46.83 [46.83]	2:06.95 [1:20.13]	3:25.64 [1:18.70]	4:45.41 [1:19.78]	6:04.40 [1:19.00]	7:27.20 [1:22.80]	8:53.60 [1:26.41]	10:20.59 [1:27.00]
12	2		Shelby BROWN	JR	Ole Miss	10:24.05	47.02 [47.02]	2:07.32 [1:20.30]	3:24.74 [1:17.43]	4:45.55 [1:20.81]	6:08.75 [1:23.20]	7:35.29 [1:26.55]	9:03.87 [1:28.59]	10:24.05 [1:20.18]

Heat 2 results

Pl	Ln		Athlete		Affiliation	Time	Lap 1	Lap 2	Lap 3	Lap 4	Lap 5	Lap 6	Lap 7	3000m
1	3		Hope SCHMELZLE	SR	Northern Illinois	9:50.51 Q	42.37 [42.37]	2:02.33 [1:19.96]	3:22.18 [1:19.86]	4:40.76 [1:18.58]	5:59.00 [1:18.25]	7:17.24 [1:18.24]	8:35.43 [1:18.20]	9:50.51 [1:15.08]
2	5		Tori GERLACH	SR	Penn State	9:50.54 Q	42.67 [42.67]	2:02.05 [1:19.38]	3:21.71 [1:19.66]	4:40.23 [1:18.53]	5:57.91 [1:17.69]	7:16.37 [1:18.46]	8:34.20 [1:17.84]	9:50.54 [1:16.34]
3	6		Allie OSTRANDER	FR	Boise State	9:50.55 Q	42.69 [42.69]	2:02.37 [1:19.68]	3:21.81 [1:19.44]	4:40.23 [1:18.42]	5:57.97 [1:17.75]	7:16.43 [1:18.47]	8:34.15 [1:17.72]	9:50.55 [1:16.41]
4	1		Madeline STRANDEMO	JR	Minnesota	9:52.74 Q	42.92 [42.92]	2:02.19 [1:19.28]	3:22.02 [1:19.83]	4:40.50 [1:18.49]	5:58.23 [1:17.74]	7:16.67 [1:18.45]	8:34.60 [1:17.93]	9:52.74 [1:18.15]
5	10		Katy KUNC	JR	Kentucky	9:55.59 Q	41.36 [41.36]	2:01.71 [1:20.36]	3:21.97 [1:20.27]	4:41.13 [1:19.16]	5:59.79 [1:18.66]	7:18.41 [1:18.62]	8:38.11 [1:19.71]	9:55.59 [1:17.48]
6	7		Sarah EDWARDS	FR	Virginia Tech	9:56.00	42.72 [42.72]	2:02.67 [1:19.95]	3:22.51 [1:19.85]	4:41.51 [1:19.00]	6:00.92 [1:19.42]	7:20.90 [1:19.98]	8:42.74 [1:21.85]	9:56.00 [1:13.26]
7	8		Janelle LINCKS	SR	Colorado St.	10:00.02	43.05 [43.05]	2:02.72 [1:19.68]	3:22.33 [1:19.61]	4:41.62 [1:19.29]	6:01.64 [1:20.03]	7:22.52 [1:20.89]	8:43.49 [1:20.97]	10:00.02 [1:16.54]
8	4		Emily MYERS	SR	Nevada	10:00.32	43.29 [43.29]	2:03.02 [1:19.73]	3:22.88 [1:19.86]	4:42.30 [1:19.43]	6:03.86 [1:21.56]	7:25.44 [1:21.59]	8:45.27 [1:19.84]	10:00.32 [1:15.06]
9	9		Kristi RUSH	SR	BYU	10:01.99	42.49 [42.49]	2:02.49 [1:20.00]	3:22.66 [1:20.18]	4:42.37 [1:19.72]	6:03.37 [1:21.00]	7:25.65 [1:22.28]	8:46.22 [1:20.58]	10:01.99 [1:15.77]
10	2		Claire BORCHERS	JR	Michigan	10:07.35	42.90 [42.90]	2:02.42 [1:19.52]	3:22.28 [1:19.86]	4:41.18 [1:18.90]	6:00.44 [1:19.27]	7:21.02 [1:20.58]	8:44.23 [1:23.22]	10:07.35 [1:23.12]
11	12		Taylor AUSTIN	JR	Indiana State	10:11.63	42.57 [42.57]	2:02.61 [1:20.04]	3:22.45 [1:19.85]	4:41.87 [1:19.42]	6:03.30 [1:21.43]	7:26.22 [1:22.93]	8:49.57 [1:23.35]	10:11.63 [1:22.06]
12	11		Ellie CHILD	SR	Weber State	10:24.92	42.44 [42.44]	2:02.12 [1:19.68]	3:21.95 [1:19.83]	4:40.81 [1:18.87]	6:05.75 [1:24.94]	7:31.35 [1:25.61]	8:59.94 [1:28.60]	10:24.92 [1:24.99]

QT: Allie Ostrander is a steepler

Allie Ostrander was a freshman phenom last year at Boise State, running 15:24 for 8th at the Olympic Trials for 5000m. But she has had more than her fair share of injuries as she missed the outdoor NCAA season with injury last year and this year’s cross country and indoor seasons.

So Ostrander made what to outsiders may seem to be a curious decision: she took up the steeple this year.  It makes perfect sense for Ostrander who loves mountain running and not running on the flats.

“It (the steeple) was just something new and exciting to try given the last year with my [slew] of injuries. I kind of wanted something that took a little pressure off and put some fun into the sport. In addition to that, it’s kind of a family tradition now, my sister and both my cousins do it so I had to join the club,” said Ostrander. Mariah Burroughs (10:39 pb) and Riley Burroughs (11:30 pb) of Alaska-Anchorage are her cousins and Taylor Ostrander (10:40 pb) of Willamette is her sister.

Ostrander said she’s not worried about getting injured in the steeple as the actual racing “is such a small percentage of the impact on your body” that comes from training. The petite Ostrander also said the 30-inch women’s barriers aren’t a problem for her as she barely has to jump to go over them. Plus she revealed in the funniest part of an interview this week that “I don’t mean to brag but I was 3rd place in the Kenai Peninsula Borough Middle School Championships 100m hurdles race when I was in 8th grade so it’s kind of a big deal. I’m surprised you guys didn’t know that.” (To watch that part click here to go to the 1:57 mark).

But fans of Ostrander in the 5000m will still see her there. Barring injury, she says she’s running the 5000m final after the steeple final on Saturday.  “I don’t see any reason besides something medical to not give it a go,” she said.

Quick Take: After a string of near-misses, UNH’s Elinor Purrier is ready to win her first NCAA title

In 2016, Purrier finished third in the mile at NCAA indoors and third in the steeple outdoors. In March, she moved up to second in the NCAA mile final. Now she’s looking to go one better and earn her first national title in Friday’s steeple final.

“It’s been a dream for a long time,” Purrier said. “[I’m] rying not to put too much pressure on myself because of disappointment.”

Interestingly, Purrier steps on every barrier when she hurdles, a rare technique in the event (most athletes only step on the water jump). It’s something she began doing when she first started steepling to make her feel more comfortable and she doesn’t feel it’s any slower than hurdling.

“Anything can happen in these races so [I’m] just trying to do something that i’m most comfortable with doing,” Purrier said.

Purrier also added that she thinks stepping on the barriers requires less space than hurdling.

Madison Boreman was really surprised with her huge PR

Women’s 100: Oregon catches a major break *Results

A few weeks ago, people were wondering if the Oregon Ducks were going to be the first women’s team to break the 100-point barrier since 1984 thanks in large part to their sprinters. Heading into Saturday, people are now wondering if Oregon will even win the title as many of their sprint stars didn’t look great today, particularly in the women’s 100.

Last year, Oregon’s Ariana Washington won the 100 and 200 at NCAAs and her teammate Deajah Stevens has supplanted her as the top Duck this year. Those two superstars both only squeaked into the final today by grabbing the two time qualifying spots. And one could argue they were lucky to qualify in time as they both ran in heat #2, which had a .2 m/s tailwind, whereas heat 1 and heat 3 were both run into a big headwind (1.4 and 1.6).

In heat #2, USC’s Deanna Hill ran 11.39 into a -1.4 head wind which is equivalent to a 11.28 with no wind.

In heat #3, Alabama’s Quanesha Burks ran a 11.41 into a 1.6 wind which is the equivalent of a 11.28 with no wind.

Neither advanced but in heat #2, Stevens ran 11.29 with a .2 wind helping her, which is equal to a 11.30 with no wind. Washington also got in on time with a little better time 11.26 (equal to 11.27 without wind).

Is Triple Crown Talk Getting to Ducks? Coach Johnson Says “We can’t be any worse than we were today.”

Coach Robert Johnson said both Washington and Stevens had a terrible first 10 meters and he wasn’t sure why. “Those first 10 meters were poor at best. They are better than that. We’re better than that. We’ll correct that and move forward,” he said.

Coach Johnson wondered if the triple crown talk might be getting to his squad.

“We looked a little flat. I wonder if the pressure and all the weight of the world of this triple crown talk is playing bigger than it should be. We’ll talk about this over the next couple of days and get that out of the way. We can’t be any worse than we were today.”

Ariana Washington interview

Deajah Stevens interview

Field event recap

The biggest story in the field were the 18 massive points secured by Georgia in the long jump thanks to the duo of freshman sensation Kate Hall and Keturah Orji (who is heavily favored to win the triple jump on Saturday). That helped Georgia end day 1 of the women’s meet in front with 24.2 points, 10.2 ahead of second-place Kentucky. Oregon has yet to score, but they will have a lot of track finalists going on Saturday.

Other winners on the day included Arizona State’s Maggie Ewen in the hammer throw, who tossed a collegiate record of 73.32m (240-7), Kentucky’s Olivia Gruver in the pole vault (4.50m/14-9), Virginia Tech’s Irena Sediva in the javelin (58.76m/192-9) and Kent State’s Danniel Thomas in the shot put (19.15/62-10).

In the sole men’s event today, Texas A&M’s Lindon Victor won his second straight decathlon title with 8390 points to pad the Aggies’ lead at the top of the men’s standings (31.5 points to second-place Virginia’s 20).

Top eight results for each of those events below. For full results, click here.

Men’s decathlon

Pl		Athlete	Points	100m	LJ	SP	HJ	400	110H	DT	PV	JT	1500m
1		Lindon VICTOR Texas A&M [SR]	8390	10.72 (8) -0.1 924 [924] wa -0.1	7.34 (9) 24-1 +2.9 896 [1820] wa +1.4	16.31 (1) 53-6¼ 870 [2690] –	2.01 (5) 6-7 813 [3503] –	49.33 (13)846 [4349] –	14.78 (11) +1.3 876 [5225] wa +1.4	53.31 (1) 174-11 940 [6165] –	4.61 (12) 15-1½ 793 [6958] –	67.24 (1) 220-7 847 [7805] –	4:55.71 (18)585 [8390] –
2		Devon WILLIAMS Georgia [SR]	8181 -209	10.65 (4) -0.1 940 [940] wa -0.1	7.73 (1) 25-4½ +1.8 992 [1932] wa +0.9	14.13 (4) 46-4¼ 736 [2668] –	1.98 (8) 6-6 785 [3453] –	48.16 (4)901 [4354] –	13.87 (1) +1.7 991 [5345] wa +1.2	40.72 (9) 133-7 679 [6024] –	4.71 (9) 15-5½ 822 [6846] –	57.04 (7) 187-2 693 [7539] –	4:46.11 (13)642 [8181] –
3		Luca WIELAND Minnesota [SR]	8146 -244	10.56 (2) -0.1 961 [961] wa -0.1	7.66 (3) 25-1¾ +0.9 975 [1936] wa +0.4	13.79 (9) 45-3 715 [2651] –	2.16 (1) 7-1 953 [3604] –	49.54 (15)836 [4440] –	14.60 (6) +1.7 899 [5339] wa +0.9	42.83 (4) 140-6 722 [6061] –	4.71 (8) 15-5½ 822 [6883] –	50.09 (18) 164-4 590 [7473] –	4:41.12 (8)673 [8146] –
4		Steven BASTIEN Michigan [SR]	8015 -375	10.68 (6) +0.2 933 [933] wa +0.2	7.43 (7) 24-4½ +0.6 918 [1851] wa +0.4	12.91 (17) 42-4¼ 662 [2513] –	2.04 (4) 6-8¼ 840 [3353] –	47.49 (1)934 [4287] –	14.73 (10) +2.0 882 [5169] wa +1.0	40.10 (11) 131-7 667 [5836] –	4.81 (6) 15-9¼ 852 [6688] –	51.42 (16) 168-8 610 [7298] –	4:34.31 (4)717 [8015] –
5		Scott FILIP Rice [JR]	7867 -523	10.71 (7) -0.1 926 [926] wa -0.1	7.58 (5) 24-10½ +1.0 955 [1881] wa +0.5	13.27 (12) 43-6½ 684 [2565] –	1.95 (9) 6-4¾ 758 [3323] –	48.35 (5)892 [4215] –	14.70 (9) +1.7 886 [5101] wa +0.9	36.97 (20) 121-3 603 [5704] –	4.61 (10) 15-1½ 793 [6497] –	56.89 (8) 186-7 691 [7188] –	4:40.26 (7)679 [7867] –
6		Hunter VEITH Wichita State [JR]	7866 -524	10.66 (5) +0.5 938 [938] wa +0.5	7.71 (2) 25-3½ +1.7 987 [1925] wa +1.1	12.72 (21) 41-8¾ 650 [2575] –	2.01 (6) 6-7 813 [3388] –	49.16 (9)854 [4242] –	14.40 (3) +1.3 924 [5166] wa +1.2	36.70 (21) 120-5 598 [5764] –	4.81 (4) 15-9¼ 852 [6616] –	55.95 (9) 183-6 677 [7293] –	4:57.64 (19)573 [7866] –
7		Cody WALTON Nebraska [JR]	7813 -577	11.14 (20) +0.5 830 [830] wa +0.5	7.23 (11) 23-8¾ +1.7 869 [1699] wa +1.1	13.96 (7) 45-9¾ 726 [2425] –	1.98 (7) 6-6 785 [3210] –	50.27 (20)802 [4012] –	14.66 (8) +2.5 891 [4903] wa +1.6	42.36 (6) 139-0 713 [5616] –	4.71 (7) 15-5½ 822 [6438] –	63.24 (2) 207-6 787 [7225] –	4:55.09 (16)588 [7813] –
8		Wolf MAHLER Texas [SR]	7737 -653	10.95 (15) +0.2 872 [872] wa +0.2	6.93 (18) 22-9 -0.8 797 [1669] wa -0.3	12.76 (20) 41-10½ 653 [2322] –	1.92 (13) 6-3½ 731 [3053] –	48.15 (3)902 [3955] –	14.96 (16) +2.0 854 [4809] wa +0.5	38.61 (13) 126-8 636 [5445] –	4.91 (3) 16-1¼ 883 [6328] –	52.90 (14) 173-7 632 [6960] –	4:25.14 (2)777 [7737]

Women’s long jump

Place ▾		Athlete	Order	Best				Rnd 1	Rnd 2	Rnd 3	Rnd 4	Rnd 5	Rnd 6
1		Kate HALL Georgia [FR] Flight: 2	F2-08	6.73m 22-1 -0.6				6.73 22-1 w:-0.6	6.70 21-11¾ w:+0.4	X w:-0.8	X w:+1.0	X w:+0.0	5.80 19-½ w:+0.3
2		Keturah ORJI Georgia [JR] Flight: 2	F2-01	6.71m 22-¼ +2.2				6.15 20-2¼ w:-0.1	X w:+0.5	6.38 20-11¼ w:-0.9	6.71 22-¼ w:+2.2	X w:-0.3	X w:+2.4
3		Sydney CONLEY Kansas [SR] Flight: 2	F2-02	6.56m 21-6¼ +0.2				6.32 20-9 w:+0.7	6.45 21-2 w:-0.5	6.19 20-3¾ w:-1.2	X w:+1.2	6.49 21-3½ w:-1.3	6.56 21-6¼ w:+0.2
4		Jhoanmy LUQUE Iowa State [JR] Flight: 2	F2-05	6.54m 21-5½ +0.3				6.33 20-9¼ w:-1.9	X w:+0.8	6.32 20-9 w:-2.0	6.54 21-5½ w:+0.3	X w:+2.0	6.20 20-4¼ w:-0.1
5		Sha’Keela SAUNDERS Kentucky [SR] Flight: 2	F2-11	6.48m 21-3¼ +0.1				6.42 21-¾ w:+1.1	6.32 20-9 w:-1.7	6.27 20-7 w:-0.7	X w:-0.6	X w:+0.8	6.48 21-3¼ w:+0.1
6		Rougui SOW South Carolina [SO] Flight: 1	F1-04	6.45m 21-2 +0.1				6.39 20-11¾ w:-0.8	6.41 21-½ w:-0.7	X w:-1.2	X w:+0.1	X w:-0.7	6.45 21-2 w:+0.1
7		Savannah CARSON Purdue [JR] Flight: 2	F2-12	6.44m 21-1½ +3.3				X w:+1.6	X w:-1.0	6.35 20-10 w:+1.8	6.44 21-1½ w:+3.3	6.34 20-9¾ w:+0.1	6.27 20-7 w:+0.5
8		Wurrie NJADOE Kansas State [FR] Flight: 2	F2-10	6.36m 20-10½ +0.9				6.36 20-10½ w:+0.9	6.16 20-2½ w:+0.0	5.93 19-5½ w:-1.2	X w:+2.3	6.27 20-7 w:+1.3	6.15 20-2¼ w:+0.3

Women’s hammer

Place ▾		Athlete	Order	Best				Rnd 1	Rnd 2	Rnd 3	Rnd 4	Rnd 5	Rnd 6
1		Maggie EWEN Arizona State [JR] Flight: 2	F2-10	73.32m 240-7				59.79 196-2	67.58 221-9	73.32 240-7	X	X	X
2		Brooke ANDERSEN Northern Arizona [JR] Flight: 2	F2-05	68.62m 225-1				58.47 191-10	65.22 214-0	63.65 208-10	65.44 214-8	65.52 214-11	68.62 225-1
3		Beatrice LLANO Georgia [FR] Flight: 2	F2-09	67.42m 221-2				64.91 212-11	64.45 211-5	63.89 209-7	64.91 212-11	66.82 219-3	67.42 221-2
4		Janee’ KASSANAVOID Kansas State [JR] Flight: 1	F1-04	66.58m 218-5				63.64 208-9	X	63.25 207-6	66.58 218-5	66.57 218-5	65.87 216-1
5		Veronika KANUCHOVA Florida State [FR] Flight: 2	F2-12	65.97m 216-5				62.67 205-7	X	65.85 216-0	64.59 211-11	65.97 216-5	65.03 213-4
6		Julia RATCLIFFE Princeton [SR] Flight: 2	F2-02	65.25m 214-1				61.81 202-9	64.50 211-7	64.65 212-1	64.78 212-6	X	65.25 214-1
7		Freya BLOCK Southern Illinois [SR] Flight: 2	F2-03	64.56m 211-10				62.30 204-5	61.81 202-9	64.56 211-10	62.02 203-6	61.64 202-3	64.40 211-3
8		Emma THOR Virginia Tech [FR] Flight: 1	F1-05	64.19m 210-7				64.19 210-7	63.32 207-9	62.21 204-1	X	63.22 207-5	63.57 208-6

Women’s pole vault

Place	Pos		Athlete		Best			13-1½	13-7¼	14-1¼	14-5¼	14-7¼	14-9	14-11
1	2		Olivia GRUVER Kentucky [SO]		4.50m 14-9			———	O	O	XO	O	O	XXX
2	4		Alexis WEEKS Arkansas [SO]		4.45m 14-7¼			———	O	O	O	O	X——	XX
3	15		Annie RHODES Baylor [SR]		4.40m 14-5¼			———	O	O	O	XXX
4	7		Sydney CLUTE Indiana [SR]		4.40m 14-5¼			O	O	XO	O	XXX
5	11		Kristina OWSINSKI Washington [SR]		4.40m 14-5¼			XXO	XO	O	O	XXX
6	22		Victoria WEEKS Arkansas [SO]		4.40m 14-5¼			XO	O	XO	XXO	XXX
7	3		Alyssa APPLEBEE Tulane [SR]		4.30m 14-1¼			XO	O	O	XXX
8	12		Sarah BELL Vanderbilt [SR]		4.15m 13-7¼			O	O	XXX
8	13		Desiree FREIER Arkansas [SO]		4.15m 13-7¼			O	O	XXX
8	6		Kayla SMITH Georgia [FR]		4.15m 13-7¼			O	O	XXX
8	1		Lakan TAYLOR Alabama [SR]		4.15m 13-7¼			———	O	XXX
8	14		Helen FALDA UT-Arlington [FR]		4.15m 13-7¼			O	O	XXX

Women’s javelin

Place ▾		Athlete	Order	Best				Rnd 1	Rnd 2	Rnd 3	Rnd 4	Rnd 5	Rnd 6
1		Irena SEDIVA Virginia Tech [SR] Flight: 2	F2-08	58.76m 192-9				57.45 188-6	57.81 189-8	55.49 182-0	56.37 184-11	58.76 192-9	57.66 189-2
2		Marija VUCENOVIC Florida [SR] Flight: 2	F2-06	58.58m 192-2				58.01 190-4	55.64 182-6	55.32 181-6	X	58.58 192-2	55.80 183-1
3		Ashley PRYKE Memphis [SO] Flight: 1	F1-11	56.93m 186-9				53.53 175-7	51.78 169-10	56.93 186-9	50.43 165-5	53.68 176-1	54.14 177-7
4		Mackenzie LITTLE Stanford [SO] Flight: 2	F2-12	55.32m 181-6				55.32 181-6	X	X	X	49.96 163-11	52.82 173-3
5		Rebekah WALES LSU [SR] Flight: 1	F1-07	54.92m 180-2				X	49.59 162-8	54.64 179-3	54.92 180-2	X	X
6		Katelyn GOCHENOUR Duke [FR] Flight: 2	F2-02	54.26m 178-0				48.63 159-6	48.05 157-7	52.82 173-3	47.37 155-5	54.26 178-0	53.19 174-6
7		Audrey MALONE Texas A&M [JR] Flight: 2	F2-03	53.44m 175-4				53.44 175-4	49.07 161-0	53.04 174-0	X	49.18 161-4	51.57 169-2
8		Haley CROUSER Texas [JR] Flight: 1	F1-05	53.09m 174-2				51.11 167-8	49.86 163-7	52.44 172-0	47.43 155-7	53.09 174-2	51.86 170-2

Women’s shot put

Place ▾		Athlete	Order	Best				Rnd 1	Rnd 2	Rnd 3	Rnd 4	Rnd 5	Rnd 6
1		Danniel THOMAS Kent State [SR] Flight: 2	F2-03	19.15m 62-10				17.99 59-¼	18.13 59-5¾	18.95 62-2¼	18.39 60-4	18.83 61-9½	19.15 62-10
2		Emmonnie HENDERSON Louisville [SR] Flight: 2	F2-04	17.92m 58-9½				16.36 53-8¼	16.98 55-8½	17.55 57-7	16.79 55-1	16.98 55-8½	17.92 58-9½
3		Brittany MANN USC [SR] Flight: 1	F1-01	17.49m 57-4¾				16.48 54-1	17.29 56-8¾	16.90 55-5½	17.17 56-4	17.44 57-2¾	17.49 57-4¾
4		Raven SAUNDERS Ole Miss [JR] Flight: 2	F2-10	17.47m 57-3¾				17.47 57-3¾	X	X	X	17.14 56-2¾	X
5		Janeah STEWART Ole Miss [JR] Flight: 2	F2-12	17.42m 57-2				16.78 55-¾	16.54 54-3¼	16.47 54-½	17.42 57-2	X	X
6		Maggie EWEN Arizona State [JR] Flight: 2	F2-02	17.40m 57-1				17.08 56-½	16.91 55-5¾	X	17.17 56-4	17.40 57-1	X
7		Lloydricia CAMERON Florida [JR] Flight: 2	F2-09	17.28m 56-8½				16.86 55-3¾	17.28 56-8½	X	X	X	16.89 55-5
8		Jessica WOODARD Oklahoma [JR] Flight: 2	F2-05	17.22m 56-6				17.09 56-1	17.02 55-10¼	17.22 56-6	X	16.97 55-8¼	16.57 54-4½