The University of Tennessee women clocked a world best 10:50.98 in the distance medley relay to highlight the opening day of the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships in College Station, Tex., on Friday.
The quartet of Phoebe Wright, Brittany Jones, Chanelle Price and Sarah Bowman eclipsed the previous mark of 10:54.34 set by Villanova in 1988.
The best performance of the evening was produced by University of Texas junior Destinee Hooker, who cleared 1.98m [6-6] in the high jump, breaking the collegiate indoor mark by one centimeter. Hooker, 21, went on and tried to equal the U.S. indoor record of 2.01m [6-7] but missed on three tries. For Hooker, a two-time outdoor champion, this was first title indoors.
Dominating runs in the 5000m by University of Oregon senior Galen Rupp and Texas Tech senior Sally Kipyego of Kenya set the stage for impressive doubles on Saturday. Rupp outkicked Kenyan Sam Chelanga of Liberty University to take a 13: 41.45 victory and just over an hour later returned to anchor Oregon to victory in the distance medley relay with a 3:57.1 1600m anchor leg. Rupp returns to action on Saturday in the 3000m where he is among the favorites.
Kipyego cruised to a 15:51.14 win to capture her ninth NCAA title overall to equal Suzy Favor-Hamilton’s record for individual division I collegiate titles. Kipyego will be aiming for title No. 10 in Saturday’s final in the mile.
Baylor junior Trey Harts won the 200m in 20.63, the fastest time in the world this year and a career best, edging Charles Clark of Florida State by 0.04 seconds. The women’s race was even closer, with Miami senior Murielle Ahoure winning with a career best 22.80 from Porscha Lucas of Texas who clocked 22.83. Ahoure’s dash was also the fastest in 2009.
In other finals, Eleni Kafourou of Greece and Boise State won the long jump with a 6.53m [21-5 ¼ ] leap, upsetting Jeomi Maduka (6.50m/21-4). Jamaican Nicholas Gordon won the men’s long jump with an 8.03m [26-4 ¼ ] effort, edging LSU’s Jeremy Hicks by just two centimeters. Pre-meet favorite Ngoni Makusha, a Zimbabwean competing for Florida State, was injured in the heats of the 60m and did not compete.
D’Ana McCarthy won the women’s 20-pound weight throw with a heave of 22.09m [72-5 ¾ ] to claim the first ever title for the University of Louisville. Ryan Whiting of Arizona State won the shot put (20.16m/66-1 ¾ ) and Jason Coolwick of Rice won the pole vault (5.60m/18-4 ½)
In the opening round of the men’s 60m, favorites Jacoby Ford of Clemson and Trindon Holliday of LSU were the quickest, clocking 6.51 and 6.55.
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