Jenny Barringer smashed the collegiate record in the 3000m on Saturday as the NCAA Indoor Championships concluded in College Station, Tex.
Dominating the race, the University of Colorado senior clocked 8:42.03 to break the 8:48.77 collegiate standard set by Sally Kipyego at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games last month. The performance made the 2008 Olympic steeplechase finalist the fourth fastest of the year with the fifth fastest run. She is now the fifth fastest American ever over the distance.
“I wanted to run for time – get something out there that would stay around for awhile,” said Barringer, who know holds four collegiate records. Earlier this season, she ran 4:25.91 in the mile and 15:01.70 in the 5000m. At the Olympics in Beijing last year, she clocked 9:22.26 in the 3000m steeplechase, which is also a U.S. record.
Defending champion Susan Kuijken of Florida State and The Netherlands was second in 8:56.27.
Besides losing her indoor 3000m mark, Kipyego, a nursing student from Marakwet, Kenya, also fell short of a record 10th individual NCAA title. Coming back from her 5000m victory on Friday, The Texas Tech senior was out-sprinted in the waning meters by just 0.03 seconds by Tennessee senior Sarah Bowman who won in 4:29.72, a career best. Bowman’s dramatic victory helped propel Tennessee to the overall team title. On Friday, Bowman anchored Tennessee to a world best in the distance medley relay.
With his 7:48.94 win in the 3000m, Oregon senior Galen Rupp entered the history books as well. After his 5000m win and anchor leg on the victorious distance medley relay on Friday, Rupp became the first man to claim all three titles in the same meet to lead Oregon to the men’s team title.
In another close contest, Michael Bingham of Wake Forest edged Texas Tech’s Gil Roberts in 400m, 45.69 to 45.71, with both dipping under the previous 2009 world lead. It was a notable improvement for the 22-year-old Bingham, whose previous indoor best was 46.12.
Producing the biggest surprise of the weekend was South Carolina sophomore LaKya Brookins, who sped to a dominating 7.13 win in the women’s 60m. The 19-year-old, whose previous best was 7.22, trails only Carmelita Jeter’s 7.11 on the 2009 world list. Alexandria Anderson of Texas was a distant second in 7.24.
The men’s 60m went according to plan, with Clemson’s Jacoby Ford taking the win in 6.52, 0.03 seconds ahead of LSU’s Trindon Holliday.
Christian Taylor, the 2007 World Youth triple jump champion and still just 18, won the triple jump with a 16.98m [55-8 ½ ] effort, a massive 87cm improvement over his previous personal best which landed him just outside the world top-10 this year.
Elsewhere, Lee Emanuel of New Mexico scored an upset in a tactical mile contest in 4:00.36. Scott Sellers of Kansas State won the high jump with a 2.25m [7-4 ½ ] leap.
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