2008 NCAA Indoor National Track Day-2 Report

The national indoor meet concluded with two new collegiate records along with a World Junior Record. Athletes stepped up and made names for themselves as they chased legends from the past—and those attempting to be legendary.

Arizona State's Ryan Whiting removed a 21-year-old shot put record from the books.

Bianca Knight obliterated the world junior, NCAA, and her school record in the 200m in a race which saw the first three athletes across the line run faster than the previous world best at the distance.

Saturday's offering picked right up where the previous evening had left off, namely with a collegiate record, a near-record, certain athletes defending their coveted national titles and another heavy favourite coming up short in their specialty.

Arizona State's Jacquelin Johnson—trailing the University of Michigan's Bettie Wade by 17 points at the conclusion of the third event in the pentathlon (shot put)—had a huge upswing in the long jump and 800m. She concluded her single-day competition with a new NCAA Indoor record, scoring 4496 points to eclipse Austra Skujuté's six-year-old NCAA mark set in Manhattan, Kansas.

Johnson, the reigning indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon champion—and 2008 national leader heading into the championships at 4312 points—ran a very solid 800m race to remove Sjujuté, who competed at last week-end's IAAF World Indoor Championships, from the top of the indoor totem pole by 51 points.

Stanford's Erica McLain nearly toppled Sheila Hudson's American record in the triple jump, falling 3cm short of tying the mark the former CAL standout set 13 years ago, jumping 14.20m to win her event by 38cm over Kimberly Williams (Florida State).

Scott Sellers, who has shown incredible promise as a high jumper since his sophomore year in high school, had not yet found the winning strategy or had the extra stroke of luck indoors during his first two seasons, finishing in ninth (2.19m) two years ago and third last season (2.22m).

Sellers would again come up empty-handed in Arkansas, taking silver on Saturday afternoon to Nebraska's Dusty Jonas, who cleared a lifetime best of 2.31m in improving his lifetime best by 5cm and, for the second-consecutive season, finishing one spot higher than Sellers.

Jonas' mark is also the highest any Cornhusker has ever jumped indoors or outdoors in school history.

Arkansas team captain Nkozinzu Balumbu, third in the NCAA indoor triple jump last season, and third on the 2008 list-leaders, came through with the biggest performance of his life, jumping 16.54m in the second flight to win his first NCAA indoor title.

Oklahoman Tydree Lewis led the first flight with a 16.52m effort—a mark which Balumbu beat on his first-round jump in the second flight and secured himself the victory.

Competing in Arkansas is about the middle distances as much as it is for the sprints on the fabled track, and Texan Leonel Manzano, previewed on this site two days ago, came up with his second-consecutive NCAA mile title on Saturday.

Manzano won a slow, yet highly tactical race against good kickers, in 4.04,45 to lead teammate Jake Morse (4.04,88) to a 1-2 finish and provide Texas 18 important points in the team competition, in which Texas finished with third - its highest ever indoors.

The Arizona State Sun Devils won the team competition for the first time indoors to compliment the women's team, which won their second-consecutive title. The sweep atop the school standings was the second in NCAA history following LSU's feat in 2003. LSU's women, who finished second to ASU in 2007, finished behind the Sun Devils again this season, 51-43.

LSU athletes swept the top-2 spots in the men's 60m dash, with senior Richards Thompson (6,51) holding off sophomore teammate and football star Trindon Holliday, second in 6,54. Clemson's Travis Padget, the 2007 champion (6,56), had to settle for bronze this time around, sprinting to a time of 6,60 seconds.

The stadium was buzzing with excitement as Thompson won his preliminary heat in 6,51 seconds, tying the world lead heading into the final.

Thompson wasn't the only LSU star on the podium on Saturday, however, as Kelly-Ann Baptiste won a virtual dead-heat with Texas' Alexandria Anderson, clocking 7,17 seconds to follow Thompson's victory and become part of the first duo in the history of the NCAA Indoor Championships to win 60m titles from the same university.

Both Thompson and Baptiste became first-time NCAA indoor champions in the process.

LSU added a third national champion to its merit list on Saturday when sophomore LaTavia Thompson pulled through for the Lady Tigers to win the women's 800m run, clocking 2.05,07. Cal's Alysia Johnson, the 2007 NCAA Indoor Champion, finished second (2.05,47).

The NCAA Indoor Championships is about celebrating victory as much as chasing the harmony between mind and body. Florida State's Susan Kuijken broke through two barriers simultaneously in the 3.000m, winning her first national indoor title and stopping the clock under the nine-minute barrier (8.58,14).

Kuijken had earlier lost her two-week-old school mile record (4.36,31) to teammate Hannah England, who blasted a final lap segment of 29,99 to score victory over national-leader Nicole Edwards. Hannah ran 4.35,30 over Nicole's 4.35,74. Tennessee's Sarah Bowman grabbed the bronze in the mile, running 4.36,00.

Liberty senior Josh McDougal was not as fortunate in his rebound attempt from a hard 5.000m contested on Friday evening, placing sixth in another tactical middle distance race—one which Arizona's Kyle Alcorn was able to steal from the milers in 8.00,82.

Montana State's Ellie Rudy had only one miss through four jumps leading up to 4.30m in the pole vault, and took her second-consecutive national indoor title, clearing the same height she won at in 2007.

Arizona State's April Kubishta also cleared 4.30m, but won the silver on misses.

When one thinks of 4x400m racing, Baylor University often comes to mind—and for good measure. Baylor won its third-consecutive relay title on Saturday, with a quartet consisting of Trey Harts (47,1), Marcus Boyd (46,8), Justin Boyd (46,5) and LeJerald Betters (45,3) crossing the line in a fine 3.05,66.

Baylor did not have any athletes in the men's 400m dash, but that did not stop Oral Roberts' Andretti Bain from running the fastest time of the evening, 46,19, in the second section to claim national honours.

Krista Simkins (Miami) captured the women's 400m dash in 52,16.