{"id":343,"date":"2010-06-12T05:26:00","date_gmt":"2010-06-12T12:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=343"},"modified":"2010-06-12T05:26:00","modified_gmt":"2010-06-12T12:26:00","slug":"ncaa-championships-final-day-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=343","title":{"rendered":"NCAA Championships \u2013 Final Day Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"float:left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/view.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/sports\/track-and-field-ncaa\/image\/9091971?term=johnny+dutch\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view4.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/9091971\/track-and-field-ncaa\/track-and-field-ncaa.jpg?resize=380%2C264\" border=\"0\" width=\"380\" title=\"Track and Field: NCAA Championships\" height=\"264\" oncontextmenu=\"return false;\" ondrag=\"return false;\" onmousedown=\"return false;\" alt=\"Jun 11, 2010; Eugene, OR, USA; Johnny Dutch of South Carolina reacts after defeating two-time defending champion Jeshua Anderson of Washington State to win the 400m hurdles, 48.75 to 49.31, in the 2010 NCAA Track &amp; Field Championships at Hayward Field.Photo by Image of Sport Photo via Newscom\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:left;height:0px;overflow: hidden;\"><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/view.picapp.com\/\/JavaScripts\/OTIjs.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>First the action that got us to the final day \u2013 Friday\u2019s finals. I said at the start of the meet that the one lap races would be critical and among the meet\u2019s best events, and Friday they were. All those that were supposed to be involved, were, with one common theme \u2013 discipline prevailed! There was no rain on Friday, but with tailwinds on the finishing straight and headwinds on the backstretch, one by one those that went out hard early gave way to those a bit more patient. <\/p>\n<p>In the men\u2019s 400H an early charging Jeshua Anderson (WaSt) gave way to the patient Johnny Dutch (S Car) who ran by the tiring Anderson in the final 70 meters of the race derailing Anderson&#8217;s three peat hopes. Same story in the women\u2019s event as Ti\u2019erra Brown(Mia) went strong down the backstretch, only to give way to Queen Harrison (VaTech) down the stretch. Thus went the gold in two of the meet\u2019s premier head to head confrontations. What could have been close races turned into runaway victories.<\/p>\n<p>In the open 400, team hopes were bolstered and threatened. In the men\u2019s race the early charging Tavarius Tate (MsSt) gave way to half the field in the stretch and finished 5th as the smooth striding Kirani James (Ala) cruised by the field to victory. Florida\u2019s Calvin Smith also challenged early then slipped to 4th in the stretch, yet his 5 points managed to out pace Texas A&amp;M as Demetrius Pinder and Tabarie Henry only managed 4 points for 6th &amp; 8th. By meet\u2019s end this race could be critical as it appears that the title hunt may well be between these two squads with Oregon appearing to be short on scoring opportunities. <\/p>\n<p>The women\u2019s race was surprising in that only winner Francena McCorory (Hampton) truly ran up to her potential. Oregon\u2019s Keshia Baker looked very tired and never challenged falling back to 4th \u2013 and I believe with her Oregon\u2019s team title hopes. Meanwhile Jessica Beard (TxA&amp;M) got up for 2nd \u2013 giving the Aggies a boost in the title hunt. Because prior to the 400 the 100 meters had already been run and team points distributed.<\/p>\n<p>The women\u2019s event went to UTEP\u2019s Blessing Okagbare who also ran away from her competition. But behind her Texas A&amp;M went 1-2 behind Porscha Lucas and Jeneba Tarmoh. Texas A&amp;M has recovered nicely from losing the services of Gaby Mayo and looks to have a strong shot at repeating as national champions. In the men\u2019s race Florida\u2019s Jeff Demps did his best Mo Greene imitation, separating mid race and cruising to victory in a slightly windy 9.96 \u2013 and becoming the first HS record holder to win an NCAA title in the auto timed era. A&amp;M kept pace with a 4-6 finish that netted 8 points to Florida\u2019s 10.<\/p>\n<p>Oregon held pace with two victories on the day as Ashton Eaton just missed the collegiate record in the decathlon \u2013 1.25 seconds faster in the 1500 and he would have gotten it. And teammate Andrew Wheating ran away from the field in the 800 for another 10 points for the Ducks. The runaway win by Wheating was a shocker of sorts, as chief challenger Robby Andrews ran in last the entire race until 150 to go, and just didn\u2019t maintain contact with Wheating. His finish was strong but too little too late. As many athletes learned today, competing in this type of meet is as much about tactics and smart running as it is about talent!<\/p>\n<p>So after all was said and done we head into the remaining finals this morning with the Texas A&amp;M Aggies looking in control on the women\u2019s side and locked in combat with the Florida Gators for the men\u2019s title. Florida seems to be in the driver\u2019s seat with scoring opportunities in both relays, the long jump and the shot put. A&amp;M is in both relays and the 200. Oregon is in the 1500 and long jump. With the score after 13 events A&amp;M (36), Florida (28), USC (26.5) and Oregon (20) it looks to come down to the head to heads in the relays and Florida\u2019s LJ\/SP points vs A&amp;M\u2019s 200 points! I still give Florida the advantage but look for the 4&#215;4 to be a barnburner that may once again decide the title.<\/p>\n<p>After the 400\u2019s did me in yesterday I\u2019m almost afraid to predict the remaining events \u2013 but it wouldn\u2019t be any fun if I didn\u2019t. So here goes.<\/p>\n<p>In the 4&#215;1\u2019s I think the favorite\u2019s prevail \u2013 the Florida men and the A&amp;M women. Florida has run well all season and has Demps on anchor. They pass, they win. Ditto the women Aggies who seem to be just fine minus Gaby Mayo as Jeneba Tarmoh has taken up that slack quite well. <\/p>\n<p>In the 1500 meters Oregon\u2019s Wheating is clearly on a mission. He was easily the most focused athlete in the 800 and I fully expect him to complete the double. The question is how close behind him will his teammates finish. They need a 1-2-3 sweep here to be anywhere near close to the Aggies and Gators \u2013 and that\u2019s if Eaton can win the long jump and they get help from some other sprint squads in the relays. Gotta get points here first though. We will see what happens.<\/p>\n<p>Same story in the women\u2019s event. Oregon must pull huge points here to have a shot. Because the Aggies should once again get double points in the 200. I still think that Katie Follett (Wa) and Charlotte Browning (Fl) will be the top two \u2013 making it very difficult for Oregon to stay in the title hunt. But Jordan Hasay and Alex Kosinski are nothing if not gutsy, so they will make this a must watch event.<\/p>\n<p>The Aggies\u2019 presence in the 200 \u2013 men &amp; women \u2013 now makes the deuce perhaps the pivotal event of the meet. Curtis Mitchell vs Rondell Sorrillo (Kentucky) will be critical in the men\u2019s race. I still think the smooth striding Sorrillo can pull it off, but a first or second here by Mitchell plus points from Gerald Phiri will fuel A&amp;M\u2019s title hopes. The big question is how many can they get? With Florida potentially getting a win in the long jump and a runner up in the shot, Phiri needs to be close to top 3 to keep pace. For the women if Lucas and Tarmoh go 1-2 the meet is pretty much over \u2013 and yes I\u2019m switching from Tarmoh to Lucas on this one. <\/p>\n<p>Ronnie Ash should come thru with a defense of his 110 hurdle title. Like Eaton in the decathlon and Demps in the 100, he\u2019s just that much better than the rest. In the women\u2019s event we\u2019ll see how well Brown recovers from her loss in the long event, but I have to go with Harrison to complete the double. <\/p>\n<p>Prior to the 4&#215;4 the field event points should be in. Christian Taylor (Fl) still remains the long jump favorite in my mind as does Ryan Whiting (AzSt) in the Shot Put, and Blessing Okagbare (UTEP) in the women\u2019s long jump. Particularly look for fireworks in the men\u2019s long jump with Taylor, Ashton Eaton (Or) and Marquis Goodwin (Tx) all strong competitors, and Taylor &amp; Eaton looking for valuable team points. With the field events complete we should know where the team title hopes lie and who needs to finish in what position by the start of the 4&#215;4\u2019s!<\/p>\n<p>The women\u2019s 4&#215;4 could be run for pride by the time we get here. The Ducks will want to close the meet out with a win in front of the home crowd. The Aggies will want to close out a team title with a win in the final event. Oregon anchor Keshia Baker looked tired in the open event. Running both relays and the 400, and the corresponding semis, looks to have worn her down. Meanwhile winning does wonders and the Aggies seem to have gotten a second wind. Gotta go with the Aggies here, and watch out for the LSU Tigers would will simply be running for pride and a win \u2013 a lot to run for for a program with the tradition that they have. <\/p>\n<p>The men will close out the meet with the Aggies and Gators potentially going at it for the team title. Florida has the personnel to go sub 3, while Texas A&amp;M will have to run over it\u2019s head to keep up. Normally I would rate this even as the 4&#215;4 can bring out the unexpected in athletes. But the Aggies big closer, Tabarie Henry, has been a couple steps off all meet \u2013 so I think Florida keeps its edge. Mississippi State couple play spoiler however, with Tate, Mullings and Wilder all capable of big legs. <\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the final outcome, it\u2019s been a great meet. I\u2019m dying to see how it all turns out. Below is Demp\u2019s sizzling 100 win.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px\" id=\"scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:ab0e3f74-715e-4f75-bbc7-4bb32894b7bc\" class=\"wlWriterEditableSmartContent\">\n<div id=\"7ca21d94-be8b-49e5-9b30-1916f041ae75\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;\">\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Jw-Vm4Gxaow&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" target=\"_new\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.ggpht.com\/_q69RXDGKhjE\/TBOLBGALQjI\/AAAAAAAAACw\/Mzb8QVE1Ko8\/video46f291a5834a%5B3%5D.jpg\" style=\"border-style: none\" galleryimg=\"no\" onload=\"var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('7ca21d94-be8b-49e5-9b30-1916f041ae75'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = &quot;&lt;div&gt;&lt;object width=\\&quot;425\\&quot; height=\\&quot;355\\&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=\\&quot;movie\\&quot; value=\\&quot;http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/Jw-Vm4Gxaow&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;&amp;hl=en\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/param&gt;&lt;embed src=\\&quot;http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/Jw-Vm4Gxaow&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;&amp;hl=en\\&quot; type=\\&quot;application\/x-shockwave-flash\\&quot; width=\\&quot;425\\&quot; height=\\&quot;355\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/embed&gt;&lt;\\\/object&gt;&lt;\\\/div&gt;&quot;;\" alt=\"\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First the action that got us to the final day \u2013 Friday\u2019s finals. I said at the start of the meet that the one lap races would be critical and among the meet\u2019s best events, and Friday they were. All those that were supposed to be involved, were, with one common theme \u2013 discipline prevailed! [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-5x","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=343"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}