Olympian Jenny Barringer of the University of Colorado, who finished ninth in Beijing’s steeplechase final, won the 3000 Saturday in an NCAA record time of 8:42.03, beating defending champion Susan Kuijken of Florida State (8:56.27).
On Friday, University of Texas high jumper Destinee Hooker won the championship and set a D-I mark by clearing 1.98 meters (6 feet, 6 inches) on her second attempt.
Ducks, Vols Top the Standings
Olympian Galen Rupp of Oregon gained three victories in the two-day competition to help the Ducks win the men’s title with 54 points. On Friday Rupp took the lead in the final 800 meters to win the 5000 (13:41.45) and later anchored Oregon’s victorious distance relay team, which won in 9:29.59. He then triumphed in the 3000 on Saturday (7:48.94). Rupp’s relay teammates included Andrew Acosta (1200 meters), Chad Barlow (400) and another 2008 Olympian, Andrew Wheating (800). The Ducks were in second when Rupp took the baton.
Florida was second in the team standings (36 points), followed by Florida State (32) and Louisiana State (29) with Arizona State, Nebraska and Baylor all tied for fifth (25).
On the women’s side, the University of Tennessee also won the distance relay on its way to a team championship. The Vols’ quartet of Phoebe Wright, Brittany Jones, Chanelle Price and Sarah Bowman won the relay in an all-time best 10:50.98 on Friday. The IAAF doesn’t recognize world records in the event, but the accomplishment was impressive, nevertheless. Villanova set the previous world mark of 10:54.34 in 1988. Wright ran the opening 1200 meters in 3:23.18, followed by Jones in the 400-meter leg (53.51), Price in the 800 (2:03.19) and Bowman in the 1600 (4:31.11).
Tennessee finished with 42 points overall, followed by Texas A & M (37), Brigham Young (33), Texas (31) and Arizona State (30).
Men's Events
Michael Bingham of Wake Forest won a tight men’s 400 in 45.69 seconds, edging Gil Roberts of Texas Tech (45.71). Both runners beat the previous world indoor season leading time posted by Sweden’s Johan Wissman at the European Indoors (45.89).
Other men’s winners on the track included Jacoby Ford of Clemson in the 60 (6.52), Baylor’s Trey Harts in the 200 (a world-leading 20.63), Jacob Hernandez of Texas in the 800 (1:48.04) and Lee Emanuel from New Mexico in the mile (4:00.36), while Texas Tech’s Ronnie Ash (7.63) edged Omo Osaghae of Bethune-Cookman (7.64) in the 60 hurdles. Baylor’s foursome of Harts, Marcus Boyd, Lejerald Betters and Quentin Iglehart-Summers won the 4 x 400 relay (3:05.81).
In men’s throwing events, Jason Lewis of Arizona State won the weight throw with a personal best 22.88 (75-¾), while Arizona State’s Ryan Whiting of Arizona State won the shot put decisively (20.16/66-1¾).
Defending World Youth champ Christian Taylor of Florida pulled out the triple jump with a final-round, personal best leap of 16.98/55-8½, sending him past Oklahoma’s Will Claye, who took the lead with his sixth-round effort of 16.80/55-1½. Rice’s Jason Colwick won the pole vault (5.60/18-4½), Scott Sellers of Kansas State won the high jump (clearing 2.25/7-4½ without a miss) and Nebraska’s Nicholas Gordon came from behind to win the long jump, as his final round leap of 8.03/26-4¼ edged Jeremy Hicks of LSU (8.01/26-3½).
Oregon’s Ashton Eaton won four of seven events (60-meter dash, long jump, 60 hurdles and pole vault) to capture the heptathlon with 5988 points.
Women's Events
Kenyan native Sally Kipyego, from Texas Tech, won the women's 5000 (15:51.14), gaining her ninth career NCAA title. But Tennessee’s Bowman denied Kipyego a tenth championship by coming from behind to nip Kipyego in the mile. Bowman won in 4:29.72 while Kipyego, who led until the final strides, was three-hundredths of a second behind at the tape.
Other women’s track winners included Francena McCorory of Hampton University in the 400 (51.55), Lacey Cramer from Brigham Young in the 800 (2:04.27), the University of Michigan’s Tiffany Ofili in the 60 hurdles (8.00), South Carolina’s LaKya Brookins in the 60 meters (7.l3) and Murielle Ahoure of Miami in the 200 (a world-leading 22.80).
Texas A&M won the women’s 4 x 400 relay (3:32.52) behind the quartet of Allison George, Sandy Wooten, Porscha Lucas and Jessica Beard.
Women’s field event winners included Kimberly Williams of Florida State in the triple jump (13.81/45-3¾), Florida’s Mariam Kevkhishvili in the shot put (17.84/58-6½), Kylie Hutson of Indiana State in the pole vault (4.35/14-3¼), Eleni Kafourou of Boise State in the long jump (6.53/21-5¼) and D’Ana McCarty of Louisville in the weight throw, as her final-round toss of 22.09 meters (72-5¾), beat the first-round throw of Akron’s Stevi Large (21.79/71-6).
Amy Menlove of BYU won the pentathlon with 4365 points. She won two of the pentathlon’s five events, the 60-meter hurdles and the long jump.
