2020 DI NCAA Indoor Championships

10 Best NCAA Performances From The Weekend

10 Best NCAA Performances From The Weekend

Here are the 10 best NCAA performances from Friday and Saturday.

Feb 3, 2020 by Lincoln Shryack
10 Best NCAA Performances From The Weekend
The intensity of the NCAA season ramped up significantly over the weekend as both distance stars and top sprinters impressed across the country. Here were the 10 best collegiate performances from Friday and Saturday:

Unlock this article, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

The intensity of the NCAA season ramped up significantly over the weekend as both distance stars and top sprinters impressed across the country. Here were the 10 best collegiate performances from Friday and Saturday:

1. Oregon NCAA DMR Record

The Ducks were just ninth at NCAAs last year in the DMR, and their 9:24.52 collegiate record on Friday was a huge surprise. Texas’ 9:25 mark had stood for 12 years, but Oregon eclipsed it with a masterful final two legs: Charlie Hunter split 1:48.08 in the 800m before passing off to anchor Cooper Teare, who closed in 3:55. Hunter’s PB in the 800 is just 1:49.42, while Teare’s mile best is 3:59.80.

2. Joe Klecker 4:01 Mile In Boulder

For a non-miler, Colorado’s Joe Klecker ran quite the race on Friday in Boulder as the senior ran the fastest ever mile in Colorado (4:01.00) and assumed the NCAA lead in the distance as the effort altitude-converted to 3:55.13. 

Klecker, who finished second in the NCAA 5k and third in the 3k last March, will almost certainly not run the mile at nationals, but his record performance was a reminder of the threat he’ll pose to guys like Edwin Kurgat and Tyler Day in the longer distances. Klecker seems particularly adept at racing at high elevations, no small factor with NCAAs being in Albuquerque this year.

3. Dani Jones 2:04 800m In Boulder

Speaking of a Colorado star thriving at an off-distance, Dani Jones made her 2020 debut on Friday in the 800m and proceeded to break a CU record previously held by Mary Decker with her 2:04.38. Factoring in the thin Boulder air, the time converts down to 2:03.58, currently second-best in the NCAA.

Jones’ event selection this indoor season is still unclear-- she ran the mile in 2018, and the 3k/DMR in 2017--  but of course, she’ll be a huge factor no matter which event(s) she runs.

4. Randolph Ross 45.44 400m At Texas Tech

The best quarter-miler in the country so far this season has been North Carolina A&T true freshman Randolph Ross, who ran an NCAA-leading 45.44 in a dominant performance at Texas Tech on Friday. Ross, whose father, Duane, is the head coach at A&T, ran faster than All-Americans Bryce Deadmon and Trevor Stewart (Ross was in a different heat) to establish himself as a legitimate NCAA title contender.

null

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In


5. Anavia Battle 22.86 200m At Texas Tech

Ohio State junior Anavia Battle scored a big victory over 200m rival Cambrea Sturgis of North Carolina A&T with her 22.86 at Texas Tech. The time, just off Battle’s 22.80 indoor best, is tops in the NCAA right now.

6. BYU’s 10:53.95 DMR At UW

The BYU women established themselves as the early season NCAA DMR favorites on Saturday as they won the UW Invitational in 10:53.95, a Dempsey Indoor record and the fastest collegiate DMR ever run on an oversized track. The run was all the more impressive considering an official snafu on Friday-- the 800m legs ran only 400m, and the race was stopped-- forced the women’s DMR to be re-run the next day.

7. Kieran Tuntivate NCAA-Leading 7:49.15 3k At BU

Harvard senior Kieran Tuntivate lowered his 3k PB by over 10 seconds on Saturday in Boston with a 7:49.15 that leads the NCAA. The mark is a new Ivy League record for Tuntivate, who took more than two seconds off the previous mark held by another Harvard runner, Maksim Korolev.

null

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In


8. Raymond Ekevwo 6.53 60m At Razorback

Florida’s Raymond Ekevwo broke 6.60 for the first time with his 6.53 60m victory at the Razorback Invitational. The senior dominated in winning by over a tenth of a second, and he simultaneously assumed control of the NCAA lead.

9. Kennedy Simon 52.20 400m At Razorback

Texas sophomore Kennedy Simon set a 52.20 PB at the Razorback Invite to take over the NCAA lead. Simon has been much improved in year two at UT, as her best indoors last season was just 53.55.

10. Micaiah Harris 20.49 200m At Razorback

Texas junior Micaiah Harris owns the two fastest 200m times in the NCAA this season, including this 20.49 from Friday at the Razorback Invitational.