World record in 110 hurdles stuns crowd on opening session of NCAA champs in Eugene...
EUGENE--The first of four days of the NCAA Track and Field Championships opened with an unexpected world record in the semifinals of the men's 110 hurdles.
Auburn's Ja'Kobe Tharp (Paul Merca photo), the defending NCAA champion, ran a staggering 12.75 in the second semifinal, to break the previous world record set by American Aries Merritt in 2012.
“I knew I was in shape,” said Tharp, a junior whose personal best had been 13.01, last summer when he won the USATF outdoor title. “But that … that’s kind of crazy.”
The mark was the first world record set at the NCAA championships in fifty years, when Dwight Stones of Long Beach State set the high jump record in Philadelphia when he cleared 7-7 (2.31m) at the 1976 championships.
Ironically, Stones is the lead announcer on ESPN's telecast of the NCAA championships.
“I just wanted to go out and send a message to everybody else that I’m here because I know earlier in the season, people ran the same time as me,” he said. “I just wanted to show everybody that I’m here. And I’m here to stay.”
In the previous heat, Bellingham native Andre Korbmacher, competing for Florida State finished third in a personal best of 13.27 to advance as one of three time qualifiers to Friday's final.
The third heat saw former WSU Cougar John Paredes, competing for the University of Arizona, finish eighth in 13.95.
WEDNESDAY FINALS RECAP...
On the track, Washington State's Evans Kurui (Paul Merca photo) earned his second straight All-America honors in the 10000 meters, finishing sixth.
Kurui clocked a time of 28:10.73, pacing with the lead pack through the middle of the race and maintaining a spot in the top-3 in the final 4,000 meters. The Kenyan moved out to control the lead in the final three laps, looking to fend off a strong kick from his competitors.
Washington's Evan Jenkins finished 14th in 28:30.16. That's the highest a Husky has finished in the men's 10k final since 2001.
On the field, Rainier HS grad Jeremiah Nubbe of Virginia finished fourth in the hammer, throwing 237-11 (72.52m), as Minnesota's Angelos Mantzouranis won with a throw of 248-7 (75.78m).
Former Cougar Blake Sturgis, now competing for the University of Idaho, finished 14th in the javelin, with a best of 231-7 (70.59m).
Washington's Jimmy Rhoads finished ninth in the pole vault with a best of 18-4.5 (5.60m).
Only four men went higher, but Rhoads cleared 18-4.5 (5.60m) on a third attempt and had another third-attempt make at his first bar of the day to get the short end of the tiebreaks.
QUALIFYING ACTION...
Washington's Reuben Reina advanced to Friday's final in the 1500, as he finished sixth in the second semifinal in a personal best 3:36.31.
Both time qualifiers (top five in each heat plus two time advancers) came out of his heat.
In the previous heat, the Huskies' Martin Barco finished seventh in 3:40.29, two spots out of an auto qualifier.
Former Cougar Mason Lawyer advanced to Friday's finals in both the 100 and 200. In the shorter race, Lawyer, the Big 12 champ in both events for Arizona, ran 10.15, and 20.40 in the 200.
His Arizona squad, comprised of John Paredes and Parker Duskin from last year's WSU team that qualified for the NCAA championship meet, ran 38.79, and missed making the final on time by 6/100ths.
Another former Coug, Louie Hinchliffe, the 2024 NCAA champ in the 100, ran 10.18 and did not advance. His Houston team did advance to Friday's final in the 4 x 100 relay, as they ran 38.34.
In that 200, Hazen HS grad Miguel Rosario, now competing for Grand Canyon, finished sixth in his heat, running 20.45.
Rosario began his collegiate career at Seattle University.
In the 400, former Coug Grant Buckmiller, now at LSU, was fifth in his heat in 45.70.
Washington's Alex Rhodes, the fastest Husky quarter-miler in 18 years, appeared to aggravate the same issue that caused him to pull up in the Big Ten Outdoor 400-meter final. He pulled up today on the backstretch of his semifinal and did not finish.
Buckmiller's LSU squad had the fastest time of the day in the 4 x 400 relay, as they ran 3:00.54.
Jacob Andrews of USC, who prepped at Bellingham's Sehome HS, ran the leadoff leg for USC in the 4 x 400 relay. The Trojans finished sixth in the same heat as LSU, clocking 3:05.10.
UW steeplechaser Isaac Briggs was eighth in his semifinal heat in a time of 8:34.56, the second-fastest time in his career just behind the PR he set two weeks ago at the West Regionals.
In the first day of the decathlon, Washington's Teko Cates started well, running 10.84 in the 100, and 24-1.5 (7.35m) in the long jump.
He then had a couple of sub-par performances in the shot put, where he threw 41-10.5 (12.76m), and in the high jump, where he only cleared 6-4.75 (1.95m).
UW sports information reported that Cates injured himself, which led to him not showing up to contest the 400 to end day one.
ON TAP THURSDAY...
The women take to the track Thursday, with most of the eyes glued to pole vault, where the University of Washington has four entries, led by defending indoor and outdoor champion Hana Moll, currently the world leader in the event at 16-0 (4.88m) set indoors at the end of January.
She'll be joined by sister Amanda, who is a former national indoor champ, along with former All American Sara Borton, and freshman Veronica Vacca. Also in the mix is former Husky Sarah Ferguson, now at Kentucky. They get going at 5:35 pm.
Chloe Foerster runs in the semis of the 1500 at 5:21 pm. Washington State's Rosemary Longisa, the number one seed heading into the meet is entered, as is former Husky Wilma Nielsen of Oregon.
The other WSU Cougar in the meet, steeplechaser Caroline Jepkorir, runs in her semifinal at 5:38 pm.
Chloe Thomas, who is the only Washington woman doubling, runs in the final of the 10000 at 7:56 pm. She'll be joined by Gonzaga's Rosina Machu. Machu is also doubling with Thomas, as they'll both be in Saturday's 5000 meter finals.
Former WSU Cougars Valentina Barrios Bornacelli of Missouri, and Micaela De Mello of Oregon go in the javelin final, and 100 hurdles semis, respectively.
Also, former WSU sprinter Brooke Lyons is on Arizona's 4 x 100 relay team.
Barrios Bornacelli is the defending NCAA champ in the javelin.
Washington alum Kaia Tupu-South, now a grad student at Louisville, is entered in the finals of the shot put.
Carnation native Braelyn Baker of Duke is entered in three events Thursday--the 400, the 4 x 100 relay, as well as the 4 x 400 relay.
Day 2 of the meet will be televised (running events) on ESPN2 starting at 5 pm Pacific time. ESPN+ ($) will offer a dedicated feed for the field events.
GIANNA WOODRUFF GOES IN OSLO DIAMOND LEAGUE...
In Oslo, Washington alum Gianna Woodruff finished fourth in the 400 hurdles at the Bislett Games Wednesday at Bislett Stadium.
Woodruff finished the race in 54.68, as Emma Zapletalova of Slovakia continued her unbeaten streak in Diamond League competition, running 53.13.
The meet was highlighted by American teen sensation Cooper Lutkenhaus, who won the men's 800 in a world leading time of 1:42.08, beating reigning world and Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya.
Results of the Bislett Games, the sixth stop in the Wanda Diamond League series, are available here.
NOTE: The NCAA, the sports information offices of Washington and Washington State, along with the Wanda Diamond League, and World Athletics contributed to this report.
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