Keturah Orji, Gabby Thomas, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and Elinor Purrier all build momentum toward NCAA finals with top regional qualifying marks in Tampa

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

On a final day of competition at the NCAA Division 1 East Regional that offered few surprises, Purdue experienced the full range of emotions in the women’s relays Saturday in Tampa, Fla.

The Boilermakers, a top 16 team in the country in the women’s 4x100, were unable to finish in their qualifying race to advance to the NCAA championship meet at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Purdue responded by producing the fastest 4x400 time in both combined regionals and the second-fastest performance by any collegiate quartet this year, as Chloe Abbott, Brionna Thomas, Symone Black and Jahneya Mitchell clocked a Big Ten all-time record 3 minutes, 26.71 seconds to position themselves as a legitimate NCAA title contender in the June 9 final.

Six of the other top seven national performances this season came May 12 at the Southeastern Conference Championships.
Collegiate women’s 4x100 record holder LSU posted the fastest qualifying time of 42.42, with Kentucky clocking 42.49.

In the men’s 4x100, Florida ran 38.86 and Ohio State qualified in 38.91.

LSU produced the top qualifying time in the men’s 4x400 in 3:06.26.

Georgia senior Keturah Orji continued her path toward a potential seventh career NCAA triple jump title, as the collegiate record holder led all qualifiers with a leap of 46-1.50 (14.06m).

Harvard junior Gabby Thomas, the collegiate indoor 200 record holder, led all qualifiers in a wind-legal 22.42 one day after significant wind-aided marks led Tennessee’s Shania Collins to run 21.97, the fastest all conditions time in NCAA history. Collins also advanced in 22.69.

Kentucky’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who just missed equaling the collegiate 100 hurdles record May 12 at the SEC Championships, clocked 12.90 to lead all qualifiers.

New Hampshire’s Elinor Purrier, the NCAA indoor mile champion, ran 4:10.90 post the fastest 1,500 qualifying time.
North Carolina State’s Erika Kemp took advantage of a slow pace to easily produce the top 5,000 mark in 16:06.17.

Ole Miss senior Janeah Stewart, who already led all qualifiers in the shot put, produced the top mark in the hammer as well with a throw of 224-3 (68.36m).

SEC athletes also dominated the men’s field events as well, with Mississippi State’s Anderson Peters throwing the javelin 243-6 (74.22m), South Carolina’s Josh Awotunde producing the top shot put mark at 67-4.75 (20.54m) and Florida’s KeAndre Bates delivering the best triple jump effort at 55-1 (16.79m).

In addition, Alabama’s Shelby McEwen, Georgia’s Keenon Laine and Florida’s Clayton Brown were three of the four athletes to clear 7-1 (2.16m) in the men’s high jump.

Alabama’s Ruebin Walters and Florida’s Grant Holloway ran 13.55 and 13.58 in separate qualifying heats of the men’s 110 hurdles.

North Carolina A&T junior Rodney Rowe led all qualifiers in the men’s 200, clocking a wind-legal 20.26, with South Carolina’s Ncincilili Titi running 20.27 and Florida State’s Andre Ewers following his wind-legal 9.98 effort in the 100 with a 20.32 in the 200.

Villanova’s Ben Malone produced the top men’s 1,500 time by running 3:43.38, with Michigan State’s Justine Kiprotich clocking 3:43.49. Campbell’s Amon Kemboi led all 5,000 qualifiers in 13:54.89, with Syracuse’s Justyn Knight benefiting from a much slower pace to advance in 14:08.56.