Rollins runs world-leading 12.39 at NCAA Championships

Brianna Rollins isn’t ready to predict how much longer her collegiate record in the women’s 100m Hurdles will last after running a world-leading 12.39 in the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene on Saturday (8) in the final session of the four-day meeting.

It was the Clemson student’s second collegiate record in two days after running 12.47 in the semi-finals on Thursday.

Her time in the final was another one for the ages. The mark, aided by a 1.7m/s tailwind, propelled Rollins to fourth on the US all-time list behind three-time World 100m Hurdles champion Gail Devers (12.33), 2004 Olympic champion Joanna Hayes (12.37) and 2008 Olympic champion Dawn Harper-Nelson (12.37).

“It was a wonderful race. I know everything went well but honestly, I can’t remember what I did,” said Rollins, 21, whose performance is also a world under-23 best.

“I didn’t try to think about what I had done previously (in the semi-finals). I just tried to come out and be focused on what I wanted to do and come out and win the championship.”

After running 12.47 in the semi-finals to dip under Ginnie Powell’s collegiate record of 12.48 set in 2006, Rollins had been noncommittal about her chances of lowering the mark again in the finals.

“We’ll see,” Rollins said with a smile.

The collegiate record had been on Rollins thoughts since winning the NCAA indoor title in March. She had run a wind-aided 12.54 at the Texas Relays in April with a 2.1m/s breeze. After first breaking 13 seconds in 2011 with 12.99, Rollins has since lowered her PB by more than half a second.

Carter runs world-leading 53.21 in 400m Hurdles

Stanford’s Kori Carter, who finished second in the 100m Hurdles with 12.79, ran a world-leading 53.21 in the 400m Hurdles. The time broke Sheena Johnson’s collegiate record of 53.54 from 2004 and moved Carter to sixth on the US all-time list.

London Olympic finalist Georganne Moline of Arizona placed second in a personal best of 53.72.

Carter, who didn’t advance to the 2012 NCAA final, has dropped nearly four seconds off her 2011 PB of 57.10 in the 400m Hurdles. The 2009 World youth silver medallist in the 100m Hurdles, she has improved significantly this year in that event too, going from 12.99 to 12.76.

“One of the major things is that I can be a great 400m Hurdler,” said Carter, who makes no secret of her preference of the 100m Hurdles over the 400m Hurdles.

But her dramatic improvement has left her in a quandary with her prospects of running at the World Championships and a conflict with her older sister Kelly’s wedding.

“Right now, I am being one of the worst maids of honour of all time,” Carter said, jokingly. Carter’s sister isn’t budging. She applied for a marriage the license and intends to go on with the wedding as planned.

Wayne Davis of Texas A&M won the 110m Hurdles in a wind-aided 13.14 (3.8m/s). The 2007 World youth champion, who now competes internationally for Trinidad & Tobago, trails only Renaldo Nehemiah on the collegiate all-time list of performances in any conditions. Reggie Wyatt, representing Southern California, won the men’s 400m Hurdles in 48.58.

Gardner, Duncan and Silmon record historic sprints

Oregon’s English Gardner won the women’s 100m in 10.96 to successfully defend her title and move into third on the all-time collegiate list. A day earlier, Gardner had placed a non-qualifying seventh in a 200m semi-final with a sore right ankle and her status for the 100 had been in doubt.

In the final, Gardner was in control from the start and held off a late charge by Octavious Freeman of Central Florida. After her 100m win, Gardner announced her intentions to turn professional.

In the men’s 100m, Charles Silmon of Texas Christian University won in a wind-aided 9.89 (3.2m/s) to equal the fastest time in meeting history under any conditions. Florida State’s Dentarius Locke, who ran a legal 9.97 in the semi-finals, was second in 9.91.

Kimberlyn Duncan of Louisiana State University won the women’s 200m in a wind-aided 22.04 (3.5m/s) to equal the fastest collegiate time under any conditions. Texas A&M senior Ameer Webb won the men’s 200m in 20.10 (2.6m/s).

Bryshon Nellum of Southern California won the 400m in a PB of 44.73 and placed third in the 200m in a wind-aided 20.27 to continue a comeback after being shot in both legs after a Halloween party in 2008. Deon Lendore was second in the 400m with 44.94, while World youth champion Arman Hall set a PB of 45.02, the fastest time in the world this year by a junior athlete, to finish third.

Nellum didn’t advance to the 2012 NCAA final but finished third at the 2012 US Olympic Trials and ran on the US Olympic 4x400m Relay that won a silver medal in London and was the US flag bearer at the 2012 Olympics closing ceremony.

It was an emotional meet for Nellum, whose coach Ron Allice announced his retirement after 19 seasons at USC and a 50-year coaching career.

“It's a beautiful feeling. The reason why I came back for my sixth year was to win a national championship,” Nellum said. “I came back and reached my goal by making the finals and it was even better when I won.”

Ashley Spencer of Illinois won the women’s 400m to successfully defend her title in 50.28 – a PB for the World junior champion on the day before she turned 20. NCAA indoor champion Shaunae Miller was second in 50.70 to set a Central American and Caribbean junior record.

Distance double for Lalang

Kenyan-born Lawi Lalang of Arizona won the 5000m in 13:35.19 and the 10,000m in 29:29.65 to become the 12th runner to accomplish the double. The victories increased his national title tally to seven – one cross country, four indoors and two outdoors.

Abbey D’Agostino of Dartmouth won the women’s 5000m for the second year in a row in 15:43.68. Kenyan Betsy Saina of Iowa State won the women’s 10,000m in 33:08.85 for her third national title of the season along with cross country and the indoor 5000m.

Anthony Rotich took advantage of a fall on the final water jump by Henry Lelei to win the 3000m Steeplechase in 8:21.19. Lelei was second in 8:23.16. Colorado’s Emma Coburn won the women’s event in 9:35.38 for her second career title to move to fifth on the all-time collegiate list.

Elijah Greer and Natoya Goule completed a sweep of the men’s and women’s 800m. Greer took the lead with 200m to go to defeat Casimir Loxim, 1:46.58 to 1:46.88. Jamaican Goule led from the gun and held off a charge from Oregon’s Laura Roseler in a PB of 2:00.06 in a repeat of the 1-2 finish from the NCAA Indoors.

Oklahoma State’s Natalja Piliusina won the women's 1500m in 4:13.25 after placing second in the 800m the last two seasons, while the men’s event was won by Oregon’s Mac Fleet in 3:50.25.

Drouin out-duels Kynard in High Jump

Olympic bronze medallist Derek Drouin of Canada won the High Jump with 2.34m over Olympic silver medallist Erik Kynard, who had led after a first-time clearance at 2.31m, but went no higher.

Brigetta Barrett of Arizona, the London Olympic silver medallist in the High Jump, won at 1.95m for her sixth consecutive national title – three indoors and three outdoors.

Jamaican Damar Forbes of Louisiana State won the Long Jump with a wind-assisted 8.35m (2.9m/s) for the No.2 mark in the world this season under all conditions. Britain’s Lorraine Ugen of Texas Christian won the women’s event with a PB of 6.77m.

Elsewhere in the jumps, Florida’s Omar Craddock won the Triple Jump with 16.92m and San Diego State’s Shanieka Thomas was the women’s winner at 14.14m. Bethany Buell tied the championship record of 4.45m to win the Pole Vault, despite competing with a torn ligament in her left shoulder, while Sam Kendricks was the men’s winner with 5.70m.

Brooks successfully defends Shot title

Oklahoma’s Tia Brooks won the women’s Shot Put with a meeting record of 18.91m to complete a sweep of the indoor and outdoor titles for the second year in a row. 2009 World youth champion Ryan Crouser had only one legal throw in the men’s Shot Put but it was enough to defeat four-time NCAA winner Jordan Clarke by 3cm, 20.31 to 20.28.

In a high-quality Decathlon competition where six men broke 8000 points, Germany’s Johannes Hock of Texas edged Jeremy Taiwo of Washington, 8267 to 8239, a PB for the latter. Marcus Nilsson set a Swedish under-23 best of 8104 in third.

Lindsey Vollmer of Kansas added more than 400 points to her PB to win the Heptathlon with 6086, setting PBs in five of the individual events.

Australian Julian Wruck of UCLA won the Discus with a sixth-round effort of 64.94m. It was the second NCAA title in three years for Wruck who won the 2011 title competing for Texas Tech.

Kansas won the women’s title with 60 points. Texas A&M was second with 44 and Oregon was third with 43. Texas A&M and Florida shared the men’s title with 52 points.

Kirby Lee for the IAAF