No Slowing Down for Collegiate Track Athletes at Prefontaine Classic
NCAA athletes compete with pros after a long season.
The NCAA season being over does not mean the running stops. Several college stars returned to Hayward Field to compete in the Prefontaine Classic, which falls under the premier Track circuit, the Diamond League. These athletes lined up against elite competition, and here is how they fared.
After finishing sixth in last year's edition, Georgia quarter miler Dejanea Oakley ran 49.64s for the win. The NCAA champion beat Olympic gold medalist Aaliyah Butler, who is also her training partner and was the only other woman to break 50 in the race.
"I've been off for an entire week before coming to this track meet, so I was kind of nervous coming out here to run," Oakley said. "But, I did what I did, and I feel great."
Current World Leader Adaejah Hodge represented Georgia in the 100m final. She faced off Olympic and World Champions Sha’Carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, and it was fireworks. The three of them were involved in a photo finish, and Hodge ended up in third, running 10.80s, just .02 seconds off the winning time of 10.78. Hodge said the gap gave her the fire she needed to go back in the lab and work harder. Shawnti Jackson of LSU also made the final and ran 11.02s finishing seventh.
Prefontaine Classic is favorable for distance athletes as seven of the nine world records set in this meet were distance events. Alabama’s Doris Lemingole did not quite break a world record, but she did lower her personal best and her collegiate all-dates best record in the 3000m steeplechase. As one of four women to run under nine seconds, she placed fourth with a time of 8:57:89 in her first outing in the discipline this season.
Newly turned professional Sanu Jallow-Lockhart made her debut with Brooks in the 800m. The former Arkansas Razorback and 800m collegiate record holder lined up against world champions Keely Hodgkinson and Lilian Odira and finished fourth in 1:58:12. “This being my first time ever as a pro, especially after NCAA's, I'll take it," she said. "It's not my best, but I'll take it for right now because coming from a long season and being able to turn around and do this is such an amazing experience.” Penn State’s Haley Kitchings was also in the race, and placed ninth with a time of 1:59.56.
Athletes also competed in field events. On her third attempt, Alyssa Jones jumped a best mark of 6.99m to place fourth in the long jump. The Stanford star finished above two-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist, Malaika Mihambo. In the pole vault, Amanda Moll of Washington, cleared a height of 4.70m to tie fourth in the pole vault. Her twin sister, Hana, settled for sixth with a mark of 4.60m.
The show does not stop here for these athletes. Hodge and the Moll twins will compete at the Monaco Diamond League. Oakley, on the other hand, will represent Jamaica at the Commonwealth Games and Jones intends to compete in more meets to increase her world ranking.