USF’s Smee Rises To 14th In The NCAA Rankings With Just A Few Days Left To Qualify; Stanford’s Lineup Breaks Dempsey Record In Women’s DMR
By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor
The last chance provided by the Ken Shannon Invitational at the Dempsey Indoor in Seattle may have worked out for San Francisco’s Ruby Smee.
The Dons’ distance runner won the women’s 5,000 meters on Friday night in a meet record 15:38.08. More importantly, it boosted her to No. 14 on the NCAA top qualifiers list.
It was a four-second season best for Smee, who placed 12th in last year’s NCAA Indoor Championships.
With first-year pro and 2022 U.S. team member Courtney Wayment pacing up until the final 400 meters, Smee and BYU freshman Jenna Hutchins were together with a lap to go.
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Smee sprinted away to get the win. Hutchins’ promising run took a hit when she collapsed 10 meters from the finish line. She managed to crawl over it for fourth place in 15:57.96.
Stanford’s Devin Hart ran to a new lifetime best of 13:29.31 in the fastest section of the men’s 5,000 meters, just ahead of BYU’s Brandon Garnica, who ran 13:35.65 and Colorado’s 13:36.09.
Hart’s time takes him up the NCAA list to No. 18. He could advance to nationals if there are scratches ahead of him.
In 2020, that time would have been good enough for fourth.
Cal’s Camryn Rogers, a 2022 Bowerman Award finalist, broke the Dempsey record in the women’s weight throw with 22.82m (74-10.50). She has thrown over 78 feet this winter and is fourth on the NCAA list.
Maayi Mahama from UCLA was second with a career best 21.08m (69-2).
The Stanford women improved their DMR best with 10:49.30, moving up to sixth-fastest in the country. Melissa Tanaka, Maya Valmon, Roisin Willis and Juliette Whittaker broke the Dempsey Indoor record.
Oregon freshman Aaliyah McCormick matched her best in the women’s 60-meter hurdles with 8.01 seconds. She is tied for fourth on the national list.
Likewise, USC’s Johnny Brackins, already second on the NCAA list with 7.60 seconds, won the men’s 60-meter hurdles with the same time and broke the Dempsey track record. He beat his teammate, Omotade Ojora, who owns the best time in the country (7.53). Ojora ran 7.64.
Lexi Ellis of Oregon won the women’s triple jump with 13.12m (43-0.25). She’s jumped farther this season and is ranked No. 5.
Anneke Moersdorf of Oregon State achieved personal bests in three events and won the pentathlon with a school record…
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