OUR PREMEET PROGNOSTICATIONS looked brilliant after the semifinals: the predicted top 6 all auto-qualified and our picks for places 7–9 went through on time.
Such perfection couldn’t last, of course — the 4 x 100 always comes with a dose of built-in mayhem.
In fact, the semis gave the first hint that we might have the final order wrong. We picked South Florida to win and Auburn to place 3rd, but the Tigers made a statement by equaling Florida’s 2019 meet record of 37.97.
In the final, Auburn made it clear from the gun that the fast semi was no fluke — leadoff Azeem Fahmi almost made up the stagger on South Florida’s Shomari Pettigrew. Their lead solidified when second leg Kanyinsola Ajayi smoothly handed off to Dario Matau while South Florida bobbled the stick and slowed.
Auburn didn’t have it wrapped up, however — flawless handoffs had Minnesota poised to pull even.
Then came the mayhem: Golden Gophers anchor Devin Augustine pulled up injured with about 20 meters left. Auburn’s Makanakaishe Charamba — the eventual silver medalist in the 200 — stormed to the finish in 38.33 and USC took 2nd in 38.46.
More mayhem: LSU crossed the line in 38.56 but was disqualified for running out of their lane, so Arkansas (38.72) was promoted to 3rd. (By the end of the meet, that extra point would have Arkansas tantalizingly close to a team title.)
South Florida took 4th in 38.73, while Minnesota fell to 7th in 38.88.
Coach Leroy Burrell’s sprinters were unconcerned with not matching the sub-38 heroics of the semis. Repeat champions owe no apologies to anyone.
“Today, if the goal is just to finish first, that’s all. We don’t care about the time,” said Fahmi. “I mean, even though the goal was to break the Collegiate Record… 10 points back-to-back. That’s all we want to know.
“It’s way harder to maintain the championship, you know, to stay at the top. So we’re coming here with all the pressure. We actually wanted this pressure. So we went out there, just did everything because we knew we would push through it. We also know that we are the best team here, so we just had to execute the race.”
“It’s very special, you know, with the new era to come here and win a national championship,” said Matau. “So to see us come…
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