9th Nike Indoor Nationals March 10-11, 2007 at Prince George's County Sportsplex, Landover MD DyeStat on-site with Doug Speck, Marc Davis, Steve Underwood, John Dye, Donna Dye and Justina Jassen

NIN Sprints: Tough Questions, Unexpected Answers

Dashes: Doubles for Holston, Jordan; Beard Over Bianca; Rankin Confirms
Hurdles: Coward Rolls; Dutch Overcomes Adversity

By Steve Underwood, Photos by Vic Sailer, photorun.net

There were plenty of big questions in the sprints and hurdles going into this titanic weekend. Few of them had the answers most expected.

Would new 200 record-holder Bianca Knight, re-embracing the 400 where she’d been so successful as a freshman outdoors, make a run at Francena McCorory’s incredible record from last year? No. Not only would the 2006 mark easily survive, but it was 2006 NON and USATF Junior champ Jessica Beard at the top of the podium.

Would Jackie Coward improve on her new 60H HSR here? No. But she would dominate the field with her 8.28, the #3 time ever by the end of the day (Lindsay Rowe ran 8.25 at NSIC). She now has 3 of history’s 4 sub-8.30s.

Would a showdown between the 4 boys hurdlers seeded between 7.80-85, including new 55H record-holder Johnny Dutch, materialize? Well, not exactly. After protests over false starts that went uncalled in the semifinals, a 2-section final was organized that included 12 hurdlers who qualified in various ways. But Dutch did come through as the champ in 7.73.

On the other hand, there were answers for which there hadn’t really been questions, or at least not the kind with high expectations. Virginia long sprint star Sean Holston was expected to be in the mix in a hot 400 and at least in the conversation in the 200. But no one outside of his supporters could have foreseen that he would absolutely dominate both races with some of the best sprinting ever seen here. And Texas dash standout Victoria Jordan was definitely the 60 favorite and a 200 contender, but she really went without serious challenge in another very nice double.

In all, it was really one of the best sprint/hurdle weekends ever for this meet … and the credit in large part went to Holston.

Just a week earlier, the senior (but only 2nd-year track runner) from Robert E. Lee HS in Springfield had been trying to equal the historic Virginia state meet triple of LaShawn Merritt from 2004, going for the VA titles in the 55-300-500. Who could doubt he could do it? Holston led the nation at the 300 and 500, including the mind-bending 33.21 300 (#2 all time) he ran in the New Balance Collegiate Games, and had a good shot at the 60 as well. But he lost the 60, made the mental mistake of running and winning his section of the 500 while easing up (allowing runners from other sections to beat him), and left with just one win – in the 300.

So this weekend, he was one of several sub-48 talents entered in the 400, and considered a sub-22 seed in the 200, even though that was basically a conversion from his 300. He was listed fourth in both events.

But the sharpest tools in the forecasters’ shed kept in mind that he was the only guy in the country who had broken 48 on a flat, legal track – this very track itself, actually. And the things that couldn’t be measured as easily was that burning desire to atone, and that the combination of nature and his developed aptitude which had created the ability to negotiate the unfriendly curves of the PG Sportsplex with uncommon ability.

In Sunday’s 400 final, while others were losing momentum on the turns, he was burning them with a vengeance. As he came around the fourth and final bend, his smooth destruction of the field was nearly complete and it was clear a ridiculous time was at hand. He crossed the line more than a second ahead of runner-up LaMarr Davis NC and, as he strolled out into the curve, the clock showed his 47.12 and he raised his arms in triumph.

Sean had been the leading qualifier the previous day in 48.48. It was a good performance, but most expected a final somewhere in the 48s. That’s what usually happens at NIN; maybe a high-47 if you’re really good. But 47.12 is a jaw-dropper … not only is it #7 all-time, but it’s the best-ever on a legal, unbanked track.

“I couldn’t hold anything back,” he said. “My coach told me to control the race on the turns and keep strong. Because I’m not real tall (5-8), I can do the turns well. They’re fun for me.”

The 200 was a blast for the Virginian, too, as he smoked a 21.53 to win by .45. “I felt a little bit of fatigue,” he said. “My legs kind of felt like jello. But I figured if I could do it yesterday (in the heats), I could do it today.”


Beard Beats Bianca

The girls 400 was supposed to be the barn-burner, the attempt to take down the mind-boggling 51.93 of Francena McCorory from a year ago. Ridgeland MS sr Bianca Knight had authored an almost equally impressive 22.97 200 USR at Simplot, but she found training for the 200/400 and racing your first serious 400 in a few years are two different things.

The prelims didn’t reveal much, as both Knight and reigning outdoor queen Jessica Beard – the senior from Euclid OH – appeared to run fairly easily and were 55.44 and 55.22 winners, respectively. Even those sour on the record idea probably thought Knight could run quite a bit faster than that in the final. But Knight didn’t pop that first 200 and explode into the break like you need to, to run a killer time. She would try to use a late kick for the win. It didn’t happen.

Meanwhile, Beard had no such high expectations coming in. She respected her own abilities, and of course Bianca’s, but she knew she was hardly in June shape, with just a few low-key indoor 400s under her belt. Her plan was to key off Bianca and do what she could do. At 200, though, she suddenly realized there was no Bianca up there. Instead, Union City CA freshman Thandi Stewart led through in 26.4.

“I was worried about Bianca,” Jessica admitted, “My goal was to be there with her … but hadn’t taken the other girls into consideration as much.”

So on the last turn, Jessica took the lead and went on to the victory. The times – from Beard’s 55.24 to Knight’s 55.81 in fourth – illustrate just how good Francena’s time really was.

“All year long, I haven’t done any races over 200,” said Knight. “And I found out training for the 400 and competing in it are two different things.” She added that one of the reasons she switched from the 60/200 combo is that the injury she suffered last summer tends to flare up a bit in the 60.

Beard said she’s been focusing on strength workouts, like 6x200 at race pace and 4x200 in 25. “I’ve been doing some overdistance work, some 600s, too. … I felt strong in the second 200, which is normally the best part of my race.”


Two Victories for Victoria

With Bianca out of the 60/200 wars for NIN, Victoria Jordan was the fave in the short dash and one of the key players in the long dash. Jordan had set the tone for her season with her stunning win over Knight in the LSU 55, then proved she really belonged in the ultra-elite with her 7.24 60 in Houston. She didn’t have to take a back seat to anyone.

Unfortunately, Victoria really didn’t get to test herself against most of the best. Jeneba Tarmoh, Shayla Mahan, Tiffany Townsend, and Gabby Mayo were in New York, and Kya Brookins is out for the year. So what was left for Jordan to do was dominate, and that she did, running an 7.47-7.34-7.33 series, beating defending champ Ashley Cruder CO (7.48) in the final. She didn’t quite match NSIC winner Thompson (7.28 semi, 7.32 final), but hey, she’s got that 7.24, still the US#1.

In the 200, Jordan wasn’t the top seed, but wound up nearly as dominant, never leaving doubt to her victory.

“I got a bad start out of the blocks,” said Jordan of her first race, “but my coach always says get a good drive phase and float the rest of the way, and I did. I’m a good comeback runner.”

In the 200, she added, “I had to get out, get up to the middle of the race, cruise a bit to 150, then finish strong.”


Coward Cruises

In the 60 hurdles, Jackie Coward was in a bit of a similar situation to Jordan, but with even greater dominance. There’s really only one hurdler right now who could push her, and Lindsay Rowe was in New York. Hopes were high for Coward’s taking down her own 60H record, but records usually require perfection. “I wanted to go after the record,” she said, “but I cut my trail leg short on a couple of hurdles and that was the difference.”

Still, her 8.28 was a meet record, and second only to her own mark. The fast-improving Rowe would hit 8.25 in New York, closing to .08 of Coward’s record. Their differential in the 55H is a similar .09. Hopefully, they’ll meet outdoors, but Coward remains the queen.


Dutch Amidst the Drama

If the girls 60H lacked drama, the boys version more than made up for it. After some uneventful prelims, the great field of hurdlers stepped into the late-morning semis. Whether it was malfunctions of the starter’s gun or the starter, suddenly athletes began getting away with fliers and playing havoc with the rhythm of the races and the racers. In the second semi, favorite Johnny Dutch came out of his blocks to the first hurdle and found himself fourth behind of few of those unrecalled flyers. Struggling to deal with playing catchup in a way he never has to, his form was completely off and he clobbered the last hurdle and tumbled to the track.

As he got up and crossed the finish line, Dutch’s look of unutterable disgust became the enduring image of the fiasco. The Clayton NC sr. has had his big meet problems before, with DQs related to technical problems in both the 2005 NON 110H and 2006 NON 400H, but this was the worst.

“I couldn’t really see (the guys ahead of him false-starting), but he held us up so long,” he said. “I knew something was off. I couldn’t run my own race.

“After that, I just walked around the whole stadium, I was so upset. I prayed to God he would bless me with a miracle. I wanted to redeem myself.”

With the eyes of hundreds of coaches, fans, and athletes on the proceedings, word quickly got to meet referee John Chaplin, calling him to “fix” things. He came up with the best possible solution given the scenario, running a 2-section final that began with the six qualifiers in one and ended with a group that contained the four next fastest times and two others who had fallen – one of those being Dutch.

Although he bore a bit of the rigidity of someone trying really hard to make it right, but at the same time being careful, Dutch hammered his way through the first section of the final, winning decisively in 7.73. It was a 60m PR for him and while it was hardly the fluid Dutch that ran the USR 7.07 for the 55H several weeks ago, it was enough.

Oscar Spurlock TX was 2nd in 7.85, and Shane Wells MI 3rd in 7.96. Then in the section with the six official finalists, big Brandon Ames WY burned a PR 7.78 ahead of Wayne Davis II’s 7.83. The busy Terry Prentice CA was 3rd in 7.84, but previous US leader (7.80) Josh Hembrough hit the last hurdle too hard and tumbled in last after being right in the mix.

Dutch may not have lost the race, but he did lose his national soph record of 7.90. Davis II first nipped it in his semi, with a winning 7.86, before his final 7.83.


Rankin By .01

By far the closest race of all the sprints came in the evenly-matched boys 60 dash. It looked like anyone’s race coming in, at least among top seeds soph Rynell Parson TX, soph Jeremy Rankin CO, sr Shane Crawford IN, and jr Justin Murdock MD. In the three semis, Parson (6.76), Rankin (6.79), and Crawford (6.75) each made statements with wins, while Murdock was right there with 2nd behind Crawford (6.77).

In the final, Murdock looked like the man early, Crawford came on in the last 20 meters, but then it looked like Rankin nosed in ahead at the very end.

The scoreboard briefly showed an incorrect set of results, but a corrected version quickly appeared that showed Rankin the winner by .01, with his 6.71 beating Crawford (6.72), Parson (6.75), and Murdock (6.78). “I had to wait for the results,” said the winner. “At first, I thought I was third.” Instead, those who questioned those fast altitude-aided times out west in the open/college meets he ran in, which had made him US#1 and the soph record holder, saw that Rankin was the real deal.

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