Collegians Start 2021 Season With Record Performances

If there ever was a doubt that collegians weren’t champing at the bit to compete again, those questions could have been put to bed after watching Ruth Usoro’s first attempt in the triple jump at the Texas Tech Corky Classic.

Usoro, a Texas Tech senior from Nigeria, bounded 14.28m (46-10¼) to open her season. In doing so, Usoro became the second best performer in collegiate history behind 2018 The Bowerman winner Keturah Orji of Georgia, who soared 14.53m (47-8) three years ago.

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On her very next attempt, Usoro added a mark of 14.07m (46-2) for some more history. She is now just the third woman in collegiate history with two jumps of 14.00m (45-11¼) or better in a series, joining the aforementioned Orji and Andrea Geubelle of Kansas back in 2013.

Patterson Makes History 300 Meters At A Time

Jacory Patterson added to his sterling reputation at 300 meters.

Patterson, a Virginia Tech junior, blistered the track at the Virginia Tech Invitational on Friday night, covering 1½ laps in 32.61. Not only did Patterson win by 0.40 seconds, he also notched another all-time top-5 performance in the event.

If you look at the all-time collegiate chart now, Patterson owns the collegiate record at 32.28 from his effort at the same meet last year, the No. 3 effort at 32.49 from 2019 and now the No. 4 mark at 32.61.

Mu Stars In Her Collegiate Debut

Athing Mu … collegiate record book.

Collegiate record book … Athing Mu.

Expect to see a lot of each other this year.

Mu, a Texas A&M freshman, clocked the fifth-fastest performance in collegiate indoor history over 800 meters at the Ted Nelson Invitational this afternoon. She traversed four laps of the 200-meter track in 2:01.07, nearly becoming just the fifth woman in collegiate history to go sub-2:01.00 indoors.

Remember: This was Mu’s first collegiate race.

Noble Picks Up Where He Left Off

Back in the abbreviated fall cross country season, Christian Noble of Lee (Tenn.) made quick work of the competition, winning all four of his races by an average of 21 seconds. That included a dominant 51-second victory at the UAB Blazer Classic, where he ran the fastest time of the day out of the Gold Race, topping all of the marks from the SEC-loaded NCAA Division I Green Race.

There must be something about racing in Birmingham, Alabama, that sits well with Noble.

Maybe it’s just UAB-hosted affairs, because he continued his dominance on Saturday at the Vulcan Classic.

Noble scorched the mile in 4:00.60 to become the fourth best performer in NCAA DII history on a regulation 200-meter track. If Noble finished 0.61 seconds faster, he’d be just the sixth man in divisional history to crack the four-minute barrier under any conditions.

Bassitt Hounds NCAA DII Record Book

60 Meter Hurdles?

200 Meters?

It doesn’t matter the event, Trevor Bassitt is getting after it in 2021.

Bassitt, a senior at Ashland, starred in the former at the YSU Indoor College Invitational on Friday. The Ohio native sprinted 60 meters and cleared five consecutive hurdles along the way in 7.70 to PR by 0.05 seconds and equal the No. 5 performer in NCAA DII history.

Now just 0.01 seconds stands between Bassitt and a logjam with three other men at No. 2. The difference between No. 2 and the current NCAA DII record held by Myles Hunter of Minnesota State from 2016 is much larger: Try 0.16 seconds.