NCAA Men Eligibles — Top 20 Returners
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Table Of Contents From The Editor — Is The IAAF Being Innovative In The Right Places? ........................................................ 3 QUESTIONS FOR 2019 How Much Can Noah Lyles Add To His Legacy? ............................................................................................ 4 Are The Vultures Circling Kevin Young’s World Record? ................................................................................ 6 New Flag, New Beginning For Rai Benjamin ................................................................................................... 9 How Do You Qualify For The 2019 World Championships? .......................................................................... 12 Prediction Department — 2019 World Championships Medalists ............................................................... 14 How Will The 2019 Diamond League Work? ................................................................................................. 16 Major U.S. Names Coming Off The Shelf ...................................................................................................... 19 2019 COLLEGIATE PREVIEW NCAA Men Eligibles — Top 20 Returners ..................................................................................................... 23 Chris Nilsen To Face Crop Of Hot Frosh Vaulters ......................................................................................... 27 Shocked NCAA Steeple Champ Obsa Ali Ready For ’19 .............................................................................. 31 Prediction Department — 2019 NCAA Men’s Winners ................................................................................. 32 NCAA Women Eligibles — Top 20 Returners ................................................................................................ 34 Vaulter Olivia Gruver Going For A 3-Peat ...................................................................................................... 41 Mackenzie Little Finding Balance In Her Life ................................................................................................ 42 Prediction Department — 2019 NCAA Women’s Winners ............................................................................ 43 2019 HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW High School Boys Eligibles — Top 20 Returners .......................................................................................... 45 Sean Burrell Building On Super Soph Season In 400 ................................................................................... 51 High School Girls Eligibles — Top 20 Returners ........................................................................................... 52 Davis & Williams — Florida’s Young Prep Sprint Phenoms .......................................................................... 60 Prep Jasmine Moore A Double Jumps Threat .............................................................................................. 62 A Recordsetting Opening To The Indoor Season .......................................................................................... 63 Off-Track Racing Roundup For January ........................................................................................................ 65 A History Of Great Prep Vaulters ................................................................................................................... 67 All-Time Men’s World Ranking Leaders ........................................................................................................ 71 All-Time Women’s World Ranking Leaders ................................................................................................... 76 Do The Multi-Events Really Need Revamping? ............................................................................................ 81 TRACK SHORTS — January .......................................................................................................................... 83 ON YOUR MARKS — January ....................................................................................................................... 85 LANDMARKS — January ............................................................................................................................... 86 STATUS QUO — January ............................................................................................................................... 87 LAST LAP — January ..................................................................................................................................... 90 FOR THE RECORD — January ...................................................................................................................... 92 CALENDAR — January .................................................................................................................................. 93 January 2019 PDF — Page 2 From The Editor — Is The IAAF Being Innovative In The Right Places? by E. Garry Hill I LOVE THE (49.62/1:54.25). Can she do a pair of sub-55s? FACT that the wheels Last year, the IAAF also got creative with the Continen- keep turning in Mo- tal Cup. Personally, I give the innovations there—strange naco. The IAAF rec- cut-downs in the field events, with by-region rules, devil- ognizes the fact that take-the-hindmost races—a big fat F. track is having a hard Coincidentally enough, it was at the preceding Conti- time maintaining nental Cup (Marrakech ’14) that the IAAF did attempt to its popularity in the address a real problem; that of uniforms and athlete ID. modern sports world, They put together a taskforce to look into the issue—and I and is doing things to was part of it, along with broadcasters, shoe company and try to remedy that problem. The question is, however, are athlete reps, IAAF staff—that met for 2 days to discuss the they being innovative in the right places? problem of similar kits and how they made it so hard for Elsewhere in this issue you’ll find some details on the fans/broadcasters/announcers alike to follow who was who. proposed new multi-event scoring protocol, the Gundersen We’re now 4-plus years down the road and as far as I can Method, and on the invention of a pair of brand-new events see, no closer to an answer. for the World Relays. One thing I suggested at that meeting was better usage The intent of the former setup is certainly a noble one, of digital technology, and if any part of everyday life has the rationale being that fans would get more out of the improved a quantum amount since then, it’s what chips are women’s heptathlon 800 and men’s decathlon 1500 finish doing for us. If other sports (sailing, auto racing, skiing) if the first across the line in those races were by definition can do it, why doesn’t every major-meet telecast have the the winner of the overall event. We’ll have to wait to see in capacity to tag every runner in the field and call up an ID on action before any real judgments can be made, of course, the important ones as needed? If a big-name competitor is but going in I’m haunted by images of runners being strung buried deep in the pack somewhere, they should be instantly out all over the track with there infrequently being any taggable so viewers have a no-mistake visual. competition at all. I fear it will present even worse than the And there’s so much more that could be done with splits, current methodology. I’d certainly like to see it experimented although I do recognize the fact that the sport can some- with in real competition somewhere before it’s rolled out, as times become too daunting if would-be fans are drowned in planned, at a meet as major as the ’20 World Juniors (U20). numbers. But digital technology could/should also be used As to part the second, I’m not sure what the intent of the to sort things out in races where staggers make things hard new relay events is, unless it’s change just for change’s sake. to sort out, sometimes even for experienced watchers of the Color me not remotely a fan of a shuttle hurdles relay (be it sport. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what the order of placing same-sex or mixed). Figuring out when the “exchange” takes (and differential) is at the 100, 200 & 300 points of a 400? place has always seemed problematic at best, with different How about knowing what’s up at each hurdle in the 400H? meets having different rules. (Full disclosure: I also dislike Another major problem that gets ignored is how “paral- the event because I ran in one once, in high school, lost my lax” affects one’s perception in that ultra-showcase event, steps after the first barrier and then put on one of the most the 100. Have you ever noticed that when you watch a dash laughable displays of hurdle-hopping ever.) up the straightaway on TV that the people in lanes 5–8 The 2x2x400 seems quite the curiosity, what with each somehow regularly surge in the second half to pull even of the two runners running twice. As our news bit says, if with those in 1-4? They’re not, of course, but the placement nothing else, it’ll be an interesting interval workout. Perhaps of the camera fools you into thinking so. Chips could help, the most interesting part will take place far from the eyes but guess what, this one is an easy fix requiring no technol- of any fans, as teams try to figure out who can put together ogy at all, unless you’re confused by a tape measure and a pair of fast 400s with about a minute in between. Is it a a roll of tape. Simply put lines across the track at 25, 50 & pure 400 runner or a dedicated 800 type? Or is it somebody