PreRaceJitters Podcast: Tennessee’s Phoebe Wright making all the right moves

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Jay Hicks talks with Tennessee’s Phoebe Wright about going from walk on to world record holder, training at the University and her race against the clock to run 2:00 or faster.

Day 3 Wrap - U.S. Ready For the World

The Nick Symmonds vs. Khadevis Robinson show unfolded beautifully in the 800m final. Tevon Everett led the pack through the first 400m in 51 seconds. As usual, Symmonds began his signature kick from fourth to first at 600m. Symmonds and Robinson were neck and neck over the last 100m, but Symmonds had the home turf advantage and the roar of the crowd to pull him past the line first in 1:45.86.

Two young stars, Geena Gall and Phoebe Wright, trailed three-time Olympian Hazel Clark in the women’s 800m. Clark led from the gun through a 59.43 first lap. She struggled some on lap 2, but pulled ahead to win it in 2:00.79.

Jenny Barringer and Anna Willard expectantly went 1-2 in the 3000m steeplechase. Willard has raced a lot over the past few days as she also competed in the 1500m, so she did not quite have enough left to challenge Barringer. She did, however, have a good race with Bridget Franek and Lindsey Anderson.

Barringer went to the lead and stayed there. She cruised along with Anderson and Willard close behind.

“It was really windy out there so I wanted to take command of the race from the beginning,” Barringer said.

The breeze was no problem for Willard because she had Franek and Anderson with her. With about 1200m left in the race, Barringer surged ahead to open a 30-meter gap. Franek made her move to second on the next lap and dropped Anderson. Then it was a battle for 2nd place as Willard went with Franek. Willard beat her to the line about 6 seconds behind Barringer.

Shawn Crawford ran a fast 19.73 in the 200m. He had a good start among the talented field. He dominated the race with Charles Clark behind him in 20.00 and Wallace Spearmon in 20.03.

“It was pretty controlled,” Crawford said. “I’ve been practicing driving through the first 120 and letting my body carry me the rest of the way.”

After winning the semifinals, Allyson Felix also started well in the women’s race to win her fifth national title in 22.02, followed by Muna Lee and Marshavet Hooker.

“What I wanted to do was just really focus on the start, and just work on driving out,” Felix said.

The 1500m was an exciting race. Leonel Manzano, Lopez Lomong and Will Leer led the first 800m, but then Stephen Pifer sprinted to the front. He could not hold the pace as he was passed by Lomong, Manzano and Leer. Lomong moved in front of Manzano with 200m to go, and Dorian Ulrey kicked for a surprising 3rd place. Ulrey came into the race as one of the underdogs and was elated with his race. Cloud nine is not the limit for Ulrey. He said he was on cloud 10.5 after this accomplishment.

In the 100m hurdles, Dawn Harper won her first national title and ran 12.36. Virginia Powell and Damu Cherry were close behind.

Bershawn Jackson ran the fastest time in the world this year in the men’s 400m hurdles, 48.03 seconds. Johnny Dutch was surprised by his 2nd place finish, ahead of Olympic gold medalist Angelo Taylor.

“I looked over to my left and noticed I was 2nd or 3rd and thought ‘oh I made the team!’” Dutch said.

Taylor seemed disappointed not to win, but said he was glad to be on the team. Jackson agrees that the main goal is Berlin.

“Once you make the team, everything will take care of itself,” Jackson said. “We have the greatest hurdlers in the world.”

NCAA Indoor Championship Is Where Amazing Happened

-College Station, Texas

- After a two day campaign at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship at the Gilliam Track & Field Stadium at Texas A&M the standout star was Galen Rupp, who stood at the center of Oregon’s 16th national championship.  The 22-year old Olympian swept the 3000m, 5000m and anchored the Distance Medley Relay to victory.

Over the last two laps of the 5,000m, Rupp unleashed a fierce kick to win in 13:41.45.  Less than two hours later, he anchored the DMR relay to a first place finish.

Tennessee senior Sarah Bowman picked up her first NCAA Indoor title and third national crown in dramatic fashion, out-leaning Texas Tech’s Sally Kipyego at the finish to win in 4:29.72. Bowman’s time, a personal best and school record, is the seventh fastest in the world this season and broke the NCAA meet record of 4:30.63 set in 1989 by Wisconsin’s Suzy Favor.

Bowman’s victory denied Kipyego a 10th career national title.

There is a first time for everything.  Tennessee’s Sarah Bowmen won her first NCAA Indoor title in a dramatic race, out-leaning Texas Tech Sally Kipyego at the finish to win in 4:29.82.  The time is a personal best and school record broke the NCAA meet record of 4:30.63 set by Wisconsin’s Suzy Favor in 1989.

A new star emerges at nearly every national meet. The year that billing goes to South Carolina’s LaKaya Brookings for entering the 60 meter with the slowest qualifying time of the field.  On Saturday she surprised nearly everyone when she won the NCAA title in 7.13 seconds.

Timing is everything and Hampton’s Francena McCorory was not the favorite coming into the race as a matter of fact she came into the meet relatively unknown despite having run some fast times this season already.  After winning the 400 meters in 51.55 seconds out the first heat the a number of the working media was not familiar with the Historical Black University located in Hampton, Virigina.  Now more people know Francena McCorory and Hampton University after her first NCAA title.

Michael Johnson is the last Baylor 200 meter NCAA title at Baylor.  That is until Trey Harts wrote his name in the record books won the 200 meters with a personal-best time of 20.63, recording the second-fastest time in Baylor history behind Michael Johnson’s 20.59 set at the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis in 1989.

Jacob Hernandez University of Texas won the men’s 800m in 1:48.04. Hernandez added the men’s 800-meter championship to the outdoor title he won last June at the distance.  Hernandez led most of the race and managed to hold off Oregon’s Andrew Wheating at the end. Wheating had a great kick at the end as he passed the field to finish second in 1:48.54.

You may not be in full practice but get used to saying the name Tiffany Ofili.  The University of Michigan senior defended her NCAA indoor title in the 60 meter hurdles Saturday and has the skills to run on professional level. Ofili clinched her fourth national title in the process.

Luckily for Ronnie Ash it’s not about how you start the race but how you finish the race. The year the Bethune-Cookmen sophomore was fourth or fifth going into the first hurdle.

Colorado’s Jenny Barringer led the women’s 3000m by a relatively large margin. She finished nearly 15 seconds in front of the field. In a post-race interview, she said her goal was to get a fast time. Barringer got her fast time and a new NCAA meet record of 8:42.03.

Tennesee’s Phoebe Wright (2:04.38) confidently took the lead in the women’s 800m after winning the DMR Friday. Despite a strong effort, she was passed by Lacey Cramer of BYU (2:04.27) at the finish line.

Oregon’s men blew the competition away with 54 points, and the Ducks were followed by Florida (36), Florida State (32), LSU (29) and Baylor (25).

The Aggies finished ninth with 23 points, while Texas followed in 10th with 22.5 points. The Red Raiders earned a 13th place finish with 18 points.

The Tennessee women won their second team title since 2005 with 42 points to 37 for host Texas A&M. The Aggies won the meet-ending 4×400 relay to make it close.

2009 NCAA Indoor Championships - Tennessee Distance Medley Relay

PreRaceJitters catches up with the Tennessee lineup of Phoebe Wright, Brittany Jones, Chanelle Price and Sarah Bowman ran the Distance Medley Relay (DMR) in 10:50.98 seconds to better the previous world and collegiate record of 10:54.34, set in 1988 by Villanova University.