Jesse Squire | On 07, Jun 2013

Jordan Hasay runs her final collegiate race tonight in front of a home crowd.

The NCAA Championships is halfway over but the best half is still left. Today’s action will have finals in many running events plus several field events–including the most highly anticipated showdown of the year, the men’s high jump, featuring Olympic medalists Erik Kynard and Derek Drouin. The men’s 100 meters should be a great race, too.

There will be two ways to watch today’s action. From 12:30pm local time (3:30pm ET), Pac-12.com will have a live webcast with five feeds to choose from. At 4:30pm local time (7:30pm ET), coverage will switch to television on ESPNU.

The live results site is awesome and you should have a window open following that.

For all the other stats and info you could ever want, go to the USTFCCCA’s National Championships Central and the Track and Field News homepage.

Team update

On the women’s side of things, the big news yesterday was an injury to English Gardner, Oregon’s star sprinter. She indicates that she’s going to attempt the 100 meter finals today but obviously at less than full strength. Since she’s also on both of Oregon’s relays on Saturday, and the fight for the championship was going to be tight anyway, if she can’t run then the Kansas Jayhawks are in the driver’s seat. They’re probably in control anyway, but it really hinges on what Gardner can do.

Also watch the pole vault, where Kansas is hoping for big points. If that doesn’t happen, then the door is open.

In the men’s competition, Arkansas took a big hit yesterday when two of the Razorbacks’ three long jumpers had fouling problems and did not score. It looks to be a three-way fight between Texas A&M, Arkansas and Florida, but things are very much still up in the air. Here is a summary of the leading teams:

Team	On the board	Projected	Maximum
Texas A&M	0	59	100
Arkansas	14	50	112
Florida	6	49	72
Oregon	8	41	58
USC	8	41	58

Heptathlon day 2

Begins at 12:30pm local time (3:30pm ET) and runs all day
Live results

The pre-meet favorite was Makeba Alcide (Arkansas), who is leading, but Keia Pinnick (Arizona State) could make a run at her with a great second day. Pinnick is a good half-miler by heptathlete standards and a good long jumper by any standards. The battle for third and fourth is probably between Erica Bougard (Mississippi State) and Lindsay Vollmer (Kansas), with the latter’s points figuring into the team battle.

Women’s Pole Vault

3:15pm local time (6:15pm ET)
Live results

Favorite: None. This is up for grabs.

Challengers: Morgann LeLeux (Georgia), Bethany Buell (South Dakota), Natalia Bartnovskaya (Kansas), Martina Schultze (Virginia Tech), Jade Riebold (Eastern Illinois). LeLeux was runner-up indoors and out in 2012 but has been hampered by an eye injury. Buell has the best height of the outdoor season but didn’t win the Summit League. Bartnovskaya is the reigning NCAA indoor champion but also didn’t win her conference meet. ACC champ Shultze was third indoors, and OVC champ Riebold was runner-up indoors.

Scoring opportunities: Kansas (Bartnovskaya, Christen Guenther). The Jayhawks could score enough points here to take a commanding lead in the team competition, but they could also walk away with little and open the door for Oregon or Texas A&M.

Men’s High Jump

3:20pm local time (6:20pm ET)
Live results

Favorites: Erik Kynard (Kansas State), Derek Drouin (Indiana). These two won Olympic silver and bronze last year and are even better this year. Hands-down, it’s the event to watch.

Challengers: None. It took a 7′ 10½” clearance to beat these guys at the Pre Classic last week. Nobody is going to top either one of them, let alone both.

Long shot: See above.

Scoring opportunities: Arkansas (Anthony May, Dwayne Golbek). Neither is expected to score but May is capable of it.

Women’s Triple Jump

3:25pm local time (6:25pm ET)
Live results

Favorites: Andrea Guebelle (Kansas), Shanieka Thomas (San Diego State). They took first and second at the NCAA indoor championships and both have gone over 14 meters, rare territory for collegians.

Challenger: Ciarra Brewer (Florida). The SEC champ has been consistently better than everyone except the two above.

Long shot: Tori Franklin (Michigan State). Franklin was third at the NCAA indoor championships as a freshman in 2012.

Scoring opportunities: Kansas (Guebelle).

Men’s Discus

4:00pm local time (7:00pm ET)
Live results

Favorite: Julian Wruck (UCLA). The Aussie has been untouchable and broke the collegiate record last week (and nearly broke the Australian record). He is the prohibitive favorite.

Challengers: Chad Wright (Nebraska), James Plummer (Rutgers). These two will fight for second, as no one is beating Wruck.

Long shot: Ryan Crouser (Texas). The shot put champion is an Oregon native and local hero.

Scoring opportunities: Texas A&M (Dalton Rowan). Big points here would give the Aggies a huge boost.

Women’s 400m Hurdles

4:30pm local time (7:30pm ET)
Live results

Favorites: Kori Carter (Stanford), Georganne Moline (Arizona). Moline was fifth in the Olympics and is running better than last year at this time but hasn’t been able to beat Carter. The two are third and fourth on the world list right now.

Challengers: Turquoise Thompson (UCLA). The 2012 runner-up is also running better than last year.

Long shot: Sparkle McKnight (Arkansas). The JC transfer won the SEC title.

Scoring opportunities: None for the leading teams.

Men’s 400m Hurdles

4:40pm local time (7:40pm ET)
Live results

Favorite: Reggie Wyatt (USC). The top returner from last year is running smooth.

Challenger: Michael Stigler (Kansas). Sixth last year, Stigler is undefeated against collegians this year.

Long shot: Miles Ukaoma (Nebraska). Ukaoma was disqualified in the heats of the Big Ten Championships but has improved in every race since then.

Scoring opportunities: Arkansas (Caleb Cross). Cross is a “glue guy” for Arkansas, doing whatever needs to be done.

Women’s 100 meters

5:00pm local time (8:00pm ET)
Live results

Favorite: Kimberlyn Duncan (LSU). Duncan assumes the favorite role now that defending champion English Gardner is less than 100%.

Challenger: Octavious Freeman (UCF), Aurieyall Scott (UCF). Semis of 10.99 and 11.00, albeit wind-aided, mean the teammates must be taken seriously as threats to win.

Long shot: English Gardner (Oregon). Her injured right ankle is a big question mark.

Scoring opportunities: Oregon (Garnder, Jenna Prandini). Freshman Prandini is coming through in the biggest meets.

Men’s 100 meters

5:10pm local time (8:10pm ET)
Live results

Favorites: Isiah Young (Ole Miss), Diondre Batson (Alabama). They went 1-2 at the SEC Championships and have been consistently at the top.

Challengers: Charles Silmon (TCU), Dentarius Locke (Florida State). Both went sub-10.00 in wind-aided semifinals.

Long shot: Aaron Brown (USC). The Canadian missed last year’s Olympic 200 meter final by one place.

Scoring opportunities: Texas A&M (Ameer Webb). The Aggies will get points here, the question is simply how many.

Women’s 800 meters

5:20pm local time (8:20pm ET)
Live splits

Favorite: Natoya Goule (LSU). The junior set about every JC record there is in the 800 meters at South Plains College and picked right up in the NCAA by winning the national indoor title.

Challengers: Laura Roesler (Oregon), Charlene Lipsey (LSU). They were second and third at the NCAA indoor championships behind Goule.

Long shot: Samantha Murphy (Illinois). The Big Ten champ has made huge improvements this year and finished fourth at the NCAA indoor championships.

Scoring opportunities: Oregon (Roesler). If the Ducks are going to stay in it, Roesler has to come through.

Men’s 800 meters

5:30pm local time (8:30pm ET)
Live splits

Favorite: Elijah Greer (Oregon). The reigning NCAA indoor champion did not run a smart semifinal and was lucky to make it through.

Challengers: Cas Loxsom (Penn State), Declan Murray (Loyola-Chicago). Loxsom is the well-known name but Murray is just as dangerous a runner.

Long shot: Harun Abda (Minnesota). He beat Loxsom at the Big Ten Championships.

Scoring opportunities: Oregon (Greer), Arkansas (Leoman Momoh). The 800 is always an unpredictable event.

Men’s Steeplechase

5:40pm local time (8:40pm ET)
Live splits

Favorite: Henry Lelei (Texas A&M). Lelei has been dominant this season, and was running second last year before falling on the final barrier.

Challengers: Anthony Rotich (UTEP). Rotich beat Lelei at last fall’s NCAA cross country championships.

Long shot: Aric VanHalen (Colorado). I’ll take any chance I can get to mention his name, but he’s a very good runner too.

Scoring opportunities: Texas A&M (Lelei), Arkansas (Stanley Kebenei). Kebenei is expected to score and well.

Women’s 400 meters

6:05pm local time (9:05pm ET)
Live results

Favorite: Shaunae Miller (Georgia). The freshman won the NCAA indoor but came up hurt at the SEC Championships. She looks OK now, though.

Challengers: Ashley Spencer (Illinois), Regina George (Arkansas). Spencer won the World Juniors last year and George ran in the Olympics for Nigeria.

Long shot: Phyllis Francis (Oregon). She’s been getting better and better as the months have gone by.

Scoring opportunities: Oregon (Francis).

Men’s 400 meters

6:05pm local time (9:05pm ET)
Live results

Favorite: Bryshon Nellum (USC). The Olympian who spent years recovering from career-threatening gunshot wounds runs like a man among boys.

Challenger: Deon Lendore (Texas A&M). The SEC champion has run 45.00, second-fastest of the year behind Nellum.

Long shot: David Verburg (George Mason). A smart and tough racer, he finished fourth last year.

Scoring opportunities: Texas A&M (Lendore), Florida (Arman Hall, Hugh Graham Jr), Arkansas (Akheem Gauntlett).

Women’s 5000 meters

6:15pm local time (9:15pm ET)
Live splits

Favorite: Abbey D’Agostino (Dartmouth). The double indoor champion at 3000 and 5000 meters looks about unstoppable.

Challengers: Betsy Saina (Iowa State), Aliphine Tuliamuk-Bolton (Wichita State), Jordan Hasay (Oregon). Saina and Tuliamuk-Bolton were the class of the 10k on Wednesday, but they may have used up a bit of gas. Hasay will have about 10,000 people screaming for her in her final collegiate race.

Long shot: Chelsea Oswald (Kentucky). She won a 5k/10k double at the SEC Championships.

Scoring opportunities: Oregon (Hasay).