Track & Field 2k21: Back on Track

The collegiate outdoor track and field season is officially here. We missed it last year due to a global pandemic but right now, it's back and we are happy to give you highlights from last week's action.

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Cassondra Hall holds NCAA's top 100 & 200-meter times

UNLV's Cassondra Hall was the star at the UNLV Spring Invitational & Sheila Tarr-Smith Multis, March 18-20. She won the 400-meter relay with Nami Wilson, Kaysha Love and Tianna Randle. They clocked in at 44.79, finishing well ahead of second place BYU's foursome (46.150) and nine other squads.

Hall also won the 100-meter dash at 11.27. Also in that race was BYU sophomore Jaslyn Gardner, who placed third at 11.46. For her third victory, Hall took first in the 200 meters. The senior finished at 23.08, ahead of Boise State freshman Anita Taviore (23.32) in a field of 38 sprinters.

Vols freshman Watson wins first 400-meter hurdles at Auburn

Tennessee freshman Vanessa Watson got her first open collegiate win at the Auburn Tiger Track Classic last weekend. She won the 400-meter hurdles at 57.88, finishing ahead of Clemson junior Nicolee Foster's time of 59.00 and her Tennessee teammate Britton Wilson's time of 59.04. As of now, Watson is the only athlete in the NCAA that has finished the 400-meter hurdles under 58 seconds.

Below: Vanessa Watson

Watson had a successful indoor season. She was the member of the Vols 1,600-meter relay squad that qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Longmire and Steels place one & two in TCU Invite Long Jump

Above: Destiny Longmire

TCU's Destiny Longmire won the long jump at the TCU Invitational on March 20. She recorded the winning jump at 6.59. It is currently the best mark of the season in the NCAA. Longmire's win is her first in the long jump since April 6, when she won the Jim Click Shootout with a jump of 6.39. Longmire was the Big 12 indoor champion in the long jump in 2019 as well. In 2020 she was the runner-up.

Below: Jasmyn Steels

At the TCU Invitational, she finished ahead of Jasmyn Steels, a senior from Northwestern State, who jumped 6.45, which is currently second in the NCAA. Steels was the long jump runner-up finisher at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2019.

Salmon leads famed North Carolina A&T hurdles trio

Above: Paula Salmon, Ty'Jerica Robinson and Madeleine Akobundu back in 2019 at the MEAC Championships.

In 2019 and 2020, North Carolina A&T's Madeleine Akobundu, Ty'Jerica Robinson and Paula Salmon were among the best hurdlers in the NCAA. Robinson won the 2020 MEAC indoor 60-meter hurdles title. Akobundu was the MEAC outdoor 100-meter hurdles in 2019 and competed in the NCAA Championships during the indoor and outdoor seasons. Last season Salmon was tied with Akobundu with the 10th best time in the NCAA as the two were about to compete in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA indoor meet, before the COVID-19 pandemic caused the meet to be cancelled.

Akobundu and Robinson were out of eligibility during indoor season but are back to compete in the outdoor season that was taken away from them during 2020, due to the pandemic. All three hurdlers competed in the 100-meter hurdles at the Bill Webb Multi/Bob Davidson Invite, March 19.

Salmon took first place, crossing the finish line at 13.29, which is the time of her career. Robinson placed second at 13.39, while Akobundu was third at 13.52. Another North Carolina A&T hurdler Breannae Bygrave finished fourth at 13.58. The Aggies were the only four out of 17 runners to finish the race under 14.22.