The indoor track season is in full swing as the calendar flips to January. However, we saw some elite performances to open the season in December before the holidays. You might be missing out here.
Women’s performance
Axelina Johansson opened the record in the shot put
The women’s shot put indoor champion, Axelina Johansson of Nebraska, reminded us why she set the collegiate record with a throw of 19.72 meters in the season opener last year.
Johansson didn’t break the record with just one shot. His streak included three total throws at the college record distance, matching the previous record of 19.57 meters on the second throw and breaking the record with a throw of 19.66 meters on the third attempt. His throw of 19.72m was his 4th attempt.
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Jane Hedengren picks up where she left off
After bursting onto the NCAA scene during the cross country season, BYU freshman superstar Jane Haddengren opened her indoor track season with a college record. At the Sharon Collier-Danville season opener in Boston, Hedengren finished in 14:44.79, a new collegiate record.
Haddengren became the first collegiate athlete to break the 14:50 barrier, so her performance was the fastest over 25 laps. She is the second fastest American woman in the 5,000 meters.
And he’s only a freshman.
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BYU DMR runs all-time markers
It’s only December, but we’ve already seen the fastest DMR run at altitude. BYU posted a time of 10:41.85 at the December Invitational. Not only is this the fastest time ever for a high altitude run, but it’s also the 10th fastest DMR time on record.
Here is the tournament breakdown
- Riley Chamberlain, 3:15, 1200m
- Sami Oblad, 52, 400 m
- Tessa Buswell, 2:07, 800m
- Jane Hedengren, 4:27, 1600m
South Carolina may have found it far away
South Carolina has produced some impressive sprint talent in recent years and may now find a distance star capable of scoring championship points this season. Salma Elbadra’s time of 8:41.76 ranks fifth all-time in the 3,000 meters.
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Men’s performance
Habtom Samuel wins the inaugural 5K in Boston
Has this year’s men’s distance race already happened?
It might have been if the race was decided by 0.004 seconds. That’s how close the 5,000 meters were in Sharon Collier-Danville’s season opener.
Freshman track champion Habtom Samuel of New Mexico edged Villanova’s Marco Lango in 13:05.203.
Samuels was the 6th fastest of all time, while Langone climbed to 2nd in what was an all-time race in the record books. Virginia’s Gary Martin also finished third in the race, but his time of 13:05.57 is eighth fastest all-time.
Trey Bartholomew looks like a champion
Jump 7-foot-3 in December? Oklahoma’s Trey Bartholomew just did. The Sooner cleared 2.21 meters in the high jump at the OU Winter Field Fest Invitational on her second attempt.
That mark would have placed Bartholomew in the following NCAA Championships: second in 2025, third in 2024, second in 2023 and third in 2022.
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Carter Morton makes a statement at a joint event
As the indoor track and field season returns, so do the combined specialists. Northern Iowa’s Carter Morton opened the Jimmy Grant Invitational with a 6.054, a 4 percent mark. Morton set PRs in the shot put, high jump, 60-meter hurdles and 1,000 meters en route to scoring over 6,000 points. Specifically, the men’s champion won last year’s heptathlon with 6,013 points, and no athlete exceeded the 6,000-point threshold at the most important time.
Colin Salman is back in form
Northern Arizona’s Colin Salhman opened the season as No. 8 all-time in the 3,000 meters with a time of 7:36.71 in Boston. It’s great to see one of the sport’s veterans bounce back after a season on the sidelines.
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