Adams State Duo Gracie Hyde, Miguel Coca Sweep Miles At Ken Shannon Last Chance Invitational

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

Ken Martinez Photos

VIDEOS 

Nia Akins of the Brooks Beasts closed out her indoor campaign by running the fastest 800 meters indoors ever by a U.S. woman.

Coming off a third-place finish at the USATF Indoor Championships, Akins blasted through Saturday's race at the Ken Shannon Last Chance Invitational in 1:58.27 at Dempsey Indoor. 

That's faster than Ajee Wilson's American record 1:58.29. Akins' time won't be recognized as a U.S. record because it was run on an oversized track. 

Akins was able to run away from Stanford’s Juliette Whittaker (2:00.09) and Union Athletics’ McKenna Keegan (2:00.34).

Gracie Hyde has not only been rewriting the NCAA Division 2 indoor record books, but she’s also been setting the new standard for the years to come.

With the women’s 3,000-meter indoor best already in her hands at 8 minutes, 58.33 seconds from the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Feb. 10, the Adams State standout entered Saturday’s mile competition intent on taking down another Division 2 best.

As dramatic as it could get, Hyde needed every ounce of energy o eclipse the Division 2 all-time mark.

In come from behind fashion, Hyde ran down Oregon’s Maddy Elmore and Rebecca Mehra of Oiselle over the final 60 meters to win the women’s mile in 4:30.90, taking down Indianapolis’ Berenice Cleyet-Merle’s time of 4:31.99 from 2022. 

Hyde’s time would sit right outside the NCAA Division 1 top 16 list at No. 17, being the first person eliminated from contention at the national championships set to take place in Boston at the Track at New Balance on March 8-9.

Elmore, looking to crack that top 16 in the mile, finished a couple of tenths short with a second-place run of 4:31.41. Portland’s Laura Pellicoro finished third in 4:31.65, also missing the cut.

Minutes following the women’s mile, Miguel Coca, also from Adams State, took a shot at the Division 2 men’s mile best but fell a couple of tenths short of Christian Noble’s time of 3:56.10, running 3:56.38 to complete the mile sweep for the Grizzlies.

Coca, who also ran a Division 2 all-time best 7:44.90 in the 3,000 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, led seven other men under four minutes in the mile: Cal Poly’s Davis Bove (3:58), California’s Garrett MacQuiddy (3:58.82), Stanford’s Cole Sprout (3:58.87) and Thomas Boyden (3:59.47), Washington’s Leo Daschbach (3:59.04) and Evan Jenkins (3:59.54) and Cameron Proceviat (3:59.47).

Washington’s Wilma Nielsen lowered her indoor personal-best time 2:02.26 to place fourth, with teammate Marlena Preigh running 2:03.34 for sixth. UCLA’s Kate Jendrezak earned fifth in 2:02.64.

USC’s Nathan Cumberbatch fended off UCLA’s Angus Harrington in the final 60 meters to win the men’s 800 by a margin of 1:48.33 to 1:48.66.

Colorado’s Abbey Glynn, who broke the Buffaloes' school record in the 400 in 51.77 at the Jarvis Scott Open on Feb. 10 in Lubbock, Texas, used a late surge to pass by USC’s Madison Whyte and Jan’Taijah Jones in the final section of the women’s 400 to win in 52.03.

Stanford’s Will Floyd won the men’s 400 in 46.47 despite being in the second-fastest section.

USC’s men’s 4x400 relay team took down its own facility record time of 3:05.01 that was ran at last year’s Ken Shannon Invite, with Johnnie Blockburger, Ashton Allen, Jake Andrews and Williams Jones clocking 3:04.95.

Oregon’s women’s 4x400 relay team of Shana Grebo, Ella Clayton, Katriina Wright and Shaniya Hall ran a season-best 3:30.25 for the win.

Maya McCabe, Jasneet Nijjar, Elena Willems and Zenah Cheptoo of Washington State led the Cougars’ women’s distance medley relay team to victory in 11:18.57.

Western Washington’s men’s distance medley team, featuring Sam Lingwall, Brian Le, Jonah Bloom and Kevin McDermott, outlasted GNAC rival Western Oregon by less than two seconds with a time of 9:46.78 to win.

In field action, Arizona State’s Brandon Lloyd threw 62 feet, 1 inch (18.92m) in the fifth round of the men’s shot put to beat California All-American Jeffery Duensing Jr.

Oregon’s Jaida Ross, ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division 1 in shot put, won the women’s competition and extended her meet record mark by almost five feet to 60-4 (18.39m).

Oregon’s Ryann Porter won by almost a foot in the women’s triple jump with a mark of 42-8.25 (13.01m).

Washington’s Kunle Akinlosotu bested Stanford’s Kevin Yang by three-quarters of an inch to win the men’s triple jump competition in 50-10 (15.49m).

USC’s Elia Gerald cleared 7-0.50 (2.15m) to win the men’s high jump. 

Colorado’s Allie Routledge and Avery McMullen went 1-2, respectively, in the women’s high jump, with Routledge clearing 5-10.5 (1.79m) and McMullen jumping 5-7.25 (1.71m).

Day two of the men’s heptathlon concluded with Oregon’s Rafael Raap scoring a point total of 5,757 to lead all competitors, with wins coming in the 60 (6.97), long jump (24-3.75) and shot put (48-5.50) from day one.