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Texas A&M gets an historic victory, in both women and men categories, for the third year in a row, at the 2011 NCAA Track & Field outdoor championship, held in Des Moines, Iowa
Photo: Mike Scott
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I guess this article arrives more than two months late and some of the fellows I am going to talk about have already graduated and come back home with a nice diploma under their arms. However, I missed the NCAA Track and Field championships and it took time somebody was so great to upload the races videos on the Internet. You know I am not living in the USA and that means I am not allowed to watch Universal Sports or whatever channel offers the competitions in America Boston Eastern Asia but, on the other hand, I am not allowed to access the cheapest and best athletics broadcasting: This is called PIRACY!!!
Well done! I will try to explain briefly why NCAA track and field championships are so important for a foreigner. I like watching the exploits of Bolt, Isinbayeva or Bekele, though, I am also curious about the progress of the new generations of the sport. The USA
| Jessica Beard overcomes Kai Selvon of Auburn to clinch the 2011 NCAA overall title for Texax A&M Phto: Christopher Gannon/ The Register http://www.hawkeyes-football.com |
The NCAA championship is firstly a contest, where athletes from all over the country compete to prove their university is the best in the United States Japan Des Moines , Iowa
Tabarie Henry, an experienced senior from US Virgin islands, who had participated in Beijing and finished just out of the medals at Berlin Worlds, disappointed everybody after being unable of qualifying for the final at the single 400 metres in Des Moines. He made up for this failure, anchoring Texas A&M to victory in the race and thus in the overall competition, along with teammates Bryan Miller, Demetrius Pinder and Michael Preble. It was not without a thriller. Texas needed maximum points to overcome leaders Florida State University Mississippi State 12 in the male 4x400.
In the women’s the Aggies where tied with the Oregon Ducks, prior to the last race. All the responsibility went to Jessica Beard's shoulders. (1) (2) Beard is used to silver in individual races. She had finished runner-up at the 2008 World Junior Championship and then in successive editions of the NCAA indoors and out, behind rivals like Joanna Atkins or Francena McCorory. Yet, she proved decisive in the last two Aggies team victories, contributing with valuable points and helping win the relay. Eventually she could break her bad luck as a soloist in 2011, her last University year, winning first the NCAA indoor in College Station, Texas, with an impressive 50.79, which topped the world seasonal lists, then outdoors in Des Moines, ahead Atkins and new wonder Diamond Dixon.
Jeneba Tarmoh led the crucial relay race, passing on the baton to Blessing Mayungbe and this one to Jamaican hurdler Andrea Sutherland. Jessica received in third position, behind Auburn University , which had an advantage of more than 20 metres , and Oregon Texas anchor caught first Duck freshman Laura Roesler, then leader Kai Selvon, a new Trinidad and Tobago 200 metres . Selvon tried to hold Beard but it was in vain. Jessica romped home to win the third title in a row for Texas A&M. It does not mean her rivals were weak: Auburn freshman Selvon ran 50.67 for her leg and Roesler 51.45, but Jessica Beard was just sensational, achieving 49.14, the best split ever in a NCAA relay race. This feat is going to give her a huge boost of confidence for Daegu, in her second world championship. Beard is also finalist, along with Kimberlyn Duncan and Tina Sutej for the prestigious Bowerman award, a distinction for the best NCAA athlete of the year. Among the men, Ngoni Makusha, Jeshua Anderson and Christian Taylor are the candidates.
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| Ngoni Makusha breaks the NCAA 100m record in Des Moines http://blogs.diariovasco.com/airelibre/ |
Ngonidzashe Makusha (3) (4) (5) was arguably the man of the meeting in Des Moines, after being the only athlete in winning three gold medals. The Zimbabwean ace from the Florida State Seminoles had his breakthrough campaign in 2008, when he crowned himself NCAA champion in his freshman year and later in the summer narrowly missed the bronze medal at Beijing Olympic Games. He went on the following year, for a second Collegian title but his progression was cut by a severe injury, which sidelined him for most of 2010. Now he is back in astounding form in his classic event and has also had a stunning success in his first serious season running the 100 metres . In his first competition in the distance in four years, he surprised everybody, breaking the 10 seconds barrier (9.97). Two months afterwards in De Moines, after beating a solid field with a huge 8.40 in the long jump, which ranks him second in the seasonal lists, he amazed the world again winning also the 100 metres in 9.89, improving Ato Boldon’s collegiate record in the process. The third gold medal came in the short relay, but there were 200 metres champion Maurice Mitchell and especially anchor Brandon Byram, who had to make up for a more than sluggish exchange between Cayman Islands Kemar Hyman and Makusha.
Thus Ngoni became only the fourth man in striking back to back titles in 100 metres and long jump in a same championship in 80 years of NCAA history, putting his name alongside icons like Jesse Owens, DeHart Hubbard and Carl Lewis. Among the women, another athlete of African origin, competing for Texas-El Paso, Blessing Okagbare achieved the feat as recently as last year. For the Seminoles, Walter Dix had won for the last time the 100 metres title in 2007. They have not had to wait too much for Coach Ken Hardnen to shape another world beater. Makusha has already been compared to Olympic champion Donovan Bailey and the same Lewis, because he is not fast out of the blocks but is able of maintaining an irresistible acceleration until the finish line, like the four times long jump Olympic champion. Now with 6 NCAA titles in his pocket, Ngoni has decided to leave “the kindergarten” and become a professional to prepare himself the better for more demanding challenges, which requires his growing status as athlete. Yet he is grateful to his University and do not plan to move from Tallahassee Louisiana State 100 metres he has plenty of room to improve and will be a fearsome dark horse for Daegu and the Olympics.
Zambian Gerald Phiri is another African consummate sprinter based in America US 200 metres final in Des Moines and bronze at the 100 metres , besides achieving brand new PBs this season (10.00 and 20.19). In the national trials he was really close to book a ticket for Daegu, finishing a creditable fourth in the contest. Jeff Demps, the 100 metres NCAA defending champion and once an unofficial world junior record holder, did not advance unbelievably to the final this year but was the only collegian in making it for the national championships. Talented Rakieem “Mookie” Salaam also has had an erratic year of up and downs, being his best achievement the 200 metres indoor title he won for Oklahoma and his biggest deception the 6th place in the same contest outdoors, being the prohibitive favourite. Other US sprinters as Horatio Williams, Brandon Byram and Tran Howell performed well in De Moines but did not reach the final in the national trials, held in Eugene Kentucky 200 metres silver medallist this year at the NCAA and a world junior champion back in 2006, who besides has set no less than 11 national records for his country Estonia during the season.
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| Kimberlyn Duncan holds the challenge of Jeneba Tarmoh to grab her first NCAA outdoor title http://rapidas.webcindario.com/ncaa.htm |
During the last seven years Allyson Felix and Veronica Campbell-Brown have dominated overwhelmingly the 200 metres dash event. The American won the gold medal at the last three world championships and the Jamaican at the last two Olympics, being the other athlete runner-up in most of the occasions. Both are still a guarantee for their teams and keep the role of favourites for Daegu. Notwithstanding other sprinters are this season in the mix and, maybe for the first time since these two track stars coming-of-age, their crown is in danger. Carmelita Jeter is giving a go to the distance and she is being as astounding as she is in the shorter sprint event, and Bianca Knight is being as consistent all over the year. Both have already beaten Allyson once at her favoured distance at the Diamond League this summer. Meanwhile, Shalonda Solomon won the national trials in an impressive 22.15. At the college, there are also some talented challengers. There are at least two women who are good enough to aim for next year Olympic medals: Kimberlyn Duncan and Jeneba Tarmoh.
Kimberlyn (6) (7) has been the most amazing revelation of this 2011 year. Nothing special in her high school years, this native of Texas Duncan
Kimberlyn Duncan was the dominant force of the winter season, running the 200 metres at the SEC final in 22.78, the fastest time in the world indoors since the 22.40 World Junior best set by Bianca Knight in 2008, and then striking the NCAA title. In the summer she continued in the same impressive style, recording three under 22.30 timings, the not windy-aided one (22.24), being her clocking for the gold medal at the NCAA championships outdoors. Kimberlyn thus became only the sixth woman in winning back-to-back titles in the event both indoors and out and the first Lady Tiger since Dawn Sowell achieved it in 1989. Only Sowell and Carol Rodríguez are now ahead of her in the all-time collegiate lists and she still has two University years left. Jeneba Tarmoh, the world junior champion in the 100 metres in 2008, made up for not qualifying for the final in that event, challenging fiercely Duncan in the homestretch, and finishing runner-up again, like last year, but more than a half a second faster (22.34) than in that occasion, when she and Porscha Lucas achieved a remarkable 1-2 for Texas A&M. Tiffany Townshend of Baylor won the bronze in 22.58, followed by Candyce McGrone, Aareon Payne, Semoy Hackett and Nivea Smith, all of them under 23 seconds. Eighteen year old Jessica Davis closed a final, which globally obtained the best results of the championships in a single event, along with the male 800 metres and long jump.
Kimberlyn Duncan had again the better of Tarmoh in the 4x100 relay, cutting up the long winning streak of the almost invincible Texan Aggies. Freshman Ashley Collier had replaced graduated Lucas, to join Tarmoh, Gabby Mayo and Dominique Duncan, with success, as the team won again at the Penn Relays. Yet in Des Moines , Louisiana 200 metres finalist Semoy Hackett, 100 metres finalist Kenyanna Wilson, Rebecca Alexander and Kimberlyn Duncan, who just ate up rival anchor Ashley Collier in the homestretch. Jeneba had some consolation contributing to the Aggies final victory in the last event, the 4x400. However she would rise back strongly in the nationals, placing third and thus qualifying for Daegu, while Duncan
The talented Lady Tiger was tantalisingly close to matching Ngoni Makusha with a third gold medal, at the 100 metres , but she was beaten by another amazing newcomer to the elite, Oklahoma Oregon 60 metres indoor season, winning the NCAA title and topping the world lists, LaKya Brookins. She has the best outburst but it seems the last 40 metres are too long for her. In spite of this, she was one of the three collegians in the American trials final for Daegu, along with Candyce McGrone and Jessica Young. On the other hand, Aurieyall Scott won the national junior championship in an outstanding 10.12. World junior medallists in Moncton Takeia Pinckney and Stormy Kendrick, the woman who beat British prodigee Jodie Williams in the 200 metres , were missed this season.
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| Kirani James in fierce battle against Gil Roberts at the 2011 NCAA champs Photo: University of Alabama http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/06/tides_kirani_james_repeats_as.html |
Traditionally, foreign guest students live in the
There are bets about which Universities are going to catch the new Caribbean wonders Antonique Strachan, Shaunae Miller or Michelle Lee Ahyee. Yet quite a lot area powerhouse'American College
Not many standout speedsters, among the Caribbean men are present these days in the American College : some hurdlers as Jamaican Andrew Riley (Illinois 400 metres specialist is arguably the most talented Caribbean athlete right now in the NCAA track and field: Kirani James.
America just said goodbye to the awesome frères Borlée but their place in the NCAA stardom in the event has been quickly covered for a man from the small island of Grenada, who has already been labelled, because of his stunning qualities as an athlete and his precocity, as the new Usain Bolt. He is also known as the new Michael Johnson. Kirani James had already run the 400 metres distance in 45.24, being sixteen, in 2009 in Bressanone, where he completed a sensational 200/400 double World Youth title. Yet by then, Kirani was already a veteran. Inspired by World indoor champion Alleyne Francicque, he entered athletics and realised it was possible, despite coming from a country of just 104.000 people, to compete against such athletic powerhouses as Jamaica or the Bahamas Caribbean athletes at the prestigious Carifta Games, which he won for the first time in 2007. The same year he would grab the silver medal at Ostrava World Youths, clocking 45.70, the best time ever run by a 15-year-old; and the following year the same colour of medal in Bydgoszcz
In 2010, the Grenadian prodigy was recruited by Alabama University , to be coached by Harvey Glance and he has astonished everybody in America 400 metres final someone was able to beat him, climbing to the top of the podium outdoors. He also won the world junior title in Moncton
Five other athletes from University have also run under 45.30 this year: Joey Hughes, Josh Mance, Errol Nolan, Bryan Miller and Rondell Bartholomew of South Plains, who stands second in the yearly lists with 44.65, behind his compatriot Kirani James, in an amazing result for their country. The third in the ranking is another collegian: NCAA runner-up Tony McQuay, a sophomore from Alabama Gators, who went up to upset in the national championships a weak Jeremy Wariner, clocking 44.68. The Athens United States
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| Jeshua Anderson on the way to win his third 400m hurdles collegiate title http://paulmerca.blogspot.com.es/2011/06/jeshua-anderson-ends-washington-state.html |
Washington State 400 metre hurdler Jeshua Anderson is one of the five NCAA champions this year, who have achieved the goal of winning the overall US 400 metres and long jump events, among the collegians, but went on to beat the seniors in Eugene. Eight other members of the US Universities booked a ticket for Daegu in the trials: Charles Jock in the 800 metres , Eric Kynard in the high jump, Will Claye in long and triple jump, among the men; and Jeneba Tarmoh, in the 200 metres , Jessica Beard in the 400 metres , Stephanie Garcia in the steeplechase, Jasmine Chaney in the 400 hurdles and Jeneva McCall in the hammer throw, among the women. It makes a remarkable figure of a total of 15 collegians qualified for the world champions, not speaking about the several other students from abroad, who will go with their respective national teams.
Jeshua Anderson (10) (11) (12) owns also the merit, like Ngoni Makusha of having won three NCAA outdoor titles in 2008, 2009 and 2011. In 2010 the triumph went to archrival Johnny Dutch. The two hurdling aces have faced each other in most of the big contests they have been in. Anderson beat runner-up Dutch for the first NCAA title in 2008 and later in the season they repeat the same order at the World Junior championship, held in Bydgoszcz Berlin Anderson but turned pro and did not defend, so it was easy task for the Washington Stanford University Anderson London
In the 110 meter hurdles there is not a quite solid athlete as Jeshua Anderson but the standards are always high in the USA Illinois University
In the women field, Nia Ali, a woman who had to overcome a family tragedy, has privileged the hurdles in her senior year in Southern California University, giving up the heptathlon for the moment, proving especially skilful in the event. An accident ruined her chances in the NCAA indoor final but in the outdoor contest she won overwhelmingly her first title in a slightly wind-aided 12.63 and then achieved a respectable fifth place at the national trials for Daegu. Ali is the American hurdler of the future and to qualify for major championships is just a question of time. A couple of steps behind, Christina Manning, Jackie Coward, Jasmin Stowers, Letecia Wright and collegian indoor champion Brianna Rollins, all made the top-50 in the world yearly lists. Not as good in its standards, the intermediate hurdles were won by a whisker by Miami Arizona State
American Track and Field enthusiasts have reasons to feel optimistic about their future in the 800 metres . We had not seen such exciting a race in the NCAA in many years. Long distance runners as Rupp, Solinski or Hall awoke the long slept national pride and now milers and half milers feel also ready to challenge the world, including the powerful Kenyans. A whole generation of outstanding athletes is meeting the College amateur tracks in this moment and they would not make us wait for too much before they also come to stardom in the international scene. Andrew Wheating was the first member of this generation in raising the audience eyebrows, when he qualified for the Olympic Games 1500 metres as a 20-year-old Oregon Northern Iowa ’s Dorian Ulrey in the NCAA final and the likes of Lagat, Manzano, Wheating, Lomong and also Ulrey, in the national trials, qualifying for Daegu. A pity German Fernandez, the young man who had raised so many expectations in high school and his freshman University
The 800 metres are also in a high in the United States Kenya
Two charismatic men were the standouts of the race. Jock (13) (14) and Andrews (15) (16) have the talent and they also have a strong confidence in their possibilities. The UC Irvine junior believes he can destroy the pack with a killer front running and the Virginia 600 metres , with the East African-born keeping on, Andrews was last, more than one second behind. The race seemed lost for him but he still unleashed a powerful final change of speed, starting to overcome rivals and eventually catching Jock in the finish line to romp home in 1:44.71, just one hundredth of a second short of mark Everett’s meeting record. Greer and Loxsom followed. All four of them set big PBs. It was the second NCAA victory for Andrews, after the one he had achieved in his freshman year, beating big favourite Andrew Wheating indoors. These two big hopes of American track and field, who have already been compared (17), because of their tactics and awesome performances to Johnny Gray (Jock) and Olympic champion Dave Wottle (Andrews) went with the biggest ambitions to the national trials. Jock did not mind he was against a professional field and tried again a gun to tape victory. Only two men, Olympians Nick Symmonds and Khadevis Robinson could overcome him in the end, so the main target was achieved, with another outstanding PB (1:44.67). Andrews felt short this time and so did Loxsom and Greer, but future is on their side.
In the other distance races in Des Moines Matt Hughes, a Canadian competing for Louisville University 3000 meter steeplechase, booking also his ticket for Daegu. In the 5000 and 10.000 outings, once men like Galen Rupp or Chris Solinski graduated, there is not another US Liberty ), Leonard Korir (Iona), Stephen Sambu and Lawi Lalang (both from Arizona 10.000 metres , while Chelanga did it in the 5000, in his last year in University. It was his second NCAA victory, after the one he achieved last year at the longer distance.
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| Jordan Hasay and Sheila Reid after their clash at the 2011 NCAA indoor mile Photo: Dave Einsel/ NCAA.com http://bleacherreport.com/ |
There is not quite the same excitement in the female 800 metres . Past champions Geena Gall, Latavia Thomas, Phoebe Wright, all have joined the professional fields. Anne Kesselring, an Oregon sophomore coming from Germany 3000 meter steeplechase, standards have also lowered dramatically since Jenny Barringer-Simpson and Anna Willard-Pierce graduated and then abandoned the distance, to try other events like the 1500 metres . From Barringer’s home during her school years, the University of Colorado Virginia 10.000 metres at last national trials in Nairobi
The most interesting news right now in American female distance running are about teen prodigy Jordan Hasay (18) (19) (20) recruitment by Oregon University, her first steps on the NCAA track and her duels against Canadian Sheila Reid (21) (22) (23) from Villanova. Hasay, born in Arroyo Grande in 1991, was 1500 metres World Youth runner-up in 2007 and then missed narrowly the medals in two straight World Junior championships. Yet, what is probably more remembered about her precocious athletic career is the way she qualified for the 1500 metres Beijing Olympic trials final in Eugene setting a new high school national record Oregon
Just on the other side of the United States Villanova University Indiana 500 metres to go but Sheila Reid and Georgetown 1600 meter leg. Reid won for the second time, nipping Hasay at the line. Jordan 3000 metres but did not need to race again. Yet she had to talk a word or two to her friend Sheila Reid. New-Kim-Smith Lucy Van Dalen eliminated everybody, except Oregon
There were high expectations to see the two middle distance stars facing each other again for the NCAA outdoor championships in Des Moines. Hasay won the 1500 and 5000 metres at the Pacific 10 and so did Reid at the Big East. Both would try the double. Unfortunately, there was no match, because Hasay, who had tried valiantly to break away in the last laps, faded badly in both races, finishing fourth in the 5000 and eight in the 1500. In the post race interviews she did not know she had raced too much or not had peaked properly. Anyway, next year she has decided she will not do again all three Cross Country, indoor track and outdoor track, in order to be in the best possible form in the time of the Olympic trials. Hasay blamed herself for her failure, which cost the team the title. However it is fair to say Oregon won the indoor contest just three months before just because of Jordan 100 metres and the 4x100 relay not making the final. Also Jeff Demps was made responsible in the NCAA indoor champions Florida Gators defeat, but even the same Christian Taylor, who won brilliantly in the triple jump event, only finished 10th in the long jump.
Sheila Reid, only pushed by Emily Infeld and New Zealander Lucy Van Dalen, achieved an extraordinary unprecedented double at the 1500 and 5000 metres , becoming the first woman in NCAA history in doing so. She also won the national 1500 m title, ahead of Hillary Stellingwerff and Malindi Elmore, the best milers in the country.
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| Julie Labonté, shot put sensation of Arizona Bobcats http://www.enbeauce.com |
A remarkable number of five Canadian won at the NCAA championships this year: Sheila Reid and Matt Hughes in Des Moines; and Brianne Theisen in the pentathlon and Derek Drouin in the high jump event, in College Station
Julie Labonté (25) (26) (27) was the most outstanding thrower of the winter in the NCAA and has been even better during the spring. A French speaker from Sainte-Justine in Quebec, daughter of a former decathlete, she broke a 45 year-old shot put high school record and had some success in her teens. Then she decided to move to a US University in order to improve on her technique and find some challengers to push her further. Julie could not choose better. She had some problems in the beginning to explain herself in English but, in Arizona she found a much better weather than in the place she came from and a reputed coach, Craig Carter, who has been the main responsible of the career of one of the best shot putter in the country and former Wildcat, Jill Camarena-Williams. Carter thinks Labonté has the potential to become one of the best in the world: she is someone who holds well the pressure and has a lot of room to improve in her strength, because for the moment she bench press quite less than most of her teammates.
Julie Labonté started her sophomore season with a 16.83 overall PB. She improved during the winter until 17.60, and then in the spring broke for the first time the 18 metres barrier at the Pacific 10 final in Tucson Oklahoma also reached 18.00 and Ifeatu Okafor and Annie Alexander from Trinidad and Tobago
Not much happened in other throwing events, in a quite weak year in the sector. In the hammer, Croatian Dorotea Habazin of Virginia Tech got the better of Daegu-bound Jeneva McCall of Southern Illinois . The only throw over 70 metres of the season was made by Gwen Berry (also of Southern Illinois ), but she did not score any valid attempt during the NCAA championships. Trecey Rew from Northwestern State upset favourite Anna Jelmini in the discus and Brittany Borman of Oklahoma
Among the men, Ryan Whiting, who was close to the 22 metres in the last edition of the NCAA outdoor championships has turned professional. Without him, the title was won this year more than two metres below by Jordan Clarke of Arizona State Illinois State ’s sophomore Tim Glover obtained an interesting PB of 80.33 to win the collegian javelin title, while Australian World junior medallist Jim Wruck of Texas Tech University Slovakia 75 metres during the season.
Like Whiting in the shot put, much was missed Ashton Eaton in the combined events. Michael Morrison of California-Berkeley won over Curtis Beach the NCAA outdoors in a competition where six men tallied more than 7900 points and Miller Moss of Clemson won the championship indoors. Ryann Krais, a Kansas State 400 meter hurdles event. Canadian Brianne Theisen of Oregon , who had finished 15th at Berlin world Championships, won in College Station United States have four awesome specialists: Bryan Clay, Trey Hardee, Ashton Eaton and Hyleas Fountain, but no one else has been able of making the A Daegu standard in two years in the country and the US will not have a full team in Korea
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| Will Claye will be representing USA at both long and triple jump in Daegu http://www.exposay.com/ |
Much better are things in the jumping events. The biggest improvement is in the male horizontal jumps that were in big crisis in the past years. In the country, only Dwight Phillips and Walter Davis seemed to be reliable enough for a major competition. Now things are up for a change. At the NCAA outdoor championships, five men landed beyond
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| Christian Taylor, the 2011 NCAA triple jump champion http://spikeduppsychedup.com |
Taylor and Claye (28) (29) (30) (31) were two promising jumpers and rivals, who started University in 2009, the former in the Gators, the latter in Oklahoma Taylor Oklahoma Taylor Oklahoma College Station Florida Taylor 17.68 metres .
The male vertical jumps have not been so emotive but NCAA new champion Eric Kynard, a Kansas State sophomore, has jumped 2.33 indoors and 2.31 outdoors and, most important of all, has qualified for Daegu, and Mississippi sophomore Ricky Robertson has been near. In the winter, Canadian Derek Drouin, had won the NCAA title, with a fabulous 2.33 national record jump. Yet, she did not compete outdoors. In the pole vault event, collegiate champion Scott Roth from Washington
The standards in horizontal jumps among the women are not really comparable to their counterparts. Since Brittney Reese graduated, no jumper of note is in the College fields. This year, Southern Mississippi junior Tori Bowie has won the NCAA championships, both indoors and out, but her PB stands at an average 6.64. On the other hand, triple jump lacks a tradition among female American athletes. Foreign students usually sweep the medals at the most important College outings. This time around, Jamaican Kimberly Williams has won the last two NCAA championships indoors and Clemson student Patricia Mamona the last two outdoors. Watch out in the future for this extraordinary triple jumper, who recently improved her PB to a huge 14.40 at the national Portuguese championships. http://moti-athletics-tj-w.blogspot.com/2011/08/some-rivals-for-yargelis-savigne.html
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| Brigetta Barrett, a high jump artist for Arizona Bobcats http://www.exposay.com// |
Among the jumping events, pole vault has the most thrilling female field. Kylie Hutson, who won four straight NCAA titles, has become a successful professional, winning the last national trials, ahead of Jenn Suhr.
In the high jump, after Amy Acuff retired, Destinee Hooker moved to volleyball and Chaunté Lowe took a rest from athletics to bear her second child, Brigetta Barrett (32) (33) (34) seems to have been left alone as the only consistent US jumper. She started her sophomore 2011 year with a modest 1.91 PB but has been improving steadily, striking successively NCAA indoors, NCAA outdoors and national trials, where she did her best jump to date: 1.95. Brigetta was raised in the New York Bronx but because of family issues moved to Dallas
