Dominique Scott-Efurd won her second outdoor NCAA title of the year this weekend, taking the 5,000m to lead Arkansas to its first ever women's outdoor national Track and Field championship.
#WPS #NeverYield 2016 Champions pic.twitter.com/h4be81yJHl
— Razorback XC/TF (@RazorbackTF) June 12, 2016
The South African's win in the 5k in 15 minutes, 57.07 added to her win in the 10k earlier last week and the Razorbacks finished with 72 points overall to take the team title over Oregon, which had 62, followed by Georgia (41) and Texas (36).
"When we were underneath the pavilion just about to go out on the track, I saw that Oregon was ahead and I just knew that I had to do whatever I could to score as many points as I could in the 5k, so that really motivated me throughout the race,” Scott-Efurd said in the post-race news conference.
It was a fairy tale end to my collegiate career. Thankful for all the opportunities the Razorbacks blessed me with!! pic.twitter.com/kbYTVorgtR
— Dom Scott-Efurd (@domscottrunSA) June 12, 2016
Oregon came up short in front of its home crowd in Eugene despite an incredible performance by freshman Ariana Washington, who introduced herself to the collegiate track world by taking the national title in both the 100m and the 200m, while helping the Ducks 4×100 team place third.
Washington became the first freshman to ever win the NCAA 200m crown and was just the second freshman to win the NCAA 100m title. Washington is the fourth Oregon sprinter to win the 100m in the last five years.
Watch Ariana Washington become the 1st freshman in #NCAATF history to sweep the 100/200: https://t.co/P0LegV2Za5 pic.twitter.com/Avwxdeo6l8
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) June 12, 2016
Oregon's Raevyn Rogers also won a title, winning the 800m for a second straight year.
The Razorbacks, however, were also helped by Lexi Weeks, who won the pole vault. Taliyah Brooks finished in third place in the long jump for the Hogs.
Other top performances were turned in by Texas sprinter Courtney Okolo, who won a fourth NCAA title in the 400 with a time of 50.36 and Texas A&M's Shamier Little, who captured her third consecutive NCAA title in the 400m hurdles in a career-best time of 53.51. Okolo also anchored the Longhorns winning 4×400 relay team.
Shamier Little wins third consecutive NCAA title, Aggies place fifth in NCAA Championships. https://t.co/82oC2nCjC0 pic.twitter.com/PG8ZCf5V3N
— aggietrk (@aggietrk) June 12, 2016
Georgia senior Chanice Porter sealed the championship in the long jump on the last attempt of her college career.
At first she thought the jump wasn't good enough, but realized after seeing her coach that she'd done very well.
"When I went down the runway, I was like, 'Come on, this is my last jump,'" Porter said in a video interview on Georgia's track website. "I was just running and all of a sudden, I'm in the pit. I don't know what happened."
OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES
– New Mexico's Courtney Frerichs set a collegiate record in the steeplechase of 9:24.41.
– Georgia's Keturah Orji broke the triple jump record with a mark of 47 feet, 8 inches.
– Kentucky's Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won the 100m hurdles in 12.54.
– Kendell Williams of Georgia won the heptathlon.
-Kimberly Williamson of Kansas State won the high jump with a final height of 6 feet, 2 inches.
