Jamaican long jumpers and Saint Lucian star sprinter impressive in their returns to Albuquerque following memorable performances last year at NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships; Blazevica rallies for pentathlon victory

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Shawn Price

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Several athletes who took center stage last year at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships at Albuquerque Convention Center were back in the spotlight Friday at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.

Whether it was a pair of Jamaican jumpers, star sprinters from Saint Lucia and Uganda, as well as multi-event competitors from Texas, they all excelled to kick off the two-day schedule, including several world-leading performances.

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Julien Alfred, the female recipient of the Bowerman Award in December in Colorado now representing Preeminence Sports as a first-year professional athlete, picked up where she left off in March in Albuquerque.

Alfred ran a world-leading 22.16 in the 200 meters, helping the Saint Lucian standout join Russian athlete Irina Privalova and American competitor Abby Steiner as the only women in world indoor history to run sub-22.20 multiple times.

Alfred ran a collegiate-record 22.01 last year in the Division 1 indoor final, the No. 2 all-time global indoor performance. Her effort Friday equals the No. 7 mark in indoor history.

Dina Asher-Smith, a Nike professional athlete representing Great Britain, was competing in her first indoor 200 since 2014, but her pursuit of the British record of 22.60 achieved Jan. 26 by Amber Anning of Arkansas ended unceremoniously when the 2019 World champion stopped midway through the race and did not finish.

Jacious Sears of Tennessee was the top collegiate competitor in the women’s 200, running 22.57.

Alabama’s Tarsis Orogot, representing Uganda, prevailed in the men’s 200 in 20.34 for the No. 2 mark in the world this year.

Orogot ran 20.17 in the semifinals and clocked 20.20 in the Division 1 indoor final last season in Albuquerque to place second behind Georgia’s Matthew Boling (20.12).

Wayne Pinnock of Arkansas, the global outdoor leader last year in the long jump with his 28-0.25 (8.54m) performance for Jamaica in the qualifying round of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, asserted himself once again in his season opener.

Pinnock achieved a leap of 27-4.50 (8.34m) on his second attempt to take over the world lead this season, also improving by one centimeter as the No. 10 all-time collegiate indoor competitor from his fourth-place effort at the Division 1 final last year that helped the Razorbacks secure the team title.

Ackelia Smith, another Jamaican competitor representing Texas, produced a fourth-round mark of 22-5.75 (6.85m) to seize the world lead this season. Smith took second at last year’s NCAA indoor championship meet with a leap of 22-7 (6.88m), equal to the No. 6 all-time collegiate indoor performer.

Stanford’s Alyssa Jones was second at 21-5.50 (6.54m), with American professional athlete and former USC All-American Madisen Richards taking third at 21-3.50 (6.49m).

Kristine Blazevica of Texas, one of three Latvian competitors in the women’s pentathlon field, rallied with a 2:14.25 effort to not only win the 800 meters, but triumph overall with 4,312 points. Blazevica was fifth last season in Albuquerque with 4,305 points and boasts a personal-best 4,402 points from 2022 at Texas Tech.

French standout Esther Conde-Turpin from Azusa Pacific became the No. 2 all-time NCAA Division 2 competitor, achieving the third-highest pentathlon score in division history with 4,281 points to place second Friday, just ahead of Latvian athlete Eliza Kraule from Rice at 4,276 points.

Conde-Turpin, who led entering the 800 before clocking 2:26.21, trails only the Division 2 record 4,475 points accumulated Jan. 28 at the USATF Indoor Combined Events Championships by Cheyenne Nesbitt of Saginaw Valley State. Nesbitt, formerly Cheyenne Williamson, also achieved 4,292 points at the 2022 Division 2 indoor final in Kansas.

Leo Neugebauer, the collegiate record holder in the men’s decathlon, amassed 3,643 points following four events in the heptathlon, a 61-point improvement over his first-day performance last year at the Division 1 indoor championship meet when the German standout took third overall with 6,214 points to ascend to the No. 5 indoor performer in collegiate history.

Canadian professional athlete Anicka Newell won the women’s pole vault with a third-attempt clearance at 15-2.75 (4.64m), equal to No. 8 in the world this year.

Newell, who had three opportunities to clear a personal-best 15-6.25 (4.73m), produced the second-highest indoor performance in her career and her third-best mark overall. Newell, who has achieved four of her top 10 career efforts in Albuquerque, produced her best effort since clearing 15-5 (4.70m) indoors in 2021 in Texas.

Washington State’s Eva Lowder was the top collegiate athlete, clearing 14-0.75 (4.29m) on her third attempt.

Valery Tobias, a four-time All-American at Texas and a first-year professional with the Brooks Beasts, won the women’s 800 meters in 2:06.80.

Nike Union Athletics Club teammates Noah Kibet from Kenya and Charlie Hunter of Australia took the top two spots in the men’s 800 in 1:47.25 and 1:47.77, respectively.

Tennessee’s Emmanuel Bynum clocked 45.45 to triumph in the men’s 400 for the No. 2 global performance this season.

NaAsha Robinson, a former Alabama A&M competitor, was victorious in the women’s 400 in 52.62. Tennessee’s Javonya Valcourt was the top collegiate athlete in the field, placing second in 52.75.

Alabama had a pair of impact transfers both secure victories in the weight throw.

Chandler Hayden, a former Tennessee standout, achieved a lifetime-best 74-1 (22.58m) in the fourth round to prevail in the women’s field.

Ruben Banks, a British performer who previously competed at Arkansas, followed his first 23-meter effort Jan. 26 at Clemson by producing a first-round mark of 74-7 (22.74m) to win the men’s competition.

Louisville’s Brion Stephens, the reigning U.S. U20 outdoor high jump champion and Pan American U20 silver medalist, cleared 7-3.25 (2.22m) on his second attempt to achieve an indoor best effort.

Alabama’s Miracle Ailes was among a trio of athletes who cleared 5-11.25 (1.81m) in the women’s high jump, making the height on her first opportunity to edge Rice’s Josie Taylor and Texas’ Trinity Tomlinson, who both had clearances on their second attempts to tie for second.

Iowa swept the top three spots in the men’s 600 meters and took the first four spots in the women’s 600.

Josh Pugh clocked 1:18.85 to edge teammates Phillip Jefferson (1:19.02) and James Fingalsen (1:19.11).

Chloe Larsen ran 1:28.31, followed by Gabby Cortez (1:29.18), Ali Dorn (1:29.42) and Jaiden Itson (1:31.38).

Natalia Ruiz Lara, a Spanish competitor from UNLV, won the women’s 3,000 meters in 10:05.38.