2017 Sun Angel ClassicApr 6, 2017 by Dennis Young
Donavan Brazier, Loaded Sprints, And A Super Deep Women's 800 At Sun Angel
Donavan Brazier, Loaded Sprints, And A Super Deep Women's 800 At Sun Angel
Donavan Brazier, Aries Merritt, Shea Collinsworth, Chanelle Price, Ameer Webb, and many more studs will be at this weekend's Sun Angel Classic at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ.
Update: Matt Centrowitz is no longer racing this weekend.
A large group of American, collegiate, and world record holders and Olympians will be at Arizona State University's Sun Angel Classic this weekend, which you can watch live on FloTrack. Donavan Brazier, Aries Merritt, Shea Collinsworth, Jazmine Fray, Chanelle Price, Ameer Webb, and more are scheduled to compete.
We already previewed the high school events here; below are the 11 best open races to watch. All of these races are on Saturday, April 8, and are listed chronologically.
1. Men's 110m Hurdles
Who: Aries Merritt
When: 2:17 PM PT/5:17 PM ET
Why: Merritt, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the event, recently won his first U.S. title since his late-2015 kidney transplant. Merritt barely missed the Olympic team last summer--second through fourth places were separated by 0.01 of a second at the Trials--and will look to reclaim his spot atop the U.S. hurdle scene with another year between him and his kidney transplant. His world record is 12.80, but his 2016 season best was 13.22. With Merritt the top dog in this field, look for a time in the mid-13s.
2. Men's 400m Hurdles
Who: Michael Stigler, Robert Grant, Quincy Hall
When: 4:08 PM PT/7:08 PM ET
Why: Stigler was the 2015 NCAA outdoor champ in the 400H, but his 2016 season stopped abruptly in early June. He seems healthy in 2017, having run a 300 in January and an 1:52 800 at the Florida Relays last weekend. Texas A&M's Grant was fourth at NCAAs last year--but is the fourth returner. And Hall, a College of the Sequoias freshman, ran 45.32 at Stanford last weekend for the No. 3 flat 400m time in the world this year so far. Watch that race below.
3. Women's 400m Hurdles
Who: Shamier Little, Georganne Moline
When: 4:18 PM PT/7:18 PM ET
Why: Little, the winner of the last three NCAA 400 hurdles titles, has raced quite a bit in 2017. She ran five flat races indoors and opened her outdoor season with a 4x4 leg (49.9 split) last weekend at the Texas Relays. But she hasn't hurdled yet. Look for Little to be out for blood this summer; after winning world juniors in 2014 and taking second in the world in 2015, she seemed like a lock to make the Olympic team. But she stunningly missed the final at the Trials. Her 53.51 PB would've been second at the Trials and second in the Olympic final. This will be Little's first race over hurdles in 2017.
She'll face stiff competition in Georganne Moline, who dipped under 54 very early last year and looked like a contender for her second Olympic team. But Moline injured her back last summer and hasn't raced over hurdles since June 5, 2016. She opened up this season with a new 400m PR of 51.93 seconds.
4. Women's 4x100m
Who: Texas A&M
When: 6:28 PM PT/9:28 PM ET
Why: A&M just lost its collegiate record to Oregon, and you should never count out a Pat Henry-coached women's relay, especially when it has pros to chase.
5. Women's 400m
Who: Phyllis Francis
When: 7:06 PM PT/10:06 PM ET
Why: Francis has already raced seven open finals this year, including a 300m U.S. indoor title in Albuquerque, New Mexico, last month. Her 36.15 clocking there made her the No. 7 world indoor performer in history. The 24-year-old Francis broke 50.00 for the first time in her life in the Trials final last summer and went on the finish fifth at the Olympics. According to the stats website Tilastopaja, this is her first open 400 since Rio.
6. Men's 100m
Who: Ameer Webb, Chijindu Ujah, Koffi Wilfried
When: 7:30 PM PT/10:30 PM ET
Note: Two-time Olympic long jump medalist Greg Rutherford is entered, but he is a late scratch.
Why: Webb was one of the breakout U.S. sprint stars of 2016, running 19.85 in the 200m in Doha and going on to make the U.S. Olympic team. This is his outdoor season debut, and he'll be joined by his ALTIS teammates Chijindu Ujah and Koffi Wilfried. Ujah, who is British, has run 9.96 wind-legal and made the Olympic semis last year.
Who: Bralon Taplin, Mylik Kerley, Kyle Collins
When: 7:01 PM PT/10:01 PM ET
Why: The only man in the world to run faster than Bralon Taplin's 45.19 in the 400 this indoor season was Fred Kerley, who is currently not entered in the meet. (However, Kerley ran three relays at last weekend's Texas Relays and could be keeping his powder dry for a collegiate record attempt in the 4x4. More on that later.) Kerley's younger brother, Mylik, is a stud as well--he anchored Texas A&M to a national title in the 4x4, which you can watch below.
Like the Kerleys, Taplin ran for A&M. Taplin is Grenadian and was fourth at world indoors and seventh at the Olympics last summer. This is his open outdoor season debut, though he did run a 4x400 leg three weeks ago.
8. Men's 800m
Who: Donavan Brazier, David Torrence, Edward Kemboi
When: 7:55 PM PT/10:55 PM ET
Why: The still-19-year-old Brazier (he turns 20 next weekend) torched the collegiate 800m and every man who's ever run it with his 1:43.55 collegiate record last June. He only needed one year of school to stamp himself as arguably the NCAA GOAT. And now he's a pro, in an event where the defending U.S. champion is also an Olympic bronze medalist. Brazier has only raced three 800s since the collegiate record, going 1:48 in the rounds of the Olympic Trials, 1:47 at his home Texas A&M track in February, and 1:46.11 for second place at the Texas Relays last weekend.
After the race, Brazier said that he knew that he was ready to run faster. He only ran under 1:46 before NCAAs one time last year--his 1:45.93 indoor American junior record. So by one measure, Brazier is already ahead of where he was at this point a year ago. If he runs 1:45.90, it'll have been the third-fastest 800m of his life, and if he runs 1:45.06 or faster, it'll have been the second fastest. Both of those are very possible in a good field and good conditions on Saturday night.
9. Women's 800m
Who: Shea Collinsworth, Jazmine Fray, Chanelle Price, Olicia Williams, Shannon Leinert
When: 8 PM PT/11 PM ET
Why: Collinsworth and Fray were third and fourth at last month's NCAA indoor final, which you can watch below. Fray is the indoor collegiate record holder at 2:00.69, but she has yet to prove herself in a major race that doesn't go out hard. She might not have to worry about that on Saturday night, as Chanelle Price has a similar running style to Fray--get out hard and make everyone else pay. Since 2012, Price's annual season bests have been 2:00.15, 2:00.88, 1:59.75, 1:59.10, and 2:00.80. She's never made an outdoor team, but she won world indoors by 2014 and by any definition is now one of the deans of U.S. women's 800-meter running. Price, Collinsworth, and Fray should add up to a very quick race.
10. Men's Mile
Who: David Torrence, Ross Proudfoot, Rob Denault
When: 8:46 PM PT/11:46 PM ET
Why: This is Torrence's outdoor season opener. The now-Peruvian raced the 5K at the Olympics last summer and had a solid indoor season, running 3:39 for 1500m and a 3:57 mile.
11. Men's 4x400m
Who: Texas A&M
When: 9:14 PM PT/12:14 AM ET
Why: Depending on the lineup, the 2:59.59 collegiate record is in danger. Fred Kerley, Mylik Kerley, Richard Rose, and Devin Dixon ran 3:02.52 in January to break the collegiate record, and the same lineup with Robert Grant subbed in for Rose ran the second-fastest collegiate time ever to win NCAAs in March. Mylik Kerley and Rose are entered in the open 400; Dixon is in the 800. Grant is in the 400 hurdles, and Fred Kerley is not in the meet. So the chances of a collegiate record somewhat depend on what four of those five do before it, and they may run the 4x100 as well. (Grant and Fred Kerley regularly run the 4x1.)
LSU's 2:59.59 from 2005 is the collegiate record. A&M missed that time by 0.01 at NCAAs three years ago, which is the fastest time since. Only six schools--LSU, A&M, Florida, UCLA, Georgia Tech, and Florida State--have ever gone sub-3:00. If the Aggies break three minutes this weekend, they'll be the first school ever to have two teams do so.
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Video footage from the competition will be archived and stored in a video library for FloPRO subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.
A large group of American, collegiate, and world record holders and Olympians will be at Arizona State University's Sun Angel Classic this weekend, which you can watch live on FloTrack. Donavan Brazier, Aries Merritt, Shea Collinsworth, Jazmine Fray, Chanelle Price, Ameer Webb, and more are scheduled to compete.
We already previewed the high school events here; below are the 11 best open races to watch. All of these races are on Saturday, April 8, and are listed chronologically.
1. Men's 110m Hurdles
Who: Aries Merritt
When: 2:17 PM PT/5:17 PM ET
Why: Merritt, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the event, recently won his first U.S. title since his late-2015 kidney transplant. Merritt barely missed the Olympic team last summer--second through fourth places were separated by 0.01 of a second at the Trials--and will look to reclaim his spot atop the U.S. hurdle scene with another year between him and his kidney transplant. His world record is 12.80, but his 2016 season best was 13.22. With Merritt the top dog in this field, look for a time in the mid-13s.
2. Men's 400m Hurdles
Who: Michael Stigler, Robert Grant, Quincy Hall
When: 4:08 PM PT/7:08 PM ET
Why: Stigler was the 2015 NCAA outdoor champ in the 400H, but his 2016 season stopped abruptly in early June. He seems healthy in 2017, having run a 300 in January and an 1:52 800 at the Florida Relays last weekend. Texas A&M's Grant was fourth at NCAAs last year--but is the fourth returner. And Hall, a College of the Sequoias freshman, ran 45.32 at Stanford last weekend for the No. 3 flat 400m time in the world this year so far. Watch that race below.
3. Women's 400m Hurdles
Who: Shamier Little, Georganne Moline
When: 4:18 PM PT/7:18 PM ET
Why: Little, the winner of the last three NCAA 400 hurdles titles, has raced quite a bit in 2017. She ran five flat races indoors and opened her outdoor season with a 4x4 leg (49.9 split) last weekend at the Texas Relays. But she hasn't hurdled yet. Look for Little to be out for blood this summer; after winning world juniors in 2014 and taking second in the world in 2015, she seemed like a lock to make the Olympic team. But she stunningly missed the final at the Trials. Her 53.51 PB would've been second at the Trials and second in the Olympic final. This will be Little's first race over hurdles in 2017.
She'll face stiff competition in Georganne Moline, who dipped under 54 very early last year and looked like a contender for her second Olympic team. But Moline injured her back last summer and hasn't raced over hurdles since June 5, 2016. She opened up this season with a new 400m PR of 51.93 seconds.
4. Women's 4x100m
Who: Texas A&M
When: 6:28 PM PT/9:28 PM ET
Why: A&M just lost its collegiate record to Oregon, and you should never count out a Pat Henry-coached women's relay, especially when it has pros to chase.
5. Women's 400m
Who: Phyllis Francis
When: 7:06 PM PT/10:06 PM ET
Why: Francis has already raced seven open finals this year, including a 300m U.S. indoor title in Albuquerque, New Mexico, last month. Her 36.15 clocking there made her the No. 7 world indoor performer in history. The 24-year-old Francis broke 50.00 for the first time in her life in the Trials final last summer and went on the finish fifth at the Olympics. According to the stats website Tilastopaja, this is her first open 400 since Rio.
6. Men's 100m
Who: Ameer Webb, Chijindu Ujah, Koffi Wilfried
When: 7:30 PM PT/10:30 PM ET
Note: Two-time Olympic long jump medalist Greg Rutherford is entered, but he is a late scratch.
Why: Webb was one of the breakout U.S. sprint stars of 2016, running 19.85 in the 200m in Doha and going on to make the U.S. Olympic team. This is his outdoor season debut, and he'll be joined by his ALTIS teammates Chijindu Ujah and Koffi Wilfried. Ujah, who is British, has run 9.96 wind-legal and made the Olympic semis last year.
7. Men's 400m
Who: Bralon Taplin, Mylik Kerley, Kyle Collins
When: 7:01 PM PT/10:01 PM ET
Why: The only man in the world to run faster than Bralon Taplin's 45.19 in the 400 this indoor season was Fred Kerley, who is currently not entered in the meet. (However, Kerley ran three relays at last weekend's Texas Relays and could be keeping his powder dry for a collegiate record attempt in the 4x4. More on that later.) Kerley's younger brother, Mylik, is a stud as well--he anchored Texas A&M to a national title in the 4x4, which you can watch below.
Like the Kerleys, Taplin ran for A&M. Taplin is Grenadian and was fourth at world indoors and seventh at the Olympics last summer. This is his open outdoor season debut, though he did run a 4x400 leg three weeks ago.
8. Men's 800m
Who: Donavan Brazier, David Torrence, Edward Kemboi
When: 7:55 PM PT/10:55 PM ET
Why: The still-19-year-old Brazier (he turns 20 next weekend) torched the collegiate 800m and every man who's ever run it with his 1:43.55 collegiate record last June. He only needed one year of school to stamp himself as arguably the NCAA GOAT. And now he's a pro, in an event where the defending U.S. champion is also an Olympic bronze medalist. Brazier has only raced three 800s since the collegiate record, going 1:48 in the rounds of the Olympic Trials, 1:47 at his home Texas A&M track in February, and 1:46.11 for second place at the Texas Relays last weekend.
After the race, Brazier said that he knew that he was ready to run faster. He only ran under 1:46 before NCAAs one time last year--his 1:45.93 indoor American junior record. So by one measure, Brazier is already ahead of where he was at this point a year ago. If he runs 1:45.90, it'll have been the third-fastest 800m of his life, and if he runs 1:45.06 or faster, it'll have been the second fastest. Both of those are very possible in a good field and good conditions on Saturday night.
9. Women's 800m
Who: Shea Collinsworth, Jazmine Fray, Chanelle Price, Olicia Williams, Shannon Leinert
When: 8 PM PT/11 PM ET
Why: Collinsworth and Fray were third and fourth at last month's NCAA indoor final, which you can watch below. Fray is the indoor collegiate record holder at 2:00.69, but she has yet to prove herself in a major race that doesn't go out hard. She might not have to worry about that on Saturday night, as Chanelle Price has a similar running style to Fray--get out hard and make everyone else pay. Since 2012, Price's annual season bests have been 2:00.15, 2:00.88, 1:59.75, 1:59.10, and 2:00.80. She's never made an outdoor team, but she won world indoors by 2014 and by any definition is now one of the deans of U.S. women's 800-meter running. Price, Collinsworth, and Fray should add up to a very quick race.
10. Men's Mile
Who: David Torrence, Ross Proudfoot, Rob Denault
When: 8:46 PM PT/11:46 PM ET
Why: This is Torrence's outdoor season opener. The now-Peruvian raced the 5K at the Olympics last summer and had a solid indoor season, running 3:39 for 1500m and a 3:57 mile.
11. Men's 4x400m
Who: Texas A&M
When: 9:14 PM PT/12:14 AM ET
Why: Depending on the lineup, the 2:59.59 collegiate record is in danger. Fred Kerley, Mylik Kerley, Richard Rose, and Devin Dixon ran 3:02.52 in January to break the collegiate record, and the same lineup with Robert Grant subbed in for Rose ran the second-fastest collegiate time ever to win NCAAs in March. Mylik Kerley and Rose are entered in the open 400; Dixon is in the 800. Grant is in the 400 hurdles, and Fred Kerley is not in the meet. So the chances of a collegiate record somewhat depend on what four of those five do before it, and they may run the 4x100 as well. (Grant and Fred Kerley regularly run the 4x1.)
LSU's 2:59.59 from 2005 is the collegiate record. A&M missed that time by 0.01 at NCAAs three years ago, which is the fastest time since. Only six schools--LSU, A&M, Florida, UCLA, Georgia Tech, and Florida State--have ever gone sub-3:00. If the Aggies break three minutes this weekend, they'll be the first school ever to have two teams do so.
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Archived Competition Footage
Video footage from the competition will be archived and stored in a video library for FloPRO subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.