2016 Brooks Mt. SAC RelaysApr 14, 2016 by Taylor Dutch
Top Storylines of Mt. SAC Relays Women's Competition
Top Storylines of Mt. SAC Relays Women's Competition
WATCH THE 2016 BROOKS MT. SAC RELAYS LIVE! A slew of can’t-miss races await fans at this weekend’s Mt. SAC Relays, which will be broadcasted LIVE on FloTra
WATCH THE 2016 BROOKS MT. SAC RELAYS LIVE!
A slew of can’t-miss races await fans at this weekend’s Mt. SAC Relays, which will be broadcasted LIVE on FloTrack from Cerritos College. Here are some of the top athletes to watch during the three-day track extravaganza.
A Seriously Stacked 800m Race
Molly Ludlow, Laura Roesler, Shelby Houlihan, Raevyn Rogers, Kaela Edwards, and Savannah Camacho are just a few of the standout athletes entered in the stacked 800m field. Ludlow, 28, set a personal best of 1:58.68 at last July’s Paris Diamond League meeting, and wrapped up 2015 with her first-ever World Championships appearance after U.S. runner-up Ajee Wilson declined due to injury. After a full summer of racing, Ludlow managed to make it through to the second round in Beijing, but not the final. She already posted a 2:02.04 season opener at last weekend’s UCLA competition, and is poised for a fast performance this weekend.
Roesler will return to the 800m after finishing fourth in the event at the World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon, a few weeks ago. The former Oregon Duck and NCAA champion will take on current Oregon Duck and recent NCAA champion Raevyn Rogers. This race will mark the first time that Roesler and Rogers compete against each other, since they did not overlap while at Oregon. Rogers won her second national title at the NCAA Indoor Championships a few weeks ago, and more recently clocked a winning time of 2:03 at the Pepsi Invitational.
Watch Raevyn Rogers win her first NCAA title at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Bowerman Track Club’s Houlihan will return to her primary event after an indoor season that included 3Ks and a stellar indoor 5K debut at the Millrose Games, where she clocked a 40-second PR of 15:06. The former Arizona State NCAA champion holds an 800m PR of 2:01.12, which she ran at the USATF Outdoor Championships in 2014. The last time she ran an 800m was July, and she split 2:02.08. With more strength and endurance under her belt, it will be interesting to see what Houlihan brings to the line.
A collegiate powerhouse duo of Kaela Edwards and Savanna Camacho will bring intensity to the line as well after breakthrough indoor seasons. Edwards won her first NCAA title in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships, while Camacho finished fourth in the 800m and collected All-American honors.
Vashti Cunningham to Make Pro Debut
The 18-year-old high jump phenom will return to competition after winning the World Indoor Championships title and making the decision to turn pro as a senior in high school. Cunningham signed a sponsorship contract with Nike just one day after winning the World Indoor title in March. She won the competition in Portland with a height of 1.96m, but missed out on all attempts at 1.99m, which would have equaled the world junior record she set one week prior to win the USATF Indoor Championships. The daughter of former NFL star Randall Cunningham will compete for the first time in a Nike uniform this weekend at Mt. SAC.
Watch Cunningham discuss her decision to turn pro after winning World Indoors.
A Hot 100m-200m-Sprint Relay Combo Will Go Down
NCAA, World, and Olympic medalists highlight the knockout women’s sprint entries on deck for the Mt. SAC Relays. Starting with the women’s 4x400m, Olympic champion Allyson Felix is set to roll out in a speedy relay lineup as the anchor leg on a team that includes 100m hurdles Olympic champion Dawn Harper Nelson, NACAC finalist Carol Rodriguez, and Worlds finalist Ginnie Crawford.
The women’s 100m and 200m will also be hot races as Worlds finalists Kim Duncan, Jenna Prandini, English Gardner, Jasmine Todd, and Jeneba Tarmoh headline what should be a crazy-fast field. Current Oregon standout Hannah Cunliffe is also entered to toe the line after finishing second in both the 60m and 200m at the NCAA Indoor Championships. With the exception of Todd and Tarmoh, all of these ladies will also run the 200m. 2011 World champion Carmelita Jeter will also return to Mt. SAC after winning the 4x100m at the UCLA last weekend. Former Oregon NCAA champion and Worlds finalist Phyllis Francis will also be a contender in the 200m as well as her specialty, the 400m dash.
A slew of can’t-miss races await fans at this weekend’s Mt. SAC Relays, which will be broadcasted LIVE on FloTrack from Cerritos College. Here are some of the top athletes to watch during the three-day track extravaganza.
A Seriously Stacked 800m Race
Molly Ludlow, Laura Roesler, Shelby Houlihan, Raevyn Rogers, Kaela Edwards, and Savannah Camacho are just a few of the standout athletes entered in the stacked 800m field. Ludlow, 28, set a personal best of 1:58.68 at last July’s Paris Diamond League meeting, and wrapped up 2015 with her first-ever World Championships appearance after U.S. runner-up Ajee Wilson declined due to injury. After a full summer of racing, Ludlow managed to make it through to the second round in Beijing, but not the final. She already posted a 2:02.04 season opener at last weekend’s UCLA competition, and is poised for a fast performance this weekend.
Roesler will return to the 800m after finishing fourth in the event at the World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon, a few weeks ago. The former Oregon Duck and NCAA champion will take on current Oregon Duck and recent NCAA champion Raevyn Rogers. This race will mark the first time that Roesler and Rogers compete against each other, since they did not overlap while at Oregon. Rogers won her second national title at the NCAA Indoor Championships a few weeks ago, and more recently clocked a winning time of 2:03 at the Pepsi Invitational.
Watch Raevyn Rogers win her first NCAA title at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Bowerman Track Club’s Houlihan will return to her primary event after an indoor season that included 3Ks and a stellar indoor 5K debut at the Millrose Games, where she clocked a 40-second PR of 15:06. The former Arizona State NCAA champion holds an 800m PR of 2:01.12, which she ran at the USATF Outdoor Championships in 2014. The last time she ran an 800m was July, and she split 2:02.08. With more strength and endurance under her belt, it will be interesting to see what Houlihan brings to the line.
A collegiate powerhouse duo of Kaela Edwards and Savanna Camacho will bring intensity to the line as well after breakthrough indoor seasons. Edwards won her first NCAA title in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships, while Camacho finished fourth in the 800m and collected All-American honors.
Vashti Cunningham to Make Pro Debut
The 18-year-old high jump phenom will return to competition after winning the World Indoor Championships title and making the decision to turn pro as a senior in high school. Cunningham signed a sponsorship contract with Nike just one day after winning the World Indoor title in March. She won the competition in Portland with a height of 1.96m, but missed out on all attempts at 1.99m, which would have equaled the world junior record she set one week prior to win the USATF Indoor Championships. The daughter of former NFL star Randall Cunningham will compete for the first time in a Nike uniform this weekend at Mt. SAC.
Watch Cunningham discuss her decision to turn pro after winning World Indoors.
A Hot 100m-200m-Sprint Relay Combo Will Go Down
NCAA, World, and Olympic medalists highlight the knockout women’s sprint entries on deck for the Mt. SAC Relays. Starting with the women’s 4x400m, Olympic champion Allyson Felix is set to roll out in a speedy relay lineup as the anchor leg on a team that includes 100m hurdles Olympic champion Dawn Harper Nelson, NACAC finalist Carol Rodriguez, and Worlds finalist Ginnie Crawford.
First one of the season and it was a wet one! Always fun running with my team mates! pic.twitter.com/JUKu48SL7j
— Allyson Felix (@allysonfelix) April 10, 2016
The women’s 100m and 200m will also be hot races as Worlds finalists Kim Duncan, Jenna Prandini, English Gardner, Jasmine Todd, and Jeneba Tarmoh headline what should be a crazy-fast field. Current Oregon standout Hannah Cunliffe is also entered to toe the line after finishing second in both the 60m and 200m at the NCAA Indoor Championships. With the exception of Todd and Tarmoh, all of these ladies will also run the 200m. 2011 World champion Carmelita Jeter will also return to Mt. SAC after winning the 4x100m at the UCLA last weekend. Former Oregon NCAA champion and Worlds finalist Phyllis Francis will also be a contender in the 200m as well as her specialty, the 400m dash.