2017 Big 12 Outdoor ChampionshipMay 11, 2017 by Dennis Young
These Are The Eight Best Events In The Big 12 Conference
These Are The Eight Best Events In The Big 12 Conference
These are the eight deepest events in the Big 12 Conference.
For the first time ever, the Big 12 Outdoor Championship is live on FloTrack. You can watch all of the action this weekend: events run Friday, May 12 through Sunday, May 14. Entries aren't out yet, but based on what we've seen so far this season, these should be the best events. The events are listed in chronological order and are all in Central time.
Men's & Women's Long Jump
​When: ​Women at 3:00 PM, men at 6:00 PM on Saturday​
​Women: ​Sydney Conley (Kansas), Vier​shanie Latham (Texas Tech), Jhoanmy Luque (Iowa State), Baileh Simms (Oklahoma)
​Men: ​​Charles Brown (Texas), Jacob Fincham-Dukes (Oklahoma State), Justin Hall (Texas Tech)​
​Why: ​In the men's long jump, Brown, Fincham-Dukes, and Hall currently rank Nos. 1, 4, and 5 on the collegiate descending order list. Brown is the defending Big 12 champion and No. 8 in the FloTrack rankings.​
In the women's LJ, Luque, Simms, and Latham were second through fourth at Big 12s last year. But Conley, the sister of Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, ranks fifth on the NCAA descending order list. And Luque was fourth at outdoor nationals last June.
Men's High Jump
​When: ​3:00 PM Saturday​
​Who: ​Christoff Bryan (Kansas State), Trey Culver (Texas Tech)​
​Why: ​Bryan-Culver is one of the best rivalries in any event in the country. Led by Bryan, they were first and fifth at NCAA indoors and second and fifth at NCAA outdoors last year. Bryan won the last two Big 12 indoor titles, with Culver finishing second both times, but Culver is the defending outdoor conference champion. They're second and fourth, respectively, in the FloTrack rankings.
Women's 400m
​When: ​6:05 PM Sunday
​Who: ​Chrisann Gordon (Texas), Zola Golden (Texas), Leticia De Souza (Baylor), Daye Shon Roberson (Oklahoma)​
​Why: Go​rdon is the indoor Big 12 champion and the current NCAA leader. But watch out for Roberson, who ran 51.3 in 2015 and 51.4 last year. She was only sixth at Big 12 indoors but was third at NCAAs two years ago. She has the talent to hang with Gordon and the rest of the best of the conference. Golden and De Souza currently rank eighth and 15th in Division I in the event.
Men's 400m
​When: ​6:15 PM Sunday
​Who: ​Steven Champlin (Texas Tech), Kyle Collins (Texas Tech), Wil London (Baylor), George Caddick (Baylor)​, Aldrich Bailey Jr. (Texas)
​Why: ​Caddick knocked off everyone indoors, but London and Bailey went 1-2 at last year's outdoor championship.​ Right now, Champlin, Collins, and London rank fourth, fifth, and ninth on the DI descending order list. Some of these men may opt to focus on shorter races or relays, but any combination of them will make for a tremendous final.
Men's & Women's Triple Jump
​When: ​Men 3:30 PM, women 6:30 PM Sunday​
​Men: ​Felix Obi (Baylor)​, O'Brien Wasome (Texas), Hayden McClain, Barden Adams (Kansas), Hayden McClain (Oklahoma)
​Women: Shardia Lawrence (Kansas State), Viershanie Latham (Texas Tech), Rachel Toliver (Baylor)
​​​Why: ​These might be the best events at the meet. Baylor's Felix Obi has struggled with intermittent injuries in his five-year career, but when he's on, he's on. He's the two-time defending outdoor conference champion, three-time indoor conference champion, and 2014 NCAA indoor champion. And he might be at his best right now. He jumped a wind-legal lifetime best of 16.67m (54-8.25) at the Texas Relays in March, good for second in Division I right now. His competition will be stiff as hell, as Wasome, McClain, and Adams were third through fifth at NCAA indoors.​
It'll be a similar dynamic on the women's side. Lawrence is the defending champion and ranks third in Division I, but Latham and Toliver rank fifth and seventh. Just six inches separate those three this year.
​When: ​7:20 PM Sunday​
​Who: ​Byron Robinson (Texas)​
​Why: ​Robinson might be the best track and field athlete in the conference. He only ranks fifth in Division I and second in the FloTrack rankings, but after missing the NCAA meet last summer, he made our Olympic team and advanced to the Olympic semifinals in Rio, where he set his current PR of 48.65 seconds. He won by two seconds last year; no one in the NCAA this year has dipped under 49 seconds.
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Men's & Women's Long Jump
​When: ​Women at 3:00 PM, men at 6:00 PM on Saturday​
​Women: ​Sydney Conley (Kansas), Vier​shanie Latham (Texas Tech), Jhoanmy Luque (Iowa State), Baileh Simms (Oklahoma)
​Men: ​​Charles Brown (Texas), Jacob Fincham-Dukes (Oklahoma State), Justin Hall (Texas Tech)​
​Why: ​In the men's long jump, Brown, Fincham-Dukes, and Hall currently rank Nos. 1, 4, and 5 on the collegiate descending order list. Brown is the defending Big 12 champion and No. 8 in the FloTrack rankings.​
In the women's LJ, Luque, Simms, and Latham were second through fourth at Big 12s last year. But Conley, the sister of Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, ranks fifth on the NCAA descending order list. And Luque was fourth at outdoor nationals last June.
Men's High Jump
​When: ​3:00 PM Saturday​
​Who: ​Christoff Bryan (Kansas State), Trey Culver (Texas Tech)​
​Why: ​Bryan-Culver is one of the best rivalries in any event in the country. Led by Bryan, they were first and fifth at NCAA indoors and second and fifth at NCAA outdoors last year. Bryan won the last two Big 12 indoor titles, with Culver finishing second both times, but Culver is the defending outdoor conference champion. They're second and fourth, respectively, in the FloTrack rankings.
Women's 400m
​When: ​6:05 PM Sunday
​Who: ​Chrisann Gordon (Texas), Zola Golden (Texas), Leticia De Souza (Baylor), Daye Shon Roberson (Oklahoma)​
​Why: Go​rdon is the indoor Big 12 champion and the current NCAA leader. But watch out for Roberson, who ran 51.3 in 2015 and 51.4 last year. She was only sixth at Big 12 indoors but was third at NCAAs two years ago. She has the talent to hang with Gordon and the rest of the best of the conference. Golden and De Souza currently rank eighth and 15th in Division I in the event.
Men's 400m
​When: ​6:15 PM Sunday
​Who: ​Steven Champlin (Texas Tech), Kyle Collins (Texas Tech), Wil London (Baylor), George Caddick (Baylor)​, Aldrich Bailey Jr. (Texas)
​Why: ​Caddick knocked off everyone indoors, but London and Bailey went 1-2 at last year's outdoor championship.​ Right now, Champlin, Collins, and London rank fourth, fifth, and ninth on the DI descending order list. Some of these men may opt to focus on shorter races or relays, but any combination of them will make for a tremendous final.
Men's & Women's Triple Jump
​When: ​Men 3:30 PM, women 6:30 PM Sunday​
​Men: ​Felix Obi (Baylor)​, O'Brien Wasome (Texas), Hayden McClain, Barden Adams (Kansas), Hayden McClain (Oklahoma)
​Women: Shardia Lawrence (Kansas State), Viershanie Latham (Texas Tech), Rachel Toliver (Baylor)
​​​Why: ​These might be the best events at the meet. Baylor's Felix Obi has struggled with intermittent injuries in his five-year career, but when he's on, he's on. He's the two-time defending outdoor conference champion, three-time indoor conference champion, and 2014 NCAA indoor champion. And he might be at his best right now. He jumped a wind-legal lifetime best of 16.67m (54-8.25) at the Texas Relays in March, good for second in Division I right now. His competition will be stiff as hell, as Wasome, McClain, and Adams were third through fifth at NCAA indoors.​
It'll be a similar dynamic on the women's side. Lawrence is the defending champion and ranks third in Division I, but Latham and Toliver rank fifth and seventh. Just six inches separate those three this year.
Men's 400m Hurdles
​When: ​7:20 PM Sunday​
​Who: ​Byron Robinson (Texas)​
​Why: ​Robinson might be the best track and field athlete in the conference. He only ranks fifth in Division I and second in the FloTrack rankings, but after missing the NCAA meet last summer, he made our Olympic team and advanced to the Olympic semifinals in Rio, where he set his current PR of 48.65 seconds. He won by two seconds last year; no one in the NCAA this year has dipped under 49 seconds.
How to Watch
On TV: Available on Roku and Apple TV 4 — download the FloSports app now.Streaming: Only on FloTrack with a PRO subscription. A yearly PRO subscription provides access to ALL FloSports sites. JOIN NOW