Advertisement

Track Trio Excels at IC4As, ECACs

Taylor, Gyorffy, Clever Triumph in NCAA Tuneup

Up until last weekend, Taylor had the best time in the nation in the 400 hurdles, thanks to her performance of 56.11 seconds at the Penn Relays on April 26. But Texas’ Angel Patterson edged out Taylor’s personal-best time with a 56.09-second run at the Big 12 Championships on Saturday.

Taylor beat Patterson head-to-head this season in a close race at the Penn Relays. If the performance list is any indication, their rematch at NCAAs will be even closer.

Advertisement

“I have to be ready—it’s really close between several girls right now,” Taylor said. “I think it’ll be a straight line at the finish, and whoever leans hardest is going to win.”

Gyorffy, like Taylor, was effectively competing against herself last weekend. Her peak height of 1.89 meters in the high jump on Sunday was well short of her personal-best 1.96 meter-jump from May 12 that placed her second on the world season performance list, but it was still better than any other collegiate jumper in the nation this year.

Tayyiba Haneef of Long Beach State, who jumped 1.88 meters on Friday, is now Gyorrfy’s closest competition at NCAAs on June 2. Gyorffy’s goal there is to clear two meters, which would be the best jump in the world this year if she can pull it off.

Unlike Gyorffy and Taylor, Clever—co-captain of the men’s team—was not the heavy favorite to win his event. He was competing against Virginia’s Brian Kollar, the nation’s fourth-best in the javelin at 74.22 meters, just a notch ahead of Clever, who was ranked fifth based on his meet-record throw of 74.06 meters at the Outdoor Heptagonal Championships.

In the second flight of the 40-competitor field, Clever set the standard for the meet on his second throw of the day with a distance of 70.68 meters. That would stand as the winning throw, as Kollar could come no closer than 68.92 meters.

Recommended Articles

Advertisement