2018 NCAA Men's and Women's Outdoor T&F Championships - Day Four

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH

Women’s Triple Jump (3:40 p.m.)

Georgia senior Keturah Orji may have lost her American record to Tori Franklin last month, but her collegiate record remains intact after soaring 47 feet, 11 ѕ inches (14.62m) at the SEC Championships this year. She has won three straight NCAA outdoor titles – to go along with three indoor crowns – and she owns the top 12 marks in collegiate history. After winning the long jump on Thursday, Orji is poised to add another title her impressive resume.

Women’s 400 meters (4:32 p.m.)

USC senior Kendall Ellis is the reigning champion and set the collegiate indoor record (50.34) in March. She will be hard-pressed to stave off the challenge of Georgia freshman Lynna Irby, who clocked the second-fastest time in NCAA meet history with a 50.11 performance in Thursday’s semifinal. The meet, collegiate and Hayward Field records are all in jeopardy. Oregon’s Makenzie Dunmore is ready to pounce should either of the favorites falter.

Women’s 800 meters (4:44 p.m.)

This is Oregon’s best chance for an individual title as Sabrina Southerland, a graduate student transfer from Georgetown, looks to continue the Ducks’ recent dominance in this event. Southerland was a surprise winner at the NCAA Indoor meet, but she is the clear outdoor favorite with a PR of 2:00.72 set at the NCAA West Preliminary Round. The Ducks have claimed the past four NCAA individual titles in this event behind Raevyn Rogers (2015, 2016, 2017) and Laura Roesler (2014).

Women’s 400-meter hurdles (4:57 p.m.)

Kentucky freshman Sydney McLaughlin has already been dubbed the “next big thing” in American women’s track and field. And why not? The 2016 Olympian set the collegiate record in her signature event earlier this season at 52.75, a mark which is tied for 7th on the all-time U.S. list. McLaughlin is also a key member of Kentucky’s 4x400m relay. Her PR of 50.07 in the open 400m ranks third on the all-time collegiate list and she ran the 400m leg for Team USA’s world-record distance medley relay in 2017. Our advice? Sit back and enjoy!

Women’s 4×400-meter relay (5:51 p.m.)

At last year’s NCAA meet, this event provided one of the greatest memories in Hayward Field history as Oregon’s Raevyn Rogers held off USC’s Kendall Ellis to secure the first-ever women’s “Triple Crown.” While the cast of characters has changed a bit, we could be in for a repeat performance with NCAA podium spots likely to be decided. Oregon, Kentucky, USC, Florida, Purdue and LSU have all run under 3:30 this season.