Collegiate Record Performances Earns Readers' and Editors' Choice Awards

Track and field fans voiced their choices in this week's DyeStat's Performance of the Week poll, while DyeStat's editors made their own selection.

Readers’ Choice: Grant Holloway

With 34.4 percent of the vote, Grant Holloway won our Readers’ Choice vote, beating Sha'Carri Richardson with her second-place tally of 33.94 percent.

Holloway may not have had the best first day at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships. He qualified for the finals in all of his running events, the 110-meter hurdles, 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay, but he failed to score in the long jump. His 12th place finish in the long jump was his worst finish at an NCAA Championships.

However, the second day of the men's championships brought a different Holloway. The Florida junior started the day helping his team to a win and collegiate record in the 4x100 relay. The team of Raymond Ekevwo, Hakim Sani-Brown, Holloway and Ryan Clark won in 37.97 to become the first collegiate relay team to break 38 seconds.

It was Holloway's second event of the day that fans have been waiting for since his freshman year. It was another head-to-head match-up between Holloway and Kentucky's Daniel Roberts. Both had run under 13:10 this year, with Roberts getting the win at the SEC Outdoor Championships and the top qualifying time in the prelims at the NCAA Championships in 13.06.

When it came to the final, Roberts pressured Holloway, but the win belonged to Holloway as he won his third 110-meter hurdles title. Holloway's time of 12.98 broke the 40-year-old collegiate record of 13.00, set by Renaldo Nehemiah. Roberts finished second, equaling Nehemiah's time from 1979.

Always a team player, Holloway came back to anchor Florida's 4x400 relay. His 400-meter split of 43.75 was the fastest of the race and carried Florida to finish second in the relay in 2:59.60.

Watch Holloway's post-meet interview on RunnerSpace.com.

Editors’ Choice: Sha'Carri Richardson

Richardson has had a big outdoor freshman season at LSU. She broke 11 seconds in the 100 meters four time this season, but none were bigger than the final at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships.

Richardson had already helped LSU score points before she got in the blocks for the 100-meter final. She anchored the LSU 4x100 relay team to second place in 42.29.

However, no one knew what would happen in the 100-meter final. Richardson started off well, but she pulled away from the field in the latter stages of the race. She won by 0.20 seconds, running 10.75. That broke the 30-year-old collegiate record of 10.78 by Dawn Sowell. Richardson also broke the 42-year-old world U-20 record held by East Germany's Marlies Göhr.

Not finished, Richardson still had the 200 meters to go. After her performance in the 100 meters, it could be assumed she would once again dominate the 200, but that was not to be. Richardson dueled with USC's Anglerne Annelus to the finish line. Annelus won in 22.16. Richardson finished second in 22.17. However, Richardson's time broke the world U-20 record held by Allyson Felix.

Watch Richardson's post-meet interview on RunnerSpace.com.

It should be noted that it is unlikely Richardson's world U-20 records will be ratified by the IAAF. USADA doping control officers would need to be present and able to collect samples. The NCAA does not follow the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency. As an example, the world records set at the 2018 NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships were never ratified.