New Balance Indoor Grand Prix Performance Sweeps Weekly Award

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

Readers’ Choice: USA Women

With 32.38 percent of the vote, the USA women’s distance medley relay team won our Readers’ Choice vote, beating Hannah Cunliffe of Oregon and her second-place tally of 27.87 percent.

The USA team in the DMR at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix planned to challenge the world record and they did not disappoint the fans. Their time of 10:40.31 took more than two seconds off the indoor world record, a mark set two years ago at the same meet.

Editors’ Choice: USA Women

Emma Coburn started the race off for the USA women on the 1,200-meter leg. The 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase handed off the baton in first, just ahead of the New Balance Europe team. Her split was 3:18.40.

Sydney McLaughlin was a big reason so many people paid attention to this race. The high school senior at Union Catholic NJ, and 2016 Olympian, ran the 400 leg of the relay. She extended the USA women’s lead with the fastest 400 split in the race at 52.32.

The last two DMR world-record teams have had one person in common: Brenda Martinez. Two years ago, she was the anchor that brought the baton home in 10:42.57, shattering the previous indoor record held by the University of Tennessee (10:50.98). This year she ran the third leg, running an 800 split of 2:01.94, closing the door on the other teams.

Jenny Simpson finished off the race with a fast 1,600 leg. The 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in the 1,500 ran alone the entire way, splitting 4:27.66. The New Balance Europe team finished nine seconds back.

Coburn has stated she is now getting ready to race the steeplechase outdoors. Given that it is a non-indoor world championship year, we may not see much more from Simpson or Martinez this winter. However, McLaughlin will be racing Olympic 400 champion Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas in the 300 meters Feb. 11 at the NYRR Millrose Games.