Nigerian triple jump record holder ascends to No. 2 all-time NCAA indoor performer at 46-10.25 (14.28m), becomes third athlete with multiple 14-meter jumps in same series, then adds 21-4.25 (6.51m) long jump; Mu elevates to No. 2 in 800 meters in World U-20 history at 2:01.07, with Steiner running 22.83 in 200

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Ruth Usoro achieved the best one-day double in the horizontal jumps in collegiate indoor history Saturday at the Texas Tech Corky Classic.

Usoro, a Texas Tech senior, set the Nigerian national record in the women’s triple jump and elevated to the No. 2 indoor performer in NCAA history on her first attempt of the season with an effort of 46 feet, 10.25 inches (14.28m).

On her only fair mark of the long jump competition, Usoro produced a third-round leap of 21-4.25 (6.51m).

Those combined marks equal a distance of 68 feet, 2.50 inches (20.79m).

Keturah Orji, an eight-time individual champion at Georgia in addition to being selected 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year and the Bowerman Award winner, had a long jump of 21-4.75 (6.52m) and triple jump of 46-10 (14.27m) during a two-day competition her senior year at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships at Texas A&M.

Although Orji’s marks also combine for 20.79 meters, her total distance is 68-2.75.

Pittsburgh’s Trecia Smith had a long jump of 21-10.25 (6.66m) and triple jump of 46-4 (14.12m) in the same day at the 1997 NCAA Indoor Championships for a total combined distance of 68-2.25 (20.78m).

Usoro, whose previous triple jump indoor best was 44-3.25 (13.49m) at the Red Raider Invitational last year, added a second-round attempt Saturday of 46-2 (14.07m).

She joined Orji, who still boasts eight of the top nine all-time collegiate indoor triple jump marks, and former Kansas long jump and triple jump national champion Andrea Geubelle as the only competitors in NCAA indoor history to achieve multiple 14-meter efforts in the same triple jump series.

Orji, the collegiate indoor triple jump record holder at 47-8 (14.53m) from the 2018 Clemson Invitational, accomplished the feat at least once a year from 2016-18, with Geubelle producing the rare double at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championships.

A pair of Texas A&M athletes enjoyed memorable season openers, including an exceptional collegiate debut from freshman Athing Mu, along with a rare jumping double from senior Tyra Gittens.

Mu ran the fastest 800-meter debut in NCAA history, clocking 2:01.07 to ascend to the No. 5 all-time collegiate indoor performer. Former national champion Jazmine Fray still holds the Texas A&M and collegiate indoor records at 2:00.69 from the 2017 Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational.

Mu also elevated to the No. 2 performer in World U-20 indoor history, trailing only Ethiopia’s Meskerem Legesse, who ran 2:01.03 in 2004 in Arkansas. Senior teammate Syaira Richardson also ran the fastest 400 in the country this year, clocking 52.92 to open her season.

Gittens produced a personal-best 21-8.75 (6.62m) on her first attempt in the long jump to edge teammate Deborah Acquah, who opened her series with a leap of 21-5.50 (6.54m). Gittens also won the high jump with a first-attempt clearance at 6 feet (1.83m).

Gittens joined former national champions Brittney Reese of Ole Miss and Akela Jones of Kansas State as the only jumpers in collegiate indoor history to long jump at least 21-8 (6.60m) and produce a 6-foot high jump clearance in the same day. Reese achieved the feat in 2008 and Jones did so multiple times in 2015.

Kentucky junior Abby Steiner, the world indoor 200-meter leader last year, picked up where she left off 320 days ago at the SEC Indoor Championships at Texas A&M.

Steiner ran 22.83 seconds Friday at the McCravy Green Invitational, the fastest indoor 200 performance by any female athlete this early in the season. Prior to this year, only France’s Christine Arron, who clocked 22.95 in 1998, had any female sprinter run sub-23 this early in the indoor schedule.

Steiner contributed Saturday to Kentucky running 3:35.52 in the 4x400 relay, a lineup that also included Megan Moss, Dajour Miles and Alexis Holmes.

That marks ranks second nationally only to Arkansas, which had Paris Peoples, Morgan Burks Magee, Shafiqua Maloney and Rosey Effiong clock 3:34.79 to close out its home opener.

Arkansas became only the fifth program in Division 1 history to run sub-3:35 in its season opener, joining Texas (3:33.80, 2016), Baylor (3:34.00, 2017), South Carolina (3:34.43, 2019) and Texas A&M (3:34.90, 2017).

Swedish standout Lisa Gunnarsson improved on her own LSU indoor pole vault record at the Purple Tiger Classic with a first-attempt clearance at 14-10 (4.52m) to elevate to the No. 12 all-time NCAA indoor competitor.

It marked the second-highest clearance in a season opener in collegiate indoor history, trailing only the 15-3.50 (4.66m) achieved last year by Washington’s Olivia Gruver.

Gunnarsson and former Virginia Tech teammate Rachel Baxter also joined an elite list Saturday by producing 14-foot clearances in their indoor openers all four years of their collegiate careers. Entering the season, only former Arkansas indoor and outdoor national champion Lexi Jacobus (2016-19) had achieved the feat.

Baxter cleared 14-2 (4.32m) to place second behind former Virginia All-American Bridget Guy-Williams, who matched Gunnarsson by producing a 14-10 clearance at the Virginia Tech Invitational.