Norwegian athlete shines in anticipated matchup with 2019 Division 1 runner-up Carter, achieving best NCAA performance since 2016, along with becoming only sixth collegiate thrower to surpass 61-meter mark; Jamaican athletes Brown, Goule, Hamilton, Lawrence, Stona and Williams also victorious at two-day event

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The outdoor collegiate track and field season is only one month old and the recognition for most improved athlete in Division 1 might have already been determined.

Georgia senior Marie-Therese Obst, representing Norway, elevated to the No. 4 women’s javelin competitor in NCAA history Friday with a second-round throw of 201 feet (61.28m) at the Florida State Relays.

Obst, who hadn’t surpassed the 57-meter mark since 2014, entered the season with her best performance for the Bulldogs being 176-3 (53.73m) at the 2019 Florida Relays.

She then achieved a personal-best 194-11 (59.42m) in her March 19 opener at Georgia Tech to ascend to the No. 10 all-time collegiate competitor, before producing the best throw achieved in March in collegiate history following a first-round foul Friday.

Obst, who elevated to the No. 5 competitor in the world this year, is only the sixth female athlete in collegiate history to surpass the 200-foot mark at any point during the year, and her performance is the best by any NCAA thrower since former Texas A&M standout Maggie Malone won the 2016 Division 1 title with a collegiate-record 204-1 (62.19m).

Auburn senior Kylee Carter, the 2019 Division 1 runner-up, took runner-up with a second-round throw of 184-3 (56.17m), but Obst produced the top four throws in the competition.

Georgia sophomore Anna Hall, throwing in her first collegiate javelin competition, achieved a personal-best 148 feet (45.12m) on her opening-round attempt. Hall is scheduled to compete in her first collegiate heptathlon April 9-10 at home at the Spec Towns Invitational.

Several Jamaican athletes excelled in the field events, as well as on the track, with former Florida State star Kimberly Williams winning the women’s triple jump with a wind-aided effort of 47-8.50 (14.54m) in the fifth round. Florida junior Natricia Hooper produced the top collegiate mark to place second, jumping 44-8.75 (13.63m).

Shadae Lawrence, who competed collegiately at Colorado State and Kansas State, won the women’s discus with a sixth-round throw of 206-3 (62.88m).

Clemson sophomore Roje Stona triumphed in the men’s discus with a third-round throw of 199-8 (60.87m).

Florida senior Clayton Brown prevailed in the men’s triple jump with a wind-aided 54-4.50 (16.57m) performance in the first round.

Natoya Goule won the women’s 1,500 meters in 4:14.56, ahead of Clemson junior Laurie Barton in 4:18.56.

Rajay Hamilton, a former NAIA national champion at Wiley College in Texas, secured victory in the men’s 800 in 1:47.19, holding off Clemson senior Kameron Jones in 1:47.49.

German thrower Nils Fischer won the men’s javelin for Auburn with a fourth-round throw of 241-9 (73.69m), prevailing against fellow senior teammate Cade Antonucci and his 232-10 (70.97m) effort.

Tennessee freshman Rasheeme Griffith, representing Barbados, won the men’s 400 hurdles by clocking 50.61.

Although both men’s and women’s 100-meter races were wind-aided, the head-to-head matchups were still impressive, with Florida’s Joseph Fahnbulleh holding off Auburn’s Dante Brown by a 10.08 to 10.11 margin.

Tennessee senior Maia McCoy edged Clemson senior Rebekah Smith by an 11.26 to 11.28 margin. McCoy also prevailed Thursday in the 200 in 23.46.

Florida junior Taylor Manson ran 52.02 in the women’s 400, with Tennessee taking the top two spots in the men’s 400, led by sophomore Christopher Bailey (45.25) and freshman Emmanuel Bynum (45.96), who also contributed to a 4x400 victory for the Volunteers in 3:06.64.

Florida State junior Trey Cunningham was victorious in the men’s 110-meter hurdles in 13.51.

Tennessee junior Alexis Duncan edged Clemson senior Sidney Marshall in the women’s 100-meter hurdles by a 13.45 to 13.48 margin.

Tennessee redshirt freshman Vanessa Watson prevailed in the women’s 400-meter hurdles in 58.31.

Georgia junior Halle McClintock earned a victory in the women’s 800 in 2:09.15, with Clemson freshman Leah Disher placing second in 2:09.78.

Florida sophomore Trevor Foley won the men’s 1,500 in 3:47.20.

Clemson captured the women’s 4x100 relay in 44.50, with South Florida edging the Tigers by a 3:38.32 to 3:38.39 margin in the 4x400 relay.

In Thursday’s field-event competition, Florida freshman Claire Bryant – the runner-up at the Division 1 indoor final – edged Florida State senior Alonie Sutton in the women’s long jump, with both athletes producing their best marks in the third round.

Bryant achieved a leap of 21-1.50 (6.44m) to hold off Sutton, a Tennessee transfer, who produced a wind-aided mark of 21-1.25 (6.43m).

Tennessee junior Latavia Maines rallied in the final round of the women’s shot put, achieving a sixth-round mark of 58-2 (17.73m) to surpass former Florida All-American Lloydricia Cameron, who had taken the lead in the fifth round with a 57-4.25 (17.48m) effort.

Georgia senior Kayla Smith, runner-up at the Division 1 indoor final, won the women’s pole vault with a 13-11.25 (4.25m) clearance.

Sophomore Alencar Pereira won the men’s hammer throw for the Bulldogs with a fifth-round performance of 219-3 (66.83m) and senior Jonathan Tharaldsen also triumphed for Georgia in the men’s shot put with a mark of 65-7 (19.99m) in the third round.

Tennessee senior Nayoka Clunis, a Minnesota transfer, secured victory in the women’s hammer throw with a first-round mark of 196-10 (59.99m).

Florida State junior Jacore Irving prevailed in the men’s long jump with a wind-legal leap of 24-7.25 (7.50m) in the third round.

South Florida sophomore Stone Baker cleared 16-6.75 (5.05m) to win the men’s pole vault.

Both high jump finals Thursday were decided on tiebreakers counting fewer attempts, with Florida State senior Jordan Wesner edging Auburn sophomore Dontavious Hill and freshman TJ Funches after all three athletes cleared 6-11.50 (2.12m).

Senior Caroline Lawrence was victorious against Auburn freshman teammate after both competitors cleared 5-8.50 (1.74m).

Clemson senior Marcus Parker won the men’s 200 meters Thursday in 20.76.

North Florida sophomore Nathan Jubran, an NCAA Division 1 cross country finalist, won the men’s 5,000 in 14:21.30.

Florida State junior Jodie Judd, also a Division 1 cross country qualifier, earned the win in the women’s 5,000 in 16:57.96.