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Best of DyeStat: Stories of 2022Published by
In A Busy 2022 Track Season, All Roads Seemed To End In Eugene By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor Any look back on the 2022 calendar year has to start with the first World Athletics Championships on U.S. soil, which occupied 10 fever-dream type days for track and field fans in and around Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Hayward Field saw many more important meets, including the Oregon Relays and OSAA state meet, but also NCAAs, the Pre Classic and the U.S. Championships, the U.S. U20 Championships and Nike Outdoor Nationals. Every meet was something new and little bit different and it made for a busy summer. Cross country season saw its most "normal" season since before the pandemic and the return of Nike Cross Nationals was a big reason why. It made for a busy November with live RunnerSpace broadcasts and blanket coverage of all the NXR regional meets. From start to finish, Erik Boal was on the road covering nearly everything. I was lucky to edit some incredible stories and superb meet coverage by Dave Devine, Marc Bloom, Mary Albl, Todd Grasley, Keenan Gray, Landon Negri, Elizabeth Carey, Brenna Cohoon and David Woods (!). Here is a look back at some of the top moments and stories of the year for DyeStat.com. January Jan. 1 - Hana Moll kicked off the new year with a junior class girls pole vault record - STORY | Two weeks later, Hana and twin sister Amanda crushed it again at the UCS Pole Vault Summit. - STORY Jan. 22 - High school phenom Will Sumner stepped up in a big way and smashed the HS record in the 600 meters. - STORY Jan. 29 - Florida's Jasmine Moore broke the collegiate indoor record in the women's triple jump. It was merely the beginning of a huge year for her. - STORY February Feb. 6 - Elly Henes enjoyed 3,000/Mile sweep on home track at Camel City Invite - STORY Feb. 7 - Marc Bloom wrote about how he keeps putting the miles in at age 75. It was the first of a bundle of stories Bloom wrote for DyeStat in 2022 and thankfully there are even more coming in 2023 - STORY Feb. 11 - Roisin Willis, Sophia Gorriaran crush the HS girls 800m record together in Boston - STORY Feb. 12 - Grant Fisher broke the American record in the indoor 5,000 meters with 12:53.73 to conclude a big weekend in Boston - STORY Feb. 18 - Jakob Ingrebrigtsen achieved his first world record with 3:30.60 indoor 1,500 meters - STORY March March 3 - Tempo Marking: Will Sumner Hits All The Right Notes, by Dave Devine - STORY March 8 - Running Issues: Five Ways To Level Men's and Women's Race Coverage - COLUMN by Elizabeth Carey March 14 - Texas men, Florida women win NCAA D1 Indoor titles - MEN | WOMEN March 13 - Purple Track Club leads assualt on relay records at New Balance Nationals Indoor - STORY March 13 - Kinetic (Saratoga Springs NY) girls leave lasting imprint at Nike Indoor Nationals - STORY March 17 - Marc Bloom recounts how music and athletics became vehicles to see beyond color lines in 1960s - STORY
April April 2 - Natalie Cook ran 15:25.93 to break the U.S. U20 record at Stanford - STORY April 4 - Title IX turns 50, but equality gap still persists, Column by Elizabeth Carey - STORY April 10 - Colin Sahlman (8:34) and Sadie Engelhardt (4:35.16, age 15 WR mile) were among the brightest stars at the Arcadia Invitational. STORY April 12 - Small-town standout Jeremiah Nubbe rises to top of high school discus, by Keenan Gray - STORY April 15 - Ayden Owens of Arkansas betters the NCAA decathlon record at Mt. SAC Relays - STORY April 21 - After long wait, Oregon high school teams get a chance to occupy new Hayward Field at Oregon Relays - STORY April 24 - Oregon sprint standouts Mia Brahe-Pedersen, Lily Jones leveled up again at the Oregon Relays - STORY May May 3 - Marc Bloom's story about traveling to the former Soviet Union to meet the great pole vaulter Sergey Bubka took on new meaning in the light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine earlier in the year. It was one of the best stories of the year. STORY May 19 - International experiences have helped Fiona Smith rise to to the top of D3 distrance running, wrote Mary Albl - STORY May 28 - Michael Norman's back-to-basics approach seemed to be paying off at the Prefontaine Classic, and his 43.60 was a sign of what was in store for his triumphant season. - STORY
June June 2 - Connor Burns made history in St. Louis, breaking the junior class mile record held by Jim Ryun with an outstanding 3:58.83. He wasn't even the fastest prep in the race. - STORY June 6 - Kyle Garland and Ayden Owens-Delerme share more than birth date and a home state; both seek global acclaim in decathlon, by Dave Devine - STORY June 10 - Joe Fahnbulleh's 100-200 sweep power Florida to the first of a pair of NCAA titles on the same weekend in Eugene. STORY June 12 - Anna Hall was one of several stalwarts who led the Florida Gators to a NCAA women's title - STORY June 15 - Fast distance races were the highlights at the Brooks PR Invite, including a sub-four mile for Simeon Birnbaum - STORY June 29 - A 1964 meet program reveals state of the sport nearly 60 years ago, by Marc Bloom - STORY July July 1 - Deadly Consequences - Fentanyl Overdoses Sparking a National Movement, by Dave Devine - STORY July 15 - Allyson Felix's 19th medal highlights first day of World Championships in Eugene - STORY July 17 - Three gold medals for the U.S. (Ryan Crouser, Katie Nageotte and Grant Holloway), but all anyone was talking about was Devon Allen's false start. - STORY July 22 - Matthew Maton's journey from racing, to the forest, and possibly back again included a trip out into the woods to watch him cut down trees - STORY July 22 - Sydney McLaughlin's brilliance was on display with her mind-bending performance for gold in the women's 400-meter hurdles and her fourth world record (50.68) - STORY July 23 - U.S. women, Canadian men put together flawless performances in 4x100 relays - STORY July 25 - As only he can, Mondo Duplantis capped the World Championships in Eugene with a show-stopping world record - STORY July 29 - For Oregon's track community, the World Championships is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - STORY
August Aug. 7 - Reflecting on 2002 World Juniors and how it changed track history, by Dave Devine - STORY Aug. 9 - The unlikley ascent of the first high school 7-foot high jumper was told in vivid long-form detail, by Marc Bloom - Part 1 | Part 2 Aug. 15 - Juliette Whittaker and Roisin Willis have been through a lot together as they enjoyed tremendous high school track careers, including a first chance to be U.S. teammates at the World U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia. They were also set to become college teammates at Stanford, wrote Mary Albl - STORY Aug. 21 - Yaroslava Mahuchikh continues to inspire war-torn Ukraine with European title in high jump - STORY
September Sept. 5 - Connor Burns charts his progress through a historic sub-four mile and looks ahead to the start of cross country season, by Dave Devine - STORY Sept. 7 - The Diamond League final was a prime opportunity for Joe Kovacs to unleash a monster throw, the third-farthest in world history, and remind eveyone that there is more than one king in the ring. - STORY Sept. 12 - Brenna Cohoon spoke to experts in the field of mental health to better understand the pressures and weight that college athletes carry. - STORY October Oct. 5 - The Run For All Times - Bill Leahy and Van Cortlandt Park's first sub-13, by Marc Bloom - STORY Oct. 6 - Ciara O'Shea was one of several athletes who adjusted on the fly when the Great American Cross Country Festival was canceled due to a hurricane and found success at the Nike XC Town Twilight meet in Indiana. STORY November Nov. 16 - The Battle to Get It All Back - The Lily Whalen story, by Dave Devine - STORY Nov. 19 - N.C. State, led by the tenacious Katelyn Tuohy, and Northern Arizona's men extended their dominance in NCAA Cross Country on the unforgiving hills at the Oklahoma State cross country course - Men | Women Nov. 26 - Irene Riggs blew the doors off the course record at Wake Med Soccer Complex to win the NXR Southeast title. - STORY Nov. 28 - Sophia Kennedy's emerging talent guided by famous father, wrote David Woods - STORY December Dec. 3 - After long wait, Saratoga Springs girls, Newbury Park boys return to top of the podium at Nike Cross Nationals - Girls | Boys Dec. 10 - Karrie Baloga, Kole Mathison win Champs Sports XC titles in San Diego - Girls | Boys Dec. 17 - David Woods offered a deep dive into the story of Futsum Zienasellassie and the peaks and valleys of his career. A debut marathon victory at the USATF Marathon Championships was a sign that his best runs may still be in front of him. STORY More news |