Smith Defends Home Turf With Final Jump Of 22-7; Axelina Johannson Dominates Shot Put; Julie Fixen Comes Through In Pole Vault

By David Woods for DyeStat

AUSTIN, Texas – Next time we see these three together on the same long jump runway, it will have to be at an Olympics or World Championships.

And we might be seeing Ackelia Smith, 21; Alyssa Jones, 19, and Jasmine Moore, 22, jumping for medals for a decade.

Smith, already a world leader, needed a last attempt of 22 feet, 7 inches (6.88 meters) to take the title late Thursday night in the NCAA Division 1 Championships at her home Mike A. Myers Stadium.

“I was like, ‘This is my track. I’m not going to lose on it,’ “ she said.

INTERVIEWS

She overtook Jones, a Stanford freshman from Miami who set an American U20 record of 22-6.25 (6.86m) in the fourth round.

In third place at 21-10.25 (6.66m) was Moore, a native Texan concluding her Florida college career. She has the triple jump Saturday, but she won’t end a perfect 8-for-8 for the Gators over two years. She has twice swept long and triple jumps at indoor NCAAs and came here as defending outdoor champion in both.

Jones set a U20 American record of 22-1.50 (6.74m) in finishing fourth in indoor NCAAs at Albuquerque, N.M. She acknowledged another junior record was a goal.

“I’m only going to be 19 for this year. So I wanted to try to get that,” she said.

She did a bit of everything in high school – four individual titles at her Florida state meet last year – so might not confine herself to the long jump. She has been a 6-foot high jumper and last year clocked 23.49 in the 200 meters. Jones said the heptathlon is not out of the question.

“I like doing stuff. It would be fun to go out there and do a bunch of things,” Jones said.

Jones broke the record of 22-5 (6.83m) set by Maine high schooler Kate Hall in 2015, climbing to No. 8 on the all-time World U20 list.

Smith, a Jamaican, Moore and Jones rank 1-6-7 in the world this year. Smith jumped 23-2.75 (7.08m) in the Big 12 meet to rank No. 2 in collegiate history behind another Longhorn, Tara Davis-Woodhall, 23-5.25 (7.14m) in 2021.

Even before her last attempt, Smith endured pressure. After two long fouls, she needed a fair mark on her third attempt, and managed 20-10 (6.35m).

Her victory was part of a momentous night for the Longhorns, who set collegiate records in the women’s 4x100 relay (41.55) and decathlon (8,836 points by Leo Neugebauer).

“We feed off each others’ energy,” Smith said.

In other women’s field events:

Pole vault

Julie Fixsen vaulted a PB of 14-7.25 (4.45m) on her first attempt to become Virginia Tech’s first NCAA outdoor champion in the event after former teammate Rachel Baxter captured the indoor title last year at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Alabama. The sophomore beat Washington senior Nastassja Campbell, who cleared that bar on her third try.

“Even when I was a gymnast, I’ve always wanted to be a champion and a world champion,” Fixsen said. “This feels like a really good step 1 for me, and who knows what’s in the future?”

South Dakota’s Gennifer Hirata was third at 14-4.25 (4.40m), followed by five women all at 14-1.25 (4.30m).

Shot put

Nebraska sophomore Axelina Johannson was overwhelmingly dominant in denying Oregon’s Jorinde Van Klinken a three-peat in the shot put.

Johannson, the 23-year-old Swedish record holder, had the six longest throws, topped by a 63-3.25 (19.28m) in the final round.

“I think it’s the best series of my life,” she said. “Almost everything was 19 meters. I think I have a great throw in me. I didn’t really get it today, but it will come. I have a long summer.”

Johannson narrowly missed Adelaide Aquilla’s collegiate record of 64-5.25 (19.64m) when she threw 64-1.25 (19.54m) in the Big Ten meet.

Van Klinken, a Dutch thrower who represented Arizona State in 2021 and 2022, finished second at 60-7.75 (18.48m). She is the collegiate indoor record-holder.

UNLV’s Rosa Santana, of the Dominican Republic, was third at 60-3.25 (18.37m).  Another Dutch thrower, Florida freshman Alida Van Daalen, was fourth at 59-8.50 (18.20m).

Hammer throw

Stephanie Ratcliffe made it a Harvard sweep of the hammer, throwing an Australian record of 241-7/73.63m in the first round.

She followed Wednesday’s victory by British thrower Kenneth Ikeji, who won in the last round.

“It makes it so much more sweet to do it with someone else,” Ratcliffe said.

One other school – Virginia Tech with Alexander Ziegler and Dorotea Habazin in 2011 – has swept men’s and women’s hammer in the same year.

Auburn’s Madi Malone was second at 237-5 (72.37m) and Cal’s Anna Purchase, representing Great Britain, third at 234-5 (71.47m).

Ratcliffe, who climbed to No. 5 on the all-time collegiate list, completed an unbeaten season. She said the culture among throwers at Harvard has influenced her.

“They’re my teammates, but beyond that, they’re my best friends,” she said. “We spend every day together. Not just on the track, but off the track as well.”

Ratcliffe is Harvard’s fourth NCAA women’s champion. The others: Meredith Rainey, 800 meters, 1989; Brenda Taylor, 400 hurdles, 2001; Dora Dyorffy, high jump, 2001.

Ratcliffe is out of eligibility in the Ivy League and plans to take two more college seasons by transferring to Georgia.

Javelin throw

Nebraska’s Rhema Otabor won the javelin with a throw of 195-2 (59.49m), best by a collegian this year and No. 14 on the all-time college list. The 20-year-old Bahamian secured a NACAC bronze medal last year.

Nebraska became the first women’s program since Oklahoma in 2012 to win both javelin and shot put titles in the same year. Brittany Borman and Tia Brooks combined to achieve the feat for the Sooners.

Texas A&M sophomores Lianna Davidson (192-10/58.78m), representing Australia, and Katelyn Fairchild (190-2/57.97m) finished second and third, elevating to Nos. 19 and 25 in collegiate history.

Oddly, three schools – Nebraska, Texas A&M and Missouri – occupied all of the top six. Nebraska’s Maddie Harris was fourth, and Missouri teammates Skylar Ciccolini and Sophia Rivera were fifth and sixth.

National prep record-holder Madison Wiltrout of North Carolina was eighth at 180-7/55.04m.

Nebraska has had one other women’s javelin champion, Swiss thrower Denise Thiemard, in 1983.

Contract David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.