EUGENE, Ore. – East Carolina’s Sommer Knight concluded a strong season in the women’s pole vault with a third-place showing on Thursday during night two of the 2021 NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field. The reigning American champion in the event, Knight cleared 4.35m, 14-3.25 for a PR and first team All-America honors to pace all conference competitors on the opening day of women’s events.
 
The Houston women’s 4x100-meter relay entry of Brianne Bethel, Tristan Evelyn, Camille Rutherford and Samiyah Samuels clinched a spot in Saturday’s finals heat with a prelim time of 43.57 to take eighth place overall. The entry from South Florida of Zahria Allers-Liburd, Shaniya Benjamin, Gabrielle Desrosiers and Kadesha Prescott capped the season as second team All-America performers in 15th place with a time of 44.15.
 
Temple’s Emma Gee was the sole American representative in the women’s 3000-meter steeplechase, crossing the finish line with a time of 9:56.19. Gee earned honorable mention All-America accolades following the performance.
 
Rayniah Jones from UCF posted a qualifying time in the women’s 100-meter hurdle prelims, taking fifth place in 12.85 to earn a place in Saturday’s finals. SMU’s Jernaya Sharp pulled in honorable mention All-America recognition with a 20th-place time of 13.49.
 
Rutherford of Houston was The American leader in the women’s 100-meter dash, placing 10th with a time of 11.40 to close the season on the All-America second team. Fellow Cougar Bethel was 18th (11.49) and Cincinnati’s Caisja Chandler was 19th (11.57) as honorable mention All-Americans.
 
SMU’s Ashton Woods picked up a second team All-America scroll in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, crossing the line with a time of 58.33. Woods finished the year 16th in the nation with the championship prelim time.
 
USF’s Benjamin narrowly missed first team All-America in the women’s long jump, capturing second team plaudits with a 10th-place jump of 6.35m, 20-10.0. Houston’s Samuels picked up honorable mention All-America recognition in the long jump with a top attempt of 6.12m, 20-1.0 to finish in 18th place overall.
 
Mona Jaidi of Memphis finished 22nd in the women’s javelin after covering 49.27m, 161-7.0 on her top throw. Jaidi earned honorable mention All-America honors during the competition.
 
Cincinnati’s Chandler earned a spot on the All-America second team in the women’s 200-meter dash, finishing with a time of 23.26. Chandler capped the event 14th in the event’s final standings.
 
South Florida’s women’s 4x400-meter relay squad of Benjamin, Desrosiers, Jae’Nisa Heckstall and Patricija Roshofa posted an 18th-place time of 3:37.64. The SMU lineup of Annette Bolomboy, Chika Iwuamadi, Whitney Williams and Woods were 21st with a time of 3:39.21, and Houston’s Zarie Dumas, Bethel, Aliyah Taylor and Cecilia Tamayo-Garza finished 23rd by crossing with a time of 3:39.61. All three teams claimed honorable mention All-America recognition.
 
American Athletes At The NCAA Championships – Wednesday, June 9
 
Cincinnati
Damon Berthenet, Men’s Decathlon (DNF – injury)
Aaron Bienenfeld, Men’s 10000-Meter Run (17th, 28:33.05, Honorable Mention AA)
 
East Carolina
Ryan Davis, Men’s Hammer Throw (18th, 68.79m/225-8)
 
Houston
Men’s 4x100-Meter Relay (Booker, Collins, Hamberlin, Maswanganyi; Third, 38.84)*
Dayo Akindele, Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles (DNF)
Jordan Booker, Men’s 200-Meter Dash (13th, 20.71, Second Team AA)
Travis Collins, Men’s 100-Meter Dash (13th, 10.25, Second Team AA), 200-Meter Dash (16th, 20.77, Second Team AA)
Christian Hamberlin, Men’s 200-Meter Dash (20th, 20.89)
Quivell Jordan, Men’s 400-Meter Hurdles (ninth, 50.17)*
Shaun Maswanganyi, Men’s 100-Meter Dash (Fourth, 10.14)*, 200-Meter Dash (Third, 20.18)*
Benjamin Okafor, Men’s Long Jump (23rd, 7.18m/23-6.75, Honorable Mention AA)
Antonio Ruiz, Men’s Pole Vault (NH, Honorable Mention AA)
Christyan Sampy, Men’s Pole Vault (11th, 5.30m/17-4.50, Second Team AA)
 
South Florida
Duncan Agyemang, Men’s 400-Meter Hurdles (24th, 52.56, Honorable Mention AA)
Stone Baker, Men’s Pole Vault (NH, Honorable Mention AA)
 
Tulsa
Patrick Dever, Men’s 10000-Meter Run (NATIONAL CHAMPION, meet record 27:41.87, First Team AA)
 
Wichita State
Michael Bryan, Men’s Hammer Throw (12th, 70.08m/229-11, Second Team AA)
Antonio Norman, Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles (16th, 13.88, Second Team AA)
 
American Athletes At The NCAA Championships – Thursday, June 10
 
UCF
Rayniah Jones, Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles (Fifth, 12.85)**
 
Cincinnati
Caisja Chandler, Women’s 100-Meter Dash (19th, 11.57, Honorable Mention AA), Women’s 200-Meter Dash (14th, 23.26, Second Team AA)
 
East Carolina
Sommer Knight, Women’s Pole Vault (Third, 4.35m/14-3.25, First Team AA)
 
Houston
Women’s 4x100-Meter Relay (Bethel, Evelyn, Rutherford, Samuels; Eighth, 43.57)**
Women’s 4x400-Meter Relay (Bethel, Dumas, A. Taylor, Tamayo-Garza; 23rd, 3;39.61, Honorable Mention AA)
Brianne Bethel, Women’s 100-Meter Dash (18th, 11.49, Honorable Mention AA), Women’s 200-Meter Dash (DNS)
Mikaila Martin, Women’s Hammer Throw (12th, 66.08m/216-9.0, Second Team AA)
Camille Rutherford, Women’s 100-Meter Dash (10th, 11.40, Second Team AA)
Samiyah Samuels, Women’s Long Jump (18th, 6.12m/20-1.0, Honorable Mention AA)
 
Memphis
Mona Jaidi, Women’s Javelin (22nd, 49.27m/161-7.0, Honorable Mention AA)
 
South Florida
Women’s 4x100-Meter Relay (Allers-Liburd, Benjamin, Desrosiers, Prescott; 15th, 44.15, Second Team AA)
Women’s 4x400-Meter Relay (Benjamin, Desrosiers, Heckstall, Roshofa; 18th, 3:37.64, Honorable Mention AA)
Shaniya Benjamin, Women’s Long Jump (10th, 6.35m/20-10.0, Second Team AA)
 
SMU
Women’s 4x400-Meter Relay (Bolomboy, Iwuamadi, Williams, Woods; 21st, 3:39.21, Honorable Mention AA)
Jernaya Sharp, Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles (20th, 13.49, Honorable Mention AA)
Ashton Woods, Women’s 400-Meter Hurdles (16th, 58.33, Second Team AA)
 
Temple
Emma Gee, Women’s 3000-Meter Steeplechase (17th, 9:56.19, Honorable Mention AA)
 
American Athletes At The NCAA Championships – Friday, June 11
 
Houston
Men’s 4x100-Meter Relay (Booker, Collins, Hamberlin, Maswanganyi)
Quivell Jordan, Men’s 400-Meter Hurdles
Shaun Maswanganyi, Men’s 100-Meter Dash, 200-Meter Dash
 
Tulsa
Patrick Dever, Men’s 5000-Meter Run
 
American Athletes At The NCAA Championships – Saturday, June 12
 
UCF
Asherah Collins, Women’s Triple Jump
Rayniah Jones, Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles
 
Houston
Women’s 4x100-Meter Relay (Bethel, Evelyn, Rutherford, Samuels)
 
Cincinnati
Taylor Beard, Women’s High Jump
 
*-Qualified for the event final on Friday, June 11
**-Qualified for the event final on Saturday, June 12