Hobbs becomes 13th female athlete in history to eclipse 7-second barrier in 60-meter dash, running fastest time by a U.S. competitor since 1999 with 6.98 effort; Steiner achieves 50.59 in 400 for best time ever by an American athlete in January and top global performance in first month since 2006

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Among a two-day schedule of exceptional efforts produced by a plethora of collegiate standouts at the Razorback Invitational, a pair of American professional stars delivered the most impressive performances Saturday at Randal Tyson Track Center.

Aleia Hobbs, a former collegiate record holder as well as an NCAA Division 1 champion and U.S. title holder during her LSU career, became the 13th female athlete in history to eclipse the 7-second barrier in the Open 60-meter dash final by clocking 6.98 seconds.

INTERVIEWS | RESULTS

Hobbs matched the No. 3 performance in U.S. indoor history and equaled the No. 9 all-time global competitor. She became the first American female athlete since 1999 to achieve a sub-7 effort, after running a previous-best 7.05 in the prelims.

Hobbs eclipsed the 2012 facility record of 7.02 established by Tianna Bartoletta by dominating a field that included former LSU teammate, close friend and reigning World Indoor silver medalist Mikiah Brisco, who placed second in 7.18.

Only Gail Devers and Marion Jones, who have both run 6.95, remain in front of Hobbs among American competitors.

Abby Steiner, a first-year Puma professional athlete who won the 2021 Division 1 indoor 200-meter title for Kentucky at Randal Tyson Track Center, edged adidas standout Shamier Little by a 50.59 to 50.64 margin in the women’s 400 meters.

Steiner, who ran 51.70 at the Rod McCravy Memorial meet Jan. 14 in Lexington, produced the fastest indoor performance ever by an American female athlete in January. She also achieved the best time by any global competitor in the opening month of the year since 2006.

Steiner, who smashed the 2012 meet record of 51.45 established by Sanya Richards-Ross, elevated to the No. 8 all-time U.S. indoor performer and ascended into the top 30 in the world.

Hobbs and Steiner are both scheduled to race Feb. 11 at the 115th Millrose Games at The Armory in New York. Steiner is pursuing the world all-time best in the 300 meters, a mark of 35.45 shared by Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas and Russia’s Irina Privalova.

Nicole Yeargin of Great Britain, a former USC standout, took third in 51.02 and reigning NCAA and U.S. champion Talitha Diggs of Florida finished fourth in a collegiate-leading 51.34.

Anna Hall, a first-year adidas professional athlete and defending U.S. heptathlon champion, ran a lifetime-best 51.45 to place fifth overall. Hall also ran a personal-best 8.20 to finish fourth in the women’s Open 60-meter hurdles.

Italy’s Emmanuel Ihemeje, who won the 2021 Division 1 indoor title for Oregon in Fayetteville, produced a world-leading effort in the triple jump with a third-round mark of 55-9 (16.99m). Iowa’s James Carter was the top collegiate competitor at 52-11.50 (16.14m).

Arkansas achieved a pair of world-leading marks, including a 45.09 performance in the men’s 400 from senior Christopher Bailey in his first indoor race in the event since 2019.

Bailey, who ascended to the No. 14 all-time collegiate indoor competitor, also ran a 45.03 leg to help the Razorbacks finish fourth in 3:04.42 in the 4x400 relay.

Florida’s Jacory Patterson, Emmanuel Bamidele, Robert Gregory and Ryan Willie won the 4x400 in a world-leading 3:04.11, with Willie anchoring for the Gators in 45.14.

Arkansas capped the meet with Amber Anning, Nickisha Pryce, Paris Peoples and Rosey Effiong winning the women’s 4x400 in a world-leading 3:26.40, also the No. 5 collegiate indoor performance in history.

The only quartet to ever run faster than the Razorbacks in January is the Russian lineup that produced the world indoor record 3:23.37 in 2006.

Amanda Fassold of Arkansas secured victory in the pole vault by equaling the collegiate lead of 14-7.25 (4.45m) by High Point’s Sydney Horn with a third-attempt clearance. It marked the first official indoor competition representing the Razorbacks for Fassold, who took runner-up in June at the Division 1 outdoor final in Oregon.

Ackera Nugent, a Jamaican athlete who captured the 2021 Division 1 title for Baylor in the 60-meter hurdles at Randal Tyson Track Center, broke the Arkansas program record by clocking 7.88. Nugent eclipsed the 2019 mark of 7.93 by Payton Chadwick.

Lauren Gregory followed her exceptional 4:29.89 split on the 1,600-meter anchor leg Friday in the distance medley relay by winning the women’s mile in 4:31.88, the second-fastest indoor performance in program history behind Krissy Gear’s 4:31.83 effort in 2021.

Stanford freshman Juliette Whittaker, who led off the victorious DMR with a 3:18.96 split on the 1,200-meter leg, was second to Gregory in 4:33.89.

Oregon State junior Kaylee Mitchell, who led off the DMR with a 3:19.05 split for 1,200 meters, won her mile section in 4:32.95, followed by BYU freshman Riley Chamberlain in 4:33.14.

LSU sophomore Michaela Rose won the women’s 800 in 2:01.66, along with contributing a 51.97 leg on the 4x400 relay for the Tigers, who placed fifth in 3:29.94. Rose became only the third collegiate female athlete in history to run sub-2:02 in January, joining Texas A&M’s Athing Mu and Oregon’s Raevyn Rogers.

BYU senior Casey Clinger eclipsed the 1985 program record in the men’s 3,000 meters, clocking 7:43.96 to hold off Stanford’s Cole Sprout in 7:44.50. Clinger took down the mark held by current BYU coach Ed Eyestone, who achieved a converted 3,000 time of 7:45.16 from his 8:23.16 2-mile performance in Texas.

After contributing to Oklahoma State’s DMR victory Friday in 9:29.08, teammates Fouad Messaoudi (3:54.98) and Ryan Schoppe (3:55.63) took the top two spots Saturday in the men’s mile, leading four Cowboys to sub-4 efforts.

Juan Diego Castro (3:58.15) was fifth overall and Alex Maier (3:58.31) secured sixth for Oklahoma State, which joined Oregon and Washington as the only men’s programs in NCAA history to have at least four athletes run sub-4 miles in the same race.

Arkansas sophomore Sydney Thorvaldson won the women’s 3,000 in 9:11.47, with BYU’s Aubrey Frentheway taking second in 9:13.10.

Trey Cunningham, a first-year adidas professional and the NCAA Division 1 60-meter hurdles champion during his final season at Florida State, won the race in 7.60.

Tonea Marshall, an LSU graduate and Nike professional competitor, prevailed in the women’s Open 60 hurdles in 7.95.

BYU sophomore Sebastian Fernandez won the men’s 800 in 1:47.63, with Iowa State’s Jason Gomez taking second in 1:47.97.

Florida’s PJ Austin edged Stanford’s Udodi Onwuzurike by a 6.58 to 6.63 margin in the men’s 60-meter dash. Zimbabwe’s Tinotenda Matiyenga won the men’s Open 60 final in 6.75.

Ole Miss senior McKenzie Long held off Florida State’s Dajaz Defrand by a 7.28 to 7.29 margin in the women’s 60-meter competition.

Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan, an Ole Miss freshman, won the weight throw with a 72-7.75 (22.14m) performance after taking third in the shot put at 64-8.75 (19.73m).

Jasmine Mitchell and Jalani Davis took the top two spots for Ole Miss in the women’s weight throw, following their sweep of first and second place Friday in the shot put.

Mitchell prevailed with a throw of 78-6.25 (23.93m) and Davis had a 75-6.25 (23.02m) effort.

Baylor junior Koi Johnson won the women’s triple jump with a personal-best 42-8 (13.00m) mark.

Will Daniels, a former Iowa standout, held off current Hawkeyes junior Peyton Haack in the men’s heptathlon.

Daniels emerged victorious with 6,018 points, with Haack achieving a lifetime-best 6,007 points after rallying from a 110-point deficit with two events remaining. Haack won the pole vault with a 16-4.75 (5.00m) clearance and ran 2:49.83 in the 1,000 meters to surpass the 6,000-point barrier for the first time in his career, completing his first indoor heptathlon since 2021.