Lawson, Brazier make history at Hayward Field

Florida men win third national title with 62 points

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

EUGENE -- Jarrion Lawson of Arkansas joined the great Jesse Owens by winning the three individual titles and Texas A&M freshman Donavan Brazier broke Jim Ryun's 50-year-old collegiate record in the 800 meters on Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field. 

Florida finished second in the 4x400 relay to secure the men's national championship -- the school's third title in five years. 

The Gators trailed Arkansas 56-54 going into the final event of the meet and needed just sixth or better to secure the national title. 

Edward Cheserek of Oregon won his 15th NCAA title (13th individually) by winning the 5,000 meters to complete his distance double and tie UTEP's Suleiman Nyambui for most career national championships overall. The Ducks won the last two titles but finished fourth this time with 48 points. 

Lawson's heroics -- winning the 100 and 200 after his victory in the long jump on Wednesday -- helped the Razorbacks to a runner-up finish. Lawson ran 10.22 to win the 100 and 20.19 to take the 200. 

Those victories were at least partly aided by an injury to LSU's top sprinter Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, who appeared to aggravate his leg after bringing the Tigers over the finish line with a win in the 4x100 relay. Blake jogged through the 100 to gain a point for his team and scratched the 200.

Lawson, however, was confident that he could win three titles.

"I came (here) expecting to win three events," Lawson said. "I know obviously it's hard, but I do all these events because I love to do them. I wanted to start off Wednesday with a win in the long jump and I knew that momentum would carry over."

Owens, competing for Ohio State, won four events at the NCAA Championships in both 1935 and 1936. 

"I can't believe I'm in the same sentence as Jesse Owens. It's just a privilege and honor," Lawson said.. 

Brazier, just one year out of high school in Michigan, broke the Hayward Field record in the 800 meters and ran 1:43.55 50 years to the day after Jim Ryun set the collegiate record with 1:44.3.

Brazier ran a sensational college debut of 1:45 indoors but then did dropped out of his prelim at NCAA Indoors. He did not return to even 1:45 until Wednesday's prelim at Hayward Field.

"My coach knows my potential and everything," he said. "I guess I didn't know it until today."

Brazier went around the outside of Mississippi State's Brandon McBride coming around the final turn and then slammed the door on the entire field with a blistering kick to the finish line. The young Aggie star had previously declared that he would focus on making the U.S. junior team rather than compete at the Olympic Trials, but at his award ceremony he said he would confer with his coach and reassess his goals. 

Cheserek was challenged by Sean McGorty of Stanford and Villanova's Patrick Tiernan. With 800 meters to go, Cheserek slowed the race down. And with 300 to go, he went into an all-out sprint that proved decisive to prevail in 13:25.59. 

In the 1,500 meters, Akron's Clayton Murphy outkicked Washington's Izaic Yorks and Virginia's Henry Wynne. Murphy finished in 3:36.38. 

In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Michigan's Mason Ferlic was the dominant figure throughout. He ran 8:27.16 and even though he tied up in the final 75 meters his lead was so big that he won it with room to spare. 

Devon Allen of Oregon returned to championship form and won the 110-meter hurdles. The 2014 champion underwent knee surgery following an injury on the football field in the fall of 2014 and missed the 2015 season. In the final, Allen got off to a solid start and took the lead by the second hurdle. His margin only grew from there and he ran 13.50 seconds into a slight headwind.

USC's Randall Cunningham Jr., the older brother of World Indoor Champion Vashti Cunningham, won the NCAA title in the high jump with a clearance over 7-4.50, which was a personal best, giving the Trojans their first championship in the event since 2006 and 11th overall. 

Florida senior Arman Hall, who was part of the last Gators title team, won the 400 meters in 44.82 seconds. The team then got a huge boost in the 400-meter hurdles when Eric Futch and T.J. Holmes went 1-2 in 48.91 and 49.31 for 18 big points.