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Stan Becton | NCAA.com | May 30, 2022

The 8 best races from the 2022 women’s outdoor track and field season — so far

Texas' Julien Alfred runs 10.80 in 100m at 2022 NCAA West prelims

We're a little less than two weeks from the Division I outdoor track and field championships, but let's look back at some of the season's most exciting races before winners are crowned.

The 8 best races — so far

4x400 meter relay at the SEC Championship

Kentucky reset the record books in the 4x400 meter relay at the SEC Championship, finishing in 3:21.93 to set a new collegiate record. Karimah Davis, Dajour Miles, Abby Steiner and Alexis Holmes raced for the Wildcats, with Steiner and Holmes running sub-50 splits. If one record wasn't enough, Texas A&M and Arkansas also broke the previous record, finishing in 3:22.01 and 3:22.55, respectively.

COMPLETE COVERAGE: Everything you need to know for the DI outdoor track and field championships

200 meters at the SEC Championship

Earlier this year, I predicted that the 200 meters would be the race of the year. The event did not disappoint at the SEC Championship final as Bowerman candidates in LSU's Favour Ofili and Kentucky's Abby Steiner finished in the top two for the final. The race saw Ofili, the 200-meter record holder, go head-to-head with the indoor 200-meter record holder and champion.

With the stage set, the race didn't disappoint. Just three-thousandths of a second separated the elite women, with Ofili's 22.04-second finish winning the title.

100 meters at the Joe May Invitational

Ofili and Steiner raced earlier in the year in the 100 meters at the Joe May Invitational, again drawing national attention. This time, Steiner finished first, thanks to her remarkable closing speed. Steiner finished in 10.92 seconds; Ofili finished second in 11.00 seconds.

PRELIMS: Recapping the 2022 DI outdoor track and field east and west preliminaries results

100-meter hurdles at the Big 12 Championships

Everyone loves a photo finish in track and field. The 100-meter hurdles Big 12 championship was just that. Baylor's Ackera Nugent and Texas Tech's Demisha Roswell quickly distanced themselves from the rest of the competitors ahead of the final hurdle. As Nugent cleared the final hurdle with a "slight lead", Roswell used one last push to grab the title, winning in 12.44 seconds — the fourth-fastest time in NCAA history.

100-meter hurdles at the Tom Jones Memorial 

The 100-meter hurdle college finals at the Tom Jones Memorial meet held on Florida's campus did not disappoint. The top three finishers in the race finished within five-thousandths of a second of each other, with Florida's Grace Stark's 12.58-second finish beating LSU's Alia Armstrong (12.61) and North Carolina A&T's Paula Salmon (12.63). With the trio clearing the final hurdle almost simultaneously, the short hurdle sprint was exciting, start to finish.

400-meter hurdles at the Florida Relays

Florida's Anna Hall and Kentucky's Masai Russell had an exciting finish in the 400-meter hurdles at the Florida Relays. Hall led exiting the second-to-last hurdle, but was slowing down as Russell gained on her. When the two exited the final hurdle, it was neck and neck. In the end, Hall won in 55.35 seconds, with less than a tenth of a second separating her from Russell.

MORE: Here's how the outdoor track and field championships work

400-meter hurdles at Penn Relays

Penn Relays saw another exciting finish to the 400-meter hurdles as Howard's Jessica Wright pulled off the comeback to win the College Championship. Wright ran past South Carolina's Rachel Glenn in the final seconds to win the race in 57.33 seconds.

1500 meters at Penn Relays

Kennesaw State's Sarah Hendrick has been one of the best mid-distance runners all season long and proved it at Penn Relays. Hendrick used a final push down the home stretch to create separation for the win, taking home the College Championship in 4:16.68.

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