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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — NCAA 200 meters record-holder Bianca Knight won the 300-meter dash Saturday at the Tyson Invitational.
Knight, who turned pro after setting the collegiate 200 meters record at 22.40 seconds while competing for Texas in 2008, won the 300 with a time of 36.25 seconds — .08 off Allyson Felix’s world record — at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
Knight said it was the first competitive 300 meters she’s ever run.
“As soon as it was over I started thinking of things I could’ve done to get that .08,” Knight said. “But there was no way to really know what pace I was on because I had never run it. “I guess I’ll just have to hope they run it again next year, and I can come back and get it.”
Arkansas alum Christin Wurth-Thomas, another Olympian, turned in the world’s fastest 3,000 meters this year, 8:43.79. That mark easily bested Kenyan Sally Kipyego’s 8:49.74.
Maurice Mitchell of Florida State highlighted the early action by posting the fastest 200 meters time of the day, 20.70 seconds. That’s the second-fastest time in NCAA competition this year, trailing only Alabama’s James Kirani, who ran a 20.58 on Jan. 21.
Other highlights included Kansas State’s Erik Kynard high-jumping 7 feet, 7 3/4 inches, the second-best jump by an American this year and third-best in the world. Kynard cleared that height on his first attempt and did not jump again.
Florida’s Will Claye’s triple jump was the best NCAA mark this year. Kimberly Williams of Florida State also turned in the best triple jump for a collegian woman this year, 45-5 3/4 .
The women’s 300 was one of the more anticipated events of the day despite a field of just four competitors. It included Knight and fellow pros Francena McCorory and Sharonda Williams, along with South Carolina’s Amber Allen.
McCorory won an indoor national championship in 2009, then repeated last year with an American record run of 50.54 seconds on this very track. Williams is a former Pac-10 conference champ.
Neither gave Knight much competition Saturday, though as Williams finished in 37.04 and McCorory in 37.09. Allen was fourth at 39.87.
“I liked it because I’m a strong 200 runner and I can sprint through the whole race, just working off my 200 strength,” Knight said.