AUBURN, Ala.—The 2020 Auburn indoor track season featured several outstanding performances including three school records and a total of 68 personal or collegiate best marks, including 30 from the men's roster and 38 on the women's side. It also saw the Auburn debut of nearly 20 newcomers.
Here's a meet-by-meet look back at the 2020 indoor seaon.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY SEASON OPENER (Dec. 7)
Auburn distance runner Joyce Kimeli shattered the Auburn indoor record at 5000m at the BU Season Opener, crossing in 15:37.82, 27 seconds faster than the previous mark held by Holly Knight. Kimeli broke the school record while finishing ninth in a race that featured some of the top 5000m times in collegiate history with three runners breaking the 15:15 barrier. Her time was an amazing 51 second improvement from her previous 5k indoor PR and 29 seconds better than her outdoor best at that distance. The race for Kimeli was a late addition to the schedule to allow her to compete against some of the nation's top distance runners.
BLAZER INVITATIONAL (Jan. 10)
Auburn opened the 2020 indoor season in Birmingham at the Blazer Invitational as 10 Tigers saw their first action in an Auburn uniform. Senior Natosha Jordan won the women's high jump (1.77m/5-9.75) and sophomore All-American Madi Malone took silver in the weight throw (21.33m/69-11.75) to lead the Auburn efforts. On the men's side, newcomer Brandon Smiley won bronze in the men's 300m dash (34.10), while sophomore transfer Christopher Grant ran 6.70 in the semis of the 60m making him the 10th fastest performer in school history. Junior Jen Dietrich (women's 500m) and Dontavious Hill (men's high jump) took home bronze medals.
VANDERBILT INVITE (Jan. 17-18)
Auburn posted 23 season best marks and nine personal bests during the two-day Vanderbilt Invitational against a very strong field of competition. Malone and Jordan again led the way for the Tiger women. Malone finished second in the weight throw with a toss of 21.21m/69-7. Jordan meanwhile established a new personal-best in the 60m hurdles, crossing in 8.67 to take sixth. Jordan also tied for third in the high jump (1.75m/5-8.75). On the men's side Grant was third in the 60m dash, while sophomore James Courson set a new PR in the pole vault, clearing 5.10m/16-8.75 to finish in fourth. Other Tigers that set PRs during the meet include Ryan Lee (800m) and Jason Reese (60m) on the men's side and Tylar Colbert (200m), Jen Dietrich (800m), Sarah Little (Long Jump) and Myra Mack (200m) on the women's team.
BOB POLLOCK INVITATIONAL (Jan. 24-25)
The Tigers took home three gold medals at the Bob Pollock Invitational, hosted by Clemson University. The Tigers' individual event winners included Madi Malone in the women's weight throw, Christopher Grant in the men's 60m and junior Tommy McDonough in the men's mile. Malone won with a season-best throw of 21.46m/70-05, the No. 3 performance in school history. Three Auburn freshman were also in the top eight in the event as Jocelynn Budwig (16.88m/55-04.75) was fifth, Danielle Gregory (16.45m/53-11.75) was sixth and Maura Huwalt (15.21m/49-11) was eighth. Grant won his first collegiate event after crossing in a season-best 6.66, narrowly defeating Florida State's Taylor Banks by four one thousandths of a second. McDonough won his first collegiate race, capturing the mile in 4:11.62, shattering his previous indoor PR by five seconds. The Hoover, Ala., native won at the tape, outdistancing Wake Forest sophomore Michael Moerk by .25 seconds. Brandon Smiley ran a tremendous 200m finishing second with an indoor personal best time of 21.02. The men's weight throw saw two PRs from Erik Ebel (19.25m/63-2) and Kyle Brown (18.91m/62-0.5) as they were the top two collegiate finishers in the event.
RAZORBACK INVITATIONAL (Jan. 31-Feb. 1)
Joyce Kimeli, competing in her first indoor mile of her career, broke the school record in the event to highlight the Tigers' showing at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. Kimeli crossed in 4:38.66 to break the previous mark of 4:39.84 set by Janet Trujillo in 1997. The 23-year old record was the oldest standing Auburn women's indoor record before the All-American Kimeli passed it. Malone won her second consecutive weight throw competition in as many weeks after posting the second longest mark in Auburn history to grab gold. Malone's throw of 21.92m/71-11 gave her gold as four of her six marks were top 10 throws ever at Auburn. On the men's side, Christopher Grant ran a collegiate-best 6.64 to claim silver in the 60m dash. Grant's time moved him into eighth place nationally. James Courson also claimed a second place, after recording a new personal best in the pole vault as the Hoover, Ala., native cleared 17 feet for the first time of his indoor career (5.20m/17-0.75).
TIGER PAW INVITATIONAL/HEMERY INVITATIONAL (Feb. 14-15)
Kimeli continued to put her stamp on the school record books in 2020 as she broke her third school record of the season, breaking the 3000m mark at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston. Kimeli crossed in 9:14.07, to break the time 9:19.91 set by Veronica Eder in 2017. Kimeli now holds the Auburn indoor records for the mile, 3000m and 5000m, times she has broken in just three races this season. Overall, it was a strong performance for the Tigers in their last regular season meet before the SEC Indoors where 21 personal bests were amassed by the rest of the team competed at the Tiger Paw Invite in Clemson, S.C. Madi Malone won silver in the women's weight throw (21.11m/69-3.25) Auburn distance was particularly impressive as nine personal-bests were established at Clemson including six at 800m and three in the mile. Tommy McDonough posted a new PR in the 800m (1:55.94) and also claimed fourth in the men's mile, while on the women's side, Abbey Zane was fifth in the mile as she PR'ed in both the mile and 800m. The men's distance medley relay of Jack Rogers, Ryan Lee, Evan Rogers and Andy Smith won bronze, crossing in 10:01.94.
SEC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (Feb. 28-29)
Joyce Kimeli finished second in the women's 3000m and Christopher Grant won bronze in the men's 60m dash to lead the Tigers at the 2020 Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships in College Station, Texas. Kimeli, who finished fifth in the 5000m the previous night, out-battled Georgia's Jessica Drop and Alabama's Mercy Chelangat over the last 600m to grab silver and finish in 9:15.63. Grant, who crossed in 6.70 seconds, was the third Auburn sprinter in the last four years to make the awards stand in the event. Other scorers for Auburn included: Madi Malone (women's weight throw, fourth), Kyle Brown (men's weight throw, fifth), Erik Ebek (men's weight throw, seventh), Dontavious Hill (men's high jump, tied eighth), Natosha Jordan (women's pentathlon, eighth), Jocelynn Budwig (women's shot put, eighth). Malone, who was the only competitor with five throws of 20 meters or further, missed the medal stand by .03m. Brown and Ebel became the first Auburn throws duo to score at the same conference indoor meet since 2007 when Cory Martin and Jacob Dunkleberger were first and second. Auburn athletes combined to record 16 personal bests during the championships. The Auburn women finished 11th in the team standings with 19 points, while the men scored 12.5 points, good for 12th place.
NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (Mar. 13-14)
Auburn's two qualifiers for the NCAA Indoor Championships, Kimeli and Malone both made it to Albuquerque, N.M., however were unable to compete as the championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States.
SCHOOL RECORDS
Women's Mile-Joyce Kimeli, 4:38.66 (February 1)
Women's 3000m-Joyce Kimeli, 9:14.07 (February 14)
Women's 5000m-Joyce Kimeli, 15:37.82 (December 7)
ALL-SEC
Joyce Kimeli, second-team (3000m)
NCAA QUALIFIERS
Joyce Kimeli, 5000m
Madi Malone, weight throw