With Wilson’s Dennisha Page running the second leg, the Tennessee women ran the 3rd-fastest 400-meter relay in the world this year Saturday in Baton Rouge.
Jacious Sears, Page, Joella Loyd and Jonah Ross ran 42.98 at the Battle of the Bayoy at LSU’s Bernie Moore Stadium, breaking the Vols’ school record of 43.18 set by Tianna Madison, Courtney Champion, Toyin Olupona and Cleo Tyson at the 2005 NCAA Championships at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, Calif.
Their time is No. 1 in NCAA Division 1 this year and No. 1 time on the 2024 U.S. list.
The race was won by a team of world-class LSU alumni: 2022 world indoor 60-meter dash silver medalist Mikiah Brisco, 2021 Olympic 400-meter relay silver medalist Aleia Hobbs, 2020 U.S. Indoor Championships 60-meter dash finalist Shannon Ray and and former NCAA 200-meter dash record holder Nigerian Favour Ofili. That quartet ran a world No. 1 42.78 (although not eligible for record purposes since the runners are not all from the same country).
The only faster time on the 2024 world list belongs to an Australian national team that ran 42.94 in a meet at E.S. Marks Athletic Field in Sydney last weekend.
Page also tied her 200-meter dash PR of 23.08 with a legal wind – a 1.3 meters-per-second headwind, actually – and placed 2nd to Texas A&M’s Camryn Dickson, who won the race in 22.93. Their times are No. 4 and No. 8 in NCAA Division 1 this year. Page also ran 23.08 this past May at the Big Ten Championships as a junior at Rutgers. That 23.08 ranks her 7th in NCAA Division 1.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 