These are tough times for Christian Pulisic at Chelsea. The United States captain is fighting for his future at Stamford Bridge, but even on the rare occasion that he gets the chance to impress coach Thomas Tuchel, the odds appear to be stacked against him.

For the first time since Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard as manager in January, Pulisic was given a place in the starting XI of a Premier League match, for Chelsea's clash against Leeds United at Elland Road. It was only his second start in Tuchel's 12 games in charge and just as with his first -- a 1-0 win at Barnsley in the FA Cup -- the 22-year-old didn't last 90 minutes.

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At Barnsley, Pulisic was given 80 minutes against the Championship team on a heavy, muddy pitch at Oakwell and understandably struggled to stand out from the crowd. And against Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds, he was played out of position, having been tasked with a right-midfield role by Tuchel.

When he was substituted in the 68th minute of Saturday's 0-0 draw, Pulisic bore the expression of someone who was partly relieved to have been taken out of his misery and partly annoyed at having been asked to play on the opposite side of the pitch to where he is most effective. He was withdrawn having had just 42 touches of the ball -- 27 fewer than Ben Chilwell had on the other flank up to that point -- and he won just 20% of his one-on-ones.

Just 24 hours earlier, Tuchel had spoken of the need for Pulisic to be patient, describing him as an "important player who has the potential to be decisive for us." Tuchel should know, having been the man in charge at Borussia Dortmund when Pulisic made his debut for the German team as a 17-year-old. Indeed, Tuchel has admitted that his familiarity with Pulisic's strengths and weaknesses may be counting against him right now because he still recalls how useful he can be as a substitute, saying: "I know what impact he can have in the last 20 or 30 minutes." Tuchel also said of Pulisic prior to this game that "it is the moment to step up for him,' but the German did not make it easy for the forward.

Pulisic has been around the block too long to accept merely being considered a player who can change games from the bench. He showed his quality during the second half of last season, when he scored five goals in 11 games for Chelsea following football's post-lockdown restart, so he will find it difficult to accept being relegated to a bit-part player now.

Injuries have halted Pulisic's progress throughout this season, but he has been fit for the majority of Tuchel's time in charge and been involved in nine of the new manager's 12 games at the helm.

In total, he has clocked up 275 minutes on the pitch during Tuchel's 1,080 match-day minutes -- just over 25% -- so it has clearly been a challenge to make an impression when given such little time to make an impact. And that was evident at Elland Road, where Pulisic performed like a willing player, but one whose confidence is so fragile that he is unable to do anything beyond the bare minimum.

There were times when he could, and should, have gone past his marker Ezgjan Alioski, but instead chose to cut back and make a simple, and safe, pass. At the same time, Tuchel was barking orders from the touchline, telling Pulisic where to run, when to pass and, when the American failed to take notice, he would show his disapproval with exaggerated arm-waving and head-shaking. But that is Tuchel's style, and Pulisic is not the only Chelsea player to bear the brunt of his demanding personality. Only last month, Callum Hudson-Odoi had to endure being substituted as a substitute before being accused by Tuchel of not doing what was expected of him.

Yet by playing out of position on a poor pitch -- Elland Road's surface was only marginally better than Barnsley's -- Pulisic's battle to win over his new boss becomes so much harder.

What he needs is the chance to have an extended run in the team. Kai Havertz has been given the opportunity and the German is beginning to thrive after having such a difficult first few months as a Chelsea player. Perhaps Tuchel regards Havertz as the better long-term option and therefore worthy of the chance to play himself into form. Right now, Pulisic isn't getting the same chance and he won't succeed without time on the pitch, in his favoured position on the left, to remind people of what he can contribute.

Football is a game that moves on quickly, though, and Pulisic will have to consider his future if the remaining two months of the season follow a similar pattern of the odd few minutes here and there.

Those final two months are also big for Chelsea, with the club locked in a scrap for Champions League qualification. This draw at Leeds may have extended their unbeaten run to 13 games in all competitions, but so tight is the race for the top four that it could prove to be two costly dropped points with West Ham, Everton and Tottenham all able to go above Tuchel's team if they each win their two games in hand.

"We had enough chances to score," Tuchel said. "It was an OK game, but sometimes it is hard to score. We have to keep on working hard and be more precise in the opponents' box. It was not so nice to play and the pitch is not in good condition - this is a factor. But we need to be more clinical."

Tuchel and Chelsea need all of their forwards to contribute more, in terms of goals and assists, so there is hope yet for Pulisic. If he can rediscover his form, he still has the ability to make a crucial difference.

West Indies' lead selector Roger Harper has insisted that Jason Holder remains an "integral part" of the Test side despite losing the captaincy after five-and-a-half years in the role.

Kraigg Brathwaite, who led the side to a 2-0 series win in Bangladesh last month after Holder opted out of the tour due to fatigue and concerns about the Covid-19 protocols in place, was unveiled as full-time captain on Thursday ahead of the series against Sri Lanka, which starts on March 21.

While Holder won widespread praise for his leadership off the field and navigated West Indies' Test side through some choppy waters, he had lost four Tests in a row as captain - two in England, two in New Zealand - and Harper said that the series win in Bangladesh had offered a clear blueprint as to how the team could move forward.

"We must appreciate what Jason has done as captain," Harper said. "He came in at a very young age, took the captaincy at a time when the team was a little unsettled, and he grew with the job and performed creditably. He's had his moments of success and he has grown as a player as well to become the leading allrounder in the world.

"I really think that Jason is a very integral part of the Test team and West Indies cricket going forwards. He plays all three formats and I think it's an opportunity for him to really focus on taking his game to higher levels. I think that with him at his best and with Kraigg given the captaincy, it's an opportunity for the team to move forwards.

"I look forward to him performing exceptionally well in his role as a player and still as a leader as one of the senior players in this team. It was great to hear him say that he's committed to giving Kraigg all the support needed and hearing the new captain saying that they have a very close relationship. I think that augurs very well for West Indies cricket going forward."

Brathwaite had been replaced as vice-captain by Roston Chase in November ahead of the series in New Zealand, with Harper asking him to focus on his batting, but he explained that Brathwaite's form in Bangladesh had given the selectors belief that he was back to his best.

"Sometimes a few months can be a very long time," Harper said. "Bangladesh really opened our eyes to a number of things. What we saw was a team playing with passion, playing with determination, rallying around each other, great teamwork, and showing a great desire to succeed. Kraigg played a major part in that.

"We also saw Kraigg's batting returning to the sort of form that we expect and look forward to. He handled the responsibility very well and I expect big scores to come from Kraigg in the very near future. [In] areas where we thought there was a need for improvement, we saw exactly the sort of effort and spirit and the birth of a culture that we would really like to see go forward and develop and be instilled. "

Brathwaite himself said that he saw the captaincy as an opportunity to continue leading from the front, and that having first led Barbados in first-class cricket at the age of 21, he was ready to embrace the challenge of the Test role.

"Captaining Barbados for the first time at a young age was a challenge and I look forward to challenges," he said. "As an opener, I always see myself as a leader. When I go out to bat I'm a batsman not a captain, but I will continue to lead. It will help me to dig deeper.

"It's just a continuing of what we did in Bangladesh. I thought the attitude we showed in practice sessions and on the field was key so for me as a leader, I want to lead from the front and for us to keep the same attitude."

Harper also explained that the omission of Chase and Shimron Hetmyer from the squad owed much to the success of Nkrumah Bonner and Kyle Mayers in the middle order during the series in Bangladesh.

"All players are considered and we had a lot of discussion around Roston Chase," he said. "When we looked at the performances of the team and the players in Bangladesh, some of those players performed exceptionally well and more or less grabbed the spots that they had and grabbed a place in the squad for this series. Players had to miss out, and Roston Chase was one of them.

"I really think that Shimron has the ability to be one of the best batsmen in the world in all formats of the game. As far as Test cricket is concerned, he's been absent for a while and hasn't played regional four-day cricket for a while, so he needs to get some matches under his belt and show what he can do. He's still in the forefront of our minds but we're waiting for him to display the sort of passion and the sort of consistent performance that we're looking for."

Big picture

The emphatic style of England's victory in the first match is what resonates most and India need to find a rapid response. That the hosts never recovered from 22 for 3 - their second-lowest powerplay score in T20Is - was key. It left them with an indefensible total of just 124 for 7, England's top order mowing down the paltry target with ease.

Having put their faith in an aggressive batting strategy, it falls to India's batsmen to remedy the situation. Yes, Shreyas Iyer top-scored with 67 but failures at the top of the order and an extended tail meant the plan didn't come off this time. By contrast, everything England tried worked first time, from opening the bowling with sole spinner Adil Rashid to pummelling India with pace and bounce via Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Chris Jordan. Then the 72-run stand between Jos Buttler and Jason Roy, whose 49 saw him pass 20 for the first time in five T20I innings, broke the back of the chase. It meant that India's selection of three spinners in contrast to England's one became a moot point.

Eoin Morgan acknowledged that his side expects to come under pressure during this series between the No. 1 and No. 2 sides in the world, but the quality of England's full-strength side means he has back-up plans aplenty. Like England, India have the personnel. It's a case of whether they can execute better this time to avoid conceding a 2-0 lead in this five-match series.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

England WWWWL
India LLWWW

In the spotlight

Virat Kohli said that Rohit Sharma would be rested for the early part of this series, which suggests they will persist with Shikhar Dhawan. But does the risk of going 0-2 down prompt an early recall for Sharma? India's top-order failure in the first match does not by any means fall at Dhawan's feet - their top three combined for just five runs while Kohli fell for his second straight international duck and KL Rahul made just one. However, with Sharma India's first-choice opener alongside Rahul, Dhawan has arguably a more limited window in which to produce the kind of knock India need.

It's near impossible to pick holes in an England side which won so comprehensively with bowlers and batsmen alike performing. To be critical would perhaps be to draw attention to the question of how they get the most from Ben Stokes in this format. His 1 for 25 at an economy rate of 8.33 made him England's most expensive bowler in the first game, although he was hardly costly, and the fact he wasn't required to bat is further testament to the strength of England's performance. But there's a sense that a batting average of 18.84 and bowling average of 37.41 simply belie Stokes' calibre and it feels as though at the moment he forms part of the "Plan B or C" that Morgan was grateful his side didn't need to resort to in the series opener.

Team news

England could be reluctant to tinker with a side which won the first match so comprehensively. Morgan said the likes of Reece Topley and Tom Curran were unlucky to miss out on selection but it appears the most likely change would come if the pitch looks particularly slow, in which case Moeen Ali could come in as a second spinner, possibly at the expense of Sam Curran.

England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Jonny Bairstow, 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Eoin Morgan (capt), 7 Sam Curran, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood

India could be accused of going too spin-heavy in the first match given the success of England's seamers so they may opt for more pace, possibly bringing in Navdeep Saini for Washington Sundar or Axar Patel. With both spinners offering valuable depth to the batting line-up and India unlikely to dispense with their 'go hard or go home' approach one match in, the choice is more complex than a simple 'need for speed'.

India (possible): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Shardul Thakur, 8 Washington Sundar/Navdeep Saini, 9 Axar Patel, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

With an array of pitches available at the vast Narendra Modi Stadium, there's every chance the second match will be played on a pitch other than the two-paced surface of the first match, on which the spinners were able to extract wickets but England's seamers dominated with pace and bounce. With a scorching day of 38 degrees Celsius forecast and low humidity, it looks like still being very warm and dry when play commences in the evening.

Stats and trivia

• England have won their last five away T20I series and eight of their last 10 T20I series overall.
• KL Rahul fell to Jofra Archer for the first time in T20s in the opening match. He has scored 89 runs off 61 balls vs Archer in T20s with 11 fours and three sixes.
• Yuzvendra Chahal has conceded 82 sixes in 46 T20Is. Only Tim Southee (90 sixes in 78 innings) has conceded more.
• Virat Kohli needs 72 more runs to become first man to 3000 T20I runs

Quotes

"It's nice to get the big players out early doors to keep the crowd quiet. It was nice to get him out very early. If you get a wicket early doors, or if you're batting and hit some sixes or fours, the crowd goes quiet [and] you can actually hear yourselves talk to each other. That's not something you can generally do in India... especially if India are going well or taking wickets."
Adil Rashid on dismissing Kohli in the third over

"We have come with a plan and we need to execute it as much as possible. Going into the World Cup, we need to see to it that we have ticked all the boxes. We have to try this as much as possible."
Shreyas Iyer on India's desire to test their aggressive batting approach with an even bigger stage in mind

Ten years have passed since Adil Rashid's first incarnation as an opening bowler in T20 cricket. As a fresh-faced 22-year-old, he formed part of a three-pronged South Australia attack in the final season of the state-based Big Bash alongside Aaron O'Brien and Nathan Lyon and was thrown the new ball in the last few games of the tournament.

"I'm going to go back to Yorkshire and tell them all about this," Rashid told the Guardian at the time. "We're encouraged to take the pace off the ball and to mix up our deliveries, so I bowl legbreaks, googlies, sliders, the lot - anything to avoid being predictable."

True to his word, Rashid returned to county cricket and was entrusted with bowling the first over in the Friends Life T20 in 2011. But after some initial success - he took 13 wickets in Yorkshire's first five games - the wickets dried up, and he was taken to pieces by Andrew McDonald towards the end of the group stage. One last try in the role followed for South Australia in the 2011-12 Champions League, but as he developed into a canny middle-overs operator over the next few years, it seemed like that would be the final time in his career that he would be seen bowling the first over.

That was, at least, until Friday night. With England struggling for powerplay wickets in their recent T20I outings and India's middle order particularly strong against spin, Eoin Morgan threw Rashid the new ball under the Ahmedabad floodlights. Perhaps the move had been pre-planned in the expectation that India would field an exclusively right-handed top four, but with Shikhar Dhawan picked ahead of the rested Rohit Sharma, Rashid managed to cramp the left-hander for room as he went through his repertoire of variations and landed the ball on a good length in a first over which cost only two runs.

In his second, Rashid delivered the key wicket. As Virat Kohli backed away to the leg side, Rashid followed him with a flat length ball, pushed through a fraction quicker than usual at 55.7mph/89.7kph towards the top of leg stump. Kohli's bat turned in his hand, and he failed to clear Chris Jordan at mid-off. Rashid returned to bowl the 11th, finishing with impressive figures of 1 for 14 from his three overs.

Ball-tracking data suggests that Rashid extracted only limited turn off the pitch, but his subtle changes of pace and the two-paced nature of the surface meant that India were unable to go after him. While Rashid generally spins the ball sharply, his method on Friday night evoked that of Samuel Badree, the only legspinner to have made a success of bowling the first over of T20 internationals on a consistent basis and a two-time World T20 winner with West Indies.

"It's completely different bowling with the new ball, [with only] two fielders out," Rashid said on Saturday. "You've got to be clever in that sense. It's been 10 years and I've not actually opened the bowling for anybody [in that time]. It's a different experience now but it's something I'll definitely cherish and I'll keep in my armoury as well.

"You've got to be a bit more focused in that sense because you know you've only got two fielders out, and the batsmen will be coming a lot harder as well when they know there's a lot more scoring options. But in terms of my game plan, it's very similar whether it's first six or middle."

England will hope that the move allows them to be increasingly specific with their bowling plans ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year, looking to exploit the weaknesses of opposition batting line-ups. The experience of bowling with the new ball for the first time in a decade should mean Rashid is comfortable providing an option against teams with openers perceived to be vulnerable against spin, allowing Morgan to use his quicks - and Mark Wood in particular - as shock bowlers in the middle overs. Against teams with several left-handers in the top order, Moeen Ali may be brought in to bowl his offspin with Rashid reverting to his standard middle-overs role.

Having largely bowled in outside of the powerplay in his T20I career, Rashid stressed that he was keen to contribute in all three phases of the game - "first six overs, middle, or death" - and said that he had been practising with Jason Roy in the build-up to the first match of the series to prepare for his new role. Morgan has shown his willingness to using him at the death in 50-over cricket - gambling on him in the 50th over of an ODI against Australia last year, for example - and Rashid said that the backing of his captain was particularly important in his success.

"It was good practice for both of us: him [Roy] batting up top, me bowling with the new ball," Rashid said. "[We were] communicating and helping one another - what pace I'm bowling, and what areas he's looking to hit. For myself, it was more of me bowling with the new ball, and giving him confidence facing a spinner with the new ball.

"[Morgan's] biggest strength is his emotion, [in that] he doesn't really show emotion. If things are not going well for the team or a bowler or a batsman, you will never see him down, waving his hands around, or if they're going really well, you won't see him really excited. Being level-headed is a big factor, and stands out with him as a leader."

But if he can pull off his plan to remodel Rashid as a viable new-ball option, it may be hard for Morgan to contain his excitement.

Ireland Wolves' tour of Bangladesh has been reduced by three days, with the second T20 match that was scheduled being cancelled on account of Covid-19 related restrictions in Ireland about their transit country on the flight back home.

The Wolves have already played one unofficial Test and four unofficial one-dayers against the Bangladesh Emerging Team. They will play the fifth and final ODI in Dhaka on Sunday, and a solitary T20 match on March 16, following which the Wolves will fly back home.

Cricket Ireland said in a statement that both boards had agreed to the change in the itinerary, which originally had two T20 matches scheduled for March 17 and 18. The change was brought about because the team will have to reroute their return flight that was originally transiting through the UAE, and fly back home via a different country. With the UAE being a Category 2 'red list' country as per Ireland, even transiting through would force the squad into a two-week hotel quarantine.

Richard Holdsworth, Cricket Ireland's High Performance director, said the Irish authorities had intimated the board of the quarantine regulations,.

"While unfortunate that we will be sacrificing one T20, Irish authorities have advised that extensions of quarantining regulations for in-bound passengers to Ireland flying through Category 2 'red list' countries mean a compulsory 14-day hotel quarantine," Holdsworth said. "As our route home was via the UAE, that would mean our squad would be caught up under these regulations - regardless of whether we were stopping over or simply transiting through - so we have had to re-route the players home via another country not on the red-list.

"We have always said that the mental and physical health and welfare of our squads are our first priority, so avoiding a 14-day hotel quarantine was essential. Given the rigorous bubble conditions these players have already abided by over the last four weeks, the fact that some of the squad would have experienced similar bio-bubbles in the UAE not so long ago, and the possibility that countries could be added to the red-list at any time, we considered the sacrifice of one T20 a reasonable compromise in order to get the squad home as quickly as possible, via a non-category 2 country."

"We have always said that the mental and physical health and welfare of our squads are our first priority, so avoiding a 14-day hotel quarantine was essential."

Richard Holdsworth, Cricket Ireland

Last month, the Pakistan women's tour of Zimbabwe was cut short after its carrier, Emirates, announced it was suspending the Harare-Dubai route.

The Wolves' tour of Bangladesh has already had the first one-dayer called off after Ruhan Pretorius was found Covid positive during the game in Chattogram. He was found to be negative within two days, after which the third game was delayed by two hours when one of Ireland's local support staff was found Covid positive.

Michigan Wolverines senior Isaiah Livers is out indefinitely with a stress injury to his right foot, the school announced Saturday morning.

Livers underwent an MRI after Michigan's 79-66 win over Maryland in the Big Ten basketball tournament quarterfinals Friday. Livers will wear a protective boot while he begins rehabbing.

Livers, a 6-foot-7 wing, has started all 23 games for Michigan this season. He was averaging 13.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists and shooting 43.1% from 3-point range.

Livers battled injuries last season as a junior but opted to return to Ann Arbor for his senior season. Over the past two seasons, the Wolverines are 33-9 with a fully healthy Livers and 6-6 when he was out or left a game early due to injury. All 12 games without him came last season.

With Livers playing only 15 minutes against Maryland, former Wake Forest transfer Chaundee Brown saw an increased role on the wing. Brown scored 10 points and made two 3-pointers off the bench. He is averaging 7.9 points and shooting 39.7% from 3-point range.

Michigan, ranked No. 4 in this week's AP poll and in line for a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament, faces Ohio State in the Big Ten semifinals Saturday. The Wolverines are 20-3.

Tennessee forward John Fulkerson is out for the rest of the SEC tournament because of facial injuries suffered in Friday's win over Florida, the school announced.

Fulkerson left Friday's game after receiving two elbows to the head from Florida's Omar Payne, who was ejected.

"That was a dirty play," Tennessee forward Yves Pons told reporters on Friday. "That is nothing to do on a basketball court. Of course, we took it personally. We love John. We play for him. We had his back."

Fulkerson, a 6-foot-9 senior who has started 55 games over the past two seasons, is averaging 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds this season. He had 14 points and seven rebounds against Florida in the regular-season finale, and had eight points in 19 minutes against the Gators on Friday.

Rick Barnes could opt to go with a smaller lineup against Alabama on Saturday, with sophomore guard Josiah-Jordan James potentially stepping in for Fulkerson. James played 30 minutes against Florida on Friday, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists off the bench.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has a bone bruise on his left knee and will be reevaluated in two weeks, the team announced Saturday.

An MRI overnight revealed no structural damage to the knee that Embiid hyperextended in a victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night, sources said. Embiid underwent the MRI immediately after returning to Philadelphia late on Friday night, sources said.

Embiid's ACL and meniscus are fine, sources said, and there's significant relief within the Sixers that the injury isn't something much worse.

Embiid left Friday night's game when he hyperextended his left knee after landing with all his weight on his leg after a dunk in the third quarter.

Embiid was in the midst of the latest dominant performance of his MVP-caliber season, scoring 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting to go along with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in 20 minutes, when he caught a pass from Tobias Harris and flew in for a dunk to give Philadelphia an 80-60 lead with 6 minutes, 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

But as Embiid went down after the dunk, his full body weight landed on that left leg -- causing it to hyperextend, sending him falling to the court and causing him to writhe around in pain.

After staying down for a few minutes, Embiid eventually got to his feet and walked off under his own power -- though with a fairly pronounced limp -- as he went straight back to the visitors locker room inside Washington's Capital One Arena.

Embiid had a similarly scary situation last month when he hyperextended his right knee in an awkward fall against the Portland Trail Blazers after blocking an Enes Kanter layup. In that game, Embiid returned a few minutes later and dominated, scoring 31 first-half points in a matchup Philadelphia eventually lost.

The Sixers had just gotten Embiid back Friday night after both he and Ben Simmons missed Thursday's win in Chicago over the Bulls -- as well as Sunday's All-Star Game in Atlanta -- because of contact tracing stemming from a barber both stars visited before heading to Atlanta.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.

I have been making the rounds from my home in Atlanta for the past three weeks to watch high school and college games with the 2021 MLB draft now four months away. It's not time to update my initial ranking of the top 50 prospects for this summer's draft just yet, but there are plenty of players making their way up (and down) the first round from what I have seen in my first in-person looks of the season.

Texas athlete’s result highlights the women’s performances on day two of the NCAA Championships

Tara Davis won the world youth title six years ago and is still only aged 21 but she made a huge step forward in winning a high quality long jump to suddenly add her name to a very crowded list of Olympic contenders in her event.

Going into the competition with a 6.68m indoor PB, she started with a 6.57m opener before setting a PB 6.71m in the second round to take the lead before exploding to a 6.93m in the third round to sew up the gold but also set a world lead and collegiate and championships record.

This is how Tara Davis broke the long-standing collegiate record of 6.91m shared by Elva Goulbourne and Whitney Gibson. pic.twitter.com/Ll3Y6CoM6O https://t.co/7MvGwUTvjY

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) March 13, 2021

Claire Bryant was second with 6.70m just ahead of Tyra Gittens’ 6.68m.

Gittens had earlier followed up day’s one pentathlon victory with a 1.90m winning leap in the high jump.

Her Texas A&M lead the standings at the halfway stage with all their points scored by the Trinidad and Tobago athlete!

Sweden’s former European junior champion Lisa Gunnarsson set a PB 4.56m to win the pole vault by a clear margin.

Adelaide Aquilla was the day’s other field winner as she took the shot title with a 18.12m throw.

World Junior 100m silver medallist Twanisha Terry set a PB in winning her 60m heat in a fast 7.09 to be quickest qualifier.

The highly talented Athing Mu, who recently broke Keely Hodgkinson’s world junior 800m record, will be hoping for an under-20 400m record in Saturday’s final after she won her heat in 51.02, well over half a second faster than any of the other qualifiers.

Mu’s 200m splits were 24.14 and 26.88.

European Junior 400m silver medallist Amber Anning was fifth fastest overall and made the finals with a 52.03 clocking after a fast 23.96 halfway split as Talitha Diggs narrowly beat her in the heat in 51.91.

Fellow Briton Nicole Yeargin did not qualify with a 52.81 after a 24.39 200m split.

Briton Ellie Leather just missed out on making the mile final by five hundredths of a second despite a 4:41.78 PB and running the fastest final 200m of the race in 31.27 as she finished fifth in her heat. Krissy Gear front ran to victory in the heat in 4:40.92 though Sage Hurta won the second heat in a faster 4:37.04.

Abby Steiner, who has run a 22.41 this winter in winning the SEC Championships, was the quickest of the 200m runners in 22.62.

Chanel Brissett was fastest in the 60m hurdles heats with a time of 8.04.

The women’s 5000m final was a disappointing slow tactical affair with nine athletes together at 4000m in 12:51.01 and a last kilometre barely inside three minutes giving a victory to Aubern’s Kenyan Joyce Kimeli with a time of 15:48.98.

Less than a second covered the eight 800m qualifiers with Claire Seymour narrowly the fastest with 2:03.97.

In the  distance medley Arkansas led the opening leg with a 3:20.01 1200m through Lauren Gregory but Brigham Young took command after a 52.41 400m from Alena Ellsworth and 2:05.74 800m from Lauren Ellsworth while a 4:32.90 1600m from Courtney Wayment gave them a four second victory in 10:52.96.

The quickest 800m split was by Ole Missori’s Sintayehu Vissa (2:05.37) while the quickest 1600m was from Alamis Tyynismaa with 4:31.11 though her Alabama team were disqualified.

Women:
60
ht 1
1 Kiara Grant JAM NorfolkSt 7.11Q
2 Joella Lloyd ANT Tennessee 7.17Q
3 Tamara Clark Alabama 7.18q
4 Halle Hazzard GRN Virginia 7.23q
5 Kynnedy Flannel Texas 7.26
6 Jayla Kirkland FloridaSt 7.28
7 Amira Young Minnesota 7.32
– Julien Alfred LCA Texas dns
ht 2
1 TeeTee Terry USC 7.09Q
2 Kemba Nelson JAM Oregon 7.13Q
3 Jada Baylark Arkansas 7.15q
4 Alfreda Steele Miami 7.23q
5 Semira Killebrew Florida 7.26
6 Brianna Duncan Oregon 7.30
7 Kevona Davis JAM Texas 7.36
8 Abby Steiner Kentucky 7.38

200
ht 1
1 Abby Steiner Kentucky 22.62q
2 Anavia Battle OhioSt 22.90q
3 Delecia McDuffie NC A&T 22.94q
4 Trishauna Hemmings JAM Clemson 23.59
ht 2
1 Kynnedy Flannel Texas 22.93q
2 Kevona Davis JAM Texas 23.22
3 Jayla Hollis Arkansas 23.65
4 Dajour Miles Kentucky 23.76
ht 3
1 Tamara Clark Alabama 22.77q
2 Jada Baylark Arkansas 23.27
3 Laila Owens TexasA&M 23.52
– Jania Martin TexasA&M dq
ht 4
1 TeeTee Terry USC 22.96q
2 Amira Young Minnesota 23.16q
3 Favour Ofili NGR LSU 23.18q
4 Arria Minor Baylor 23.70

400
Ht 1
1 Kaelin Roberts USC 52.27q
2 Tiana Wilson Arkansas 52.34q
3 Paris Peoples Arkansas 52.78
4 Stacey-Ann Williams JAM Texas 54.95
ht 2
1 Talitha Diggs Florida 51.91q
2 Amber Anning GBR LSU 52.03q
3 Bailey Lear USC 52.37
4 Honour Finley Kansas 53.34
ht 3
1 Athing Mu TexasA&M 51.02q
2 Charokee Young JAM TexasA&M 51.64q
3 Rosaline Effiong Arkansas 51.82q
4 Kennedy Simon Texas 52.14q
ht 4
1 Taylor Manson Florida 52.61
2 Nicole Yeargin GBR USC 52.81
3 Megan Moss BAH Kentucky 53.31
4 Morgan Burks-Magee Arkansas 53.43

800
ht 1
1 Gabrielle Wilkinson Florida 2:04.59Q
2 Lindsey Butler VATech 2:04.61Q
3 Aaliyah Miller Baylor 2:04.61Q
4 Sarah Hendrick KennesawSt 2:04.69q
5 Leigha Torino Duke 2:05.74
6 Aleeya Hutchins CAN WakeForest 2:08.44
7 Kayla Johnson Miami 2:09.57
– Kennedy Thomson CAN Arkansas dnf
ht 2
1 Claire Seymour BYU 2:03.97Q
2 Laurie Barton Clemson 2:04.07Q
3 Shafiqua Maloney VIN Arkansas 2:04.50Q
4 McKenna Keegan Villanova 2:04.56q
5 Brooke Fazio Richmond 2:07.62
6 Mallory King Iowa 2:07.74
7 Victoria Vanriele PennSt 2:07.95
8 Andrea Foster GUY Clemson 2:13.44

Mile
ht 1
1 Kristlin Gear Arkansas 4:40.92Q
2 Katie Rainsberger Washington 4:41.61Q
3 Heather Hanson BYU 4:41.74Q
4 Kate Hunter BYU 4:41.78Q
5 Ellie Leather GBR Cincinnati 4:41.83
6 Tori Herman Kentucky 4:42.09
7 Lotte Black RhodeIsland 4:42.92
8 Imogen Barrett AUS Florida 4:47.49
ht 2
1 Sage Hurta Colorado 4:37.04Q
2 Kaley Richards UMass-Lowell 4:37.72Q
3 Aneta Konieczek POL Oregon 4:38.59Q
4 Allison Guagenti OhioSt 4:38.73Q
5 Kennedy Thomson CAN Arkansas 4:38.88q
6 Gracie Hyde Arkansas 4:39.04q
7 Isabel Van Camp Arkansas 4:39.29
8 Simone Plourde CAN BYU 4:45.99

5000
1 Joyce Kimeli KEN Auburn 15:48.98
2 Bethany Hasz Minnesota 15:49.62
3 Elly Henes NC State 15:49.86
4 Mahala Norris AirForce 15:51.73
5 Abbey Wheeler Providence 15:51.87
6 Grace Forbes Rice 15:53.36
7 Jenna Magness MichiganSt 15:53.73
8 Hannah Steelman NC State 15:55.65
9 Katie Izzo Arkansas 15:58.38
10 Nicole Fegans GaTech 16:07.75
11 Kelsey Chmiel NC State 16:12.73
12 Rebecca Clark FloridaSt 16:18.29
13 Ashley Tutt NIllinois 16:19.42
14 Grace Fetherstonhaugh CAN OregonSt 16:22.03
15 Ericka VanderLende Michigan 16:37.36
– Hannah Reinhardt Oregon dnf

60H
ht1
1 Chanel Brissett Texas 8.04Q
2 Emily Sloan Oregon 8.09Q
3 Trishauna Hemmings JAM Clemson 8.09q
4 Tiara McMinn Miami 8.13q
5 Mecca McGlaston USC 8.16q
6 Destinee Rocker SCarolina 8.17
7 Erin Marsh Duke 8.24
– Jasmine Jones USC dnf
ht 2
1 Daszay Freeman JAM Arkansas 8.05Q
2 Milan Young LSU 8.06Q
3 Ackera Nugent JAM Baylor 8.06q
4 Imani Carothers Georgia 8.19
5 Emelia Chatfield Texas 8.20
6 Vitoria Alves BRA KansasSt 8.35
7 Grace Stark Florida 8.51
8 Masai Russell Kentucky 9.23

Distance Medley Relay
1 BYU 10:52.96
2 Arkansas 10:57.19
3 FloridaSt 10:59.16
4 OklahomaSt 10:59.75
5 Michigan 11:04.65
6 Florida 11:05.36
7 NC State 11:06.14
8 OleMiss 11:07.18
9 VaTech 11:20.32
10 Oregon 11:22.74
– Alabama dq
– Washington dq

HJ
1 Tyra Gittens TTO TexasA&M 1.90
2 Rachel Glenn SCarolina 1.87
3 Anna Hall Georgia 1.87
4 Abigail O’Donoghue LSU 1.84
5 Nissi Kabongo SFAustin 1.84
6 Nyagoa Bayak LSU 1.84
7 Lillian Lowe Arizona 1.81
8 Morgan Smalls USC 1.81
9 Lamara Distin JAM TexasA&M 1.81
10= Kameesha Smith IllinoisSt 1.76
10= Rylee Anderson Kansas 1.76
10= Sanaa Barnes Villanova 1.76
13= Shelby Tyler Georgia 1.76
13= Taylor Beard Cincinnati 1.76
15 Alexis Zatta Purdue 1.76
16 Katherine Stuckly TexasSt 1.71

PV
1 Lisa Gunnarsson SWE LSU 4.56
2 Kayla Smith Georgia 4.41
3 Sydney Horn HighPoint 4.41
4 Rachel Baxter VaTech 4.36
5 Ariádni Adamopoúlou GRE OklahomaSt 4.36
6 Tuesdi Tidwell Baylor 4.36
7 Samantha Van Hoecke Kansas 4.36
8 Bailee McCorkle Arkansas 4.36
9 Nastassja Campbell Arkansas 4.26
10 Gennifer Hirata SDakota 4.26
11 Haley Rayburn ArizonaSt 4.16
12 Julia Fixsen Georgia 4.16
13 Aliyah Welter Louisville 4.16
14 Olivia Moore GaTech 4.16
– Hannah Jefcoat Tennessee nh
– Leah Pasqualetti KentSt nh

LJ
1 Tara Davis Texas 6.93
2 Claire Bryant Florida 6.70
3 Tyra Gittens TTO TexasA&M 6.68
4 Aliyah Whisby LSU 6.66
5 Ruth Usoro NGR TxTech 6.62
6 Monae’ Nichols TxTech 6.49
7 Taishia Pryce JAM KansasSt 6.48
8 Jasmine Moore Georgia 6.40
9 G’Auna Edwards Arkansas 6.36
10 Anna Keefer NCarolina 6.35
11 Deborah Acquah GUY TexasA&M 6.35
12 Jada Seaman Virginia 6.33
13 Titiana Marsh Georgia 6.25
14 Morgan Smalls USC 6.22
15 Chantoba Bright GUY KansasSt 6.19
16 Lishanna Ilves EST Nebraska 6.14

SP
1 Adelaide Aquilla OhioSt 18.12
2 Samantha Noennig Arizona 17.69
3 Jorinde van Klinken NED ArizonaSt 17.56
4 Essence Henderson Virginia Tech 17.36
5 Akealy Moton NDakotaSt 17.31
6 Gabrielle Bailey JAM KentSt 17.11
7 Madison Pollard Indiana 16.99
8 Kayli Johnson TexasTech 16.98
9 Josie Schaefer Wisconsin 16.88
10 Grace Tennant CAN KentSt 16.51
11 Erna Sóley Gunnarsdóttir ISL Rice 16.44
12 Latavia Maines Tennessee 16.28
13 Cherisse Murray TTO Alabama 16.12
14 Aveun Moore SIllinois 15.99
15 Alexandra Emilianov MDA Kansas 15.85
– Angel Nkwonta Maryland nm

Team Standings
1 TexasA&M 26
2= Georgia 23
2= LSU 23
4 Florida 15
5 Auburn 14
6 NotreDame 13
7= OleMiss 12
7= Texas 12