Given The Opportunity, Athletes Rose To The Occasion And Found New Ways To Achieve, Inspire In 2021

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

On balance, 2021 was still a difficult year. In some ways it was an extension of 2020, for obvious reasons. But the patience to sit and wait dissipated and people found ways to carry on a bit more. 

In track and field that meant that the lights came back on, more often for the athletes than the spectators, but it was a start. Vaccinations and mask mandates allowed for events such as NCAA Championships and the Olympic Games to operate safely. 

And the athletes themselves put in the training, pushed to new heights and became sources of inspiration.

From Athing Mu to Hobbs Kessler to Sydney McLaughlin to Jakob Ingebrigtsen to Allyson Felix to Karsten Warholm vs Rai Benjamin to Ryan Crouser to Sha'Carri Richardson and Elaine Thompson-Herah to Conner Mantz to Cole Hocker to Katie Nageotte to the Newbury Park boys -- 2021 managed to be as great as any on the track. 

Here is a review of how DyeStat covered it. 

January 

The new year was greeted by a slew of cancellations as the COVID-19 pandemic raged and meets such as the Millrose Games, the USATF Indoor Championships and New Balance Nationals Indoor were forced to postpone. 

Nobody was really yet sure whether an Olympics, or the U.S. Trials, could really happen. 

Masked Runners at Hispanic Games - STORY

Two days later, on Jan. 12, The Armory shut down for the remainder of the season 

Jan 13 - Erriyon Knighton turned pro - STORY 

Jan 15 - KC Lightfoot CR PV 5.94m 19-5.75, first of two times. STORY 

Jan 17 - Roisin Willis, Bailey Goggins, Sophia Gorriaran and Juliette Whittaker break World U-20 record in the 4x800 at Va Showcase with 8:37.20. STORY 

Jan 22 - Out of place North Carolina state cross country championships. STORY

Jan. 24 - Athing Mu's first of many records was broken when she crushed the collegiate record in the 600 meters. STORY  

Jan. 24 - Ryan Crouser showed he was ready for a big year with a world record indoors in the shot put. STORY    

Jan. 27 - The IOC says Games will go on in Tokyo. STORY 

Jan. 29 - The Oregon men's DMR lineup smashes the collegiate record with a 9:19.42 World Best. STORY

February

Feb. 2 - Dave Devine writes about Ammar Moussa's foray into politics during a hyper-charged periord in American history.  MR MOUSSA GOES TO WASHINGTON

Feb. 5 - College cross country fires up with FSU Winter Classic in Tallahassee, Fla. STORY

Feb. 6 - Gabriela Stafford-DeBuies and Marc Scott get big wins at the Prickly Pear meet in Arizona. STORY

Feb. 6 - Athing Mu runs World U-20 indoor 400m record with 50.52. STORY

Feb. 7 - Out of the blue, Michigan high schooler Hobbs Kessler crushes the prep indoor mile record with 3:57.66 at American Track League Meet No. 3. STORY  

Feb. 9 - Grant Holloway lowers the American record in the 60m hurdles. STORY 

Feb. 12 - Oregon duo Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker run the fastest indoor miles in collegiate history with 3:50s. STORY

Feb. 13 - Four more collegiate records fall, including Lightfoot's first six-meter vault and Athing Mu anchoring Texas A&M's 4x400 relay. STORY 

Feb. 18 - The search for usable space leads New York high schools to staging meets in parking garages. STORY 

Feb. 21 - Elise Cranny, Marc Scott run strong 10,000s at a Sound Running meet. STORY 

Feb. 21 - Sensational Florida sprinter Jaylen Slade breaks Noah Lyles' indoor HS 200 record. STORY 

Feb. 24 - Grant Holloway breaks the WR in the indoor 60m hurdles. STORY  

Feb. 25 - Editorial: Enough Already With Masking High School Runners.  

Feb. 26 - JuVaughn Harrison, Tyra Gittens shine at SEC Indoor - STORY 

Feb. 28 - Newbury Park's Colin Sahlman leads five under nine minutes in Arizona Sundown Track Series. STORY

Feb. 28 - Athing Mu crushes collegiate, World U-20 records in 800m with 1:58.20. STORY

March

March 4 - Penn Relays canceled again. STORY

March 5 - Pac-12 Cross Country Champs: Stanford sweeps, Herberg, Herrera win. STORY 

March 9 - Double-booked NCAA athletes for the weekend of national will compete in both the indoor championships and cross country final. LIST 

March 9 - Dave Devine delves into the fascinating rise of Air Force star Mahala Norris. STAYING POWER  

March 13 - Oregon men win NCAA Indoor title. STORY | Arkansas takes women's crown on home track. STORY 

March 15 - BYU women win NCAA XC title. STORY |  NAU men, Mantz take NCAA XC wins. STORY  

March 20 - USC returns to track after 23 months. STORY   

March 26 - Tara Davis smashes CR in the women's long jump. STORY   

March 27 - Hobbs Kessler runs No. 4 all-time 8:39.04 2-mile at NSAF event in Myrtle Beach. STORY

April  

April 2 - Rebuilt Hayward Field opens to competition after long wait. STORY 

April 4 - Paige Sommers breaks HS girls pole vault record. STORY  

April 9 - DeAnna Price breaks the American record in the women's hammer. STORY 

April 10 - Culimination day arrives for Oregon high school cross country in meets organized by coaches. STORY 

April 12 - K.C. Lightfoot turns pro. STORY 

April 17 - Athing Mu strikes again with 1:57.73 800m at Waco. STORY 

April 23 - Morgan McDonald was part of a record-setting day at the Drake Relays. STORY 

April 24 - Pros return to Hayward Field for USATF Grand Prix with world-leading performances. STORY 

April 26 - Keturah Orji breaks the American record in the women's triple jump. STORY 

April 27 - Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Taking Aim At CIAC Transgender Policy. STORY 

April 29 - CIF pulls plug on California state meet for second straight year. STORY

May 

May 7 - Notre Dame's Yared Nuguse edges Oregon's Cooper Teare in a dramatic 1,500 at the Oregon Twilight Meet. STORY 

May 8 - In Califrornia-only Arcadia Invitational, Upland High boys break shuttle hurdles record. STORY 

May 9 - The Texas state meet was as exciting as ever. STORY 

May 9 - Newbury Park duo Colin Sahlman, Leo Young both run 8:43 in the 3,200m at Arcadia. STORY 

May 16 - Trayvon Bromell looks on top of world with 9.92 at Sound Running meet. STORY 

May 18 - Allyson Felix serves notice that she was an Olympic team contender yet again. STORY

May 20 - Christian Taylor suffers torn Achilles' tendon. STORY

May 21 - Roisin Willis runs age 16 record 2:00.78 in New York. STORY 

May 29 - U.S. Trials to include spectators with new vaccination guidelines. STORY 

May 29 - Hobbs Kessler smashes Alan Webb's HS record in the 1,500m at the Portland Track Festival. STORY 

May 31 - Maggie Malone flies past the American record in the women's javelin at JavFest. STORY 

June

June 6 - Trayvon Bromell runs 9.77 at Miramar, Fla. STORY 

June 6 - Sifan Hassan breaks the world record in the women's 10,000 meters. STORY 

June 8 - Letesenbet Gidey breaks the two-day old WR in the 10,000. STORY 

June 12 - LSU men dominate NCAA Outdoor Championships. STORY |  Anna Cockrell, Twanisha Terry Lead USC to women's title. STORY 

June 14 - Track world rocked by news of Shelby Houlihan's four-year doping ban as she proclaims her innocence. STORY 

June 18 - Ryan Crouser smashes the long sought world record in the men's shot put on the first day of the U.S. Trials in Eugene, his home state. STORY 

June 19 - Sha'Carri Richardson storms to victory in the 100 meters at Trials. STORY 

June 23 - Hobbs Kessler turns pro. STORY  

June 25 - High school runners advance in Olympic Trials debuts. STORY 

June 26 - Grant Holloway, Rai Benjamin, Gabby Thomas all run No. 2 All-Time performances at Trials. STORY 

June 28 - Sydney McLaughlin smashes world record to close exciting Olympic Trials. STORY 

July 

July 3 - Saratoga Springs (Kinetic) NY girls win 4xMile relay at The Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field. STORY 

July 4 - Nathan Green's mile victory contains Hayward 'Magic' STORY 

July 21-22 - Buchanan CA girls, Carmel IN boys claim DyeStat Dual Meet Championships  

July 26 - Dave Devine traces the route Ku Stevens took honoring his great-grandfather. RUNNING AWAY HOME

August

Aug. 2 - The Olympic Games finally came. They happened, in mostly empty stadiums. One of the first to strike gold in the track and field arena was Valarie Allman. STORY  

Aug. 3 - Athing Mu caps her incredible season with a gold medal in the 800 meters. STORY 

Aug. 4 - Sydney McLaughlin lowers her own world record, pushed by Dalilah Muhammad. STORY

Aug. 5 - Ryan Crouser extends shot put dominance with second gold. STORY 

Aug. 5 - Katie Nageotte takes gold in women's pole vault. STORY 

Aug. 7 - Dream Team lineup wins women's 4x400 gold. STORY 

Aug. 21 - Elaine Thompson-Herah leaves lasting impression at Pre Classic with 10.54 100 meters, second only to FloJo. STORY 

Aug. 21 - Courtney Frerichs eclipses 9-minute barrier at Pre Classic. STORY 

September 

Sept. 13 - Cole Hocker turns pro. STORY 

Sept. 15 - Court of Arbitration rejects Alberto Salazar appeal. STORY 

Sept. 19 - In a sign of what's to come, the Newbury Park boys dominate the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic. STORY 

Sept. 20 - Former NXN champ Kai Wilmot studies fire season effects on air quality. SMOKE ALARM

Sept. 21 - In the Midst of Loss, Running Community finds Hope, by Elizabeth Carey. RUNNING ISSUES  

Sept 24 - NXN canceled for a second straight year. STORY 

Sept. 24 - Utah women, Oregon men win Bill Dellinger Invitational. STORY 

October 

Oct. 6 - Helena Duplantis reflects on raising a prodigy. LETTER 

Oct. 26 - Dave Devine writes about Jamar Distel, growing up fast in a small Eastern Washington town. STORY

November 

* State Cross Country Championships Meet Index - High School Rankings

Nov. 17 - Bowerman Track Club cruises to Michigan Pro Ekiden title. STORY 

Nov. 20 - NAU men, North Carolina State women win NCAA XC titles. STORY

December

Dec. 1 - An Inside Look At Newbury Park's Run To the History Books, by Dave Devine. ALL THE SMALL THINGS 

Dec. 4 - Newbury Park Goes 1-2-3 at Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships. RECAP 

Dec. 11 - Riley Hough, Natalie Cook Claim Eastbay XC Titles. RECAP

Dec. 15 - The unexpected loss of Matt Scherer leaves a hole in our hearts. STORY

Dec. 17 - Young Olympians Athing Mu, JuVaughn Harrison honored at Bowerman Awards. STORY  

Dec. 19 - Villanova's Haftu Strintzos Striving To Make A Difference, as told by Mary Albl. STORY 

Dec. 29 - Return To Running Refuels Zuni's Pride. STORY