The top 8 women's indoor track and field performances (so far) in 2022

The calendar's latest turn to March brings with it the anticipation of the DI indoor track and field championships, set for March 11-12 in Birmingham, Ala. Before the championships start, let's take a look at some of the outstanding performances from this season.

Abby Steiner | Kentucky | 200m 

Abby Steiner is having a season for the ages in the 200 meters. It's a season so good that her collegiate record-breaking performance in the event on Feb. 12 — she ran 22.37 — isn't her best performance of the season.

Why?

Well, Steiner blew her own record out of the water a few weeks later at the SEC Championships, running a 22.09 to take home the conference title. Steiner gave the collegiate record a complete reset. 

More impressively, she set a new American indoor record with her time, leaving the 1996 record of 22.33 seconds held by Gwen Torrence in the dust. Steiner now sits second in world history in the indoor 200 meters.

The moment the record fell... 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 💙

With her 22.09 run, @abbysteiner1 made American history.#UKTF x #SECTF pic.twitter.com/Dxvzl1nvAW

— UK Track & Field (@KentuckyTrack) February 28, 2022

2022 Championships: Everything you need to know for the 2022 DI indoor track and field championships

Abby Steiner | Kentucky | 300m 

If Steiner's performance in the 200 meters wasn't enough, you can find another great performance from the Kentucky product in the 300 meters at Louisville's Cardinal Classic.

Steiner completed the 300 meters in a blazing 35.80 seconds, only 10 days after the start of the DI season. In the process, she broke a 41-year old record (1981) held by Merlene Ottey. Steiner broke the record by 0.03 seconds after no one came within 0.29 seconds of the record in the last 39 years.

𝐎𝐅𝐅 & 𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆

Abby Steiner of @KentuckyTrack broke the first collegiate record of the 2022 track & field calendar on December 11 when she went 35.80 over 300 meters in Louisville.

How many more collegiate records will fall in 2022?

🎥 @KentuckyTrack pic.twitter.com/wLg8lSsark

— USTFCCCA (@USTFCCCA) January 4, 2022

Alia Armstrong | LSU | 60h

LSU's Alia Armstong has been sprinting her way to the top of the NCAA's 60-meter hurdle charts all season. On Feb. 11, Armstrong had her best performance yet at the Tyson Invitational.

Armstrong won in 7.81 seconds, the second-fastest time in collegiate history. The mark also set an LSU record and sits as the ninth-fastest time in US history. Moreover, Armstrong now owns the second and fourth fastest times in NCAA history in the 60-meter hurdles, claiming the latter time in January with a 7.86.

Wanna see the second fastest performer in collegiate history 👀
▪️ @aliaarmstrong_
▪️ 7⃣.8⃣1⃣#GeauxTigers pic.twitter.com/QoZLb6MnF0

— LSU Track & Field (@LSUTrackField) February 12, 2022

🏆: Here are the DI track and field teams with most NCAA championships

Jasmine Moore | Florida | Triple jump

Jasmine Moore leaped into NCAA history at the Bob Pollock Invitational. The triple jump star set a collegiate record in the event, jumping 14.55 meters (47-9) on her second attempt at the meet. She broke the record by .02 meters, four years after it was set, in the same building.

Adelaide Aquilla | Ohio State | Shot put

In 2021, Adelaide Aquilla won the NCAA indoor shot put championship, the NCAA outdoor shot put championship and became an Olympian.

How could the Ohio State star and former walk-on top such an impressive run? With another PR of course!

At the Carolina Challenge, Aquilla threw for 19.09 meters (62-7.75) to set a new indoor personal-best mark. Her performance lands her fifth on the all-time collegiate shot put list.

HISTORY: Check out the women's indoor track and field championship history

Shey Taiwo | Ole Miss | Weight throw

In January, at the Indiana Relays, Shey Taiwo joined an elite group in the weight throw with a toss of 25.02 meters. It was the best throw by a collegiate athlete since 2008. Only four women in world history have reached such a distance in the weight throw; the others are Gwen Berry, Brittany Riley and Janeah Stewart.

Yet, that's not Taiwo's most impressive performance of the season.

At the Music City Challenge, Taiwo topped her prior mark with a 25.19-meter throw in the fourth round. That throw set a world-leading mark in 2022 and is the third-best throw in NCAA history and is the seventh-best throw in world history. 

Taiwo’s 25.19m throw tonight came in the fourth round and wound up giving her the win by nearly four feet over Rebel great and 2x defending U.S. champ Janeah Stewart 👀@USTFCCCA | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/UTnaVd2VW1

— Ole Miss Track&Field (@OleMissTrack) February 12, 2022

Rachel Baxter | Virginia Tech | Pole vault

At the ACC Championships, Virginia Tech's Rachel Baxter soared up the collegiate record book in the pole vault.

Baxter began at 4.11 meters and completed seven first-bar clearances to start the event. Baxter then stood alone as the only remaining vaulter and raised the bar to 4.61 meters (15-1.5). On her third attempt, Baxter cleared the bar, vaulting into NCAA history.

Baxter became the first collegiate athlete to clear 15 feet since 2020 and now sits fifth on the all-time NCAA list.

This deserves another watch 🤩

Take another look at Rachel Baxter's 15' 1.5" (4.61m) clearance, the new ACC record and No. 5 all-time in the NCAA pic.twitter.com/1LNXoLxkid

— Virginia Tech Track & Field (@HokiesTFXC) February 27, 2022

SET IN STONE: The most unbreakable — we think — records in women’s track and field

Arkansas | 4x400 relay

At the SEC Championships, Arkansas' women's 4x400 meter relay obliterated the previous record set just one year ago. The Razorbacks won the SEC title with a time of 3:24.09, blazing past the record of 3:26.27.

Britton Wilson ran the fastest split of the relay team, going sub-50 in 49.83 seconds; Arkansas' other splits were 51.97 from Rosey Effiong, 51.69from Jayla Hollis and 50.60 from Shafiqua Maloney.

Arkansas wasn't alone in breaking the previous record as Texas A&M finished second in 3:25.43, followed by Kentucky in third place in 3:25.89.

COLLEGIATE RECORD RAZORBACKS

Arkansas women win 4x400 in 3:24.09 to break collegiate record of 3:26.27 set in 2021 by Texas A&M

Razorback splits
51.97 Rosey Effiong
51.69 Jayla Hollis
50.60 Shafiqua Maloney
49.83 Britton Wilson !!!#WPS pic.twitter.com/raZNNsttmy

— Arkansas Track & Field (@RazorbackTF) February 27, 2022

🏃Track and Field🏃

🏆: Florida sweeps 2022 outdoor championships | How the NCAA championships work | 2022 indoor championship recap

🔥B/R: Follow college track and field on Bleacher Report  
💥HISTORY: Programs with the most titles | Men's champ history | Women's champ history | Bowerman history
🚨MUST-WATCH: Women's 200M record | Men's 5000M | Women's 60M Hurdles | Women's 60M | Women's Triple Jump
🤯 WOW: The comeback to end all comebacks | How 1 cm won the title | Devon Allen's breakthrough | The 9 cm that won the long jump crown
🥇 2021 Olympians: Karel Tiga |  JuVaughn Harrison | Cole Hocker | Camryn Rogers | Ruth Usoro | Athing Mu | Tara Davis | Tyra Gittens
MORE: Wind and scoring explained | Greatest venues | Top moments at Hayward Field | Best uniforms | The difference between indoor and outdoor seasons