The University of Georgia's Will Sumner captured the 800-meter title at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships last Friday.
Sumner, a true freshman, shattered his own record to bring Georgia its first title in the 800-meter event. Sumner first broke the school record with a 1:46.00 time on Wednesday before he surpassed that with a 1:44.26 time on Friday.
The record time propelled Sumner to No. 5 on the all-time collegiate performer list. He is the first freshman since 2017 to win the 800-meter title.
Sumner’s performance pushed the Bulldogs to seventh place with 28 points. Florida, Arkansas, and Stanford finished in the top three.
Sumner’s ability to run a negative split is what enabled him to finish with a record time. A negative split is when the runner’s second half of the race is faster than the first half. 800m negative splits are very rare.
Sumner attributes the breakthrough to adding weights to his workout routine and slightly increasing his mileage to improve his strength and aerobics.
Sumner says he remains undecided on whether or not to turn pro but will listen to professional offers this summer.
