USATF Press Release

Hurdle records fall on final day of Junior Olympics
07-27-2008
Contact:
Glen McMicken
Statistician
USA Track & Field
317-261-0500

OMAHA -- Trinity Wilson of the East Oakland YDC shattered the national youth record in the youth girls 100-meter hurdles Sunday, clocking 13.85 to shave .16 off the previous record set in 2001 by Domenique Manning to highlight the final day of the 42nd USA Track & Field National Junior Olympic Championships at Burke High School.

One other national youth record fell Sunday, in the young women's 400 hurdles, where Turquoise Thompson of Together Elite finished in 57.67 to lop .11 off the previous record set by Ebony Collins in 2006.

In the young men's 110 hurdles, Booker Nunley of Track Eastern Carolina raced to a 13.41 to set a meet record. Nunley, who won silver at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Poland earlier this month, knocked .01 off the old meet record set by Terrence Trammell in 1997, and just missed the national youth record of 13.40 that has stood for 30 years.

The USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships is the largest and most visible youth athlete developmental program in the world. The Junior Olympics feature the following age divisions: Bantam (10 and under), Midget (11-12), Youth (13-14), Intermediate (15-16) and Young Men/Women (17-18). Entry for this championship is based on athlete performances at preliminary, Association, and Regional levels of the 2008 USATF Junior Olympic Program.

Midwest Elite's Darian Trout-Brown tied the national youth record in the midget boys' 100 with his 11.70 effort, while 2007 IAAF World Youth champion William Wynne of the Titans TC in Georgia narrowly missed the national youth record in the young men's 400 hurdles with his 49.84. Olympian Kerron Clement of La Porte, Texas, set the record of 49.77 in 2002.

A little extra puff of wind denied Dior Hall of the Colorado Flyers the national youth record in the midget girls' 80 hurdles, but she won her third gold medal of the meet with an 11.81 clocking aided by a 2.1 meter-per-second wind. Kimani Hoffman of Track Xplosion also lost out on a meet record in the midget boys' long jump as his 5.66m/18-7 leap was aided by a 2.3 mps wind.

University of Texas sophomore-to-be Danzell Fortson of Team Extreme, who ran on the Longhorns' world indoor record distance medley relay earlier this year, ran away with the young men's 400 with a personal best 46.36. The intermediate boys' race was won in an impressive 46.61 by Josh Mance of the So Cal Running Cougars. Other winners in the 400 were: Victoria Powell of the Jaguar TC in the bantam girls; Nikalos Harrell of Houston Heat in the bantam boys; Alaysha Johnson of Track Houston in the midget girls; Antwoine Hardy of Willis Camden in the midget boys; Robin Reynolds of Northwest Express in the youth girls; Xavier Jones of the Greensboro Chargers in the youth boys; Brianna Frazier of Dominion TC in the intermediate girls; and Brittany Pringley from Florida in the young women.

Georgia's Chalonda Goodman of the New Horizon TC wrapped up the young women's sprint double with a dominant performance in the 100, ripping to an 11.36 to win by almost .4 seconds. Goodman won the 200 Saturday at 23.29. The other dash winners were: Morgan Davis of Texas Storm in the bantam girls; Cedric Lynch of the Cheetahs in the bantam boys; Dior Hall of the Colorado Flyers in the midget girls; Aaliyah Brown of Illinois Elite in the youth girls; Brandon Sanders of Palmetto Speed in the youth boys; Ashley Collier of Dallas Gold in the intermediate girls; Anthony Riggins of VPAL Fast Forward in the intermediate boys; and D'Angelo Cherry of Worldwide with a swift 10.34 in the young men's division.

Gold medalists in the jumping events were: Ronald Geohaghan of Lowcountry in the youth boys' long jump; Tessa Runels of Mission Valley TC in the youth girls triple jump; Sir'Paul Jones of the Ruff Riders in the intermediate boys' high jump; Jack Whitt of McMichael's with a fine 5.25m/17-2.75 clearance in the young men's pole vault; Ashley Smith of Together Elite in the intermediate girls' high jump; and Ramonte Jackson in the bantam boys' long jump.

Throwing event winners Sunday were: Brandon Ruiz of Northwest Express in the midget boys' shot put; Jerod Cody of PS Vegas Flyers in the youth boys' discus; Brooke Hughes of the New Jersey Striders in the bantam girls' javelin; Courtney Hutchinson of the Spokane Mercury in the youth girls' shot put; Ashlie Blake of the PS Vegas Flyers in the midget girls' discus; and Rebekah Hoppis of Hoover Parks and Rec in the young women's javelin.

Dale Morgan of the LA Jets won the intermediate boys' 400 hurdles, and Angelica Weaver of Together Elite captured top honors in the intermediate girls' 400 hurdles. Golds in the 200 hurdles went to Lateisha Philson of Ruff Kutz TC in the youth girls, and Kenneth Walker III of ISC International in the youth boys.

Morgan added gold in the intermediate boys' 110 hurdles, and A'Lexus Brannon of Port Arthur TC won the intermediate girls' 100 hurdles. Another Texan, Donique Flemings of Sachse, won the young women's title, while Walker got his second gold of the day with a win in the youth boys' 100 hurdles. Nyheim Miller of the Upper Room TC was the winner of the midget boys' 80 hurdles.

Metric mile winners were Brittany Blackwell of the Los Angeles Falcons in the bantam girls' 1500; William Stanopiewicz of AAT in the bantam boys; Paige Rice of PSA Youth Runners in the midget girls; Bailey Roth of Track Monkeys in the midget boys; Abbey Leonardi of Kennebunk TC in the youth girls; Conner Smock of Cedar Rapids in the youth boys; Claudia Francis of Team Evolution in the intermediate girls; Nathan Williams of Las Vegas in the intermediate boys; Samantha Thompson of CS Striders in the young women; and Sadiki White of New Jersey in the young men's.

Nothing beats exciting relays to cap off a Junior Olympic championships, and Sunday's 4x400's produced plenty of thrills and spills. Two Houston clubs, Texas Storm and Track Houston, won the young women's and young men's races with the fastest times of the day at 3:38.90 and 3:12.76, while Together Elite took the intermediate girls and Titans TC won the intermediate boys. My Stars won the youth girls race, and So Cal Running Cougars edged to victory in the youth boys. Golds in the midget division went to Track Houston girls and Track Xplosion boys, and bantam titles were won by 3M TC girls and Speed City TC boys.

For more information and complete results, visit www.usatf.org.

#  #  #