PA Athletes leads the Highlights at the Simplot Games!
Ashton Purvis 60M US#1 7.36
Each year, on the third weekend in February, the Simplot Games offers athletes the opportunity to go head-to-head against the finest high school competitors in the U.S and Canada. Held in Pocatello, Idaho, in the Holt Arena on the campus of Idaho State University, the Simplot Games is the nation's premier indoor track and field event for high school athletes. The Games' unique 200 meter banked-board track is one of the fastest in the nation and some of the Pacific Association athletes were in attendance to prove it.

 

In an early season test some of the Associations best athletes assembled in the Snowy Mountains of Idaho. Home of the Bengals as they played host to a weekend of excitement and plenty of speed!

 

Enters E.O.Y.D.C standout and St Elizabeth Senior Ashton Purvis who would not waist anytime setting it off with a US#1 7.36 60-meter dash in the first final of Games. A short time later in the 200 she would again set a nation-leading mark of 23.54 to make it double Gold.

 

Out goes Purvis and in Enters E.O.Y.D.C Trinity Wilson. At the 60m Barriers Wilson exploded from the blocks and ran straight into the record books with an unbelievable US#1 8.29. It was her second Simplot 60m hurdles title, and the second year in a row she?s set a national class record.
CATC Mens 4x200 US#3

 

Behind her was LSI and Stanford University bound Katie Nelms in a US#4 8.58 to take the Bronze, with Chalese Davis of the Flying Jaguars on her heels for a US#5 8.59.

 

Iesha Hardiman of ISC would give a Gold winning performance in the Women 400M in a US#10 55.8. It would be a Triple Gold for the sophomore as she would later run legs on a pair of relays wins. ISC, LSI and Phenom TC would put together a star studded relay to upset the games favorite Gardena Core of So Cal. In a blazing US#4 of 1:40.63, from the start of the gun the quartet of Katie Nelms, Iesha Hardiman, Cierra Jordan and Jazmine Harper would set the tone for Gold Performance. The four girls would later return to the track all business in the Women?s 4x400 with a Swift 3:54.72 and US#5 to another Norcal Gold Performance.

 

Then there was Business as usual as Heritage TC ran to a silver medal finish in the Women?s SMR with a US#5 4:11.58.

 

ISC Iesha Hardiman 400M Gold (55.8)
On the Menes side it would be the individual efforts of Byron Marshall of South Bay Express in a Silver Medal performance as he ran to a swift 6.94 in the Menes 60 Meters. Another individual effort would be ISC's J.J McGhee as he ran to CA#3 1:58.15 in the men?s 800 Meters. Monte Corley formerly of 3MTC took home a bronze in the Men?s 60H with a US#12 8.09.

 

In the Men?s Relays there was Pacific United running poised to a US#1 3:31.45 in the Men?s 1600 Sprint medley. But perhaps one of the most exciting races of the day was CATC Gold medal performance in the Men?s 4x200. Frustrated runner-up to Track EC in 2009, CATC anchor Carl Horsley ran a stellar leg to bring his squad past Track EC at the line, 1:29.41 to 1:29.58 to a US#3.

 

Over all it was a day of Speed and excitement. With solid showings from many PA athletes this meet was definitely one of the best we?ve seen in a longtime.

 

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