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Last-gasp wins and second act redemption - by Dave Devine .
Big wins for Davis, Goodman, Dunbar, Sveinsson, Hammer TC, Blazin' Raiders, and Track EC
John Nepolitan's gallery of winners | Emily Vannoy: From 3 fouls to champion - Sveinsson, Dunbar put the heat on rivals - Stories by SteveU
| | | | Trevor Dunbar
| Wayne Davis
photos by Vic Sailer, photorun.net
| Chelsey Sveinsson
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Last-gasp wins and second act redemption on Friday in Greensboro
Lead story by Dave Devine
Photos by John Nepolitan
|  On a warm, humid Friday of competition at the 2009 Nike Indoor Nationals, the podium was filled with the fruits of last-gasp efforts and redemptive second acts. Field event winners Devin Bogert (boys javelin), Emily Vannoy (girls shotput) and Andrea Geubelle (girls triple jump) all came through with big marks on their final attempts to seal or steal a victory in their events. 2007 Nike Outdoor champions Wayne Davis II (boys 110 hurdles) and Shade Weygandt (girls pole vault) returned to the meet after spending a year away and left the stadium with rewarding second-act victories. Familiar faces and repeat champions like sprinter Chalonda Goodman, hurdler Jasmine Stowers, discus thrower Mason Finley and relay squads Track Eastern Carolina (New Bern NC), Blazin’ Raiders (Eleanor Roosevelt MD) and Hammer TC (Southern Regional NJ) took expected places atop the award stand, while first-time outdoor champions like Morris Hills NJ boys 4x800 and 2 Mile champs Trevor Dunbar and Chelsey Sveinsson lit up the night with their exuberant efforts.
The last-gasp efforts started early, beginning with the boys javelin in the afternoon. Pre-meet favorite Justin Shirk of Pennsylvania, who entered as the #2-ranked javelin thrower in the US and #3 all-time, trailed Texas sophomore Devin Bogert for most of the competition before unleashing a 206-06 on his final throw to assume the lead. Bogert, however, had one more javelin left in his quiver, and used his last attempt to reach 208-03, stealing back the victory that had nearly been snatched moments earlier.
Triple jumper Andrea Geubelle (right) turned the tables on her final attempt too, leaping a wind-legal and US#2 42-10.25 to move past Texas junior A’Lexus Brannon, who’d led the event from her first jump in the prelims. Geubelle has some experience with last-jump victories at Nike Nationals—but from the other side of the coin. At Nike Indoor Nationals she was winning the triple jump until the final round, when Ciarra Brewer used her final jump to down the Washington star.
“I knew I just had to put it out there on my last jump,” Geubelle said after her victory. “I know how it feels to lose on your last jump, so I know how [Brannon] is feeling, and I feel really bad, but at the same time this feels really good.”
Girls shot put champion Emily Vannoy also saved her best for last, sealing the win with a 48-02.50 final heave that provided a measure of redemption for a disappointing Nike Indoor meet in which she fouled her three preliminary throws and never advanced to the finals.
Successful returns for Davis and Weygandt
Redemption was also in the air for 2007 Nike Outdoor champions Shade Weygandt and Wayne Davis II, both of whom claimed titles as precocious sophomores, but missed the 2008 version of the meet and came into the 2009 incarnation wanting to finish on a high note. Davis, national record-holder over the indoor hurdles, blazed his 110H prelim in a wind-legal 13.33 (+0.2) for the #5 mark all time and the top time in the nation this year. His final—like all straightaway races late in the day—was run into a headwind, but the 1.3 meter-per-second wind in his face didn’t slow him much, as he reclaimed the title he’d first won in 2007 with a 13.37 clocking.
 Weygandt had high hopes for her return to Greensboro too, but was realistic enough to know that in a meet of this magnitude you go for the win. She was planning to shoot for the national record if all went perfectly, but instead settled for a 13-3 victory that still left her a 2-time Nike Outdoor champion.
“Everyone had a tough time today,” she said. “So I was just happy to get the win. This meet—you come for the win, not the PR. Of course, I wanted to jump higher, but you can’t have everything and I’m just happy for the win.”
While Weygandt and Davis were going for their second individual titles in the span of three years, Georgia sprinter Chalonda Goodman (left) was embarking on her fifth and sixth individual sprint titles at NON. She first swept the 100 and 200 in 2007 as a sophomore, and then repeated the trick in 2008. The first leg of her attempted “threepeat double” went off without a hitch, as Goodman sped a meet record 11.30 (+0.7) in the wind-friendly prelims, and then fought the headwinds in the final to a 11.38 (-1.8) gold over sophomore challenger Octavious Freeman (11.66). She’ll go for the 200 win on Saturday.
South Carolina hurdler Jasmine Stowers and Colorado discus thrower Mason Finley also defended 2008 Nike titles, with Stowers ripping a 13.59 (-1.1) in the final to topple US#1 Kori Carter CA (13.88 for third), and national record-holder Finley hurling the disc 211-0 to win by more than 10 feet.
Familar faces and first-time champs
In the baton events, Track Eastern Carolina (New Bern NC) continued to accumulate the Nike golds, taking both relays in which they were entered Friday, beginning with the 4x200 in 1:24.80, improving on their US#2 time, and continuing with the 1600 Sprint Medley Relay in 3:24.54. Buffalo MN was runner-up in that race, with 800 talent Zach Mellon splitting 1:49.49 to bring his team from deep in the field all the way to second. The equally-familiar relayers known as the Blazin’ Raiders (Eleanor Roosevelt MD) took baton gold in the 4x200 with a 1:36.54 effort, catching Withrow OH (1:37.00) in the homestretch to improve upon their own US#1 time. Northwestern FL took the girls 1600 SMR in 3:55.58 (US#13 all time) with anchor Skyler Wallen finding a final gear in the stretch to charge for the win.
 The girls of Hammer TC (Southern Regional NJ) are no stranger to the awards stand at Nike Outdoors, and found themselves on the top step again, thanks to a heroic 4x800 anchor from Jillian Smith. Smith caught race leader Thompson Valley CO (US#1 entering the weekend) in the first 150 meters of her leg and went on to win easily in 8:52.80, #6 mark all time. But if Hammer TC had “been there before,” the boys from 4x800 winner Morris Hills NJ were overjoyed to be celebrating their first national title. The team of seniors running their last 4x800 together had been runners-up in several big relays to Albemarle VA, including the incredible Penn Relays 4x800 that left Albemarle with the national record and Morris Hills #2 all-time. Friday, without Albemarle in the field, Morris Hills finally had their chance to shine and took full advantage with a 7:42.30 win on the strength of Liam Tansey’s 1:51.55 anchor (right).
Three other newcomers to the top of the Nike Outdoor award stand were boys 100 winner Dentarius Locke, boys hammer throw winner Alec Faldermeyer (227-6), boys triple jump champ Ricardo Jaquite (49-10.00)
and 2 Mile champions Trevor Dunbar and Chelsey Sveinsson. Locke’s 10.59 into a 2.6 wind prevailed in a blanket finish over Bradley Sylve LA (10.61) and Prezel Hardy TX (10.62). Dunbar, from Kodiak AK, and Sveinsson, from Dallas TX, both took their 8-lap contests with strong mid-race moves the respective fields failed to answer.
Sveinsson, who’d previously won at Nike Indoors but was appearing at her first outdoor meet, surged early, dragging Massachusetts senior Emily Jones along for a time before gradually drawing away and negative splitting (5:10/4:55) her way to the US#1 10:04.85 victory. The mark leaves Sveinsson #7 all-time and represents a new sophomore class record in the event.
Dunbar, runner-up at last fall’s Foot Locker National Championships, was thrilled to win his first national title.
“I definitely was psyched,” he said, “and not so much as the time, I was just happy I won. Finally…a national title. I felt like it was due.”
Dunbar’s move came later than Sveinsson’s, as he followed the early lead of Illinois soph Lukas Verzbicas for most of the race before pulling clear from a large pack in the final 900 meters to win easily in a US#1 8:49.79.
“I was excited, because I’m in really good shape right now and I just wanted to compete.”
That was a familiar refrain on a hot Friday in Greensboro.
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Highlights
(Preview when event name is lightface; results when event name is boldface. Click event name for detailed results.)
- G-4x200: Blazin' Raiders MD 1:36.54 repeats, catching Withrow OH 1:37.00 in the stretch and improving on their US#1 time (1:36.55 at Arcadia)..
- B-4x200: Track Eastern Carolina (New Bern) 1:24.80, improving on their US#2 time.
- B-Javelin: Tomball TX soph Devin Bogert TX 208-3 wins on his last throw after Justin Shirk took the lead on his last throw.
- G-TJ: Andrea Geubelle 42-10.25 - Washington state champ goes to US#2.
- G-100 pre: Chalonda Goodman GA , gunning for a three peat, breaks the meet record at 11.30 +0.7, tying her US#1 mark with legal wind.
- B-100 pre: Prezel Hardy TX, who has run 10.08 +2.2, US#1 all conditions, and Dentarius Locke FL tied at 10.41 for fastest qualifier. Hardy was wind aided at +2.3 while Locke had +1.2 tailwind.
- G-100H pre: Jasmine Stowers SC 13.49 +2.2 is fastest qualifier over Madalayne Smith NY 13.84 +2.1 and US#1 Kori Carter CA 13.87 +0.9.
- B-110H pre: Wayne Davis NC blazes 13.33 +0.2 for US#5 all time.
- G-1600 SMR: Northwestern FL wins in 3:55.58 US#13 all time. Northwestern anchor Skyler Wallen lost the lead to Cougar Nation on the last lap and regained it with 50 meters to go.
- B-1600 SMR: Track Eastern Carolina (New Bern NC) wins in 3:24.55, five seconds slower than their national record of 3:19.58 set in March.
- B-Discus: Mason Finley CO, who set the national record in April at 236-6, settled for 211-00 today.
- G-SP: Top seed Lauren Chambers GA hopes to start a SP/HT double.
- G-100 final: Chalonda Goodman GA 11.38 -1.8, winning for the third straight year.
- B-100 final: Dentarius Locke FL 10.59 -2.6 wins a blanket finish over Bradley Sylve LA 10.61 and Prezel Hardy TX 10.62.
- G-PV: US#1 Shade Weygandt TX wins at 13-3.
- G-4x100 pre: US#1 Blazin' Raiders MD (Eleanor Roosevelt) is fastest qualifier at 45.70.
- B-4x100 pre: Ben Davis IN is fastest qualifier at 41.41.
- G-2 Mile: Chelsey Sveinsson TX 10:04.85 US#1 and soph record, running away from a fine field including former US#1 Emily Jones MA. Sveinnson negative split 5:10 / 4:55, finishing with her fastest lap, 69 seconds.
- B-2 Mile: Trevor Dunbar AK pulled away from a big pack in the last 2 laps to win easily in 8:49.79, fastest in the US this year. Dunbar covered the last half mile in 2:06.
- G-100H final:Janice Stowers SC repeats in 13.59 -1.1, toppling US#1 Kori Carter CA 13.88 and equaling her mark. Carter was edged for 2nd by Bridgette Owens-Mitchell MI 13.87.
- B-110H final: Wayne Davis NC 13.37 -1.3
- G-4x800: Jillian Smith and her Hammer NJ squad (Southern Regional) overhaul US#1 Thompson Valley CO on the anchor leg. Smith caught Thompson Valley in 150 meters and won easily in 8:52.80 US #6 all time.
- B-4x800:Morris Hills NJ 7:31.60, US#2 all time, is heavily favored, with rival Albemarle VA, which set the national record (7:30.67) in the same race at Penn Relays, sidelined by injury to their anchor.
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