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| USA Youth National Championships
June 24-29, 2008
Irwin Belk Track and Field Center/Transamerica Field
UNC CharlotteCharlotte NC
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A chance to look ahead - The even-year USATF Youth National Championships are no longer considered one of the vital competitions for aspiring World Youth Team members to compete in, as the USATF has added a qualifying meet during 2009 (see Mike Kennedy's March 2008 story). Still, some of the top contenders to compete in The 6th IAAF World Youth Championships in Brixin, Italy, July 8-12, 2009, will be competing here. USA Track & Field athletes ages 16 and 17 through December 31, 2009 (born in 1992 or 1993) are eligible. The USATF Youth Championships includes divisions that go beyond the scope of potential World qualifiers - Bantam (9-10), Midget (11-12), Youth (13-14), Intermediate (15-16), and Young (17-18). The groups to watch for potential 2009 World Youth candidates are Youth and Intermediate. Check out Mike Kennedy's lists before this past season.
Preview: Potential Highlights and Leading Performers
Young Men and Women
- US#1 110 hurdler Booker Nunley is entered, as is Wayne Davis NC. Davis, however, DNF'd at USATFs and likely will not compete
- US#1 Conor McCullough CA gets a chance to improve his 250-05 mark in the hammer
- The girls 100 and 200 are loaded, with 2-time double NON champ Chalonda Goodman GA leading both fields. The 100 should be the best of the two, with Great Southwest champ Terra Evans AZ, Breanna Hubbard GA, Jacinda Evans NC and other stars entered
- NON champ Jasmine Stowers SC and Larissa Matthews AZ are entered
- US#1 and #2 hammer-throwers Allison Horner and Lauren Chambers GA are entered in their specialties
- US#3 Bryce Lamb is entered in the triple jump
- The 400H could be loaded with sub-54 talents Nunley, Jermaine and Jerome Lowery PA, and Ameachi Morton GA
- Newly-crowned NON 100 champ Hunter Furr and New Bern NC standout Fuquan Greene are slated to clash again. Furr is also in the 200, where Sean Lange and Adrian Sneed are top seeds
- The long jump features NIN champ Jacinda Evans NC, Sonnisha Williams VA, and Brittany Porter GA
- 161-footer Natalie Baird VA leads the discus field
- 16-6 performer Corey Shank is entered in the PV
- Georgia standouts Amaechi Morton and Justin Chambers clash in the 400; Morton has been under 47 seconds
- Anthony Hendrix NC and Nathan Mathabane OR are both sub-1:52 performers in the 800. Mathabane also leads the 1500 field
- 5-10.75 leaper Maya Pressley and 5-9 Ariel Roberts MI are in the high jump
Intermediate Boys and Girls
- One of the best matchups should be between 53-second 400 runners Akawkaw Ndipagbor CA and Briana Nelson SC. Ndipagbor also leads the 200 field
- California phenom Elias Gedyon is in the 400 and 800
- Tara Richmond CA paces the high jump field at 5-11
- William Henry FL and Jaron Robertson GA are sub-48 400 candidates
- Dominique Weathers (11.68) and Kia Jackson GA (11.75 pace 100 entires, and will also battle Ndipagbor in the 200
- Ryan Crouser OR leads the shot put (60-02), discus (180-01), and javelin (185-8) fields
- Danielle Menlove UT leads the 1500 (4:29) and 3000 (10:04) fields
- Dale Morgan CA leads the boys 110 and 400 hurdle fields
- Devin Harrison CA is a 23-4 long jumper to lead that field
- Adrienn LaChance paces girls PV entries at 12-05.50
Youth Boys and Girls
- Florida phenom Robin Reynolds paces the 200/400 entries (24.10/53.10) and is 2nd on the 100 list behind teammate Tatiana Hudson, and 3rd in the 800
- Hudson also leads long-jump entries at 18-02 and is listed 2nd in the 200
- Brandon Sanders SC has leading 100/200 marks at 10.98/22.35
- Terrell Clement TX and Artie Burns look to be two of the best 100/200 hurdlers
- Byron Marshall looks to dominate the long jump with a 22-11.50 leading mark
- Laura McDowell is the top seed in the 800 at 2;13.29
- Amy-Eloise Neale WA paces 1500 and 3000 entrants at 4:40.61/10:29.30
- Tate Schienbein is the leading entrant in the 1500 and 3000
- Jalen Peterkin NC paces the shot and discus fields
- Jamaal Jones AZ leads the Jav and Pentathlon entries
USATF Youth Index
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