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June 16, 2007 Greensboro NC
DyeStat on-site coverage
 | Georgia Connection
the story of the girls sprints/hurdles/short relays
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By SteveU
When it came to the girls sprints, hurdles and short relays at Nike Outdoor Nationals, we figured we had some sure things. We had 100/200 US leader Tiffany Townsend TX, who was surely either going to sweep the dashes or at least share honors with Gabby Mayo NC, who was limiting her action to a 100 title defense. We had Jackie Coward TN and Jessica Beard OH, who were going to dominate and set new PRs in the 100H and 400, respectively. And we had relay teams from Texas and Florida which were going to rule the 4x200 and 4x100s.
 | The girls 100 final: From left, Hendricks, Townsend, Mayo, Bryant, Goodman. Photo John Dye |
But some funny things happened along the way. Weather more common in mid-March in North Carolina than mid-June blanketed the area, turning the Irwin Belk Track in Greensboro into a distance runners’ dream and a slightly uncomfortable place for sprinters. That, plus frequent headwinds, slowed times significantly in many sprint events. And that wasn’t all. The breakthrough of statuesque soph star Chalonda Goodman GA in the dashes and the determined effort of Brittany Long and her Therrell (Atlanta) GA teammates in the short relays allowed the lion’s share of the top honors in these events to go to athletes from a little 32-mile strip of real estate between SW Atlanta and one of its bedroom communities.
 | King to Long to anchor Therrell's winning 4x100.
Photo Vic Sailer |
Goodman, a Newnan GA soph who wasn’t even the fastest in her own state meet (well, she won her class, but Long had the best times of the day), was seeded 13th and 4th in the 100 and 200 starting the weekend. First up was the 100, which was expected to come down to whether Townsend would be able to hold her form from her tremendous state meet (11.21/22.84), or whether Mayo could rise to the occasion with a return to her championship form of this time a year ago.
In the heats, Mayo won heat 2 in 11.62 (-1.6 wind), but Goodman was a solid 2nd in 11.75. Townsend won the third in 11.68 (-0.4). That trio wound up with the best heat times. When they lined up for the final, it still looked like a Mayo-Townsend show.
Mayo didn’t get a very good start in lane 4, but accelerated well. Townsend never really looked like her old self next to her in lane 5. Brittany Long was running well in lane 7. Meanwhile, Goodman was strong and powerful, never stopping her acceleration, and clearly running her best of the year out of lane two. As is the case in the 100, it’s over almost you can begin to digest what’s developing before your eyes.
Goodman nipped Mayo with her 11.56, a PR despite the negative wind of 0.7. Mayo’s 11.58 was .05 up on Long, who nipped Townsend (11.65) for third.
The atmosphere afterward was slight disbelief. The favorites couldn’t quite believe they’d been dethroned, while Goodman was joyfully stunned. “It feels wonderful,” she said. “. I knew I had to focus on me and not everyone else in the field. I just focused on executing my own race.
“My start is my weakest point, but I had a pretty good one today,” she added. “I’ve been working a lot this sprint on developing my quickness.”
Goodman certainly has the good genes, as brother Cedric was 2nd (46.08) in the 2004 NON 400 and is now running at UGA. Chalondra is also a former Junior Olympics champ.
But while fans were amazed how Goodman rose to the top, they were wondering as much or more what has happened with Townsend since the state meet and Mayo all season, as she has not regained her 2006 form.
“I fell out of the blocks and was this close to the ground,” said Mayo, who had clearly thought she was ready for her best of the year. “I would have run faster if that didn’t happen.
“I’ve had severe shin splints all year,” she added. “I haven’t had a complete week of training since January.” Apparently, Mayo and her coach took the compromising road of taking some rest and trying to train and race through it, as opposed to a complete break that would have deeply hindered her ability to do anything this spring. “I took as much as a week off. I did pool workouts. This year has been totally different than last year. I’ve changed orthotics and had better training since state. I need to go get an ice bath, now.”
As for Townsend, she said “The weather didn’t work out for me. I couldn’t get loose. I’ve had lower back problems since before state. It got worse after state, but had been getting better recently. It was pretty stiff today. I just have to come back in the 200 and do what I can do.”
The only sprint finalist that was part of a top crew for Friday’s 4x200 final was Long, who was entered with her Therrell teammates in both the 4x100 and 4x200. Earlier, Therrell had qualified 2nd in the 4x100 heats. In the 4x200, they were ranked only 7th, underdogs to the favored Dallas Gold (US#1 Timberview HS) girls, who had a best of 1:36.37.
But Timberview was a no-show and in the final, it was apparent Deanna Lee, Jawanda King, Santeria Moses and Long were ready to run their best of the year, while others were going backwards. Therrell also got a break when a Miami Northwestern runner pulled up and their team couldn’t finish. The Atlanta school came through with their best time of the year, 1:38.37, and won by .70 over Oak Ridge FL. Uniondale NY almost a second back in third as just two teams broke 1:40. It was a great effort for Therrell, given the cool weather.
 | Muhammad, Krais, Coward, Jamison in the 400H. Photo John Dye
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As Saturday dawned, the questions with the sprints, hurdles and short sprint relays were whether Goodman and Therrell could double, how fast Jessica Beard and Jackie Coward would run, and who would win the tightly contested 400H.
After five sections of the 400H, the first event of the evening program, the seeded runners went into the blocks. Despite the lack of top star power from someone like Ebony Collins (circa 2005-06), and a scratch from April Williams TX, the field was loaded with runners between 58 and 61 seconds that promised a great, competitive race. Penn Relays champ Ryann Krais PA was the fastest of the year at 58.93, and was joined by defending champ Leslie Njoku NJ, 100H favorite Jackie Coward TN, and the always tough Takecia Jamison MD.
Then there was Dalilah Muhammad NY, who had a dazzling season indoors in the long sprints, but had underwhelmed outdoors. While she had a PR of 58.75, her 2007 best was just 59.68.
But it turns out that all Muhammad was looking for was a great opportunity. When the field roared into the home stretch, there was the Benjamin Cardozo senior side-by-side with Methacton PA jr Krais. Both were running this event like they never had before. Muhammad crossed the line first with a stupendous US#1 57.09, with Krais close behind at 57.26. The runners moved to #7 and #9, all-time, with the efforts.
Njoku got out well, but faded to 5th in 59.93. Coward got a nice PR 58.23 in 4th and Jamison, despite hammering an early hurdle, made this race what is thought to be the first-ever with three under 58.
 | | Jessica Beard takes a look at the clock at the end of the 400. Photo John Dye |
“I think it was the competition,” said Muhammad. “It put me under some pressure (in a good way). At home, I get kind of relaxed, but I wanted to really come out and run well at nationals. Today, my steps were really on point.”
Krais was probably as happy a runner-up as would be found all weekend. She knew that even though she had the top 2007 time that it was a close competitive field. “quote” That she did, crushing her old PR by 1.57. “I decided I didn’t care how anyone else ran,” she said. “I just wanted to break 58. I’m not upset at all.”
Next up was the 4x100. This was the event Therrell really wanted. They had been topped by Oak Ridge FL and Odekia Bent at the Golden South meet and the loss had not sat well with them. Like few Georgia teams before them, they had extended their seasons and were really on a misson. The team already had one gold and Long a 3rd in the 100, but they wanted more.
By the time Long got the baton, Therrell had a modest deficit to make up, but the anchor was having none of this second-place stuff here. She roared past Oak Ridge and defending champion Harding NC and took her team across the line in 46.25. The squad included Lee, Moses, Long and Makiya Cargill. “We were really focused and wanted another ring,” said Long.
“This is a real close group,” added Coach Dion Portis. “They really like each other and like to train together.”
Half an hour later, the 400 went off and when all the early sections were done, Euclid OH sr Jessica Beard stepped on the track. Like Chanelle Price minutes before her, Beard had a chance to chase some legends – but legends of a more recent vintage, like Monique Henderson and Sanya Richards. The other five ahead of Beard on the all-time list were all from 1982 or earlier. A week before her state meet, Beard had only just gotten down into the low 53s, but then came her devastating 51.63 at state, moving her up to #8 all-time. She was slightly slower at GWI – 52.04 – but seemed poised to go at least deeper into the low 51s tonight.
 | Jackie Coward - Photo John Dye
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Unfortunately, Jessica’s best competition, Meshawn Graham from her own home state (52.51), did not make the meet. But the defending champ pushed hard out by herself. Still, in the final 100, Beard could sense she and her rivals were not exactly setting the track afire and she drove ever harder. When she hit the line, she leaned hard and twisted herself in a classic pose, trying to see the clock and if it showed the numbers she wanted.
It did not. Beard’s time was a very good 52.43, but .45 off her meet record and .80 off her new PR. Even given the cool conditions, the field was disappointingly lackluster – so much so that freshmen and Golden South champ Briana Nelson SC (53.74) and English Gardner NJ (54.00) snatched away 2nd and 3rd overall from the previous section. Final section runner-up Breehana Jacobs PA was 54.39, almost 2 seconds back of Beard.
“I’m happy that I won, but I’m not happy at all with my time,” the winner admitted afterward. “It seemed like the race was harder than it should have been. Meshawn wasn’t here and she always pushes me. I felt like I was struggling a bit in the first 200 and I had to catch Joanna Atkins. I should be ready to peak next week and I hope it will be totally different.”
The 100-meter hurdles were next, and the crowd watched with anticipation to see if Coward could lower her 13.27 PR and move up further on the all-time list. It just wasn’t a day for fast times down the straightaway, however. Coward dominated the race, her technique strong, and won by a big 0.27 in 13.55. The scoreboard soon revealed a culprit – a headwind of 0.7.
Defending champ April Williams TX, who had run 13.52 into a headwind last year, while Coward was 3rd, was runner-up in 13.82, followed by Bianca Blair TN (13.88), and Ryann Krais PA (13.92).
“I thought I ran faster, but I guess it was the headwind,” said Coward. “I felt relaxed and confident. I PR’d in the 400 hurdles, so I was excited about that.”
 | Chalonda Goodman (2nd from left) taking the 200.
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 | Chalonda is congratulated by Donna Dye. Donna on the Side Alert! Photo John Dye
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Finally, it was time for the 200, and Goodman lined up in the middle of the track with Townsend and Long. Goodman, now with all eyes upon her, had rolled to an easy win in the second heat (23.65). But Townsend, stinging from the previous day’s loss, had hammered a 23.49 into a 1.6 headwind two heats later. When Long hit 23.70 in the final heat, the 3 favorites were clear.
The gun went off and Goodman exploded out of her blocks into the lead, hammering the turn and getting the crowd out of their seats. Townsend could never make a race of it, but Long, going for her third gold and fourth medal of the meet, gave the Newnan soph a scare with her closing rush. But the 100 champ prevailed, 23.42-23.44, into a 1.0 wind, with Townsend 3rd in 23.69. In what had been called her “Halloween” colors, Goodman had achieved a stunning double.
“I knew I had to be first going into the curve,” said an exhilarated Goodman. “I think I got the best start I’ve ever had. I really had a lot of adrenaline going. I just had to have my mind right and stay focused, because I knew the horses would be on my back.”
Did she feel Long in the last 20 meters? “Oh yes, I felt her coming. I just had to keep going.”
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