California Females on US Senior World Championship Team

photo by Keith Conning
Deena Drossin (Kastor married name) (Agoura) First State Title 1987 Cross Country
Who would have thought an Olympic Medal would have been possible
from the slight Agoura frosh star?  Many of the same type stories below
photos below USA Track & Field

At the post high school level at the national and international level in the sport championship competitions are usually run with an idea of how many competitors the meet management wishes to have in the field.  There are standards that need to be met prior to qualifying for such a competition, with nations given their own responsibility as to how they wish to decide on team members, but they must have usually met some standard to move to the championship affair, such as the World Senior Meet in Osaka in late August.  Each country is usually given a token entrant per team, but others must meet a combination of "A" or "B" standards, with the A level mark guaranteeing entry for up to three competitors, with a combination of A and B marks making it possible for more to attend.  Those who won in the last World Championship are given a pass into this year's meet.  The Entry standards for the World meet are linked here, with the US team selection procedure linked here.  The squad has not been named yet, so below is an educated guess, and it is sometimes fun to take a look at some of the former California Prep stars who have moved to the International level with success and see where they are at.  During the season we lose track of these people as we are buried in the prep news, and mid-late summer is time to catch a bit of breath and maybe focus on some stars from the past couple of decades at our level who have moved on with success. 

Remember, the US squad has not been officially named, and injuries, etc. can always affect participation but below are our guesses on the possible team members:

Women 100 Meter Dash


--Torri Edwards - Pomona HS-USC
-Amazing return off a two year ban in the sport for use of a mild stimulant in product given her by a trainer, as she romped to a two meter win in the US Senior Championships this June in Indianapolis. If all goes well she is in definite competition for the gold medal. With a 10.90 seasonal best behind only Veronica Campbell (Jamiaca) 10.89 on the World yearly list. Edwards was a fine high school athlete at Pomona HS, where she was sixth in the 1994 California State Meet 200 and fourth a year later at the same distance with prep bests of 11.84w and 23.94. She was among the top dozen preps in the nation her senior year and I remember when she committed to USC my thoughts were, “the coaches there must have seen something I did not,” and so much for my judgment ability. At USC she finished as high as third in the NCAA 100 and was ranked #5 in the US while a collegian. She has steadily improved since that time.

Carmelita Jeter - Bishop Montgomery HS/Cal State Dominguez Hills
-3rd in the Senior National Championships at 11.17 and with a seasonal best of 11.05 that puts her among the top half dozen who will be at the World Championships. Carmelita is a study in patient development, with a fine career at Bishop Montgomery HS in Torrance and down the road at Cal State Dominguez Hills. Had 1998 senior year in high schools bests of 11.88w, by 2003 she had worked her way up to second in the NCAA Division II Championships at 100 meters and third at 200 meters, with senior year bests of 11.43 and 23.67. Again, an impressive study in how those who stick with things can impress with some good attention along the way.

Allyson Felix - LA Baptist HS (North Hills)
-Fourth in the Senior Nationals 100m final, Allyson was the 200m winner and will perform there with her summary there. With Lauryn Williams the defending champ guaranteed a spot, Felix, described in full below for her 200 win, will compete here in Osaka. She hopes to help out the relays in Osaka, with her running start making her very dangerous at the 100m distance and she has run 50.17 this summer for the 400 meter distance.

Women 200 Meter Dash
Allyson Felix - ex LA Baptist - turned pro after HS
The 2004 Track and Field Prep Track and Field Athlete of the Year and winner of most every other major award given out at that ranks during a career that had her rise from a good small school ninth grade sprinter to Prep National Record Holder (22.11 at altitude for 200 meters) as a senior, Felix is the recent local “darling of the sport.” Kind of broke some local hearts with our ability to see her dash with her going pro as a first-year USC athlete, but some of these money amounts impossible to argue with though it limited most of her racing to Europe at “pro” level meets. As defending World Champ, Allyson had a free ride to Osaka. With rival Veronica Campbell of Jamaica back on top of her game this summer it appears it will be a real battle for Gold in Osaka, with Felix, the defending Champion from Helsinki in 2005, it should be a battle royal!

Torri Edwards - Pomona HS/USC
Edwards was third in the USATF Meet and should race this distance also, as well as on the short relay.

Women 400 Meter Dash

Monique Henderson - Morse HS - UCLA
Fifth in the USATF Senior Champ meet in Indianapolis in June at 50.82, Monique should be a part of the relay pool, and based off summer fitness and team needs due to injuries and the like may run in the qualifying or final rounds in Osaka.
Monique is another of the super California prep stars of the last decade, with her Track & Field National Athlete of the Year honors in 2000 when she set the Prep 400 standard at 50.74. She was 51.34 as a senior in 2001 and headed off to UCLA, where she helped lead the Bruins to the 2004 NCAA title. That same year she earned an Olympic Gold Medal while a part of the US 4x400 relay during the qualifying rounds. She was able to run under 50 in 2005 with a 49.96 best

Women 800 Meter Run
Alysia Johnson - Canyon HS - Cal/Berkeley
Cross Country, Soccer, then Track and Field in high school, we kind of figured when she focused in college on her middle distance abilities some good things would happen, but Alysia has kind of exceeded expectations with a US Senior Championship over a very quality, veteran crew her junior year at the next level! State Champion her senior year in high school at Canyon of Canyon Country with a 2:08.97 best (marking her as among the top dozen preps in the country), she has dropped yearly to 2:05.49, 2:03.04 (third NCAA Division I contest), and this year’s 1:59.29 while winning the NCAA title in Sacramento in June. She was 1:59.47 in winning the Senior title in late June, with the World Meet a real interesting test for a young lady who is somewhere in top fifteen in the world on the stopwatch, a situation that changes daily with current European action. The “A” Standard in this event is 2:00.00, a stiff one that the top three Americans at the Sr Nationals (Hazel Clark 1:59.60, Alice Schmidt 1:59.63) were under. Hopefully Osaka will be a positive next step in an Olympic level career with this obviously super experience for a senior year Olympic effort in 2008. Like all those named above quite an advertisement for involvement with the sport with her neat attitude and bubbly personality.

Women 10000 Meter Run

Deena Kastor - Agoura HS/University of Arkansas
Another we can remember showing up at the prep ranks as a slight frosh runner at Agoura HS back in 1987 and under Coach Bill Duley she underwent a patient development from a fine age-group runner to one of the nation’s best preps with a senior year best of 10:19 for 3200 meters with five state titles in Cross Country and Track, and four consecutive appearances in the then Kinney National Cross Country Finals with 11th, 17th, 13th, and 6th place finishes there. During a collegiate career under former Cal Poly SLO coach Lance Harter, Deena had a great career, but interestingly never pulled off an NCAA Division I title in Cross-Country or Track and Field, but won seven SEC titles in the sports and was as high as runner-up in both Cross-Country and Indoor Track and the Division I level. She steadily built up until 2000 where she won the US Olympic Trials at 10k and was second at 5k on the track, with injury hindering her in the Sydney Olympics. The rest is history, with a 2:26 marathon effort in 2001 and continued track and road successes ending in 2004 with an Olympic bronze medalist in Athens in the Marathon at 2:27:20. She raced 2:19:36 at the 2006 London Marathon.
In Indianapolis she needed a 32:00 qualifier for the World Champs and raced away from the US pack early on to her 31:57.00 steadily paced win. As America’s current “distance darling” who has shown that she can be successful against the best in the world the Osaka 10k results will be fun to watch.

Women 100 Meter Hurdles



Virginia Powell USC
USC student via the state of Washington as a prep, Powell has moved to medal contention status with her poised USATF win, racing 12.63 into a -1.3 meter per second wind.

Michelle Perry - Quartz Hill HS/UCLA
-USATF Senior level runner-up to Powell at 12.72, Perry has gone from a fine all-arounder at Quartz Hill HS (1997 grad) to a true multi-eventer with an Olympic Heptathlon competition in the 2004 Olympics.
As high as third place in state as a prep in the 300 hurdles (42.68 in 1996), Michelle was fifth in the 100 meter Hurdles in 1996 and 1997, with a fifth place in the flat 100 in 1997 at state. She had 11.55w (100m), 13.87 (100m Hurdles), and 42.68 (300 Hurdles) prep bests before heading to UCLA. She was a PAC 10 100 Meter Hurdle Champ by 2000, with a runner-up effort at the NCAA Championships the next year. She was third in the US 2004 Olympic Trials in the Heptathlon and fourteenth at the Athens Games in the multi-event competition. She was sixth in the Olympic Trials 100 meter Hurdles and had improved to 12.74 there. In 2005 she started concentrating on the 100 meter Hurdles and was ranked #1 in the World in that year where she won the World Championship and had a 12.43 best, a time she equalled in 2006 where she was also ranked #1 in the world. She is rolling in Europe this summer and the favorite over Powell for the gold medal in Japan. Interestingly, as the defending champ she is allotted a spot in the World Championships, so fourth placer from the US Championships, Nichole Denby, is able to move to the World Champs, as she has a 12.80 clocking, under the 12.96 World Qualifying Level “A” Standard.

Nichole Denby Nike - JW North HS/University of Texas
Latest of the great North HS hurdles at the Open/pro level from Coach Charles Leathers, Nichole headed to the University of Texas after a fine Riverside area career. Her super prep career was capped with a 2000 state meet where she set a still-standing National Federation Record of 13.20 for the 100 meter Hurdles, was second in the 300 meter Hurdles at 41.59, and was fourth in the 100 flat at 11.94. At Texas she eventually was the NCAA Outdoor 100 Meter Hurdles champ in 2004, with a seventh at the 2004 Olympic Trials, ninth in the 2005 Senior Championships over the short barriers, and a fine fourth this 2007 Championship Meet. Great experience would be earning a finals spot in Osaka for one who certainly has her eyes on the 2008 Olympic Games.

Women 400 Meter Hurdles



Sheena Johnson - UCLA
A talented Virginia prep, Sheena attended UCLA and had an amazing career, racing 52.95 for the 400 Hurdles and placing fourth in the Athens Olympics. Johnson was second at the USATF Senior Meet at 53.29. A two-time NCAA Champ while at UCLA Johnson has one of the world’s leading times this year and is looking for another high placing on the World stage.

Nicole Leach UCLA
Part of the great West Catholic group who starred at the Arcadia Invitational while a prep, Leach is now at West at UCLA and has moved in nicely at the Collegiate ranks, placing fourth as a frosh in 2006 at the NCAA Division I meet, then racing away to a huge win at 54.32 prior to her third at the USATF Senior Meet to qualify for Osaka.

Women High Jump



Amy Acuff - UCLA
UCLA star by way of Texas as a prep, graduate from high school ranks way back in 1993, one of the great long careers for the tall Texan! The Honors have rolled for Amy, with five NCAA Indoor and Outdoor titles at UCLA, three Olympic team memberships (fourth place finish 2004), and six US Outdoor Championships. Showed her maturity in Indianapolis with a win at the Senior Meet at 6-02.25, with the quote of the meet, when in reference to the constantly varying and significant wind she indicated she wanted to enter a Japanese chef’s contest when she went to the World Champs over there, as all she did this day in the HJ was to “chop, chop, chop.” Part of an interesting training group in Isleton, California with Coach Dan Pfaff.

Women Long Jump



Grace Upshaw - Acalanes HS/UC Berkeley
Goodness, another study in patience in the sport, Grace was a 1993 graduate of Acalanes HS in Lafayette and runner-up in the NCS Championships that year at 17-10. She went on to the state meet where she was a non-qualifier for the finals at 17-08.75 (Marion Jones won the finals at 22-00.5). How careers and things can change. At that time, the novice Jones would appear to have the ability to Long Jump about 24 feet, with Upshaw heading off to Oregon, and eventually transferring to Cal/Berkeley for a College career that had her eventually work her way up to second in the PAC 10 LJ at 20-05.75 in 1997. After an interesting couple years of no competition, she emerged in 2001 to leap 21-08.75 and has been ranked no lower than fourth in the US since 2002, with two world Championship team memberships and the 2004 Athens Olympics in her resume (top place seventh at 2005 World Outdoors). With a 22-01.5w winner in the Indianapolis Senior Championships under some varying wind conditions it will be interesting to see if she can work on a better World level placing than ever for one who has amazed with her progress since her prep years.

Women Triple Jump
Erica McLain - Stanford
To Stanford by way of the Texas high school scene the NCAA runner-up with a fine seasonal best of 46-05.25, a US Collegiate record, with her best (she was 44-06.25 at the USATF Sr Championship affair in third) making the “B” standard. Her status via the other USATF places and their summer bests was still up in the air through early August.

Ke'Nyia Richardson - EOYDC/Holy Names HS
In case you are wondering, Richardson’s 44-04 (13.51 metric) in the USATF meet for 6th place was a bit short of the “B” standard for the World Championships 14.00 (45-11.25). Tori Anthony (Castilleja HS) and her 4.29 (14-01) at the State Meet was just short of the “B” World Standard in the Pole Vault, and she was tied for ninth at the USATF Sr Meet at 4.20 (13-09.25).

Women Shot Put



Kristin Heaston - Ygnacio Valley HS/Cal Berkeley
It was like “old home” week at the top of the USATF Senior Shot Put competition, with former Ygnacio Valley HS star, the 1992 and 1993 Golden State Prep Champ, the latter year with a 52-11.5 Meet Record winner in the “re-run rain-out year.” That contest featured a flight home Friday evening for the Saturday graduation from YG, a return to Cerritos College and excused 10 minute tardiness to the event’s start that had been okayed by meet management with the week later reschedule and all. A year at Diablo Valley College, then University of Florida had Kristin return home to attend Cal/Berkeley, where her dad was the Water Polo Coach, quite ill, and died of cancer in 1999. She was fourth in the NCAA Division I Championships in 1999 and Pac 10 runner-up her final year at Cal. In 2003 she was the US Indoor and Outdoor Champ and that year, and in 2005, was a member of the US World Championship squad, with Athens 2004 Olympic team membership squeezed in there also. Her best has been a ninth place at the World Championship level in 2005. Kristin’s 61-05.75 Senior National Championship win in June is a personal best, with another personal best probably required to make the finals in Osaka.

Jillian Camarena - Woodland HS/Stanford
One of the greats from Coach Bob Rathbun’s Woodland HS program, Jillian was a California State Shot Champ in 1999 and Discus winner in 2000 with a prep best in the Shot of 50-11.25. By her senior year at Stanford she was the PAC 10 Champ in the Shot, second in the NCAA Division I meet, and third in the Olympic Trials. However, she was not able to achieve the “A” standard in the event and was not able to compete in Athens. She was ranked #9 in the World in 2006 with an indoor best of over 63 feet. Her 2007 best is 62-01 (18.92) and she hopes to make the Osaka finals.

Women Discus Throw



Suzy Powell - Downey HS, Modesto/UCLA
The three-time California State Champion at Downey HS in Modesto, Suzy Powell had one of the most honor-strewn prep careers in recent California history. She was the Track & Field News Prep Athlete of the Year in 1994, her twelfth grade season, where she set a National Record of 188-04. At UCLA she quickly improved to 198-09 to win the 1996 Olympic Trials and make the Atlanta US squad. She also made the 2000 US Olympic squad and had a seasonal best of 214-03. She has been a member of the US World Championship team in 1997-2001 and 2003, with a ninth in the 2003 Finals at that level. She set a US record this year in the “Big Wind” Discus Challenge in Hawaii at 222 (67.67). A six-time National Champ runner-up, she won her second title in 2007 with her 198-11 (60.63) in Indianapolis in June. Suzy does have two other meets this year over 213 feet, so a big effort could result in a high place in Osaka.

Women Hammer Throw



Jessica Cosby - Cleveland HS (Reseda)/UCLA
Jessica Cosby attended Cleveland HS in Reseda in the LA City Section, where she won four straight Section Championships and was second in the 2000 State Shot Put, with a best that season of 50-03.5. By 2002 she was the NCAA outdoor Champ at 57-00.25, but picked up the Hammer event and was the US Outdoor Champ at 232-03 in 2006 with that implement. Jessica has helped coach at UCLA recently, with her third at the USATF meet and a seasonal best of 224-02 (68.34), a “B” standard mark, she will throw in Osaka.

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