 | 18th Nike Outdoor Nationals
June 19-21, 2008 - North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro NC
Shot Put
| Boys - Girls -
Brandon Pounds (IN) 68-11.25,
Becky O'Brien (ME) 52-1.75
Brandon Pounds
| Becky O'Brien
| 
|  |
photos by Vic Sailer
Boys
Brandon Pounds puts "the Future" on Hold
Indiana senior tops New Jersey frosh Nick Vena with his big 68-11.25 PR
by DyeStatIL editor Bob Geiger
 Going into Saturday's shot put competition, the talk was all about super-freshman Nicholas Vena of Whippany, New Jersey. Vena was the New Jersey State Champion, and the second-ranked thrower in the United States with his toss of 67-10.25. He is clearly the "future" of the event, and he did not disappoint.
He took his first throw out to 66-05.00 and carried it through the prelims, the top thrower heading into the finals, leading by just under two feet to Cameron Tabor of Norman, Oklahoma.
Brandon Pounds IN (left, by Vic Sailer) had other ideas. His 63-04.00 throw in the prelims had him sitting fifth going into the finals. The Indiana state and Midwest Meet of Champions titlist had winning on his mind. On his fourth throw of the competition, Pounds put the shot 68-11.25, beating his personal best of 66-04.50 by well over two feet.
Between the prelims and finals, Pounds made some minor adjustments and one big one.
"My coach told me to stand more in the middle and to come out of the back slower," Pounds said after he had secured his national title. "He also told me to show some emotion. We had worked so hard all year to get here and I knew if I did the little things, the big throw will happen."
Pounds, who passed on USATF Jr. Nationals after competing there last year, was happy to have his final high school competition at Nike Outdoor Nationals.
For Vena, the future holds many successes. The precocious freshman has plans to start getting ready for indoor season as soon as he gets home, which should be more than a little concerning for the rest of the nation's elite throwers.
by Pete Cava for NSSF
In one of the biggest upsets at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, Brandon Pounds of Lawrence North High School ambushed Nick Vena (Whippany, NJ) for the shot put title.
Vena, the talented freshman from Morristown, N.J., High School, was the No. 2 U.S. prep performer with a season best of 67-10.25, which was a new national record for a freshman. Pounds, an Indiana State recruit, came here with a best of 66-9 US#4 this season.
Pounds took over the lead from Hayden Baillio (Whitesboro, TX) in the fourth round with a heave of 68-11.25, a personal best. Vena improved to 67-2.25 on his fifth throw and Steven Saenz (Rio Grande City, TX) moved into third with a fifth-round 65-7.5.
Vena came up with another 67-2.25 on his final throw while Saenz fouled. Baillio's 65-0.75 gave him fourth place.
Pounds, winner of this year's Indiana state title, fouled on his last two attempts.
“You have to go in knowing it only takes one big throw,” said the affable Hoosier. “I just couldn’t get it. My first round of throws, I was really leaning. My coach had told me just to slow down a little bit and relax. I just put my emotions into it and got it.”
C.F.P.I. Timing & Data - Contractor License
Nike Outdoor Nationals - 6/19/2008 to 6/21/2008
North Carolina A+T University, Greensboro, NC
Event 47 Boys Shot Put
==========================================================================
8 advance to the final
National: $ 81-03.50 6/16/1979 Michael Carter, Jefferson, Dallas TX
Meet: M 69-08.25 6/14/1997 Kevin DiGiorgio, Bayonne, NJ
Freshman: F 67-10.25 5/3/2008 Nick Vena, Morristown, PA
Sophomore: O 68-10.75 2000 Kevin Bookout, Stroud, OK
Junior: J 71-10.25 1983 Arnold Campbell, Airline,Bossier Cit
Senior: S 81-03.50 6/16/1979 Michael Carter, Jefferson, Dallas, T
Name Year School Finals
==========================================================================
Finals
1 Pounds, Brandon 08 Indianapolis, IN 21.01m 68-11.25
19.30m FOUL 18.96m 21.01m FOUL FOUL
2 Vena, Nicholas 11 Whippany, NJ 20.48m 67-02.25
20.24m 20.04m 19.50m 19.41m 20.48m 20.48m
3 Saenz, Steven Rio Grande City, TX 20.00m 65-07.50
18.92m 19.06m 19.58m FOUL 20.00m FOUL
4 Baillio, Hayden 09 Whitesboro, TX 19.83m 65-00.75
18.90m 19.19m 19.70m 19.83m FOUL 18.10m
5 Tabor, Cameron 09 Norman, OK 19.65m 64-05.75
18.90m 18.71m 19.65m FOUL 18.86m FOUL
6 Alleman, Mike 08 Scotch Plains, NJ 19.47m 63-10.50
19.26m 19.24m FOUL 18.77m 19.47m FOUL
7 Ragans, Dayshan 08 Bakersfield, CA 18.70m 61-04.25
16.83m 18.64m 18.38m 18.70m 18.44m FOUL
8 Hiatt, Tyler 08 Noblesville, IN 18.41m 60-05.00
17.46m 17.71m 18.41m 16.96m 17.31m 18.36m
9 Wright, Wesley 08 Villa Rica, GA 18.34m 60-02.00
18.34m 18.09m FOUL
10 Jones, Corey 09 Boonville, MO 18.27m 59-11.25
17.79m 18.27m 17.70m
11 Kwiatkowski, Daniel 08 Erie, PA 18.16m 59-07.00
18.05m 18.16m 17.93m
12 Finley, Mason 09 Salida, CO 18.02m 59-01.50
17.75m 18.02m FOUL
13 Ebersole, Drew 08 Grafton, OH 17.94m 58-10.25
17.36m 17.89m 17.94m
14 Evans, Andrew 09 Schoolcraft, MI 17.79m 58-04.50
FOUL 17.79m FOUL
15 Smith, Ryan 08 Winder, GA 17.58m 57-08.25
15.90m 17.58m FOUL
16 Gross, David 08 Brockport, NY 17.39m 57-00.75
16.77m FOUL 17.39m
17 Deaton, Jacob 08 Mooresville, NC 16.50m 54-01.75
15.69m 16.10m 16.50m
18 Bass, Darren 08 Lima, OH 16.45m 53-11.75
16.45m FOUL FOUL
19 Smith, Daniel 09 Saco, ME 15.87m 52-01.00
14.89m 15.13m 15.87m
20 Filiano, Dominic 10 Lebanon, NH 15.65m 51-04.25
15.65m 15.46m FOUL
21 Lavong, Wesley 09 Collegeville, PA 14.89m 48-10.25
FOUL FOUL 14.89m
22 Brode, Dustin 10 Canfield, OH 14.83m 48-08.00
FOUL 14.83m FOUL
-- Spellman, Frede Norfolk, MI DNS
-- Linsley, Corey 09 Boardman, OH DNS
C.F.P.I. Timing & Data - Contractor License
Nike Outdoor Nationals - 6/19/2008 to 6/21/2008
North Carolina A+T University, Greensboro, NC
Event 75 Boys Shot Put Emerging Elite
==========================================================================
National: $ 81-03.50 6/16/1979 Michael Carter, Jefferson, Dallas, T
Name Year School Finals
==========================================================================
Finals
1 Merino, Jorge 09 Old Bridge, NJ 16.75m 54-11.50
16.05m 16.37m 16.75m 15.87m 16.73m 16.69m
2 Lyscio, Tom 08 Baxter, MN 16.59m 54-05.25
16.15m 16.59m 16.49m FOUL 16.59m 16.29m
3 Mauldin, Thomas 08 villa rica, GA 16.47m 54-00.50
15.40m 16.03m 16.47m 15.74m FOUL FOUL
4 Bittle, Regis 08 Tryon, NC 16.47m 54-00.50
16.03m 16.47m 15.72m 15.27m 15.18m FOUL
5 Mubarak, Nabil 09 Lawrenceville, GA 16.04m 52-07.50
FOUL 15.14m 16.04m FOUL FOUL 16.02m
6 Fraker, Davis 10 Peachtree City, GA 15.92m 52-02.75
14.71m 15.92m FOUL FOUL 15.32m FOUL
7 Brewer, Kencie 08 Greensboro, NC 15.87m 52-01.00
FOUL 15.16m 15.87m FOUL 15.51m 15.68m
8 Stuart, Patrick 09 Glasgow, KY 15.53m 50-11.50
14.21m 15.29m 15.53m FOUL FOUL FOUL
9 Ferguson, Lucas 09 Mount Vernon, OH 15.41m 50-06.75
FOUL FOUL 15.41m
10 Tancer, Jon 08 Montville, NJ 15.19m 49-10.00
14.62m 15.19m FOUL
-- Morales, Brendan 09 Westminster, MD FOUL
FOUL FOUL FOUL
Girls
by Elliot Denman for NSSF
Harding of Charlotte’s Kamorean Hayes had made this event her personal property, muscling her way to the gold in 2006, 2007 and 2008. All Becky O’Brien could do after placing second to Hayes in 2008 – 50-6 ¾ to 48-5 ¼ - was go back home to Cumberland, Maine and train even harder than ever before. That was the script and O’Brien followed it to perfection. All six of her throws topped the best effort of runner-up Emily Vannoy of Frederick, Md.
Gathering steam from round to round to round, O’Brien finally bombed one out to 52-1 ¾ in the sixth and final round. It was the second best ever in NON annals and ranked 11th all-time in USA history.
“I wish I would have thrown it a little bit further, but there were a few things that went wrong on my last throw,” said O’Brien. “It was my PR, but I still I think I could have thrown it much better than that. I didn’t quite get the height I needed on the shot, my legs didn’t push as well as they could have. I’ve PRed the last two years here, so I was thinking why not PR three years in a row?. To win by this margin was really important to me. I didn’t want to come in and win with a bad day. I wanted to win and do it impressively.”
Only NON thrower ever to best the O’Brien winning mark was Red Oak, Texas’s Michelle Carter, who established the meet record of 54-5 ¼ in 2003 (and still holds the National record of 54-10 ¾, also in 2003.)
Two others bested 45 feet – Lawrenceville, Ga.’s Eve Machovec, third at 45-5 ¼, and Toms River, NJ North’s Maureen Laffan, fourth at 45-1 ¾.
Now, O’Brien shifts her focus to Saturday’s discus throw, in which she’s seeded second.
This will be a hugely hectic weekend for the O’Brien entourage. They drove the 900 miles from Maine on Thursday, and then head to Columbus, Ohio for the USA Track and Field Junior National Championships on Sunday. Sometime late Monday – surely very weary – they will arrive back home in Maine.
C.F.P.I. Timing & Data - Contractor License
Nike Outdoor Nationals - 6/19/2008 to 6/21/2008
North Carolina A+T University, Greensboro, NC
Event 48 Girls Shot Put
==========================================================================
8 advance to the final
National: $ 54-10.75 5/10/2003 Michelle Carter, Red Oak, TX
Meet: M 54-05.25 6/14/2003 Michelle Carter, Red Oak, TX
Freshman: F 49-04 5/30/2004 Jenny Svoboda, Howells, NE
Sophomore: O 52-04.50 1981 Natalie Kaaiawahia, Fullerton, CA
Junior: J 53-03.75 2002 Michelle Carter, Red Oak, TX
Senior: S 54-10.75 5/10/2003 Michelle Carter, Red Oak, TX
Name Year School Finals
==========================================================================
Finals
1 O'Brien, Becky 08 Cumberland, ME 15.89m 52-01.75
14.39m 15.48m 15.72m 15.34m 15.12m 15.89m
2 Vannoy, Emily 09 Frederick, MD 13.92m 45-08.00
13.87m 13.92m 12.74m 13.35m 12.71m 11.99m
3 Machovec, Eve 08 Lawrenceville, GA 13.85m 45-05.25
13.24m 13.29m 13.34m FOUL FOUL 13.85m
4 Laffan, Maureen 08 toms river, NJ 13.76m 45-01.75
12.11m 12.90m 13.11m 12.75m FOUL 13.76m
5 Okafor, Ifeatu 08 Houston, TX 13.71m 44-11.75
13.30m 13.62m 13.29m 13.68m FOUL 13.71m
6 Halvorson, Aslynn 09 Charlotte, NC 13.64m 44-09.00
12.17m 12.35m 13.64m 12.89m 13.44m 13.02m
7 Flowers, Victoria 08 Providence, RI 13.43m 44-00.75
13.01m 13.26m 12.95m 12.68m 12.71m 13.43m
8 Baird, Natalie 08 Sterling, VA 13.29m 43-07.25
FOUL 12.92m 13.29m 12.09m 12.65m FOUL
9 Gerner, Jecel 09 Markesan, WI 13.11m 43-00.25
12.59m 12.66m 13.11m PASS PASS PASS
10 Freeman, Taylor 08 Coralville, IA 13.08m 42-11.00
12.80m 12.89m 13.08m
11 Garner, Brooke 08 Rapid City, SD 13.01m 42-08.25
12.65m FOUL 13.01m
12 Watt, Shannon 09 Jackson, NJ 12.90m 42-04.00
12.77m 12.90m 12.74m
13 Muzio, Anna 08 Harrisburg, PA 12.67m 41-07.00
12.27m 11.73m 12.67m
14 Talley, Sara 09 Resaca, GA 12.66m 41-06.50
12.09m 11.96m 12.66m
15 McCrewell, Dayna 09 Elkins Park, PA 12.42m 40-09.00
12.11m 12.42m 12.07m
16 Rybicki, Genevieve 09 Williamstown, NJ 12.42m 40-09.00
11.74m 11.92m 12.42m
17 Radford, Breanna 09 Alpharetta, GA 12.05m 39-06.50
11.48m 11.35m 12.05m
18 Cummings, Katie 08 Weyers Cave, VA 11.41m 37-05.25
10.91m 11.41m FOUL
19 Cobb, Sydni 10 Chesapeake, VA 11.01m 36-01.50
10.20m 11.01m 10.42m
-- Rothmiller, Shamire 08 Glassboro, NJ FOUL
FOUL FOUL FOUL
C.F.P.I. Timing & Data - Contractor License
Nike Outdoor Nationals - 6/19/2008 to 6/21/2008
North Carolina A+T University, Greensboro, NC
Event 76 Girls Shot Put Emerging Elite
==========================================================================
National: $ 54-10.75 5/10/2003 Michelle Carter, Red Oak, TX
Name Year School Finals
==========================================================================
Finals
1 Adams, Ashley 09 Rochester, PA 12.47m 40-11.00
2 Hampton, Apresha 11 Teaneck, NJ 11.95m 39-02.50
3 Haydel, Sydney 10 Woodland Hills, CA 11.88m 38-11.75
4 Scott, Daquaa 10 Staunton, VA 11.70m 38-04.75
5 Fisher, Symmone 08 coram, NY 11.68m 38-04.00
6 DeGraffinreed, Hannah 08 Raleigh, NC 11.67m 38-03.50
7 Weaver, Juanita 09 Greenbelt, MD 11.35m 37-03.00
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