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This is the tenth in a series of DyeStat year-end awards for 2006-07. The DyeStat Most Outstanding Performers series will include boys and girls distance, sprints, hurdles, jumps, throws, and multi-events. These will be followed by the DyeStat Athlete of the Year award. Selections are made by DyeStat editors and are based a combination of multiple major victories/honors won and performances on all-time and yearly lists. Performances from outdoor track, indoor track, and cross-country are taken into account.

Text by Steve Underwood - Photos by Pat Davey, Donna Dye, Spencer Allen, and Kirby Lee


  William Wynne
 
 
William Wynne can seemingly do it all over the barriers, starting with the short indoor hurdles. But the longest race is his domain. After hitting a soph record 51.56 at USATF JOs in summer 2006, he was ready for big things as a junior. For much of the spring in the 300H, though, he was somewhat overshadowed by Robert Griffin and Jeshua Anderson. Despite a stupendous 35.68 at state that would have made him #8 all-time at season’s start, he was just #3 on the season.

Things changed, however, in the post-season, with the distance moving up to the full lap. Neither Griffin or Anderson showed at NON, leaving Wynne to beat Reggie Wyatt in a thriller, 50.09-50.10. The Powder Springs GA (McEachern HS) junior blasted a 50.01 in his semi, then came from way behind with a fantastic kick to beat Johnny Dutch in the final with a 49.70, good for #2 all-time.

Then it was on to Ostrava for William. After taking the silver in the 110H (13.44, 36”), he just dominated the 400H with a World Youth Record 49.01 (33”), and also ran on the winning medley relay.

Griffin would later retake the lead over the 36” 400H, but unlike Griffin and Anderson, Wynne will be back next year to go for more records.


Defining Races


1st World Youth 400H (33”) 49.01
1st USATF Jr. 400H (36”) 49.70 (50.01 semi)
1st Nike Outdoor 400H (36”) 50.09
1st GA 5A State 300H 35.68
2nd World Youth 110H (36”) 13.44 (13.39 heat)


 
  Robert Griffin III
 
 
Robert Griffin III ran a very impressive 51.77 for 400H as a soph at the 2006 AAU JOs. The only problem was that it was somewhat lost among the soph record 51.56s already turned in by Trey Charles and William Wynne at NON and USATF JOs, respectively. This year, Griffin would have the last word.

But first came the prep outdoor season for the Copperas Cove junior. Coming into the year a 13.80w hurdler, he hit 13.55 (nwi) and 36.64 by early April to serve notice how his year would be. He wouldn’t top the 110H time until the summer, but the 300H came down with frightening speed – 36.41 at district, 35.96 at his regional qualifier, 35.86 at region, and finally 35.33 at TX 4A State, good for #2 all-time and just .01 off the record. He also ran a US#1 13.55 legal.

Griffin and CA star Jeshua Anderson were pushing the 300H to new heights. The first Saturday in June, Griffin went for the HSR, but had to settle for 35.47. Anderson, who had run 35.34 in prelims, topped it with an HSR 35.38. The two now had 4 of the top 9 performances in history.

With football commitments at hand, Griffin missed NON and USATF Juniors, but returned to the AAU JO meet to chase the HSR at 400H. By then, William Wynne had taken the long hurdles spotlight with NON and USATF Jr wins and a 49.70. But after a 50.07 prelim, Griffin ripped a 49.56 for #2 all-time, just .18 off the HSR. He also equaled the (legal wind) US#1 110H in Knoxville at 13.46. Unfortunately for hurdle fans, Griffin is reportedly planning to finish school and enroll in college early for football, forgoing his senior track season.

Defining Races

1st AAU JOs 400H 49.56
1st AAU JOs 110H 13.46
1st TX 4A State 300H 35.33
1st TX 4A State 110H 13.55
1st Great Southwest 300H 35.47


 
  Jeshua Anderson
 
 
Only in a year like this could a hurdler set a high school record, yet seem to be overshadowed by season’s end. Anderson bypassed the post-season fireworks at 400H and didn’t compete outside of California, but he still authored a season for the ages at 300H, from start to finish.

The Woodland Hills CA (Taft HS) senior was the leading returning hurdler in the country coming into 2007 and quickly made it clear he was ready for big things with two clockings under 36.5. Then at Arcadia, he got that first sub-36 with a 35.75 at Arcadia, making him #9 all-time. He cruised through the state series in CA and arrived in Sacramento ready for his best.

In the prelims, Anderson rocked the track world with his 35.34, history’s #3 time and just .02 off the USR. The next night, he would compete in the finals while new 35.33 hurdler Robert Griffin TX was shooting for the USR at Great Southwest, creating a virtual showdown and chase for a new record. With another stupendous run, it was Anderson that reached the top of the list with a USR 35.28.

Jeshua closed out his unbeaten campaign with a 36.05 at Golden West, just missing a fifth sub-36 for the year.

Defining Races

1st CIF Finals 300H 35.28 (35.34 Prelims)
1st Arcadia 300H 35.75
1st Golden West 300H 36.05
1st Mt. SAC 300H 36.03
1st L.A. City 300H 35.77
1st Knox 300H 36.26

 
  Johnny Dutch
 
 
It was amazing that in a year where it seemed Johnny Dutch continued to be snakebit when it came to getting the monster performance at the right time, and one filled with great hurdlers and hurdle performances everywhere you turned, that he still had enough outstanding runs to join this group. The Clayton NC senior clearly was first to lay down the gauntlet for a year of great hurdle action, though, when he clipped the USR at 55H with his 7.07 at the Eastern Challenge.

In a bizarre scenario at Nike Indoor where it was determined that officials had missed false starts during semis and a two-section 60H final was run, Dutch emerged on top with a 7.73 that held up as US#1 for the season and was =#6 all-time. His string of mostly bad luck/results at Nike Outdoor continued, however, as he clobbered a hurdle and finished last in the 400H and false-started in the 110H final after posting the leading qualifier.

At USATF Jrs., his results were much better, but he still didn’t top the victory stand. He was 2nd in both the 400H and 110H and it took the #2 and #2 (all-conditions) performances in history to beat his 50.07 (William Wynne 49.70) and 13.36 (Brendan Ames 13.15). Finally, Dutch had his day(s) at the Pan Am Juniors. He took the 110H with a US#1 (wind-legal) 13.46, then the 400H two days later in 50.82.

Defining Races

1st Pan Am Jrs. 110H 13.46
1st Pan Am Jrs. 400H 50.82
1st Nike Indoor 60H 7.73
1st Eastern Challenge 55H 7.08
1st NC State 110H 13.39w
2nd USATF Jrs. 400H 50.07
2nd USATF Jrs. 110H 13.36w


 
  Terry Prentice
 
 
You may not see Terry’s name atop the hurdle or long jump lists, but if you’re looking for the best combination performer and a potentially very strong multi-eventer, look no further.

Actually, Prentice is already proven in the indoor multis. He won the NIN pentathlon with 3,966, forging a winning margin of more than 300 points and moving to #6 all-time. He had an outstanding meet in Maryland, taking the long jump at 23-10.75 and placing fourth in the 60H. Earlier, he had won the Simplot long jump (24-3A, US#4 for year) and was barely 2nd to Johnny Dutch in the 60H.

Outdoors, Terry continued to successfully spread his talents around at major meets. At Arcadia, he won the 110H and was 2nd in the 300H. Then at his Southern Section meet in CA, he spanned a US#2 (at the time) 24-04.75 in the LJ. He closed out his state meet career at CIF with a super 13.53w 110H/23-08.50 double victory. Graduation interfered with NON, but the Diamond Ranch senior went to Golden West and had a super meet, racking up his best legal 110H (13.60, into a 2.0 wind), a windy (2.6) long jump 25-00 PR (and 24-06 legal PR), and a 2nd in the 300H.

At USATF Jrs. he was 4th in the 110H (13.52w) and the long jump (1st prep). Finally, at USATF JOs, he won the 110H (13.50w) and was 2nd in the LJ.

Defining Races

1st Golden West LJ 25-00w (24-06 legal)
1st Golden West 110H 13.60
1st Simplot LJ 24-03A
1st Nike Indoor Pentathlon 3,966
1st CIF State 110H 13.53w
1st USATF JOs 110 13.50w
1st Arcadia 110H 13.77


 
  Honorable Mention 
 

Brendan Ames WY – It’s not easy for athletes in relatively remote states like Wyoming to compete at the national level, but Ames was able to get to NIN and Simplot indoors and place high in the 60H. It wasn’t until USATF Jrs. that he made a splash outdoors – but what a splash he made. After an impressive 13.32w (3.0) victory in his semi, the Cheyenne Central sr. rocked the track world with his 13.15w (2.7) triumph in the final, the #2 all-conditions time in history. Unfortunately, his season ended on a downer as he suffered a DQ at Pan Am Juniors.

Wayne Davis II NC – Davis was already known as one of the nation’s best soph athletes after the indoor season, where he was 3rd in the NIN 60H. At NON, however, the Southeast Raleigh star completely burst onto the national stage with a 13.65 victory in the 110H – albeit against a less-than-super field. Wayne carried the momentum into the World Youth meet, as he ran solid rounds with teammate William Wynne, then exploded in the final for a World Youth record 13.18 (lower 36” hurdles).

Reggie Wyatt CA – Talk about super sophomores … long hurdle phenom Wyatt was the bridesmaid in almost every major race he ran, but what a set of marks he put up. While Jeshua Anderson was setting the USR at CIF State, Wyatt was becoming the first soph under 36 at 35.90. At NON, the J.W. North soph was just a hundredth back of William Wynne with a eye-popping soph record 50.10. Wyatt took another silver at World Youths, again trailing only Wynne. He did pick up a nice win at USATF JOs in the 400 flat race, his 46.89 just off his 46.87 PR.
 

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