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USATF World Youth Trials

Rynearson Stadium, Eastern Michigan U., Ypsilanti MI
June 30-July 1, 2009


DyeStat on-site with SteveU and Walter Pinion

USATF Youth Trials Boys
By Mike Kennedy for DyeStat.com

The first-ever same-year United States qualifying meet for the World Youth championships (athletes born in 1992 or 1993) will take place June 30-July 1 at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti.  The first two finishers in each event, provided they have meet the IAAF World Youth Championship qualifying standard, will be placed in a pool and a team of 55 athletes will be chosen from that pool to compete in Italy, July 8-12.

Here is a look, event-by-event, at the leading prospects with what it will likely take to place in the top eight at the World Youth Championships – based on results from the last three WYC.

Boys

100 Meters (10.79)

This event has been hard-hit with two-sport athletes choosing football over track.  Colin Hepburn (Glenbrook South, Glenview, Il.) was the State 3A champion who ran 10.70 and 10.50 in the heats and final.  Keenan Brock (Carver, Birmingham, Al.) ran 10.71 in State 2A, but then ran a legal 10.62 in a USATF JO Association meet.  Justin Emerson (Christian Academy, Knoxville, Tn.) was third in the State Division IA-2A meet at 10.65.

200 Meters (21.52)

Dedric Dukes (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fl.) had an outstanding freshman season at Washington High in Miami, but appeared in just one high school meet in February.  Then he reappeared in late May and early June and has had an outstanding series of marks including 10.79, 10.61, 21.38 and 20.94.  Kenneth Chambers (Doherty, Colorado Springs, Co.) was second in the State 5A meet with a wind-aided 21.32 and has bests of 10.76 and 21.77.  Demetrius Lindo (Kennedy, Silver Spring, Md.) has a best of 21.48, run at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, but is better known in the short hurdles, where he has run 13.90.  Eric Winfrey (Byrd, Fayetteville, N.C.), ran 21.54 to finish second in his State 2A meet.
 
400 Meters (48.54)

Dedric Dukes (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fl.) leads all Youth performers with his 46.38 in June at the USATF District 4 meet in Miami.  Not far behind is Josh Mance (Chino Hills, Ca.), who was the USATF National JO Intermediate champion last year at 46.61 and has improved to 46.41 in finishing second in his State meet.  William Henry (Trotwood-Madison, Trotwood, Oh.) had an early 47.38 in winning the Vol Classic and then dropped his time to 47.21.  Eric Winfrey (Byrd, Fayetteville, N.C.) was the State 4A champion at 47.77.

800 Meters (1:52.62)

This should be one of the most competitive events of the meet with 10 runners under 1:55.0.  Ruben Danielsen (Rancho Verde, Moreno Valley, Ca.) was second in the Arcadia Invitational at 1:52.85.  He then ran a personal best of 1:51.97 in the State meet prelims but had his only sub-par race of the season in the final.  Keith Griffith (Florence, N.J.) was fourth in the State MOC with a 1:52.94.  Kevin Byrne (Catholic, Red Bank, N.J.) was sixth in the same meet at 1:53.51.  Quincy Downing (Glenville, Cleveland, Oh.) has run 1:53.60.  State champion Bronson Duran (Sandia Prep, Albuquerque, N.M.) has a best of 1:52.61 in the Metro championships.
 
1,500 Meters (3:56.58)

The biggest problem in this event is that there may be no athlete that has meet the IAAF qualifying standard of 4:03.0 because the event is run so rarely in the U.S.  Unfortunately, marks made in the U.S. Trials can not be used to gain entry to the WYC.  Erik Olson (Novato, Ca.) has the best 1,600 time at 4:09.60 and Parker Stinson (Cedar Park, Tx.) has a best of 4:12.85.  Zachary Wills (Mason, Oh.) has run 4:15.41 for a mile but will probably concentrate on the 3,000 where he is an IAAF qualifier.
 
3,000 Meters (8:29.00 8th fastest qualifier/8:18.26 avg 8th place finish)

Zachary Wills (Mason, Oh.) was second at the Nike Outdoor Nationals two-mile at 8:55.18, but passed 3,000 at 8:20.17, worth about 8:17.0 if he had been running just a 3,000.  Parker Stinson (Cedar Park, Tx.) won the State 5A 3,200 at 8:54.70, which should put him close to 8:20.0 in a straight 3,000 race.  Erik Olson (Novato, Ca.) has run 8:55.06 for 3,200 and has two 3,000-meter en-route times of 8:23.5, as well as an 8:29.0 in the Stanford 3,000.  Craig Lutz (Marcus, Flower Mound, Tx.) was the Texas Relays 3,200 winner at 9:03.99.

2,000-Meter Steeplechase
(5:52.34)

Connor Martin (Westfield, In.) is the leading entrant at 6:01.97.  Alex McCandless (Tennessee) is the only other entrant at 6:20.56
 
110-Meter High Hurdles (36 inches) (14.01/14.26)

It will be interesting to see how fast the Youth athletes run, given they will be going over hurdles that are three inches lower that the high school height.  Kendall Hayes (Lancaster, Tx.) was the State 4A champion with a personal best of 13.71, and ran 13.91 at the Nike Outdoor Nationals heats before a sub-par final.  Dale Morgan (Taft, Woodlands Hills, Ca.) who is an outstanding running back that has verbally committed to USC, was the Arcadia champion at 14.09 and went on to win the State title at 13.76.  Demetrius Lindo (Kennedy, Silver Spring, Md.) clocked 14.07 at the Nike Outdoor Nationals heats and 13.90 in finishing second in the final.  Devalle Pedrogo (Mission Viejo, Ca.) has a legal best of 14.07, but has also run 13.95 wind-aided.

400-Meter Low Hurdles (33 inches) (52.56/53.06)

Dale Morgan (Taft, Woodland Hills, Ca.) was the State 300 hurdles runner-up to Reggie Wyatt at 36.98, and last year ran 52.43 in the USATF National JO Intermediate division.  Jaron Roberson (Campbell, Smyrna, Ga.) won the Taco Bell Invitational at 54.24 and Malcolm Nunley (Southeast, Raleigh, N.C.) was third at the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational at 54.29.

High Jump (6-09.00)

David Smith (Lovejoy, Hampton, Ga.) was the State 5A champion at 7-2 and backed that up three weeks later with at 7-1 ¾ in finishing second at the Atlanta International.  Maalik Reynolds (Westminster, Atlanta, Ga.) was the State 2A champion and finished second at the Atlanta International at 6-11 ¾.  Dwayne Golbek (Claremore, Ok.) was second at the State 5A meet at 7-0.
  
Pole Vault (15-06.25)

This should be a very competitive event. Sam Retzloff (Argyle, Tx.) cleared 15-9 in his State 4A regional meet and then set a personal best of 16-0 in winning the State title.  Teammate Kyle Thompson was third at the regional with a personal best of 15-9 but since only the top two advance to State, his 2009 high school season came to an end.  Max Babits (Fowlerville, Mi.) was the State Division I champion and has a best of 15-9 ¾.  Joseph Uhle (Olentangy Liberty, Powell, Oh.) has a best of 15-9 set indoors.

Long Jump (23-02.50)

Carlton Lavong (Methacton, Norristown, Pa.) was the Penn Relays champion at 24-6 ½ but the finished third in the State 3A meet.  Leon Samuels (Vance, Charlotte, N.C.) is the State 4A champion at 23-4 ½ and had a wind-aided 23-9 ¾ at the Nike Outdoor Nationals.  Kasen Covington (Capital, Boise, Id.) has a best of 23-2 ¾ set indoors at the United Heritage Invitational.
  
Triple Jump (50-01.50)

Kasen Covington (Capital, Boise, Id.) was the Simplot Indoor Games champion at 49-3.  He won the State 5A title at 49-2 and has a personal best of 49-10 ¾, but neither meet had a wind gauge in operation.  Carlton Lavong (Methacton, Norristown, Pa.) was third at the Nike Outdoor Nationals with a wind-aided 49-0 ¼, but did have a legal 48-7 ¼.  Phillip Young (Key West, Fl.) won the Florida Relays at 48-1 ¼ and set a personal best of 48-10 ¾ in winning the State 4A title.

Shot Put (61-07.50/58-07.25)

Ryan Crouser (Barlow, Gresham, Or.) opened the season at 61-4, won the State 6A meet at 66-1, the Border Clash at 66-3, and finally improved to 67-7 at Concordia Throws Festival.  Davis Fraker (McIntosh, Peachtree City, Ga.) won the State 5A meet at 61-5 ¾, but does have a 64-6 throw in a tri-meet.  Isaiah Simmons (Woodbridge,Va.) was the State 3A champion at 54-4 and recorded a personal best of 59-5 ½ in winning the Southern Classic.

Discus (183-07/171-00)

Ryan Crouser (Barlow, Gresham, Or.), just as he did in the shot put, started slowly at 175-7, but then won the State 6A at 183-2, followed by a 195-4 at the Border Clash and a personal best and US soph record of 202-3 in an all-comers meet in mid-June.  Alexander Thompson (Winnebago, Il.) had no marks of note until the State meet, where he won the 1A title with a personal best of 190-11.  Davis Fraker (McIntosh, Peachtree, Ga.) was the State 4A champion at 181-1 and has a best of 186-07.  Justin Osking (Carroll, Fort Pierce, Fl.), who won the State 2A title at 178-3 and has a best of 182-3, could surprise.

Hammer (226-07/205-00)

Alex Faldermeyer (Minisink Valley, Slate Hill, N.Y.) has a best of 240-11 with the 5 kg Youth hammer and has thrown the high school 12-pound hammer 227-6 in winning the Nike Outdoor Nationals.  Brad Bolton (El Toro, Lake Forest, Ca.) has a best of 223-1 with the Youth hammer at the UCLA Invitational, and a 210-8 with the high school hammer at the Steve Scott Invitational.  Davis Fraker (McIntosh, Peachtree City, Ga.) has a best of 214-4 with the Youth hammer and a 205-3 with the prep hammer.
 
Javelin (229-11/210-00)

The javelin is not thrown in high schools in Texas, but that has not stopped Devin Bogert (Tomball, Tx.) from throwing 216-8 with the high school javelin at the Great Southwest Invitational.  He was also the Nike Outdoor champ.  Ryan Crouser (Barlow, Gresham, Or.), in his “third event” has the second best entry mark of 198-05.  Derek Hampton (Albany, La.), the State 3A champion, has a best of 196-5.
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