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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
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USATF Youth Trials Girls
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.
Girls
100 Meters (11.86)
Ashton Purvis (St. Elizabeth, Oakland, Ca.), who was on the 2007 World Youth team in the 100 and 200, is the leading entrant with a best of 11.48. Purvis and Jessica Davis (Highland, Palmdale, Ca.) have been battling each other for the past couple of years. Until recently, Purvis has had a slight advantage but this year Davis, who has run a 11.45 windy and a 11.61 legal, finished second in the State meet – where Purvis had false started in the heats. Three weeks later, Davis finishrf ahead of Purvis at the Junior Nationals, 11,47 to 11.61, in a wind-aided race. Tiffany Hines (Skyline, Dallas, Tx.) won the State 5A title with a legal 11.70. Shanae Bailey (Swenson Arts and Science, Philadelphia, Pa.) won the State 2A title a 11.86 and had a personal best of 11.82 in the semifinals. Olivia Ekpone (Northwest, Hyattsville, Md.) was second in the State 4A 100 at 11.92, but ran 11.84 in the heats. Dominique Weathers (Vance, Charlotte, N.C.) has a legal best of 11.86 set in the prelims of the Atlanta International meet. Ashley Collier (Dunbar, Fort Worth, Tx.) had a best of 11.58 in 2008, but has been slowed this year by injury.
200 Meters (24.10)
Ashton Purvis (St. Elizabeth, Oakland, Ca.) has faired much better in the 200 that the 100 with the leading high school mark of 23.37 indoors and a state meet win in 23.46. Jessica Davis (Highland, Palmdale, Ca.) raced sparingly with her first race coming at the Mt. San Antonio Relays, where she won in 24.10. After running a personal best of 23.68 in the California Southern Section Division I race, Davis finished just third at State in 23.88 but then came back to run Purvis to a virtual tie at the Golden West Invitational, losing 23.833 to 23.836. The multi-talented Whitney Fountain (Columbus, Bronx, N.Y.) was second in the State meet with a windy 23.81, but earlier in the year had a legal 23.60. Ashley Collier (Dunbar, Fort Worth, Tx.) ran 23.70 last year but has been slowed by injury his season.
400 Meters (55.18)
This could well be the most competitive event of the meet. Eleven runners are entered under 55.00. Ebony Eutsey (Southridge, Miami, Fl.), at 52.07, Briana Nelson (Anderson, S.C.), at 52.38 and Michelle Brown (Seneca, Tabernacle, N.J.), at 52.91, were the top three finishers in the Nike Outdoor Nationals and those times represent the top three high school performers in the nation. Challenging will be Akawkaw Ndipagbor (Poly, Long Beach, Ca.), the California State runner-up at 53.12. Chamique Francis (Queen’s Tech, Queens, N.Y.), who won the State meet with a 53.42, and Morganne Phillips (Shades Valley, Irondale, Al.), who won the Atlanta International at 53.89, are other top contenders
800 Meters (2:09.74)
Claudia Francis (Benjamin Cardozo, Oakland Gardens, N.Y.) opened her outdoor season slowly, but then busted out with a 2:05.47 to win the Nike Outdoor Nationals for the best Youth mark in the nation. Marielle Hall (Haddonfield, N.J.) did not break 2:16.00 outdoors last year, but a late season surge culminated with a 2:07.33 at the State MOC to move her into second on the yearly Youth list. Shelby Houlihan (East, Sioux City, Ia.) was second in the State 4A with at 2:08.97 and then ran 2:07.35 in finishing third to Francis at NON. Phyllis Francis (McCauley, Brooklyn, N.Y.) was just seventh at NON but last year had a best of 2:04.83 in winning the USATF National JO Intermediate division.
1,500 Meters (4:29.34)
Chelsey Sveinsson (Greenhill, Addison, Tx.) is the national Youth leader at 4:18.13 and had a very impressive double at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, winning the mile at 4:40.24 (worth 4:38.62 for 1,600 meters) and the two-mile in 10:04.85. Cory McGee has an outdoor mile best of 4:50.63 in winning the LSU Invitational but ran 4:52.42 in finishing second at NON and passed 1,500 in 4:29.98.
3,000 Meters (9:35.51)
Aisling Cuffe (Cornwall, N.Y.) was second in the State meet at 9:40.25 for 3,000 meters and fourth at the Nike Outdoor Nationals two-mile in 10:25.43. No other runner appears to have meet the IAAF World Youth Championships standard of 9:55.00.
2,000-Meter Steeplechase (6:37.90)
MaryKate Anselmini (Ward Melville, Setauket, N.Y.) is the leading qualifier at 6:50.07, which she ran in her State Section 11 meet. Eleanor Fulton (Highlands Ranch, Co.) won the Great Southwest Invitational at 6:57.81. McKinzie Schulz (Benet Academy, Lisle, Il.) ran 7:12.77 in 2008.
100-Meter High Hurdles (33 inches) (13.73/13.98)
Kori Carter (Claremont, Ca.) is the national Youth Leader at 13.59 with her State meet win, but last week at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, Bridgett Owens-Mitchell (Southfield, Mi.) edged Carter for third, 13.87 to 13.88, into a 1.1 meter per second wind. Lauren Graham (C.H. Flowers, Springdale, Md.) was the State 4A champion at 13.92 and was fifth at NON in 13.98. Alexandria Gochenour (Logan-Magnolis, Logan, Ia.) was the State champion at 13.95 as Iowa became the last state to switch from 30 to 33 inch hurdles. LaQue Moen Davis (Central, Omaha, Nb.) was the State A champion with a meet record of 13.98. A’Lexus Brannon (Ozen, Beaumont, Tx.) was fourth in the State 4A meet at 13.96, but failed to qualify for the NON final.
400-Meter Low Hurdles (61.22)
Kori Carter (Claremont, Ca.) has a best of 59.89, but chose to scratch the event at NON after running the 100 hurdles. Carter is also the high school leader at 41.09 for 300 hurdles. Leah Nugent (Abington, Pa.) was a section winner at the Penn Relays in 60.05 and won the State 3A title at 41.46. Leanne Morrison (Berkeley, Moncks Corner, S.C.) lost the State 4A title by one one-hundredth of a second, running 62.69, but ran 61.11 one week earlier. Whitney Fountain (Columbus, Brooklyn, N.Y.) skipped this event in the State meet, but did run 61.33 in the PSAL meet, in what might have been her first serious try at the long hurdles.
High Jump (5-09.75)
Shanay Briscoe (Cypress Christian, Houston, Tx.) qualified but did not complete in the Olympic Trails Final because she had to take a plane to Bydgoszcz, Poland to complete in the World Junior Championships, where she placed tenth. This year she has a best of 6-0 to lead all U.S. Youth. Tara Richmond (Poly, Long Beach, Ca.) was second in the State meet at 5-8, but two weeks earlier did 5-11 in winning the Southern Section Division I title. Ashley Smith (Millikan, Long Beach, Ca.) was second in that competition at 5-9. Sarah Palmer (Schuylerville, N.Y.) won the State meet at 5-8 but one week earlier she cleared 5-9 ¼ to win the Section 11 meet.
Pole Vault (12-06.75)
Last year, Ellie McCardwell (Pendleton Heights, Pendleton, In.) was just a 12-3 jumper who finished fourth in the state meet. Fast forward to the middle of this year and she has advanced to 12-6, 13-0, 13-1, 13-5 and finally13-6 ½ at her state meet to lead all U.S. Youth. Not far behind is Kortney Ross (Westview, San Diego,Ca.), who set a personal best of 13-4 in winning the State meet. Morgann LeLeux (Catholic, New Iberia, La.) had three meets over 13-2 indoors and finished top three at both the Nike Indoor Nationals and National Scholastic Indoors. Outdoors, she has had a best of 12-7. Mackenzie Landry (Del Oro, Loomis, Ca.) and Wren Bonner (Whitney, Tx.) are both over 13-0.
Long Jump (19-07.50)
This should be a very competitive event. Adenike Pedro (Elizabeth Seton, Bladensburg, Md.) has the best legal jump for U.S. Youth with a 19-11 in finishing second at the Nike Outdoor Nationals. She is closely followed by Letristan Pledger (Washington, Kansas City, Ks.), who jumped 19-10 ¾ in winning the Kansas State 5A meet. Also not far behind is A’Lexus Brannon (Ozen, Beaumont, Tx.), who won the State 4A meet at 19-6 ¾, but three weeks earlier in the Region 3 meet she jumped a wind-aided 20-4 and a legal 19-8 ½. Jennifer Clayton (Suffern, N.Y.) has a legal jump of 19-9 ½, plus a 20-7 where no wind gauge was present. Whitney Fountain (Columbus, Bronx, N.Y.) jumped 18-7 ½ indoors, but has a 20-1 ¼ jump – again, with no wind gauge. LaQue Moen-Davis (Central, Omaha, Nb.) won the Class A State meet with a meet record of 19-6.
Triple Jump (41-02.25)
Ciarra Brewer (James Logan, Union City, Ca.) was the State meet winner at 42-11 ½, which set a national sophomore class record. A’Lexus Brannon (Ozen, Beaumont, Tx.) won the State 4A title at 40-10 ½, but three weeks earlier she jumped 42-0 in the Region 3 meet. Danielle Butts (South Central, Winterville, N.C.) won the State 3A title at 40-11.
LaQue Moen-Davis (Central, Omaha, Nb.) set a State record in winning the Class A meet.
Shot Put (44-08.75)
Sarah Howard (Trinity Christian, Dublin, Ga.) is the Youth leader at 44-6 ¾, which she did in winning the Atlanta International. Erica Brand (Shawnee Mission West, Shawnee, Ks.) has a best of 44-3 and Lacie Rasley (Shafter, Ca.) has a best of 44-0 ½.
Discus (144-05)
Alex Collatz (Stockdale, Bakersfield, Ca.) has a best of 177-0 – a national soph record – achieved in the State preliminaries and has consistently thrown in the mid 160-0s. Jessica Sharbono (West, Billings, Mt.) set a personal best of 160-4 in finishing second to Collatz at the Golden West Invitational. Erica Brand (Northwest, Shawnee Mission, Ks.) threw 151-10 to win the State 6A meet, and two weeks earlier threw 152-9 in her league meet. No other entrants are over 145-0.
Hammer (179-07)
Karen Henning (St. Anthony’s, South Huntington, N.Y.) has the longest throw in the field at 160-4. Sally May Futch (Bullock Academy, Statesboro, Ga.) is the next closest thrower at 149-6.
Javelin (150-10)
Ashley Aldridge (Cedar Creek, Ruston, La.) was the State 4A champion at 147-1, but won her USATF Assn. meet at 158-8. Fawn Miller (Lakeview, Stoneboro, Pa.) won the State 2A meet at 150-9 and has a seasonal best of 157-8. Hannah Carson (Chandler, Az.), who threw over 170-0 two years ago, is coming back from an injury and has a best of 152-11 this season.
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