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USATF World Youth Trials

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


Wednesday

Brewer's bomb: 43-04.25 TJ; great doubles for Purvis, Crouser

Results - Highlights

 
Finishing sweeps: Left, Crouser flung the disc 207-09; right, Purvis (left) won the 200.  Photos by Walter Pinion, Cassandra Geiger

Between great field efforts, Purvis's double highlights running finals

By SteveU, DyeStat.com/ESPN RISE Senior Editor

Day Two of the USATF World Youth Trials had delivered, hadn’t it?  While the weather was still cloudy and on the cool side, the swirling winds that dominated Day One had died down.  Young throws king Ryan Crouser had completed his double in style to start the morning.  Then the rest of the day, the promises of great running finals – especially on the girls side – had come through with flying colors as Ashton Purvis, Kori Carter, Ebony Eutsey, Claudia Francis and others won deep, exciting races.  Prezel Hardy, Josh Mance, and Quincy Dowling were among those who impressed on the boys side. 

Now, with the 200s remaining on the docket and Purvis going for the double, a fine two days – without the threatened rain, amazingly – was about to end.  It was enough, wasn’t it?

No, in fact, it wasn’t.  And it was a couple of young leapers that combined to give the meet some more “wow” factor at the end.  In one of the best-fought field event competitions of the week, high jumper David Smith GA led a battle into 7-foot territory, then soared over 7-02.50, good for US#4 and #4 on the World Youth list.  He had, in fact, a few good attempts at 7-04.50.

And, within minutes of that winning leap and a few feet away in the stadium, Ciarra Brewer was producing her own magic.  The California soph was already dominating the triple jump competition with bounds over 41 feet, but on her third attempt, she put it all together in a way she hadn’t all season.  The result was a monster 43-04.25 mark – with an 0.9 wind in her face – that leads the country, accomplishes Brewer’s long-sought goal of a legal 43-footer, and gave the meet its first and last US#1 in a regular HS event.

After the quality of the two days, USATF rewarded the athletes by filling the maximum 55 slots it said it would take to the World Youth Champs in Italy.  The squad will be deep and balanced, strong in areas that it has not been as strong before and exceeding its previous largest size by more than 20.  Team USA members are now ranked in the top three globally in 16 events, according to the IAAF, with nine more in the top eight.


Field Event Fireworks

Brewer, the NIN, Arcadia, and California state champ, has been knocking at the door of 43 feet all year.  When you’ve already jumped as many years as she has, and have been so consistent at a given range, those incremental improvements come hard.  By managing to fix more of the little details that go into the hop, step, and jump than she had in any previous attempt, she was finally able to get to a new level.

“After my first two jumps, my dad (and coach) told me to hold my step to the end of the runway,” Brewer said.  “He told me to ride my hop … he kept telling me I’d been rushing too much.

“Then I had to work on my landing … I’m always diving in, so I tried to stay erect.  Fixing the little things is what did it.”

In the high jump, it’s been a banner year for Georgia athletes with four 7-footers.  “It’s ridiculous,” said Smith.  But none has now been better than the Lovejoy senior, who now has three straight meets at 7-01.75 or better. 

Smith said the key to his getting more consistent is the strength training he’s been doing for football and basketball, as a 3-sport athlete at the school.  “And making sure I go to church on Sundays,” he said with a grin.

The other top field performance of the day came hours earlier in the discus cage, about 300 meters from the stadium.  Crouser, feeling increasingly acclimated to the 3-hour time change and an 8 a.m. start, had four throws at 204 or better, with his winning 207-09 good for WY#2 and thought to be a USR with the lighter 1.5kg youth discus.  Alex Thompson IL was a very strong 2nd at 198-07.

“Before this meet, my best with this discus was 204, so I wanted a PR and I got it,” said Crouser.  “I’ve gotten used to this (throwing at 5 a.m. Pacific time) a little … and having less wind today was nice.”  So, was his mission accomplished by coming in here and getting two wins and two PRs?  “Nothing could be better,” he said with a smile.

PRs didn’t come too easily in a lot of field events, though.  In the girls pole vault, none of the five 13-footers could come close to that standard.  In fact, 12-01.50 was as good as it got in regulation, and the quintet that made it over that bar didn’t include US#2 Ellie McCardwell IN (best of 13-06.50), who finished tied for sixth.  In the ensuing jumpoff, however, it was indoor leader Morgann LeLeux who got over 12-07.50 for the victory – an impressive bounce-back for the Louisiana soph after a no-height at NON.

Other field event winners Wednesday were Shanay Briscoe TX in the girls high jump (5-10.75), Carlton Lavong PA in the boys long jump (23-11.50, -1.1w), and Deloma Miller PA in the girls javelin (153-02).  The multis champs were Justin Gross MD (5656) and Lindsay Vollmer MO (4750).


Girls running events live up to the hype

In the girls running events, a lot of the pre-meet attention was on the deep fields in the 400 and 800, and dynamic NON champs like Ebony Eutsey FL in the 400 and Chelsey Sveinsson TX in the 1500.  Those individuals and events lived up to the hype, but at the end of the day it was 2007 World Youth team member Ashton Purvis CA – the only Team USA athlete who will be competing in her second WYC – who stood tallest.  Sure, Purvis was at least a co-favorite in the 100 and 200, but in her last two meets she had suffered a false start DNQ in the 100 at the CIF meet (she won the 200, though), and was 5th at the USATF Juniors 100. 

But Wednesday, the still-young veteran of many big meets ran as well as ever in dominating both sprints.  In the morning 100, she blasted an 11.61 100 (+0.0w), winning by a healthy 0.20.  In the climactic 200, she got just an OK start, but powered ahead in the third 50 meters and crossed in 23.38 (+0.2), an outdoor PR and 0.33 ahead of Briana Nelson SC’s 23.71.  This was Purvis at her big meet best.

“I knew I had to improve my times this week to really compete and to go out with a bang,” she said.  “I wanted to prove to myself that the real Ashton Purvis was still inside of me and put my best foot forward.”

For 200 runner-up Nelson it was a tough week; she PR’d in the 200, but lost to Purvis, and in the 400 she was edged for 2nd by Michelle Brown NJ – 53.132 to 53.140 – after being the leading qualifier Tuesday.

Ahead of both Nelson and Brown in the one-lapper was World Youth #1 Eutsey, who was an unstoppable freight train after a lackluster qualifier.  That prelim effort put her in lane one for the final, but it wouldn’t have mattered what lane she was in.  She was going to win.  “I didn’t get out hard enough (Tuesday) and relaxed too much,” she said after the 52.78.  “I knew I had to pick it up in the final.  I just took all of the pressure and everything and just let it all out during the race.”

Like Eutsey, Sveinnson and Claudia Francis (800) were favored in their events and did not disappoint, even if they didn’t PR.  Sveinsson, in particular, wasn’t interested in chasing her best time, but just going out hard (68-2:19; she was shooting for 2:18) and then holding on for the win.  She did that, with a 4:23.67 that was more than five seconds shy of her best – and 2.31 seconds ahead of Cory McGee MS (4:25.98), who hung with Sveinsson until the final 200 and had her best race of the year.

In a super 800 field that saw six girls run 2:10 or better, Francis won with similar tactics to those she employed at NON.  In Greensboro, it was Charlene Lipsey who went out hard; in Ypsilanti, it was Nia Fluker TX.  Francis didn’t catch the fast starter (60.6) until 100 to go and came home in 2:05.94, with Marielle Hall NJ (2:07.33) nipping Fluker for 2nd.

US#1 Kori Carter CA, on the other hand, was just 3rd at NON in the 100H.  Her prelim, where she was just the 7th fastest qualifier in 14.19, gave no indication that she was back in her 13.59 form.  But in the final – also in lane 1 – she was Carter at her best as she ripped through the field for a 13.48 (+1.0) winner.  While that was over 30” hurdles and not the 33” barriers used in high school, her 13.48 now tops the World Youth list.

Other Wednesday winners were Eleanor Fulton CO, who added a 9:44.79 3k win to her previous day’s 2k Steeple triumph; and Katie Nelms CA, who took the 400H in 1:01.16.

For the boys, the best races came in the 400 and 800.  The 1-lapper scratched down to just four runners, but they were all burners, led by CIF runner-up Josh Mance CA and soph revelation Dedric Dukes FL.  Those two came in with times of 46.41 and 46.38 and they gave those marks a good run.  More importantly, Mance ran the race he wanted, starting fast and holding off Dukes’ charge, 46.71-46.99.  “I got out harder than usual,” he said.  “I didn’t want it to be like my last two meets where I was chasing someone in the home stretch.”

The half didn’t have quite the national-level clout the girl race had, but certainly had a good group for that age – and a dynamite race.  Again, it was a case of all the right moves made – in this case by Quincy Downing OH.  He ran a hard, but measured first 600, then when the push for the finish came in the final 150, he had the most left, surging across the line in 1:51.99, shaving 1.61 seconds off his best.  “I loved the pace and was able to move at the exact spot I wanted,” said Downing.  “I used the sprint that the others had with 200 to go and tried to double their speed.”

Prezel Hardy TX, the most renowned runner on boys side with a 10.08w Texas State meet 100 (+2.2) to his credit, wasn’t quite at that level – or even the level of his 10.34 legal best (WY#1).  But he was a solid 10.48 (+1.4) winner all the same and still showed he could have what it takes to win at the World Youth level.  “The other guys got a better start than me, so I really had to increase my steps and my stride,” he said.  “The guy in lane six wouldn’t go away, which made me work harder to pull away.”

Other track winners include Dukes, who rebounded from the 400 loss to win the 200 in 21.38 (-0.1w); Zach Wills OH, completing a double with a 1500 win (3:56.77); Jaron Roberson GA, taking the 400H (52.98) less than an hour after finishing 3rd in the 400; Trevor Barron PA, who soloed the 3k walk in 13:00.93; and Dale Morgan CA, who won the 110 in 13.68 (+0.7w).

Nearly all of the athletes with qualifying marks made it on to the 55-member team, and while she isn’t the only team member with international experience, Purvis certainly has the most and is the only one from the 2007 team who was still eligible and made it.  “It’s hard, because you want to run well and not let anyone down,” she said.  “But having been there, I can help others know what to do and what not to do.”


Wednesday Field Highlights
  • Ryan Crouser OR completed his throws double with a 207-09 victory with the 1.5kg youth discus.  The throw is 2nd on the World Youth list and, like his shot Tuesday, thought to be the furthest throw ever by a US prep with the rarely-thrown implement.  Alexander Thompson IL was a strong 2nd with 198-07
  • Ciarra Brewer CA blasted through the long-sought, legal 43-foot barrier in the TJ with US#1 43-04.25 (-0.9w), good for #7 all-time and #5 WY this year. A'Lexus Brannon TX 2nd 41-01.50 (-1.2)
  • David Smith GA soared over a PR and US#4 7-02.50 to take the HJ over Dwayne Golbek 7-00.50.  That moves him up to WY#4
  • Shanay Briscoe TX, close to the form that made her a US Junior champ and World Jr Finalist last year, won the HJ in 5-10.75.  She is already #4 on the Youth List with her 6-0 from her state meet
  • Lindsay Vollmer took the heptathlon with 4750, while Justin Gross won the decathlon with 5656
  • A deep girls PV field struggled with the higher heights and five wound up clearing 12-01.50, but could go no higher.  Morgann LeLeux, who led the US prep list most of indoors, cleared 12-07.25 to win in a jumpoff.  NON runner-up and US#2 Ellie McCardwell IN was off form and placed just 6th with 11-07.75
  • Carlton Lavong PA spanned 23-11.50 (-1.1w) to take the LJ
  • Deloma Miller PA threw 153-02 to win the javelin over Ashley Aldredge 152-04
  • Lacie Rasley took the girls shot in 43-09.25
Wednesday Running Highlights
  • Ashton Purvis CA fashioned a monster sprint double, closing with a US#3 23.38 200 (+0.2) in the afternoon after roaring to a decisive 100m win in 11.61 (+0.0) in the morning.  Purvis is already ranked #1 in the World Youth lists at 11.48 in the 100, and she moved to #3 in the 200.
  • World Youth and US prep #1 Ebony Eutsey bounced back from a mediocre qualifier and showed her mettle by conquering a crack 400 field from lane one, winning with 52.78.  Michelle Brown NJ nipped Briana Nelson SC by less than 1/100 at the tape for 2nd, 53.132-53.140
  • NON champ Claudia Francis won a super deep and fast 800, running a fine 2:05.94 that's just a few fractions off her NON mark.  She led six at 2:10 or better, including Marielle Hall NJ (2:07.69), early leader Nia Fluker TX (2:07.85), and her sister Phyllis (2:08.23).
  • US prep leader Kori Carter showed her early season form, overcoming a disappointing NON to win here with a strong 13.48 (+1.0w).  While the mark will not move her to US#1 since it's over 30" hurdles, it does give her the World Youth lead by .01.  NON champ Bridgette Owens MI was 2nd in 13.69
  • Josh Mance CA led early and held off a late-charging Dedric Dukes FL in the 400, 46.71-46.99.  Dukes came back and won the 200 in 21.38 (-0.1)
  • Soph Quincy Dowling OH smashed his PR by more than a second in taking the 800 with 1:51.99
  • NON double champ Chelsey Sveinsson went out hard and hung on to win in 4:23.67.  Cory McGee MS hung with her right until the very end and ran 4:25.98 for 2nd.  Sveinsson ranks #2 in World Youth with her 4:18.13 PR
  • Prezel Hardy TX, entering with the fastest all-conditions time in the US prep and World Youth lists, won the boys 100 in 10.48 (+1.4)
  • Jaron Roberson GA, coming back after a 3rd in the 400 an hour earlier, took the 400H in 52.78
  • Trevor Barron had an impressive solo effort to win the 3k walk in 13:00.93
  • Katie Nelms CA claimed the 400H in 1:01.16
  • Zach Wills OH won his 2nd event of the meet, taking the 1500 in 3:56.77, outkicking Erik Olson CA 3:58.54
  • Dale Morgan CA took the 110H (36") in 13.68 (+0.7w), winning a close battle over Kendall Hayes TX (13.72)
  • Eleanor Fulton CO won her 2nd event of the meet as she added the 3k title to her 2k steeple win from yesterday, coming from behind to win in 9:44.79
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