DyeStat Outstanding Performers
USA 1998

BOYS

As if Stanford were hurting for distance runners, now they have another potential star. Stanford-bound Stevens finished his season and high school career with a 3-week flourish over the best in the nation. First he captured a rare 800-1600 double in the California State Meet June 6. Then he tackled 1997 national champion Moses Washington of Florida and 1998 leader Jason Van Swol of Illinois in a sizzling 800-meter race at the Golden West Invitational June 13 the day after his all-night senior prom party. It took a dynamic stretch run and a new national leading time of 1:48.65 to win. Six of the seven best 800 meter times of the year were recorded in that race. A week later, Stevens travelled across the continent to Raleigh NC and won the National Scholastic Outdoor mile in equally stellar fashion. The Californian kept front running and favored Andy Powell of Massachusetts (National indoor champion) honest for 3.5 laps and then overtook him in the last 200 meters. Stevens led two other fast closers -- Brian Turner of Nebraska and fellow Californian Mike Altieri – under 4:10 and finished in 4:08.63, fastest in the nation this year. His 4:09.77 1600 in the California North Coast section was a third US-leading mark for the year.

Just kept getting better. Topped 52 feet indoors at the Simplot Games in Idaho. Soared above 53 feet at the Golden West Invitational in June. Then he posted a US leading 53-11.25 for 3^rd place at the World Junior championships at Annecy France in July. Also high jumped 6-8 and long jumped 24-1.5.

Record setting relay team in both 4x100 and 4x200. Only HS team ever under 40 seconds in 4x100 and they did it five times, topped by a new national record 39.76 in the Texas State Meet. Accepted Florida’s challenge at the Golden South and broke the US 4x200 record with a 1:23.31 time, more than 2 seconds better than Florida’s tough Boyd Anderson High School.

The New York squad interrupted the flag waving Jamaican victory march at the Penn Relays by winning the 4x800 in US-best 7:41.12. Then they took the Stars and Stripes on a victory lap of their own that the announcer could not suppress. In June, Boys & Girls showed their mettle at Raleigh by beating the next three best 4x800 teams in the same race – Fort Wayne IN Northrup, Stillwater MN, and Dublin OH Coffman. All this on top of a new national indoor record at Boston in March when West Springfield VA and Bingham UT also topped the old record.

Texas dominated the boys pole vault (the first five and 9 of the top 14 DyeStat Elite USA), and Jim dominated Texas with his 17-3 season best. He also showed courage under fire after injuring himself June 13 in winning the Golden West. Autenreith limped to the airport in Sacramento with his summer in doubt, but six days later he was in Raleigh qualifying for the finals of the NSO. He came in at 15 feet and went to his third try to make the finals. The next day, he and his coach pondered whether he could jump at all. He waited until 16 feet to enter the competition with only one other vaulter remaining – Geoff Fairbanks of Michigan. Autenreith’s first try wobbled the bar, but it stayed up. And that one jump was good enough for a national championship when both Autenreith and Fairbanks missed at 16-3.

After flirting with the all time 100 meter record throughout her HS career, Angela finally got it after she graduated – at the Jr Nationals – an 11.11 time that beat the old record by 0.02. Now it’s on to the University of Southern California for Angela.

Has been a woman among girls for the past 2 years. She even competed among the women at this year’s USATF Nationals at New Orleans (finishing 8^th) and then took a red eye to Raleigh to win the NSO the next day. She also went up against elders at the World Juniors in France and finished third. The measure of her superiority in the HS ranks is that her season best 201-7 is more than double the 100-0 cutoff for national rankings by hammer guru Bob Gourley. She was 25 feet ahead of Number 2 and 40 feet ahead of Number 3 in the rankings. It’s an understatement to say she is ready to move up to college competition. Sidney 2000 too?

US leader in the 800 for the second straight year, Lindsay lengthened her distance this year and posted the second fastest 1600 meter time as well (4:48.62).  Lindsay got her PR in the 800 in France at the World Juniors (2:06.30), almost three seconds faster than any other US girl this year.  She also got a ranked time in the 3200 meters (10:51.70, US 39).

The girls pole vault record has been moving up rapidly in the past 2 years as more and more states add the even, and Tracy had the last say in 1998. After disappointing in the Golden West and not entering the NSO, the California state champ raised the bar to 13-3 at the Jr Nationals at Edwardsville. That was an inch better than Shannon Agee’s record at Helena earlier in the season. Both girls move on to college and leave the prep record chase to NSO champ Deanna Shuler of Florida (12-8) and Tracy’s San Diego teammate Kathleen Donoghue (12-4). Of course, waiting in the wings is wunderkind Samantha Shepard of Massachusetts, who will finally enter high school next year after beating 12 feet consistently in middle school.

The nation’s best in the 4x100 (45.28) and 4x200 (1:34.60). The latter time was a new national record and an amazing 4 seconds better than national runnerup Dallas Spruce.

Melissa and Mikele look too much alike to tell the difference, and their performances are too close to call a winner. So we will include both of them. The Montclair NJ stars shone especially brightly at the National Scholastic meets. Indoors at Boston, Melissa won the 200 and Mikele the 400. Outdoors at Raleigh, Melissa won the 100 and 200 and Mikele the 400. They also ran two legs of Montclair’s talented relay teams that used the Penn Relays to get the season’s second best 4x100 (45.50) and third best 4x400 (New Jersey state record 3:41.03). When they run against each other, such as in their own Essex County championship, they ran 1-2 just .09 apart in the 200. Nearly inseparable, and incomparable.

Smashed the national record in the 4x400 (3:36.32) and they all return in 1999 to try to make it even better.  They have to run fast just to win the city championship, as Long Beach Poly posted the second fastest time in the nation (3:37.97).