World Youth Championships - July 16-18, 1999 at Bydgoszcz Poland
USATF
Previews
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS LEAD U.S. TEAM INTO
INAUGURAL WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS
More than 50 of America's best 15-, 16- and 17-year-old track and
field athletes will compete at the inaugural International Amateur Athletic
Federation World Youth Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, from July 16-18.
Athletes were selected for the team based on their placings at the
1998 National Junior Olympics and Youth Athletics Nationals, and many of them
added national titles this season. Thirteen U.S. team members captured golds
at the Youth Athletics Nationals in Edwardsville from June 30-July 4,
including three double winners.
Here's a capsule look at the American team for Bydgoszcz:
Men - Women - Team
Rosters
Sprints/Hurdles: Bryan Sears (Midway, GA) and Duriel Laird (Bossier
City, LA) are more than familiar with the top of the victory stand, and the
pair will lead the U.S. sprint squad in the 100 and 200. Sears won the 200 at
the past two Georgia 4A state meets and should be in the medal hunt at that
distance. Laird captured Louisiana gold in the 100, 200 and 4x100 to lead his
team to a state championship this year.
Hopes in the 400 are high, too, with Travon Walton (Chino, CA) and
Ivory McCann (Houston, TX) carrying the flag. Walton, the California state
bronze medalist, was sixth in the Junior Nationals 400 and won his semi with
a personal best 47.09 clocking. McCann did the 100/400 double at the Youth
Nationals and looked in top form. He has a PR of 47.34.
Brandon Royster (Fairfax, VA) is a multi-talented athlete who will
compete in the 110-meter hurdles and long jump. His best in the hurdles is
14.27. Joshua Walker (Stone Mountain, GA) was runner-up in the Georgia 4A
110H and placed third in the 300H.
Intermediate hurdlers Brian Hickman (Houston, TX) and Gerren Crochet
(Boulder, CO) have experience over the 400-meter distance, with Hickman
sporting the better PR at 53.85.
Middle/Long Distance: In the 800, Clark Payne (Atlanta, GA) and
Shannon Hughes (Suitland, MD) will face a tough battle. Payne is a national
Junior Olympics champion who has good range from 400-1500 meters, while
Hughes was a national runner-up to Payne in Junior Olympic competition.
Minnesota's Nick Schneider (Victoria, MN) was fifth in the state AA
1600 and fourth in the 3200 earlier this year, and could drop under the 4:00
barrier at this meet. Jared Scott (Monument, CO) won his state's 800 title
for Lewis-Palmer High School, and also nabbed cross country gold. He will
tackle the 1500, where his speed could help him advance.
Christopher Clancy (Portland, OR) moves up a distance to the 3000
after taking third in the state 1500, while Scott Sebens (Oak Harbor, WA)
will be the lone U.S. runner in the 2000-meter steeplechase. Sebens was the
'98 National JO champ in that event and lists fly fishing and piano playing
among his off-track activities.
Jumps: A very strong event area for the Americans, with medal
contenders in every event. Kyle Odvody (Malmo, NE) set a Nebraska state Class
B high jump record with his 7-0 clearance this year. Teammate Derek Poynter
(Albuquerque, NM) went undefeated in the high jump and triple jump in New
Mexico this season.
Pole vaulters Sage Thames (Wolfforth, TX) and Paul Gensic (Ft. Wayne,
IN) are medal contenders in their first international outing. Thames won the
Texas 4A state crown and has a best of 16-7, while Gensic was the Indiana
state silver medalist.
Brandon Royster, also an entrant in the 110H, has solid credentials
in the long jump, sporting a 24-0 best in '99. He will be joined by Jonathan
Lott (Lemoore, CA), a Cal State Games gold medalist and standout football
player for King's Christian High School.
Triple jumper Allen Simms (Lanham, MD) has improved by leaps and
bounds, so to speak, in 1999 and has moved into position as a medal
contender. Simms won Maryland state gold in the long jump and triple jump and
has a best of 49-11. Jason Arce (El Paso, TX) will look to gain valuable
experience after winning Junior Olympics gold in '98.
Throws: If size counts for anything in these events, the Americans
will be tough to beat. Beefy strongmen Dan Taylor (Middlefield, OH) and Rusty
Price (Snelling, CA) will fly the flag in the shot put, with Taylor and
Michael Leconte (South Portland, ME) tagging in in the discus. Taylor won
Ohio state gold in the discus, and Price is a multiple winner in USATF Youth
and JO competition. Leconte is a two-time Maine champion in the shot, and at
275 pounds is the lightest of the three U.S. titans.
Justin McKnight (Reedsville, PA) and Jason Koch (Madison, WI) are the
American entries in the javelin. McKnight won the Pennsylvania AAA title this
year, and Koch is the top schoolboy javelin thrower in Wisconsin.
Sprints/Hurdles: Speed to burn is the name of the game for the U.S.
contingent here, with medal contenders aplenty. Khalilah Carpenter (Columbus,
OH) and LaShauntea Moore (Akron, OH) should give people fits in the 100 and
200, as well as on the relays. Carpenter has bests of 11.72 and 23.81, while
Moore has clocked 11.90 and 23.83.
Monique Henderson (Bonita, CA) is the wunderkind of the year after
winning U.S. Junior gold in the 400 with a stunning 51.96 clocking, beating
'98 World Junior silver medalist Nakiya Johnson. Henderson also topped
Johnson for the California state title. Christy Fairley (Lucedale, MS) is the
brightest star to come out of Mississippi in years, having already won 18
state golds in the 100, 200 and 400. She was featured in Sports Illustrated's
"Faces in the Crowd" as an eighth-grader, and has run the one-lapper
in 54.34.
Four-gold star Ginnie Powell (Seattle, WA) leads the way in the
sprint hurdles after winning state titles in the 100, 100H, 300H and 4x100
this season. Her best of 14.11 was set in 1998. Elmetta Johnson (Colorado
Springs, CO) is equally talented, nabbing state crowns in the 100H and 200.
She clocked a PR 14.21 last year. Long hurdles hopes rest with Texas 5A 300H
champ Raasin McIntosh (Missouri City, TX) and Janine Jones (Newport News,
VA), a talented middle distance ace who clocked 2:12.34 to grab third in the
800 at the Virginia state meet. McIntosh turned in a 61.02 at the Junior
nationals and is ready to crack the 60-second barrier.
Middle/Long Distance: Half-mile hopes rest on the capable shoulders
of Robin Mortel (Brooklyn, NY), the New York Class A champ with a personal
best of 2:10.67. Idaho state 800 champ Jenny Liou (Moscow, ID) moves up to
the 1500, an event in which she won JO gold in '98.
Jinny Hanifan (Waterville, OH) was runner-up in the Ohio state
Division I 3200 this year and tops the U.S. 3000 entries. Katherine Hartmann
(Woodstock, IL) was a finalist in the always-tough Illinois Class AA 3200 as
a freshman and placed fifth in the Foot Locker cross country championships.
Jumps: Alabama state 6A champion Kaylah Burks (Mobile, AL) and Texas
model Na'Tassia Vice (Mesquite, TX) have both cleared 5-8 this year. In
addition to her jump skills, Vice models for the Page Parkes agency in Dallas.
Women's pole vaulting is the hottest event on the field this year,
and a pair of up-and-comers will wear the red, white and blue. Washington
state runner-up Jennifer Gregorak (Spokane, WA) and Wisconsin's Angela
Hilgers (Wisconsin Rapids, WI) can stake claim to pioneer status, with
Hilgers scoring varsity points for her school's boys' team in the vault.
Pennsylvania state 3A champ Talise Manuel (Pittsburgh, PA) and
Washington 3A winner Jill Bell (Bellevue, WA) are both mid-19-foot performers
who could sneak into the long jump medal picture. Florida 6A triple jump
silver medalist Eboni Gibson (Miami, FL) is the top American in the hop, step
and jump, with Oregon multi-event star Maranda Brownson (Yoncalla, OR) hoping
to move up a level in this event. Brownson, a bright young star on the
heptathlon scene, was a one-woman wrecking machine at the Oregon state meet,
claiming gold in the 2A 100H, 100, 200 and long jump.
Throws: Nebraska wins honors as the top state for throwers here,
producing both entrants in the shot and one in the discus. Lisa Beachler
(Oakland, NE) won state Class A titles in the shot and discus this season and
has a shot best of 46-9. She is also a five-time American record holder in
powerlifting and sports a perfect grade point average. Emily Duran (Nebraska
City, NE) nabbed state Class B honors in the shot and discus, and will
compete in both events here. Joining her on the discus squad is Melissa
Bickett (Akron, OH), runner-up in the shot and discus at the Ohio Division II
state meet. Bickett also ran leadoff for her school's 4x100 relay team and is
a talented trumpet player.
Leslie Erickson (Lacey, WA) is one of the world's best young javelin
throwers and has definite medal potential. She won the Washington state 4A
title this year and has a best of 170-6.
Relays: Two athletes of interest are on the squad for relay duty --
Houston (TX) Westbury High School teammates Ashley Mitchell and Stephanie
Durst. Westbury has been atop the Texas relay rankings in recent years, and
this duo will join hurdler Raasin McIntosh, another Westbury runner, as the
U.S. seeks gold in the 4x100 and sprint medley.
1999 IAAF WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS
United States Team Rosters
MEN
ATHLETE EVENT(S) HT. WT. DOB
RESIDENCE
Jason Arce TJ 5-9/176 142/65 05Nov82 El
Paso, TX
Christopher Clancy 3000 5-10/178 140/64 24May82
Portland, OR
Gerren Crochet 400H 5-11/181 146/67 08Jan83
Boulder, CO
Paul Gensic PV 6-2/188 154/70 27Jun82 Ft.
Wayne, IN
Brian Hickman 400H 6-0/183 155/70 10Jul82
Houston, TX
Shannon Hughes 800 5-9/176 148/67 14May82
Suitland, MD
Jason Koch JT 6-1/186 190/86 04Feb82
Madison, WI
Duriel Laird 100/200 5-6/168 149/68 27Jan82
Bossier City, LA
Michael Leconte DT 6-4/193 275/125 05Jun82 South
Portland, ME
Jonathan Lott LJ 5-6/168 168/76 04Sep82
Lemoore, CA
Ivory McCann 400 5-8/173 150/68 24Feb83
Houston, TX
Justin McKnight JT 6-4/193 172/78 10Jul82
Reedsville, PA
Kyle Odvody HJ 5-11/181 175/80 23Apr82
Malmo, NE
Clark Payne 800 5-11/181 144/66 03Jan83
Atlanta, GA
Derek Poynter HJ 6-5/196 160/73 30Mar82
Albuquerque, NM
Rusty Price SP 6-3/191 280/127 16Nov82
Snelling, CA
Brandon Royster 110H/LJ 6-0/183 190/86 23Mar82
Fairfax, VA
Nicholas Schneider 1500 5-11/181 140/64 21Mar83
Victoria, MN
Jared Scott 1500 5-10/178 150/68 03Sep82
Monument, CO
Bryan Sears 100/200 6-0/183 166/75 28Mar82
Midway, GA
Scott Sebens 2000SC 6-2/188 165/75 01Feb83 Oak
Harbor, WA
Allen Simms TJ 5-10/178 155/70 26Jul82
Lanham, MD
Daniel Taylor SP/DT 6-6/198 320/145 12May82
Middlefield, OH
Sage Thames PV 6-2/188 150/68 23May82
Wolfforth, TX
Joshua Walker 110H 6-0/183 150/68 06May82 Stone
Mountain, GA
Travon Walton 400 5-8/173 140/64 14Jan82
Chino, CA
WOMEN
ATHLETE EVENT(S) HT. WT. DOB
RESIDENCE
Lisa Beachler SP 5-9/176 195/88 14Sep82
Oakland, NE
Jill Bell LJ 5-11/181 120/55 14Jun83
Bellevue, NE
Melissa Bickett DT 5-6/168 153/70 16Apr82
Akron, OH
Maranda Brownson TJ 5-8/173 135/61 07Oct82
Yoncalla, OR
Kaylah Burks HJ 5-10/178 131/60 05Aug83
Mobile, AL
Khalilah Carpenter 100/200 5-8/173 135/61 27Jan83
Columbus, OH
Emily Duran SP/DT 5-10/178 219/100 31May82
Nebraska City, NE
Stephanie Durst Relays 5-6/168 127/58 06Jan82
Houston, TX
Leslie Erickson JT 6-0/183 150/68 08Jan82
Lacey, WA
Christy Fairley 400 5-6/168 124/56 13Apr83
Lucedale, MS
Eboni Gibson LJ/TJ 5-2/158 117/53 10Aug82
Miami, FL
Jennifer Gregorak PV 5-9/176 145/66 10Feb82
Spokane, WA
Jinny Hanifan 3000 5-2/158 112/51 06May82
Waterville, OH
Katherine Hartmann 3000 5-7/170 95/43 24May82
Woodstock, IL
Monique Henderson 400 5-7/170 120/55 18Feb83
Bonita, CA
Angela Hilgers PV 5-4/163 128/58 28Feb82
Wisconsin Rapids, WI
Elmetta Johnson 100H 5-9/176 136/62 11May82
Colorado Springs, CO
Janine Jones 400H 5-6/168 125/57 31Mar82
Newport News, VA
Jennifer Liou 1500 5-5/165 110/50 07Jun83
Moscow, ID
Talise Manuel-Davis LJ 5-8/173 122/56 24Oct82
Pittsburgh, PA
Raasin McIntosh 400H 5-7/170 126/57 29Apr82
Missouri City, TX
Ashley Mitchell Relays 5-5/165 126/57 23Dec82
Houston, TX
LaShauntea Moore 100/200 5-7/170 124/56 31Jul83
Akron, OH
Robin Mortel 800 5-6/168 118/54 06Sep84
Brooklyn, NY
Ginnie Powell 100H 5-11/181 150/68 07Sep83
Seattle, WA
Na'Tassia Vice HJ 5-7/170 117/53 16Aug82
Mesquite, TX
STAFF: Chef de Mission - Kim Haines (Seeley Lake, MT); National Office
Liaison - Mark Springer (Greenwood, IN); Head Coach - Harold "Lefty"
Martin (Trotwood, OH); Head Manager- Jim Murphy (Spokane, WA);
Physician - Mark Troxler (Tulsa, OK); Head Trainer - Michael Fernandez (Tustin,
CA); Massage Therapist - Claudia Terlizzi (New York, NY); Sports Psychologist -
David Yukelson (State College, PA); Assistant Coaches - Derrick Calhoun (Joliet,
IL), Oscar Jensen (Baldwinsville, NY), Joy Kamani (Missouri City, TX), Brenda
Webb (Knoxville,
TN); Assistant Managers - Bob Flint (Scottsdale, AZ), Connie Hayes (Brooklyn,
NY), Darlene Hickman (Seattle, WA), Willie Richardson (Houston, TX), Sandy Snow
(Dunwoody, GA); Assistant Trainer - Randy Hill (Franklin, TN).
