Highlights by John Dye
Pocatello ID 2/19/00 -- "US#1" is DyeStat shorthand for a US
leading athlete or performance. It was needed often today as the
Simplot Games finals unfolded before an appreciative crowd of 15,000 in
Holt Arena on the campus of Idaho State University.
The highlights were almost too numerous to mention, but here are the
best:
GIRLS - Alicia Craig 4:51.65 (US#1), Aisha Margain 24.06 (US#1), Jenny
VanKempen 2:12.42 (fastest 800 in the US this year), Emily Kroshus
(fastest 3200 in the US this year), US#1 Alexis Joyce 7.46 60M, and Beau
Walker 8.55 60H (US#1).
BOYS: Josh Rohatinsky 9:11.05 (US#1), Jake Garlick 48.63 (US#6), Chris
Chappell 16-1 (US#2), Nik Arrhenius 61-4 (US#2), and Dwight Thomas 6.76
60M (fastest in the US this year).
Details: Boys - Girls
Girls 60 meter dash
US sprint leader Alexis Joyce, Denver CO jr, didn't match her best time of
the year, but was a clear winner over Moorestown NJ sr Amandi Rhett, 7.46
to 7.56, with Union City CA sr Adrena Williams third at 7.58.
Girls 60 meter hurdles
Montbello CO jr Beau Walker, who was also fourth in the 200 in a fine
24.85, won the hurdles in 8.55 as Latasha Pharr, second fastest qualifier,
fell on the next to last hurdle.
Girls 200
Expectations of a brilliant final were fulfilled as US leading Aisha
Margain, Berkeley CA sr, barely held off US #2 Natasha Staten,
Philadelphia PA sr, 24.06 to 24.10, improving on the prior US bests this
season by more than half a second. Also flirting with the previous US best
were third place Dominique Darden, Philadelphia so, 24.79, and fourth
place Beau Walker, Montbello CO jr, 24.85.
Girls 400
Acorn Oscar Bailey jr T'Carra Penick won in 56.69 (US#4), staving off a
finishing rush by Nicole Leech, United Stars 7th grader, who was clocked
at 57.16.
Girls 800
Jenny VanKempen, Leduc Track Club, Alberta Canada, 2:12.42, fastest 800 in
the US this season, pulling along Philadelphia so Evelyn Dwyer 2:14.36
(new US#2) and Houston so Megan Rademacher 2:15.97, Utah jr Kassi Anderson
2:16.64, and Colorado jr Kellie Faircloth 2:17.27 into the US top 10 for
the season.
Girls 1600
Campbell County WY jr Alicia Craig stormed to the top of the US girls list
with a rousing 4:51.65 victory over Bingham UT so Laura Zeigle 4:53.39.
Even adding a 1.6 second adjustment, Craig's run was faster than
Marblehead MA sr Shalane Flanagan's 4:54.84 at the Millrose Games 2/4.
Zeigle set the pace most of the way, with Craig drafting her in a two-girl race.
Then Craig moved decisively to the lead in the last 100 meters, but Zeigle hung tough to the end. The swift pace included Cheyenne WY sr Katie
Lyman 4:59.61 and twin Jackie Zeigle 5:05.85.
Craig has been limited to road work lately because of bad weather. She
said she wanted to hit the first two splits right ("because coach
says they are the most important") and she did -- 34 and 71. She gave
credit to the competition. "Laura ran a great race - she is an
amazing runner." Then Laura looked east and said a matchup with
Shalane Flanagan would be terrific. But the two top milers are scheduled
to be split between the two competing national indoor meets: the National
Scholastic Indoor in New York and the Nike Indoor Classic in Bloomington
IN.
Girls 3200
Calgary sr Emily Kroshus 10:32.41 smashed the old Simplot record by 22
seconds and was not impressed. "I ran 9:38 (3000 meters) two weeks
ago." Kroshus is looking at Stanford and Duke for college next year.
Bingham UT so Laura Zeigle, running her second distance race of the day,
was second in 10:55.39, good for 4th on the US season list.
Girls High Jump
Christina Fonnesbeck, Burley UT sr, 5-5
Girls Pole Vault
Sidney MT sr Leila Ben-Youssef 11-6 won on fewest misses over Portland OR
sr Corrie Drakulich and Canadian sr Karla McGee, who cleared the same
height.
Girls Long Jump
Rowan NC jr Latasha Pharr 18-9.5 over Mission Viejo CA jr Dana Bethel
18-6.25.
Girls Triple Jump
Battle Mountain NV sr Tracy Argo won a very close event with a mark of
39-4 over Latasha Pharr 39-1.5 and Tamillya Brown, of EOYDC Track Club,
38-11.75.
Girls Shot Put
US#2 Candace Workman, Clearfield UT sr, was a four foot winner at 45-4.
Girls Weight Throw
Jessica Pluth, Performance Athletics sr, was a five foot winner at
51-6.25.
Girls 4x200
United Stars 1:37.44, anchored by Natasha Staten, over Acorn Oscar Bailey
1:39.89.
Girls 4x400
United Stars 3:44.26
Girls 4x800
Colorado Flyers
Girls Sprint Medley
Teekay Track Club 4:12.39
Boys 60 meter dash
Dwight Thomas 6.76 (fastest in the US this year) won decisively over US#2
Brandon Kincy, Denver CO sr, 6.90, and broke the meet record he set in the
preliminary round Friday. Jamaican Thomas, representing the Zodiacs Track
Club of New York, has not competed for a high school since winning the
national indoor 200 meter title last year for High Point MD. He also won
the Pan Am Junior 100 and 200 meter titles at Tampa last July for Jamaica.
Boys 60 meter hurdles
Cheyenne WY sr Kiffin Wigert upset W. Jordan UT sr Jake Garlick, the US
hurdle leader at 55 meters, 8.14 to 8.17.
Boys 200
Decatur Track's J. K. Haines 22.08 (US#6), with 1999 US leader Dwight
Thomas third at 22.29 in the slow section after a sub-par qualifying time
Friday. Simplot runs three final sections on time.
Boys 400
W. Jordan UT sr Jake Garlick shook off any disappointment at losing the
hurdles by winning this in 48.63, third best in the US this season.
Boys 800
US#2 Damian Drummond, NY Robeson sr, won handily in 1:54.74 and then raced
to the airport for a plane back to New York so he could run the 600 in
Sunday's PSAL championships.
Boys 1600
Cascade OR sr Noel Paulson 4:17.32 (US#2) made it look easy with a 4
second victory over Orem UT sr Brett Andrus. Andrus made the pace with
Paulson close behind in a two-man race, but Paulson took over at the start
of the final lap and ran away.
Boys 3200
Provo UT sr Josh Rohatinsky ran all alone after the first 2 laps and had
only the meet record (his own) to contend with. He beat it by 2 seconds in
9:11.05 for his third straight Simplot Games title and the fastest 3200
meters in the US this season. Orem UT sr Golden Harper completed the Utah
dominance with a strong second place 9:22.55.
Rohatinsky said he wanted to go the first half in 4:30 or 4:35 and then
go for the record. He passed 1600 meters in 4:36 and was spurred on in the
last lap by the announcer calling for the record. Josh said he has
narrowed his college choice to Oregon and Brigham Young. "It will be
a tough choice."
Boys High Jump
Bountiful UT sr Colby Fuller 6-7.
Boys Pole Vault
Minden NV sr Chris Chappell, who has been getting a PR every week lately,
soared 16-1, second best in the nation this season.
Boys Long Jump
Dayton ID sr C. J. Crow topped a pack of six boys over 22 feet with a
winning jump of 22-5.75.
Boys Triple Jump
Idaho goes 1-2 with Hazleton jr James Sims 46-2 over Twin Falls sr Matt
Anderson 45-4.25.
Boys Throws
Mountain View UT jr Niklas Arrhenius got the only double of the meet by
winning the shot put at 61-4 (US#2) and the weight throw at 67-1.
Boys 4x200
Boxelder TC, Brigham City UT, 1:32.76
Boys 4x400
St. Mary's Berkeley 3:24.75
Boys 4x800
Lajolla Coronado Panthers 8:08.39
Boys Sprint Medley
Montbello 3:37.67
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