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DyeStat Virginia
2000 Outdoor State Meet
AAA Finals - Day 1
by Ben Ackerly, Richmond Times-Dispatch
RICHMOND -- Day one of the Group AAA State Outdoor Track & Field Championships featured strong performances by all of the heavy-hitters, but on a hot, humid afternoon at Sports Backers Stadium, one in particular made a statement: Say hello to Sheena.
On her first attempt of the first event of the meet Friday, Gar-Field's Sheena Johnson uncorked a personal-best 20-foot, 2�-inch long jump, ending the competition for first in what was expected to be the toughest of the five events in which she is entered. Atlee's Caroline Harvey came right back with a 19-1 effort, and two other girls would finish with marks over 19 feet, but the battle was for second place.
Johnson, the top seed in the triple jump, 100-meter hurdles, the 100 and the 300 hurdles, was looking to go off early.
"My coach said I had to stick the first jump to take the pressure off," said the UCLA-bound senior. "It didn't feel like I went that far, but it's a fast runway, and I had a lot of adrenaline going."
Though Johnson's first attempt was wind-aided, her second - 20 feet even - was not, and gives her the No. 2-ranking in the United States.
Johnson passed on her remaining jumps, then, fighting what was by then a steady headwind, cruised to top qualifying times in the preliminaries of the 100 (11.91) and both hurdle events (14.72 and 41.70). No athlete in Virginia state meet history has ever won five events in one competition, and Gar-Field's Paula Girven, a member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic Team, is the only one to have taken four.
"I have to concentrate on one event at a time," said Johnson. "I'm not really thinking about winning, just to get the [meet] records." She's aiming to set four.
"The 100 will be tough," said Gar-Field coach Jeff Custer. "Those two Bethel girls [Ara Towns and Asia Carroll] will get busy."
However Johnson's record-run plays out, her day-one efforts, and those of teammates Kira Sims (sixth in the long jump with a personal-best 18-8) and Takeitha Jordan (fourth in the high jump), already have the Indians atop the team standings.
"We're tired of losing to Bethel," said Custer, whose team has finished second two years in a row. "I told the girls, 'They're not going to roll over. You have to go out and take the thing.'"
Hayfield's Nikeya Green, the favorite in both the 1,600 and 800, advanced to the finals of the latter with a meet-record performance in the preliminaries (2:10.12), more than five seconds faster than the next best qualifier. Kecoughtan's Elizabeth Bayne, the indoor winner in the 1,000 and considered one of the favorites, suffered a false-start disqualification.
Oakton's Bonnie Meekins and T.J.-Alexandria's Krystle Moss re-staged their state indoor dual. But this time it was Meekins who came out on top as she bettered the indoor champ by clearing 5-6 in a jumpoff.
In the discus, Donisha Freeman of Mount Vernon had too much for Hayfield's India Odum and the rest of the field. Freeman's 135-11 mark topped second place Odum, the favorite in today's shot put, by more than seven feet.
Though high jumper Quentin Matthews has Deep Creek in the drivers seat of what is shaping up to be an extremely tight boys competition, it was Rico Lloyd who had the surprise win of the day, putting Potomac in position to defend its '99 title.
Lloyd took the long jump with a leap of 24-1�. And while he had to knock off favorite Dexter Faulk of Woodside to get the win, a second career state title was not on Lewis' mind.
"I won, but this is all about the team," said Lloyd, an Indiana University-bound senior. "It's just one win, and we'll need more than that to take the team title."
Lloyd just missed scoring in the high jump, which was won in convincing fashion by Matthews at 7-� , but he advanced to today's finals in the two short dashes. Of the 200, a feature event that will include Brooke Point's Byron Dunham, Petersburg's Jerome Mathis and Centreville's Rickey Harris (the fastest qualifier at 21.82), Lloyd, the defending champion, said simply, "It's going to be a showdown."
Harris breezed through the preliminaries of his first two events, posting the fastest time in both the 110 hurdles (14.27) and the 400 (47.03).
South Lakes junior Alan Webb went out easy but had no trouble in his first race of the meet, the 800-meter trials. Webb won his section (1:55.40), but Wakefield's Harun Iman (1:53.99) and Woodside's Curtis Parker (1:54.14) both ran faster times.
Mike Wanderer of Granby won the discus (151-7) and was the only thrower to break 150 feet.
Other top performances from the day-one preliminaries included Western Branch's Trenace Elliott in the girls 400 (55.77), Bethel's Ara Towns in the 200 (24.89, Brooke Point's Byron Dunhum in the boys 100 (10.95) and Bethel's Gemayel Hazard in the 300 hurdles (38.72)
Team scores - 1. Deep Creek (DC) 21; 2. Granby (Gran), Potomac (Pot) 10; 4. Patrick Henry-Roanoke (PHR), Woodside (Wood) 8; 6. Bethel (Beth), Menchville (Mench) 7; 8. Maury (MHS) 6; 9. Petersburg (Pet), Wakefield (Wake) 5; 11. Kempsville (Kemp), Heritage (Her), G.C. Marshall (GCM) 4; 14. George Washington-Danville (GWD), Thomas Dale (TD), Booker T. Washington (BTW) 3; 17. I.C. Norcom (ICM), Churchland (Church), Oakton (Oak) 2; 20. Clover Hill (CH), Denbigh (Den), Hermitage (Herm) 1.
Event (with meet record)
Long jump (25-4) - 1. Rico Lloyd (Pot) 24-1�; 2. Dexter Faulk (Wood) 23-10�; 3. Chris Clifton (DC) 23-8�; 4. Willie Smith (DC) 23-1�; 5. Darryl Blackstock (Her) 22-11; 6. Khalif Smith (BTW) 22-9�; 7. Derrick Freeman (Church) 22-8; 8. Quentin Banks (Den) 22-7�.
Faulk, coming off a 24-9 performance a week earlier, couldn't find the board and almost missed making the finals. After two scratches, he got in with a 23-footer on his third attempt, but Lloyd had already posted what would be the winning mark. Lloyd's win was a slight surprise for a Potomac team that already figured to be in the mix for team honors. Deep Creek, with Potomac one of four teams that points out to between 31 and 35 based on entry seedings, received higher-than-expected finishes from both Clifton and Smith.
High jump (7-1) - 1. Quentin Matthews (DC) 7-�; 2. Marlin Manley (Beth) 6-8; 3. Keith Moffatt (Mench) 6-8; 4. Jerome Mathis (Pet) 6-6; 5. Rocmelle Black (Kemp) 6-6; 6. John Hubbard (GW) 6-6; 7. Teddy Presley (Oak) 6-4; 8. Chris Clementson (CH) 6-4.
Opening height was 6-0. Matthews took three shots at 7-1�, shooting for a new state record. Mathis' score means Petersburg, which pointed out at 28, remains very much alive as the sleeper pick for the team title.
Discus (190-2) - 1. Mike Wanderer (Gran) 151-7; 2. James Sapp (PHR) 147-4; 3. Jason Dixson (Maur) 146-2; 4. Devonne Armstrong (Wake) 144-4; 5. Erik Portillo (GCM) 143-3; 6. Jim Tiller (TD) 141-8; 7. Andrae Davis (ICN) 141-5; 8. Colby Hall (Herm) 139-11.
Dixson, the top qualifier, couldn't get it going, opening the door for Sapp, the shot put favorite, to move up.
Running event finalists from day one preliminaries
110-meter hurdles (13.67) - 1. Ricky Harris (Centreville) 14.27; 2. B.J. Hancock (E.C. Glass) 14.46; 3. Gemayel Hazard (Bethel) 14.68; 4. Alton Jordan (Heritage) 14.81; 5. Kevin Watson (Henrico) 14.71; 6. Jason Williams (Annandale) 14.71; 7. Anthony Riddick (Deep Creek) 14.82; 8. Nduweze Anyanwu (T.C. Williams) 14.92.
A steady headwind by the time the trials started made for slow times in all short races.
100 (10.51) - 1. Byron Dunham (Brooke Point) 10.95; 2. Omar McDaniel (Bayside) 10.95; 3. Jerome Mathis (Petersburg) 10.99; 4. Rico Lloyd (Potomac) 11.03; 5. Michael Johnson (Heritage) 11.12; 6. Charles Corner (William Fleming) 11.06; 7. Jimmy Terry (Deep Creek) 11.16; 8. Dexter Faulk (Woodside) 11.17.
400 (46.25) - 1. Rickey Harris (Centreville) 47.03; 2. Cy Williams (Oscar Smith) 48.11; 3. Anthony Pelham (Heritage) 48.37; 4. Domonick Richmond (Bethel) 48.41; 5. Jerry Harris (West Potomac) 48.49; 6. Brian Ford (Atlee) 48.59; 7. Eric Sidney (Heritage) 48.85; 8. Donte Lucas (Lake Taylor) 49.06.
Harris jogged the first curve.
300 hurdles (36.50) - 1. Gemayel Hazard (Bethel) 38.72; 2. Khalif Smith (Booker T. Washington) 38.74; 3. B.J. Hancock (E.C. Glass) 38.85; 4. Zack Drozda (Albemarle) 39.64; 5. Jason Faulk (Lakeland) 39.49; 6. Kevin Watson (Henrico) 39.53; 7. Alliew Siesay (Annandale) 39.56; 8. Jon Morgan (North Stafford) 39.93.
800 (1:49.61) - 1. Harun Iman (Wakefield) 1:53.99; 2. Curtis Parker (Woodside) 1:54.14; 3. Alan Webb (South Lakes) 1:55.40; 4. James Small (McLean) 1:56.55; 5. Tim Oliver (Lake Braddock) 1:55.88; 6. Zach Davis (Midlothian) 1:56.53; 7. Terrance Arnold (Menchville) 1:56.65; 8. Jason Lewis (Potomac) 1:56.85.
Webb ran conservatively, going out in 58.1. Lewis getting through is good news for Potomac.
200 (20.90) - 1. Rickey Harris (Centreville) 21.81; 2. Rico Lloyd (Potomac) 21.99; 3. Jerome Mathis (Petersburg) 22.12; 4. Byron Dunham (Brooke Point) 22.18; 5. Omar McDaniel (Bayside) 22.20; 6. Frank Francois (Lake Braddock) 22.22; 7. Brian Ford (Atlee) 22.26; 8. Clifton James (Highland Springs) 22.35.
Team scores - 1. Gar-Field (Gar) 18; 2. Oakton (Oak) 16; 3. Manchester (Man) 11; 4. Mount Vernon (MV) 10; 5. Thomas Jefferson-Alexandria (TJ), Tallwood (Tall), Hayfield (Hay) 8; 8. Great Bridge (GB) 7; 9. Atlee (Atl) 5; 10. Thomas Jefferson/Governor's School (TJ/GS), James River (JR), Pulaski County (PC) 4; 13. Booker T. Washington (BTW), Western Branch (WB) 3; 15. James Wood (JW), C.D. Hylton (CDH), Frank W. Cox (FWC) 2; 18. Bethel (Beth), Sherando (Sher) 1.
No surprises here, and an entry-form foul-up may have cost Bethel whatever chance it had of defending its title. Marie Giles, who would have been a favorite in the 400, and Asia Carroll, the same in the 200, were left off the school's list of entries submitted prior to the meet. Bethel protested the ruling to exclude the runners from the races, but the appeals committee affirmed the decision.
Long jump (20-6�) - 1. Sheena Johnson (Gar) 20-2�; 2. Tiffany McLaughin (Tall) 19-3; 3. Amy Conteh (Oak) 19-2 �; 4. Caroline Harvey (Atl) 19-1 �; 5. Kellie Wells (JR) 18-9 �; 6. Kira Sims (Gar) 18-8; 7. Michelle Austin (CDH) 18-7; 8. Marie Giles (Beth) 18-5.
Johnson wanted to keep jumping, but Gar-Field coach Jeff Custer put a quick end to a possible assault on the record books. McLaughin moved from fourth to second on her final attempt. Harvey had three jumps over 19 feet, but a toe-scratch on her fifth cost her one that was close to 20. Thirteen girls jumped 18 feet or better.
High jump (6-�) - 1. Bonnie Meekins (Oak) 5-6; 2. Krystle Moss (TJ) 5-5; 3. Vrica Twine (GB) 5-5; 4. Takeitha Jordan (Gar) 5-5; 5. Cari Tusing (TJ/GS) 5-4; 6. Love Brown (BTW) 5-4; 7. Jerri Jenkins (JW) 5-4; 8. Taneise Mitchell (GB) 5-4.
A minimum opening height of 5-0 quickly narrowed the field, and the heat and humidity took a toll on the remaining athletes. Meekins cleared 5-6 in a jumpoff with Moss to avenge an indoor loss on misses.
Discus (159-0) - 1. Donisha Freeman (MV) 135-11; 2. India Odum (Hay) 128-8; 3. Ieshia Hurt (Man) 117-9; 4. Latoya Porter (Man) 114-9; 5. Liz Hages (PC) 114-4; 6. Amber Chastain (WB) 113-7; 7. Lindsay Neuberger (FWC) 112-4; 8. Jennifer Foster (Sher) 111-8.
Freeman came in with the top performance and had little trouble winning the title.
Running event finalists from day one preliminaries
100-meter hurdles (13.81) - 1. Sheena Johnson (Gar-Field) 14.72; 2. Nicole Jann (Menchville) 14.85; 3. Keosha Sanders (Brooke Point) 14.98; 4. Sherina Hibbler (Booker T. Washington) 15.02; 5. Kellie Wells (James River) 15.12; 6. Maurika Quarles (Osbourn Park) 15.40; 7. Briana Smith (Manchester) 15.43; 8. Sherita Hibbler (Booker T. Washington) 15.47.
Custer: "No competition [in Johnson's section], into the wind. Just take it easy and save it for tomorrow."
100 (11.73) - 1. Sheena Johnson (Gar-Field) 11.91; 2. Ara Towns (Bethel) 11.94; 3. Asia Carroll (Bethel) 12.11; 4. Alyssa Aiken (Chantilly) 12.47; 5. Happy Darcus (Albemarle) 12.40; 6. Caroline Harvey (Atlee) 12.41; 7. Keosha Sanders (Brooke Point) 12.42; 8. Terri Devenport (C.D. Hylton) 12.49.
400 (53.45) - 1. Trenace Elliot (Western Branch) 55.77; 2. Vakara Forrest (Gloucester) 56.35; 3. Alyssa Aiken (Chantilly) 57.02; 4. Cheri Manning (J.R. Tucker) 57.07; 5. Avis Strobridge (Kecoughtan) 57.44; 6. Courtney Tolbert (L.C. Bird) 58.14; 7. Jennifer Claud (Halifax County) 58.46; 8. Zakiya Ingraham (Thomas Dale) 58.58.
300 hurdles (41.62) - 1. Sheena Johnson (Gar-Field) 41.70; 2. Janine Jones (Menchville) 42.98; 3. Keosha Sanders (Brooke Point) 44.96; 4. Ayanna Alexander (McLean) 45.13; 5. Maurika Quarles (Osbourn Park) 45.24; 6. Vrica Twine (Great Bridge) 45.80; 7. Lauren Taylor (Western Branch) 46.11; 8. Kellie Wells (James River) 46.69.
Johnson wanted to get this meet record in the preliminaries, but the weather was too much. It will be very hot again Saturday and Jones is running well, but the fact remains that Johnson's never lost a 300 hurdles race in her high school career.
800 (2:10.44) - 1. Nikeya Green (Hayfield) 2:10.12 (meet record, previous record 2:10.44, Sharon O'Connor, Mount Vernon, 1998); 2. Kelley Otstott (TJ-Alexandria); 3. Leslie Treherne (Western Branch) 2:15.64; 4. Leslie Schultz (Langley) 2:17.31; 5. Nicole Cook (Petersburg) 2:16.33; 6. Carin Miller (Chantilly) 2:17.37; 7. Lauren Goldsmith (Cave Spring) 2:17.38; 8. Kristen Reedy (Bethel) 2:17.90.
200 (23.79) - 1. Ara Towns (Bethel) 24.89; 2. Alyssa Aiken (Chantilly) 25.08; 3. Terri Davenport (C.D. Hylton) 25.54; 4. Trenace Elliot (Western Branch) 25.29; 5. Happy Darcus (Albemarle) 25.36; 6. Stephanie Walker (Varina) 25.72; 7. Cheri Manning (J.R. Tucker) 25.88; 8. Ebonie Jones (L.C. Bird) 26.02
