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Foot Locker Outdoor
June 16-17, 2000 at Raleigh NC - presented by
Adidas and the National Scholastic Sports Foundation
Highlights
by John Dye
A memorable meet with too many stellar performances to enumerate, but I will try. First, courtesy of announcer and track writer Doug Speck, here are some numbers that show the outstanding quality of the meet:
- 14 Meet Records
- 12 U.S. Leading Prep Marks in the competition
- 13 U.S. Leaders were in other events in the competition
- 4 Olympic Trials Qualifying efforts
- 2 U.S. High School class records
- 1 U.S. High School Outdoor Record set
Details are at Doug's California web site in the prep section within
http://www.caltrack.com
DyeStat pick for Most Outstanding Performer of the Meet: Rockford MI high school, winning five relays (both 4-Mile relays, both distance medleys, and girls 4x800), plus Dathan Ritzenhein's rout of the celebrated boys 2-Mile field.
Friday
Dathan Ritzenhein 8:48.06 and Anita Siraki 10: 18.03 turn heralded 2-mile races into easy victories. Laura Gerraughty 51-11.25 over Karen Freberg 50-6.75. Amy Linnen 13-0 gets Olympic trials qualifier.
Saturday morning
Ritz-Sage, Round 2 - Ritz wins again. Actually it was Rockford MI against York IL in the 4 Mile relay, run just 12 hours after the 2-Mile run ended Friday night. Rockford took command early and had a 6-7 second lead when Dathan Ritzenhein and Don Sage took the baton for the anchor legs. Sage closed ground sharply in a 1:59 half mile, but Ritzenhein surged on the last lap for the victory. Sage gained 4 seconds on the anchor split, 4:08 to 4:12.
Saturday afternoon
HS 100's are squeezed into the Grand Prix meet and show that they belong. Dwight Thomas MD 10.14, just a tick off the all time record, and Muna Lee MO 11.39.
Saturday night
Rockford MI completes a stunning performance with victories in both closing distance medleys, making it five relay golds for the meet (both DMRs, both 4-Mile relays, and the girls 4x800). Dathan Ritzenhein anchored the winning boys 4-Mile and distance medley relays for three victorious runs in 26 hours. Sheena Johnson VA runs Olympic trials qualifying 57.55 400H in a thunderstorm. Rickey Harris VA gets first hurdle double in FLO: 13.56 and 51.14. Paul Klemic 7-4.5 HJ.
BOYS
100 -- Dwight Thomas MD 10.14 within .01 of the all-time HS boys record. Thomas has been training for the Jamaican Olympic team this year instead of running for his high school, Northwestern MD.
200 - Brendan Christian TX, who set a new US record for a sophomore earlier this year, won in 20.97 as Thomas scratched from the finals.
400 - Otis Harris MS 46.66, for his fourth big title within a year (USATF Jr Olympics, Mobile Meet of Champions, Golden West Invitational), defeating US#1 Levar Norris for the second straight week.
800 - Jonathan Johnson TX 1:49.61, taking the outside in a crowded stretch run and just getting the thrilling win over two others under 1:50 (Adam Davis TX 1:49.66, 2nd here for the second straight year, and Marc Sylvester OH 1:49.69).
Mile - Ryan Hall CA 4:06.15, confirming that his talent is not confined to Southern California, and leading a 1-2-3 sweep by California Southern Section runners (Ryan Bousquet 4:06.97 and Josh Spiker 4:07.76). Seven runners under 4:10, even without national leader Alan Webb, out for the season, and Dathan Ritzenhein, who stuck to the 2-Mile and relays. Special props to 4th place Nick Schneider MN 4:08.33, who almost stole the race from the second section. He also ran a surprising second in the 2 Mile race Friday night, and meet officials would not let him double in the seeded section of both races.
2 Mile - Dathan Ritzenhein 8:48.06, making a rout of one of the greatest boys 2 Mile fields ever assembled, and launching a hat trick of three victorious races in 26 hours (2 Mile at 9 pm Friday, 4-Mile Relay anchor at 10 am Saturday, and DMR anchor at 11 pm Saturday).
Steeplechase - Justin Romaniuk NY 5:59.80, shading Mike Serratos CA by 0.38 seconds in a sprint to the finish at the end of the gruelling event.
Hurdles - Rickey Harris VA doubling in 13.56 (13.52 prelim) and 51.14, and not satisfied. He wanted the all-time records in both events, as well as an Olympic trials qualifying time. It didn't help that a big thunderstorm came up just before his 400m hurdles and delayed things for an hour.
High Jump - Paul Klemic NJ 7-4.5 (#5T all time), breaking away from Jimmy Baxter FL 7-1 and bringing the crowd to his end of the field for three attempts at 7-6.
Pole Vault - Sage Thames TX 16-11.5, rounding out three big post-season victories in a row (Texas State Meet and Golden West Invitational).
Horizontal Jumps - LeJuan Simon TX doubling in 23-10 and 48-8.25.
Throws - 6'8 soph Kevin Bookout OK with a SP-DT double in 65-6.75 (Jeff Chakouian MA 65-2.75) and 193-4. Season-long US#1 Josh McCaughey RI won the hammer throw at 227-7, 25 feet ahead of the field. Sean Furey RI led four boys over 200 feet in the javelin with a winning 216-3.
Sprint Relays - Northwestern Miami FL doubled in the 4x100 (41.21) and 4x200 (1:25.00 #12 all time) over Camden NJ each time, but Camden got the 4x400 title over South Jersey rival Lenape, 3:13.78 to 3:14.06.
4x800 - Don Lugo Chino CA 7:38.31 (#11 all time), with Nick Branen winning a furious stride-for-stride anchor over Nike Indoor Classic champion JFK Bellmore 7:40.21 (#22 all time). Cardinal O'Hara PA was a close up third in 7:41.93.
4 Mile Relay - Rockford MI 17:21.57, all time #10, with Donald Sage of York IL (17:23.40) shaving 4 seconds off the lead in a 4:08 anchor, but unable to catch Ritzenhein for Rockford.
DMR - Rockford MI 10:03.09 (#17 all time), with Ritzenhein winning another outstanding anchor matchup over California 1600 meter champion Evan Fox.
GIRLS
Sprints - Muna Lee MO 11.39, joining the ranks of the best 20 girls of all time. Khalilah Carpenter OH 23.60, strong win over Sanya Richards FL. Adia McKinnon IL 53.70 in a decisive win.
Hurdles - Sheena Johnson VA blazed to a 57.55 victory at the 400 meter distance as a thunderstorm erupted, blowing signs and debris across the track. It made Johnson the 5th fastest girl ever in this event and qualified her for the Olympic trials next month. Two more girls got under 60 seconds (Tiffany Ross FL and Tawana Watkins NJ, both clocked in 58.50). In the 100m hurdles, Nicole Denby CA won in 13.61, barely holding off Dalanda Jackson OH 13.65, with LaTasha Pharr NC 13.95 also getting under 14 seconds.
800 - Neisha Bernard-Thomas NY one-upped her 2:07 split in the sprint medley Friday night by blazing to a 2:06.55 victory that left five other girls wondering how they could run PRs under 2:10 and not win. Bernard-Thomas bolted to the lead on the first turn and refused to give in to numerous challenges.
Mile - Alicia Craig WY 4:46.57, combining with her strong second in the 2-Mile Friday night to make the long trip from Wyoming very worthwhile. Craig caught hard-luck Shalane Flanagan MA on the last lap and won with authority. Flanagan, who almost missed the 2 Mile Friday night because of airline delays and dropped out after 5 laps, arrived for the Mile with no spikes. She borrowed spikes for the race. Defending champion Erin Donohue NJ 4:53.63 was third to go with her second in javelin.
2-Mile - Anita Siraki CA 10:18.03, establishing herself as the class of a very good year for 8-lappers, with California State Meet and Arcadia Invitational victories also in hand.
Jumps - Sheena Johnson VA 41-7 TJ, for a double to go with her 400H win. Amy Linnen 13-0.25, an Olympic qualifying pole vault, but missing three attempts to break the new US record (13-4) of soph Stacie Manuel MN 12-6.25, who finished second in her first meet outside of Minnesota. Christina Estrict 5-8.75, winning the high jump on fewer misses over JaNelle Wright KS and Hyleas Fountain PA. Kemesha Whitmire SC 19-3.5, the only long jumper over 19 feet.
Throws - Laura Gerraughty NH, season-long US leader in the shot put, won a terrific duel with California champ Karen Freberg, 51-11.25 to 50-6.75. Briona Reynolds ND 167-2, confirming her US#1 status in discus, and Kate Johnston RI 183-3 doing the same in hammer. Denita Miller KS 148-5 in JT.
Relays - Rockford MI, of course. A new all-time best outdoors of 20:30.57 in the 4-Mile relay, although 6 seconds slower than their indoor record set at the Nike Indoor Classic in March. The girls said they only got 4 hours sleep after winning the 4x800 relay Friday night in 8:57.52 (#5 all time). Then, they closed the meet in the distance medley Saturday night with an 11:49.44 (#5 all time and only 8 seconds off San Lorenzo Valley CA's new national record earlier this year at the Penn Relays).
Tilden NY 3:55.16 for the second fastest sprint medley of all time, powered by Neisha Bernard-Thomas' 2:07 anchor. California champion J.W. North won the 4x100 in a very swift 45.89 and ran second to St. Thomas Aquinas FL 1:36.90 in the 4x200 and second to Northwestern Miami FL 3:43.88 in the 4x400.
the 2000 Foot Locker Outdoor Track and Field Championships
