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June 26-27, 1998 at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville IL
USATF Junior Nationals
Day 1 Media Notes by USATF -
Angela Williams Wins 100 in New HS Record 11.11
The Weekly Notes appear on USA Track & Field's web site (http://www.usatf.org)
and are prepared by USATF's media information staff of Pete Cava, Tom Surber and
Glen McMicken, who can be reached at 317-261-0500. Special thanks to Hal Bateman
for his contributions. The Weekly Notes are produced using Xerox Document
processing equipment. Also assisting with this special edition of the Weekly Notes
were Carol Swenson and Dan O'Brien of USATF's press box crew.
USA JUNIOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
RALPH KORTE STADIUM - SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY-EDWARDSVILLE
EDWARDSVILLE, ILLINOIS
FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 1998
Angela Williams, the 5-2 bundle of speed from Southern California,
saved her best performance for last. Friday night at the USA Junior
Track and Field Championships at Southern Illinois
University-Edwardsville, the recent Chino (Calif.) High
School graduate won the women's 100 meter title for a record third time
and broke the national high school record.
Williams, who won here last year and earned her first title in 1996,
defeated a solid field that included UCLA's Shakedia Jones, the NCAA
runnerup earlier this month in Buffalo, N.Y. Williams and Jones were even until about 70 meters into the race, when
Williams pulled away. She finished in 11.11, with Jones second in 11.18.
Seeing the mark on the timing device, fans and officials turned
anxiously to the scoreboard for wind information. When a reading of 1.2
meters per second appeared --- well below the allowable limit of 2 mps
--- the crowd at SIUE's Ralph Korte Stadium erupted in applause. As
expected, Williams had finally broken the 22-year-old national prep mark
of 11.13 by Chandra Cheeseborough. Cheeseborough, now the coach at her
alma mater, Tennessee State University, set the mark in 1976 while
competing for Ribault High School in Jacksonville, Fla.
Fighting back tears as she walked back across the infield from the
finish line, Williams regained her composure in the athletes' tent.
"This is the best!" she exclaimed. "I've been chasing this record all
year."
For Williams, the race was her last of the year on U.S. soil. Along
with each of the other top two placers in the meet, she qualified for the
biennial World Junior Championships in the French Alpine city of Annecy,
France, July 28-Aug. 2.
"I always wanted to make a World Championships team," said Williams,
who won gold medals in the 100 and 4x100m relay at the 1997 Pan American
Junior Championships in Havana, Cuba. "Shakedia's presence made a big
difference. I know she's a great competitor. That helped pull me
through. I knew I would have to run hard all the way."
Williams, who'll enter the University of Southern California this
fall, admitted to being "nervous, very nervous" prior to the race. Now
she says she's still anxious. "I have to call my mom," she told
reporters. "She said if I made the team, she was coming to France with
me. I'm really looking forward to France, but," she added, her joy
momentarily wilting, "I don't know any French."
Friday's victory made Williams the only three-time women's 100m
champion in USA Junior Championships history. Two other sprinters had
also won a pair of 100m titles at this meet: Brenda Morehead (whose meet
record was shaded Friday by Williams) in 1974-75, and Marion Jones ---
the star of last weekend's USA Championships in New Orleans --- in 1991-92.
Miesha Withers of St. Bernard High School in Playa del Rey, Calif.,
was third in 11.54, followed by Baylor's Ssereta Lafayette in 11.59.
Fifth was Alexis Joyce of Denver, at 14 one of the youngest contestants
in the championships.
Prep sprinters dominated the men's 100 meter final, with Tory
Mitchell of Big Spring, (Texas) High School winning in 10.12. Mitchell's
time was aided by a 3.1 meters per second
wind. Second was Dashaun McCullough, a junior from Serra High School in
Gardena, Calif., in 10.22.
Amar Johnson, a senior Fort Worth Country Day School finished third
in 10.25, followed by Casey Combest in 10.31 and Tre Gardner in 10.34.
Combest just finished his junior year at Owensboro, Ky., High School and
Gardner, a Baylor recruit, is a recent graduate of Coppell (Texas) High.
Two collegiate finalists, Abilene Christian's Reggie Hill and Andre
Davis of Virginia Tech, brought up the rear. Hill wound up sixth in
10.46 and Davis was seventh in 10.49. The eighth finalist, Adrian Zullo
of St. Thomas Aquinas High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was injured and
unable to start.
"It was great to come in here and do the kind of thing I was trained
to do," said the laconic Mitchell, this year's Texas 4A champion as a
junior. "To hear the announcement on the time was great, too."
Mitchell, however, isn't sure whether he'll make the trip to Annecy
for next month's World Junior Championships. "I don't know about
France," he mused. "I haven't made up my mind on that yet."
Second place finisher McCullough has thoroughbred bloodlines. In
1971 his dad, Carl --- sprinter/long jumper --- singlehandedly won the
California state title for Sacramento High School.
Griffin Repeats in Women's Hammer
In one of the closest duels in the history of the USA Junior
Championships, defending women's hammer throw champion Maureen Griffin of
Pocatello, Idaho, High School squeaked past Alabama freshman Janna Wren.
Although both women received credit for throws of 181-3, the official
metric measurement had Griffin's mark at 55.25 to 55.24 for Wren --- a
difference of about a quarter of an inch.
Griffin, a prohibitive favorite going into the championships, was
well off her American junior record of 201-7. The University of Arizona
recruit showed the effects of a hectic schedule that had her competing in
three major events in three different cities over an eight-day span.
"I'm feeling really tired," Griffin admitted after the competition.
"I need to get some rest. I was kind of nervous, especially when it
looked like I might not make it. But I came through, and that's the main
thing."
It was the second major triumph in a week for Griffin, who holds the
American junior record at 201-7. Last Saturday she won the hammer title
at the National Scholastic meet in Raleigh, N.C., just 24 hours after
finishing 9th at the USA Championships in New Orleans.
While Griffin languished, runnerup Wrenn celebrated. "This was a
big PR today," she told reporters, "so I'm happy. I wish I could've
thrown it just a little but farther for first place.
But not that many throwers come that close to Maureen."
Wrenn, who was competing in her first national meet, is in her first
year as a hammer thrower. "I threw the shot and discus in high school,"
she explained, "and when I walked on at Alabama, the coaches said Here,
try this.'"
Oddly enough, this is the second straight year that the runnerup to
Griffin was an athlete named Wrenn. A year ago, second place in the
hammer went to Glenda Wrenn --- no relation to Janna --- who competed for
the U.S. Military Academy.
Tight Field Events Highlight USA Juniors
The hammer throw was one of several hotly-contested events on the
first day of the championships.
Three men cleared 17-0 3/4 in the pole vault, but it was Virginia
Tech's Brian Hunter who won on the countback. Jacob Pauli of Northern
Iowa settled for second with Jimmy Autenreith, winner of last weekend's
National Scholastic title in Raleigh, N.C., finishing third.
Neither Pauli nor Autenreith --- the Texas 5A champ from Houston's Spring
Branch Memorial High School --- could match their season best of 17-3.
Texas high schooler Robyn Burkhardt scored an upset win in the
women's high jump, besting Auburn's Nakeitra Jones, who earlier this
month placed seventh at the NCAA Championships. Both women cleared 5-11
1/2 but Burkhardt --- a recent graduate of San Antonio's East Central
High --- got the victory on a jump-off.
"I wasn't sure if I could win," admitted Burkhardt. "It was such a
great field. When we both missed 5-11 1/2, I didn't realize we were
going to a jump-off. I've never jumped that many times in a competition."
In yet another tight duel, LSU's Myra Combs won the women's long
jump with a mark of 20-8 to beat Keyon Soley of Uniondale High School in
Uniondale, N.Y., by a mere three-quarters of an inch. The UCLA-bound Soley, who finished
second at both last year's junior nationals and the 97 Pan American
Junior Championships, recorded a wind-aided mark of 20-7 1/4.
Combs, who ran a leg on LSU's second-place 4x100m relay team at the NCAA
Championships this month, said Friday's victory was "really nice,"
especially since she claims to have struggled in her first collegiate
outdoor season. She blames "a combination of things . . . competing in
different events, relays, travel."
The versatile Combs, who'll try to complete an unprecedented long
jump/200m double Saturday, said she doesn't consider herself to be a
jumper or a sprinter first. "I just try to do my best in whatever event
I'm in," she claimed. "There's a real good 200 field, so that double is
going to be tough."
Combs may also have a tough time making the trip to the World Junior
Championships. "I hope to go to France," she said, "but it depends on my
teachers. I'm taking summer school to get ahead, and finals are at that
time."
The men's long jump title went to University of Texas freshman
Christopher Hercules, who nailed down the title on his final try with a
wind-aided mark of 25-3 1/4. Second was DePaul University's Christopher
Stafford with a wind-blown 25-1 3/4. "I haven't long jumped
since the Big 12 Conference Championships, so I was a little rusty," said
Hercules. "I'm just happy to finally break the 25-foot barrier, even
though it was wind-aided. That's a confidence booster."
Hercules, second in the triple jump last year, will try on Saturday
to become the first man in the history of the USA Junior Championships to
win both the long jump and triple jump titles.
"Tomorrow I go in my main event, the triple jump," he said, "and I hope
things go well there, too."
Borschowa Still Undefeated in Women's Discus
Two high school throwers led the field in the women's discus as
National Scholastic winner Mandy Borschowa of Mount Si High School in
Snoqualmie, Wash., and Krista Keir of South High in Westerville, Ohio,
finished 1-2.
"I felt I threw pretty well," said Washington State recuit
Borschowa, whose winning throw of 178-2 kept her undefeated 1998 season
intact. "I was pretty close to a PR, so I'm proud of myself. Now I hope
to get a PR in France." Keir, an Indiana U. recruit who placed second in
this event last year and went on to win a silver medal at the Pan Am
Junior Championships, produced a 174-1.
A pair of college freshmen battled it out for the men's discus
title. Iowa's Jeremy Allen threw the platter 189-8 to edge UCLA resdhirt
Scott Moser, who was second at 187-9. "I just came in here trying to do
the best I could," said Allen, who was competing in the Junior
Championships for the first time.
"I was nervous in the beginning, because I've bever competed in this
meet and the reward was so great --- going to France. I've had a good
freshman year, winning the Big 10 and placing at NCAAs. I feel grateful
and blessed."
Lisa Kutzing won the walk, then made a bee-line for the airport to
get back for her graduation ceremonies at Vandermeulen High in Port
Jefferson, N.Y. Kutzing, a silver medalist at last year's Pan Am Junior
Championships in Havana, won easily in 24:43.
"I guess I'm going to have to brush up on my French," she quipped.
"I took Spanish in high school, so Cuba was excellent for me last year."
Kutzing had to leave shortly after the conclusion of her event to get
back in time for 6:30 p.m. graduation ceremonies. Originally,
commencement at Vandermeulen had been scheduled for 6 p.m., but school
officials pushed the starting time back a half hour to give Kutzing some
leeway.
Emma Carter of Overland Park, Kans., the runnerup in the walk at
25:25, won't compete in Annecy --- at least not in an American team
uniform. Carter, 16, is a citizen of New Zealand. Brook Szody of
Shingletown, Calif., who was third in 26:44, will join Kutzing on the
U.S. junior squad.
The men's hammer throw title went to John Badovinac of the
University of California. Badovinac's best effort, 193-6, outdistanced
runnerup Nick Welihozkiy by more than five feet. Welihozkiy, from West
Springfield, Va., High School, threw 188-3. "I had an idea coming in
that I might throw well here," said Badovinac, "and I PRed by 6 feet. So
I guess I can't ask for more than that."
Christopher Brooks of the U. of Wisconsin-Parkside won the men's 10
kilometer walk in 48:44, followed by Scott Crafton of Indianapolis in 50:35.
Tara Rohatinky qualified for her second U.S. junior team of the
year. Rohatinsky, a member of the American under-20-year-old squad at
the World Cross Country Championships in Marrakech, Morocco, last March,
won the women's 5000m in 16:42.82. Second was Sharlyn Maughan of Weber
State in 16:54.17.
Butler University freshman Justin Young, a former Illinois prep star
from Peoria who spent the last few weeks training at altitude in
Colorado, was a runaway winner in the men's 10,000m. Young finished in
30:35.15, with Chad Durham of Long Beach (Calif.) Polytechnic High School
taking second in 31:05.81.
Defending Champs Bethel, Ryland Grab First-Day Leads in Multis
In the two-day multi-event competition, Ashley Bethel held the lead
after the first four events in the heptathlon and Daniel Ryland was in
front at the decathlon's midway point.
Bethel, the defending champ from Mission Viejo, Calif., High School,
posted marks of 13.79 in the 100m hurdles; 5-5 3/4 in the high jump, 32-9
in the shot put and 25.77 in the 200m, good for 3171 points.
Second at the end of the first day is Loren Leaverton of
Naaman-Forest High School in Garland, Texas --- last year's 3rd place ---
with 3158. Gigi Miller of Odessa (Texas) College is third at 3152 with
Kendra Reimer in fourth place at 3114 Jodi Anderson fifth at 3111. Reimer
and Anderson, teammates at New Braunfels (Texas) High School, were among
last year's top finishers. Reimer was fourth in 97 while Anderson took
second.
Like Reimer, Ryland is hoping to repeat his 1997 triumph here on
Sunday --- a feat no decathlete has accomplished in the USA Junior
Championships, which date back to 1972. The Arkansas State freshman
leads Marcell Allmond of St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs,
Calif., and South Carolina freshman Clemia Anderson. Allmond, the
National Scholastic indoor multi-event champion, competes for the
Southern California Cheetahs and is coached by Olympic assistant Ernie
Gregoire --- who also coaches Angela Williams.
Ryland had marks of 10.59 in the 100m, 21-11 3/4 in the long jump,
39-4 1/2 in the shot put, 5-9 1/4 in the high jump and 48.24 in the 400
for a first-day total of 3794. Allmond compiled 3718 points to 3685 for
Anderson.
Friday's preliminary rounds
Women's 100m hurdles: UCLA's Michelle Perry was the fastest
qualifier with a time of 13.44 (wind: 2.0 meters per second). Other
qualifiers for Saturday's final are Kentucky's Lutisha Shittu; Daveetta
Shepherd of Barton County JC (Great Bend, Kans.); LSU's April Sams;
Danielle Carruthers of Tilghman HS, Paducah, Ky.; Tiffany Davis of The
Colony HS, Carrollton, Texas; South Carolina's Jacquelina Madison; and
Ohio State's Donica Merriman.
Men's 110m hurdles: Todd Matthews of Notre Dame Academy in
Lawrenceville, N.J., third at this meet last year and the runnerup at
last weekend's National Scholatic meet in Raleigh, N.C., posted the
fastest prelim time, a wind-aided 13.83 (2.2 mps). Other qualifiers for
Saturday's final are Arend Watkins of Washington State; Ron Bramlett of
Antioch, Tenn.; Ronald Andrews of Siena Heights College (Amherst,
N.Y).; Christopher Stokes of Virginia Tech; Ricky Moody of Harrison HS,
Colorado Springs; Dontae Bugg of Heritage HS, Newport News, Va.; and
Sharif Paxton of Crenshaw HS, Los Angeles.
Women's 1500m: Keisha Banks of James Madison U. and Kansas State's
Amanda Crouse were the heat winners, with Crouse's 4:33.31 the fastest
time of the day. Rounding out the field for Sunday's final are Bethany
Brewster of Williams HS, Freeland, Mich.; Katie Hotchkiss of Mission San
Jose HS, Fremont, Calif.; Sarah Burkett of James Madison; Jolee
Gillespie of BYU; Erin Sims of Pascagoula (Miss.) HS; Christin Wurth of
Bloomington (Ill.)
HS; Colleen Winzeler of Overland Park, Kans.; North Carolina's Beth
George; Washington's Kara Syrdal; and Londa Bevins of Mesquite, Texas.
Men's 1500m: Joe Stegall of Georgia Tech and Gabriel Jennings of
Wisconsin were the heat winners, and Stegall --- pressed by BYU's Steve
Barrus and Andy Powell of Oliver Ames HS in North Easton, Mass. --- had
the fastest prelim time, 3:53.25. Jennings coasted home in 3:53.94. The
other qualifiers for Sunday's final are Michael Altieri of Sacramento's
Jesuit HS; Patrick Anglin of Princeton; Auburn's Brad Hansen; Justin
Insco of U. of Mobile; James Wilkins of Orange HS, Hillsborough, N.C.;
Cheyne Jones of Imperial Beach, Calif.; Mike Mueller of Loyola-Chicago;
and Furman's Yuri Vander Heijden.
Women's 400m: Nakia Jones of Chino Hills, Calif., competing for the
Southern California Cheetahs, was the quickest qualifier at 53.26. Also
making it to Sunday's final are Arlaina Davis of Arizona State; Kori
Hamilton of Alta Loma, Calif.; Mikele Barber of Montclair (N.J.) HS;
Tia Trent of Columbus, Ohio; Alicia Crowd of Syracuse U.; Demetria
Washington of Sanford HS, Fayetteville, N.C.; and Faith Rein of
Centreville (Va.) HS.
Men's 400m: Arizona State's Tony Berrian turned in the quickest
heat time, 46.41. Also qualifying were Andrew Pierce of Ohio State;
Obea Moore of the Los Angeles Jets Track Club --- who scored a 200/400
double at the 1996 Junior Nationals and has since battled a variety
of physical ailments --- Jason Jackson of Grand Prairie, Texas; Tim
Brown of Fresno City College; Bryan Swarm of Denver's East HS; Shomari
McKenzie of Tampa's Hillsborough HS; and Aaron Luster of Jacksonville, Fla.
"I'm here to earn a trip to France," said Moore, who finished second
in last year's 400m final but had to bow out of the Pan Am Junior
Championships due to a leg injury. "I was injured early in the year, and
I've only had three weeks of training, so I don't have a real good base. But
I'll be ready for the final."
Moore is the defending 400m champion at the World Junior Championships. He won
two gold medals at the last WJr meet in Sydney, Australia, in 1996, in the 400 and the 4x400m
relay.
Women's 100m prelims: Shakedia Jones and Angela Williams of Chino
HS ran the day's fastest qualifying times. Jones advanced to Friday's
semifinal round with a wind-aided 11.25 (4.0 mps) while Williams won her
heat with a breezy 11.37 (2.2).
Women's 100m semis: Jones and Williams each took another step
toward a showdown in the final. Williams won the first heat in 11.29
(2.8 mps) and Jones followed with a win in 11.26 (2.2 mps). Also
qualifying for the final was Alexis Joyce of Denver, at 14 years of age one
of the youngest contestants at this year's Junior Championships.
Men's 100m prelims: All times were wind-aided as Amar Johnson led
the way into the final at 10.29.
Women's 800m prelims: Weber State's Stephanie Hansen had the best
qualifying mark, 2:10.67. Others advancing to Saturday's final are Dara
Crocker and Natalie Deffenbaugh, teammates from Columbia HS in Maplewood,
N.J.; Cara Cline of Liberty (Mo.) HS; Alice Schmidt of Elkhorn HS,
Omaha, Neb.; Lindsay Hyatt of Placer HS, Auburn, Calif.; Courtney
Darter of Boerne (Texas) HS; and Kristina Bratton of Bradenton (Fla.)
Christian HS.
Men's 800m prelims: The fastest qualifying time, 1:51.98, belonged
to Stanford's Mark Hassell. Others making Sunday's final were Hassell's
Cardinal teammate Ryan Carroll; Connecticut's Elliott Blount; Joseph
Reid of Virginia Commonwealth; Stewart Kimball of Eureka (Mo.) HS;
South Carolina's Lamonte Pennington; National Scholastic champ Jon
Stevens of Mission San Jose HS, Fremont, Calif.; and defending champ and
Pan Am Junior gold medalist Moses Washington of Carol City (Fla.) HS.
Women's 400m hurdles prelims: Jamillah Wade of Philadelphia's Penn
HS authored the best prelim time, 59.91. Other qualifiers are Nyjla
Littlejohn of George Mason; Tia Tabb of Menchville HS, Newport News,
Va.; Sheena Johnson, Gar-Field HS in Dale City, Va.; Carrie McGraw,
Mission San Jose HS, Fremont, Calif.; Shontel Powell, Illinois;
Purdue's Angela Craft; and Angela Bruecker of Indiana State.
Men's 400m hurdles prelims: North Carolina's Terrance Wilson won
the fast heat in 51.49 to qualify for Sunday's final along with David
Warren of Long Beach CC; William Threets, South HS, Grand Prairie,
Texas; Hassan Stamps of Power Springs, Calif.; Kevin Carter of
Bakersfield, Calif.; Rickey Harris of Centerville HS, Clifton, Va.;
Villanova's Michael Brown and Colorado's Reggie DePass.
Pre-meet favorite Bayano Kamani of Baylor failed to advance. Kamani
trotted across the finish line in 62.39 and was last in his heat.
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