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Preview - 10 Men's Storylines to Follow at USATF Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships 2018

Published by
DyeStat.com   Jun 13th 2018, 6:18am
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By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Here is a list of 10 men's storylines to keep an eye on Friday-Sunday at the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships at Hayes Track at the Haugh Complex in Bloomington, Ind.:

WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST OF THE USATF JUNIOR OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Another spotlight for Schwartz

American Heritage FL sprinter Anthony Schwartz has been an exceptional presence in the prep ranks, elevating to the No. 3 all-time high school performer in the 100-meter dash following his wind-legal 10.09-second effort June 2 at the Great Southwest Classic in Albuquerque, N.M.

Schwartz will now get an opportunity to take on not only some of the best NCAA Division 1 freshman standouts in the 100 and 200, but also one of the most talented two-year college athletes in the country in Hinds Community College (Mississippi) star Khance Meyers.

Schwartz, an Auburn signee, will also be challenged by Ohio State freshman Eric Harrison and Troy freshman Jared Hayes, along with Dock Mennonite PA senior Austin Kratz and Plainfield North IL sophomore Marcellus Moore.

Schwartz, the World U20 leader in the 100, also ranks No. 4 in the 200 at 20.47. Harrison is No. 2 among World U20 performers in the 200 at 20.39, with Hayes (20.59) seventh and Meyers (20.62) eighth.

Piperi pursuing another international medal

Texas freshman Adrian Piperi is looking to qualify for a fourth consecutive American roster, winning gold in the shot put in 2015 at the World U18 Championships, then placing fifth in the shot put in 2016 at the World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Piperi returned to the medal stand last year at the Pan American U20 Championships in Trujillo, Peru, securing bronze in the shot put. Piperi wants to challenge for gold again in his final World U20 opportunity this year in Tampere, Finland.

Piperi placed fourth in the shot put at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships, with Tennessee freshman Jordan West taking 12th. Both individuals are scheduled to compete Saturday.

John Meyer Jr. of Lockport Township IL, the No. 2 prep performer in the country with the 12-pound shot put at 70-6.50 (21.50m), is also scheduled to compete with the heavier 6kg implement.

Pole vault preview

No matter which athletes make the U.S. roster in the men’s pole vault, they know a tall order awaits them July 11 and 14 in Finland when they face World U20 record holder Armand “Mondo” Duplantis of Sweden.

KC Lightfoot of Lee’s Summit MO, the No. 2 prep performer in history at 18-5 (5.61m), and Bloomington IL senior Zachery Bradford, who relied on an 18-foot clearance (5.49m) to win New Balance Nationals Indoor, will square off Friday.

Arizona State freshman Cole Riddle and Frankfort IN senior Colton Crum also have the potential to make the U.S. roster should Lightfoot or Bradford struggle.

Lightfoot is the No. 2 World U20 outdoor performer this year, with Riddle, Crum and Bradford ranking 10th, 11th and 12th. Sondre Guttormsen of Davis Senior CA, who will be competing for Norway, ranks No. 5 this season at 18-2.75 (5.55m).

Teare targets two events for potential return

Oregon freshman Cooper Teare captured the bronze medal last year in the 1,500 meters at the Pan American U20 Championships in Peru.

Teare is scheduled to race again in the 1,500, but has also entered the 5,000 after placing 17th at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships.

Teare is scheduled to compete against freshmen Yared Nuguse of Notre Dame and Patrick Parker of Brigham Young in the 1,500, as well as former Pennsylvania prep standout Dalton Hengst.

In the 5,000, Teare could match up against triathlete Soren Knudsen, a former Northern Arizona athlete.

Teare boasts a 1,500 personal best of 3:43.91, more than two seconds faster than his bronze medal effort from Peru, and ran 13:46.46 in the 5,000 on April 19 at the Bryan Clay Invitational.

No encore performance for Affolder

One of the most impressive efforts by a freshman at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships didn’t even occur in the finals, when Syracuse’s Noah Affolder ran 8:40.36 in the semifinals to elevate to the No. 3 World U20 performer this year.

Affolder placed ninth in the championship race in 8:43.72, but gained valuable experience in preparation for the fall cross country season. His performances at Hayward Field not only established him as a significant favorite for Sunday’s final, but also placed him as a potential medal contender in Finland, however Affolder decided to scratch this week from competing in Indiana.

No other American U20 athlete has run under 9 minutes this year, with the next-fastest entry time posted by Arizona State freshman Jackson Lewis at 9:17.00. Rice freshman Hociel Landa also becomes a potential contender with an entry time of 9:17.23, but the standard to compete in Finland is 9:10.00.

Anderson, Poole try to find silver lining after bronze medals

Despite impressive freshman seasons at Oregon and Florida, respectively, neither Joseph Anderson or Cory Poole qualified for the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships in the hurdles.

After Anderson secured a bronze medal last year in the 110-meter hurdles at the Pan Am U20 Championships and Poole did the same in the 400 hurdles in Peru, both standouts have returned seeking U.S. roster spots again this year.

Anderson (13.45) and Poole (13.68) are both entered in the 110 hurdles, along with Converse Judson TX senior Tre’Bien Gilbert and Westlake GA senior Cameron Murray.

Poole (50.09) leads a deep group in the 400 hurdles, looking to eclipse the 50-second barrier again after running 49.88 at the USATF Junior Championships last year in Sacramento.

Baylor’s Jayson Baldridge, Mississippi State’s Charles Brockman III and Houston’s Quivell Jordan are all expected to be in contention, along with Gilbert.

Garland goes for gold

Germantown Academy PA senior Kyle Garland repeated as New Balance Nationals Indoor pentathlon champion, but the Georgia signee hasn’t competed in a decathlon since capturing a silver medal last year at the Pan American U20 Championships in Peru.

Only Texas standout George Patrick stood in Garland’s way of winning the USATF Junior Outdoor title and Pan Am U20 gold last year. But Garland is ready to build on his 7,212-point performance from Peru.

Garland might end up being the only American representative in the decathlon in Finland, with the standard being 7,200 points. Isaiah Martin of Hillsboro MO and Graham Collins of McGill-Toolen AL are the only other entries to have scored more than 6,900 points in their prep careers.

Twin threats in hammer throw

Penn redshirt freshmen Michael Feldman and Steven Feldman, fraternal twins who attended Tottenville High in New York, have the potential to sweep the top two spots in the hammer throw Friday.

Competing unattached April 6 at the Sam Howell Invitational at Princeton, Michael produced a throw of 189-8 (57.81m) with the 7.26-kilogram hammer and Steven had a mark of 186-10 (56.95).

With the 6-kilogram hammer, used in World U20 competition, Steven has a personal best of 204-5 (62.32m) and Michael 203-5 (62.00m), both achieved at last year’s USATF Junior Outdoor Championships, when they placed sixth and seventh in Sacramento.

Hoey looks to make more history

Josh Hoey set the national indoor 800-meter record Feb. 25 by clocking 1:47.67, but the Bishop Shanahan PA senior has yet to run under 1:48 in an outdoor race, despite competing unattached against college and professional athletes throughout the spring.

Hoey, who placed third at last year’s USATF Junior Outdoor Championships, will look to become the 12th prep athlete to run under 1:48 outdoors, but he will face strong competition from a trio of college freshmen.

Georgetown’s Rey Rivera III, seventh last year, has run 1:48.04, with Missouri’s Christopher Conrad and Washington’s Devan Kirk also running under 1:49 this season.

Patterson becomes big player in high stakes high jump

Following his Indiana state record 7-4 (2.23m) clearance in the high jump, Plymouth High standout Nate Patterson immediately became the leading contender in a competitive field that includes seven athletes who have cleared at least 7-1 (2.16m).

LSU freshman JuVaughn Blake is competing in both the long jump and high jump and could be a contender to earn U.S. roster spots in both events. Mayson Conner of York NE and Richard Newman of Topeka KS are also contenders, with the biggest wild card among the entries being Jake Grimsman of Vista del Lago CA.

Grimsman shared the national high school lead for nearly two months this season, despite not competing because of an injured ankle. His personal best of 7-3 (2.21m) makes him a factor, but it is uncertain how much the time off from competition has affected Grimsman against so many capable challengers.



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