Collegiate freshmen win all four titles, with Katy Cinco Ranch sophomore Nielson following up adidas Dream Mile victory Sunday by placing second in women’s 5,000 meters

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

MIRAMAR – Experience paid dividends Friday on the opening night of the USATF U-20 Outdoor Championships, with collegiate freshmen winning all four titles and securing six of the first eight potential spots on the American roster for the Pan-Am U-20 Championships.

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Notre Dame’s Danny Kilrea and Michigan’s Jessi Larson prevailed in the distance events, with Joseph Benedetto of Ole Miss capturing the men’s hammer throw title and Missouri’s Ava Curry winning the women’s javelin with a clutch sixth-round throw at Florida’s Ansin Sports Complex.

Kilrea led from wire to wire in the men’s 10,000 meters, clocking 31 minutes, 38.85 seconds to earn the second international experience representing Team USA in his career July 19-21 in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Kilrea, a Lyons Township IL graduate, also competed for the U.S. Junior team last year at the Great Edinburgh XCountry International Challenge in Scotland.

It marked the ninth consecutive year that a collegiate freshman won the men’s 10,000 at the U-20 championship meet.

Georgia freshman Nicholas Yanek separated himself from the chase pack in the final 3,000 meters to finish second in 31:59.89.

Larson became the third straight collegiate freshman to win the women’s 5,000, clocking 16:47.66.

Larson, who arrived in Ann Arbor following a prep personal best of 16:50.66 at Saline High, has run under that mark five times this year, including 16:23.75 on March 29 at the Stanford Invitational.

Heidi Nielson, a 16-year-old sophomore from Katy Cinco Ranch TX representing Track Houston, took second in a personal-best 16:54.02.

Nielson, who won the adidas Dream Mile on Sunday in Boston in 4:46.4, became the first prep athlete to place in the top two in the women’s 5,000 at the U-20 championship meet since Davis Senior CA graduate Fiona O’Keeffe, now an All-American at Stanford.

Benedetto and Ohio State freshman Garrett Doyle dropped down from throwing the 16-pound hammer throughout the collegiate season to use the 6-kilogram (13.2-pound) implement Friday.

Doyle led through two rounds, before Benedetto found his rhythm in the third round with a winning mark of 219-9 (66.99m). Doyle improved his performance in the fifth round to 212-4 (64.73m) to secure second place.

It marked the third year in a row a collegiate freshman won the men’s hammer title.

Kyle Brown, a West Forsyth GA graduate and Auburn signee representing Throw 1 Deep, finished fourth with a fourth-round mark of 199-6 (60.81m).

Skylar Ciccolini, a Mifflin County PA graduate representing Juniata Valley Striders, was upstaged by her future Missouri teammate when Curry delivered a 160-5 (48.89m) performance on her final throw to become the second collegiate freshman in three years to secure the crown.

Ciccolini, the No. 2 all-time prep and American U-20 performer at 184-2 (56.14m), led from the opening round Friday.

But Curry improved by nearly 10 feet on her final throw and Ciccolini couldn’t respond on the last attempt of the competition to finish second at 157-11 (48.15m).