Minichello elevates to No. 2 all-time American U-20 performer in men’s javelin to hold off No. 4 effort from Pedigo, Mahama ascends to No. 3 in U.S. U-20 history in women’s hammer; Stephen F. Austin gets pole vault sweep from Campbell, Ellis

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

MIRAMAR – Whether it was the school’s greatest women’s hammer throw series by Mayyi Mahama or the program’s best men’s javelin throw in 15 years by Marc Anthony Minichello, the performances by the Penn freshmen standouts Saturday were not only some of the best in Ivy League history, but among several field-event highlights at the USATF U-20 Outdoor Championships at Florida’s Ansin Sports Complex.

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Minichello’s third-round effort of 253 feet, 1 inch (77.15m) elevated him to the No. 2 all-time American U-20 performer, trailing only the 2010 record of 255-4 (77.84m) held by Sam Crouser.

Minichello also closed the gap on the Penn program record of 258-2 (78.69m) belonging to Brian Chaput since 2003. Chaput also added a mark of 256-2 (78.07m) in 2004, but no other Ivy League thrower had surpassed 250 feet since then.

Minichello’s mark was the second-best effort by a freshman this season, trailing only the 258-5 (78.78m) achieved at the NCAA Division 1 East Regionals by Mississippi State’s Tyriq Horsford.

LSU redshirt freshman Tzuriel Pedigo, who secured a silver medal at last year’s IAAF World U-20 Championships in Finland, took second with a personal-best 249-10 (76.14m) effort that elevated him to the No. 4 all-time American U-20 performer.

Mahama captured the hammer crown, producing all six throws beyond 60 meters, highlighted by a fourth-round mark of 215-5 (65.66m) that helped her ascend to the No. 3 all-time American U-20 performer.

Mahama also secured the program record and elevated to No. 2 in Ivy League history, trailing only Princeton’s Julia Ratcliffe, and achieved the best mark by a freshman this season.

Arizona State’s Shelby Moran had her first-round effort of 191-10 (58.47m) hold up for second place.

Penn matched Ole Miss with a pair of field-event champions, with Tedreauna Britt following teammate Joseph Benedetto by winning the women’s discus throw title for the Rebels with a sixth-round effort of 177-2 (54.01m).

Britt also became the first athlete to qualify for the Pan Am U-20 Championships in two events by placing second in the shot put with a third-round mark of 51-0.75 (15.56m). Campbell’s Patience Marshall won the shot put crown with a personal-best 52-8 (16.05m) in the fifth round.

Clemson’s Veronica Fraley took second in the discus with a third-round performance of 167-10 (51.15m).

Stephen F. Austin swept the pole vault titles, with freshmen Nastassja Campbell and Branson Ellis both needing only one clearance to secure their respective championships.

Ellis completed the sweep by clearing 17-2.75 (5.25m) to prevail against the 16-10.75 (5.15m) effort achieved by Monarch CO graduate and Stanford signee Max Manson, representing Above the Bar.

Campbell and Towson freshman Hayley Horvath both cleared 13-5.25 (4.10m), but the Stephen F. Austin standout earned the championship by doing so on her first attempt.

The most exciting field-event competition of the day was the men’s long jump with Arizona’s PJ Austin III and Rutgers’ A’nan Bridgett battling to the final attempt, with a better second jump needing to be used as a tiebreaker to decide the champion.

Austin and Bridgett both produced jumps of 25-4.75 (7.74m), with the Arizona standout prevailing based on a second effort of 24-7.75 (7.51m), compared to Bridgett’s 24-3.50 (7.40m).

Houston Strake Jesuit TX graduate Matthew Boling, a Georgia signee who had jumped 26-3.50 (8.01m) in March at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, took third with a fifth-round performance of 25-3.50 (7.71m).

Florida State’s Trentorria Green captured the women’s triple jump title with a first-round mark of 41-10.75 (12.77m), ahead of Columbia’s Kali Hatcher, who secured second with a third-round effort of 41-8 (12.70m).

Youngstown State’s Zach Gehm prevailed in the men’s 1.75-kilogram discus competition with a fifth-round throw of 197-10 (60.31m). Kentucky’s Joshua Sobota placed second with an opening-round effort of 189-6 (57.76m).