Matthew Boling completes spectacular sprint trifecta, teaming with Arian Smith, Justin Ofotan and Marcellus Moore to clock 38.62 seconds, eclipsing 2004 mark by U.S. quartet at IAAF World Junior Championships; Barnes, Kilrea, Mu, Pedigo and Thomas also grab gold medals, along with Americans winning women’s 4x100 relay 

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Matthew Boling and his 4x100-meter relay teammates ended Saturday night at the Pan American U-20 Championships with a bang.

After already winning the 100 title Friday and the 200 crown earlier Saturday, the Houston Strake Jesuit TX graduate and Georgia signee followed Mulberry FL junior Arian Smith, Penn State freshman Justin Ofotan and Plainfield North IL junior Marcellus Moore by anchoring the U.S. to a World U-20 record 38.62 seconds at National Stadium in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Pending IAAF ratification, the Americans eclipsed the 2004 mark of 38.66 run by the U.S. quartet of Trell Kimmons, Demi Omole, Ivory Williams and LaShawn Merritt at the World Junior Championships in Italy.

The U.S. has now produced the top nine all-time World U-20 performances in the 4x100 relay. The previous meet record of 39.06 was set by the U.S. in 2009. Jamaica earned silver Saturday in 39.20 and Brazil captured bronze in 39.42.

With the 200 victory in a wind-legal 20.31, elevating him to the No. 8 all-time prep performer, and the 4x100 relay championship, Boling became only the fourth male athlete in meet history to secure gold medals in the 100, 200 and 4x100 in the same year, joining fellow Americans Carl Lewis (1980), Joe DeLoach (1984) and Bryan Bridgewater (1989).

It marked the 17th time in 20 editions of the meet that the U.S. prevailed in the men’s 4x100. The American women also won the 4x100 relay for the 17th occasion, with both teams sweeping in the same year for the 15th time.

Girard College PA graduate and LSU signee Thelma Davies, Brebeuf Jesuit IN graduate and Florida commit Semira Killebrew, Cincinnati freshman Caisja Chandler and Ole Miss freshman Brandee Presley ran 43.51 for the U.S. to secure its fourth consecutive women’s 4x100 gold medal.

Northeast FL standout Briana Williams, who already won gold Friday in the 100, helped Jamaica capture silver in the 4x100 in 44.36. Kentucky freshman Tatiana Aholou and UCLA signee Makenzy Pierre-Webster contributed to Canada grabbing bronze in 44.42.

The relay sweep and Boling’s 200 victory helped the Americans match their first-day total with another eight gold medals Saturday.

The U.S. also swept both 200 titles, with USC freshman Lanae-Tava Thomas running a wind-legal 22.80 to secure the championship, followed by Ole Miss freshman Jayda Eckford securing silver in 23.04.

It marked the 10th overall title in the event for the Americans, who swept the top two spots for the fifth time, including the first since 2009. Thomas was also the first U.S. winner in the women’s 200 since former USC standout Deanna Hill in 2015.

Boling was also supported in the men’s 200 by North Little Rock graduate and Arkansas signee Kennedy Lightner, who took second in 20.56.

Boling’s championship – helping him become the first male athlete to sweep the 100 and 200 titles in the same year since Jamaica’s Dwight Thomas in 1999 – was the 11th in meet history for the Americans, who swept the 200 for the fifth time, including the first since 2005.

The U.S. produced another sweep of the top two spots in the men’s 10,000, with Notre Dame freshman Danny Kilrea capturing gold in 30:49.45, followed by Georgia freshman Nicholas Yanek taking silver in 31:06.06.

Kilrea won the ninth title in the event for the Americans, who earned their second straight sweep of the top two spots and third overall.

Trenton Track Club’s Athing Mu, 17, followed her USATF Indoor title in the 600 meters and USATF Outdoor crown in the 800 with her first international gold medal, prevailing in 2:05.50.

It marked the eighth overall championship for the U.S. in the women’s 800, with Michigan freshman Aurora Rynda securing silver for Canada in 2:07.78 and Chandler AZ graduate and Stanford signee Morgan Foster grabbing bronze for the Americans in 2:07.96.

The remaining gold medals were both earned by veterans of multiple U.S. national teams, neither of whom had captured a U-20 title domestically, let alone internationally, before winning Saturday.

Villanova freshman Sanaa Barnes, one of only two athletes on the U.S. roster to make three consecutive international teams, cleared 6 feet (1.83m) on her third attempt in the high jump to prevail against Jamaica’s Lamara Distin, who had cleared 5-11.25 (1.81m) on her first try.

Noblesville IN graduate and Georgia signee Shelby Tyler cleared 5-10 (1.78m) for the U.S. to take bronze.

Barnes, who placed second three straight years at the USATF U-20 Outdoor Championships, finished ninth in 2017 at the Pan American U-20 Championships in Peru, followed by eighth last year at the World U-20 Championships in Finland.

LSU redshirt freshman Tzuriel Pedigo, who took runner-up each of the past two years at the USATF U-20 Championships in the men’s javelin throw, followed his silver medal last year in Finland, with not only a gold medal, but the meet record Saturday.

Pedigo produced a sixth-round effort of 252-5 (76.95m) to elevate to the No. 7 World U-20 performer this year, improving on his status as No. 4 all-time in the American U-20 rankings.

Pedigo surpassed the 2011 meet record of 250-8 (76.40m) held by Argentina’s two-time Pan Am U-20 champion Braian Toledo.

Brazil’s Luis Maricio Dias Da Silva took second at 244-5 (74.51m) and Mississippi State freshman Tyriq Horsford, the favorite after placing third at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships and ranking No. 2 among World U-20 performers this year at 258-5 (78.78m), could only manage bronze after throwing 234-4 (71.42m).

Brentwood TN junior Jett Kinder secured a silver medal for the U.S. in the men’s decathlon with 6,627 points. Cuba’s Yancarlos Hernandez Souchai won the title with 7,254 points, with favorite Yariel Soto of Puerto Rico, a Centerville OH graduate and Tennessee signee, not scoring in three events and finishing seventh with 4,415 points.

St. Raphael RI sophomore Darius Kipyego not only captured a silver medal in the men’s 800, he also produced the fastest prep outdoor time in the country this year at 1:49.46. Mexico’s Raul Neri Franco won the 800 championship in 1:49.10.

Cuba’s Melany Del Pilar Matheus Morejon surpassed the meet record to win the women’s discus throw with a fourth-round effort of 195-3 (59.53m). Morejon eclipsed the 2017 mark of Iowa standout and reigning NCAA champion Laulauga Tausaga, who won gold for the U.S. with a mark of 194-6 (59.29m) in Peru.

Jamaica’s Lotavia Brown took the women’s triple jump title with a wind-aided leap of 43-4.50 (13.22m) in the second round.

Mexico won the men’s 3,000 steeplechase with Cesar Daniel Gomez Ponce running 9:11.05, in addition to taking the top two spots in the men’s 10,000-meter racewalk, with Cesar Cordoba Fernandez clocking 42:26.83 and Carlos Emiliano Mercenario Arsof finishing in 43:08.94.

Peru’s Sofia Isabel Mamani Arizapana prevailed in the women’s 5,000 in 17:16.59. Michigan freshman Anne Forsyth, representing Canada, earned silver in 17:20.66.

On the opening day of the women’s heptathlon, Valor Christian CO graduate and Georgia signee Anna Hall leads with 3,622 points, just three points shy of her personal-best first-day score from the USATF U-20 Outdoor Championships.

Cuba’s Marys Adela Patterson Cabrera is second with 3,170 points and North Carolina State freshman Timara Chapman is third for the U.S. with 3,075.