Schurr sweeps 100 and 200, with Daniel prevailing in pole vault and Givens grabbing victory in mile, celebrating return to track and field in Arizona for the first time since March

By Landon Negri for DyeStat

SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. – If Keaton Daniel is penning a new chapter in his life, Friday was a good start.

The former two-time Nevada state champion at Coronado High won the men’s marquee event – the pole vault – during the first day of the Desert Dream - Last Hurrah meet at Poston Butte High in this sleepy southeast Phoenix suburb.

The meet was the first full-fledged, in-person track and field meet in the United States since March 14, when most athletics were halted across the country due to fears over the COVID-19 virus.

RESULTS | PHOTOS | INTERVIEWS

Certainly, signs of the continuing global pandemic were there Friday, with limited spectators allowed, masks worn by everyone but the competing athletes, and across-the-board temperature checks for those entering the venue.

Daniel won the pole vault in a spirited duel with UCLA redshirt junior Kyle Brown, as both athletes cleared 17 feet (5.18m) on their third attempts. Daniel prevailed on fewer attempts overall.

Gavin Schurr, who will be entering his senior year at Fairview High in Boulder, Colo., held off Anthony Smith of Tahoma, Wash., twice for victories in the 100 and 200 meters. And sophomore Isaiah Givens of Pasadena, Calif., triumphed in the mile, with Trenton Givens of Surprise, Ariz., no relation, won the 110 hurdles.

Daniel, a college freshman, is transferring from Division 2 Fresno Pacific to Kentucky. Like so many athletes Friday, it was a relief for him to compete again.

“It was really nice to come back and vault again,” Daniel said. “Ever since the season was canceled, it’s been kind of weird. It’s nice to come out and have a meet and have competition like Kyle Brown out here.”

The duo didn’t disappoint, either. Brown cleared 16-6 (5.02m) on his third and final attempt and both he and Daniel made 17 feet on their third attempts. Both missed three solid attempts at 17-6 (5.33m).

Daniel said he experienced little rust – “it’s all kicked back in; nothing changed,” he said – but also was quick to self-evaluate following the misses.

“Definitely something I need to be is more explosive at the top,” he said of his vaults.

While Daniel was competing for the first time since March 6-7, Kyle Brown was out there for a second week in a row, following his 16-6 mark last week at the Vaulter Club Vaulter Magazine Big Red Barn Meet at the new pit in Menifee, Calif.

Brown said he has spent the quarantine time training hard and is ready for a breakthrough. It almost happened, as 17-6 would’ve been a personal best.

“It’s exciting because I know I’m ready to jump some higher bars and get some PRs,” he said. “And we’re here now, and hopefully, some point soon, it will happen.”

Garrett Brown, Kyle’s younger brother, placed third, reaching 16 feet (4.87m). Entering his senior year at La Costa Canyon High, Garrett cleared 16-6 at competitions three months apart, including at last week’s event in Menifee. He made a lot of jumps Friday.

“I think I should’ve started a little higher,” he said. “But I drove all the way out here. I didn’t want to no-height.”
Schurr continued a recent surge of success, even with the three-month layoff. He followed up a top-eight finish in the 2019 Colorado state meet with a win in the 200 on Feb. 15 at the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho.

Friday, he ran personal-bests in both the 100 (10.56) and 200 (21.47) and needed every bit of those to edge Smith, who ran 10.62 and 21.63, respectively.

“I’m pleased with the wins, but you could definitely tell with my race pattern that I’m a little rusty,” Schurr said. “In the 100, I got out and was ahead of Anthony slightly until around 30 (meters), when I was supposed to transition upward. But it felt like I was running almost like crouched, like I was sitting in a chair almost.

“Once I stood up from that, I was fine, and I was able to pull away. The same thing happened in the 200.”

Smith, who attends Eastside Catholic, said he and Schurr made a friendly bet prior to Friday’s races regarding the 100, 200 and 400, which both are scheduled to race Saturday. If Smith won at least two of three events, he said, Schurr would have to wear an arm sleeve that said, “I love Anthony,” in their next meeting, and if Schurr won, Smith would have to wear short shorts in one of their next races.

“I didn’t come up with the bet, he did,” Smith joked. “But he won, so now I have to keep my word and pay it off. But I’m still going to race the 400.”

In the mile, Isaiah Givens represented the Golden State by rallying for a victory in 4:16.52 to defeat Menlo junior Calvin Katz (4:17.77) and sophomore Erik Le Roux (4:19.75) of Cheyenne Mountain, Colo. Givens’ 1,600 time likely qualified him for the NSAF Nationals, which are scheduled to be held July 30-Aug. 2 in South Dakota.

“It felt really good to get out there and be running fast and to actually feel good and not be hurting,” he said. “I’m really glad this meet happened.”

Trenton Givens won the 110 hurdles out of the second of three heats in 14.65 seconds. Yan Vasquez of Scottsdale Cactus Shadows, was second in 14.90.

Jaxson Mirabal, a recent graduate of Magdalena High in New Mexico, who plans to compete in rodeo at the University of Wyoming, won the triple jump in 42-0.50 (12.81m).

Zach Landa of Desert Ridge High in Mesa, Ariz., set a personal best by more than six feet in winning the shot put in 63-9 (19.43m) over runner-up Aidan Elbettar of Newport Harbor, Calif., at 60-1 (18.31m).