BEST OF THE WEEK: 2013 NBNI relay kings at it again
Union Catholic: Yes, they could be even better
The sprinters and hurdlers of Union Catholic (Scotch Plains, N.J.) were among the toast of NBNI last March when they fashioned an epic boys’ relay triple, setting a HSR in the 4x55 shuttle hurdle relay and adding blazing 4x200 and 4x400 titles to boot. But is it possible they’re even better this winter? It sure seems like that might be the case after their slam-bang finish at the Marine Corps Holiday Classic last week at The Armory.
In the 4x200, they burned a US#1 1:28.71; for a December mark, that compares awfully well to the 1:27.80 they clocked in their winning and nation-leading effort last March. In fact, only two teams ran as fast as 1:28.71 all of last winter. But their 4x400 was even a tad better: a US#1 3:17.87, which is just 1.46 seconds from their NBNI winner. They won by 10 seconds over a good field. Just one other team ran that fast last winter.
As impressive as this is, it can be argued that it’s not a shock. Three of the four from each relay – Obafemi Animashaun, Taylor McLaughlin and Jordan Jimerson – are back this season.
Haugh, Thomas lead big T1D efforts in weight throw
Athletes from Coach Mike Judge’s Throw 1 Deep club out of Marietta, GA assault the all-time weight throw lists almost every year and 2014 will be no exception. Already, Daniel Haugh (St. Pius X, Atlanta, GA senior) and Kelli Thomas (Luella, Locust Grove, GA senior) have done some big things.
Every year there are a number of outdoor competitions for the weight throw, otherwise an indoor event. Many of these are hosted by the T1D, where facility availability and common sense dictate doing so. During the club’s Y2K14 meet Dec. 21, Haugh had a throw that surpassed anything ever done outdoors with the implement: 82-8.25. That mark has been topped in prep history by just six athletes indoors. The club’s Wes Wright threw 81-07.25 back in 2008 for the previous best outdoors.
Haugh’s throw is seven feet further than Adam Kelly’s indoor national leader. Haugh was US#6 with a best of 73-11.25 last year and the top non-senior. He was 6th in the NBNI weight, 10th in the NBNO hammer. He also repped Team USA at the Caribbean Scholastic Invite where he fouled out of the hammer, but won the discus. Haugh also threw the 35-lb. weight at Y2K14, hitting 63-1.25. That’s been surpassed indoors by just three others.
Meanwhile, at the Birmingham Crossplex during the Indoor Alumni Age Group Invite last week, Thomas won with a 58-11.5, climbing to #11 all-time. Thomas was 5th at NBNI, then 3rd at NBNO in the weight and hammer last year.
Kate the Great out to nearly 20 feet in LJ
Barely a month into the indoor season, Maine’s gem of a girls’ sprinter/long jumper Kate Hall (Lake Region senior) has elevated her game to the top national-class level and made prep fans sit up and take notice. A week after taking the U.S. lead with a 19-2 long jump, she rocketed out at the Rhode Island Classic (Providence Career Tech) to an eye-popping 19-11 – now nearly a foot beyond her PR from last season. As if that wasn’t enough, she also blasted a 7.01 55 dash, just .01 off the national lead.
Last winter at New Balance Nationals Indoor (NBNI), Hall was 7th in the LJ and 3rd in the Emerging Elite (EE) 200; at New Balance Nationals Outdoor (NBNO), she took 4th in the 100 and 7th in the LJ.
Two US#1s now for Musta’qeem
The talented Musta’qeem Williams (Forest Park, Woodbridge, VA senior) saved his best for last this past summer when he blasted PRs of 10.31 and 20.64 to win the USATF JO young men’s 100 and 200 – moving him to #4 and #2 on those yearly lists. He’s wasted no time getting going this season, first taking the national long jump lead at the 12/21 =PR= Invite and now last weekend at the Friends of Indoor Track (F.I.T.) Invite (PG Sportsplex) blasting a 6.34 in the 55 dash to leap to US#1 there. Williams was also 4th in the NBNO 100 last spring.
And two for Rose, too
Richard Rose may be the king of 600, but that alone won’t get him a national title since the 3-lapper isn’t a championship event at NBNI. The Boys & Girls (Brooklyn) junior must master the 400 or 800 if he wants to top the podium. His main event has been the 400, where he was 5th at NBNI last winter.
But maybe he’s looking to go long this winter. At Marine Corps, he moved atop the U.S. 800 leaderboard with a 1:55.08 win. He’ll need to improve that by at least 3-4 seconds to have a chance come March, but it was a step in the right direction.
Latest 300 sizzler comes from Gall
It’s not a national championship event, but the boys’ 300 is and will continue to be epic this winter. Before last weekend, four had already gone under 34.5, with Virginia super soph Noah Lyles leading the way. But at the PSAL Holiday Classic, Kiambu Gall (Paul Robeson, Brooklyn, junior) blasted a magnificent PR 34.00 to wrest away the US#1 mark. In fact, teammate Mergaran Poleon was under 35 in 2nd as well, clocking 34.77.
Gall ran 34.81 last winter, as well as 49.41. But at NBNI, he ran just 50.90 in the 400. This winter could be a different story.
More of last week's best ...
BOYS SPRINTS
The above-mentioned Musta’qeem Williams had the sprint performance of the week with his 6.34 55, and that was the only new top 10 performance at the shortest dash. But a lot of sub-7 talent at 60 meters gathered at the aforementioned Alumni Age Group meet in Birmingham last week. As is sometimes the case in these events, the best action came in the prelims, where nine athletes went 7.00 or better, led by Sprint Athletics’ Kavion Williams’ (MLK, Lithonia, GA senior) US#3 6.87.
In the final, there was just one sub-7, as the Memphis Mustangs’ Molefi Maat (Cordova, TN senior) emerged victorious at US#5 6.94. Maat’s biggest win was probably the Kentucky Invite 60 last winter when he hit his PR at 6.81. The meet also saw Travis Johnson (Prattville, AL senior) rip a 22.11 200, good for US#3.
There were no new U.S. top-5 performances at 400, 500 or 600 last weekend.
GIRLS SPRINTS
Similarly, some of the best girls 60 and 200 dashing of the young season took place at that Birmingham meet. From Florida came Teahna Daniels (First Academy, Orlando, junior), who ripped a US#1 7.53 in the 15-16 year-old 60 prelims. In the final, she went 7.58 to win. At 200, she hit the nation’s first sub-25 of the season at 24.93, only to see Katie Stone (Stratford Acad., Macon, GA senior) top it with a 24.89 in the oldest (17-18) age group.
Another sprinter to keep your eye on this year is Sierra Irvin (Hingham, MA junior). She previously had the early national lead in the 400 at 56.84 and at the Boston Holiday Challenge added a PR US#3 39.80 for 300. She was the all-state Mass. Outdoor champ at 400 last year and placed 2nd at New Englands.
At 400, Anna Jefferson (Oak Park, MI soph) was at the SPIRE Institute (Geneva OH) Scholastic Holiday meet and with the Motor City TC clocked the best all-conditions 400 so far this winter with a 56.58. Still “just” a soph, it seems like Anna has been around forever. She was 2nd in the NBNO frosh 400 last spring after winning the D1 state title.
BOYS HURDLES
There weren’t any revisions atop the 55H boys’ list, but the gulf between 60H #1 Isaiah Moore and the rest of the country narrowed a bit last week. Moore was three tenths better than anyone else at 7.96 in the longer hurdle race before J’Von Jennings (Downington East, PA senior) took the Robert Burdette Classic (Lehigh U., Bethlehem PA) at US#2 8.18. He beat Donaldo Benjamin (Delaware Valley, PA senior), who ran 8.31 after a 8.20 in the prelims, which now stands at US#3.
GIRLS HURDLES
The U.S. leaders over both 55H and 60H stayed the same (Chantel Ray and Jacklyn Howell), but there were some other new names in the top three of each event. At 55H, Ashley Wiggins (New Rochelle, NY senior) rolled to an 8.15 – close to her 8.07 PR – to win the Rhode Island meet and tie for US#3. She was 6th in the EE 60H at NBNI last winter. At 60H, Allyson Goff (Walled Lake Northern, Commerce MI senior) notched a PR and US#2 8.85 at the SPIRE meet, while Markeeta Thomas (Paul Robeson, Philadelphia, PA junior) went 8.86 at the Burdette for US#3.
BOYS DISTANCES
The best boys’ distance performance before the New Year came from Gabe Montague (Newton North, MA senior), who dominated the Boston Holiday Challenge mile with a 4:15.82. His winter campaign is off to a strong start as he hopes to put together a big senior year. A much closer mile came at the North Shore Invite, where John Flannery (Bronxville, NY senior) nipped Tom Meehan (Eastport-South Manor, senior), US#2 4:21.34-4:21.35.
At the 800, Rose’s run (see above) was the big mark, but there were two hand-held 1:55s from Jersey kids coming out of the Track Universe Invite at the NYC Armory as James Buser (Mahwah, senior) nipped Morgan Murray (South Brunswick, Monmouth Junction, senior), 1:55.8 to 1:55.9. Buser was 6th in the NBNI 800 last March.
Finally, the first indoor 1M steeple of the season at The Armory was captured by Jeremy Miekley (Bronxville, NY senior) in 4:44.52.
GIRLS DISTANCES
Four new nation-leading marks were achieved in the distances during the past week. At 800, versatile sprinter/distance runner Emma Gallagher (Garden City, NY junior) won the Marine Corps 800 in a US#1 2:13.61, defeating Jazmine Fray (Kellenberg, Uniondale, NY junior) 2:14.88. Gallagher was 6th in the NBNI 800 last March. At 1000m, there were two additions to the sub-3:00 club: Macey Schweikert (James Robinson, Farifax, VA senior) raced US#3 2:57.15 at the F.I.T. meet and Maegan Doody (Oyster River, Durham, NH soph) went US#4 2:59.3h in a New Hampshire league meet.
Maddy Berkson (Classical, Providence, R.I. senior) ran the season’s 2nd (and fastest) sub-5:00 mile as she took the Rhode Island Classic mile in 4:59.07, beating Bella Burda (Arlington, LaGrangeville, N.Y. junior) 5:04.09. Denise Branch (Benjamin Cardozo, New York senior) slipped to US#3 though she improved her best to 5:01.04 in winning the North Shore mile. Burda turned the tables in the 3,000, beating Berkson 10:17.99 to 10:23.65 (US#2-3).
In the F.I.T. meet, three girls went under 11:00 for 3,200, led by Hannah Christen (Lake Braddock, Burke, senior) with a US#1 10:52.29. Her teammate Katy Kunc was 3rd in 10:57.42, trailing Kelly Wesolowski (Hereford, Parkton, MD frosh) 10:56.32. In the full deuce, Abbie McNulty (Bishop Feehan, Attleboro, MA senior) rolled a list-topping 10:46.57 at the Boston Holiday Challenge.
The Marine Corps meet also had a girls’ 1M steeple, captured by Kalleigh Forrester (Newburgh, NY senior) in 5:43.29.
BOYS JUMPS
Todd Uckermark (Warwick Valley, NY senior) put more inches between himself and the rest of the country in the pole vault, improving to 16-9 at the Andy Wasnick Holiday Classic in Warwick. He’s still the only 16-footer of the season. His junior teammate Derek Dibona moved into US#2 with a 15-7 in 2nd.
There were no revisions to the national top five in any of the other jumps, save for a 47-3.75 triple jump by Quicksilver TC’s Lesheon Strozier (Lithia Springs, GA), which won that Alumni/Age Group meet in Birmingham.
GIRLS JUMPS
The above-mentioned Kate Hall’s 19-11 LJ was the top jump of the week, but the triple and high jump saw new national leaders as well. McKyla Brooks (Frontier, NY junior), noted last week for sharing the previous national LJ lead with Hall and one spot behind her in the 2013 NBNO LJ (7th and 8th), became the year’s first 40-foot TJ’er as she hopped, stepped and jumped 40-2.5 PR at the West New York Relays at SUNY Fredonia. Previous US#1 Javonne Antoine (Elizabeth Seton, Bladensburg, MD senior) improved to 39-8.5 as she and Brooks remain far ahead of the field so far. Antoine was 2nd for Team NSAF at CSI last June.
Ellen Dipietro (Marshfield, MA senior), a 5-8 high jumper both in and out last school year, soared to 5-10 at the Boston meet. She won the EE HJ at NBNI last March. Then at the Birmingham meet, there was a good battle that saw The Fast Lane Track Club’s Stacey Destin (Boynton Beach, FL junior) beat Bailey Weiland (Marist, Atlanta GA senior) in the 17-18s on misses, with both over 5-7.75, and Mary Terry (North Oconee, Bogart, GA junior) clear 5-7 (a 3-inch PR) in the 15-16s. Weiland was 7th in the NBNO HJ last June.
In the pole vault, the number of seasonal 12-footers swelled to seven. Maddie Schneider (Darien, CT junior) cleared 12-1 to win the Wasnik meet, while 12-0 marks served to triumph for Carson Dingler (Gilmer County, Ellijay, GA frosh) at the Birmingham meet and Allyson Simmons (Fairless, Navarre, OH senior) at the SPIRE meet.
BOYS THROWS
There was a lot of movement on the shot put list. Ben Bonhurst (Smithtown West, NY senior), 7th in both NBN meets last year, keeps breaking new barriers. Last week, it was 64 feet as he got an inch over that mark at the North Shore meet. John Maurins (Mentor, OH senior), the nation’s top returnee outdoors with his 63-11 PR, opened at the SPIRE meet with a US#2 61-1.25. And nearly getting a 60 was Josuah Nijman (Columbia, Maplewood, NJ senior), who threw 59-11.75 at the Passarelli Invite (Drew U.).
In 2nd behind the champ in the outdoor Y2K14 was Seth Whitener (North Paulding, Dallas, GA junior) at 67-1.5, third best overall this winter. One other strong mark not previously reported came from Brock Eager (Tahoma, Covington WA senior), a US#2 66-7.25 indoors on Dec. 15.
GIRLS THROWS
Behind Thomas in the Birmingham meet, Kamryn Brinson (Marist, Atlanta, GA soph) hit 55-11.25 and Andrea Vahoua (Pope, Marietta, GA senior) 53-10.25 – good for US#2 and #3. There were no revisions to the top 5 list in the girls’ shot put.
BOYS RELAYS
Along with Union Catholic’s heroics, there were numerous other strong boys’ relay performances at the Marine Corps meet, with the DMR topping the bill. That race provided the first seven marks of the season under 10:40, topped by a very strong 10:15.89 from Chaminade (Mineola, NY). That was just .49 off their US#6 mark from a year ago. They were not quite as fast at NBNI in taking 7th in 2013, but returnees led by anchor Sean Kelly (US#1 1k) will make them formidable this winter. They were followed at Marine Corps by Fordham Prep (Bronx, NY) 10:22.44 and Christian Brothers Academy (Lincroft, NJ) 10:25.67.
The same meet produced a national leader in the boys’ sprint medley, as Rahway (NJ) rambled to a 3:35.03, winning by five seconds. Mount Vernon (NY) won the Rhode Island meet at 3:39.51, good for US#3. Then in the Marine Corps 4x800, CBA ran to a US#2 8:08.08, beating North Penn (Lansdale, PA) 8:09.91 – neither quite topping Fordham Prep’s nation-leading 8:07.0h from a few weeks earlier.
The second sub-1:30 of the season in the 4x200 came on the oversized oval at SPIRE, where the Motor City TC (all Oak Park MI) zipped to a 1:29.66. There were some other fast times behind Union Catholic in the Marine Corps 4x200, with Delaware Valley Charter (Philadelphia) 1:30.84 and North Penn 1:31.27 taking the next two spots. In the 4x55 shuttle hurdle relay, Fordham Prep again shone with a US#2 32.01 at Marine Corps, while a SJTCA Open meet (Bennett Complex, Toms River NJ) saw Highland Regional run 32.03.
GIRLS RELAYS
Coach Brandon Jiles’ Motor City Track Club relay squads, comprised of athletes from Oak Park (MI) HS, traditionally impact several of the lists and they got started off fast on the oversized oval at the SPIRE meet. The MCTC girls’ 4x400 sped to a 3:52.73, fastest nationally by about five seconds, and their 4x200 clocked in at 1:42.37 – third best overall. Action in the 4x4 was relatively quiet, otherwise, but the 4x2 saw Cheltenham (Wyncote, PA) run US#2 1:42.35 at Marine Corps. The week’s best 4x800s also came at Marine Corps as Strath Haven (Wallingford, PA) beat Miller Place (NY), US#2 9:31.94 to US#4 9:37.87.
Previously very modest, the lists for the medley relays were improved significantly last week. Again, at Marine Corps, Warwick Valley (NY) triumphed with a 12:24.33 DMR – about 18 seconds faster than the previous US#1. Behind them, St. John the Baptist (West Islip, NY) went to US#2 with a 12:40.12. The SMR there also provided new leaders, as Sacred Heart Academy (Hempstead, NY) posted a 4:16.59, followed by Hunterdon Central (Flemington, NJ) at 4:22.01. At the Rhode Island meet, a pair of New York teams had a good DMR finish as Colonie topped Shaker (Latham), 12:40.19 to 12:40.56, and another sub-4:20 SMR was achieved as Wilbur Cross (New Haven, CT) ran 4:17.11.
The Marine Corps 4x55 shuttle hurdle relay netted the US#2-3 marks as Kellenburg (Uniondale, NY) beat New Rochelle (NY), 33.80-33.92.