Four PA athletes compete today, looking to qualify for a spot on the US Pan Am team that will travel to Windsor, Ontario July 28th through 31st.
Using a heavier Shot, Ryan Whiting erased the only 2nd place of his senior season at the USATF Junior T&F Championships in California, with a throw of 64-09.25. Nicole Leach advanced to the next round of the 400 Hurdles with the fastest time. After four events, Amy Backel, the Northern grad, took 14th place in the 100 Hurdles with a time of 16.57 -2.2 for 646 points, tied for 7th in the High Jump, clearing 5-01.75, won the Shot Put with a throw of 40-06.75, and finished 14th in the 200, going 27.88. Quaker Valley grad, Manhattan frosh Jasmine Rogers did not advance in the Open 100 Hurdles. Cardinal O\'Hara grad Sean Duffy made it through the first round of the Open 1500, running 3:41.38.
Clemson Tiger freshman Mitch Greeley (Northwestern HS) finished second in the Junior Men\'s Pole Vault following a best vault of 16-08.75 at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Carson, Calif.
In the first day of competition at the US Junior Nationals, Great Bridge junior Michael Morrison won the junior nationals title in the pole vault as he won the event with a clearance of 16-08.75. Morrison coming off a national runner-up performance at the Nike Outdoor Nationals last weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina, defeated NON winner Scott Roth of California with his winning performance. The USA Junior Nationals meet, which is held over four days of competition from June 23rd to 26th, serves as a qualifier for selecting the USA junior team for the Pan Am Games. Also competing in the meet were Virginia high school stars Sarah Bowman of Fauquier, Dennis Boone of Fauquier, and Francena McCorory of Bethel. Bowman, who qualified last summer at the US Junior Nationals meet to compete at Worlds at 1500 meters, won her heat in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:07.73 (2nd fastest overall) to qualify for the finals of the event. Meanwhile, Boone (12th out of 14th, 10.89) and McCorory (12th out of 21, 11.97) failed to qualify for the finals out of their preliminary heats of the 100 meter dash. Three Virginian collegiate freshmen also competed in the meet as Virginia Intermont College\'s Steeve Gabart (4th, 31:48.59) and James Madison University\'s James Printz (6th, 32:07.29) and Andrew Waring (12th, 33:25.95) ran in the 10,000 meter race.
Nicole Leach (in photo from NON) wins the 400 Hurdles in 57.25 with the 11th best prep time ever... and is the 5th best individual ever. Steve Hallinan and John Balouris advance in the 1500, while Krista Simkins advances in the 1500 and 400. Lindsay Regan takes 4th. More...
Rising Charlotte 49er sophomore Ryan Jank (Dorman) rounded out the top six in the junior men\'s 5,000-meter event with a personal best 14:39.28 at the USA National Championships in Carson, Calif.
Ryan Whiting made the US team in both his events, adding the Discus with a throw of 182-03 using the Junior\'s implement. O\'Hara grad and American Univerisity\'s Steve Hallinan finished 3rd in the Junior 1500, running 3:51.99. Shaler grad John Balouris of St. Francis University, was 10th. Williamsport grad Ruby Radocaj finished 3rd in the Junior Women\'s Javelin with a throw of 154-08. Coming off two tough days in the Heptathlon, Northern grad Amy Backel was 13th. Central Bucks South grad Duane Hynes is competing in the Junior Men\'s Decathlon. Wissahickon grad Krista Simkins finished 8th in the Junior Women\'s 400 Finals in 55.09.
In the second day of events at the USATF Junior Nationals Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Fauquier senior Sarah Bowman posted the top time in the preliminaries of the 1500 meter run, while finishing fourth in the 800 meter finals two hours later. Bowman, coming off a US high school #3 all-time mile performance last weekend, clocked a time of 4:32.71 to win her heat with the fastest preliminary time to advance to the finals as the favorite. Bowman then doubled back later in the day to compete in the 800 meter finals. Bowman led through 400 meters in 62 seconds, but the trials of the 1500 earlier in the day and 800 the day before caught up to her as she was chased down to finish fourth in the heat in a respectable time of 2:07.88. Thomas Dale senior Dennis Boone and Bethel junior Francena McCorory had much better second days at USATF Junior National meet as Boone finished fourth in the long jump with a leap of 23-9, while McCorory finished third overall in the 200 meter dash finals with personal best and state leading clocking of 23.22.
CARSON, CA >> Cullman\'s EC Gibbs placed 6th in the USATF Junior National Championships today in Carson, California. Gibbs, who was seeded 11th in the 12-person field after running 3:59.02 in the prelims on Friday afternoon, improved his 1500m personal best to 3:52.47 to finish 6th in the final. The time converts to 4:09.56 for 1600m.
Shawn Crawford placed second in the 100 finals Saturday in 10.17 during day three of the USA National Championships. Justin Gaitlin finished first in 10.08. Crawford ran the fastest 100 semi-finals time of 9.99.
Fauquier senior Sarah Bowman redeemed herself from finishing fourth in the 800 meter finals yesterday and losing her US #1 time in the 800 meter run to Becca Noble of Washington (2:03.73) by winning the 1500 meter finals at the USATF Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a national leading time of 4:18.48. Her time equates to roughly 4:39 for a full mile. Bowman indicated that she plans to compete in the 1500 at the Pan Am Games and will try to go after the national high school record of 4:16.6.
South Carolina\'s Shalonda Solomon finished seventh in the finals of the women\'s 200 Sunday in 22.95 at USA Nationals. Solomon was seventh in the semi-finals.
Central Bucks South grad Duane Hynes finishes 10th in the Junior Men\'s Decathlon with 6291 points.