The outdoor track and field season continued to heat up in warmer southern states this past weekend. In our weekly Monday News & Notes section, we talk about some fantastic sprint times that took place in Florida, Texas and Georgia, and what the week ahead brings us.
Monday News & Notes Highlights - Jeff Demps (FL) blazes 10.60/21.90 double at Spruce Creek (FL) - Texas sprinters/hurdles start burning up the track at Dallas Samuel - Christian Taylor (GA) takes off from jumps, but runs 47.39 400m - The NSIC and NIN highlight the week aheadMonday News & Notes (3/10)
Demps (FL) Blazes 10.60/21.90 at Spruce Creek
Spruce Creek Invitational Results
Jeff Demps Video Interview (By FLRunners.com)
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One of the best sprinters in the country, Jeff Demps (Sr., South Lake, FL), impressed in one of the first dominating outdoor sprint performances this season nationally. FLRunners.com's Jason Byrne reports that Demps ran 10.60 for 100m and 21.90 for 200m at the Spruce Creek Invitational. The weather was cold and windy, yet Demps still cruised through the competition for two of the best times so far this season. Click Here to hear Demps talk about his performances.
Sprinters Get Going in the Lone Star State (TX)
Dallas Samuel Invitational Results
Last week really kicked off the outdoor track and field season in Texas, but this weekend the sprint times became too hot to handle. The best meet of the weekend was easily the Dallas Samuel Invitational. Many of the top sprinters/hurdlers in the state took part in the invitational. On the girls side, Bria Hawkins (Fort Worth Wyatt) ran 11.47 in the 100m dash, while Brandon Tucker (Lewisville) won the 110m hurdles in 14.18. Both times are top tier for this early in the season.
Tucker's teammate Markus Henderson (Lewisville) also impressed, running the fastest 200m time this outdoor season so far. Henderson blazed to a 21.58 finish, proving once again that he is one of the sprinters to watch this year. Meanwhile at the Pearland Invitational, Robert Simmons (Ft. Bend Hightower), the top returning 400m runner in the nation, ran 47.84h, opening his season on the right foot.
Taylor (GA) Runs U.S. #1 at 400m in 47.39 (GA)
Christian Taylor (Sr., Sandy Creek, GA) is known for his jumping abilities. Taylor currently ranks U.S. #1 on the indoor long jump and triple jump rankings, easily claiming the title as the nation's top prep jumper this season. However, Taylor is also proving that he is one of the best sprinters in the country as well, especially when it comes to the 400m dash. This past weekend at the War Eagle Speed Invitational, Taylor ran a U.S. #1 time for 400m, winning the event in 47.39. Taylor beat the rest of the field by over 2.5 seconds and now holds the top U.S. spot if you combine the indoor and outdoor rankings by nearly half a second.
The Week Ahead
National Scholastic Indoor Championships Official Website
Nike Indoor Nationals Official Website
They're finally here! The NSIC and NIN meets are finally upon us. This coming weekend, athletes will travel to New York City and Maryland to compete in the two national championships and the fields for both look outstanding. The NSIC is especially loaded in the girls sprint events, while NIN's has strong distance and field event match-ups. Both meets will be extremely compelling and MileSplit will be at both championships bringing you the best coverage we can. Keep checking back all week as we post more and more information on each meet, including some previews and a few fun feature articles on what to look for.