Storyline #9: Sydney McLaughlin Won't Hurdle, Will Ball Out in the 400
After winning an indoor national title and setting the sophomore class national record in the 60 hurdles in 2015, McLaughlin has taken a different tack in 2016. And it's paid off so far. Her outdoor specialty is the 400 hurdles, and this winter she's focused on the 400 portion of that event instead of the hurdles. It's paid off.
The Union Catholic, New Jersey junior opened her season with a 53.87 400, making her the seventeenth girl in high school history to break 54 seconds indoors. In her fourth race of the season, she won the NJSIAA Meet of Champions in 53.34 seconds. That mark is is #8 all-time and the fastest since Kendall Baisen ran 53.23 in 2010--and maybe even more impressive than it is on first look. The track McLaughlin ran 53.34 on in flat and was described to us as "slow," and the NCAA conversion tool would convert that mark to 52.64 seconds on a banked track. That would be #4 all-time, and less than a half second off of Nicole Leach's junior class record.
McLaughlin is joined in the field by US #3 Taylor Manson and #5 Carolyn Wilson, plus top returner Lauryn Ghee. (Ghee was third last year, and defending champ Kamryn McIntosh isn't contesting the 400 this year) But no one in the nation has come within a second of what McLaughlin has run this year, so her primary competitor is the clock. Here are two huge marks to watch: Leach's junior class record (set in 2004) is 52.19, and Francena McCorory's national and meet records is 51.93. The latter record turns ten this year; only four girls have ever broken 53 indoors.
Maybe the only thing that could slow down McLaughlin this weekend is her relatively full schedule, though doubling and tripling hasn't hurt her before. She's listed on Union Catholic's teams for the shuttle hurdles relay on Saturday morning and the 4x400 on Sunday afternoon. Union Catholic has the meet and national record in the shuttle hurdles--and they set it without McLaughlin in 2013! UC is seeded third in the 4x4, behind US #1 Oak Park (Motor City TC) and US #2 Bullis.
--Dennis Young
Here are last year's 400 and 60H results:
| GIRLS 400 METER DASH FINALS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | ATHLETE | TEAM | RESULT | WIND | H# | |
| 1 | Kamryn McIntosh | 10 | Suffern | 54.57 | 2 | |
| 2 | Layla White | 12 | Cary | 54.60 | 2 | |
| 3 | Lauryn Ghee | 10 | Grassfield | 54.65 | 2 | |
| 4 | Martha Sam | 12 | James Hubert Blake High School | 54.74 | 2 | |
| 5 | Carolyn Wilson | 10 | Oaks Christian High (SS) | 55.00 | 1 | |
| 6 | Amanda Crawford | 11 | Paul Robeson | 55.35 | 1 | |
| 7 | Serenity Douglas | 11 | Archer HS | 55.89 | 1 | |
| 8 | Destiny Ward | 10 | Oscar Smith High School | 55.96 | 1 | |
| GIRLS 60 METER HURDLES FINALS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | ATHLETE | TEAM | RESULT | WIND | H# | |
| 1 | Sydney McLaughlin | 10 | Union Catholic Reg. HS | 8.17 | 1 | |
| 2 | Anna Cockrell | 11 | Providence Day School | 8.21 | 1 | |
| 3 | Alexis Duncan | 11 | Desoto | 8.36 | 1 | |
| 4 | Ciara Leonard | 12 | Cheltenham | 8.40 | 1 | |
| 5 | Sierra Brabham-Lawrence | 12 | Harrisburg High School | 8.49 | 1 | |
| 6 | Gabriele Cunningham | 12 | Mallard Creek | 8.52 | 1 | |
| 7 | Mariam Abdul-rashid | 12 | Eastdale CVI | 8.55 | 1 | |
| 8 | Ebony Williams | 12 | Parkland | 9.60 | 1 | |