Conference, regional and state championships galore mark this weekend. With big results coming out of Florida Friday evening, the weekend started with a glimpse of what the rest of this season will hold nationwide. Keep checking back all weekend long as we cover the top highlights and results of the weekend.
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Weekend Highlights & Results (5/02 - 5/04)
Georgia Girls State T&F Championships (GA)
Georgia Girls State Meet: Meet Page / Full Results / 5A Meet Write-Up (GATFXC.com)
Good weather and a fast track meant great things for athletes competing at the Georgia Girls State T&F Championships. With numerous nationally ranked individuals in various events, this year's meet promised to have some incredible results. As usual, Chalonda Goodman (Newnan, GA) proved why she may be the best female sprinter in the country, blazing to times of 11.45 for 100m and 23.69 for 200m, winning both events in the 5A Championships.
Two other double win performances in the 5A portion of the meet came from Kennisha Holden (Redan, GA) and Amanda Winslow (Collins Hill, GA). Holden won the 300m hurdles and 400m dash, cruising to victory in each fairly soundly. Holden ran 42.80 to win the hurdle event, while doubling back to win the 400m in 55.06. Meanwhile, Winslow showed why she may be the best miler in the state by winning the 1600m run in 4:48.35. This performance came after her 3200m victory of 10:45.22.
In 5A field event action, Lauren Chambers (Kell, GA) showed her dominance in the shot put with a winning mark of 46-05.75. Chambers, who's thrown over 48 feet before, continues to show why she is the best thrower in the state. Tiffany Clarke (Norcross, GA) also came up big with a win in the triple jump, leaping 39-08 and moving into the U.S. top 20.
Another great jump performance came from Brittany Porter (Towers, GA) in the 3A championship. Porter won the triple jump in 39-07, while winning the long jump with the best leap of the day in 19-01.50. Also, Eve Machovec (Dacula, GA) produced the best discus throw of the day, winning the 4A event with a toss of 148-09.
While Goodman was soaking up the headlines with the top double win performance of the weekend, Brittany Long (Therrell, GA) and Michelle Stegall (Starr's Mill, GA) proved why Georgia is looked upon as a superstar sprint state. Long won the 100m and 200m dashes in the 3A competition with winning times of 11.69 and 24.07. Long also placed second in the triple jump with a leap of 38-06, while helping her team win the team title. Stegall meanwhile won the 4A 200m and 400m dashes, taking home the crown in the shorter sprint with a 24.45 and earning the victory in the longer with a 54.34.
The last major double victory came from distance runner Emily Reese (Chamblee, GA) in the 3A division. Reese won the 1600m run in 4:55.97 and posted a big-time winning 3200m mark of 10:31.97. With so many great performances Georgia really showed why it's one of the best nationally in track and field.
Florida 3A-4A State T&F Championships (FL)
Florida 3A-4A State Champs.: Meet Page / FLRunners.com Meet Coverage
Saturday: 4A State Championships
Saturday wrapped up the Florida track and field season as the 4A State Track and Field Championships took place. Leading the way from start to finish, Miami Southridge (FL) showed why they have perhaps the best all-around track program in the country, winning both the boys and girls team titles.
Two of Miami Southridge's athletes really stood out, putting up huge marks at both 200m and 400m. Ebony Eutsey (Miami Southridge, FL) won the girls 200m dash with a great time of 23.79 and placed first in the 400m dash with one of the top times on the year with her 53.85 effort. Meanwhile, Brandon O'Connor (Miami Southridge, FL) won the boys 200m dash in 20.82 and the 400m dash in 47.12. Simply outstanding!
In the distance events, Foot Locker champion Ashley Brasovan (Wellington, FL) made a statement by winning the 3200m run in 10:15.93. Brasovan missed much of the early part of this track season with an injury but since returning she's been consistently improving. Junior Brittany Koziara (Boone, FL) continued her steady improvement as well, winning the 1600m run over a strong field in 4:52.64. Koziara's closest competition came from runner-up Emilie Amaro (Cypress Bay, FL) in 4:54.40. The top boys distance performance came in the 800m dash with Charles Lockhart (Flagler Palm Coast, FL) winning in 1:52.24.
Moving on to the field events, Zakeya Stinson (Miami Southrdige, FL) scored a double victory in the girls shot put and discus throws. In the shot put Stinson won in 48-01, nearly eclipsing the fifty foot barrier. In the discus throw Stinson won in 140.-02. In the boys high jump Brian Knight (Miami Southridge, FL) won the high jump in 7-00, while Antron Jackson (Miami Carol City, FL) placed second with the same mark.
As the day came to a close some of the best performances were still to come. In the girls 4x400m relay, Boyd Anderson (FL) helped wrap-up their second place team trophy by winning this event in 3:43.68, besting runner-up Miami Southridge (FL) who went 3:45.04. On the boys side, Miami Northwestern (FL) won over Miami Carol City (FL) 3:14.58-3:16.94. Other highlights include Flagler Palm Coast winning the boys 4x800m relay in 7:49.19 and Miami Northwestern (FL) winning the girls long relay in 9:11.70, while Boyd Anderson (FL) placed second in 9:14.60.
Friday: 3A State Championships
Where do we begin? Friday's 3A portion of the state championships kicked the weekend off with a bang. Many of the winning marks ranked athletes in the top 15 nationally, including a new state meet record set by Riley Egan (St. Thomas Aquinas, FL) in the pole vault. Egan captured one of the top performances of the day with his 16-07 vault.
Another top end performance that came as a bit of a surprise nationally was Dedric Dukes' (Miami Washington, FL) boys 400m dash title in 47.78. This performance surprises due to the fact that Dukes is only a freshman. Very few freshman ever run under 48 seconds nationally and his performance leaves him 1.23 off of the freshman national record set back in 1985.
Sprint star Jeff Demps (South Lake, FL) continued his winning ways, easily cruising through the 100m dash finals in 10.40. Demps then came back a short time later to help his team's 4x100m relay take home the title in 41.28. Meanwhile, sophomore Amani Bryant (Wharton, FL) won the girls 300m hurdles in a great time of 42.92, leading a 300m hurdle field that had two freshmen and two sophomores.
In the jumps, Kevin Hardy (Vanguard, FL) won the boys long jump in 24-01.25, beating a very strong field, while Tomika Story (Ridgeview, FL) earned a win in the girls triple jump with a 39-06.50 performance, then coming back to place second in the long jump with a leap of 18-05.50.
In the field events Gabriel Torres (Navarre, FL) won the boys discus throw with an excellent mark of 189-03, narrowly edging the 183-08 runner-up throw of Jared Thomas (Pensacola, FL).
Louisiana State T&F Championships (LA)
Louisiana State T&F Championships: Meet Page & Results
With great weather and deep competition, the Louisiana State Track and Field Championships capped the '07-'08 track season in Louisiana. Leading the way in the results as usual was vaulter Rachel Laurent (Vanderbilt, LA), who finished off her high school career with another state title. Laurent beat the field soundly with a winning mark of 13-06, as she now looks forward toward national competition.
Numerous top marks also came in the girls jumping events. The top triple jump of the meet came from nationally ranked Uzunma Udeh (Foutainebleau, LA). Udeh beat a strong field to capture the title in the 5A competition with a leap of 39-04.50. Another 39+ jumper was Beonka Savoy (Northside, LA), who won the 4A event in 39-01.50. A duo of long jumpers completed some amazing performances as well. Jasmine Manuel (Hammond, LA) and Raquelle Collins (New Iberia, LA) finished 1-2 in the 5A event with leaps of 19-02 and 19-01.25 respectively.
In the boys field events, throwers Josh Jordan (St. Amant, LA) and Chase Clement (E.D. White, LA) led the way. Jordan won the 5A javelin with a national top ten throw of 201-07, while Clement dominated the 3A shot put and discus. Clement's winning marks of 59-10.25 and 176-05 led all throwers on the day regardless of class.
On the track some great performances were put up as well. In 5A competition, Barbe (LA) won the boys 4x200m relay in an excellent time of 1:26.87, while Catholic BR (LA) won the boys 4x400m relay in 3:16.91. In 4A results Kim Francis (Northside, LA) won the girls 100m hurldes in 14.76, while coming back later in the meet to win the girls 300m hurdles in 44.25.
Meanwhile in 3A action, Cassandra Tate (Loranger, LA) continued to prove why she is one of the best sprinters in the south, winning the girls 100m dash in 11.79 and 200m dash in 24.21. Kayla Blood (Buckeye, LA) also stepped up big with her fantastic 300m hurdle performance of 43.08. On the boys side, Barrett Nugent (N. Vermilion, LA) posted a nice 14.02 winning mark in the 110m hurdles.
Alabama State T&F Championships (AL)
Alabama State T&F Champs: Meet Page: 1A-3A - 4A-6A / Results: 1A-3A - 4A-6A
Saturday marked the end of the track and field season for athletes in Alabama. At the Alabama State T&F Championships some of the top tracksters in the state posted some big performances in the 6A classification, led by distance runner Patrick McGregor (Hoover, AL) and the girls distance squad from Mountain Brook (AL). McGregor posted first place finishes in the boys 1600m with a time of 4:18.91, while also earning a top finish for 3200m in 9:26.95. He also helped guide his Hoover (AL) squad to the 4x800m relay title in 7:56.74, helping the team to a second place finish in the overall team standings.
The Mountain Brook squad once again showed their incredible might by winning the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m races and a dominant victory in both the 4x800m and 4x400m relays. Junior Madeline Morgan led the way with a big time of 10:36.04 to win the 3200m run and took first for 1600m as well in 4:55.61. Meanwhile, teammates Catherine Diethelm and Marie Demeticis placed 1-2 respectively at 800m, with Diethelm winning 2:12.85-2:12.94. Diethelm, Demeticis and Morgan all teamed up to win the 4x800m relay in 9:14.63, one of the top times in the nation currently.
In 6A field events, Bianca Pitts (Opelika) won the girls javelin throw in a meet record toss of 130-11, while Kyle Smith (Daphne) won the boys javelin in a meet record throw as well of 223-08, U.S. #1 in the event. In the boys high jump, Anthony May (Hoover, AL) won with a strong leap of 7-00.75, while Caleb Lee (Northridge, AL) won the triple jump in 47-04.25 and the long jump in 23-09.
Earlier in the day the 5A portion of the state meet took place, with multi-event wins from Lee Gilmes (St. Paul's Episcople, AL), Lakeshia Williams (Ramsay, AL) and Neal Tisher (St. Paul's Episcople, AL). While all three athletes impressed, the most impressive victories came from Tisher. Tisher won the girls pole vault with a height of 12-09 and also took home wins in the 100m hurdles and 300m hurdles. Her versatility helped her win the 100m hurdles in 14.57 and the longer hurdles in 45.43.
Gilmes dominated the boys distance events much like McGregor did in 6A, except Gilmes took it one step further by winning all three individual distance events. Earning convincing victories in each event, Gilmes won the 800m dash in 1:56.49, 1600m run in 4:21.45 and 3200m run in 9:42.51. Meanwhile, Williams took first in the girls 100m dash at 12.01 (11.84 in the prelims), 200m dash in 24.34 and 400m dash in 56.85.
Morris County Relays (NJ)
Morris County Relays: Meet Page / Results: Boys - Girls
Freshman Nick Vena (Morristown, NJ) is at it again. Vena took to the Morris County Relays Saturday and threw a new U.S. #1 mark in the shot put with a toss of 67-10.25. Vena furthered his U.S. freshman national record, while becoming the top thrower in the country once again this season. Vena also placed third in the discus competition with a toss of 140-00.
Anchorage Invitational (AK)
Anchorage Invitational: Meet Page / Results: Boys - Girls
With the weather finally starting to allow athletes in Alaska to compete in track and field meets outside withouth too many elements throw in the mix, some nice results were posted at the Anchorage Invitational Friday and Saturday at Bartlett High School. Thrower Jordan Clarke (Bartlett, AK) lit up both the shot put and discus in front of the home crowd, winning the shot put with a toss of 61-08.25 and the discus in 179-08.
Another top performance came form junior standout Trevor Dunbar (Kodiak, AK). Dunbar has shown time and again that he is hands down the best distance runner in the state and this weekend in Anchorage he proved it once again by winning the 3200m run in a fantastic time of 9:12.52. Dunbar also came back to win the 1600m run in a time of 4:18.37 and the 800m dash in 2:01.16. With the Alaska State T&F Championship not too far away, it's a safe bet to say Dunbar will break his state meet record in the 3200m and will come close to the state meet record for 1600m (4:13.0)
BYU H.S. Invitational (UT)
BYU H.S. Invitational: Meet Page / Results: Friday - Saturday
With much of the top prep track and field talent in the state of Utah at the BYU High School Invitational Friday and Saturday, big results were expected. The top performer of the weekend was Natalie Stewart (Spanish Fork, UT), who won the 100m dash and 400m dash with some outstanding times. Stewart won the 100m dash in 12.00, while winning the 400m dash in a stellar 53.39. She then came back later in the day to win the 200m dash in a new meet record time of 24.61. Stewart's sister, Nachelle Stewart (Spanish Fork, UT), placed second in the 400m dash in a time of 55.06, while winning the 800m dash in 2:08.48. She also placed second in the 200m dash in 25.22.
Meanwhile, a trio of sophomores took the boys scene by storm. Adam Timo (Snow Canyon, UT), who is the best sophomore high jumper in the country, won the event by soaring over 7-00. Following Timo, sophomores Franco Montes (Ogden, UT) and Jeff Daw (Skyline, UT) placed first and second in the 400m dash with times of 47.81 and 47.91.
Luke Puskedra (Judge Memorial, UT) continued his winning ways by dominating the 3200m run in 8:56.71, winning the race by just over 35 seconds. Puskedra said a few weeks ago that he was using the BYU Invitational to prepare for the Utah State Meet, where he'll attempt to quadruple (3200, 800, 1600, 4x800 relay) to help his team win a team title. Puskedra also won the 1600m run in 4:15.85 over fellow Foot Locker finalist Stephen Clark (Skyline, UT), who placed second in 4:21.50. While Puskedra has better distance marks outside of Utah, one must consider that this meet was run at 4,000 feet altitude.
In further field event action, Bryce Hall (Davis, UT) showed strength in the throws by winning the discus in 170-02 and the shot put in 57-02. While it wasn't the best double performance by Hall this season, it did indicate that he is on the right track to win both titles at the state meet coming up in the next few weeks.
Jesse Owens Classic (OH)
Jesse Owens Classic: Meet Page / Results: Track Events - Field Events
At Ohio State University the Jesse Owens Classic hosted some of the best collegiate and professional athletes in the nation. However, the high school level of the meet offered some national class results as well. Erin Pendleton (Woodmore, OH) led the prep athletes with a U.S. #2 mark in the girls discus throw, winning the event with a mark of 167-04.
Another national mark came from Cory Leslie (Sandusky-Perkins, OH) in the boys 800m dash. Leslie won the one mile race at the Penn Relays last weekend and was looking to put up a fast time in the half. Leslie shot out to an early lead and never looked back, winning the event in 1:52.49. Meanwhile, Terence Somerville (Buchtel, OH) won the boys 110m hurdles in 14.15 and then came back to place second in the 300m hurdles in 39.79, with Andrew Sigrist (Grove City, OH) winning in 38.92.
Henderson Invitational (PA)
Henderson Invitational: Meet Page / Results
The 3rd Annual Henderson Invitational provided some major fireworks in Pennsylvania Friday evening. The top race of the day came in the boys two-mile run, which saw Max Kaulbach (Germantown Friends, PA) run a 9:02.35 winning time, beating some fantastic competition. Junior Doug Smith (Gill St. Bernard's, NJ) finished second in 9:06.82, while Mark Dennin (Boyertown, PA) finished third in 9:14.85. Meanwhile, Brian Fulton (Malvern Prep, PA) won the 800m dash in 1:52.77, good enough for the top time in the state this season. In the field events Eric Bittingham (Methacton, PA) won the javelin with a meet record performance of 201-10.
Mid-Suburban League Meet (IL)
Mid-Suburban League Meet: Meet Page / Results
The strongest conference from top to bottom in Illinois, the Mid-Suburban League Meet hosted some of the best girls competition in the country Friday evening at Hersey High School. Last year's state championship team, Barrington High School, showed why they are a favorite to repeat once again this year by winning the league championship 147-118 over perennial powerhouse Palatine High School.
Leading the way for the Fillies was Molly Glantz (Barrington, IL). Glantz won the 300m hurdles in a great time of 44.80, while finishing in the runner-up spot at the 100m hurdles in 14.80. Beating Glantz in the 100m hurdles was Jocelyn Kuksa (Palatine, IL), finishing first in 14.70. Kuksa finished second behind Glantz in the long hurdles with a time of 45.00, while winning the pole vault as well in 11-09.
In the relays, Barrington won the 4x800m relay to kick-start their night of coming up big in certain races. The squad beat Palatine 9:16.40-9:20.20, leading two other teams at or under 9:30 as well. Both Barrington and Palatine rank in the top 15 nationally in the event. The last event of the night showcased Barrington's talents as well by winning the 4x400m relay in meet record time. A 3:57.40 finish helped the squad capture the team title for the third time in four years.
Other highlights of the evening came in the 100m dash, which saw sprint star Toni Graham (Conant, IL) easily win in 11.80. Barrington received another big win from Rebecca Tracy (Barrington, IL) in the 1600m run, breaking her school record in 4:59.80. Palatine also received some big points from their throwing events, placing 1-2 in the discus and winning the shot put. Martha Shepard (Palatine, IL) won the shot put in 42-05.50, while teammate Lauren Orris (Palatine, IL) won the discus in 138-00.
DuPage County Meet (IL)
DuPage County Meet: Meet Page / Results
For years the DuPage County Meet has hosted some of the best competition the state of Illinois sees year in and year on the boys side, and this year the results were no different. From the first event to the last, the depth of the county showed. While York won the team title with their depth by scoring 148 points, runner-up Wheaton North (117 points) provided the most impressive highlights of the night. North won all four relay events, including the 4x800m relay in one of the best times in the country this year with a 7:50.45. North also won the 1600m relay in 3:22.59, 4x100m relay in 42.73 and the 4x200m relay in 1:29.71.
Every year the distance events are top notch and this year showed much of the same with junior Kyle Gibson (Naperville North, IL) winning the 3200m run in 9:10.31. Gibson ran away from the field over the final 1200 meters, adding one more name to the list of athletes in Illinois that have a shot to go sub-9:10 for 3200m in a few weekends at state. Junior Steve Sulkin (York, IL) won the 1600m run in 4:18.17, beating Chase Kadlec (Wheaton North, IL) and Tom Achtein (York, IL), who both finished under 4:20.
Two other standout performances came from juniors John Fox (York, IL) and Dan Block (Lake Park, IL). Fox won the 100m dash, 200m dash and 400m dash. Fox's mark for the 100m dash was 10.77, 200m time 22.21 and 400m dash time of 50.21. Block continued to roll in the shot put and discus, winning the shot put in 58-11, then coming back in the discus in 189-10.
North Suburban Conference Championships (IL)
North Suburban Conf. Champs.: Meet Page / Results
As if this season couldn't get any more exciting in the female throwing events, Bailey Wagner (Grant, IL) threw an impressive 48-04 to win the shot put at the North Suburban Conference Championships Thursday evening. The Wake Forest-bound senior tossed one of the best shot put marks of the season, coming back later in the evening to win the discus throw in 154-09, another top mark in the nation.
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More Highlights & Results Throughout the Weekend