Despite changing planes three times, arriving late at night to the hotel and not receiving her luggage until a few hours before her competition, Pennsylvania's Ryann Krais got off to a great start Thursday in the heptathlon, as she attempts to break the prep record in the event at the Great Southwest T&F Classic. This weekend will provide many great results and MileSplit will be here to bring you coverage of everything that takes place.
Weekend Highlights (6/5 - 6/8)
Jim Bush Invitational (CA)
Jim Bush Invitational: Meet Page / Live Results
Weekend Highlight - It was supposed to be a race to see if she could PR and find out just how well she could compete against stronger competition, but Laura Roesler (Fargo South, ND) found out just how good she can be at 800m. The super sophomore placed third in the event against collegiate and professional competition in a U.S. #8 all-time mark of 2:03.08. Normally Roesler's mark would rank her U.S. #1, and in the year Chanelle Price no one thought earlier in the season that anyone could catch the Pennsylvania senior, however, Roesler showed that given the right competition she can be as good as anyone and now moves forward in her season with potential racing at Nike Outdoor Nationals and perhaps the Olympic Trials.
Golden West Invitational (CA)
Golden West Invitational: Meet Page / Official Website / Live Results
Weekend Highlights - While the Great Southwest Classic (NM) took home most of the weekend accolades, many of the top results of the weekend came from the Golden West Invitational as well. With athletes from around the country traveling to sunny California a lot of top results took place.
The field events were quite the site as well, with Jordan Clarke (Bartlett, AK) taking two events in the throws. Clarke flew down from Alaska, winning the shot put in a mark of 64-10.50 and the discus throw with a toss of 204-00. This was quite the throwing double and shows that he is peaking at the right time. Christian Taylor (Sandy Creek, GA) came up big as well with a long jump leap of 25-01.25, showing he is still in top form in the jumps after his state meet a few weeks ago. Taylor also placed second in the 400m dash with a time of 47.94.
Taylor's loss was Tavaris Tate's (Starkville, MS) gain as the junior won the 400m dash in a time of 46.45. Other top sprint action on the boys side came from D'Angelo Cherry (Mt. Zion, GA) in the 100m dash. Cherry won the 100m dash with a wind-aided 10.16. Meanwhile Spencer Adams (Butler, NC) won both hurdle events, taking the top spot in the 110m hurdles in 13.66w and the 300m hurdles in 37.11.
On the girls side Candyce McGrone (Warren Central, IN) flew half way across the country to win the girls 100m dash in 11.37w, while Ebony Eutsey (Southridge, FL) flew all the way across the nation to win the girls 400m dash in 53.23. Eutsey's mark was a U.S. #1 time in the evevnt.
Elsewhere, Jordan Hasay (Mission Prep, CA) cruised to victory in the girls 800m dash, prepping for USATF Junior Nationals in two weeks by winning the event in 2:09.92. Alitta Boyd (Moreau Catholic, CA) won as well in front of a home-state crowd, winning both the long jump and triple jump events. Boyd won the triple jump with a great leap of 42-00 and the long jump in 19-06.25.
Great Southwest Track and Field Classic (NM)
Great Southwest T&F Classic: Meet Page / Official Website / Live Results
Results: Day 1 Multi-Event / Day 2 Multi-Event / Fri. Track
PennTrackXC Article on Ryann Krais - Click Here
Meet Wrap-Up Article from CORunners - Click Here / Full Photo Album
Saturday Highlights - With the multi-events completed, the focus turned towards the track Saturday for the finals of all the main events. Topping the days accomplishments was Jacquelyn Coward's (Knoxville West, TN) U.S. #2 all-time performance in the girls 100m hurdles, which saw the senior star hurdle to a 13.00 time. Coward tried to come back later in the day in the 300m hurdles, only to fall over the third hurdle and not finish, while heptathlon champion Ryann Krais (Methacton, PA) out leaned Donique' Fleimings (Saginaw, TX) 41.20-41.21 in one of the best hurdle races seen in the past few years.
In the throws, Hannah Carson (Dobson, AZ) continued to show why she is the dominant force in girls javelin throwing, winning the event with a big toss of 160-11. Meanwhile, Mason Finley (Buena Vista, CO) pulled off a double win in both boys throws, coming up big in the shot put with a mark of 64-11.50 and then putting up a 204-08 effort to win the discus.
The success in the field events didn't end there, as Bryce Lamb (Chandler, AZ) won the boys long jump with an exceptional mark of 25-09.25, outdistancing himself from Colorado's Roman Holmes (Cherry Creek, CO), who took runner-up in the event with a 25-03.25 effort. Alexus Brannon (Ozen, TX) came up big as well, this time in the girls jump, winning both the triple and long jumps with marks of 41-01 and 20-01.50.
The highlight of the weekend however came in the sprinting events, where national class athletes were pitted against one another in some fabulous competition. Brandon O'Conner (Southridge, FL) stole the show by winning the boys 200m and 400m dash events. The Florida star won the 400m dash in 46.93, while coming back later in the day to win the 200m dash in 20.65. Brandon Tucker of Texas won the boys 110m hurdles as well in an excellent time of 13.42.
In the girls sprints Terra Evans (South Mountain, AZ) proved how strong she was, pulling off a sprint double by taking home the 100m and 200m dash titles. Evans won the 100m dash in a wind-aided time of 11.39 and the 200m dash in a wind-legal mark of 23.91. Natalie Stewart (Spanish Fork, UT) won her only open event as well by taking the girls 400m dash in 53.55. Click Here for Full Wrap-Up Article
Friday Highlights - Ryann Krais (Methacton, PA) knew she had a shot to become the best heptathlete ever Friday morning and did everything she could to accomplish that feat. At the end of the day Krais finished up as the second best ever, scoring 5522 points, only 11 off the record. Krais came up big all day long, leaping 18-10.50 in the long jump, throwing 104-11 in the javelin and finishing off her performance with a 2:17.71 800m dash. Krais needed a 2:16.87 to achieve the record. Her performance was a 150 point personal best and she now sets her sights forward on Saturday's competition, where she'll take on Jacquelyn Coward (TN) and Donique' Flemings (TX) in the girls 300m hurdles. Article on Ryann Krais (PennTrackXC)
The boys decathlon was equally as exciting, as Curtis Beach (Albuquerque Academy, NM) pulled away from the rest of the field over day two's events. Beach won the event over in-state rival Daniel Gooris (Cibola, NM), beating Gooris 7262-7067. Beach used victories in the 110m hurdles and 1500m run to shape his winning effort Friday and now looks forward towards the national championships.
In the other final event of the day, the boys and girls steeplechase saw meet records fall. On the boys side Ben Johnson (Albuquerque Academy, NM) broks his own meet record by just over eleven seconds, taking home the victory in the 2k event in 6:05.06 over Zachary Orenalas (Vista Ridge, TX) who ran 6:07.14. Meanwhile, Emma Coburn (Crested Butte, CO) outperformed Natalie Haws (Davis, UT) to win the girls 2k steeplechase. Coburn ran 7:00.51 to break the meet record by eleven seconds.
Thursday Highlights - Day one of the boys and girls multi-events saw some great action take place, including a talented match-up between Curtis Beach (Albuquerque Academy, NM) and Andre' McDonald (Park Hill, MO). Coming into the weekend's decathlon Beach and McDonald were considered two of the favorites, trailing only behind Tennessee's Ben Davies. While Davies was on the start list, the Florida-bound senior scratched, leaving Beach and McDonald to compete head to head for the title.
Each athlete won two events, with McDonald winning the long jump in 23-06.25 and high jump in 6-08, while Beach won the 100m dash in 10.89 and 400m dash in 48.66. At the end of day one McDonald was beating Beach just barely for first, 3904-3901. Daniel Gooris (Cibola, NM) competed at a high level as well, but should provide bigger highlights Wednesday with his marquee event, the pole vault, coming up.
On the girls side, pre-meet favorite Ryann Krais (Methacton, PA) got off to a great start despite some horrible travel experiences the night before. Krais left Pennsylvania hoping to connect a flight in Chicago and then fly the rest of the way to Albuquerque. However, a cancelled flight left Krais jumping airport to airport, stopping at three seperate locations before New Mexico, getting in at 9:30 p.m. and not receiving her luggage until a few hours before race time.
According to PennTrackXC.com's Don Rich, "Krais is ahead of US-record-setting pace by 79 point following four of the seven heptathlon events. In a swirling wind, Krais started her competition with a 13.93 100 hurdles. The mark is her fifth best this season, and according to Methacton coach, Rob Ronzano, is a spectacular time given the conditions of swirling winds at the time. Krais followed up her opening hurdles with a tie of her PR in the high jump at 5-8. She followed that with a heptathlon PR in the shot put of 33-9.50. And with just the 200 to go on day one, she set another PR, running 24.31. She is sitting at 3379 points with the long jump, javelin and 800 remaining. The national record is 5533.Krais holds the sophomore and junior class reocrds, and her 5377 is the 4th best all-time."
Ohio State T&F Championships (OH)
Ohio State T&F Champs: Meet Page / Live Results
Photo Gallery from OHRunners - Click Here
Weekend Highlights - Some of the top track and field events of the weekend around the nation didn't all come from the big post-season meets out west or down south, but rather they came from Ohio and the Ohio State T&F Championships. The top performance of the weekend came from Meshawn Graham (Toledo Bowsher, OH). Graham won the girls 400m dash with a new U.S. #1 400m time of 53.30.
Aareon Payne (Cle. Heights Beaumont, OH) also had a big day in the girls DI sprint events. Payne won the 100m dash in 11.78, coming back later in the day to take home the 200m dash title in 23.88, both some of the best times in the country so far this season.
The boys sprint events were equally as impressive. Trotwood-Madison (OH) won the boys 4x200m relay and 4x400m relay with U.S. top five times. TM won the 4x200m relay in a blazing 1:25.44, then coming back later in the day to win the 4x400m relay in a U.S. #3 time of 3:13.46. Michael Willey (Miamisburg, OH) proved himself a champion as well with a fantastic mark in the DI boys 300m hurdles, finishing first in the event with a 36.59 time.
The DI girls distance events were very high quality as well, with Foot Locker all-Americans Emily Infeld (Cle. Heights Beaumont, OH) and Claire Durkin (Worth. Kilbourne, OH) showing incredible results. Infeld won both the 800m dash and 1600m run in some of the best times in the country this season. The senior won the 800m in 2:09.12, while running the 1600m earlier in the day with a mark of 4:47.31. Durkin also came up big with her 3200m run, winning the event with one of the best times in the country with a 10:25.95. Meanwhile, DIII distance star Stephanie Morgan (Barnesville, OH) continued to show why she is one of the best milers in the country by winning rather easily her 1600m race in 4:49.58 and the DIII 800m race in 2:09.87.
The most impressive boys distance performance at the DI level came from a freshman. Believe it or not, freshman Zach Wills (Mason, OH) won the 3200m run in an incredible time of 9:15.34. Wills showed strength rarely seen by freshman and showed he is certainly an athlete to watch out for in years to come.
In the field events, Erik Kynard (Toledo Rogers, OH) cleared 7-00 once again, this time earning himself the state DI championship in the event. Another top field DI field event performance came from Chandler Burdeh (Cin. LaSalle, OH) by winning the boys shot put in 61-02.50 and discus throw in 187-06, the top mark of the weekend regardless of classification.
In Division II action, Cory Leslie (Sandusky-Perkins, OH) closed out his storied high school career with one of the best middle-distance doubles seen in the country this season. Leslie easily won the 800m dash and 1600m run, winning the shorter race in 1:50.77 and the 1600m in 4:12.44. Leslie's teammate Matthew Hoty (Sandusky Perkins, OH) won the boys shot put with the best mark of the weekend regardless of class, launching the devise 62-00.50. To finish up the weekend, Ryan Fleck (Napoleon, OH) jumped the top high jump mark of the weekend with a 7-01.50 leap.
Minnesota State T&F Championships (MN)
Minnesota State T&F Champs: Meet Page / Results: AA Boys - AA Girls
Weekend Highlights - The final weekend of the Minnesota T&F season finally took place this weekend. Leading the way were the boys distance events, which saw some fantastic marks accomplished. The top mark of the weekend came from Zachary Mellon (Buffalo, MN), who won the 800m dash over a very competitive Harun Abda (Frindley, MN) 1:49.69-1:50.74. Mellon's mark ranks him U.S. #3 currently, while Abda is ranked in the U.S. top twelve. The best part about these two is that they both return next year, as Mellon is a junior and Abda is a sophomore.
Apple Valley (MN) also impressed in the distance events by winning the 4x800m relay with a U.S. #4 time of 7:45.31, also scoring a state meet record in the process. The clash between Rob Finnerty (Burnsville, MN) and Jordan Carlson (Rosemount, MN) continued as well into the state meet, meeting in both the 3200m run and 1600m run. Both times Finnerty came out on top, but both times it was close. Finnerty won the 3200m run on Friday running 9:04.88-9:09.87, then coming back on Saturday to take home the top spot 4:10.43-4:10.72. Carlson's 16 points from his two races helped his team win the team title as well with a 65-60 margin over Irondale.
Elsewhere in the boys championships, Derek Jerde (Chaska, MN) and Casey Dehn (Owatonna, MN) both won big in the field events. Jerde won the high jump with a powerful leap of 6-10. Meanwhile, Dehn won the shot put with a great toss of 62-05.50 and the discus in 173-09. Woodbury (MN) won the boys 4x400m relay as well with a 3:18.77 winning effort.
On the girls side Kylie Peterson (Apple Valley, MN) won the 100m and 200m dash events. The senior sprinter took home the title in the 100m dash with a winning time of 11.79, then coming back to take home gold in the 200m dash with a 24.70 effort. Kayla Sawtell (Mounds View, MN) and Jenna Severson (SLPSA, MN) competed and won also. Sawtell won the girls 100m hurdles in 14.57, while Severson won the girls 300m hurdles with ease in a 43.56 effort.
Jordan Helgren (Wayzata, MN) and Eden Prairie (MN) impressed in the girls events too. Helgren won the triple jump with a state record mark of 40-08.50. However, her mark was a big wind aided thus creating a questionable event record. Eden Prairie won the girls 4x800m relay with a winning mark of 9:16.50, beating the rest of the field by four seconds.
Maine State T&F Championships (ME)
Maine State T&F Champs: Meet Page
Maine State T&F Champs. Results: Boys - A - B - C / Girls - A - B - C
Weekend Highlights - The last week in the Maine track and field season came to an end Saturday as the Maine State T&F Championships took place. While many athletes stood out, none stood out more than Jesse Labreck (Messalonskee, ME). The senior won the Class A girls 100m hurdles, 300m hurdles, high jump and triple jump, three of which she set state records in. Labreck won the 100m hurdles in a state record of 14.48, coming back later in the day to win the 300m hurdles in 45.22, then dominating the field events with state records of 5-09 in the high jump and 38-04 in the triple jump.
Another double win came from Kristin Slotnick (Brunswick, ME). The junior set a state record in the 100m dash with her winning mark of 12.29 and also won the 200m dash in 25.84. The top performance in the Class B girls competition came from Becky O'Brien (Greely, ME) in winning the shot put with a new state record toss of 49-09.25 and the discus in 158-04.
On the boys side, Anthony Stanton (Noble, ME) showed why he's one of the better high jumpers in the country, as he easily outdistanced the field in the Class A event with a new state record mark of 6-10.25. David Slovenski (Brunswick, ME) also came up big in a Class A field event by winning the boys pole vault. The senior won the event with a remarkable vault of 16-00.
Meanwhile, Thornton Academy (ME) won the boys Class A title behind the efforts of Dan Smith and Andrew Lambert. Smith won the boys shot put and discus throws with distances of 56-03 and 162-06, while Lambert won both the 110m and 300m hurdle events. Other double event winners came from Riley Masters (Bangor, ME) in the distance events, taking home the titles in the 1600m and 3200m runs, while Darrus Grate (Morse, ME) won the 100m and 200m dash events in dominating fashion.
New Hampshire State T&F Championships (NH)
New Hampshire State T&F Champs: Meet Page / Results: Boys - Girls
Weekend Highlights - Like most other northwest states this past weekend, the New Hampshire T&F Championships took place and some great results went down. The top mark of the weekend came from high jump specialist Dwight Barbiasz (Milford, NH). The senior jumper won the event with a 7-01 leap, good enough to set a state record and earn a U.S. top ten ranking.
Other top boys highlights came from Central (NH), which finished 1-2 in the boys 1600m run. Matt Paulson and Craig Brown led the race from start to finish, with Paulson taking the top mark in 4:12.91 and Brown runner-up in 4:15.70. In other distance action, Francis Hernandez (Bishop Guertin, NH) proved he will be a force for years to come, with the sophomore winning the 3200m run in 9:18.50. On the girls side Georgia Griffin (Hanover, NH) won both the 1600m and 3200m runs with times of 4:55.18 and 10:54.27.
Other top field event results outside of Barbiasz' were put up by Kevin Coyle (Kearsarge, NH), who won both boys jumps with leaps of 22-04 in the long jump and 45-00.50 in the triple jump, Lindsey Patterson (Timberlane, NH) by winning the girls pole vault in a state meet record of 11-08 and Kelsey Huckins (Keene, NH) in winning the girls discus in 145-07.
New Jersey Meet of Champions (NJ)
New Jersey Meet of Champions: Meet Page / Results: Boys - Girls
Girls Highlights - Despite weather postponing the New Jersey Meet of Champions from Wednesday to Thursday, the extra day may have actually helped the competitors as performances were simply outstanding. Numerous marks topped the highlight board, but none greater than Jillian Smith's (Southern Regional, NJ) 2:05.26 800m dash performance. Smith has seen some good times this spring, but this mark ranks her U.S. #3, trailing only Chanelle Price (PA) and Laura Roesler (ND).
The best race of the evening came in the girls 3200m run, which saw Melanie Thompson (Voorhees, NJ) edge Kathleen McCafferty (Oak Knoll, NJ) 10:17.18-10:17.28. These two ran stride for stride much of the race, with Thompson holding off McCafferty in the final few meters to earn herself another state title. Thompson and McCafferty now rank U.S. #5 and U.S. #6 in the MileSplit national rankings.
Another distance event highlight came in the 1600m run. Allison Linnell (Colts Neck, NJ) kept her school's distance running tradition alive by winning the event in 4:54.87. Linnell led a strong field that saw four other athletes run under the five minute barrier. Also, English Gardner (Eastern Regional, NJ) won the short sprint double by taking home the crown in the girls 100m dash in 11.88 and the 200m dash in 24.34. Michelle Brown (Seneca, NJ) came up big as well in the 400m dash with a winning mark of 54.14.
In the field events, Nicole Pompei (Hanover Park, NJ) and Jennifer Holly (Barregat, NJ) put on a show in the pole vault as both athletes cleared the 12-06 height, ranking them in the U.S. top 25. Shanaie Herber (Paterson-Kennedy, NJ) showed off her abilities by winning the triple jump with a fantastic leap of 40-07, good enough for a U.S. top ten ranking.
Boys Highlights - With good weather and deep fields, the New Jersey Meet of Champions were primed to include some amazing boys results. Perhaps none were more amazing than the classic dual that took place between senior Mike Alleman (Scotch Plains - Fanwood, NJ) and freshman Nick Vena (Morristown, NJ). All season these two have battled, with Vena stealing most of the headlines, although Alleman had won the prior two meetings.
Thursday's competition was a classic. Vena barely edged out Alleman with his winning toss of 65-03.50, quieting the skeptics that thought Vena may have peaked a little too early after a record breaking indoor season. Meanwhile, Alleman finished with another fine performance, this time throwing 64-04.
The distance events provided plenty of highlights, as Jason Walton (Hillsborough, NJ) and Brett Johnson (Ocean City, NJ) earned impressive wins. Walton won the boys 800m dash in an outstanding time of 1:50.14, ranking him U.S. #4 in the event. Meanwhile, Johnson used a 56.5 last lap to beat out always tough Robby Andrews (Manalapan, NJ) 4:09.03-4:11.65. Johnson became only the eighth prep to break the 4:10 barrier this spring.
In other action, Qaadir Tudor (West Orange, NJ) and Montez Blair (Timber Creek Regional, NJ) both cleared 6-10 in the high jump, putting themselves into the U.S. top 25. Devon Hill (Trenton Central, NJ) also showed why he's won of the better hurdlers in the country, cruising through the competition in the 110m hurdles with a winning time of 13.89.
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More Highlights & Results Throughout the Weekend