* Oak Park's Kylee King ran the fastest qualifying time in the girls 15-16 age group on Monday in the 800m
Photo Credit: Cory Mull/MileSplit
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HUMBLE, TEXAS -- Anthony Woods II found himself in last place in the men's 17-18yo long jump with one attempt left on Monday at the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
He had just one opportunity remaining to make the finals.
A thought crossed his mind. The Louisville, Kentucky-native knew he couldn't leave anything on the track in his final high school competition.
"The runway was a little too short, so I kind of had to kind of go back into the other pit," he said.
He adjusted, moving his walk-up behind the runway. Next came a 20 foot, 11 inch jump, a mark that was good enough to get Woods a few more jumps in the finals.
But then came some more adversity.
"I was the first jumper in the finals, so I was already tired because I was the last jumper in the prelims," he said. "Coming off that, I scratched."
By his fifth jump, however, Woods finally found that special moment, breaking through with a winning mark of 24 feet, 4.5 inches. In hitting that mark, Woods claimed a win and finished his career with a national championship.
On the podium stand, supporters of Woods chanted, 'Deuce, Deuce, Deuce!'
"Since freshman year, I've been going to nationals," he said. "But this is my first time to win a national event. It's very meaningful to me."
Adams will continue his journey at Barton Community College, a junior college program long known for developing athletes into NCAA Division I athletes.
His hopes are to continue his development before transitioning to a major university.
"Going to college, I have to stay on my Ps and Qs and stay focused and get to the level I want to get to," he said.
Day 2 Recap: Two National Records Highlight Day 2 Action
3,000m 11yo Girls: Molly Cramer outlasted her competitor in the final moments, winning in 11:24.32. Tahlya King was just a second behind in 11:25.54, while Gianna Gallego was third in 11:52.56.
3,000m 11yo Boys: A crazy race played out front, with Seth Anderson taking the win by less than a second in 10:40.81. Isaiah Blomker was second in 10:41.56 while Kaimen Skinner was third in 10:49.02.
3,000m 12yo Girls: Clare Puryear was first in a time of 10:58.91, securing the only time under 11 minutes. Micah Neal was second in 11:14.34 and Riona Street was third in 11:15.22.
3,000m 12yo Boys: X-Factor's Samuel Baker poured it on late in the race, winning in 9:54.52 to become the only performance under 10 minutes. Ayden Taylor was second and Caden Kitson was third in 10:24.57.
LJ 14yo Girls: Caitlyn Cavitt flew off the board with an impressive performance of 17-7.5 to win. Nyla Christian was second in 17-2 and Ella Capling was third with a mark of 17-1.25.
LJ 14yo Boys: Dakorien Moore won with a mark of 21 feet, 6 inches. Jahsir McCarthy was second in 21-4.25 and David Madison was third with a mark of 20-6.5.
Discus 13yo Boys: Jackson Cantwell bombed a new national record in 177-6, while K'Lyn Curtis wasn't too far behind in second with a mark of 169-1. Noah Blomqvist was third in 141-5.
Shot Put 14yo Girls: Tatum Seyfert claimed the win with a best of 48-1.75, while Ciara Tilley was second in 44-4.75. Gwyneth Lori was third with a mark of 44-4.
Shot Put 14yo Boys: Armondo Blount scored the win with a mark of 54-11.25, while Elmo Gilliam was second in 53-0 and Sean Lee was third with a mark of 49-6.5.
Javelin 13yo Girls: Olivia Barr claimed victory with a throw of 116-7, while Amber Bowling was second in 116-5 and McKenna Lay scored a performance of 101-10.
High Jump 15-16 yo Girls: Jaela Auguste skied high for a winning mark of 5 feet, 7 inches. Falyn Lott was second with a score of 5-5 and Naomi Sachs was third in 5-3.
Pole Vault 13yo Boys: Ben Haywood captured a new national record of 11-9.75. He surpassed the former mark of 11-8, which was last accomplished in 2015 by Jackson Reilly. Wesley Turner was second with a height of 10-11.75 and Ryder Harrison was third with a mark of 10-6.
High Jump 12yo Boys: Madden Hill claimed the win in 5 feet, 3 inches. Isaiah Bland was second with a 5-1 clearance and James Hawkins was third with a mark of 5-1.
Shot Put 9yo Girls: A day after claiming a new triathlon national title for her age group, Brielle Hudson came back and claimed the shot put with an effort of 27-8.75. Ayrian Walters was second in 22-5.75 and Taylor Haynes was third with a mark of 22-4.25.
Shot Put 9yo Boys: Decil Kellam was first with a mark of 31-1, Bryson Ashford followed in 25-4.5 and Griffin Morgan was third with a mark of 24-3.75.
Discus 11yo Girls: Laila Jones won yet another gold medal with a dominating mark of 90 feet, 8 inches. That was her fifth-straight shot put national title. Cariann Foster was second with a score of 87-8 and Brooklyn Evans was third with a throw of 76-3.5.
Javelin 15-16yo Boys: Demario Gee's arm drive led to a winning mark of 168-4, while Jordan Rider followed in second with a mark of 155-11 and Brayden Richards was third with a performance of 155-4.
Long Jump 17-18yo Girls: Keviah Ealy exploded off the board with a massive 20-footer, winning with a mark of 20-1. Kiara Strayhorn wasn't far behind, claiming second in 19-8.75 and Jahnelle Saunders was third with a performance of 19-7.5.
Pole Vault 14yo Boys: Isaiah Whitaker claimed the win with a mark of 13-5.25, while Khaliq Muhammad was second i 12-11.5 and Caelan Harland was third, skying high with a performance of 11-11.75.
High Jump 10yo Girls: Sidney Ortiz won the event with a mark of 4-1.25, Emilee Wheatley was second in 4-1.25 -- on attempts -- and Jordann Parham was third with a height of 3-11.25.
Shot Put 8&Under Girls: Savannah Davis was loving life after her win with a final mark of 25-6.25. Kyrie Foster was second with an effort of 24-9, while Maya Hylick was third with a throw of 22-7.75.
Shot Put 8&Under Boys: Seth Saldivar claimed victory with a throw of 28-1, while Remiel Tatem was second with a performance of 26-4.5. Cedrick Kimble Jr. was third with a throw of 25-2.5.
NATIONAL RECORDS
13yo, Pole Vault, Ben Haywood, Unattached, 11-9.75
13yo, Discus, Jackson Cantwell, Blue Thunder Track Club, 177-6
10yo, 200m, Omar Thomas, Fort Lauderdale Track Club: 25.25
TOP PERFORMER OF THE DAY
Jackson Cantwell, 13, Blue Thunder Track Club
Kansas City, Missouri
13yo Discus, 177 feet, 6 inches
New National Record
Cantwell shattered the old record of 169 feet, 6 inches, which was set 2017 by Kevin Adams. And he did it in a big way. His performance upped his former previous best of 52.97 meters (173 feet, 9 inches).
NOTEWORTHY
Makeriah Harris, Run Fast TC
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
15-16yo Girls, 400mH
Harris, one of the country's top freshman this spring, dipped under 60 seconds in the long hurdles for the second time in her career on Monday with a new PR and U.S. No. 2 time of 59.29 seconds. Harris heads to the finals on Tuesday with the potential to win an AAU Junior Olympic Games gold medal.
INTERVIEW OF THE DAY
Solomon Washington & DJ Rountree,
Xtreme Track Club, Austin TX
The Texas-based teammates finished No. 2 and No. 3 in the boys 17-18 long jump on Monday, with Washington hitting 24-4.25 and Rountree following in 24-3.74. The pair will compete in the SEC next year, with Washington headed to Texas and Rountree going to Texas A&M.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
The Rockwall (TX) graduate talks of her 17-18yo long jump win
"Right there. Jumped 20. I've never been more elated in my life to finally get close to my PR."
- Keviah Ealy, Rockwall (TX)
WHAT'S NEXT
Day 4 of the AAU Junior Olympic Games will feature more finals action on the track starting with veteran age groups in the 1,500m. Finals will continue with the 400mH and the 200mH, along with preliminaries of the 100m and 400m. From there, the field will feature the 17-18 girls discus, the 15-16 girls shot put and the 15-16 girls triple jump, among other events.
Related Links:
Catch every race from the AAU Junior Olympic Games