AAU JO Games Day 7 Recap: Six More Records Fall

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- As the stellar eight-man 17-18yo 200m field burst out of the blocks coming for home, it was Shamar Heard (Clinton Township, MI) who came around the curve solidly in first.

But then came the 6'-5" giant towering over the field and barreling down the middle of the track.

Hitting another gear, Nyckoles Harbor, the star high school junior out of Archbishop Carroll (D.C.), powered his way into the slight lead ahead of Heard and a surging Nigel Ancrum (Columbia, SC). 

A smooth salute to the crowd as Harbor crossed the finish served as the perfect mic-drop moment to conclude dominant 200m races on day seven of AAU Junior Olympic Games action.

But Harbor's eye-catching 200m win comes as no surprise, even when looking beyond the evidence fledged out on the track. 

He ran a US No. 6 performance of 20.63 at the AAU Region 3 qualifier just over a month ago. His powerful build also makes for strong showings at the shorter 100m distance, and his season's best of 10.28 ranks him in the top 30 nationally.

And the 200m title win makes for quite the ending to what Harbor said will be his last-ever AAU Junior Olympic Games. Though he still has his senior year ahead of him, the D.C. area track talent also holds more than his own on the football field as a five-star defensive end prospective. 

With college football likely looming ahead next summer, Harbor said he's taking advantage of these Junior Olympic moments now while he stills has the chance.

"It feels real good because this is my last 200m ever at AAU," Harbor said, "So to come out here to get that gold , 17-18, last time ever running the AAU Junior Olympics for the 200m, I just feel real good, real happy."

Harbor will look to have a similar show-stopping race in the 100m finals on the last day of AAU competition.

Check out the content below to learn which other athletes and teams impressed on the second-to-last day of action at the AAU Junior Olympics.

Day 6 recap: Whitaker sets world 14yo PV record

Day 5 recap: Gutsy races steal the show

Day 4 recap: Athletes shine in 1,500m

Day 3 recap: More records fall

Day 2 recap: We have our first record

Day 1 recap: Racewalkers take center stage

11-12yo Girls 4x800m: Behind a 2:36.44 third leg split, the squad from Hill Country Comets (TX) ran 10:43.15 to win the first event on the track on Friday morning. Whirlwinds Track Club (PA) ran close behind in 10:45.36 to take second, and the Michigan Mustangs (MI) also ran a sub-11-minute time to place third in 10:56.74.

11-12yo Boys 4x800m: Track Life University (MI) dominantly took the win with a finishing time of 9:37.51 thanks to a 2:18.75 anchor leg. The group of four from South Baton Rouge Jaguars (LA) crossed just under 10 minutes in 9:58.33 for second, and the H-Town Hurricanes ran 10:09.70 for the bronze medal.

13-14yo Girls 4x800m: As the only team in the field to run under 10 minutes, Northside Striders Aldine clocked 9:57.20 for the event win. A strong 2:24.90 lead-off leg helped the New York Novas secure second, followed by NVA Track in third with a time of 10:16.58.

13-14yo Boys 4x800m: Two impressive 2:06 splits on the second and fourth legs propelled Track Life University to a time of 8:38.12 for the AAU title. 

15-16yo Girls 4x800m: A 2:16.25 anchor leg from Nanditha Hegde propelled New England Elite to the win in an exciting battle to the line with San Antonio Swift. A finishing time of 9:25.85 from New England Elite just beat out the 9:27.56 posted by the relay from San Antonio Swift. Both times made for the fastest times of the day among all girls age divisions.

15-16yo Boys 4x800m: The squad from San Antonio Swift entered the bell lap with the national record of 7:55.91 not too far out of sight, but they fell just short of the record with a time of 7:59.02, which still won them the AAU title. Behind the San Antonio athletes came the team from Pearland Track Express, dropping a time of 8:02.82 to earn silver.

17-18yo Women's 4x800m: The lone performance under 10 minutes came from Wildcat Youth Sports as they ran their way to a title in commanding fashion in 9:39.36.

17-18yo Men's 4x800m: The fastest time of the day came from the Blazers Track Club squad as they clocked a sub-8:00 time of 7:58.51 to win in the 17-18yo division. In a close race for second, the "A" team from #teamaaupr narrowly secured second in 8:13.29 over the H-Town Hurricanes, who finished just off the mark in 8:13.92 for third. 

8yo Girls 200m: Two girls broke 30 seconds in the final, at it was Jonae Ellinger's 29.62 that proved to be the championship-winning time just ahead of Autumn Gregory's 29.82. Jurnee Smith rounded out the top three with her sub-31-second time of 30.82.

8yo Boys 200m: Andrew Akinkuolie pulled away from Masiah McGee in the final meters to win in 28.56. McGee would cross in 28.97 for third, followed by Bentley Slayden in 29.26.

9yo Girls 200m: Lilyanna Duvra (Ocoee, FL) finished just off her current national record, clocking 27.64 to earn another AAU individual crown. Elise Pridgeon (Laplata, MD) also clocked a time under 28 seconds to earn the silver medal with a time of 27.73.

9yo Boys 200m: Jaikeem Mitchell (Dallas, TX) came off the curve up the center in the track hunting for a title, and a finish time of 26.55 earned that championship win for the young sprinter. Chase Staten (Blythewood, SC) also closed strongly to finish second in 27.16, just a tenth of a second ahead of Chael Williams (Tampa, FL) in third place.

10yo Girls 200m: Defending champion Christlyn Collins from Houston, TX separated from the field ever so slightly coming off of the curve to win yet another 200m title in 27.12. Fellow Houston athlete McKinley Potts crossed the line in 27.42 to earn silver, and 27.68 from Aniyah Walker helped her earn the third spot on the podium. 

10yo Boys 200m: Bershawn Jackson Jr. (Wake Forest, NC) finished just off the national record of 25.25 to carry out the family name's track success for the win in 25.32. Isaiah Lassiter Westchase (Tampa, FL) challenged Jackson for the title but finished just short with a time of 25.87 for second. 

11yo Girls 200m: Tanesia Johnson (Topeka, KS) came off the turn in the lead, but Camryn Dailey (Franklinton, NC) made a strong push down the homestretch to win in 25.64 just ahead of a surging Zhoe Holt (Charlotte, NC), who ran 25.69 for second. 

11yo Boys 200m: Kameron Edmonson built a lead in the early phases of the race and managed to hold that advantage through the line, running 25.73 to win the event. In second, Raymond Currie clocked 25.86, and Elijah Jones joined Currie and Edmonson in the sub-26-second club with a third-place time of 25.92.

12yo Girls 200m: A tight finish down the straightway made for an exciting race as Madison Brooks (Katy, TX) crossed in 25.17 to upset defending champion Kennedy Jackson (Desoto, TX), who ran 25.31 for second. Khloe Washington (Wichita Falls, TX) wasn't too far behind Jackson as she ran her way to a bronze medal in 25.39.

12yo Boys 200m: Chadney Cross (Virginia Beach, VA) and Conner Sherman (Cincinnati, OH) battled to the finish in lanes three and four, but it was Cross who pulled ahead narrowly to grab the title in 24.03. Sherman would clock 24.16 for third, just one-hundredth of a second ahead of third-place finisher Joseph Galarza (St. Petersburg, FL).

13yo Girls 200m: Out in lane six, Vanessa Waite (Groveland, FL) snuck up on the field and surged into the lead before the line to win in 24.64, right ahead of Aida Joseph (Washington, D.C.) in 24.79. Devyn Sproles (Tarzana, CA) also dipped under 25 seconds with her bronze-winning time of 24.88.

13yo Boys 200m: Macavion Hill of Roanoke, TX took over at the 100m mark, plowing ahead of the field to win dominantly in 22.70. The next top finishes came from Lee Prince Jr. of Miami, FL and Fayden Brown of Baton Rouge, LA with their podium-finishing times of 23.44 and 23.56.

14yo Girls 200m: With the field nearly dead-even halfway through, it was any girl's race to win. But top qualifier Adyn Kinard (Stevenson Ranch, CA) pulled ahead to finish first in 24.43 in front of Kamryn Tatum (Southfield, MI). Tatum's second-place time of 24.66 beat out Aria Pearce (Wallace, KS) by fractions of a second as Pearce ran 24.70 for third.

14yo Boys 200m: Kendrick Jones Jr. (Temple, TX) set the national record of 21.25 in the semifinals, and he went on to earn the championship in the finals with a winning time of 21.93. The next fastest performances came from Quincy Wilson (Chesapeake, VA) in second in 22.42 and Landen Callis (Richmond, TX) for third place in 22.59.

15-16yo Girls 200m: Skyler Franklin (Hollywood, FL) burst into the lead early and held on in the latter stages of the race to win in 24.08. Alyssa Jones (New Braunfels, TX) in lane six made a strong push toward the end to earn second in 24.17.

15-16yo Boys 200m: In a dual between Evan Boykin (Huntersville, NC) and Rahji Dennis (New Orleans, LA), it was Boykin in lane three that dipped at the line to clock 21.55 and secure the title. Dennis finished just 0.02 seconds off the lead for second in 21.56, and Micahi Danzy (Tallahassee, FL) also ran a time under 22 seconds to capture the bronze in 21.93.

17-18yo Women's 200m: Jameesia Ford of Fayetteville, NC sped out of the blocks and never slowed up as she sprinted her way to the 200m win in 23.71. Also joining Ford to dip below 24 seconds was Lauren Lewis (Prosper, TX), and her time of 23.84 proved to be the silver-winning time among the competitors.

17-18yo Men's 200m: Shamar Heard (Clinton Township, MI) got out to a strong lead coming off the turn, but it Nyckoles Harbor (Glenarden, MD) tapped into his powerful latter-stage gear to take the title in 20.96. Just three-hundredths of a second determined second and third place, as Nigel Ancrum (Columbia, SC) crept up in the last 100m to clock 21.06 for second ahead of Heard in 21.09.

11yo Boys Long Jump: Pentathlon runner-up Legend White-Thomas (Lago Vista, TX) took an individual crown in the long jump with a jump of 16-9.25. Seth Brown (Tallahassee, FL) finished not far behind with a 16-8 mark for second, three inches ahead of Nehemiah Brock (Chesapeake, VA) in third place.

11yo Girls Long Jump: Orlando, FL long jumper Tahjai Clements entered the competition seeded 53rd, but that didn't stop her from going after a title win. Clements jumped 16-1 for first place to make for the only mark over 16-feet among the field. Christina Hall of Harrisburg, NC placed second with a strong third-round jump of 15-4. 

15-16yo Girls Discus: Ayanna Hunt (Anderson, SC) came in as the top athlete in the field, and she lived up to that seeding with a winning throw of 137-3. Also eclipsing 130 feet was Emily Hartsoe (Crumpler, NC), who threw 130-6 on her second-to-last attempt to put her solidly in second place.

17-18yo Men's Javelin: Latravious Ransom (Gillsville, GA) saved the best for last with his sixth round mark of 159-8 to win the competition. Leading before Ransom's last throw was Graham Manus (Athens, AL), whose 169-2 throw held strong for second place ahead of Darien Cade (Sicklerville, NJ) in third.

11yo Boys Turbo Javelin: Top-seeded Braylon Jackson (Des Moines, IA) came out victorious with a throw of 122-0. The next two top performers Dallas Wilson (Orange Park, FL) and Daelin Randolph (Jefferson, GA) both eclipsed 111 feet in the competition, with Wilson's mark of 111-11 taking second ahead of Randolph's 111-1.

15-16yo Boys High Jump: Kobe Prejean (Beaumont, TX) signficantly bested his seed mark to jump 6-5.5 for the win, slightly better than Kyron Sumler's (Marrero, LA) highest clearance of 6-4.75 for the silver medal.

17-18yo Girls Pole Vault: Kashlee Dickinson (Canyon, TX) and Katie Urbine (Quarryville, PA) each cleared the bar set at 12-5.5 and failed to get over the following bars set at 12-11.5 and 12-8.75. The vaulters set the bar back at 12-5.5 again, and that time it was Dickinson who cleared first to take the title over Urbine.

14yo Boys High Jump: Smashing the national record of 6-4 that stood for 42 years, Joshua Harel (Encino, CA) cleared 6-5 to the delight of the crowd to take both the individual crown and AAU national all-time mark. Both Shawn Church Jr (Virginia Beach, VA) and Marley McKnight (Slidell, LA) jumped an impressive mark of 5-8.75, but Church Jr. earned the silver medal ahead of McKnight on the basis of missed attempts.

10yo Boys Long Jump: The national record sits at 16-10.75, and Kaden Johnson (Maryland Heights, MO) hit just that. Johnson equaled the national all-time best to win the title, followed by Cash Henry (Abilene, TX) in second with another 16-foot-plus mark of 16-0.5.

10yo Girls Long Jump: Yet another national record came in the field as McKinley Potts followed up her 200m second-place finish with a new AAU record of 15-10.24. Elise Bynum and Layanna Abraham also had strong marks that surpassed 14 feet, as Bynum leaped 14-7.75 for second and Abraham hit 14-5 to take second.

13yo Girls Discus: Briana Davis (Desoto, TX) saved her best throw for the final round as she threw 112-7 to take the title win just three feet ahead of Joniah Holson (Vero Beach, FL). Holson would throw 109-6 for second place, and Sophia Scott's (Sellersburg, IN) second-to-last throw of 107-11 proved enough for third.

17-18yo Women's Javelin: Kaylen Rabalais (Evergreen, LA) eclipsed 150 feet with her winning heave of 152-11 on Friday afternoon. Jasmine Hampton (Acworth, GA) threw 148-11 on her fifth attempt to take second, and Alexis Guillory's (Alexandria, LA) final throw of 147-1 bumped her up to bronze medal position. 

8yo Girls Turbo Javelin: The final AAU national record of the day came from Jordyn Hampton (Acworth, GA) as the young athlete threw 78-4 on her final attempt to beat out the previous record by nearly seven feet. Meeka Jordan (Beloit, KS) also impressed with her 62-4 competition best to place second behind the new national record holder.

11yo Girls High Jump: A 4-7 clearance from Melissa Cunningham (Jacksonville, FL) made for the best jump of the competition to earn her the AAU title. Rhilynn Mabry (Halstead, KS) and Jayla Joyner (Norfolk, VA) both managed to jump the bar set at 4-5, and it was Mabry who took the silver medal since she cleared the bar in fewer attempts.

STAT OF THE DAY

- - -

2

Number of record-breaking performances in the prelims of the 11-12yo girls 4x100m. West Coast Elite ran 48.82 in heat seven to break the AAU national record of 48.92, and in the following heat just minutes later, Cedar Hill Blaze Track Club surpassed that mark to reset the record at 48.79.