USATF Junior National Outdoor T&F Championships 2014

Thanks to YouTube and the internet, Myles Marshall has had the chance to watch one of the all-time great 800-meter races in U.S. history over and over again, a race that holds special meaning to the senior-to-be from Kingwood High in Texas.

Eighty-nine athletes will represent Team USA at the IAAF World Junior Championships this week (July 22-27) at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. Eighty-nine of some our best teenagers (age 19 and under) from coast to coast that will be matching their talents against some of the finest across the globe. The Ocean State has two of its athletes in Eugene, former Barrington High all-stater Charlie Ionata and Central grad Clarence Gallop. Both earned their spots by placing 1-2 in the hammer throw at the USATF Junior Nationals on July 5.

The first thing you should know about Sydney McLaughlin is that she’s 14 years old. A shade over 5 feet, 8 inches, the soon-to-be sophomore from Union Catholic, N.J., may be tall for her age, but she’s still 14.

Girls shot put national record holder Raven Saunders tuned up in between competing in the U.S. Juniors last weekend and World Juniors in two weeks with the Burke graduate putting together an impressive series at in Illinois at the Chicagoland Throws with four marks over 50 feet.

Braheme Days and Amir Patterson finish 1-2 in the shot put at the USATF Junior Championships (via uclabruins.com).

North Schuylkill Alum Brendan Shearn has had an impressive first season at the University of Pennsylvania. The North Schuylkill alum was a varsity performer for the cross country team, scoring in every competition for the Quakers in 2013 on their way to a 4th place finish at the 2013 NCAA Mid Atlantic Regional Championships at Lehigh University. In track, Shearn earned a top five finish while running a personal best at The Penn Relays in the 10000 meter run (29:49.04). That performance earned him a ticket to the NCAA East Regional Preliminary Championships, where he would go on and finish 20th out of 48 runners. Shearn extended his outdoor season and competed in the 10000 meter run at the USATF Junior National Championships, earning a runner up finish and a ticket to the IAAF World Youth Championships later this month! PennTrackXC caught up with the former two time state champion and got some of his thoughts on his first collegiate season, his performance at Junior Nationals and the upcoming World Youth meet.

A couple of interesting situations occurred at the USATF Junior Nationals with either event champions or top 2 finishers with the IAAF World Junior qualifier standard not meeting the criteria to be selected by the USATF and/or eligible according to the IAAF to be on the US team for the upcoming World Junior Championships in Eugene. Here is our unofficial World Junior Championships "Snub Team" for the United States.

Record-setting high schoolers and NCAA champions highlight Team USA's 89-member roster for the 8th IAAF World Junior Championships, scheduled for July 22-27 at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. 

Two of the nation's best high school distance runners Alexa Efraimson and Elise Cranny had somehow missed each other in head to head competition since their epic three way battle with Sarah Baxter at the Nike Cross Nationals. The highlight anticipated match-up finally happened on Sunday at the US Junior Nationals in the women's 1500 meter run.

Redemption and records were the big stories on the final day of the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships on a warm and breezy day at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus. The 200 meters for both men and women produced fast finishes as high school sophomore Kaylin Whitney (Clermont, Florida) set a World Youth best (ages 15-17) in 22.49, and the soon-to-be Florida State University freshman Trentavis Friday (Gastonia, North Carolina) ran a wind-aided 20.03 (+2.9) for the fastest junior 200m time in any conditions.  

If you are  East Ridge sophomore Kaylin Whitney and you run a world junior leading and all-time US#1 in the 100, what do you do for an encore? The answer; just run a world junior best, world youth best, and US#2 all-time all-conditions mark of 22.49 the following day! Her 200 meter time is second only to Allyson Felix's mark of 22.11 set in Mexico City in 2003. So how would that stack up against the professionals? 22.49 is currently the 8th fastest time by ANYONE in the world this year (not including wind-aided times).

The Cherryville graduate, bound for Florida State, recovered from bitter disappointment Saturday to claim a spot in World Juniors (photo by TracktownPhoto).

Former high school stars Charlie Ionata (Barrington) and Clarence Gallop (Central) finish 1-2 at elite meet. Two Rhode Islanders earn berth to IAAF World Youth Championships

At just 15 years old she may be too young to make world juniors but Sydney McLaughlin is doing everything she can to show she belongs there!

Former Butler great Tretez Kinnaird won the USATF Junior National Championship in Eugene in 1:48.01 in the 800m Run.

The Sunshine State showed out on day one of the USATF Junior National Championships.  Kaylin Whitney posts a new world junior leading 11.10, while the boys go 1-2 with Bromell and Williams earning a spot on Team USA. Teahna Daniels and Terry Jernigan impressive runs should propel them to relay berths.

Arizona had 3 pole vaulters competeing at the USATF Junior National Champions.

Live twitter updates throughout the weekend (July 5th & 6th) from Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from the 2014 USATF Junior National Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which is the qualifier meet for the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships to be held July 22nd through July 27th for the first time on American soil back at Hayward Field.

Talk about a drastic change and swing of emotions. Trentavis Friday experienced a complete whirlwind of highs and lows for day one of the USATF Junior Nationals in Eugene, Oregon. After setting the national record in the prelims of the 100 meter dash with a sizzling 10.00 performance, Friday then was disqualified from the finals with a false start and unable to earn a spot on the World Junior team in the event.

Video interview with sophomore Kaylin Whitney following setting the high school national record and winning the US Junior Nationals title in the process with a 11.10 clocking on Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene. Next up for Whitney is a chance to become a World Junior champion later this month back in Eugene.

Post-race video interview with Mary Cain after winning the US Junior National title in the women's 3K with a time of 9:15. Cain is using the upcoming World Junior Championships to test her range at the 3,000 meter distance and see if she can compete with the top juniors in the world in the event.

Burke graduate Raven Saunders continued her winning season by capturing the shot put title at the USATF Championships. Saunders had a best of 55 feet, 10.25 inches. 

A list and table of winners from the US Junior Nationals and qualifiers for the World Junior Championships. Top 2 advance to World Juniors as long as they meet the IAAF meet qualifying standards.

MileSplit will be on-site at the USATF Junior Nationals with photo and video interview coverage from the two days of competition on Saturday, July 5th and Sunday, July 6th to determine this year's IAAF World Junior Championship team for the United States, which will be held at the same venue of Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon at the end of the month. Check back on the site each day for highlights and updates. 

Preview of the men's and women's 400 meter hurdles for the 2014 USATF Junior National Outdoor Track & Field Championships, a qualifier for the IAAF World Junior Championships to be held later this month back at Hayward Field in Eugene.

By her high standards, heptathlete Ashlee Moore didn’t have her best outing at the Great Southwest Classic in early June. The recent graduate of Hamilton High, Az., wasn’t exactly pleased with her performance last week at the USATF Junior National Outdoor Track & Field Championships, either. One could only imagine what would happen when she does get it all together?

Top entrants of the field events being held on day one (Saturday) of the 2014 USATF Junior National Track & Field Championships. Event previews to be posted later today.

For many athletes the opportunity to represent your country and wear the red, white, and blue is a dream. For several Florida speedsters the opportunity could be reality if they are able to finish in the top two at this weekend's USATF Junior National Championships at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Trayvon Bromell, the Gibbs High School alumni, and current Baylor freshman is the top seed in the 100 meter dash and comes in as the NCAA Champion in that event. Class of 2014 sprinter and FSU signee Kendal Williams is the fifth seed in the 100 and second fastest in the 200 meter dash while East Ridge rising junior Kaylin Whitney has the second fastest time in the girl's 100.      

Previews for the women's 3K and men's 5K races slated for Saturday evening at the US Junior Nationals in Eugene.

Preview of the men's and women's 100 meter dash for the 2014 USATF Junior National Outdoor Track & Field Championships, a qualifier for the IAAF World Junior Championships to be held later this month back at Hayward Field in Eugene.