8th Grader Tyrese Cooper: Next U.S. Sprint Star?
8th Grader Tyrese Cooper: Next U.S. Sprint Star?
By: Johanna Gretschel for MileSplit
He may only be in the eighth grade, but Tyrese Cooper is already clocking sprint times that rank him within the national elite for high school athletes. He set meet records in the 100m (10.61), 200m (21.26) and 400m (47.76) at the Florida Middle School State Championships this weekend while racing for Miami Gardens Xpress Track Club.
To put those times in perspective, see below for how his marks compare to the national high school leaderboard:
| EVENT | HIGH SCHOOL US #1 | MARK | HS RANK | FL RANK |
| 100m | 10.32 (Ryan Clark, GA) | 10.61 | US #35 | FL #16 |
| 200m | 20.69 (Michael Norman, CA) | 21.26 | US #16 | FL #8 |
| 400m | 45.91 (Michael Norman, CA) | 47.76 | US #41 | FL #9 |
When compared to marks in the NCAA, we took a look at 2014 marks that qualified for the first round of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships (top 48 times in each region advance to the first round). Tyrese is already knocking on the door...
| EVENT | NCAA EAST #48 | NCAA WEST #48 | TYRESE |
| 100m | 10.42 | 10.45 | 10.61 |
| 200m | 20.95 | 21.04 | 21.26 |
| 400m | 47.09 | 47.12 | 47.76 |
Watch the races below and prepare to be schooled - middle schooled, that is.
WATCH: Tyrese Cooper runs 10.61 100m FL Middle School meet record!
WATCH: Tyrese Cooper runs 21.26 200m FL Middle School meet record!
WATCH: Tyrese Cooper runs 47.76 400m FL Middle School meet record!
Stay tuned for more coverage of this fast-rising star, including a full profile tomorrow as well as photo galleries and more videos from the Florida Middle School State Championship!