2016 USATF Junior Outdoor ChampionshipsJun 25, 2016 by Gordon Mack
What We Learned From Day 1 At USATF Juniors
What We Learned From Day 1 At USATF Juniors
By: MileSplit's Johanna GretschelDay 1 of the USATF Jr. Nationals in Clovis, Calif. is in the books. Scroll through the slideshow to see what we learned fro
By: MileSplit's Johanna Gretschel
Day 1 of the USATF Jr. Nationals in Clovis, Calif. is in the books. Scroll through the slideshow to see what we learned from the first day of competition and check out the links below for more coverage.
FULL RESULTS | MILESPLIT INTERVIEWS
Biggest Shock: Fiona O'Keeffe Over Anna Rohrer in 5K
Fiona O'Keeffe has a kick?!" Davis High School head coach Bill Gregg was amazed after watching his star senior out kick Anna Rohrer to win the USATF Jr. Nationals 5K on Friday night, 15:56.84 to 15:57.92.
O'Keeffe's time set a new meet record and ranks No. 6 on the prep all-time list.
Rohrer, who redshirted her freshman outdoor track season at Notre Dame after earning All-American honors in both cross country and the indoor 5K, looked in control of the race with O'Keeffe cruising in second, about 10m to 15m behind.
But in the final 150m, O'Keeffe unleashed the fiercest kick of her career to claim the title and book her ticket to the IAAF World U-20 Championships. After the race, she said she's not sure if she will race in Poland as she needs to talk to her coach at Stanford first. She's also not sure where the kick came from.
Her younger sister, Olivia -- a standout runner in her own right who took third at the CIF State Finals 1600m in 4:48.66 -- tweeted this:
Hill will return for the 200m.
Noah Lyles has not raced since pulling out of the Virginia State Championships with muscle tightness and he said he felt the layover a bit today. The Florida recruit was hoping to run sub-10, but instead settled for 10.20 (+2.5) in the prelims and 10.08 (+2.2) in the finals.
Lyles will not contest the 200m, preferring to rest for the Olympic Trials next week.
Katie Rainsberger did not run in the first round of the 1500m. She is entered in both the 1500m and the 3K and told MileSplit that she would probably pick just one event. Looks like she chose the 3K.
Josephus Lyles sustained a quadricep pull and though he is entered here in both the 100m and 400m, he watched the meet from the stands and will not race again this summer.
The 19-year-old Nike pro won her section of the 1500m tonight in 4:31.49. She ranks No. 4 on the USATF descending order list for the Olympic Trials with her PR of 4:03.39, set last year at the Prefonatine Classic.
Kate Murphy, an Olympic Trials qualifier in the 1500m, will race the 3K tomorrow night. If she makes the 3K team, she will not race the 1500m final on Sunday
Noah Lyles will not race the 200m against Michael Norman after the winning the 100m today in order to prepare for the Olympic Trials. The Florida commit predicts that Norman will break the national high school record of 20.13 tomorrow, but -- "I'll beat him at the Trials!"
With her 54.46 national high school record in the 400m hurdles last weekend, Sydney McLaughlin is starting to look like a strong candidate to make the U.S. Olympic team next week as she ranks No. 4 amongst all American women this year. After winning her prelim in 56.62 tonight, the Union Catholic, N.J. junior said she's taking her competitions one meet at a time. So she's not thinking much about the Trials yet. And, no, she is not thinking about going pro right now. (But... you were wondering, right?)
Day 1 of the USATF Jr. Nationals in Clovis, Calif. is in the books. Scroll through the slideshow to see what we learned from the first day of competition and check out the links below for more coverage.
FULL RESULTS | MILESPLIT INTERVIEWS
Biggest Shock: Fiona O'Keeffe Over Anna Rohrer in 5K
Fiona O'Keeffe has a kick?!" Davis High School head coach Bill Gregg was amazed after watching his star senior out kick Anna Rohrer to win the USATF Jr. Nationals 5K on Friday night, 15:56.84 to 15:57.92. O'Keeffe's time set a new meet record and ranks No. 6 on the prep all-time list.
Rohrer, who redshirted her freshman outdoor track season at Notre Dame after earning All-American honors in both cross country and the indoor 5K, looked in control of the race with O'Keeffe cruising in second, about 10m to 15m behind.
But in the final 150m, O'Keeffe unleashed the fiercest kick of her career to claim the title and book her ticket to the IAAF World U-20 Championships. After the race, she said she's not sure if she will race in Poland as she needs to talk to her coach at Stanford first. She's also not sure where the kick came from.
Her younger sister, Olivia -- a standout runner in her own right who took third at the CIF State Finals 1600m in 4:48.66 -- tweeted this:
It's a late night in California for Fiona O'Keeffe, family & Coach Greggs, but all smiles after 15:56! #USATFjrs pic.twitter.com/RLS2jFvZFR
— MileSplit US (@milesplit) June 25, 2016
100m Favorites Candace Hill, Noah Lyles Win
Seventeen-year-old Candace Hill took home her first national title while competing as a professional athlete in winning the 100m dash on Friday night. She ran 11.09 (+1.9) in the prelims to set a new meet record, though she ran just 11.24 (+1.2) to win the final. Runner-up Jayla Kirkland took second in 11.41 (+1.2)Hill will return for the 200m.
Noah Lyles has not raced since pulling out of the Virginia State Championships with muscle tightness and he said he felt the layover a bit today. The Florida recruit was hoping to run sub-10, but instead settled for 10.20 (+2.5) in the prelims and 10.08 (+2.2) in the finals.
Lyles will not contest the 200m, preferring to rest for the Olympic Trials next week.
Big Names Scratch: Brazier, Rainsberger, Lyles
Donavan Brazier was a no-show in Section 2 of the 800m, which Chantilly, Va. sophomore Brandon McGorty won in 1:49.79. Most of the junior men's competitors were disappointed not to race the NCAA champion, though of course, his absence guarantees someone else a spot in Poland. Carlton Orange of Arkansas ran the fastest time of the prelims in 1:48.18.Katie Rainsberger did not run in the first round of the 1500m. She is entered in both the 1500m and the 3K and told MileSplit that she would probably pick just one event. Looks like she chose the 3K.
Josephus Lyles sustained a quadricep pull and though he is entered here in both the 100m and 400m, he watched the meet from the stands and will not race again this summer.
How Are The Olympic Trials Affecting Top Athletes?
Alexa Efraimson, the top seed in the 1500m, says that if everything goes according to plan and she makes both the IAAF World U-20 team for Poland AND the Olympic team, she will compete at both events as she believes the USATF Juniors, Olympic Trials, IAAF World U-20 Championships and the Olympic Games are perfectly spaced out to perform.The 19-year-old Nike pro won her section of the 1500m tonight in 4:31.49. She ranks No. 4 on the USATF descending order list for the Olympic Trials with her PR of 4:03.39, set last year at the Prefonatine Classic.
Kate Murphy, an Olympic Trials qualifier in the 1500m, will race the 3K tomorrow night. If she makes the 3K team, she will not race the 1500m final on Sunday
Noah Lyles will not race the 200m against Michael Norman after the winning the 100m today in order to prepare for the Olympic Trials. The Florida commit predicts that Norman will break the national high school record of 20.13 tomorrow, but -- "I'll beat him at the Trials!"
With her 54.46 national high school record in the 400m hurdles last weekend, Sydney McLaughlin is starting to look like a strong candidate to make the U.S. Olympic team next week as she ranks No. 4 amongst all American women this year. After winning her prelim in 56.62 tonight, the Union Catholic, N.J. junior said she's taking her competitions one meet at a time. So she's not thinking much about the Trials yet. And, no, she is not thinking about going pro right now. (But... you were wondering, right?)