Friday sets record in prelims, false starts in finals: BOYS & GIRLS HS 100 METER RECORDS SMASHED ON SAME DAY; GETS WORLD QUALIFIER

By Fred Baer USATF Pacific Media Chair / Writers of America

A pair of national record-breaking “amateur” 100-meter sprinters, Kaylin Whitney and , stole the show from “pro” Mary Cain amid a bit of qualifying drama on the first day of USA Track & Field’s Junior Championships in Eugene, Ore. (July 5).

With berths on the line for the IAAF’s World Junior Championships -- to be held on the same track July 22-27 -- Whitney, from East Ridge (Clermont, Fla.), ran 11.10 seconds in the women’s 100 meters. Friday, from Cherryville, N.C., ran 10.00 in the men’s 100 meters. Both races had aiding winds within the allowable limit (of 2.0 meters per second).

The circumstances were different, however. Whitney, just winding up her high school sophomore season, won the USATF title with her mark.

Friday set his in the prelims – and then false started in the finals.

--Whitney defeated California Interscholastic Federation champion Ariana Washington (Long Beach Poly), who came in as the national season leader at 11.22 (No. 12 all-time) but placed a distant second in 11.30. Angela Williams of Chino, Calif. set the previous record of 11.11 in 1998.

Whitney, whose best during this sophomore year season had been 11.27, was surprised by her mark. “It’s a fast time,” she said. “I mean it’s a national high school record. It’s crazy fast.” Whitney had improved to 11.17 (equal to No. 8 all-time) in the prelims.

“She was just phenomenal,” said Washington, who has already enrolled as a student at Oregon for the summer session. “I’m excited for her and I’m excited for me. I love for Team USA.”

--In the men’s 100 meter trials, Friday bettered the record of 10.01 set by of South Lake (Groveland, Fla.) in 2008 to earn a spot in the evening’s finals – in the lane next to recent World Junior (under age 20) record breaker of Baylor. He ran 9.97 last month. Until this year, no teenager had ever run faster than 10.01.

After the false start, Friday had to watch Bromell cruise to victory in 10.07, ahead of another high school star, Kendal Williams of Stanton (Jacksonville, Fla.), who ran 10.27. Bromell, as a senior last year at Gibbs (St. Petersburg, Fla.) had run a wind-aided 9.99 – the only time a prep runner has bettered 10 seconds under any conditions.

It was a week of highs and lows for Friday, which began with him being named Gatorade’s boys high school athlete of the year. It was also an oddity to have both the girls and boys 100 records fall on the same day in the same meet.

Bromell had encouraging thoughts for Friday, now the No. 2 all-time junior sprinter. “He’s like a little brother to me,” Bromell said. “He’s a great runner and his time will come” Williams, who came in with a personal best of 10.28, also improved, “but I did want to run faster,” he said. “So I am hoping to PR again at World Juniors.”

--Multiple national record holder Cain, who just graduated from Bronxville (N.Y.) High School, won the 3,000 meters in 9 minutes, 15.78 seconds, with Stephanie Jenks of Linn- Mar (Marion, Iowa) second in 9:28.00 Cain had not run that distance this year and needed to run 9:35 or better to make world team.

Top two finishers in each event – who have met the international standard -- qualify for the World Junior Championships, which will be held in the USA for the first time. That meet is the biggest championship event this year for track’s governing body – and its largest ever in the USA.

TOP 3 ALL-TIME HS 1,500 METER RUNNERS WIN CONSECUTIVE RACES: Saturday’s program provided the unique opportunity to watch the top three all-time high school 1,500 meter runners compete in (and win) consecutive races. Elise Cranny of Niwot, Colo., No. 3 at 4:10.95, ran in the first heat of the women’s 1,500 meters and won in 4:35.43. of Camas, Wash., No. 2 at 4:07.05, won the second prelim in 4:38.95. The 3,000 meter finals were next – which Cain won. Cranny and Efraimson were set to duel in Sunday’s 1,500 finale.

ALL-TIME HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS 1,500 METERS PERFORMERS 4:04.62 Mary Cain, Bronxville, N.Y, 2013 4:07.05 Alexa Efraimson, Camas, Wash., 2014 4:10.95 Elise Cranny, Niwot, Colo., 2014 4:14.50 , Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), 2008 4:16.42 Christine Babcock, Woodbridge (Irvine, Calif.), 2008 4:16.6 Kim Gallagher, Upper Dublin (Ft. Washington, Pa.), 1982 4:16.8 Francie Larrieu, Fremont (Sunnyvale, Calif.), 1969 4:16.8 Polly Plumer, University (Irvine, Calif.) 1982 4:17.12 Camile Chapus, Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 2011 4:17.61 Sarah Bowman, Fauquier (Warrenton, Va.) 2005

ALL-TIME GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL 100 METERS PERFORMERS: 11.10 Kaylin Whitney, East Ridge (Clermont, Fla.), 2014 11.11 Angela Williams, Chino, Calif., 1998 11.13 Chandra Cheeseborough, Ribault (Jacksonville), 1976 11.13 Ashley Owens, Liberty (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 2004 11.14 , Thousand Oaks, Calif., 1992 11.16 Gabby Mayo, Southeast (Raleigh, N.C.), 2006 11.16 Victoria Jordan, Dunbar (Ft. Worth, Texas), 2008 11.16 Octavious Freeman, Lake Wales, Fla., 2010 11.17 Wenda Vereen, Trenton Central (Trenton, N.J.), 1983 11.17 Ashton Purvis, St. Elizabeth (Oakland, Calif.), 2010 (Note: Williams ran a wind-aided 10.98 in 1997.)

ALL-TIME BOYS HIGH SCHOOL 100 METERS PERFORMERS: 10.00 Trentavis Friday, Cherryville, N.C., 2014 10.01 Jeff Demps, South Lake (Groveland, Fla.), 2008 10.08 J-Mee Samuels, Mt. Tabor (Winston-Salem, N.C.), 2005 10.13 Derrick Florence, Ball (Galveston, Texas), 1986 10.15 Henry Neal, Greenville, Texas, 1990 10.16 Houston McTear, Baker, Fla., 1976 10.18 Roy Martin, Roosevelt (Dallas), 1985 10.19 Abraham Hall, South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas), 2012 10.19 Tyreek Hill, Coffee County (Douglas, Ga.) 2012 10.20 , Reagan (Austin, Texas) 2002

(Note: Trayvon Bromell of Gibbs (St. Petersburg, Fla.) ran a wind-aided 9.99 in 2013. His best “legal” time was 10.27.)

Source: High School Track 2014, by Jack Shepard.

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AREA NOTES: --University of Washington freshman Colby Gilbert sprinted past a pacesetting Stanford duo over the final 600 meters to win the men’s 5,000 meters in 14:21.46. Jack Keelan finished third and Sam Wharton fifth for the Cardinal. --Cole Walsh of Oregon won the men’s pole vault at 17-6 1/2, with Dylan Duvio of Stanford fifth (16-10 3/4). --State high school 300 meter hurdles champion Reonna Collier of Piedmont Hills, San Jose, the national co-leader in that event, was the No. 3 qualifier for Sunday’s finals in the 400 meter hurdles. The freshman’ s time of 38.61 was the second best by a high school athlete at that distance this season. --Mecca McGlaston of Dublin H.S. qualified fourth in her heat of the women’s 100 meter hurdles in 13.71. --In the men’s 110 meter hurdles, Marquis Morris of De La Salle qualified second in his heat for Sunday’s finals, running 13.73. CIF state champion Misana Viltz of Milikan (Long Beach) qualified seventh overall (13.76). --Stanford’s Thomas Coyle qualified second in his heat for Sunday’s men’s 1,500 meter finals, running 3:52.39. --National leader Nathaniel Moore of Castro Valley H.S., finished fourth in the men’s long jump at 24-8 1/2, won by Travonn White of Central Arizona Community College at 26-4 1/2. Moore is also entered in Sunday’s triple jump, where he is the high school outdoor leader at 50-10 1/4.

For complete results, see usatf.org. #