2008 Golden West Highlights Video - by Doug Speck by Mike Kennedy GWI Coverage Area When you entered the stadium on the campus of Folsom High you just knew it was going to be a different type of day and a different type of track meet—the winds were really blowing. The sprinters would to love it with 15 to 20 mile per hour winds howling down the home straight, but the distance runners would not be to happy. Nevertheless, the conditions made for some very fast times and very exciting performances.
Dangelo Cherry of Mt. Zion (Jonesboro, Ga.), was out of the blocks smoothly in the 100 meters and looked to be well on his way to a vary comfortable win until T.J. Graham of Wakefield (Raleigh, N.C.) put on a burst of speed in the final 30 meters to make it a very close race that was aided by a 2.6 mps wind. Cherry’s winning time of 10.16 ranks equal No. 10 on the all-time all-conditions list. Graham, was second in 10.21 and Diante Mayers of Hug (Reno, Nv.) was third at 10.33. Two hours laters with Cherry chosing to skip the 200 and the winds slowing to zero, Graham took full advantage, running a strong final straight and going on to win in 21.04. Myers was second at 21.18 and Tavaris Tate of Starkville (Ms.), who earlier had won the 400, was third at 21.17.
Candyce McGrone of Warren Central (Indianapolis, In.) and Jessica Davis of Highland (Palmdale, Ca.), who finished second in the State meet, got off fairly even in the Girls 100 but by 40 meteres McGrone, the state 100 and 200 champion, had a clear lead and just contined to pull away for a convincing wind-aided 11.37 win. That matches her seasonal best but no wind gauge was in use in the earlier race. Davis was second in 11.58 and Jacinda Evans of Southern (Durham, N.C.) was third at 11.73. McGrone returned for the 200 and taking advantage of almost ideal running conditions destroyed a qualify field with a time of 23.47 to rank No. 3 in the nation. Davis, the national leader at 23.45, was second in 23.86 and Roneca Nash of East St. Louis (Il.) was third at 24.04. The race was run with a legal aiding wind of 1.1 meters per second.
In a matchup of two of the best 400 runners in the U.S. Ebony Eutsey of Southridge (Miami, Fl.) ran down Lanie Whittaker of Washington (Miami, Fl.), 53.23 to 53.43, to rank as the No. 1 and 3 times in the nation.. Whittaker, one lane inside of Eutsey, had taken a lead down the backstraight and lengthened it on the turn before Eutsey came off the turn with a burst of speed to pass Whittaker. Eutsey was the State 4 A champion and Whittaker was the State 3A champion. The two had met one time before in the Greater Miami Athletic Conference meet with Eutsey winning.
In the boy’s 400, junior Tavaris Tate of Starkville (Ms.), just ate the field alive, winning in a relaxed 46.45, just off his personal best of 46.41, which is the second fastest time in the nation. Christian Taylor of Sandy Creek (Tyrone, Ga.), who is the national leader in the triple jump, was second in 47.94 Amaechi Morton of Riverwood (Atlanta, Ga.) was third at 48.18..
Spencer Adams of Butler (Charlotte, N.C.), the national leader in 110-meter high hurdles at 13.51, took the lead at the start and was never pressed in running 13.66 with a 4.2 meter per second wind, well over the allowable 2.0. meters per second. Aaron Burney of Granite Bay (Ca.), broke 14 second for the first time with a 13.95w and Kyle Spence of Granada (Livermore) was third in 14.04w. Adams came back to win the 300-intermediate hurdles but it was not easy. With a big lead approaching the seventh hurdle Adams balked, and was lucky to get over the hurdle. As a result, Amaechi Morton closed well and with a clean clearance on the eighth hurdle almost caught the North Carolinan Adams, 37.11 to 37.23..
The Girls 100-meter hurdles saw two of the favorites have a rough time. Trinity Wilson, an eithth grader from Oakland (Ca.), who has run 14.21, appeared to have been left in the blocks and Briana Stewart of James Logan (Union City, Ca.) suffered a serious mid-race spill, then amazed by walking away from it. Tenise Brewer of Florin (Sacramento, Ca.) went on to win in 14.25 with Victoria Johnson of James Logan (Union City, Ca.) second at 14.33 and Olivia Amy of Horn (Mesquite, Tx.), third in 14.64. The race was run with a 2.2 meter per second aiding wind.
Jordan Hasay of Mission College Prep (San Luis Obispo), the national leader at 1,500, 3,000 and 3,200, dropped down in distance to the 800 and took control of the race by 300 meters. She had splits of 29.5, 62,2 and 1:36.2 through 600 meter. At that point Justine Fredronic of Carlmont (Belmont, Ca.) make a small move but Hasay regathered herself and pulled away to run a personal best of 2:09.92. Frederic was second in a seasonal best of 2:11.19 and Katie Hoaldridge of Burleson (Tx.) was third at 2:13.93.
Charles White of Cherry Creek (Co.) took the early lead in the 800 at 27.9 and promptly let the pace (along with the rest of the field) dwaddle with of 58.9 and 1:28.9. White then had to watch as Jon Shawel of Troy (Fullerton) pass him in the last 30 meters to record the biggest win of his career, 1:56.05 to 1:56.40. Brad Surh of Carlmont (Belmont, Ca.) was third in 1:56.93. It was the slowest winning time in the 49-year history of the meet dating back to 1960 when Ron Whitney ran 1:54.4.
Dylan Ferris of East Forsyth (Kernersville, N.C.) took the lead after the first, lap passed in 63.8 and then opened up a 20 meter lead only to see defending champ Miles Unterreiner of Gig Harbor (Wa.), Matt Duffey of Mt. Mary’s (Berkeley, Ca.) and James Clark of Canada make it a foursome at 1,200 in 3:10.8. Duffey was soon dropped and coming off the final turn it was a three person race with Ferris holding on over the final sprint to win at 4:13.38, with Unterreiner second in 4:13.41 and Clark third in 4:13.87.
Despite a stiff will blowing down the back straight Corey McGee of Pass Christian (Ms.) had the assistance of a rabbit as she opened with a 2:20.5 first 880 in the Girls mile to build a 50 meter lead. She slowed to 3:39.1 at the 1320 yard point and then had to hold off Sarah Penney of Xavier (Phoenix, Az) for the win, 4:55.42 to 4:55.64. Chloe Curtis of Redondo (Ca.) was third at 5:00.26.
Muhamed Abdalla of Willow Glen (San Jose, Ca.) opened up a lead by as much as 25 meters over the first three laps of the 3,200 and still led at the half-way point, passed in 4:28.6. After that point Trevor Dunbar of Kodiak (Ak.) took the lead and began to pull away from the field only to be reeled in by Rory Tunningley of Lockhart (Tx.) with 300 meters remaining. Tunningley finished in 9:05.10 with Dunbar second in 9:06.41 and Dominick Robinson of Campbell County (Gillette, Wy.), who dropped his personal best from 9:32.0 to 9:07.29, third.. Anastasia Bishton of Mountain Ridge (Glendale, Az.) took the early lead in the Girls 3,200 passing through 1,600 in 5:08.0 and going on to win in 10:28.32. Lindsay Anderson of Benson County (Leeds, N.D.) was second in 10:35.27 and Jennifer Bergman of Valley Christian (SanJose, Ca.) was third at 10:59.19.
In the Men’s field events, Jordan Clark of Bartlett (Anchorage, Ak.), the national leader in the shot put at 71-3, won that event at 64-10 ½ and then came back to take the discus with a personal best of 204-00 to move into equal fifth on the yearly prep national list. Colin Quirke of Los Gatos (Ca.) was second in the shot at 62-2 ¼ (and the only other putter over 57 feet) and also second in the discus at 183-1. Christian Taylor of Sandy Creek (Tyrone, Ga.) won the long jump at 25-1 ¼, winning by more then one foot over Philip Burks of Royal (Simi Valley, Ca.), who jumped 23-10. Taylor also won the triple jump with a sixth round legal effort of 50-11 ½. Sophomore Kasen Covington of Capital (Boise, Id.) was second at 48-4 ¾ and Josh Butler of Demonte Ranch (Reno, Nv.) was third at 47-7.
Nico Weiler of Los Gatos, the two-time California State champion from Germany, was the only vaulter to clear 16-8 ¾. He then asked that the bar be raised to 17-8 ¼ where he had three misses. Riley Egan of St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.) was second at 16-2 ¾ and Blair Wallingford of Roseville (Ca.) was third at 15-9 in a competition that to contend with serious crosswinds. Nick Ross of Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, Ca.) was the only jumper to clear 6-9. Josh Butler of Damonte Ranch (Reno, Nv.) was second at 6-8 and Spencer Patterson of Tigard (Or.) was third at 6-6.
In the Girls field events, junior Alitta Boyd of Moreau Catholic (Hayward, Ca.) won the long jump with a wind-aided 19-6 ½ to edge Jacinda Evans at 19-6 and then came back win the triple jump with a wind-aided jump of 42-00. Freshman Ciarra Brewer of James Logan (Union City, Ca.) was second at 40-0 ¾ and Samantha Nielson of Capital (Boise, Id.) was third at 38-4 ¾. Both marks were wind-aided. In the discus, sophomore Jessica Sharbono of West (Billings, Mt.) scored an upset when she improved here personal best by 15 feet with a winning throw of 157-5 to move into No. 11 on the yearly national list. Freshman Alex Collatz of Stockdale (Bakersfield, Ca.) was just off here personal best of 159-4 with her second place of 156-7. Kayla Korvar of Burroughs (Ridgecrest, Ca.), who has thrown 157-8, was third at 150-5. Elizabeth Stover of Longmont (Co.) won the pole vault at 12-0. Freshman Katherine Zingheim of Granite Bay (Ca.) was second at 11-6 as three other vaulters also cleared that height. J’Lynn Ledesma of Wellington (Ks.), with a best of 5-8, won the high jump at 5-6. Katie Evans of Putnam County (Mo.) won the shotput at 43-10 ¾ with Sarah Bella of Mendham (N.J.) second at 43-5 ¾.
