National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

Gatlin's silver leads NSAF alum army of 30

Second in a 9-part series! Keep checking back for the next 7!

2013 IAAF World Champs photos by John Nepolitan | John's NSAF Alums Sunday 0811 Gallery
NSAF file photos by Vic Sailer, Photorun.net, for the NSAF

  
Justin Gatlin: 2000 FLO at left, 2013 IAAF WCs at right.

Justin Gatlin’s silver medal in Sunday’s men’s 100 meter final, behind the megastar defending champ and current WR-holder Usain Bolt, was the highest finish by a National Scholastic Athletics Foundation “alum” in the second day of IAAF World Championship action in Moscow.

While Ashton Eaton (8,809 pts in the decathlon) and Brittany Reese (23-0) won gold medals for Team USA, there were five other NSAF alums competing in four of the day’s six finals: Gunnar Nixon finished 13th in the decathlon behind Eaton with a PR 8,318 points; Shalane Flanagan, Jordan Hasay and Amy Hastings took 8th, 12th and 14th in the 10,000 meters; and Tim Seaman was 53rd in the 20k racewalk.

In qualifying and semifinal rounds, a whopping 24 more NSAF alums (16 Team USA) were in action, with 20 moving on to the next level.  In total, 74 Team USA athletes here at the Worlds, plus another 21 representing other countries, have competed in NSAF events!

Gatlin earns silver, Nixon PRs, 10k trio solid

Justin Gatlin (Orlando, Fla.) was not quite considered a superstar in prep sprinting when he was third in the NSAF’s Foot Locker Outdoor Champs (FLO) 100 in 2000 while at Woodham (Pensacola, Fla.) HS.  As most fans know, he came into real prominence the following year at Tennessee with his NCAA 10.08 100/20.11w 200 double and a career ensued which has seen highs like a world record 9.85 100 and Olympic gold in 2004, and lows like a doping suspension from 2006-2009.  Sunday’s silver was his second medal since coming back from the suspension, following his London Olympic bronze last year.

In the decathlon, while Eaton was pushing to victory, Gunnar Nixon (Edmond, Okla.) was seeing his position fall all day long from the 2nd spot he occupied after five events to the eventual 13th he finished in his first senior championship meet.  Slippage in the standings was expected, however, since Nixon is so strong on Day 1.  What he was shooting for was some personal bests and raising his PR while staying competitive.  He did get a discus lifetime best, was reasonably close in other events, and accomplished the overall PR with his 8,318.  Not bad for a 20-year-old, who about 2-1/2 years ago was winning his second NSAF indoor pentathlon (New Balance Nationals Indoor) and breaking the national record there (see Saturday story and Elliott Denman profile).

  
Shalane Flanagan: 2013 IAAF World 10k at left, 2000 FLO mile at right.

The 10,000 final featured three NSAF alums: one a dominant American distance star with a 2008 Olympic bronze to her credit, another an experienced pro who made her first Olympic team in 2012, and the third a young former prep megastar and Team USA veteran who was in her first senior global championship.  Shalane Flanagan (Portland, Ore) set the still-standing 10k American record in Beijing in 2008 (30:22.22) when she was 3rd, one of a galaxy of accomplishments for the 3-time Olympian.  She was in her fourth IAAF World Outdoor final here and this time was 8th (31:34.83).  As a prep at Marblehead (Mass.), she was 4th in the 2M and 5th in the mile at the 1999 FLO, then improved to 2nd in the 2000 FLO mile behind Alicia Craig at 4:48.47.

  
Jordan Hasay: 2013 IAAF World 10k at left, 2006 NON 1M at right.

Jordan Hasay (Portland, Ore.) was under the microscope for four amazing years at Mission College Prep (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) and then four more at U. of Oregon.  Her two forays into NSAF competition included a 3rd as a frosh at the 2006 Nike Outdoor Nationals (NON) mile (4:42.27) and a victory in the Nike Indoor Nationals (NIN) 2M as a senior in 2009 (10:10.89).  Hasay’s many prep accomplishments also included a 2007 World Youth 1,500 silver and 2008 World Junior 1,500 4th-place finish.  Sunday, she was 12th (32:17.93) in her first meet at this new level. 

Amy Hastings (Providence, R.I.) was the third American in the 10,000, finishing 14th in 32:51.19 – which followed her 11th in the Olympic 10k last year.  She took 14th in the Adidas Outdoor Champs (AOC) 2M; her rise to this type of level has come mostly in the past three years.

At 41, Tim Seaman (Chula Vista, Calif.) beats even Deena Kastor among Team USA members who basically have prep-to-masters level longevity at a high level.  Back in 1990, Seaman was 4th in the National Scholastic Indoor Champs (NSIC) mile racewalk with 6:47.58.  Since he has won more than 40 national titles and holds eight national records at various distances.  He was 53rd in the 20k RW Saturday, his 5th time at the World Champs.

Hopeful medalists advance to finals

  
Francena McCorory: 2013 IAAF World 400 semis at left, 2005 NON 200 at right.

  
Natasha Hastings: 2013 IAAF World 400 semis at left, 2004 World Junior 400 at right (NSAF file photo).

In the women’s 400H semis, the Team USA duo had fine performances to move through to Monday’s final.  Francena McCorory (Hampton, Va.), in fact, blasted a PR 49.86 to win SF3 and advance 3rd overall, while Natasha Hastings (Atlanta, Ga.) ran a seasonal best 49.94 to net 2nd in SF2 and notch 4th overall.  Their NSAF accomplishments were mentioned in Saturday’s story.

  
Michelle Carter: 2013 IAAF World Shot Put qualifying at left, 2003 AOC discus at right.

Team USA’s best hope in the throws, shot putter Michelle Carter (Dallas, Texas), powered a 64-10 to easily advance to Monday’s final in second overall, trailing only 3-time defending World champ Valarie Adams of New Zealand.  Of course, Carter is one of the all-time NSAF and prep throws greats as well, holder of both the indoor (54-9.5) and outdoor (54-10.75) prep HSRs from her days at Red Oak (Dallas) HS.  That indoor HSR came during her NIC victory in 2003.  Outdoors, she claimed both the 2002 and 2003 AOC shots, as well taking 3rd in the discus both years.  Her prep career also included the 2001 World Youth silver and 2003 Pan Am Junior gold.

Several prelims loaded with past NSAF stars

  
Wayne Davis II: 2013 IAAF World 110H qualifying at left, 2009 NON 110H at right.

No event was more packed with NSAF alums than the qualifying round of the men’s 110H, where no less than eight had competed in the Foundation’s meets – four of them who now represent other nations besides the U.S.A.  That latter group includes Wayne Davis II, the Southeast Raleigh (N.C.) star still at Texas A&M and one of the all-time prep greats.  He captured 2007 and 2009 NON 110H crowns, as well as the 2008 and 2009 NIN 60H titles – setting a HSR 7.60 in the latter.  He also won the World Youth 110H title in 2007 as a soph, the Caribbean Scholastic Invite (CSI) 110H in 2008 and then in his final meet as a senior broke the HSR for the 110s at Pan Am Juniors with 13.08.  Representing Trinidad & Tobago Sunday, he advanced in 9th overall to the semis with 13.38(-0.3w) for 2nd in H2.

Also making the 110H semis after a 4th in H1 was Davis's teammate Mikel Thomas at 13.41(+0.5w).  He was an unremarkable 18th in the 2005 NON 400H, but has obviously improved much since.  Two NSAF’ers who didn’t advance were Eddie Lovett of the Virgin Islands – 6th in H1 with 13.52(+0.5w) and the first man out – and Dwight Thomas of Jamaica, the 2000 FLO 100 champ mentioned yesterday, who did not start.  Lovett was the NON 110H champ (13.61) as a Palm Lakes Beach (West Palm Beach, Fla.) senior in 2010, as well as the national leader at 13.46.

Not surprisingly, all four Americans made it through the first round of the 110H: David Oliver (Kissimmee, Fla.) won H4 (1st overall) with 13.05(-0.6w), 2012 Olympic champ and WR-holder Aries Merritt (Bryan, Texas) took H3 (4th overall) in 13.32(+0.5w), 2011 World Champ and London silver medalist Jason Richardson (Los Angeles) captured H1 (5th overall) with 13.33(+0.5w), and Ryan Wilson (Los Angeles) claimed H2 (8th overall) in 13.37(-0.3w).

Richardson was quite accomplished in NSAF meets while at Cedar Hill (Texas).  He was runner-up in the AOC 110H and 400H in 2003, then in 2004 won the 400H in a U.S.-leading 49.79.  He was also the NIC 60H runnerup as a senior, led the nation at 110H (13.38A) and was #2 at 300H in 36.05.  As for the others, Wilson as a Westerville North (Ohio) senior took 3rd in the 1999 Nike Indoor Classic (NIC) 60H (7.88), then 4th in the FLO 110H (13.70); Merritt was 6th in the AOC 110H (13.93) while a senior at Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) HS; and Oliver’s relatively modest accomplishments as a prep at Denver East (Colo.) included 7th in SF2 of the 2000 NIC 60H.

     
Sarah Brown and Cory McGee: 2013 IAAF World 1500 qualifying at left and right, McGee at 2010 NBNO at center.

The 1,500 was also loaded with NSAF alums repping Team USA.  Defending World Champ Jenny Simpson (Boulder, Colo.) was a close 2nd in H2 at 4:07.16 and 4th overall; sensational prep record-holder Mary Cain (Bronxville, N.Y.) continued her dream season with 6th in H1 in 4:08.21 (13th overall); Sarah Brown (Knoxville, Tenn.) got through with 8th in H3 in 4:09.00 (22nd overall); and Cory McGee (Pass Christian, Miss.) did not advance while running 4:12.33 for 10th in H2.

Cain, of course, is still just a junior at Bronxville and has been in the headlines all year with her record-smashing performances from 800 to 5,000 meters under Coach Alberto Salazar.  During her first two seasons, when she was merely “one of the best ever,” she anchored Bronxville’s winning 4x800 as a frosh and was 5th in the mile at the 2011 New Balance Nationals Outdoor (NBON), then was 2nd the following March to Ajee Wilson in the 2012 New Balance Nationals Indoor (NBNI).

Brown, as Sarah Bowman for Fauquier (Warrenton, Va.) had a stellar NSAF career with some of the truly great victories in Foundation meets during her era.  As a soph in 2003, she was a surprise NIC mile champ indoors, but struggled in that year’s AOC.  As a junior, she didn’t have a good NIC mile, but in the AOC 800 stormed to a 2:04.90 triumph.  Then it all came together during her senior year in 2003 as she won her 2nd NIN mile, was 2nd in the NIN 800, then in the AOC mile in June ran one of history’s great miles to that point with a 4:36.95.

McGee ran six NSAF championship miles (3 indoor, 3 outdoor) during her long prep career as an elite from Pass Christian, contending for the win nearly every time and with a best of 2nd in the 2010 NIN mile.  Simpson, on the other hand, had four fine years at Oviedo (Fla.), but in her three NSAF appearances had a best of just 7th in the 2004 AOC mile as a junior.

Then the women’s 100 prelims sported a trio of NSAF alums from Team USA, plus two more representing other nations.  The top performance came from American English Gardner (Voorhees, N.J.), who won H3 and was the only one under 11 overall at 10.94(-0.5w).  Alexandria Anderson (Austin, Texas) was 2nd in H2 (6th overall) with 11.13(-0.4w), and Octavious Freeman (Lake Wales, Fla.) was 2nd in H1(8th overall) with 11.16(-0.3w). 

Freeman and Anderson both topped the medal stand at NSAF meets.  As soph at Lake Wales in 2009, she was twice NON runner-up behind Chalonda Goodman, but the following year she captured both NBNO titles with an outstanding 11.27/23.24 double.  Finally, she defended the 100 title crown as a senior.  Anderson, while a Morgan Park (Chicago) senior, won the 2005 NON 200 in 23.05, before a US#1 at Juniors and a silver at Pan Am Juniors.  She was previously 6th in the 2003 AOC 200 and 2nd in the 2004 AOC 100.

Gardner’s prep career at Eastern Regional (Voorhees, N.J.) saw her miss her junior year with injuries and didn’t compete in nationals as a senior, but as a frosh in 2007 she was 3rd in the NON 400 (54.00) and as a soph in 2008 2nd in the NON 100 (11.82).

Meanwhile, addition qualifiers to the semis Nigerian Gloria Asumnu (3rd in H4, 15th overall, 11.27, -0.3w) and the Ivory Coast’s Murielle Ahoure (1st in H6, 12th overall, 11.22, -0.6w) also competed in NSAF meets.  Asumnu was the AOC 100 runner-up (11.71) as an Elsik (Houston) senior in 2003, while Ahoure was a non-advancing 2nd in her heat of the NIC 200 in 2004 as a Hayfield (Va.) junior.

  
Arman Hall: 2013 IAAF World 400 qualifying at right, 2011 NBNO 400 at right.

The men’s 400 featured two former NSAF one-lap champs, one from back in 2004 and the other from just two years ago.  LaShawn Merritt (Suffolk, Va.) – the 2009 World Champ and 2007/2011 runnerup – showed readiness with a field-leading 44.92 in H3, while Arman Hall (Pembrook Pines, Fla.) was 5th in H2 (17th overall) with 45.45.  Merritt actually doubled the 200 (20.72) and 400 (45.38) at the 2004 AOC as a Woodrow Wilson (Portsmouth, Va.) senior, before taking the World Junior crown with a US#1 45.25.  He also took the NIC 400 earlier that year in 47.88.

Hall emerged as the nation’s top 400 prep as a St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) junior in 2011, winning NBNO (46.23) then taking the World Youth title (46.01).  As a senior, he was 2nd in the NBNI 200 (21.22) and 4th in the 400.  He would later take the World Junior 400 silver. 

Another NSAF alum is Luguelin Santos of the Dominican Republic, who won H4 in 45.23.  He was 2nd to Hall in the 2011 Caribbean Scholastic Invite (47.29). 

Finally, in the women’s pole vault qualifying, Ireland’s Tori Pena was a non-qualifying 18th at 14-1.25.  She was 14th in the 2006 NIN while a Edison (Fresno, Calif.) HS senior.