National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

Medals for 4x4s, putters, but Felix sidelined

Seventh in a 9-part series! Keep checking back for the next 2!

2013 IAAF World Champs photos by John Nepolitan | John's NSAF Alums Friday 0816 Gallery
NSAF file photos (and WC photos of Cox & Forbes) by Vic Sailer, Photorun.net, for the NSAF

 
2013 IAAF WC Team USA 4x4 Gold: David Verburg, LaShawn Merritt, Tony McQuay, Arman Hall at left; Merritt anchoring at right.

If you’re a fan of the 100-plus athletes at this 14th IAAF World Champs who can call themselves National Scholastic Athletics Foundation “alums,” there was plenty to be excited about Friday, including a Team USA men’s 4x400 gold, a pair of men’s shot put medals, and qualifying performances that portend excitement ahead.  But there was also sadness and disappointment as one of the sport’s true global stars went down with an injury with a medal less than 200 meters away.

There were 14 athletes with NSAF ties over five finals on the 7th day of competition, while 19 more were in prelims or semifinals.  Ten of these 33 athletes represent other nations, to boot.  Please note: You can read the detailed NSAF accomplishments of all of the relevant athletes mentioned below who began competition during the previous days of the meet: Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Fast laps, big throws, and a sidelined star

Team USA’s men’s 4x400 crews enjoyed a run of gold medal success from 2004 through 2011 that covered two Olympic Games and four IAAF World Champs.  That was broken in 2012 when the Bahamas defeated them in London.  Tony McQuay and Josh Mance returned from that group, 400 gold medalist LaShawn Merritt was back (he ran on four of those other medal-winning teams), and new blood was added with Arman Hall, David Verburg, and James Harris.  As mentioned in Thursday’s report, five of the six have NSAF ties with Merritt, Hall and Mance having won prep 400 titles.

After they qualified first, the final lineup was set with Verburg, McQuay, Hall and Merritt going in that order.  They were challenged for a stretch, but there was never really any doubt as Team USA prevailed in 2:58.71 – Hall and Merritt both contributing sub-45 legs.  Hall’s achievement is especially impressive as he added to his open 400 and 4x4 World Youth golds from 2011, and his World Junior 400 silver and 4x4 gold from last year.

Edino Steele, also with Foundation ties from the 2004 Adidas Outdoor (AOC) 200 and 400 while at Pacific (Brooklyn, N.Y.) HS, was part of Jamaica’s silver-medal-winning 2:59.88 4x4.

 
2013 IAAF WC men's SP final: Silver medalist Ryan Whiting at left, bronze medalist Dylan Armstrong at right.

In the men’s shot put, the potential was there for NSAF alums to sweep the medals – and it almost happened.  Only David Storl of Germany, in defending his 2011 crown, kept American Ryan Whiting (Port Matilda, Pa.) with 70-9.25 for silver, Canadian Dylan Armstrong with 70-0.25 for bronze and American Reese Hoffa (Athens, Ga.) with 69-3.5 in 4th from a 1-2-3 finish.  Whiting got his first outdoor global championship medal, adding to his 2012 World Indoor gold, and Armstrong’s bronze will find his 2011 WC silver to keep it company.

In their prep days at NSAF meets, Whiting had a victory and three runner-up spots from shot and discus competition in 2003-05, Armstrong set an indoor weight throw record in 1999, and Hoffa placed way back in 1995.  The third Team USA finalist, Cory Martin (Opelika, Ala.) in 9th at 65-11, also threw alongside Whiting in the 2003 adidas Outdoor Champs.

 
2013 IAAF WC women's 200 final: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce leads as Allyson Felix pulls up at left.  At right, brother Wes carries Allyson off the track.

The news wasn’t as good in the women’s 200 final.  Allyson Felix (Santa Clarita, Calif.), the 3-time champ and 2012 Olympic gold medalist – expected to battle 100 gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica for the win – pulled up and collapsed to the track on the curve and had to watch as Fraser-Pryce won in 22.17(-0.3w).  She was diagnosed later with a right medial hamstring tear, obviously preventing her from any relay duties, as well.  Felix was twice runner-up in NSAF events back in 2001.

On the other hand, Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast completed an outstanding championships, capturing the silver behind Fraser-Pryce in 22.32, to go alone with her silver in the 100.  She competed in the Nike Indoor Classic 200 while at Hayfield, Va. in 2004.

The men’s 5,000 final featured three Americans, including NSAF alums Galen Rupp (Portland, Ore.) and Ryan Hill (Raleigh, N.C.).  Rupp, who made two Foundation meet appearances as a prep, was 4th in the previous Saturday’s 10,000 and was reprising the double he tried in London last year (including silver in the 10k).  He settled for 8th in 13:29.87, while Hill – in his first Team USA event – ran in 10th with 13:32.69.  Hill competed in two Nike Outdoor (NON) meets and the Caribbean Scholastic Invite as well.

In the men’s long jump final, American Dwight Phillips (Snellville, Ga.) had the distinction of being the oldest long jump finalist (at 35) in WC history.  The 4-time champ (in seven finals) finished 11th with 25-10.25(+0.3w).  Meanwhile, Jamaican Damar Forbes was one of the younger competitors there, taking 8th with 26-3.75(+0.1w).  Phillips and Forbes both prepped in the Atlanta area, 14 years apart, and scored in NSAF long jumps – with Forbes winning NON in 2009.

Medal hopefuls close in, get rolling

A trio of NSAF middle-distance alums moved on to their respective finals and several others in the women’s 100H and women’s 4x400 advanced from prelims in other Friday action.

In the men’s 1,500 there were five with NSAF ties that were trying to qualify for Sunday’s final and two were successful – including Team USA’s Matt Centrowitz (Portland, Ore.).  Centro, who became a prep legend with his 2007 NON 2-mile win, showed he is ready to try and match or exceed his 2011 World Champs bronze as he was a smooth and impressive 2nd in the fast 2nd semi with 3:35.95. 

Centro’s U.S. teammates weren’t as fortunate, with Lopez Lomong (Beaverton, Ore.) and Leo Manzano (Austin, Texas) both bowing out from the slower SF1 with 3:43.79 (6th) and 3:44.00 (8th), respectively.  Canadian Nate Brannen – the 2001 Nike Indoor 2M runner-up – also made the final with 7th in SF2 in 3:36.59, but New Zealander Nick Willis did not (7th in SF1 with 3:43.80).

 
Brianna Rollins: 2013 IAAF WC women's 100H qualifying at left, 2009 NON 100H at right.

In the women’s 100 hurdles, Team USA’s Brianna Rollins (Clemson, S.C.) has had an extraordinary year, going from Olympic team contender in 2012 (12.70 PR) to American record-holder (12.26) – and in turn becoming the planet’s 3rd fastest woman ever (and quickest in 21 years) and at least the co-favorite for gold here.  Not surprisingly, she advanced out of the qualifying first overall with a 12.55(-0.8w).  As a prep, Rollins was an NON champ in 2009 while a Miami Northwestern senior, but it was in the 400H (1:00.58), not the 100H (where she was 8th). 

Four more NSAF alums made it to the 100H semis.  Team USA’s Queen Harrison (Clemson, S.C.) won H3 in 12.95(-0.5w), and Nia Ali (North Hollywood, Calif.) got through with 4th in H1 at 13.19(-0.5w).  Then Great Britain’s Tiffany Porter impressed with the H4 win in 12.72(-0.4w) and the Dominican Republic’s Lavonne Idlette advanced with 2nd in H5 at 13.06(-0.8w).

Harrison barely tried the 100H as a Hermitage (Henrico, Va.) HS prep.  She was more known as a jumper and long hurdlers and was 2nd in the 2005 NIN triple jump at 39-7.25.  Ali, however, was the NIN 60H champ out of Pleasantville (N.J) HS in 2006 at 8.36 and then was 4th in the NON 100H.  She was 7th in the latter as a junior for West Catholic (Philadelphia).  Porter prepped as Tiffany Ofili at Ypsilanti (Mich.) HS, placing 3rd in the NIN 60H and 6th in the LJ in 2005.  Idlette also got her NSAF colors from the 60H, running in the heats of the 2003 NIN while at Bethel (Hampton, Va.) HS.

The women’s 4x400 qualifying also took place Friday, with Team USA hoping to extend its streak of three straight WC titles.  For their 3:25.18 winning effort (first overall) from H1, the Americans put out a quartet that included NSAF alums Jessica Beard (College Station, Texas), Joanna Atkins (Stone Mountain, Ga.), and Francena McCorory (Hampton, Va.).  McCorory’s accomplishments (including her HSR at the 2006 NIN) have been documented, but Beard racked up three combined NIN and NON 400 titles of her own while at Euclid (Ohio) HS.  In 2006, she was 2nd in the Caribbean Scholastic (CSI) 400, won NON at 52.04, then after a US#1 51.89 at USA Juniors went on to a 5th at World Juniors.  Beard improved to 51.63 as a senior and repeated at NON (52.43), plus won the NIN 400.  Atkins was 5th in that same 2007 NON 400.

   
Shana Cox: 2013 IAAF WC women's 4x4 prelims at left, 2003 AOC at center. Jessica Beard: 2005 AOC at right.

Two more NSAF alums were part of 4x4 units from other countries.  Shana Cox had a stellar prep career at Holy Trinity (N.Y.) which included a 200/400 (23.24/52.94) Adidas Outdoor (AOC) double in 2003, after nearly the same in 2002 when she won the 400 and was 2nd in the 200.  She ran on Great Britain’s 4x400 which won H2 and was 3rd overall.  Trinidad and Tobago’s crew, which was a non-qualifying 5th in H2, included Ramona Modeste – an Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, Md.) from 2003 who ran 2nd in the 2002 NIC 400.

   
Omar Craddock: 2013 IAAF WC men's TJ qualifying at left, 2008 NON TJ at center. Damar Forbes 2013 IAAF WC LJ final at right.

Hoping to follow fellow Florida Gators Christian Taylor and Will Claye on to an international triple jump medal stand, NSAF alum Omar Craddock (Gainesville, Fla.) came to Moscow with them after winning the USATF crown.  His debut didn’t go as hoped, however, as he went 53-9.75(+0.4w) for a non-advancing 18th overall.  Just 22, he has lots of time to get it right.  As a prep at Milburn Academy (Killeen, Texas), in 2007 he won the CSI TJ at 50-1.75, then NON at 50-9.25.  He was previously 6th at the 2008 NIN and 8th at the 2007 NON.

Finally, Team USA veteran Wallace Spearmon (Dallas) – three times a WC medalist(2005 silver, 2007-09 bronze) – repped the NSAF in the first two rounds of the 200.  In qualifying, he was 3rd in H5 with 20.59(-0.6w); in the semis, he ran 20.66(-0.3) for 6th in SF3 and did not advance.  As a Fayetteville (Ark.) prep, he was 5th in the 2003 NIC 200.