National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

Rollins, Porter, US w4x4 capture medals

Eighth in a 9-part series! Keep checking back for the final installment!

2013 IAAF World Champs photos by John Nepolitan | John's NSAF Alums Saturday 0817 Gallery
NSAF file photos (and WC photos of Porter) by Vic Sailer, Photorun.net, for the NSAF

Team USA's Brianna Rollins celebrates her 2013 IAAF WC 100H gold.

On the penultimate day of the 14th IAAF World Championships in Moscow, National Scholastic Athletics Foundation “alums” earned medals of each color: A new American 100m hurdles superstar and her British rival continued stellar campaigns with gold and bronze performances, and Team USA’s women’s 4x400 crew took silver after a hard-fought battle with the host Russians.

There were a dozen athletes with NSAF ties in action Saturday, almost all of them in finals.  The only non-final, the women’s 100H semis, was followed by the final a few hours later.

There have been 100-plus athletes National Scholastic Athletics Foundation “alums” at these championships. The detailed NSAF accomplishments of all of those who began competition during previous days are available on the pages for the following days: August 10 | August 11 | August 12 | August 13 | August 14 | August 15 | August 16.

Rollins’ year-long roll  

When 2013 started, Brianna Rollins was a Clemson redshirt junior with an NCAA indoor 60H title and outdoor 100H runnerup finish from 2012.  Her 12.70 best ranked her #8 on the yearly U.S. list and she also had a wind- and altitude-aided 12.60.  Certainly her NCAA record 7.78 60H this past winter was a harbinger of things to come, but going into the June 5-8 NCAA outdoor meet this year, her 100H PRs were still “just” 12.68 and 12.54w.

Then in the NCAA semis, she blasted to a wind-legal 12.47, suddenly becoming #9 all-time U.S. and taking down another collegiate mark.  Talk quickly generated that she had to now be considered a World Champs contender ... and then came her 12.39 final.

 
2013 IAAF WC women's 100H final: At left, Brianna Rollins outruns Sally Pearson; at right, Tiffany Porter reacts to her bronze medal run.

Rollins was just getting started.  Two weeks later in Des Moines, she dropped a trio of bombs, each one rocketing her further up the U.S. and World lists: 12.33w, 12.30w and finally 12.26 with a legal 1.2, breaking Gail Devers’ 12-year-old AR and moving to #4 all time.  It was the fastest clocking globally since 1992.

Remember, Rollins didn’t even start running the event until she was a senior at Miami Northwestern – and even then she was 8th in the Nike Outdoor 100H and won the 400H.  The global 100H reign of Australian Sally Pearson was in serious trouble, especially because the Australian had struggled this year to get into form while overcoming injuries.  Sure enough, after her 12.54(+0.2w) in the early evening semis, Rollins got a sub-par start in the final but still stormed through to a 12.44(-0.6w) victory, .06 ahead of Pearson’s seasonal best.

   
Nia Ali: 2013 IAAF WC women's 100H final at left, 2006 NON 100H at center. At right, Queen Harrison during the WC 100H final.

A second medal proved elusive for Team USA’s NSAF alums, as Queen Harrison (Clemson, S.C.) took 5th in 12.73 (behind another American, Dawn Harper, who was 4th in 12.59).  Also, Nia Ali (North Hollywood, Calif.) was 3rd in the first semi with 12.83(-0.6w) and did not advance.  Both Harrison and Ali competed in NIN and NON events in 2005-06.

However, another NSAF alum did win a medal behind Rollins and Pearson, but she was wearing the vest of Great Britain.  Tiffany Porter prepped at Ypsilanti (Mich.) HS as Tiffany Ofili, but really became a big star during her collegiate days at U. of Michigan.  Competing for her home country the past few years, she netted 4th in the 2011 Worlds and – after a disappointing 2012 Olympics (missing the final) – she won her semi in 12.63 and hit a PR 12.55 for bronze in the final.

Joining Ali in making a semifinal exit was the fifth NASF 110H qualifier, Lavonne Idlette of the Dominican Republic – 4th behind Ali in SF1 with 12.91.

   
2013 IAAF WC women's 4x4 final: From left, Jessica Beard to Natasha Hastings, Hastings to Ashley Spencer, and Francena McCorory on anchor.

In the women’s 4x400, Team USA had strong designs on the gold medal, with a lineup that included NSAF alums Jessica Beard (College Station, Texas), Natasha Hastings (Locust Grove, Ga.) and Francena McCorory (Hampton, Va.) on the 1-2-4 legs, as well as Ashley Spencer (Indianapolis).

But Russia was fueled by the home crowd and – coming in about even with the Americans on the final exchange – gained ground when Spencer had to cross behind her rival to move from lane one to lane two and get the baton to McCorory.  McCorory made up some of what was lost, but couldn’t pull even or ahead, settling for silver with 3:20.41 to the Russians’ 3:20.19. 

Getting the bronze was Great Britain in 3:22.61, with yet another alum, Shana Cox – an Adidas Outdoor doubler in 2003 while at Holy Trinity (N.Y.) – taking the second leg.

  
2013 IAAF WC women's 5k final: At left, Molly Huddle (with Shannon Rowbury partially obscured); at right, Rowbury.

Enticing distance fans was the women’s 5,000 meters, with Americans Molly Huddle (Providence, R.I.) and Shannon Rowbury (San Francisco), and Australian Jackie Areson all having won NSAF titles in the 2000s.  The Team USA duo ran in the second group behind the eventual medalists most of the race, with Huddle kicking home 6th in 15:05.73 – with Rowbury right behind in 7th with 15:06.10.  The 6-7 finish was the best ever for the U.S.  Areson had an off day and took 15th in 16:08.32.

Finally, in the men’s marathon, Daniel Tapia (Castroville, Calif.) was one of three Americans who finished – placing 27th in 2:18:32.  He prepped at North County HS, where he part of a 4x1 Mile team what was 24th at the 2003 AOC.