Project TJ’ers Okoronkwo, Bates triumph at New Balance Boise Indoor NSAF Select Meet!

by Steve Underwood

Chinne Okoronkwo and KeAndre Bates photos by Joy Kamani
Joy Kamani Photos | Meet Site | LIVE RESULTS
 

Team NSAF TJ/LJ HIGHLIGHTS

  • US#4 48-6.75 boys triple jump victory for KeAndre Bates (NSAF/Borges, El Paso, TX senior) over Ja’Mari Ward (NSAF/Cahokia IL soph) 47-9.25.
  • US#5 39-2.25 girls triple jump victory for Chinne Okoronkwo (NSAF/Flying AJ’s WA soph), followed by US#15 37-10 for Nashedah Mumin (NSAF/Mission Oak CA soph).  Also, PR 35-4.5 for Arielle Mack (NSAF/Borges, El Paso TX frosh) in 7th.
  • 19-11.5 girls LJ by Chyna Ries (Speed Denver CO), just off her US#1 20-1.  Second to Okoronkwo with 17-10.75.
  • US#4 23-6.75 boys LJ by Harrison Schrage (Step UR Game/Grant, OR soph), while Ward nipped teammate Bates for 2nd as both spanned 22-8.  Good depth as 7th was 15-9 vaulter Connor McLean (Willamette Striders/Clackamas, OR senior) at 21-11.75.
MORE HIGHLIGHTS
  • US#1 meet record 9:08.60 boys 2M / #5 4:16.02 1M overnight double for Elijah Armstrong (Pocatello HS/TC junior).  US#2-3 finishes in 2M for Conner Mantz (Sky View HS/TC, UT) 9:09.44 and Andrew Rafla (YMCA Team Idaho) 9:10.23.  Mantz and Rafla also followed in the mile at 4:18.25 and 4:18.55.
  • US#1 meet record 24.38 girls 200 for Lauren Rain Williams (West Coast Speed/Long Beach Poly CA frosh), topping the US#4 24.58 by Destiny Smith-Barnett (CATC CA/Skyline, CA junior).
  • 7.47 girls 60 for Hannah Cunliffe (Seattle Speed, Federal Way WA senior) to come from behind and win a close battle with Smith-Barnett US#5 7.51, Ngozi Musa (Seattle Speed/Holy Names, WA junior) 7.58 and Chyna Ries (Speed Denver/Denver East, CO senior) 7.64.  Cunliffe, the US leader at 7.35, had run a meet record 7.44 in Friday’s prelims, with Smith-Barnett (7.54), Ries (7.62) and Williams (7.66) also winning prelim heats.
  • US#2 48-8.25 girls shot put for Ashlie Blake (Liberty, NV senior).
  • US#4 and meet record 1:55.26 boys 800 for Connor Ross (Nevada Experience/McQueen, NV junior), nipping Jordon Wallin (YMCA Team Idaho/Rocky Mtn, ID senior) 1:55.30 (also under meet record).
  • US#7 4:59.25 girls mile win for Sam McKinnon (YMCA Team Idaho).  She and Armstrong earned trips to the New Balance Indoor Games Mile in Boston.
  • US#7 and meet record 49.03 boys 400 for Michael Bluth (Unatt/Riverton, UT junior), who also won Friday's 200 in 22.67.
  • US#7 and meet record 8.08 boys 60H prelim for Connor Bracken (Step UR Game/Lake Oswego, OR senior), who won the final Saturday in 8.10.
  • Meet record 12-5.5 girls pole vault for Laura Taylor (Step UR Game/Tualatin, OR senior), beating super frosh Makayla Linebarger (Raise the Bar PV/Sparks, NV frosh) on misses (also 12-5.5).  Linebarger is the #5 frosh ever, only 1.5 inches from the class record.
  • Meet record 15-9 boys pole vault for Connor McLean (Willamette Striders/Clackamas, OR senior), who was also 2nd in the 60H and 7th in the LJ.
  • Meet record 8.94 girls 60H for KaRa Awakoaiye (CATC/Bishop O'Dowd, CA soph).
  • Meet record 1:42.08 girls 4x200 by CATC.
  • 9:28.78 girls 4x800 for YMCA Team Idaho, winning by nearly a minute.

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