NSAF On-Site: Showalter, Haugh win weight throws on Day 1 of Simplot Games

by Steve Underwood

Photos by Joy Kamani

Meet's own website (schedule, heat sheets, records, past results and much more)


The Simplot Games on Thursday has come to typically feature dominating performances in the weight throw by the Marietta, Ga.-based Throw 1 Deep club and qualifying rounds of the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.  It’s unique in that the weight gets a stage larger here than in almost any other meet, and that you see prelims at distances you see almost nowhere else.  And while T1D came away with another boys’ WT title and a girls’ runner-up spot, Thursday’s session was much more than that.  It was an evening that saw a big PR upset win by Haley Showalter, a sophomore class national record by Kamryn Brinson, an auspicious debut by Cerake Geberkidane that could portend thrills ahead, and the story of a T1D club that endured considerable tribulation to get here and compete at its best.

Showalter, Haugh take weight titles

The upset win and soph national record were the stories of the night – and the travel tribulation arguably played a role.  Coach Mike Judge’s T1D club would typically come here on Wednesday, but due to the winter ice/snow storm in the Southeast this week were forced to depart from Atlanta Thursday for their cross-country journey.  And, after a long, treacherous drive to the airport down I-75, they were very fortunate to get a flight at all.  With the additional drive from Salt Lake to Pocatello, these throwers were fatigued before they started.

So T1D soph Brinson (Marist, Atlanta, GA) was among those in a tough situation.  Coming in with a US#3 56-3 indoor PR and a US#1 58-2.5 outdoor best, she started strong and got a 58-8.75 early (moving her temporarily to US#2).  “My 2nd throw – which I think was my best – felt good, but I felt like I could have done more.  My 3rd throw, I actually hit like 59-60, but I fouled (foot foul), so I was disappointed.”  The PR throw set a national sophomore class record, beating the 57-11 set by T1D’s Patrice Gates in 2008. 

In the fifth round, however, it was Showalter’s time.  Coming off a 55-2.75 best two weeks earlier, she put it all together, hitting a big PR 59-0.  That elevated the Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, CO) junior all the way to #12 all-time and US#2 for the year. 

“I was really hoping to come in and do another PR here at this meet,” she said.  “I was really happy when I threw 59 feet.  It was a great feeling to find out I PR’d by four feet ... It felt really good, my form felt right and the release felt really great.”  Showalter was 2nd in the World Youth Trials hammer last year and 5th in the discus there.  She’s one of the best combo throwers in those two events in the country.

Brinson could not respond in rounds 5 or 6, herself.  “... I got kind of tired.  My first finals throw was all right, then Haley busted one and I was just like, ‘Wow, that throw was amazing.’  I tried to move back up, but I was kind of done at that point.  All of my energy was gone.”

You have to go back to 2005 for the last time a Throw 1 Deep thrower did not win the girls’ weight here. 

On the boys’ side, T1D’s Daniel Haugh -- US#2 indoors (78-5) and the HSR-holder outdoors (82-8) -- still had a large enough gap on the field so there was little question of his prevailing ... but he was not his usual 78 to 82-foot self.  He hit 74-2.25 in the preliminary rounds, but had trouble improving and keeping the throws in the sector on a few of his final throws.  A final foul was measured at about 78-9, though.”

“We had to get up around 4 a.m., so it’s been a long, long day,” Haugh said.  “My back is really hurting right now.”  Haugh has been actually training more with the 35-lb. senior weight, hoping to break T1D alum Davis Fraker’s record there, but will now turn to more 25-lb. training as he preps to meet indoor US#1 Adam Kelly at NBNI.  Haugh was a member of Team NSAF at last June's Caribbean Scholastic Invitational.

Behind Haugh, Washington standouts Brock Eager (Tahoma, Covington, senior) and Joe Ellis (Eastlake, Sammamish, senior ) finished 2nd and 3rd with US#4 69-7 and 66-8.25.  Eager’s throw was a PR, but he clearly wanted more.  “The competition was great ... Daniel Haugh did an amazing job.  I wanted to hit 70, break the mark, but it was a good meet overall.”

Geberkidane PR in 3,200 trials

Geberkidane (Denver East, CO senior) was one of the top national revelations last fall in XC, as he went unbeaten through the NXN Southwest regional, breaking all sorts of course records along the way, and eventually taking 4th in the Finals.  His track PRs of 9:44.63 for 3,200 and 8:51.63 for 3k were pre-breakthrough, of course (2012, actually), so there was little question that he had the potential to come out and run huge again for track this winter and spring.

All that said, his 9:15.38 3,200 in prelims Thursday was still eye-opening (assuming he’s saved plenty for Saturday’s finals).  He had prepped for this with a 4:19.87 mile in the Air Force Open a week earlier.  He’ll face 2013’s returning 2-3 finishers in local star Elijah Armstrong (Pocatello junior) and Conner Mantz (Sky View, UT junior) – who ran more conservative 9:28.12 and 9:27.77 to win their prelims Thursday.  But Armstrong and Mantz have among their extensive credentials a 1-2 finish in last month’s New Balance Boise Invite with US#1-2 two-mile marks of 9:08.60 and 9:09.44.  It should be a barnburner and Ben Saarel’s new 9:00.62 meet record from last year could be in danger.

Also impressing with her dominant 3,200 prelim was 3-time Foot Locker finalist Makena Morley (Bigfork, MT junior), whose 11:02.57 was the fastest by more than 20 seconds.  In the 1,600, the fastest prelims came from defending champ Ricky Faure (Rock Springs, WY senior) with 4:22.65 on the boys’ side and Tabor Scholl (West Grand, CO junior) with 5:04.14 for the girls.  Scholl was 6th last year and will have to watch for defending champ Sarah Feeny (Ogden UT senior), who ran 4:56.26 last year, and Sam McKinnon (Mountain View, ID senior) – who won the New Balance Boise meet with a 4:59.  They cruised through the prelims at 5:06.32 and 5:09.87.

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