National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

Top National Class Performers, Performances

• US#1 (all-conditions) and meet record 44-9.5w(+3.0) girls’ triple jump by NSAF Project Triple Jumper Keturah Orji (Mt. Olive senior).  It was the #7 all-conditions performance in U.S. history by Orji, whose wind-legal PR 44-11 (#2 all-time) was set at the 2013 World Youth Champs.  She was followed by NSAF teammates Chinne Okoronkwo (Mountlake Terrace, WA soph) at 40-7.75(nwi) and Darrielle McQueen (North Florida Christian senior) at 40-7w(+3.1) in 2nd and 3rd, then Megan Meadow (Brentwood Acad., TN junior) was 4th with 40-0(+1.5w).
• US#3 (all-conditions) 25-6.75w(+2.2) boys’ long jump by Ja’Mari Ward (Cahokia, IL soph), an all-conditions soph class HSR!  Ward took just two jumps, as a nagging ankle injury worsened after the big jump.  It was a 1-2 finish for NSAF Project Triple Jumpers as KeAndre Bates (El Paso Burges, TX senior) was 2nd at 24-3.75w(+3.2).  They were followed by Louis Rollins (Shawnee Mission West, KS junior) at 23-11.5w(+2.1) and Trevor Bursach (Lehi, UT senior) at 23-9.5w(+4.6).
• US#1 40.90 girls’ 300m hurdles (#14 all-time) by Tiana Bonds (Centennial, NV senior), who also took 2nd in the 100H with a near-PR 13.52(-1.0w) – all coming a day after a US#2 5,248 heptathlon (see Friday’s highlights)!  She was followed in the 300H by Jasmine Barge (McCluer North, MO junior) at US#9 41.43, Ashley Miller (Cherry Creek, CO soph) at 42.14 and US#4 (41.18 PR) Carly Lester (Rocky Mountain, CO junior) at 42.20.
• US#2 50-9.5(1.5w) triple jump, 6-8.75 high jump boys’ double by NSAF Project Triple Jump’s KeAndre Bates (El Paso Burges, TX senior).  He was also 2nd in the long jump (above) with a  24-3.75w(+3.2).  Bates won the triple jump by more than three feet, but Jalon Monigan again showed he’s another super soph at Cahokia, IL – along with LJ winner Ja’Mari Ward – with his 47-5.25w(+2.3) in 2nd.  Bates won the high jump on misses over Sam Shoultz (Corona del Sol, AZ junior), who also cleared 6-8.75.  Three others cleared 6-6.75. 
• US#3 (all-conditions) 23.00w(+2.2) girls’ 200m dash by Diamond Spaulding (St. Thomas Aquinas, FL junior), beating 100 champ Mikiah Brisco (Baton Rouge Magnet, LA senior) at 23.65 and Janie O’Connor (Zachary, LA frosh) at 23.68.  Running =US#9 23.63(+1.4w) in the previous section to place 2nd overall was Symone Mason (Miami Southridge, FL soph), who in turn beat three others under 24 – including Brittny Ellis (Warren Twp, IL junior) at 23.81.
• US#6 (all-conditions) 20.82(+2.5w) boys’ elite 200m dash by Terrell Smith (Vicksburg, MS senior), topping 300H champ Robert Grant (Brophy Prep, AZ senior) at 21.04 and Corey Dauphine (Port Arthur Memorial, TX junior) at 21.13.
• US#6 17-1 boys’ pole vault by Paulo Benavides (El Paso Franklin, TX senior).  He was trailed on the windy, difficult day by Tommy Dial (Jenks, OK junior) at 16-0.  Clearing 15-6 were Andrew Barlow (Monarch, CO junior) and Jacob Wooten (Tomball Memorial, TX junior), with Barlow 3rd on misses.
• Meet record 2:09.83 girls’ 800m run by Sarah Feeny (Ogden, UT senior).  Behind her were Claire Green (Monarch, CO senior) at 2:14.25, Sydney Badger (Centennial, NV senior) at 2:15.53 and Tabor Scholl (West Grand, CO junior) at 2:15.76.
• 44.60 girls’ 4x100m relay by the Team Louisiana foursome of Janie O’Conner (Zachary frosh), Aleia Hobbs (McMain senior), Shannon Ray (St. Katharine Drexel Prep senior) and Mikiah Brisco (Baton Rouge Magnet senior).  They finished ahead of Colorado at 45.03 and Missouri at 45.27.
• 40.68 boys’ 4x100m relay by the USA All-Star team of Darrion Flowers (Arlington Houston, TX junior), Andre Ewers (Piper, FL senior), Corey Dauphine (Port Arthur Memorial, TX junior) and Terrell Smith (Vicksburg, MS senior).  Coming in 2nd and 3rd were Team Louisiana at 40.77 and Team Texas at 40.90.
• 196-2 discus throw, 63-7  shot put boys’ throws double by Kord Ferguson (Ottawa, KS senior) – who is already US#2 210-3 DT and #2 67-10 SP, winning each with lots of room to spare.  He was followed in the discus by Khalil Davis (Blue Springs, MO junior) at 183-0, with four more over 170 – including US#1 Carlos Davis, Khalil’s brother, at 175-3.  In the shot, Jack Maher (Brentwood, TN senior) was 2nd at 59-5 and Michael Budick (Volcano Vista, NM senior) 3rd at 58-6.75.
• 20-2.5(1.7w) girls’ long jump by Chyna Ries (Denver East, CO senior), who is already US#1 at 20-8.5.  It was her 11th meet over 20 feet this year (at least) and she defended her 2013.  Chinne Okoronkwo (Mountlake Terrace, WA soph) employed a hitch-kick for the first time and improved tremendously, taking 2nd at 19-11w(+2.4).  Schuyler Wood (Putnam City, OK senior) and Jerayah Davis (Kelly Walsh, WY senior) in 3rd and 4th also went over 19 at 19-6.25w(+2.4) and 19-2.75(+1.6w), respectively.
• 36.74 boys’ 300m hurdles by Robert Grant (Brophy Prep, AZ senior), just off his US#1 36.24 PR coming in.  He was also 2nd in the 200 at 21.04w(+2.5) and ran a leg on his state’s 5th-place 4x4 relay.  Grant was followed in the 300H by Norman Grimes (Canyon, TX soph) at 37.23, Tevin Mayfield at 37.85 (Corona del Sol, AZ senior) and Anthony Phelps, Jr. (Deer Valley AZ, senior) at 37.94.
• 53.49 girls’ 400m dash by Kendall Ellis (St. Thomas Aquinas, FL senior), just off her US#3 52.95.  Jasmine Stauffacher-Gray (North Canyon, AZ junior) was 2nd in a PR US#15 54.05 and Brittny Ellis (Warren Twp, IL junior) was 3rd in 54.52.
• US#16 47.01 boys’ 400m dash by Sebastian Feyersinger (McQueen, NV senior), pulling away from Jeffrey Green (Miami Northwestern, FL senior) at 47.21, D’Eante Early (Woodlawn, LA senior) at 47.45 and Terry Brown (Round Rock, TX junior) at 47.55.
• 1:51.24 boys’ 800m run by Charles Jones, Jr. (Cardinal Ritter, MO senior), leading wire-to-wire.  He’s already US#6 at 1:50.19.  He was followed by Connor Ross (McQueen, NV junior) at 1:53.13 and Blake Yount (Smoky Hill, CO junior) at 1:53.67.

Winning despite hampering winds!

• 10.52(-1.7w) boys’ elite 100m dash by Andre Ewers (Piper, FL senior) into a 1.7 headwind.  He was followed by Michael Wells (Cleveland NJROTC, MO senior) at 10.64.  Chris Lewis (Lakeside, LA senior), Darrion Flowers (Arlington Houston, TX junior) and Terrell Smith (Vicksburg, MS senior) claimed the next three spots at 10.68, 10.73 and 10.79, respectively.
• 11.61 girls’ elite 100m dash by Mikiah Brisco (Baton Rouge Magnet, LA senior) into an 0.7 headwind.  It was a 1-2-3 Louisiana finish as Janie O’Connor (Zachary frosh) at 11.73 and Aleia Hobbs (McMain senior) at 11.74 beat the St. Thomas Aquinas, FL duo of Diamond Spaulding at 11.79 and Khalifa St. Fort at 11.86.
• 13.42 girls’ 100m hurdles by Dior Hall (Denver Science Tech/George Washington, CO senior) into a 1.0 headwind.  In 2nd, Tiana Bonds (Centennial, NV senior) nearly beat her PR with a 13.52, while Ashley Miller (Cherry Creek, CO soph) was 3rd at 13.83.
• 14.12 boys’ 110m hurdles by William Session (Belleville East, IL soph), into a 2.1 headwind.  In the closest race of the meet, the next three spots were taken by Texans Amere Lattin (Fort Bend Marshall junior) also at 14.12 and Marcus McWilliams (Pflugerville, TX junior) at 14.13, and Justice Burks (Raytown South, MO senior) at 14.14.
• 149-6 girls’ javelin throw by Keiryn Swenson (Maize, KS junior), just off her US#6 155-2 PR, in poor throwing conditions (strong, swirling wind).  After her, placing 2-3-6-7 were the NSAF Project Javelin’s Katelyn Gochenour (Marian, NE soph) at 142-4, Chrissy Glasmann (Park City, UT junior) at 139-11, Kristen Clark (Ruston, LA senior) at 137-7 and Sophia Rivera (Brentwood, TN soph) at 132-3.  Tarin Strosser (Maple Mountain, UT senior) was 4th at 138-11 and Whitney Fowers (Fremont, UT senior) 5th at 138-1.
• 142-8 girls’ discus throw by the NSAF Project Javelin’s Sophia Rivera (Brentwood, MO soph), winning on her final throw.  She also placed in Friday’s hammer and Saturday’s javelin before fouling out of the shot – with the discus win providing redemption.  She was followed by Cecilya Johnson (Lutheran South, MO junior) at 140-2 and hammer winner Haley Showalter (Valor Christian, CO junior) at 139-7.
• 195-10 boys’ javelin throw by Andrew Henn (Paola, KS senior), with a tight 2-3-4 battle going to Brandon Holden (Provo, UT senior) at 189-8 over Beau Clafton (Piedra Vista, NM senior) at 189-8 and Ty Anderson (Salem Hills senior) at 189-7.
• 3:45.25 girls’ 4x400m relay for Team Missouri’s ‘A’ crew, with the state’s ‘B’ team following at 3:52.06 and Arizona 3rd at 3:52.91.
• 3:17.26 boys’ 4x400m relay for Team Nevada, followed by Louisiana at 3:19.45 and Utah at 3:20.06.

More champions

• 4:56.69 girls’ mile run by Christina Aragon (Billings, MT soph), outlasting Tabor Scholl (WEst Grand, CO junior) at 4:58.61and Lucy Biles (Herriman, UT junior) at 4:58.65.
• 4:20.11 boys’ mile run by Dylan Quisenberry (soph), outkicking Josh Collins (Wasatch, UT junior) at 4:20.68 and Matt Owens (Orem, UT senior) at 4:21.40.
• 12-11.5 girls’ pole vault by Nicole Summersett (Westlake, TX junior), just off her 13-1.5 PR.  In 2nd and 3rd were fellow Texans Shay Petty (St. Mary’s Hall senior) and Elise Machen (El Paso Franklin, TX senior), both at 12-5.5, but with Petty higher on misses.
• 5-8 girls’ high jump by Britten Duerden (Morgan, UT junior), winning in a jumpoff over Latyria Jefferson (DeSoto, TX junior), also at 5-8.  It wasn’t until the bar went back down to 5-7 that the tie was broken with Duerden getting that clearance.  Three others went 5-6, filling the next spots.
• 43-7.25 girls’ shot put by Amarissa Hawker (Herriman, UT junior), out-throwing Alexia Stein (Baldwin, KS junior) at 42-9.5.
• 9:35.73 boys’ 3,200m run by Garek Bielaczyc (Salt Lake City East, UT soph), beating Kai Benedict (McQueen, NV junior) at 9:41.39.
• 11:12.29 girls’ 3,200m run by Kyra Hunsberger (Reno, NV frosh), more than 12 seconds up on Megan Mooney (Horizon, CO soph) at 11:24.56.