Dior Hall & Michael Cherry - NSAF Athletes of the Week
Dior Hall and Michael Cherry are the NSAF Athletes of the Week sponsored by New Balance. Here's why...
DIOR HALL
Dior Hall (Washington, Denver, CO) comes from a long line of Tony Wells-inspired athletes. Tony Wells, the long time coach who passed away last year, created a legacy of greatness in the sprints and hurdles. Dior Hall is part of that legacy.
On Saturday she improved her time as the second fastest high school 60 meter hurdler of all-time, running 8.17 at a meet at the Colorado School of Mines. Only national record holder Jacquelyn Coward has run faster, and that by only .01. That time also equals Coward’s junior class record. (Dior had run 8.19 in winning the New Balance Indoor Nationals last year).
Dior’s mother, Yolanda Johnson is currently #2 all-time at 55 meter hurdles (7.54+). Yolanda, too, was a Tony Wells-coached athlete.
This sets up a showdown at this weekend’s Simplot Games in Pocatello, ID between Dior Hall and Sasha Wallace (Holy Names, Oakland, CA). Dior and Sasha have been swapping national leads in this event all season, with Wallace at 8.24 for the year. That’s #4 all-time. The national record is in serious jeopardy.
MICHAEL CHERRY
Michael Cherry (Oscar Smith, Chesapeake, VA) burst on the scene in a serious way at last year’s New Balance Indoor Nationals. In a field of once-in-a-generation quarter milers, he managed to get third place in the stunning time of 46.88.
He lost to Najee Glass (46.57), Aldrich Bailey (46.59), and beat Arman Hall (47.48). Glass and Hall are now at the University of Florida, and Bailey is running well at Texas A+M.
He has had an outstanding indoor season to date. His 34.10 for 300 meters is #2 US and the fastest, by far, on a flat track. He leads the US in the 400m at 48.08. And, prior to last week, led the US in the 500m, having run 1:03.84 in late December, just off the top 20 all-time.
But, at his district meet, last Monday, he “blasted” a time of 1:02.61, the fourth fastest ever run, and the fastest ever on a flat track.
He has his regional meet this week, and the state meet the week after. The national record is 1:01.68 and he has two “shots” at getting it. There is a good possibility it will happen.
Previous Athletes of the Week
January 21: Sabrina Southerland & Cameron Burrell
January 28: Mary Cain & Braheme Days, Jr.
February 3: Marlon Humphry & Kadeisha Baird
