National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

Stories by Jim Spier, Photos by Joy Kamani

Please scroll down as the day goes on...

For immediate results please visit our Facebook page or subscribe to our Twitter feed.  Check out our video interview page.

Discus - Women - Qualifying

Shelbi Vaughan (Legacy, Mansfield, TX) wasted no time, exceeding the automatic qualifier (173-11) on her first attempt, throwing 179-9.  Alex Collatz (USC) also quaified with a 172-5 throw.  The leader was shot put champion Shanice Craft of Great Britain with a throw of 182-11.

110m Hurdles - Women - Round 1
This is a pretty deep field, but Dior Hall (Washington, Denver, CO) and Morgan Snow (Texas) had an easy time in advancing.  Snow won her heat in 13.44, and Hall was a close second in her heat, running 13.45, a yearly best by .01.  The leader was Noemi Zbaren of Switzerland, running 13.34.

10000m Walk - Men - Final
Tyler Sorensen finished 13th in 42:53.60, a yearly best, but well of his personal best.  The winner was Elder Arevalo of Colombia in 40:09.74.

1500m - Women - Semifinals
Mary Cain (Bronxville, NY) ran a very intelligent race, biding her time before making her move with a lap to go.  The leader and ultimate winner, Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) passed 400m at 66.70 with Cain at about 68.  It was 2:14.62 at 800 for Kepyegon and 2:17 for Cain with Cain in 6th.  With a lap to go, Cain began passing all but Kipyegon and Jessica Judd (Great Britain).  Having the auto place (3rd) in hand, she eased up at the end, running 4:14.77, only .03 off her personal best.  The national high school record is 4:14.50 which Cain has a chance of getting in the final.  Hannah Meier (South, Grosse Pointe, MI) did not fare as well, losing contact with the leaders after a lap and a half.  She ran 4:31.20 for 10th in her heat.

High Jump - Women - Qualifying
It was not a good day for the American high jumpers. Maddie Morrow (Hoover, North Canton, OH) cleared 5-8.75 and went out at 5-10.5.   Taylor Burke (Florida) cleared 5-10.5 but went out at 5-11.5.  Seven cleared the auto height of 6-0.5.

3000m Steeplechase - Men - Semifinals
 Eddie Owens (Princeton) improved his personal best and US Junior lead to 8:52.99.  He qualified based on time and finished 9th overall.  Darren Fahy (La Costa Canyon, Carlsbad, CA) has had better days, running 5 seconds off his personal best of 9:03.25 (9:08.69) and finishing 21st.  The leader was Conseslus Kipruto of Kenya (8:19.46).

800m - Men - Qualifying
 Tanner Sork (Union, Camas, WA) was never was a threat in his heat, finishing sixth in 1:50.80, over 2 seconds off his personal best.  (Apparently losing his shoe during the race didn't help).  Shaquille Walker (BYU) ran a gutsy race, but could manage only 4th.  His time was 1:49.55, not far off his personal best of 1:49.39.  However, he was the final time qualifier and will advance.  The fastest qualifier was Jamal Hairane of Qatar at 1:47.61.

Evening Session

4x100m - Women - Semifinals
The U.S. looked good in winning, getting the world junior lead with their 43.95 run.  The team of Morgan Snow (Texas), Kali Davis-White (Anderson, Lauderdale Lake, FL), Jennifer Madu (East, Plano, TX) and Shayla Sanders (Anderson, Lauderdale Lakes, FL) never trailed.  It seemed that the leading sprinters, Dezerea Bryant and Olivia Ekpone, may be being saved for the final as their 200m final is today.   Disaster struck both the Bahamian and Jamaican teams as both did not finish.  They were expected the challenge the Americans for the gold.

4x100 - Men - Semifinals
Japan was nearly flawless in getting the World Junior lead in the first semi, running 39.01.  The U.S team, in winning semi 2, looked good as well.  The team of Cameron Burrell (Ridgeview, Missouri City, TX), Aldrich Bailey (Timberview, Mansfield, TX), Arman Hall (Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, FL) and Arthur Delaney (Oregon) ran 39.25.  Like the women, it appears that Tyreek Hill and Aaron Ernest did not run in order to prepare for the 200m final tonight.  Semi 3 was won by Great Britain with a monster anchor by 100m Champion Adam Gemili.  They rean 39.09, with the US  5th overall going into tomorrow's finals.

Triple Jump - Men - Qualifying
The best the American athletes could manage was 18th for Felix Obi (Franklin, El Paso, TX - 50-8.25 [1.4]) and 23rd for Jarrion Lawson (Liberty Eylau, Texarkana, TX - 49-9.75 [1.4]).  Lawson is the US Junior leader at 51-10.25.  The leader is Latario Collie-Mims of the Bahamas with 54-2.

400m Hurdles - Women - Semifinals
Shamier Little (Lindblom College Prep, Chicago, IL) apparently has a unique hurdling strategy.  Like she did yesterday, she started extremely slowly, last after two hurdles.  Then she gradually increased her speed and, though chopping her steps at hurdle 8 and 9, gained on everyone except the winner to finish 2nd in a near PR of 57.46.  Kaila Barber (Notre Dame) ran a controlled race to win her semi in a PB 57.29 and US Junior lead.  It is also the #3 time among juniors this year in the world.

400m Hurdles - Men - Finals
Like Shamier Little, Eric Futch (Penn Wood, Lansdowne, PA) starts slow and finishes fast.  It seems that he only decides to run after 200 meters.  And run he did.  About 7th at the halfway point, he was 5th at hurdle 8 and 3rd at hurdle 10, then powered down the homestretch to win in a world junior leading time of 50.24, #13 all-time high school. 

High Jump - Men - Final
No Americans here, but a great final with the places determined by misses.  The three medalists all cleared 7-4.25 and all missed at 7-5.  The winner was Andrei Churyla of Belarus, followed by Falk Wendrich of Germany and Ryan Ingraham of Bahamas.
200m - Women - Final
It was going to be tough to beat Anthonique Strachan (Bahamas) and nobody did.  She ran  a meet record and world leading time of 22.53 [0.2].  The Americans did well.  Olivia Ekpone (Texas A+M) came from fourth around the turn to second to nip teammate Dezerea Bryant (Clemson) with both running 23.15.  It was a .03 PR for Ekpone.

400m - Women - Final
A great run for Ashley Spencer (Illinois) who showed why she is the best in the world.  It was the world leading time and meet record - pretty good for someone who didn't run that event in high school.  Amazingly, 2012 New Balance Outdoor Nationals champ, Kadecia Baird (Medgar Evers, Brooklyn, NY/Guyana), finished second in 51.04, #5 all-time high school.  Erica Rucker (South Carolina) also had a great run, finishing third in a PR 51.10.  (She was 6th in the 2011 New Balance Outdoor Nationals 400m, just behind Olivia Ekpone who earlier ran second in the 200m).  Those three 400m times are the top 3 in the world for juniors this year.  Spencer's time is #2 all-time US Junior.  And Erika Rucker's time is #10 all-time US Junior.  Only Sanya Richards has run faster than Spencer as a Junior.  Additionally, she is the only the second American to have won the NCAA championships and World Junior Championship in the same year.  The other is Leshinda Demus.

Heptathlon - Women
Kendell Williams (Kell, Marietta, GA) had an excellent day, PRing in the javelin and 800 meters to finish in 8th with 5578 points.  More importantly, she got the national high school record, breaking that of Shana Woods (Poly, Long Beach, CA) who scored 5533 in 2006.  That is also #6 all-time junior.  Kendell is two-time New Balance Indoor Nationals pentathlon champion (2011 and 2012).  Erica Bougard finished 13th with 5410 points, well off her personal best of 5547

Long Jump - Women - Final
No Americans here as the Brits showed their dominance.  They were 1-2 until the final round when Lena Malkus (Germany) leaped 22-3.25w for the silver, just short of the 22-4.25w jumped earlier by eventual champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Great Britain.  Malkus knocked Jazmin Sawyers (Great Britain) from 2nd to 3rd with her jump, though Sawyer's third place jump of 21-10.75 is the world junior leader.

Javelin - Men - Final
In a great competition, world leader Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad), sitting in second through five rounds, got the win on his final throw, tossing the javelin 258-0.  Braian Toledo (Argentina), who had the lead, had to settle for second with a throw of 252-11.

200m - Men - Final
Julian Forte (Jamaica) had the lead until the final 30 meters at which time he "pulled up".  The next four were very close, with the win going to Delano Williams of Turks and Caicos Islands with a national junior record of 20.48.  It was Aaron Ernest (LSU), the 100m silver medalist, who made a late charge to get 2nd, running  20.53.  He beat teammate Tyreek Hill (Coffee County, Douglas, GA) by .01 who also had the same time as the Pole Karol Zalewski with Hill getting the nod for the bronze.