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Okoronkwo gets sole nat'l leader, but others "so close" to records, #1s

• US#1 41-4 girls’ triple jump by NSAF Project Triple Jumper Chinne Okoronkwo (Flying AJs/Mountlake Terrace, WA junior), leading a sweep by Project athletes as Saudia James-Heard (Flying AJs/Curtis, WA frosh) and Allyson Weiss (East Ridge, MN frosh) went 2-3 with 39-0.25 and 38-8.  Also, Peyton Russell’s 5th-place finish made it a 1-2-5 finish for the Flying AJs.
• US#2 9:01.04 boys’ 3,200m run by Elijah Armstrong (Pocatello, ID senior), leading wire-to-wire and kicking the final 400 in 61-point to hold off Levi Thomet (Kodiak, AK senior) at US#3 9:02.18.  Armstrong won his first Simplot 3,200 after three straight runner-up finishes and came within less than half a second of the 9:00.62 meet record set by Ben Saarel in 2013.  He was just 1.37 seconds off the national lead.
• US#2 7.40 girls’ 60m dash by LaurenRain Williams (Oaks Christian, CA soph), defeating teammate Miah Webb at 7.58 and coming with .01 of the U.S. lead.  Webb was actually 5th overall as Shayna Yon (Cherokee Trail, CO senior) and Ngozi Musa (Holy Names, WA senior) clocked US#8 7.49 and 7.54 in the 2nd of the 3-section final, and Alexis Groce (George Washington, CO senior) hit 7.56 in the 1st.
• US#2 8.41 girls’ 55m hurdles for Jasmyne Graham (Eleanor Roosevelt, CA senior) – just .02 off the national leader.  She prevailed over Reonna Collier (Vacaville, CA soph) at US#9 8.59.  Graham’s teammate Jaela Williams won the 2nd of the 3-section final at US#7 8.58 to get 2nd overall.  Graham had led qualifying with an 8.55.
• US#2 19-10 girls’ long jump by Tara Davis (Plyometrics Vision/Agoura, CA soph), highlighting a great series for the California indoor champ and winning by more than a foot over Audra Koopman (Ft. Collins, CO soph).  She came within 3.5 inches of the US#1.  Davis was also 4th in the TJ and 5th in the 3rd section of the 60H finals.
• US#2 2:09.73 girls’ 800m run for Kaley Ciluffo (Bettendorf, IA senior), controlling the race to top Sophie Cantine (Speed Unlimited/Lakeside, WA soph) at US#5 2:11.85 and Canadian Ginelle DeMone (Leduc Track/Alberta) at 2:12.36.  NOTE: Ranking does not include oversize track marks, but does include “professional” prep Alexa Efraimson marks.
• 54.05 girls’ 400m run for Canadian Victoria Tachinski (Stride Ahead/Winnipeg, Manitoba), dominating the field.  She would rank #2 among U.S. preps.  Carolyn Wilson (Oaks Christian, CA soph) was 2nd at US#7 55.47.
• US#3 24-3.75 boys’ long jump by Greg Vann (Rio Mesa, CA senior), defeating previously 3rd-ranked Harrison Schrage (Grant, OR junior), who leapt 23-10.25.  Schrage came in with a best of 24-3 from earlier in the season.
• US#3 57-11.75 girls’ weight throw by Haley Showalter (Valor Christian, CO senior), defending her 2014 title despite a tough challenge by Sabrina Gaitan (Throw 1 Deep/Sprayberry, GA senior) at 57-9.  Gaitan’s teammate, Kamryn Brinson (Marist, GA junior) – 2nd in 2014 – was 3rd this time.
• 5-9 girls’ high jump by Britten Duerden (Morgan, UT senior), equaling her US#3 mark from earlier in 2015.  She finished ahead of three others at 5-5 and missed three times going for 5-11 after she’d already won.
• US#4 73-8.5 boys’ weight throw for Tyler Merkley (Los Osos, CA senior), beating Throw 1 Deep teammates Seth Whitener (North Paulding, GA senior) at 73-2 and Kenneth Brinson (Marist, GA senior) at 71-11.  Merkley was also 3rd in the shot put.
• 10:33.25 girls’ 3,200m run – just missing the meet record –for Amelia Mazza-Downie, part of the Australian contingent from the Maribyrnong Club and a 15-year-old “sophomore.”  The time would rank US#4 if she were an American prep.  She pulled away late from defending champ Makena Morley (Bigfork, MT senior), who ran 10:41.94.
• US#5 21.61 boys’ 200m dash (again, not including oversize track marks) by Brandon Hasson (New Image TC/Carson, CA senior).  Hasson won by a big .36 margin and also anchored winning 4x200 (1:27.91) and 4x400 (3:21.27) efforts by New Image.
• US#6 61-6.5 boys’ shot put by Throw 1 Deep’s Isaiah Rogers (Campbell, GA junior), holding off Andre James (Herriman, UT junior), who hit 60-4.75 on his last throw.