Coverage

Kate Niehaus: Nationals Running Journal Jul 24, 2006

At the request of scrunners.com, I am writing a journal about my last two high school races: the two-mile at Nike Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, and the 5000-meter run at Junior Nationals in Indianapolis.

NOW POSTED... three stories on three of PA\'s best and their USATF Juniors experiences... Jun 25, 2006

There were quite a few great performances by PA prep athletes. PennTrackXC.com talked with three about their performances and expereriences in Indianapolis this week. First up was be Chanelle Price, the Easton sophomore who finished 3rd in the 800 in a nation-leading time. That was followed by Liz Costello, the Conestoga senior who took 5th in a big PR in the 1500 in a loaded field; and then by Ryann Krais, the other super soph who simply set a US Sophomore Record in taking 5th in the Pentathlon.

Smith, Criscione Top Florida Finishers at Jr. Nationals Jun 25, 2006

Calvin Smith finished his high school career on a high note with a sweet 200/400 double earning 3rd and 4th place. Former Florida high school distance stars Jeremy Criscione and Bryan Sharkey also put on a nice show. Criscione took 2nd in the 10K, Sharkey earned a 7th place finish in the Steeple.

Interview with Steve Magness Jun 22, 2006

Steve Magness is a native of Klein, Texas and ran for Rice University. Magness talks about his training and other areas of running.

US Junior Nationals Coverage Jun 22, 2006

Quite a few Virginians are participating in this week\'s USATF Junior Nationals and USATF Nationals (seniors) held in Indianapolis, Indiana. Live results of the meet can be found here. We will be giving updates of the performances from Virginians throughout each day of events. Sunday: Keith Moffatt, a former athlete at Menchville High, had an outstanding second place showing in the high jump at a height of 7\'6.50\". Moffatt competes at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Shareese Woods just missed qualifying for the finals of the senior women\'s 200 meter dash at 23.15 in ninth place in the semis. A surprise in Allen Johnson not advancing out of the men\'s 110 meter hurdles at a time of 13.59 to finish 10th overall. In the finals of the women\'s 800 meter run, Nikeya Green took seventh in 2:03.24. and Leslie Treherne finished eighth at 2:03.38. Sheena Johnson became a national runner-up in the 400 meter hurdles with a 53.90 run behind Lashinda Demus (53.07). Saturday: St. Catherine\'s senior Katie Doswell finished 13th in the finals of the junior women\'s 1500 meter run with a time of 4:37.51. University of Richmond\'s Jessica Young finished fourth in the finals of the 400 meter dash finals with a 53.39 clocking. Former Lake Braddock great and 1996 Olympic gold medalist Allen Johnson won his 1st round heat of the 110 meter hurdles in 13.58. Prince George product Shareese Woods qualified out of her preliminary heat of the 200 meter dash in 22.95. NC State star and former Jefferson Forest High athlete Ebony Foster seized the final spot for the finals of the 100 meter hurdles from fellow Virginians and Hampton University teammates Yvette Lewis (13.14) and Kellie Wells (13.29) finishing fourth in the heat at 13.04. Lewis competed at Denbigh and Menchville High School, while Wells starred at James River in Midlothian. Foster later finished eighth in the finals at 13.02. Gar-Field alum Sheena Johnson ran the second fastest time in the semis of the 400 meter hurdles with a 54.09 clocking to finish second in her heat behind favorite Lashinda Demus (53.50). Hampton University alumn James Carter took third in the finals of the men\'s 400 meter hurdles at 48.44. Lashawn Merritt finished just short of winning his first US senior national title in the 400 meter dash as Andrew Rock (44.45) nipped the former World Juniors champion Merritt (44.50) at the line. Former C.D. Hylton High star and current runner at Jemissa Hess competed in her first US Nationals race with the older athletes as she finished 13th in the 1500 meter run finals at 4:28.58. Friday: Menchville\'s Nicole Saunders just missed finishing in the top two with a personal best time of 58.88 in the 400 meter hurdle finals to finish half a second off of second place Eboy Collins (58.31). Great Bridge\'s Mike Morrison had an off day in the junior men\'s pole vault as he was the defending champion in the event, but finished sixth this year with a clearance of 16\'6.75\". Appomattox\'s Trumaine Kelso (also known as Rashad Kelso) ran a swift time of 47.26 in his 400 meter preliminary heat, but was unable to advance onto the next round. University of Richmond\'s Jessica Young set school records in qualifying for the finals of the 400 and 200 meter dash with times of 53.49 and 23.50 in the junior women\'s prelims for the 400 and finals for the 200. Young finished 6th in the 200 meter dash finals and advances onto the next round in the 400 meter dash. Hayfield alumn and currently starring at George Mason University, Murielle Ahoure just missed qualifying to the next round of the junior women\'s 200 meter dash after finishing second in her heat with a 23.81 clocking. In the senior women\'s 100 meter dash, Virginia native Latasha Colander posted a time of 11.44 to finish second in her heat and advance on. Indiana University senior and former Bethel star Ara Towns finished with a time of 11.80 in the same heat. Two former Virginians in Nikeya Green and Leslie Treherne qualified to the finals of the women\'s 800 meter run with times of 2:02.24 for Green and 2:04.77 for Treherne. Thursday: Menchville junior Nicole Saunders kept trucking from her national runner-up performance at NON in the 400 meter hurdles by winning her prelim heat of the 400 meter hurdles at Junior Nationals with a time of 59.46, which is a personal best for Saunders. Saunders\' time is the second fastest with only UCLA\'s Nicole Leach at 57.84 posting a faster time putting Saunders in good position to qualify for Junior Worlds in Beijing, China in tomorrow\'s finals. Booker T. Washington senior and Norfolk State University bound Marlon Woods finished ninth in the high jump at 6\'6.75\". Patrice Potts, a former Brunswick senior star and currently running at Virginia Tech, ran a time of 11.86 in the 100 meter dash prelims, but failed to qualify to the next round. Northside junior Catherine White ran a time of 9:55.80 to finish fourth in the 3000 meter run with Foot Locker Nationals champion Jordan Hasay of California only five seconds ahead of her as the winner at 9:50. In senior action, UVA assistant coach Dawn Cromer (formerly Dawn Cleary) qualified through the women\'s 3K steeple first round with a time of 10:17, while South Lakes alumni Richard Smith, running for Nike, did not make it out of the first round for the men\'s 800 meter run of 1:48.64. In the men\'s 400 meter hurdles, former Petersburg star Terry Thornton, who currently runs for Hampton University qualified for the next round with a time of 50.32, while former Centreville star Rickey Harris (51.32) failed to qualify out of the first round in the event. Former Woodrow Wilson star Lashawn Merritt, running professionally for Nike, won his heat of the 400 meter dash prelims in a time of 45.26. Merritt\'s time is the third fastest among all qualifiers. Severe weather in the area forced delays in the meet to postpone some of the events to later in the week.

6/24 WKND: Costello 5th 1500 | Price 3rd 800 | Regan 3rd PV | Krais 5th Hep, 7th 400H (Leach 1st) Jun 21, 2006

SATURDAY: Liz Costello pulled off a huge PR in taking 5th in a stack 1500, running 4:29.36, which converts to approximately a 4:47.36 Mile. FRIDAY: Last Saturday, Easton sophomore Chanelle Price said if she had someone push her, she could run 2:06. Today she did, chasing two college freshmen to run a 2:06.23 and finish 3rd. In the finals of the 400 Hurdles, Ryann Krais capped her amazing weekend with a 7th place finish. West Catholic grad and UCLA freshman Nicole Leach set a meet record in winning. In the postponed Pole Vault, Easton\'s Lindsay Regan cleared 12-07.50 and finished 3rd. In the Triple Jump, Clarence Smith (Penn State/Coatesville) was 4th, while Eric Jones (Pittsburgh/Gateway) was 10th. Laurel Highlands junior Breehana Jacobs did not advance from the prelims of the 200. Ryann Krais, one day after setting the all-time sophomore class record in the Heptathlon, is in the finals of the 400 Hurdles. In the Triple Jump, Bradford senior Erin Hannon was 13th, and then later took 9th in the High Jump at 5-05.. THURSDAY: It was PR after PR on day one, but on day two, adding the 400 Hurdles open race to the three other closing events of the Heptathlon, Ryann Krais slipped to 4th after the first event of the day, a 17-07 Long Jump, way below her best. That was followed by her first-ever Javelin, where she held her own and dropped just on e more spot to 5th. She then closed out her first Heptathlon with a 2:24.46 in the 800 to finish 5th overall with 5138 point... a US Sophomore Class Record! It also makes her the 16th best prep individual in the event of all time. Oklahoma frosh Amy Backel (Northern York) finished 9th in the Heptathlon. Backel took 4th in the Juniors Javelin, while PA state champ and NON champ Karlee McQuillen of Westmont-Hilltop was 5th. Krais advances to the finals of the 400 Hurdles along with former West Catholic star Nicole Leach who had the fastest qualifer. Central Bucks South grad Duane Hynes, now at Princeton, was in 2nd placw with two events to go in the Decathlon, and Alex Holcombe, Germantown Academy, was in 10th. But in the final event, the 1500, Hynes was beaten by 14 seconds and slipped to third. Holcombe finished 12th, Ryan Fritz (Penn State/Octorara) took 2nd in the High Jump in a jump-off, with former Saint Joseph\'s prep rival Juan Cave, now at Georgia Tech, taking 3rd, also clearing 7-01.50. Pittsburgh\'s Michael Wray (Central, Phil.) took 6th in the 110 Hurdles. In the 100 Dash, Breehana Jacobs of Laurel Highlands, did not advance to the finals. In the 800 Prelims, Easton sophomore Chanelle Price drew the same heat as West Catholic\'s Latavia Thomas and outsprinter her PA rival and the rest of her heat to advance to the finals. In the Shot Put, state champ and NON runner-up Allyn Laughlin, Center, finished 4th. Hempfield\'s Samantha Fetter was 11th. (Photo by Chelo Canion of Vertical Assault)