Texas Relays — Jones, Maxwell Keep Climbing Lists
AUSTIN, TEXAS, April 02–04 — With Saturday’s stormy and relatively chilly weather playing a major role, marks in some of the events at the Texas Relays were not at the level fans are accustomed to. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t great competition, as well as a handful of stellar performances and a few jaw-dropping marks.
Andrew Jones (Collins, Spring, Texas) had already established himself as one of the year’s breakout superstars when he ran a shocking 34.94 at Texas A&M’s Bluebonnet Relays last month (No. 2 all-time). Over 110H, he came into Austin with “just” a 13.28 PR. But he left making it clear he’s all about making history there, too.
With better weather in Friday’s prelims, Jones recorded prep history’s first sub-13 clocking, in any conditions, when he rocketed to a 12.97w (2.8). Yes, he had run an assisted 13.01 at the same Bluebonnet meet, but that was with a 6.1 zephyr behind him. 2.8, however, ain’t a zephyr. Later in the day Jones won the 300H in 35.61.
Saturday, despite the worsening weather, Jones came back with nothing less than a legal 13.15 (1.9), second only to Wayne Davis’s long-standing 13.08 HSR from ’08. Jones was good last year, as in 36.09 and 13.41, but folks weren’t prepared for this.
Mariah Maxwell (Atascocita, Humble, Texas) is not competing for her high school this year, so she stepped onto the track in the Invitational 200 and, helped by a 3.8 gust, powered to the No.3 all-conditions time in prep history, 22.25w, beating a mostly collegiate field. Only Allyson Felix and Dana Wilson have gone faster.
“This season has been so crazy,” the Nike Indoor 200 champ and 300 HSR-setter told the Austin American-Statesman. “It’s definitely been a blessing, so it makes me excited for the future.”
The other top marks in the HS events came on the field. CJ Williams (Heritage, Frisco, Texas), who threw a nation-leading 71-6 in the shot indoors, improved his discus PR by more than a foot to 202-9, No. 2 on the U.S. prep list. He also won the shot with 69-2½.
Isaiah Whitaker (Central Catholic, Bloomington, Illinois) and Jaxon Jerabek (IMG, Bradenton, Florida) both cleared 17-11¼ (5.47) — a PR for Jerabek — in a showdown of the nation’s top 2 vaulters, with the former prevailing on misses. The bar went to a lofty 18-5¼ (5.62), but neither could nail it. Long jumper Parker Coes (Morton Ranch, Katy, Texas) already the national leader at 21-3¼ indoors, won by more than a foot at 20-10½.
The meet’s top prep relay mark came from the Lancaster (Texas) girls in the 4 x 200. The squad ran an outdoor HSL 1:34.69, just outside the all-time top 10 in the heats, but did not contest the final.
Florida Relays — Dailey, Doggett Make History
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA, April 3-4 — Camryn Dailey (Home, Raleigh, North Carolina) and Melanie Doggett (Landmark, Fairburn, Georgia) might need another Olympic cycle before they’re ready to compete seriously for Team USA berths, but together they helped redefine the meet’s Olympic Development events.
The 14-year-olds ran 22.73 and 22.80, respectively, in their section of Friday’s OD half-lapper, topping the single-age world best.
The preps really dominated the OD women’s 400, as Taylor-Nicole Overton (Vero Beach, Florida) with 51.64, Ataja Stephane-Vazquez (Southeast Guilford, Greensboro, North Carolina), 51.70, and Nike Indoor champ Kaddel Howard (Cedar Crest, Lebanon, Pennsylvania), 51.72, all went under 52 — uncommon depth, especially in April.
The trio, representing the Nike Elite program, combined with Brooke Lloyd (Summer Creek, Houston, Texas) for a 3:29.71 in an Olympic Development 4×4.
There were also a pair of scorchers in the prep 4 x 200 events, especially on the boys side where Westwood (Blythewood, South Carolina) blasted a 1:22.95, becoming the fourth school under 1:23 and the first not from Texas. Dillard (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) dominated the girls race with a swift 1:35.13 and also ruled the girls 4×8 at 9:00.25.
In the boys’ 4×4, Bullis — which narrowly missed its own HSR indoors — blasted a 3:09.88, just 0.26 shy of that undercover mark. Preston Sangely (Spanish River, Boca Raton, Florida) ran an outdoor HSL 1:49.64 for 800, then was also under 1:50 in anchoring his team to a 7:39.70 4×8.
Miramar Invite — Odey-Jordan Tops 40-Year-Old Mark
MIRAMAR, FLORIDA, April 4 — A quartet of elite prep sprinters from Texas joined the fun during the USATF Tour event at the Ansin Sports Complex and put up some elite marks, including an “HSR.”
Said “HSR” came in the rarely contested (outdoors) 300, where Jake Odey-Jordan (Clemens, Schertz, Texas) ripped a 32.43, finally bumping Henry Thomas (Hawthorne, California) from atop that list after 40 years. The British senior had run 32.64 behind Tate Taylor’s 32.45 HSR indoors back in January.
Speaking of Taylor, he was runner-up in the 100 behind Ackeem Blake’s 9.84w (2.2) with his 9.95. That’s just 0.03 off the legal PR he ran at the USATF Champs last summer and signals a return to his best level after taking “only” 5th and 3rd in the loaded Nike Indoor 60 and 200 dashes last month.
Taylor, Odey-Jordan, Blake Hamilton (Tompkins, Katy, Texas) and Joseph West (Stony Point, Round Rock, Texas) also combined for a 38.56 as the Texas High School All-Stars, a close 3rd behind a Star Athletics squad that included Kenny Bednarek.
Oregon Relays — Swift DMRs for Niwot
EUGENE, OREGON, April 3-4 — The elite Niwot program traveled west from Colorado to compete here, where they’ve contested Nike Outdoor Nationals several times, and authored the two fastest outdoor distance medleys of the year.
The Niwot boys clocked the No. 8 time in prep history with a stellar 9:53.31, completed by Quinn Sullivan’s 4:05.89. Addison Ritzenhein (4:42.27) finished off the girls’ 11:33.51 effort. She had won the girls’ mile the day before in 4:45.73, while Sullivan trailed only teammate Rocco Culpepper in a tight boys race, 4:05.95–4:05.97.
