Bronxville (N.Y.) incoming junior Mary Cain led from the start and cruised to a victory in the 1,500 meters to win in a meet record of 4 minutes, 14.74 seconds. It was the the No. 2 time ever by a 10th grader in the metric mile.
Photo by Kirby Lee
Mary Cain never had any thoughts about changing her race strategy for the women's 1,500 meters in the USA Junior Track & Field Championships at Indiana University on Sunday.
Mary Cain set a two-second personal
best and was one of six prep athletes
to prevail on Sunday.
Photo by Kirby Lee
The
Bronxville (N.Y.) sophomore led from the start in the age 19-and-under competition to win in 4 minutes, 14.74 seconds for the No. 2 time ever by a 10th grader in the metric mile.
"That's the way that I have been running all season as the pace pusher," Cain said. "I knew no matter what whether it was a win or a loss that it would still be everything that I could put on the table."
Cain broke the meet record of 4:16.98 set by Jordan Hasay of
Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) but just missed Hasay's national record of 4:14.50 set at the 2008 USA Olympic Trials.
Cain, who was a seventh grader at the time, recalls making it a goal to try to come close to the standard by the end of her high school career.
Tyreek Hill completed his sprint
sweep by taking the 200 on Sunday.
Photo by Kirby Lee
"I remember in all the newspapers about that girl with the long hair," Cain said. "I thought `Wow, if I could do that my senior year. It would nice to be close."
Cain has a chance to do what Hasay never did—win medal at the IAAF World Junior Championships. Hasay, who recently completed her junior season at the University of Oregon, finished fourth in 2008 as the highest finish by a U.S. athlete in the women's 1,500.
SEE ALL RESULTS.
The top two finishers in the USA Junior Championships on Sunday earned a berth in the World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain on July 10-15. Cain will be joined by Hannah Meier of
Grosse Pointe South (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) who placed second in 4:18.44. Another prep, Cayla Hatton of Phillips Academy (Andover, Md) finished third in 4:19.31.
Jennifer Madu, who placed second,
in the 100, won the triple jump.
Photo by Kirby Lee
Cain's New York state record time was more than a two-second personal best from her time of 4:16.52 despite running in 90-degree temperature. Cain said Saturday's mark would not have been possible without Hatton, who ran on her shoulder until Cain made a decisive surge with 300 meters to go.
"This is why I race to have the competition," Cain said. "I knew it was going to be hard to do 4:14 on my own. I knew I needed a bunch of girls down my throat and that's what they did."
Cain's triumph was among six victories for preps on the final day of the three-day meet.
The others were Tyreek Hill of
Coffee (Douglas, Ga.) in the 200 meters (20.57), Aldrich Bailey of Timberview,Texas) in the 400 (45.37), Jennifer Madu of
Plano East (Plano, Texas) in the women's triple jump (42-9¾), Darren Fahy of
La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.) in the steeplechase (9:06.83) and Tyler Sorensen
(Torrey Pines-San Diego, Calif.) and Maite Moscosco (
Lake Brantley-Altamonte Springs, Fla.) in the 10,000m race walks with times of 45:35.46 and 54:32.82, respectively.
Darren Fahy, who won the California state 1,600 and 3,200, won here in the steeplechase.
Photo by Kirby Lee
Hill completed a 100-200 sweep with his 20.57 to 20.88 victory in the 200 over Aaron Earnest of LSU. In the 400, Bailey defeated 2011 World Youth champion Arman Hall of
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 45.37 to 45.77.
Kendell Williams didn't win the
heptathlon, but she advanced to
Barcelona and set a junior record.
Photo by Kirby Lee
Madu, who placed second in the 100 on Friday, took over the national high school lead in the triple jump at 42-9¾ with collegian Ciarra Brewer of Florida in second at 42-9. Previous U.S. leader Sasha Wallace of
Holy Names (Oakland, Calif.) in third at 41-8¾.
Kendall Williams of
Kell (Marietta, Ga.) set a junior class record of 5,481 points – No. 4 all time - in placing second in the heptathlon to Erica Bougard of Mississippi State (5,547). Williams, who had second day marks of 20-2½ in the long jump, 94-0 in the javelin, and 2:29.47 in the 800, led through six events before being overtaken by Bougard in the 800 in the final event.
Izaic Yorks of
Lakes (Lakewood, Wash.) and Tori Owers of
Athens Academy (Athens, Ga.) had dramatic finishes to earn a trip to Barcelona in the 1,500 meters and the women's shot put.
Adrich Bailey won the men's 400.
Photo by Kirby Lee
Yorks slipped past collegian Chad Noelle of Oregon at the line, 3:46.67 to 3:46.69 in a race won by Austin Mudd of Wisconsin in 3:46.50. Owers moved into second place on her final throw of 50-4¾ to edge Cassandra Wertman of
Southridge (Huntingburg, Ind.) by a ¼-inch.
Sydney White of East Forsythe (Kernersville, N.C.) finished second in the pole vault at 13-3½. Shayla Sanders of
Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.) and Tristie Johnson of
White (Jacksonville, Fla.) placed third and fourth in the women's 200 in 23.47 and 23.48. California State champion
Ariana Washington of
Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) was fifth in 23.56.
Kendall Baisden of
Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) placed third in the 400 in 52.60 to earn a spot on the 1,600 relay pool. Long jump winner Robin Reynolds of
Jackson (Miami, Fla.) was seventh in 53.87.
Tyreek Hill displays utter elation after winning the 200 in a blazing time of 20.57 seconds.
Photo by Kirby Lee
Torie Owers made the team to Barcelona on her last shot put.
Photo by Kirby Lee
Torie Owers shows just how pumped she was after taking second place by less than an inch on her final shot put.
Photo by Kirby Lee
Kendell Williams landed a spot in Barcelona after taking second in the heptathlon.
Photo by Kirby Lee
