Junior Kendell Williams of
Kell (Marietta, Ga.) continues to prove she is one of the most talented and versatile track & field performers in the country.
She dominated the 20th Challenge of Champions in Mobile, Ala., and was named girls MVP. She set a meet record in the high jump (5 feet, 10 inches) and just missed one in the 100-meter hurdles (13.64 seconds). The record of 13.60 has stood since 1995.
Williams also surpassed the long jump record with a winning leap of 20-6, but it couldn't count because it was wind-aided. It is the best jump this spring nationally under all conditions.
Kendell Williams, Kell
Photo courtesy of Blane Williams
Ironically, long jump runner-up Quanesha Burks, a junior from
Hartselle (Ala.) who leaped 20 feet, 1/2 inch into a headwind, was credited with a record. The previous standard was 19-7 1/2. She also won the triple jump with a distance of 39-8.
Marlon Humphrey, a sophomore from
Hoover (Ala.), was named boys MVP after winning the 110 hurdles in 14.12 and the 300 hurdles in 37.5. He also ran a leg on the second-place 4x400 relay.
* Seventh-grade sensation Daesha Rogers of
American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) starred during the annual Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla., by winning the 800 race in a personal-best time of 2:09.44. It also is one of the fastest times in the nation this spring.
Jones (Orlando, Fla.) junior Lavonte Whitfield won the 100 in a wind-aided 10.21, but the duel between him and cousin Marvin Bracy of Boone (Orlando, Fla.) never materialized because Bracy false-started.
Ajee' Wilson
Photo courtesy of John Nepolitan
* Junior Edward Cheserek of
St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) ran the eighth-fastest 10,000-meter race in prep history when he finished seventh in 29:42.31 during the Sam Howell Invitational at Princeton University. He was the only high school runner in the field. His time also broke the New Jersey state record of 30:25, which had stood since 1977. Ajee' Wilson of
Neptune (N.J.) took over the 2012 outdoor national lead when she won her heat of the 1,500 in 4:28.59.
* Cayla Hatton of
Phillips Academy (Andover, Mass.) ran what is believed to be the fastest-ever 10,000 meters by a 17-year-old girl when she was timed in 33:17.28 during the Tufts Snowflake Classic. The runner-up was almost 7 minutes behind. She played soccer earlier in her career and her sophomore/junior years of track were plagued by injuries, so she's definitely a late bloomer.
* Stanford recruit Garrett Sweatt of
Edwardsville (Ill.) broke a 40-year-old record when he won the 3,200 in 9:06.07 during the 77th annual Belleville West-Norm Armstrong Invitational. The previous record of 9:11 was set in 1972 by Craig Virgin, later a two-time world champion. He also captured the 1,600 in 4:22.31.
