Posted: June 27, 2004

Athletics: Chock breaks 25-year-old high school record at USA Junior Championships

COLLEGE STATION – Eighteen-year-old Caitlin Chock broke a 25-year-old U.S. high school record and the USA Junior championships record in the women’s 5,000m on day two of competition at the 2004 USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The University of Richmond-bound Chock ran 16 minutes, 10.60 seconds to better the U.S. high school record of 16:13.7 set in 1979 by Mary Shea of Raleigh, N.C., and set a Frank G. Anderson track and field facility record.

“Going into my race, I wanted to get the qualifying time, so I was going to go out kind of strong,” said Chock. “I’m really excited to represent the U.S., I’ve been shooting for this all season, it’s a really big honor.” The 18-year-old Roseville, Calif., native also bettered the USA Junior Championships record of 16:28.60 set in 2003 by Amy Hastings. University of Arkansas’ Sarah Saffa finished second in 17:36.72.

Ashley Owens upset former high school phenom Allyson Felix in the women’s 100m dash. The UNLV-bound Owens ran an 11.12 to secure her spot on the USA World junior squad, while Felix finished in 11.23.

In the men’s decathlon, Tennessee sophomore Chris Helwick swept the last three events and won his first USA Junior Championship, scoring 7358 points. Jangy Addy was second (7102).

Kentucky high school state indoor and outdoor pole vault record holder, Chip Heuser won the men’s pole vault with a clearance of 5.00 meters/16 feet, 4.75 inches. “Each year at Junior Nationals has been stiff, stiff competition. This year is different,” said Heuser. “The pole vault turned into a marathon due to the rain. Everyone was jumping really well last night, this morning we were all kind of dead.

Zach Pollinger was pretty confident entering the men’s 10,000m race walk and finished first in a time of 48 minutes, 22.40 seconds. “I knew I was not going to get a PR because I was just trying to place,” said Pollinger. “I tried to loosen up after two-miles and began to feel pretty confident as I pulled the lap splits down and opened up the gap.” Jared Swehosky of Stayton High School (Ore.) was second with a time of 48:39.57.

Nicholas Brown won the men’s long jump with a mark of 7.42m/24-4.25 followed by the University of Wisconsin’s Paul Hubbard finished second leaping 7.42m/24-4.25 (+2.0 wind). Brown hit his mark on the first jump, then fouled five consecutive times. However, Norris Frederick will represent the U.S., as he made the qualifying standard at the Golden West meet in Sacramento, Calif., June 12. Norris, a freshman at the University of Washington, jumped 7.14m/23-5.25 to finish seventh in today’s competition.

In the men’s 10,000m run, James Hower won in 31:21.13 followed by William & Mary’s Keith Bechtol (31:24.33), and LaSalle University’s Sean Quigley (31:33.58) finishing in third-place.

In the day’s other events, Nicole Leach of Philadelphia, Pa., won the women’s 400m hurdles (58.48) with Christina Smith finishing second in 59.53. In the women’s 800m, LaTavia Thomas placed first with a time of 2:08.11. UCLA sophomore Brandon Johnson won the men’s 400m hurdles with a time of 49.59 seconds, while 2004 NCAA outdoor 400m hurdles champion Kerron Clement finished second in 50.86. 2003 Pan Am Junior 5,000m gold medalist Galen Rupp won the men’s 5,000m, finishing in 14:16.21.

More than 700 of the country’s finest athletes ages 19 and under are competing for the right to represent Team USA at the 2004 IAAF World Junior Championships July 13-18 in Grosseto, Italy.

Competition concludes Sunday.

For more information on the 2004 USA Junior Championships and the Verizon Youth Series, including results and a complete list of the athletes entered in the event, visit the redesigned USATF website at www.usatf.org.

USA Junior Championships Athlete Quotes

June 26, 2004 Day Two

James Howard (19, Marion, Va., Georgetown University junior, Marion Sr. High School) Men’s 10,000m winner: “I knew it was going to be a slow race, it was hot and humid. I went out and I was running sixth and seventh for the first half of the race. I just was relaxing until a mile-and-a-half to go and started to pick it up. I started to kick with about a quarter of a mile to go. I was able to out-kick the other guy in the end.
“Making the World Junior team is a great achievement, it’s a big, personal achievement.”

Caitlin Chock (18, Roseville, Calif., Granite Bay High School, University of Richmond signee), Women’s 5,000m winner: “Going into my race, I wanted to get the qualifying time, so I was going to go out kind of strong and just try to hold on. I was really excited. It’s a really big meet, really exciting. This is always something I’ve been shooting for all season and I’m happy with how it turned out.”
“I’m really excited to represent the U.S. I’ve been shooting for this all season, it’s a really big honor.”

Brian Harris, (19, Hillsboro, Ore., University of Washington sophomore) Men’s Javelin, 2nd place: “I got my best mark on my first throw yesterday (Friday) and after that everything started acting up again. It’s been tough overcoming some injuries (back and shoulder.)
“The weather was good, it was warm enough and the humidity didn’t bother me.”
“(Making Team USA) is one of the most awesome things I’ve ever accomplished. It’s a great opportunity and I think it’ll be a lot of fun.”

Chip Heuser (19, Louisville, Ky., St. Xavier HS, University of Oklahoma Sophomore), Men’s Pole Vault, Winner: “Each year at Junior Nationals has been stiff, stiff competition. This year is different. The pole vault turned into a marathon due to the rain. Everyone was jumping really well last night; this morning we were all kind of dead.
“The U.S. has a great chance of doing well at World’s. We’re going to get the job done. We’re going to bring home some medals.”

Brandon Glenn, (18, Arizona State sophomore, Avondale, AZ, Westview HS) Men’s Pole Vault tie for second place: “It was a tough competition going from two-day competition in the pole vault. It was hard to stay mentally prepared for 4-5 hours. It came down to experience.
“This is something we’ve been aiming towards and training for all season. It feels really good to be on the team.”

Mallory Webb, (19, Fresno State sophomore, Newberg, Oregon, Newberg HS) Women’s Javelin Winner: “It was very exciting. I think I came in ranked first, but I didn’t know how I was going to go out because I had two girls I competed against in high school and one girl that I went to high school with and we are all very close. It was a toss up. I am excited about my performance.”

Kristen Callan, (19, Monroe, NY, Virginia Tech sophomore ), Women’s Hammer Throw winner: “My goal was to come in and get the standard on the first throw. I knew it was good enough to go. I had to control myself once I knew I was going and still throw the next five just as well. I’ve wanted this for a really long time.”

Nicole Leach, (16, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, West Catholic HS) Women’s 400m Hurdles Winner: “I’m relieved now that it’s over. I felt good coming in today. The goal was to make the team, and that’s what I did. I’m very excited.”

Brandon Johnson, (19, Orange, Texas, Orange HS, Sophomore UCLA) Men’s 400m Hurdles Winner: “It feels great. I didn’t do as well as I wanted to at NCAA Outdoors. I knew I had to come out here and redeem myself a little bit. It feels good to come out here and beat him (Kerron Clement, NCAA Champion), but I take nothing away from Kerron. I know on his best day, it would be a tough race. I am extremely excited about going to the World Games.”

Kerron Clement, (18, LaPorte, Texas, LaPorte HS, Sophomore University of Florida) Men’s 400m Hurdles Second Place: “It is my first time to make the national team, and I am really happy to be apart of this team. I am very excited. I would have like to have been able to break earlier and gotten a little faster time, but I am just happy to have qualified. I look better to doing better in Italy.”

LaTavia Thomas, (15, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, West Catholic HS) Women’s 800m Winner: “Winning came as a surprise to me. I didn’t think I could win it, so I am pretty proud. Going into the race I had a lot of nerves. I didn’t think I could do it. I just came out here and tried to do my best.”

Timothy Harris, (18, Miami, Florida, Booker T. Washington H.S.) Men’s 800m Winner: “It means a lot to come out and race against great competition like these guys. To come out with the win makes you feel great. My mindset coming in was to win. I knew I was going to be up against some talent I hadn’t faced all year being from the South way down in Miami. I worked hard enough, and I felt I was coming in here to make a statement and win the race.”

Ashlee Kidd, (18, St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg H.S., Sophomore Georgia Tech) Women’s 400m Dash Winner: “This is my first Junior Nationals Meet. It is great to be able to qualify and win first place. It means a lot to qualify to go to Italy. I get to represent my country and my age group.”

Natasha Hastings, (17, New York City, NY, A. Phillip Randolph H.S., University of South Carolina Signee) Women’s 400m Dash Second Place: “It is exciting to qualify. This will be my fourth Junior National team, so I get a new set of uniforms. I have run faster, but my main goal was to make the team. I am glad I was able to do that.”

LaShawn Merritt, (17, Norfolk, Virginia, Woodrow Wilson H.S., East Carolina Signee) Men’s 400m Dash Winner: “It is a big accomplishment because you have a lot of college freshmen competing against you and people from all over the U.S. You really get to see where you are. Last weekend I won the High School Nationals, so I was coming here knowing I was competing against some of the best in the country. I have never been out of the country so that is something that I am really looking forward to.”

Ashley Owens, (18, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Liberty H.S., UNLV Signee) Women’s 100m Dash Winner: “It didn’t feel any different from any other race. There really wasn’t too much of a difference. I just tried to go out and set a personal best, which I did but the wind made it illegal. It was really cool because people doubt what I can do. It is cool to have qualified for the World Games. I qualified last year. It is cool to be known as “Number One.” I was really glad to see who made the team as well. It should be a lot of fun.”

Allyson Felix, (18, Los Angeles, Calif., L.A. Baptist H.S., Team adidas) Women’s 100m Dash Second Place: “I did decent. I am trying to prepare for the Olympic Trials. I am competing in as many meets as I can. My goal is to make the U.S. Olympic Team in the 200m dash.”

Demi Omole, (18, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Whitefish Bay Dominican H.S., Sophomore University of Wisconsin) Men’s 100m Dash Winner: “I have been looking forward to this meet all year since I found out I was eligible. In prelims I had a horrible race. I got out last, ran a 10.40 and barely ran finals. In the finals, I just came out on top and I am proud of my performance. That trip makes me excited. It is always a good thing to travel abroad. It is my first time to compete internationally. I am going to have a good time and experience and learn a lot.”

Ivory Williams, (19, Beaumont, Texas, Central H.S., Sophomore University of Houston Signee) Men’s 100m Dash Second Place: “I didn’t get out to well and had to hurry. I knew I was probably too late to win first, but it is nice to qualify. It was hard work to make it to the finals.”

Tianna Madison, (18, Elyria, Ohio, Elyria H.S., Sophomore University of Tennesee) Women’s Long Jump Winner: “It is feels really good, especially for the second year in a row. It feels a lot better with a personal record. I jumped my lifetime best today and it feels great. The trip to Italy means a lot because it is the World Championships. There will be a great caliber of athletes there on the world stage. This sets me up for the years to come and trying to make the Olympics in the future.”

Selina Sekulic, (18, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Ocean Lakes H.S., Sophomore Wake Forest) Women’s 3000m Steeplechase Winner: “This is the best I have done at the steeplechase hurdles this season. I had a rough jump on my last hurdle and fell, but I was happy to recover and was confident that I would win. This is the best I have done over this season.”

Amber Harper, (19, Orem, Utah, Sophomore BYU) Women’s 3000m Steeplechase Second Place: “There were a few things that I could change about my technique. It was exciting. I was ready for this race. I am ready for the experience of competing at the World’s since I competed at the World Cross Country Championships.”

Sharon Day, (19, Costa Mesa, Calif., Cal. Poly Slo, Sophomore) Women’s High Jump Winner: “I didn’t do as well as I would like. My goal was to stay clean, but I was missing my second and third jumps. Competing for Team USA is going to be a lot of fun. It will be a good competition with good competitors at an international meet.”

Chris Helwick (19, Greeley, Colo., University of Tennessee sophomore) Men’s Decathlon winner: “My last three events are my strongest. I didn’t start the meet the way I had planned, but I knew that I would pull through in the end. The last three events are when I get the job done. In the beginning, it was my own fault. I had a problem executing in the long jump and high jump.”