OMAHA -- 2007 World Youth team member Howard Shepard helped his Texas
Stars club to a scintillating win in the young men's 4x800 relay
Wednesday to cap off the second day of the 42nd USATF National Junior
Olympic Track & Field Championship at Burke High School. Shepard, who
represented Team USA in the 800 at Ostrava last year, teamed up with
Jodale Burkley, Eric Gosset and Sirron Warren to win in 7:37.58, just
over two seconds off the national youth record that has stood since
1981.
Two national youth records fell in multi-event competition, as Stacey
Destin of Boynton Beach, Fla., won the midget girls' pentathlon with
3,412 points, besting the previous record of 3,329 set in 2004 by Shanay
Briscoe. Victoria Powell of Montclair, N.J., set a national youth record
in the bantam girls' triathlon with a score of 1,460 points, 10 better
than the previous standard set in 2007 by Jaela Williams of the Rising
Stars.
The USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships is the
largest and most visible youth athlete developmental program in the
world. The Junior Olympics feature the following age divisions: Bantam
(10 and under), Midget (11-12), Youth (13-14), Intermediate (15-16) and
Young Men/Women (17-18). Entry for this championship is based on athlete
performances at preliminary, Association, and Regional levels of the
2008 USATF Junior Olympic Program.
Oregon's Dakotah Keys (Sweet Home) used strong performances in the
javelin and 1500-meters to wrap up the young men's decathlon gold with
7,204 points, 199 ahead of Albuquerque's Daniel Gooris as both broke the
7000-point barrier.
Running a 4:47.04 in the final 1500-meters, Gunnar Nixon of the Eastside
Steppers edged first-day leader Justin Gross of Randallstown, Md., in
the intermediate boys' decathlon, 5,772 to 5,749. Malik Henry of the Los
Angeles Jets won the bantam boys triathlon with 785 points, while Bailey
Roth of Atlanta, Ga., topped the midget boys' pentathlon standings with
2,373 points.
Heptathlon action saw Missouri's Precious Selmon maintain her first-day
lead in the young women's event to take gold with 4,450 points, and
Lindsay Vollmer took the intermediate title by almost 400 points with
her score of 4,715.
In the race walks, Joshua Haertel of Utah won the intermediate boys'
3000, while Jacob Gunderkline of the Miami Valley TC took top honors in
the young men's 3000. Gunderkline's clubmate Allison Chin won the
intermediate girls' 3000, and Mercedes Mancha of the Elgin Sharks was
golden in the young women's 3000.
Relay wins in the 4x800 went to Team Missouri (young women), So Cal
Running Cougars (intermediate boys), United Stars (intermediate girls),
Heavenly TC (youth boys), Wings of Eagles (youth girls), LA Jets (midget
boys) and PSA Youth Running Club (midget girls).
Competition resumes Thursday at 8 a.m. with the young men's 5000 meters.
For more information and complete results, visit USATF.org.
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