THIS YEAR’S BOYS HONOREES are the 50th All-Am team we have chosen. Our HS editors placed prime emphasis on the quality and quantity of performances and on meets that came after the close of the regular prep season, including adidas (AON), New Balance (New Balance), Nike (Nike) and USATF (USATF Junior) outdoor nationals and the Brooks Invitational.
Two athletes earned a pair of No. 1 ratings: Christian Miller (100/200) and Drew Griffith (mile/2M). Ten others scored twice: 100/200—Jayden Wiley (2/5), Zamarii Sanders (4/4); 2M/5000—Daniel Simmons (2/1); 110H & 300/400H—Vance Nilson (4/1); 300/400H & HJ—Jayden Keys (4/3); 300/400H & Dec—Neil Howard (5/3); HJ/LJ—Luke Stradley (3/4) SP/DT—Jackson Cantwell (1/4), Ben Smith (2/1), Benjamin Shue (4/3).
For an explanation of the basic workings of our A-A selection process, check out the sidebar at the end of this story.
Want to know who should be hot in ’25? Just look for those asterisks before the names (*=junior; **=soph; ***=frosh).
Our ’24 teams (# = repeater from ’23).
| 100 METERS | ||
| 1. | CHRISTIAN MILLER # | (Creekside, St. Johns, Florida) |
| 1)Florida Relays, 5)Olympic Trials; 9.93 HSR | ||
| 2. | JADEN WILEY | (Duluth, Georgia) |
| 1)State-7A, 1)USATF Junior; 10.21 | ||
| 3. | *MAURICE GLEATON | (Hughes, Fairburn, Georgia) |
| 1)Hayes, 1)State-6A, 2/2hs)USATF Junior, 1)Nike; 10.25 | ||
| 4. | **ZAMARII SANDERS | (American Heritage, Plantation, Florida) |
| 1)New Balance; 10.27 | ||
| 5. | *BRAYDEN WILLIAMS | (Duncanville, Texas) |
| 6)State, 2)Golden Southwest, 3/3hs)USATF Junior, 3)Nike; 10.14 | ||
A SHORT SEASON didn’t hurt Miller, who ran in only four meets but produced the three fastest legal 100s in history and crowned his season with 5th in the Olympic Trials. His 9.93 will stand as the High School Record. Georgia’s Wiley and Gleaton come next; both were undefeated until Wiley edged Nike champ Gleaton at USATF Juniors. New Balance champ Sanders takes the fourth spot ahead of Williams, who peaked late to win the Junior Olympics in 10.14, the season’s No. 2 time.
| 200 METERS | ||
| 1. | CHRISTIAN MILLER # | (Creekside, St. Johns, Florida) |
| 1)Hayes, 2)SprintElite, 2)MosesLegend; 20.51/20.15w | ||
| 2. | **BRANDON ARRINGTON | (Mt. Miguel, Spring Valley, California) |
| 1)Arcadia, 1)Mt. SAC, 1)State; 20.55 | ||
| 3. | **JAKE ODEY-JORDAN’ | (Carroll, Washington, DC) |
| 1)New Balance; 20.55 | ||
| 4. | **ZAMARII SANDERS | (American Heritage, Plantation, Florida) |
| 1)State, 2)New Balance; 20.50 HSL | ||
| 5. | JADEN WILEY | (Duluth, Georgia) |
| 1)USATF Junior; 20.68 | ||
MAJOR HONORS were hard for the top contenders to come by as many of them focused on other events once the summer hit. Miller ran quite sparingly — just 3 meets — but was unbeaten by high schoolers. No. 2 on the legal list, his windy 20.15 gave a better idea of his skills. Unbeaten Arrington dominated during California’s school season. Odey-Jordan won New Balance and then represented Great Britain internationally, winning bronze at World Juniors. List leader Sanders won the Florida meet, then was 2nd to Odey-Jordan at New Balance. Wiley won USATF Juniors but he was no longer eligible for prep consideration at World Juniors, where he placed 5th.
| 400 METERS | ||
| 1. | **QUINCY WILSON | (Bullis, Potomac, Maryland) |
| 1)Florida Relays, 1)New Balance, 6)Olympic Trials; 44.20 HSR — also 44.66 HSR, 44.59 HSR | ||
| 2. | *SIDI NJIE | (Westlake, Atlanta, Georgia) |
| 6)Arcadia, 2)State, 1)USATF Junior, 3)World Junior; 45.37 | ||
| 3. | ERVIN PEARSON | (Buford, Georgia) |
| 1)State, 4/2hs)USATF Junior; 45.35 | ||
| 4. | MATEO MEDINA | (Elyria, Ohio) |
| 1)State, 2)New Balance; 45.88 | ||
| 5. | *JAYDEN HORTON-MIMS | (Imhotep, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
| 1)Oregon Relays, 1)State; 45.82 | ||
NO QUESTION as to the No. 1 spot here. Wilson rewrote the recordbook in an Olympian season. USATF Junior champ Njie won bronze at World Juniors, the high point of a very consistent season that saw him hit 45.37. Pearson ran undefeated until he lost to Njie at USATF Junior and also had plenty of of sub-46s, including the No. 2 time on the list. Ohio’s Medina lost only to Wilson at New Balance, but was otherwise unbeaten. Horton-Mims went undefeated and grabbed the last spot.
| 800 METERS | ||
| 1. | ***COOPER LUTKENHAUS | (Northwest, Justin, Texas) |
| 1)State, 1)Running Lane, 1)Brooks, 1)Nike; 1:47.58 | ||
| 2. | PATRICK HILBY | (Central Catholic, Aurora, Illinois) |
| 1)Arcadia, 1)State, 2)Brooks, 1)New Balance; 1:47.55 HSL | ||
| 3. | BRENDAN HERGER | (Northville, Michigan) |
| 1)Trials of Miles, 1)State, 2)New Balance; 1:48.08 | ||
| 4. | ETHAN WALTHER | (Salesianum, Wilmington, Delaware) |
| 1)State, 1)MileFest, 8)Brooks, 6)New Balance; 1:49.02 | ||
| 5. | *OWEN POWELL | (Mercer Island, Washington) |
| 1:48.60 | ||
SELDOM DOES a frosh take top honors, but Lutkenhaus was unbeatable, even topping list leader Hilby at Brooks. He and Hilby, the New Balance winner, proved to be at a different level from the competition. Herger ran undefeated until New Balance, where Hilby beat him. Walther was mid-pack at both Brooks and New Balance, but he had a 1:49.02 along with no losses elsewhere. Powell, though not primarily an 800 runner, went undefeated on the way to the Washington state title and produced a fine 1:48.60.
| MILE | ||
| 1. | DREW GRIFFITH | (Butler, Pennsylvania) |
| 1)Penn Relays, 1)State, 1)MileFest, 1)New Balance; 3:57.72 HSL | ||
| 2. | SETH NORDER | (Grand Haven, Michigan) |
| 1)State, 1)Brooks, 1)Nike; 4:01.94 | ||
| 3. | ZACH HILLHOUSE | (Pleasant Grove, Utah) |
| 2)Arcadia, 2)BYU, 3)State, 15)MileFest, 5)Brooks, 2)New Balance; 3:59.62 | ||
| 4. | MARCUS REILLY | (Northbridge, Whitinsville, Massachusetts) |
| 3)Trials of Miles, 2)Brooks, 3)New Balance; 4:01.16 | ||
| 5. | CLAY SHIVELY | (Trinity, Wichita, Kansas) |
| 2)Trials of Miles, 1)State, 2)MileFest, 5 New Balance; 4:00.02 | ||
SO COMPETITIVE was the 4-lapper that this year that a sub-4:00 performer did not make the top 5. It took multiple high placings in big race to make the cut. Griffith was the king of the event, going undefeated and topping the lists. Norder ran undefeated in Michigan and then surprised with wins at both Brooks and Nike. The battle was brutal for the final three spots. Hillhouse had some missteps but broke 4:00 behind Griffith at New Balance. Reilly ran consistently in the big ones and edges Shively.
| 2 MILES | ||
| 1. | DREW GRIFFITH | (Butler, Pennsylvania) |
| 3)Arcadia, 1)State, 1)Brooks; 8:31.46 HSL | ||
| 2. | DANIEL SIMMONS # | (American Fork, Utah) |
| 1)Arcadia, 1)State, 1)New Balance; 8:37.95+ | ||
| 3. | NATHAN NEIL | (Bozeman, Montana) |
| 2)Arcadia, 1)State, 3)Brooks; 8:36.73 | ||
| 4. | PATRICK KOON | (Leon, Tallahassee, Florida) |
| 14)Arcadia, 1)State, 2)Brooks; 8:34.82 | ||
| 5. | RYAN PAJAK | (Ringgold, Monongahela, Pennsylvania) |
| 4)Arcadia, 2)State, 6)Brooks; 8:41.03+ | ||
TWO OF THE GREATEST 8-lap races ever set the scene for these rankings. Simmons went undefeated and beat Griffith at Arcadia, but the Pennsylvanian topped a great Brooks field, setting a 3000 HSR of 7:58.66 en route and the No. 2 ever 2M at 8:31.46. Neil placed high in both big races. Koon had a rough day at Arcadia but rebounded for 2nd at Brooks, becoming No. 6 ever at 8:34.82. Pajak placed well at both Arcadia and Brooks; his State loss was to Griffith.
| 110 HURDLES | ||
| 1. | MASON DOSSETT | (Ridge Point, Missouri City, Texas) |
| 1)Lopez, 1)Texas Relays, 1)State; 13.27 HSL | ||
| 2. | YASHAHYA BROWN | (Washington, Sewell, New Jersey) |
| 1)State, 1)New Balance; 13.43 | ||
| 3. | *LE’EZRA BROWN | (Dudley, Greensboro, North Carolina) |
| 1)State, 1)Nike, 3/1hs)USATF Junior; 13.49 | ||
| 4. | VANCE NILSSON | (Gilbert, Arizona) |
| 1)Arcadia, 1)Chandler, 1)State; 13.39 | ||
| 5. | KARAMOKO SACKO | (Northfield, Denver, Colorado) |
| 2)Arcadia, 1)State, 1)Brooks, fs)New Balance; 13.31 | ||
NO POST-SEASON for Dossett, but he ran undefeated in Texas, racing frequently and topping out at a list-leading 13.27, a time that makes him No. 7 ever. Yashahya Brown won New Balance in 13.52 after winning his state finals in 13.43. Le’Ezra Brown gets credit for two big ones, being the first prep at USATF Juniors before his Nike win. Nilsson beat Brooks winner Sacko at Arcadia. A false start at New Balance cost the Coloradan his chance to move up in the rankings.
| 300/400 HURDLES | ||
| 1. | VANCE NILSSON | (Gilbert, Arizona) |
| 1)Arcadia, 1)State, 1)Golden Southwest, 1)USATF Junior, 1)Nike, 3s)Olympic Trials; 34.83 HSR/49.77 HSL | ||
| 2. | **DAVIAN BOOKER | (Massaponax, Fredericksburg, Virginia) |
| 1)Dogwood, 1)State, 1)New Balance; 36.68/51.92 | ||
| 3. | TYLER TARTER | (Fishers, Indiana) |
| 1)State; 36.17 | ||
| 4. | JAYDEN KEYS | (Tompkins, Katy, Texas) |
| 1)Lopez, 1)State; 36.28 | ||
| 5. | NEIL HOWARD | (Taconic Hills Central, Craryville, New York) |
| 1)Mt. SAC, 1)Loucks, 1)State, 2)Nike; 51.91 | ||
WITH ALL THE POSTSEASON meets now running the 400H, the 300 is perhaps losing its relevance at this level. Nilsson dominated both, breaking the HSR with his 34.83 before winning USATF Junior and Nike crowns. He made it as far as the semis at the Olympic Trials. He was no longer a prep when he won gold at World Juniors. New Balance winner Booker ran undefeated. Tarter and Keys stuck to the 300 distance, Tarter going undefeated and Keys with just one loss. Howard, a decathlete, only lost to Nilsson.
| 4 x 100 RELAY | ||
| 1. | ATASCOCITA | Humble, Texas |
| 1)López, 1)State; 38.92 HSR | ||
| 2. | DUNCANVILLE | Texas |
| 2)López, 1)Texas Relays, 2)State; 39.47 | ||
| 3. | AMERICAN HERITAGE | Plantation, Florida |
| 2)Texas Relays, 1)State; 39.39 | ||
| 4. | NORTH SHORE | Houston, Texas |
| 3)State; 39.79 | ||
| 5. | TOMPKINS | Katy, Texas |
| 3)López, 4)State; 39.85 | ||
THE ONLY SUPERLATIVE needed here is WOW! Prior to this season, the 40-second barrier had only been broken 11 times. This season added 14 more to that list. This became the first year that a team broke 40 and did not make the top 5. Atascosita put together an undefeated campaign and smashed the HSR by 0.84. Duncanville lost only to Atascosita. American Heritage lost to Duncanville at the Texas Relays but hit the No. 2 time in history. Both North Shore and Tompkins only lost to the teams ranked above them.
| 4 x 200 RELAY | ||
| 1. | DUNCANVILLE # | Texas |
| 2)Bluebonnet, 4)López, 1)State; 1:22.25 HSR | ||
| 2. | TOMPKINS | Katy, Texas |
| 2)López, 2)State; 1:22.72 | ||
| 3. | THE WOODLANDS | Texas |
| 4)Bluebonnet, 1)López, 3)State; 1:23.47 | ||
SPEED REIGNED here as well. Duncanville might have lost five races, but came together at State to knock a full second off the HSR with a blazing 1:22.25. Tompkins also broke the old record with a 1:22.72 in that race to easily grab silver. The Woodlands produced the No. 9 performance ever at 1:23.47.
| 4 x 400 RELAY | ||
| 1. | BULLIS | Potomac, Maryland |
| 1)Florida Relays, 3/1us)Penn Relays, 1)New Balance; 3:09.43 HSL | ||
| 2. | ATASCOCITA | Humble, Texas |
| 1)Bluebonnet, 1)López, 1)State; 3:10.26 | ||
| 3. | WILSON | Long Beach, California |
| 2)Texas Relays, 1)Oregon Relays, 1)State; 3:12.54 | ||
| 4. | NORTHWESTERN | Miami, Florida |
| 2)Florida Relays, 1)State; 3:11.93 | ||
| 5. | CORNER CANYON | Draper, Utah |
| 1)BYU, 1)State; 3:12.49 | ||
NATIONAL LEADER Bullis produced the two fastest times. The only loss came with a dropped baton at the Penn Relays, and even then wunderkind Quincy Wilson almost nailed the win. Undefeated Atascocita won the Texas 6A title. State. With few of the top teams racing in the post-season, state wins became crucial. California champion Wilson traveled to Oregon and Texas and ended up with a 3:12.54. Florida champ Northwestern hit 3:11.93, and Utah champ Corner Canyon ran 3:12.49.
| 4 x 800 RELAY | ||
| 1. | AMERICAN FORK | Utah |
| 1)BYU, 1)State, 2)Nike; 7:31.57 HSL | ||
| 2. | WESTFIELD | New Jersey |
| 1)New Balance; 7:36.26 | ||
| 3. | HERRIMAN | Utah |
| 2)BYU, 2)State; 7:34.58 | ||
| 4. | NORTHVILLE # | Michigan |
| 1)State, 2)New Balance; 7:37.01 | ||
| 5. | NORTH | Bloomington, Indiana |
| 1)State, 3)New Balance; 7:38.02 | ||
THOUGH TAKING a loss at Nike, where American Fork did not include Daniel Simmons, the team moved to No. 6 all-time with its list-leading 7:31.57. Undefeated Westfield grabbed the No. 2 spot with its New Balance win. Herriman lost twice to American Fork but had the times — topped by a 7:34.58 — to stay above New Balance runner-up Northville, the Michigan champions, and 3rd-placed Bloomington North, the Indiana titlists.
| SPRINT MEDLEY | ||
| 1. | MCNAMARA | Forestville, Maryland |
| 1)New Balance; 3:23.62 HSL | ||
| 2. | CINCO RANCH | Katy, Texas |
| 1)Texas Relays; 3:24.61 | ||
| 3. | ANKENY | Iowa |
| 2)Drake Relays, 1)State; 3:24.56 | ||
NO DRAMA HERE as the nation’s top three times took the top three places. Bishop McNamara led the list at 3:23.62 with its New Balance victory. Cinco Ranch moved ahead of Ankeny with a better slate of times and an undefeated record, as the Iowa school lost at Drake.
| DISTANCE MEDLEY | ||
| 1. | CRATER # | Central Point, Oregon |
| 1)New Balance; 9:44.30 HSR | ||
| 2. | RIDGEFIELD # | Connecticut |
| 2)New Balance; 9:44.44 | ||
| 3. | WESTFIELD | New Jersey |
| 2)Penn Relays, 3)New Balance; 9:50.11 | ||
ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT here as Crater broke the HSR with its 9:44.30 to win the New Balance title. Ridgefield, runner-up in that race, also bettered the old record with its 9:44.44. Westfield ran the No. 4 time in history that day, a 9:50.11, but finished just 3rd.
| HIGH JUMP | ||
| 1. | SCOTTIE VINES | (De Beque, Colorado) |
| 1)Texas Relays, 1)State, 1)USATF Junior, 1)Nike; 7-4¼ HSL | ||
| 2. | KHALIL ANTOINE | (Hillhouse, New Haven, Connecticut) |
| 1)Penn Relays, 1)New Balance; 7-2¼ | ||
| 3. | LUKE STRADLEY | (Etowah, Woodstock, Georgia) |
| 1)State, 6/2hs)USATF Junior; 7-0 | ||
| 4. | DESHAWN BANKS | (Birmingham, Van Nuys, California) |
| 1)Arcadia, 1)Mt. SAC, 1)State, 8/3hs)USATF Junior; 7-¼ / 7-½i | ||
| 5. | CHRISTIAN BUSH | (Bear Lake, Montpelier, Idaho) |
| 1)State; 7-1½ | ||
IN A CLASS by himself, Vines won everything in sight until he made it to the Olympic Trials final, where he no-heighted. (He also won World Junior gold but was no longer a prep at that point.) Antoine didn’t get to many of the big meets, but he made them count, winning Penn Relays and New Balance. Stradley was the second prep (behind Vines) at USATF Juniors, and just barely manages to stay ahead of Mt. SAC winner Banks, who competed often and well. Bush had just one big leap, impressing at the Idaho State finals.
| POLE VAULT | ||
| 1. | **VICTOR OLESEN | (St. Christopher’s, Richmond, Virginia) |
| 1)Penn Relays, 1)Dogwood, 1)State, 1)USATF Junior, 1)Nike; 17-9½ HSL | ||
| 2. | BRYCE BARKDULL # | (Central, Andover, Kansas) |
| =2)Texas Relays, 1)Kansas Relays, 1)State, 2/2hs)USATF Junior, =2)Nike; 17-9 | ||
| 3. | PAUL MIGAS | (Lakes, Lake Villa, Illinois) |
| 1)Texas Relays, 1)Mt. SAC, 1)State, 3/3hs)USATF Junior, 5)Nike; 17-4½ | ||
| 4. | SAMUEL ABATI | (Reagan, San Antonio, Texas) |
| =2)Texas Relays, 1)State, 5/4hs)USATF Junior, 10)Nike; 17-6 | ||
| 5. | *CAELAN HARLAND | (Macon, Missouri) |
| 4)Texas Relays, 2)Kansas Relays, 1)State, 8/7hs)USATF Junior, 4)Nike; 17-6 | ||
ALL THE BIG NAMES made the trek to Eugene for the USATF Junior and Nike meets. That made it easy to pick undefeated Olesen as No. 1 here. He traveled often, winning compettions in four states and also leading the list at 17-9½. Barkdull competed often and never finished worse than 2nd; he lost to Migas at the Texas Relays but beat him at USATF Juniors and Nike. Migas, our No. 3, topped Abati three times. Abati, meanwhile, compiled a 2-1 record over Harland.
| LONG JUMP | ||
| 1. | *CORDIAL VANN | (Heritage, Frisco, Texas) |
| 1)USATF Junior, 3)Nike Indoor; 25-1½/25-6¾w | ||
| 2. | JURIAD HUGHES # | (Irondale, New Brighton, Minnesota) |
| 1)State, 2)USATF Junior, 1)Nike Indoor, 17)Texas Relays; 25-4¼ | ||
| 3. | JAYDEN KEYS | (Tompkins, Katy, Texas) |
| 1)López, 1)State, 6/4hs)USATF Junior, 2)Nike; 24-8¼ | ||
| 4. | LUKE STRADLEY | (Etowah, Woodstock, Georgia) |
| 1)State, 7/5hs)USATF Junior, 4)Nike; 24-9¾/25-3w | ||
| 5. | ELIJAH SMITH | (Miramar, Florida) |
| 1)Florida Relays, 2)State; 25-5¼ HSL | ||
KNOTTED AT THE TOP, Vann vs. Hughes made for a difficult decision. They jumped similar distances and beat the other once. Their big meet honors were similar as well, though Vann got the decider with his USATF Junior win. Likewise, Keys in No. 3 and Stradley in 4 were both consistent over 24-6 and jumped well at USATF Juniors and Nike. Smith took the national lead with his 25-5¼ to win the AAU Junior Olympics, though neither of the JO meets, being age-group competitions, are treated here as big honors.
| TRIPLE JUMP | ||
| 1. | KARSON GORDON # | (Episcopal, Bellaire, Texas) |
| 1)Texas Relays, 1)Arcadia, 1)Great Southwest, 1)USATF Junior; 53-1½ HSL | ||
| 2. | XAVIER DRUMGOOLE # | (Round Rock, Texas) |
| 1)State, 3/2hs)USATF Junior, 1)Nike; 51-¾ | ||
| 3. | KHALIL ANTOINE | (Hillhouse, New Haven, Connecticut) |
| 1)New Balance; 51-6¼ | ||
| 4. | MALIK ALLEN | (Edwardsville, Illinois) |
| 1)State, 5/3hs)USATF Junior; 50-6 | ||
| 5. | TY’HEAK BUIE | (Potomac, Dumfries, Virginia) |
| 1)adidas; 50-4½ | ||
EASILY THE TOP CHOICE, Gordon went undefeated, winning most of the majors and topping the list at 53-1½. He might have had a better plug, but he enrolled at UCLA in June, so his World Junior silver with a 54-11¼ doesn’t get HSR status. Nike winner Drumgoole, with his one loss (to Gordon) comes next. In No. 3, Antoine compiled an undefeated season. Allen takes No. 4 — he was undefeated until USATF Junior where he lost only to those above him. Buie takes final spot with his adidas win.
| SHOT | ||
| 1. | **JACKSON CANTWELL | (Nixa, Missouri) |
| 1)Kansas Relays, 1)State, 1)Nike; 74-9¾ | ||
| 2. | BEN SMITH # | (Hortonville, Wisconsin) |
| 1)State, 3)Nike; 75-1 HSL | ||
| 3. | JOSH HUISMAN | (St. Rose, Belmar, New Jersey) |
| 1)Penn Relays, 1)State MOC, 1)New Balance; 67-3¾ | ||
| 4. | *BENJAMIN SHUE | (Bergen, Oradell, New Jersey) |
| 1)Arcadia, 2)State MOC, 2)New Balance; 69-2 | ||
| 5. | DILLON MORLOCK | (Norwayne, Creston, Ohio) |
| 1)State, 5)Nike Indoor; 71-1 | ||
THE BIG MEET proved to be Nike Nationals, where Cantwell dominated. The sophomore took his measure of list leader Smith; the two were the only ones all season to throw in the mid-70s. Undefeated Huisman, with two wins over Shue and New Balance title, grabs the No. 3 spot. Then Shue, who finished 2nd at New Balance, follows. The final spot goes to Morlock, who had a solid indoor season where he finished 5th at Nike Indoor.
| DISCUS | ||
| 1. | BEN SMITH # | (Hortonville, Wisconsin) |
| 2)State, 1)Nike; 208-11 | ||
| 2. | BRYCE RULAND # | (Union, Waterford, Wisconsin) |
| 1)State, 2)Nike; 213-0 HSL | ||
| 3. | *BENJAMIN SHUE | (Bergen, Oradell, New Jersey) |
| 1)Arcadia, 2/1us)Penn Relays, 1)State, 1)New Balance; 205-4 | ||
| 4. | **JACKSON CANTWELL | (Nixa, Missouri) |
| 1)Kansas Relays, 1)State, 5)Nike; 205-4 | ||
| 5. | *McKAY MADSEN | (Clovis North, Fresno, California) |
| 2)Arcadia, 1)Mt. SAC, 1)State, 6)Nike; 206-8 | ||
MOST OF THE CONTENDERS threw at Nike. That’s where Smith avenged his Wisconsin state meet loss to Ruland, the list leader at 213-0. Shue, the Arcadia winner who had a season full of big throws, chose to compete at New Balance instead and took the win there. Cantwell went undefeated until his 5th at Nike. There he finished one place ahead of Madsen, the California champion. Earlier in the season, Madsen had lost at Arcadia to Shue.
| HAMMER | ||
| 1. | CHARLES LaFORE | (Chatfield, Littleton, Colorado) |
| 1)State, 1)Nike; 233-11 HSL | ||
| 2. | ZACK DELSASSO | (Coventry, Rhode Island) |
| 4)Classical, 2)Hendricken, 1)State, 10)State MOC, 1)New Englands, 1)New Balance; 224-5 | ||
| 3. | MATT GIULIANO | (Hendricken, Warwick, Rhode Island) |
| 1)Classical, 1)Hendricken, 2)State, 1)State MOC, 2)New Englands, 4)New Balance; 223-0 | ||
COLORADO is not a hammer throwing state, but Lafore didn’t let that discourage him. He had the three longest throws of the year in winning the Nike title. Though Giuliano led DelSasso 5–3, DelSasso came out on top when it mattered, winning the New England and New Balance meets.
| JAVELIN | ||
| 1. | PAUL CATALANATTO | (Catholic, Baton Rouge, Louisiana) |
| 1)Texas Relays, 1)State, 2)USATF Junior, 1)Nike, 1)JavFest; 234-1 HSL | ||
| 2. | PRESTON KUZNOV | (Atlantic, Port Orange, Florida) |
| 1)Hayes, 1)Florida Relays, 1)State, 1)USATF Junior; 220-3 | ||
| 3. | BRONSON KRAINAK | (Danville, Pennsylvania) |
| 1)Penn Relays, 1)State, 3)USATF Junior, 2)Nike, 2)JavFest; 215-8 | ||
| 4. | LINCOLN HUBER | (Central Columbia, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania) |
| 3)Penn Relays, 2)State, 3)JavFest; 211-1 | ||
| 5. | SCOTT SLOAN | (Wheeler, Providence, Rhode Island) |
| 1)Classical, 1)New Balance; 206-6 | ||
IN A CLOSE ONE, Catalanatto lands the No. 1 spot over Kuznov. The Louisianan had the season’s 6 longest throws (and 8 of the top 10). He also won at Nike and JavFest. Kuznov was undefeated and beat Catalanatto at the USATF Junior meet. Kranik was another big volume thrower and he put together a 5–1 season against fellow Pennsylvanian Huber, with wins at the Penn Relays and the State finals. New Balance champ Sloan rounds out the team.
| DECATHLON | ||
| 1. | KENNETH BYRD | (East Burke, Connelly Springs, North Carolina) |
| 1)USATF Junior; 7536jr HSL | ||
| 2. | BRAYDEN RICHARDS | (Perry, Ohio) |
| 2)USATF Junior; 7482jr | ||
| 3. | NEIL HOWARD | (Taconic Hills Central, Craryville, New York) |
| 1)Nike; 7448 | ||
THE HEAVIER implements did not bother Byrd and Richards at the USATF Junior meet, where they went 1-2 with the two biggest scores of the year. Byrd now ranks No. 6 all-time.
| SPECIAL RECOGNITION | ||
| DANIEL SIMMONS | (American Fork, Utah) | 5000 |
| WITH NATIONAL RECORDS indoors and out, Simmons stands out in the 5000. His indoor time of 13:38.86 knocked nealy 18 seconds off that HSR. Outdoors, his 13:25.86 demolished an already solid record (13:34.96) by over 9 seconds. | ||
| MARCUS REILLY | (Northbridge, Whitsinville, Massachusetts) | 1000 |
| OWEN POWELL | (Mercer Island, Washington) | 1000 |
| THE 1000 MAY BE SELDOM-RUN, but these two brought the record down into respectable territory. First Powell snapped the old HSR of 2:24.79 with his 2:23.32 in May, then a month later, Reilly improved it to 2:21.81. | ||