FSU's Kendal Williams and 17 year old Kaylin Whitney will be two of the youngest sprinters on Team USA at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada this week. Williams, the 2014 World Junior Champion in the 100m and was fifth in his first year in the garnet and gold at NCAA's. He will run the 4x100m relay for the red, white, and blue.
Whitney, who comes to Canada from Monaco where she was the anchor of the fastest 4x100m relay team in the world this year, will anchor Team USA in the same event, and also run the 200 meter dash. The former East Ridge standout who signed with Nike is also in the 4x400m relay pool. It is doubtful she will run that event, as she hasn't ran a 4x400m relay since her high school days, which was few and far between.
North Miami High School class of 2010 sprinter and Nike athlete Barbara Pierre will join Whitney on that 4x100m relay. Pierre opened up the meet Tuesday with a win in her heat of the 100m and owns a personal best of 11.00. She had this to say after the race.
On winning her 100m heat today:
“I’m just taking each race round by round, focussing on executing and nothing else. I keep telling myself that my goal is to just go out there and have fun and execute my race, and that’s exactly what I did here today.”
On preparations heading into the semifinals:
“I’m just focussing on the next round. I can’t think about the finals if I don’t get through the semis.“
Coconut Creek alum (c/o of 2009) and former Auburn University high jumper Maya Pressley was fourth at the USA Championships and will look to improve upon her mark of 6'0.75" there and look to get back into 2013 form where she cleared a personal best of 6'2.25" at the USA Championships.
Rounding out the list is University of Miami's Shakima Wimbley. Wimbley, a 2013 graduate of Dillard High School, was one of the top quarter-milers in the country this year finishing fifth at the NCAA Championships and was second in the prelims at the USA Championships. She owns a personal best of 50.84 set at this year's ACC Championships and will run both the quarter and 4x400m relay for Team USA.
Other athletes with Florida ties competing are David Oliver who lives and trains in Central Florida. Oliver, is the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, and 2013 World Champion.
Former Florida Gator Kerron Clement will compete in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay. Clement won silver in the 400m hurdles at the 2008 Olympics and was on the gold medal 4x400m relay in 2008 as well.