Hall Withdrawals From 200 To Focus On 400, Move Pays Off
St. Thomas Aquinas junior Arman Hall won his heat in the 200, but decided to opt out of the final to focus on the quarter-mile. Hall came into the event with the fastest time with a number one ranking and time of 46.22 and in his first time at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals, he came home with the top prize, winning in just shy of a personal best, 46.23. Hall's rival throughout the regular season, Hugh Graham Jr. of Miami Northwestern, was fourth in 47.10. Graham was the runner-up at New Balance Outdoor Nationals last year in the 400.
Gunn, Burns Go 1-2 In 400 Hurdles
Following a successful finish in the 110 hurdles, Florida once again showed their prowess in the college distance 400 meter hurdles. Miami Northwestern sophomore Artie Burns who finished second in the 110's earned another silver medal in the 400's. His mark of 51.95 is the third best in the U.S. Palm Beach Lake's senior Emarkis Gunn took home the gold medal. The TCU bound Gunn showed why Lakes is dominant in the hurdles, first it was Malik Lewis's fifth place finish in the 110's. Gunn's time of 51.91, second only this year to Kyle Dunn of Iowa's 51.04.
What Happened To Freeman And Reynolds?
Several people have asked what happened to Octavious Freeman in her quest to double in the 100 and 200, and Robin Reynold's chance at gold in the quarter-mile. The official results list Freeman as being disqualified. The Lake Wales senior won her heat, but sources say she was dq'ed for stepping outside of her lane. As far as Reynolds is concerned we have yet to hear from the junior herself, but the information we are getting is that she injured her hamstring during the prelims of the 400. We will keep you updated on both situations.
Relays Represent
The Flanagan boys 4x100 meter relay team brought home the gold medal. Demetris Ates, Corey Jones, Jean Pierre, and Jeremy Smith combined to run 40.94. The foursome holds the top time in the state with a 40.57 they ran to win the 4A state championships. Senior Hugh Graham Jr. led a group of underclassmen in the 4x400 meter relay to a third place finish in 3:14.28. He was followed by sophomore Artie Burns, freshman Jeffery Green, and sophomore James Grant. Green won gold in the freshman 400. Burn earned two silvers in the 110 and 400 hurdles, and Graham finished fourth in the 400.
High Jump Duo Maxes Out At 6-8
Chase Meyers of Charlotte and Brandon Hollifield of Godby both cleared 6-8 but it came down to a series of tiebreaker rules to determine place. Meyers, the 3A state champion, finished tied for fourth. He will attend USF in the fall. Hollifield, who placed third in the 2A state championship, finished tied for eighth. He will join several of his Godby teammates this weekend as the Cougars chase a team championship at Nike Outdoor Nationals.
Middleton Leaps 19-2 Earns Silver In Long Jump
Miami Northwestern loses jumpers Shannon Spence and Brianna Streeter to graduation, but the Lady Bulls still have Kededra Middleton for one more year. The junior finished second this weekend at New Balance Outdoor Nationals with a jump of 19-2. The mark is almost three inches shy of her personal best of 19-4.75. She finished sixth at the 4A state championships this year.
Best of the Rest - Saturday
* Winter Park senior and Michigan signee Nick Posada finished eighth place in the 2000 meter steeplechase with a time of 6:12.11
* Devin Screen who placed seventh in the emerging elite shot put tossed the discus 172-0 to finish eighth.
* Cocoa sophomore Jazzmine Folston placed seventh in the emerging elite 200 meter dash in 24.87.
For complete results and coverage of New Balance Outdoor Nationals visit MileSplit.com.