CHARLOTTE - Robin Reynolds (Miami Northwest Express Track Club)
collected her third and fourth individual titles at the 2008 USA Youth
Track & Field Championships, after winning the youth girls 100 and 400
meters on the final day of competition.
Reynolds darted down the 100m straightaway in a wind aided 11.98 seconds
to claim her third win of the championships. Later in the day, Reynolds
led the pack in the 400m, crossing the line with a first place time of
53.84, securing her fourth individual title. Reynolds collected her
first two wins on Saturday after winning the 200m (22.83) and the 800m
(2:16.28). Reynolds also holds records in three age divisions: bantam
girls 200m (26.50), midget girls 400m (54.73), and the youth girls 400m
(53.10). Reynolds improved upon her performance from the 2007
competition, where she won the youth girls 200m, 400m, and 800m and was
runner-up in the 100m.
The title for event champion in the youth boys 1,500m came down to a
battle between James Muniz (Cool Runnings Track and Field Club), Tate
Schienbein, and Conner Smock (Cedar Rapids Track Club). The three
exchanged the lead throughout the race, in the end Muniz pulled away in
the last 300m and never gave up the lead, finishing in a first place
time of 4:18.97. Schienbein and Smock followed in 4:19.33 and 4:23.17
respectively. On Saturday Muniz picked up his first medal after
finishing runner-up in the 800m with a time of 1:59.83.
Laura Panteau (Focos) continued her success from Saturday, accruing her
third individual title by winning the bantam girls 400m in 1:03.15.
Panteau's first two wins came Saturday in the 800m (2:28.69) and the
long jump (4.28m/14-0.5).
In the young men's pole vault, Corey Shank (Fort Wayne Vault Club) found
himself the lone man attempting 4.95 meters/16 feet 2.75 inches, a
height that secured the individual title in the event.
Cholanda Goodman (New Horizon Georgia Track Club) picked up another
individual title today in the young women's 100 meter dash, blazing down
the straightaway in 11.41. Goodman's first individual title came
Saturday, when she ran 23.40 in the 200m.
In the midget boys shot put, Marcus Abraham tossed the six pound
implement 12.49m/40-11.75 to secure the individual title.
Akawkaw Ndipagbor (TOGETHER Youth Elite Track & Field Team) captured two
individual titles on the day in the intermediate girls 400m and 100m,
clocking 53.76 and 12.05 respectively. On Saturday Ndipagbor took third
in the 200m in 24.22. Ndipagbor's wins reflected her performances at the
2007 competition, where she took first in the youth girls 100m and 400m.
In the midget girls 400m two athletes finished the race with a sub-60
time, champion Darielle Oliver (Titans Track Club, Inc.) in 58.82 and
runner-up Patrice Jones (Illinois Elite Youth Track Club) in 58.91.
Derek Harper (Quicksilver Track Club, Inc.) claimed the individual title
in the youth boys 200m hurdles, clocking in at 26.23. Harper claimed the
runner-up position in both the 100mH (14.17) and long jump
(6.04m/19-9.75) earlier in the day.
The final day of competition rounded out with the traditional last track
event, the 4x400m. In the bantam boys division the relay team of Kevin
Atkins, Tariq Thompson, Jaylin White, Daquirae Irby (Mercury San Diego
Track & Field - A) captured the title after combining for a time of
4:31.24. Atkins, Thompson, White, and Irby also combined together for a
fourth place finish in the 4x100m on Saturday, with a time of 57.95.
For more information from the 2008 USA Youth Outdoor Track & Field
Championships, including complete results and photos, visit
USATF.org.
Athlete Quotations:
Young men's pole vault champion, Corey Shank (Fort Wayne Vault Club)
"Everything felt good, it's a nice place here, there's nice wind and it
was a nice environment to jump in today."
"My technique has been improving, throughout the whole year I've been
concentrating on improving it, it's a long journey ahead but I'm getting
little things done."
"I took two attempts at 5.15, but passed on my third, my legs were done
and there was no need to fall from seventeen feet and break something."
Youth boys 1,500m champion, James Muniz (Cool Runnings Track and Field
Club)
"I wasn't really feeling like I was going to go in and do well, because
I ran and got second in the 800 finals in 1:59, so my muscles are kind
of sore. I just stayed with the guys and got it."
Bantam girls 400m, 800m, and long jump champion, Laura Panteau (Focos)
"It felt really good to get first place in three events, because it's
hard to get this far, plus the 400 is a really hard race."
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