Nike Outdoor Nationals (VA) Coverage: Bullard & Briggs win national titles

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Race Videos / Athlete Interviews / Live Results (CFPI Timing)

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Meet Coverage: Brasovan, Haile Highlight Day 1 / Friday Coverage

Results: Thursday / Friday Field / Friday Track

Bethel's Bullard competes sweep of Nike 400 titles (indoor & outdoor) and runs sizzlin relay anchor legs

Briggs wins high jump title

Photo by Tim Fulton of ArmoryTrack.com

Albemarle's second 1:52 800 of the weekend....Vrhovac wins emerging elite

Nike Champions

• Ja-Vell Bullard (Bethel) - Boys 400 (46.54)
• DeShana Briggs (Booker T. Washington) - Girls High Jump (5-8.50)
• Zachary Vrhovac (Albemarle) - Emerging Elite Boys 800 (1:52.82)
• Amber Church (Pulaski County) - Emerging Elite Girls 100H (14.74)

Nike National Runner-ups

• Marlena Wesh (Landstown) - Girls 200 (24.18)
  
• Bethel (Austin Cuffee, Reggie Williams, Reggie Williams, Ja-Vell Bullard) - Boys 4x100 (41.23)
  
• Albemarle (Zachary Vrhovac, Luke Noble, Bradley Garrett, Anthony Kostelac) - Boys 4x800 (7:42.31)
  
• Bethel (Earl House, Eric Williams, Austin Cuffee, Sherrard Marrow)- Boys 800 SMR (1:31.90)

Virginia All-Americans & Top Finishers at Nike Outdoor Nationals

Friday Summary

Albemarle boys run VA #2 all-time 4x800...7:42.21!

Photo by Tim Fulton of ArmoryTrack.com

The highlight for Virginians on Friday came at the very end with the 4x800 meter relay performance put on by the Albemarle boys. It had already been a huge year for the quartet with a strong showing at the Penn Relays in April as well as AAA state championship in the relay three weeks ago, but their season just got a whole lot sweeter with their race at Nike Outdoor Nationals.

Their 7:49.55 season best from their state win was not good enough to get them in the fast section at the national meet, but fast enough to get into the next to last section. They had plenty of company with worth teams ready to roll out swift times as at the bell, Albemarle anchor leg Anthony Kostelac found himself in a group of roughly a half dozen. Kostelac was able to break out of the pack on the backstretch, but Hudson High School of Ohio appeared to be pulling away with the victory. Kostelac was not ready to give in though as he had a monster finish for his last 50 meters to run down anchor leg with a 1:52.8 split and give Albemarle a first place finish and hopes of a possible national title steal from the slower section. However, Mumford of Michigan had other plans as they dominated the fast section with the fastest time of the meet at 7:37.99. Albemarle's final time of 7:42.21 still held for second place overall as their performance at Nike is the second fastest all-time in state history only behind a 2001 South Lakes squad which featured the likes of Alan Webb and Richard Smith. South Lakes ran a state record time of 7:35.33 at then adidas Outdoor Championships (same meet as Nike Outdoor Nationals), which saw Webb run a 1:47.3 split on anchor.

Photo by Maroon News

With no seniors among them in Garrett Bradley, Luke Noble, Garrett Bradley, and Zachary Zvhorvac, there is plenty of excitement towards next year among the Albemarle group to make a serious run at the state record held by the 2001 South Lakes squad.

Watch Video Interview with Albemarle boys 4x800!

Northwest Region produces 3 All-Americans in triple jump

The Northwest Region's Olu Olamigoke of Mountain View, David Wilson of George Washington, and Rex Parker of Battlefield have proven to be the state's very best this spring in the triple jump and shake up the conception that the strength in the jumping events in Virginia lies exclusively in the Eastern Region. The Northwest Region has never been on such stronger display than on Friday in the triple jump at Nike Outdoor Nationals when all three athletes earned All-American honors in the triple jump.

Wilson came in as a possible contender to win as the state champion and a season best mark just under 50 feet, but struggled on Friday yet still had a good enough mark to finish in the top six with a leap of 48'6" for fourth place. Meanwhile, Olamigoke had a personal best day as he eclipsed his season best by six inches with a mark of 48'10.75" in Greensboro to finish ahead of Wilson for third place. Olamigoke's future teammate at Indiana in Rex Parker followed up an All-American showing at Nike Indoor with another this weekend at Nike Outdoor as the region went in consecutive order from third to fifth with Parker just an inch off his all-time best at 48'4". Three 48+ foot triple jumpers all from the same region is quite rare in Virginia and having three athletes earn All-American honors in the same event might be a first in the state.

Interview with Olamigoke, Wilson, and Parker coming!

Pulaski's Church from outside lane breaks through as a now "elite" hurdler

Watch out Group AA hurdlers. Pulaski County sophomore Amber Church may have just emerged into a elite hurdler who will be tough to defeat for the next two years. Competing in NON's emerging elite division for athletes just off the normal meet standards, Church seized the opportunity with a breakthrough performance in the 100 meter hurdles. The third place finisher in the event at the AA State Meet three weeks ago had never broken 15 seconds in the 100 meter hurdles prior to this weekend. She had a best of 15.15 leading into Nike Outdoor.

She blew that time out of the water as well as her competition in surprising fashion from the far outside lane in the finals of the 100 meter hurdles with a 14.74 clocking as she lowered her personal best by a large half second margin. Church was in utter shock and disbelief after the race, but she certainly should start believing in herself more with the 14.74 clocking as a mere tenth grader.

Interview with Amber Church!

Nefertiti is done with age group meets, she wants to become the best in high school by competing against the nation's best

Norfolk Collegiate freshmen Nefertiti Smith had a well documented track career prior to entering high school as a very successful athlete in the age group summer club meets including a national runner-up finish in the multi events at last year's USATF National Junior Olympics in California. She could have easily gone down the same schedule of meets this summer and participated in the state association championship meets for both USATF and AAU in Virginia, but opted instead to compete in elite high school only post-season events.

She clearly showed this weekend in Greensboro she is not only a great age group athlete, but a phenominal high school athlete regardless of age or grade. Smith failed to finish in the top six in the triple jump or 100 meter hurdles, but still proved she belonged with the nation's best despite being only a freshmen by making the finals for both events. She was painfully close to receiving All-American medals in both as a seventh place finisher in the 100 meter hurdles and triple jump. She clocked a season best time of 14.30 to advance onto the finals in the 100 meter hurdles, while Smith had a best mark of 39'3" in the triple jump and finished only a quarter of an inch off the sixth place finisher.

The experience which Smith gained over the last three weekends at the Gala, the Caribbean Scholastic Invite in Puerto Rico, and Nike Outdoor Nationals will only serve her well next year when she may consider competing in the multi events again. The pentathlon is offered at Nike Indoor Nationals, but no multi event as of yet is offered at Nike Outdoor. However, Smith may see herself contending for a World Juniors team spot down the road in the multis if she decides to make the trip to USATF Junior Nationals as an upperclassmen. She certainly is putting up the marks early in high school to expect great things from her and her willingness to seek out the best competition in the high school ranks is a good start.

Interview with Nefertiti Smith coming!

Clarke's Veilleux is officially back and off the MIA list

At one point, it was being considered whether or not to file a missing person's report on Clarke County distance runner Ben Veilleux. Veilleux showed great prormise in his freshmen year and appeared to be the heir apparent to be the dominant force in Group A after then teammate Simon Biddle-Snead graduated with times of a 4:301600, 9:37 3200, and 16:12 5K as a ninth grader. He competed in the freshmen mile at Nike Outdoor Nationals in 2006 and it seemed that was the last race in which Veilleux was seen in until this spring. Veilleux struggled with injuries and missed virtually all of his sophomore year and junior year of cross country. An outsider from the team could have easily assumed that we may never see Veilleux racing again.

However, he came back this spring and showed little effects of race rust or regression of fitness in his long absence from meets as shown with a 4:22 mile performance at Southern Track Classic in May as well as a successful distance double at the Group A State Outdoor Championships with victories in both the 1600 and 3200 meter races. He put down another unexpected time at the MileStat.com Elite Gala's 1500 meter race with a 4:01.07 performance. His time from the Gala was able to easily secure him a spot in the top section of the emerging elite division of the boys mile run at NON.

Back on the same track at Aggie Stadium as he found himself two June's ago as a freshmen, Veilleux not only recaptured some old glory, but made a statement heading into his senior year as she set a solid pace for the field with a 2:08 first half mile. He was overtaken in the final quarter, but still held on strong to finish second in the race and finish third overall with a five second improvement in his mile time from Southern Track Classic at 4:17.74. His performance was noted by Arcadia meet director Rich Gonzalez as Gonzales approached him following his race about potential coming out to race in one of the nation's best high school outdoor invites next April.

Veilleux is already anxious for the fall though as he had to sit on the sidelines this past cross country season and watch Clarke County's streak of state championships come to an end at the hands of Radford. Veilleux could have certainly shifted the team scoring in Clarke County's favor if he was available to race in the fall, but will make sure this fall will include a healthy and swift Veilleux helping to bring back the state title to Clarke County.

Interview with Ben Veilleux!

Western Branch has successful Friday with two All-Americans in hurdles, one in 4x200, and two more possibly in 4x100

Western Branch is our Blazin' Raiders aka Eleanor Roosevelt girls or Track Eastern aka New Bern boys. It is easy to define the best programs in the country at Nike Outdoor Nationals by simply looking to the awards podium. Western Branch athletes made frequent trips to the infield area to receive their All-American honors and could see even more on Saturday. Their 4x200 meter relay started things off early on Saturday as they were able to pull off a top six overall finish by winning the slowest section in a fine clocking of 1:27.59. The cousins Torry Womack and Kevin Newsome both stopped competing after the state meet to focus on preparing for the football season, so others had to pick up the slack on the relay in their absence. Two of their top performers in 2007 who have been plagued by injury in 2008 came through in the relay with a strong legs in Daniel Nix and Javanti Sparrow. Nix was quick to note after the race though the improvements made by sophomore Jeffrey Lewis this spring who filled the void admirably left by Womack on the "A" team for the 4x200.

4x200 relay member Jeffrey Artis earned his second All-American medal of the day later by advancing into the finals of the 110 meter hurdles and able to hold onto the final All-American spot of sixth place with his 14.29 clocking. He was not the only Bruin in a hurdles finals against the nation's best in Greensboro as Jessie Gaines also found her way into the finals of the 100 meter dash and seized the moment to become a Nike All-American with a 14.50 clocking into a headwind for a fifth place finish.

Both 4x100 meter relays will move onto Saturday's finals with the Western Branch girls securing the final qualifier with the eighth fastest time at 47.98, while the Western Branch boys will have a slightly better lane position in the 4x100 finals with their fourth fastest qualifier of 42.52.

Interview with Daniel Nix & Jeffrey Lewis coming!
Interview with Jessie Gaines coming!
Interview with Jeffrey Artis coming!

South Lakes adds to school's history of relay success at nationals, but in sprints now

South Lakes High School has a past of great relay teams competing at the outdoor nationals as the 2001 adidas Outdoor Championships was a thriller in the 4x800 meter relay with Richard Smith and Alan Webb of South Lakes battling it out with the Jefferson twins of Atlantic High School in Florida to a 7:35 national title and state record performance. More to come...

Friday Results

• Boys 4x800 - Albemarle - 2nd (7:42.21)
• Girls 4x800 - Blacksburg - 11th (9:16.86)
• Girls 4x100 Prelims - Western Branch - 8th (47.98q)
• Boys 4x100 Prelims - Bethel - 2nd (41.95q), Western Branch - 4th (42.52q)
• Girls 100H -Jessie Gaines (Western Branch) - 5th (14.50), Nefertiti Smith (Norfolk Collegiate) - 7th (14.70)
• Girls Pole Vault - Emma Dejarnette (Atlee) - 12th (11-11.25)
• Boys Triple Jump - Olu Olamigoke (Mountain View) - 3rd (48-10.75), David Wilson (George Washington) - 4th (48-6), Rex Parker (Battlefield) - 5th (48-4)
• Girls Shot Put - Natalie Baird (Park View) - 8th (43-7.25)
• Boys 110H - Jeffrey Artis (Western Branch) - 6th (14.29)
• Emerging Elite Girls 100H - Amber Church (Pulaski County) 1st - 14.74, Theresa Trader (Loudoun Valley) 3rd - 14.91
• Emerging Elite Boys 400 - Dayzonte Williams (Granby) - 6th (49.38)
• Emerging Elite Boys Mile - Ben Veilleux (Clarke County) - 3rd (4:17.74)
• Boys 4x200 - South Lakes - 2nd (1:26.42), Western Branch - 4th (1:27.59)
• Girls 4x200 - Booker T. Washington - 9th (1:41.28)
• Emerging Elite Boys 4x800 - Varina - 4th (8:00.70)

Thursday 5K: Top Virginia finishers were Ben Dejarnette of Atlee finishing 11th with a time of 15:24.84 in boys' race, while Maggie Gentry of Brentsville placed third in the slower section and finished 13th with a time of 18:15.76. Dejarnette made the race interesting and took a gamble as he challenged eventual race champion Solomon Haile around the two mile mark as they went under 9:30 through 3200 meters. The wheels fell apart for the Atlee junior in the final mile though as he faltered to sixth heading into the final 400 meters and then finished 11th overall when combining times from the two sections. More to come from Thursday's races including race photos and videos.

• Thursday 5K Results
• Race Videos - All 5K race videos posted.
• Maggie Gentry Interview
• Live Video Feed - Brought to you by MileSplit and Flotrack. Tune in tomorrow at 11 am for Friday's events.

MileStat.com will be on-site in Greensboro for Nike Outdoor Nationals with Brandon Miles covering all three days of action from Thursday and Saturday along with a 12 member staff from the various MileSplit Network sites. Much of the coverage will all be dumped into one location at MileSplit US, but Brandon Miles will also be covering the Virginia athletes and their stories here on MileStat.com.

Official Website / Meet Page

Heat Sheets : Boys - Girls

Entries: Boys - Girls

Meet Previews: Boys - Girls

Photo by Ted Plunkett

First event of the 2008 Nike Outdoor Nationals is on Thursday with the 5000 meter run being contested at night with four boys and four girls from Virginia competing. Ben Dejarnette might stand the best shot of the group on earning All-American honors in the 12 1/2 lap event as the Atlee junior had a stellar double at the AAA State Meet three weeks ago in which he finished as a state runner-up in the 1600 (4:14) and 3200 (9:25). Others competing from Virginia include: Blake Theroux (Western Branch), Josh Hardin (Potomac Falls), Jakob Maidens (Lebanon), Laurel MacMillan (Blacksburg), Maggie Gentry (Brentsville), Sabrina Hall (Pulaski), and Susanna Sullivan (George Mason). MileStat.com will be on-site for Thursday's 5K races in Greensboro.