AAU National Junior Olympics Coverage: Bullard, Simmons, and Smith are national champions

AAU Junior Olympic Games
MileSplit Staff

The USATF National Junior Olympics wrapped up on Sunday with only several high school athletes from Virginia making the trip to Nebraska. Meanwhile, a much larger delegation of Virginians will be in Detroit, Michigan this week for the AAU National Junior Olympics with many Eastern Region athletes competing. The first two days were reserved mainly for the multi-events with the first big day of competition coming on Monday for day three. The state has already done well at the AAU Nationals with two athletes as the leading qualifiers going into the finals of their events with two others earning All-American honors in the long jump.

Live Results at aauathletics.org

AAU National JO Results by Day: Day One - Day Two - Day Three - Day Four - Day Five - Day Six - Day Seven

Day 8 (Saturday, August 2nd) Highlights:

  • Dejor Simmons closed out a remarkable week in Michigan at the AAU Nationals by winning national titles in both the 100 and 200 meter dash on Saturday in the intermediate boys division. Simmons first won the 100 meter dash in convincing fashion with a 10.54 clocking with second place in the finals at 10.85, while the Green Run rising junior was a big winner again in the 200 meter dash at 21.55.
  • Bethel's Ja-Vell Bullard added a third individual national title to his collection for the year as put on a thrilling finish to overtake Bernard Goodwyn from Delware in the final stretch for a 47.32 victory in the finals of the young men's 400 meter dash. Taylor Sykes of Great Bridge and Darryl Brickhouse of Nansemond River also competed in the same finals race as they placed seventh and eighth respectively.
  • Keith Ricks did not win a national title like Simmons in the 200 meter dash, but rolled out an even faster time and the state's fastest performance of the year with his 21.19 clocking to earn All-American honors in a third place finish in the young men division finals.
  • An All-Star team of athletes competing for the Norfolk Real Deal Track Club put up a stellar time to win the AAU 4x400 national title in the young men's division as the quartert of stars Darryl Brickhouse, Sherrard Marrow, Keith Ricks, and Ja-Vell Bullard clocked in at3:10.57 to close out the meet with a first place finish in relay action.

Day 7 (Friday, August 1st) Highlights:

 
 
 
 
  • With 16 runners breaking 49 seconds, it was very competitive for the eight spots of athletes advancing onto the finals in the 400 meter dash for the young men division. Three Virginians in Ja-Vell Bullard, Taylor Sykes, and Darryl Brickhouse al made the cut with Nike Outdoor Nationals champion Bullard as the third fastest qualifier at 47.41. Great Bridge rising junior Taylor Sykes was just off of Bullard's time winning his heat in a new personal best time of 47.55 (previous best of 47.87). It was only the second time that Sykes has ever broken 48 seconds. Nansemond River's Darryl Brickhouse also needed a personal best performance to advance onto the finals as he nearly broke 48 seconds for the first time as the sixth fastest qualifier at 48.06.
  • Two other Virginians also had solid performances in the young men 400, but failed to make the finals in Bethel teammates Sherrard Marrow (48.38) and Austin Cuffee (48.81). Marrow earned All-American honors earlier in the week in the 400 meter hurdles.
  • Cosby's Andre Redd was the last qualifier to the 400 meter dash finals in the intermediate boys prelims with a 49.78 performance. Redd just completed his sophomore year and first season of track at Cosby with a 48.17 personal best at 400 meters, but has competed in AAU summer track since a young age.
  • Churchland's Tiffany Harris had an outstanding race in the prelims of the young women 400 meter dash as she ran a personal best time of 55.86. Harris had a previous all-time best in the event of 56.69 from the AAU Regional Meet and had not broken 57 seconds during the school year at Churchland.
 
Day 6 (Thursday, July 31st) Highlights:
  • Dejor Simmons moved through another round in the sprints and now has secured himself as the top qualifier in both the intermediate boys 100 and 200 meter dash finals after rolling through the 200 prelims on Thursday with a leading time of 21.67.
  • Vincent Brown of South Lakes placed sixth in the finals of the young men's 110 meter hurdles with a time of 14.76 to earn All-American honors.
  • Keith Ricks of King's Fork ran the second fastest time in the 200 meter dash prelims of the young men division with a 21.48 performance.
  • Allen Kelly, the AAA state runner-up in the pole vault, placed fifth in the young men's pole vault competion as the rising junior at King's Fork cleared 14'6".
 
Day 5 (Wednesday, July 30th) Highlights:
 
  • Lakeland's Chris Copeland cleared 7 feet in the high jump for only the second time in his career and first time in an outdoor meet as the recent graduate and four-time AAA state high jump champion just missed winning an AAU National title as he ended up second on previous misses in a competition which saw the top three competitors all top out at 7 feet.
  • Two Virginians earned All-American honors in the young women's triple jump with Denbigh rising senior hitting a personal best mark of 39'3.50" to place third, while state leader Karimah Shepherd of Grassfield was only an inch behind Perry in fourth with a best mark of 39'2.50".
  • Cordarius Franks (pictured above by Ted Plunkett) of Mount Vernon became a national runner-up for his age group in the 800 meter run at the AAU Nationals on Wednesday. Franks improved upon his personal best from the high school season in the event by nearly three full seconds while in Detriot with a stellar 1:57.80 performance in the intermediate boys finals by the rising sophomore.
  • Churchland rising junior Cydney Robinson ran her second 2:15 performance of the week in the 800 as her time of 2:15.73 helped her finish fourth in the intermediate girls finals to earn All-American honors.
  • Three Virginians competed and earned All-American honors in the finals of the 400 meter hurdles with Bethel's Sherrard Marrow as the highest finisher with his third place effort of 53.56 in the young men's division. Menchville's Maia Wise in the intermediate girls finals (5th, 1:03.19) and Western Branch's Venus Whitties in the young women finals (6th, 1:04.83). Both Wise and Whitties ran personal best times with previous all-time bests of 1:03.81 for Wise and 1:05.11 for Whitties.

 

Day 4 (Tuesday, July 29th) Highlights:

  • Oscar Smith's Wesley Smith (pictured right by Ted Plunkett) leaped to an AAU national title in the long jump as the two-time AAA state outdoor champion had the best mark in the young men's division at 23'10.50" to close out a very successful year for the 24'7" state leader.
  • Dejor Simmons of Green Run seems to be taking over the meet at the AAU Nationals as he followed his fastest qualifier performance in the 100 meter dash with the best time among all competitors in the 200 meter dash prelims of the intermediate boys division in a 21.68 clocking. Simmons was one of only two athletes to break 22 seconds in the prelims. The rising junior finds himself now in good position to win two national titles while in Michigan.
  • Three Virginian sprinters find themselves in good position after the first round of the 200 meter dash in the young men division with Keith Ricks of King's Fork (2nd, 21.52), James Taylor of Nansemond River (4th, 21.61), and Ja-Vell Bullard (5th, 21.84) of Bethel all running under 22 seconds among the top 5 fastest overall in the prelims. Ricks and Bullard are both recently graduated seniors, while the AAA state indoor long jump champion Taylor still has one more year to go at Nansemond River. All three have more in the tank for the following rounds with faster personal bests this season than their times in Tuesday's prelims.
  • Vincent Brown of South Lakes clocked his third fastest time of the season in the 110 meter hurdles to advance onto the finals of the 110 meter hurdles in the young men's division with a 14.37 clocking. Brown had run one of the fastest times in the state earlier this spring with a 14.10 performance and will likely need a near personal best performance in the finals to win with 14.17 as the leading performance in the prelims. Lavell Handy of Hampton had a fast enough time to get into the finals with the 7th fastest overall in the prelims at 14.54, but only the heat winners of the 8 prelim heats advanced as Handy was second in his race.
  • Set back with injuries during the outdoor season, Grassfield's Chantal Luedeke is now healthy and hurdling well. Luedeke earned her way into the finals of the intermediate girls 100 meter hurdles by winning her heat in a season best performance of 15.06.
  • Booker T. Washington's Raven Wilson will be moving onto the next round of the young women's 200 meter dash as the final qualifier of 24 as she qualified by time with her time of 24.99.

Day 3 (Monday, July 28th) Highlights:

  • Sherrard Marrow (pictured right by Ted Plunkett) of Bethel is the leading qualifier out of the prelims of the young men's 400 meter hurdles with a 53.33 performance. His time was a personal best improvement by over one second after winning his AAU regional meet in 54.72.
  • Dejor Simmons appears ready to go after another AAU national title in the intermediate boys 100 meter dash as the Green Run sophomore ran the fastest time of all competitors in the prelims with a 10.86 clocking. Simmons is the defending AAU national champion in the event as he clocked a time of 10.79 to win the intermediate boys division last summer in Knoxville, Tennessee.
  • Hampton's Lavell Handy earned All-American honors in the young men's triple jump with the fourth best mark in the field of 47'0.50". The George Mason bound Handy will have the opportunity to earn a second and possibly third All-American honor later this week in the long jump and 110 meter hurdles.
  • Churchland's Cydney Robinson made the finals of eight in the intermediate girls' 800 meter run by posting a personal best time of 2:15.98. Robinson had the fourth fastest time overall in the 800 prelims. A rising junior, Robinson has improved greatly over the course of the summer in the 800 after starting out the outdoor season with a 2:27 debut in April as a converted quarter miler.
  • Robinson's teammate Tiffany Harris became an All-American in the long jump as the AAA state outdoor champion finished fourth in the young women's finals with a best mark of 18'8". It was the second straight week that Harris has traveled to a big meet and performed well after winning the long jump competition at the USATF Club Nationals on July 19th with a PR mark of 19'5.75".
  • Mount Vernon freshmen Cordarius Franks broke 2 minutes in the 800 for the first time at the AAU Nationals, which was the time he needed in order to qualify for the finals of the 800 meter run in the intermediate boys division with his time of 1:59.27.
  • Western Branch's Venus Whitties will be in the finals of the 400 meter hurdles in the intermediate girls division after her performance of 1:05.50 on Monday as the sixth fastest qualifier.
  • Menchville junior Maia Wise ran just off personal best in the 400 meter hurdles to advance onto the finals in the young women's division. Wise was the sixth best qualifier at 1:04.13.
  • Both Oscar Smith's Keilah Tyson (12th, 12.21) and Chesapeake, VA 8th grader Shakeela Saunders (15th, 12.39) advanced onto the next round of the 100 meter dash in the intermediate girls division.
  • Bethel's Eric Williams qualified to the next round of the young men's 100 meter dash with a 11.08 clocking.
  • Deep Creek's Aaron Dudley failed to qualify for the finals of the young men's 800 meter run with the 18th fastest time in the prelims at 1:58.83.