In Friday\'s competition, McCorory will be trying her luck in the 200 meter dash preliminaries and hope she can reach the finals of the event. Thomas Dale\'s Boone will also get a second shot for glory as the NIN and NON national champion in the long jump competes in his speciality on Friday morning. Another James Madison University freshmen will be competing in a distance event as 2004 Warren Country grad Michelle Beardmore is entered in the 5000 meter run (17:21.79). VIC\'s Gabart will attempt to double back from the 10K to compete in Friday\'s 5000 meter run. Gabart has ran sub 15 this season with a 14:53.64 clocking. Also entered in the event is Josh McDougal\'s younger brother, Jordan. Jordan has redshirted this entire year for Liberty University, but has clocked a time of 14:48.73 this season.
CARSON, CA -- In the first day of competition at the US Junior Nationals, Great Bridge
junior Michael Morrison won the junior nationals title in the pole vault as he won the event with a
clearance of 16-08.75. Morrison coming off a national runner-up performance at the Nike Outdoor
Nationals last weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina, defeated NON winner Scott Roth of California
with his winning performance. The USA Junior Nationals meet, which is held over four days of
competition from June 23rd to 26th, serves as a qualifier for selecting the USA junior team for the
Pan Am Games. Also competing in the meet were Virginia high school stars Sarah Bowman of Fauquier,
Dennis Boone of Fauquier, and Francena McCorory of Bethel. Bowman, who qualified last summer at the
US Junior Nationals meet to compete at Worlds at 1500 meters, won her heat in the 800 meter run
with a time of 2:07.73 (2nd fastest overall) to qualify for the finals of the event. Meanwhile,
Boone (12th out of 14th, 10.89) and McCorory (12th out of 21, 11.97) failed to qualify for the
finals out of their preliminary heats of the 100 meter dash. Three Virginian collegiate freshmen
also competed in the meet as Virginia Intermont College\'s Steeve Gabart (4th, 31:48.59) and James
Madison University\'s James Printz (6th, 32:07.29) and Andrew Waring (12th, 33:25.95) ran in the
10,000 meter race.