Alumni & Pro Report: NC Alums Excel At USA Nationals
Clayton graduate Johnny Dutch represented his home state very well, earning gold in the 400 Hurdles. (photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images North America)
The USATF National Championship, sometimes known as "Senior Nationals" to distinguish it from the Junior (19 and under) competition, was last weekend in Sacramento, California. The meet represents the pinnacle of track & field competition within the borders of the United States, with the country's top performers competing to earn national titles. In many years, the USATF Championship is also the qualifying meet for the IAAF World Championship, but this is not a world championship year. Nonetheless, some of North Carolina's best former high school and college athletes competed, bringing home several medal-worthy performances and one national title. Check out the quick summary below, plus the larger list of participants at the bottom.
Johnny Dutch, Clayton/University of South Carolina: 48.93 for 400 Hurdles National Champion!
Barbara Pierre, St. Augustine's University: 11.27 for 100 Meter Dash 2nd Place
Shannon Rowbury, Duke: 15:01.71 for 5000 Meter Run 2nd Place
Sean McLean, Word of God Academy: 10.26 for 100 Meter Dash 3rd Place, 20.41 for 200 Meter Dash 4th Place
Ryan Hill, Hickory/NC State: 13.32.82 for 5000 Meter Run 4th Place
Juliet Bottorff, Duke: 32:40.61 for 10000 Meters 4th Place
Manteo Mitchell, Crest/Western Carolina: 45.09 for 400 Meter Dash 5th Place
Jesse Williams, Broughton/USC: 7' 4.5" High Jump 5th Place
Kendra Harrison, Clayton/University of Kentucky: 12.92 for 100 Meter Hurdles 7th Place
(Also, Knightdale graduate Ronnie Ash led all qualifiers after the semifinals of the 110 Hurdles, but was unable to finish in the final.)
Clayton graduate Johnny Dutch represented his home state very well, earning gold in the 400 Hurdles. (photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images North America)
The USATF National Championship, sometimes known as "Senior Nationals" to distinguish it from the Junior (19 and under) competition, was last weekend in Sacramento, California. The meet represents the pinnacle of track & field competition within the borders of the United States, with the country's top performers competing to earn national titles. In many years, the USATF Championship is also the qualifying meet for the IAAF World Championship, but this is not a world championship year. Nonetheless, some of North Carolina's best former high school and college athletes competed, bringing home several medal-worthy performances and one national title. Check out the quick summary below, plus the larger list of participants at the bottom.