North Carolina sprinters commanded attention Tuesday at the AAU Junior Olympic Games, producing two of the day's fastest overall 100-meter performances. Joya Clark led the 15-16 girls preliminaries, while Cassidee Fraser ranked second among the 17-18 women. Jonas Haygood added a top-seven showing in the oldest boys division, and several North Carolina distance runners recorded strong national finishes. Here are 10 standout performances from Aug. 4.
Boys
Jonas Haygood - 17-18 100, 10.54
Haygood recorded the seventh-fastest time in the 17-18 boys 100-meter preliminaries for Run U Xpress. He finished second in his heat in 10.54 and advanced comfortably, although the plus-3.8 wind made the performance ineligible for record purposes.
Kaiden Curtis - 15-16 100, 11.02
Curtis placed 30th overall in a massive 15-16 boys 100 field, clocking 11.02 for Run U Xpress. His time came with a legal plus-1.6 wind and followed his strong 200-meter showing from Monday.
Tristan Adams - 13-year-old 1,500, 4:32.91
Adams led North Carolina's younger boys distance performances, placing 11th nationally for Charlotte Panthers Track. His 4:32.91 left him less than four seconds outside the top eight in a tightly packed race.
Samuel Hildreth - 13-year-old 1,500, 4:42.66
Hildreth finished 23rd in the 13-year-old boys 1,500 for High Point Blaze. He crossed in 4:42.66, placing just ahead of several runners in a deep national field.
Samuel Smith - 13-year-old 1,500, 4:44.60
Smith gave High Point Blaze a second top-30 finisher in the 13-year-old 1,500. He placed 26th in 4:44.60, finishing less than two seconds behind teammate Hildreth.
Girls
Joya Clark - 15-16 100, 11.72
Clark produced North Carolina's top performance Tuesday by leading all qualifiers in the 15-16 girls 100. The Run U Xpress sprinter won her heat in a wind-legal 11.72 and edged Aaliyah Birdine by one-hundredth for the fastest preliminary time.
Cassidee Fraser - 17-18 100, 11.58
Fraser recorded the second-fastest time in the 17-18 women's 100 preliminaries for Run U Xpress. She won her heat in 11.58 and finished only three-hundredths behind the overall leader, although her race had an over-the-limit plus-2.6 wind.
Zhoe Holt - 15-16 100, 11.88
Holt gave North Carolina two of the three fastest performances in the 15-16 girls preliminaries. The Charlotte Heat athlete won her heat in a wind-legal 11.88, placing third overall behind Clark and Birdine.
Ajah McMillan - 15-16 100, 12.02
McMillan recorded the seventh-fastest preliminary time for Run U Xpress, winning her heat in a wind-legal 12.02. Her performance gave the North Carolina club two athletes among the top seven qualifiers.
Taraji Jordan - 15-16 100, 12.09
Jordan won her preliminary heat for High Point Blaze, finishing 11th overall in a wind-legal 12.09. She missed a place among the top 10 by only three-hundredths of a second.
