AAU - Track and Field

Article originally posted on MileSplit.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Day three of action at Satellite Beach High School started off strong with the 1,500m runs.

And Victor Jaimez-Solorio set the tone for the day early, running a new national record in the 9-year-old boys 1,500m. The Apple Valley, California-native ran 4:42.97, breaking the old record of 4:57.47 held by Ramses Dukes of Detroit, Michigan and of which was set back in 2001. The win was the Jaimez-Solorio's second win of the week, as he won the 800m run on Wednesday. He will also be competing in the 400m finals on Saturday, and there's a good chance he could win that race, too; he comes in with the top seed time of 1:05.73.

Another big 1,500m race which set a new national record mark was the 14-year-old girls race. Ventura's (CA) Sadie Engelhardt edged out Allen's (TX) Kailey Littlefield (4:35.51) in a wire-to-wire race. Engelhardt clocked a 4:34.18, which broke Melissa Benner's 34-year-old national record of 4:34.10. Engelhardt also won the 3,000m earlier this week in a time of10:05.34. California's Tiffany Sax was third in 4:52.94.

In the 17-18-year-old girls 1,500m Katy Cinco Ranch's (TX) Heidi Nielson ran away with it from the gun. The rising senior -- who we are sure to see do big things on the cross country course this fall -- clocked a 4:36.09 for the win. Sapulpa's (OK) Zoie Kiddy finished second in 4:47.58 while Kirkwood's (MO) Macy Schelp rounded out the top three in 4:50.50.
One of the most anticipated hurdle races of the week lived up to its hype between two of the best hurdlers of 2020: Florida's Leonard Mustari and North Carolina's Alexander Nunley. The duo had matched up five previous times -- including the indoor season -- and each time Nunley had gotten the better of Mustari -- except the 2020 Mondo Elite HS Invitational 60mH race.

Nunley was coming in as the 15-16-year-old age group defending champion. But this year the tables turned, with Mustari inching out Nunley with a winning time of 13.84 (+0.8) to Nunley's 13.88 (+0.8). Pompano Beach's (FL) Jerry Philippe finished third, also dipping under 14-seconds clocking a 13.95 (+0.8).

The final four heats of the 200m were - in the words of the great Cory Mull - "Straight freaking fire!"

Florida's Erriyon Knighton may have been the highlight of the entire day, kicking things off for the high school age groups with a 20.33 (+0.3). His time is not only a new 15-16-year-old age group national record -- taking down Tyrese Cooper's previous national record mark of 20.62 -- but it also ties Trentavis Friday for the fifteenth fastest all-time 200m and it was a new sophomore class record. Knighton will be competing in the 100m finals on Saturday where he clocked a 10.64 (-1.0) in the prelims to qualify for the finals.

The 17-18-year-old girls 200m race featured the Pennsylvania State Record holder in Talitha Diggs. The University of Florida recruit got out to a bit of a slower start but made up the difference in the final 100m to take the win and clock the only time of the day that was sub-24 seconds at 23.79 (+0.5). Her time also ranks US No. 2 on the season. Montgomery, Alabama native Chanice Spicer finished second in 24.09 and Leander's (TX) Hali Murphy took home the bronze running 24.18.

The final sprint race of the day also had some fireworks.

The 17-18-year-old boys 200m saw two of the top male sprinters who emerge from the shortened 2020 season in Robert Gregory Jr. and Auhmad Robinson. The Texas-natives were in a heated battle that came down to a lean at the line. Gregory would take the win in 20.65 (-1.4), while Robinson will head back to Houston with the silver after clocking a 20.91 (-1.4). Michigan native Brandon Miller also saw a nice improvement to his 200m PR as he clocked a 21.15 for third.

Check out more quick recaps of Friday's races below.

Fun Facts From The 2020 Installment Of The Games:

A total of 703 athletes are competing from the state of Florida -- Texas has the next most entries with 263, followed by California (130), Pennsylvania (130), Georgia (126) and Virginia (102).
A total of 2,148 athletes and 290 teams are competing at this year's games
The team with the most athletes this year is Fast Lane TC, with 44; Ashburn Elite has 36 athletes followed by New England Elite with 31

FRIDAY'S CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RECAPS:

Girls 8&Under 1500m Run: Chester's (PA) Melodi Ashford took the win. She ran a 5:36.95 while Jacksonville's (FL) Nahla Cochran was second, also running sub six minutes (5:53.78). Rounding out the top three was Covina's (CA) Leeah Combest who ran 6:09.82.

Boys 8&Under 1500m Run: Cyprian Reid from Fort Myers (FL) won in 5:44.75 while Galloway's (OH) Darren Dent took home second (5:52.72) and Palm Bay's (FL) Zamari Blumenberg was third in 6:04.98.
Girls 9yo 1500m: Aumire Sthran was the champion in this race at 5:46.50. Kristen Theobald of Baldwin Park (CA) took home second place in 5:53.42, while Omaha's (NE) Madison Scott wasn't far behind running 5:56.51 to finish in third.
Boys 9yo 1500m: Victor Jaimez-Solorio took home his second win of the weekend in national record pace. The 9-year-old clocked a 4:42.97 to break the previous national record of 4:57.47 held by Ramses Dukes of Detroit, Michigan. The record was almost 20-years-old. Finishing second was Florida native Prince-Terry Kemp (5:21.13) while Samuel Sylvester from North Carolina was third in 5:22.28.
Girls 10yo 1500m: This was a close race at the line between Baton Rouge's (LA) Molly Cramer and Saint Petersburg (FL) Anaiah Berry. Cramer ended up with the win in 5:17.87 but Berry wasn't far behind in second with a time of 5:19.78. Rounding out the top three was Jacksonville's (FL) Tahlya King who ran a 5:24.41.
Boys 10yo 1500m: After a second-place finish in the 800m earlier in the week, Southfield's (MI) Braylon Mcqueen got the win. The 10-year-old won in 5:08.12, winning by over 10 seconds. Texas-native Quincey McLean was second in 5:18.20 while Jeremiah Elington of Miami, Florida was third in 5:22.20.
Girls 11yo 1500m: Lucy Cramer of Baton Rouge (LA) battled to the line with Orlando's (FL) Claire Reburn. Cramer would take the victory in 5:17.31 while Reburn finished second in 5:18.70 and Georgia-native Morgan Means took home the bronze (5:26.48).
Boys 11yo 1500m: Allen's (TX) Kieran Tyrrell won (4:43.95) a close battle over the 11-year-old boys 800m champion Samuel Baker (4:44.53). Philadelphia's (PA) Kaleb Young finished third in 5:03.50.
Girls 12yo 1500m: Florida's Elizabeth Williamson was the only athlete in the field to dip under five minutes, posting a 4:56.41 for the win. The victory marked her second of the week as she also won the 3,000m in 11:08.58 on Wednesday. Chester's (PA) Damira Allen, who won the 800m on Wednesday in 2:20.10, placed second in 5:10.67. Jacksonville's (FL) Jehzaria Middleton placed third in 5:17.86.
Boys 12yo 1500m: Wyncote's (PA) Julian Sanders and Palmetto's (FL) Elijah Price had one of the closest battles out of all races. Sanders snuck by to take the win in 4:55.42 while Price would place second in 4:55.57. Demetrie Meyers of Havertown (PA) finished third in 4:57.84.
Girls 13yo 1500m: Cedarburg's (WI) Charlize-Trinity McKenzie took the win in 4:45.36 while Los Gatos' (CA) Chiara Bonomi was second in 4:55.25 and San Juan Capistrano's (CA) Brynn Garcia was third in 5:01.98.
Boys 13yo 1500m: Artesia's (CA) Taye Newman won in 4:36.82, River Falls (WI) Quinlan Andrews was second in 4:38.38 and North Branch's (NY) Aaron Keller would take the bronze medal in 4:45.10.
Girls 14yo 1500m: Another new national record mark. Ventura's (CA) Sadie Engelhardt edged out Allen's (TX) Kailey Littlefield in a time of 4:34.18, which broke Melissa Benner's 34-year-old national record of 4:34.10. Engelhardt also won the 3m000m earlier in the week. California's Tiffany Sax was third in 4:52.94.
Boys 14yo 1500m: High Point's (NC) Christien Stamp won the race in 4:28.78. Las Vegas' (NV) Chase McCallum took home the silver medal in 4:31.16 and Jacksonville's (FL) John Keester IV was third in 4:34.86.
Girls 15-16 1500m Run: Belle Vernon's (PA) Corinn Brewer, who finished fifth in the 800m earlier in the week, won the 1,500m in 4:50.24. She was followed by Burnsville's (NC) Lynlee Johnson, who was second in 4:53.20, and Isabella Edwards of Leander (TX), who was third in 4:53.59.
Boys 15-16 1500m: Sugar Land's (TX) Reese Vannerson and Oviedo's (FL) Miguel Pantojas De Jesus squared off in the 1500m, with both having run the 3,000m earlier in the week. A close battle would see Vannerson taking the win in 4:11.95, though De Jesus would improve from his fourth-place finish in the 3,000m to earn silver in 4:12.56. Las Vegas' (NV) Noah Espeleta rounded out the top three in 4:15.08.
Girls 17-18 1500m: See the lead item to begin the recap.
Boys 17-18 1500m: At the bell lap, Atlanta's (GA) Matthew Fernando and Melbourne's (FL) Joshua Stern made a push to break away. Fernando held off Stern in a close finish and the duo would run 4:04.86 and 4:05.62 , respectively. Bellevue's (IA) Brady Griebel had a strong close to round out the top three in 4:06.28.
Girls 11yo 80mH: Georgia-native Adrianna Haynes clocked a 13.55 (+0.2) to win by a large margin. Taking second was Orlando's (FL) Kaydence West (16.25) and rounding out the field was Baton Rouge's (LA) Lucy Cramer (16.35).
Boys 11yo 80mH: Baxley (GA) Rett Thomas won in 15.01 (+1.1), Waukee (IA) Joshua Bergkamp was second in 15.15 and Platte City (MO) Jack Johnson was third in (15.88).
Girls 12yo 80mH: Florida's D'Asia Duncan put another check in the win column this week. She was the returning 80mH champion and was able to defend her title running 12.76 (+1.7). Tallahassee's (FL) Kyra Swart took home the silver medal in 12.85 (+1.7) while Savannah's (GA) Blessed Diogo earned the bronze in 13.27 (+1.7).
Boys 12yo 80mH: Baton Rouge's (LA) Warren Gougisha III won in 13.04 (+0.7), Elk Grove Village's (IL) Griffin Schlenbecker was second in 14.01 (+0.7), and Oak Hills' (CA) Quran Clayton was third in 14.08 (+0.7).
Girls 13yo 100mH: Chesapeake's (VA) Shakayla Lavender won in 14.69 (+0.8), while Fort Lauderdale's (FL) Aleesa Samuel was second in 15.58 (+0.8) and Warner Robins' (GA) Aryanna Haynes was third in 16.81 (+0.8).
Boys 13yo 100mH: Palm Bay's (FL) Jaeden McMillan won in 16.63 (+0.5) Kissimmee's (FL) John Kostuch was second in 16.67 (+0.5) and Milo Willets was third in 16.90 (+0.5).
Girls 14yo 100mH: Maringouin's (LA) Makeriah Harris and Lakeland's (FL) Chelsi Williams had a heated battled which almost led to a sub-14-second run. Harris edged out Williams as the duo would run 14.06 (+0.5) and 14.50 (+0.5), respectively. Smyrna's (GA) Grace Smith ran14.56 (+0.5) to finish in third.
Boys 14yo 100mH: All of the top three guys were able to dip under 15 seconds for the 100mH. Homestead's (FL) Shaddai Carter took the win in 14.32 (+0.2), while Alexandria's (VA) Xavier Southall was second in 14.34 (+0.2) and rounding out the top three was Sebastian's (FL) Efren White in 14.70 (+0.2).
Girls 15-16 100mH: Sisters Falon Spearman and Santana Spearman went head-to-head in the 100mH. The teammates at Providence Day School (NC) finished one-two, with Falon clocking a 13.96 (+0.7) and Santana clocking a 14.82 (+0.7). Paris Baker of Miami (FL) rounded out the top three with a third-place finish (15.34).
Girls 17-18 100mH: Olympia Track Club's (FL) Lucheyona Weaver clocked a 13.91 (+1.2) to take home the win. It was the first win of the week for her, but her third overall performance. She also finished 11th in the 100m prelims and fifth in the 200m prelims. The runne- up in this race by a very close margin was Opa Locka's (FL) Eddiyah Frye, who ran 13.96 (+1.2). Amanda Kinloch of Miramar rounded out the top three for a Florida hurdle sweep.
Boys 15-16 110mH: Jayden Flaker took the long trip from Scarborough, Maine down to Florida and came away with the win in the 110mH. After his sixth place in the prelims clocking, a 15.23 (-1.6) the win seemed to be a bit of a stretch, but he came back hungry, made the corrections, and dropped a new PR of 14.42 (+1.0) to come away with the win. Rancho Cucamonga's (CA) Kai Graves-Blanks ran 14.48 (+1.0) to place second and Mesquite's (TX) Kendrick Smallwood finished third in 14.54 (+1.0).
Boys 17-18 110mH: See the lead item above.
Girls 8&Under 200m Dash: California-native Jasmine Wilson took home her second stint event win of the week. The youngster now has two golds; one in the 100m and the other in the 200m (30.65) (-1.3). Mableton's (GA) Leighla- Rachelle Herrio finished second in 30.82 (-1.3) and Opa Locka's (FL) Senoj Jones rounded out the top three.
Boys 8&Under 200m Dash: Running into a -1.0 headwind the only boy who able to break the 30-second barrier was Tampa's (FL) Isaiah Lassiter who clocked a 28.82 to earn the win. Conyers (GA) Jace Williamson was second in 30.07 and Tampa's (FL) Terrance Walker Jr. was third in 30.11.
Girls 9yo 200m Dash: The race wasn't figured out until the last 5 meters, It was a very tight race until then. In the end, Chester's (VA) Alaiyah Choice would sneak out the win in 28.60. Horsham's (PA) Ava Edwards finished second in 28.91 and Miami's (FL) Ariyana Gray was third in29.38.
Boys 9yo 200m Dash: This race was a tight battle between the top three all the way to the line. In the end Jacksonville's (FL) Kentwann Wooten would take home his second medal of the games running 27.78 (-0.6). Wooten will battle for his third medal tomorrow in the 400m. Rockledge's (FL) Terrilous Woodard III took home the silver medal (27.89) while Jacksonville's (FL) Zion Graham took home the bronze (27.94).
Girls 10yo 200m Dash: Houston's (TX) Maddison Brooks took the race from the gun and never looked back she clocked a 27.24 (+0.4) to earn the win. She will be racing in the 100m finals tomorrow where she comes in with the top seed time. Wichita Falls's (TX) Khloe Washington (27.90) and Gainesville's (FL) Davika Medley (28.34) placed second and third respectively.
Boys 10yo 200m Dash: The sprint power of Florida was out in full force in the boys 10-year-old 200m as athletes from the sunshine state swept the top three spots. Kashe Johnson took the early lead but the race looked close at the halfway, in the end, Johnson was able to hold off Antrell Johnson and Chad Johnson to take the win. The race was one of the closest of the day with all of the top five dipping under 28-seconds.
Girls 11yo 200m Dash: The top three athletes were all from Florida; Dasia Reed won in 25.66 (-0.8), Demi Dunbar was second in 26.23 and Joslyne De La Nuez was third in 26.73.
Boys 11yo 200m Dash: San Bernardino's (CA), Brooklyn Ross looked like a man among boys in the 11-year-old 200m dash. He appeared to be a foot taller than the rest of the field and he used the long stride length to get the win in 26.31 (+0.2). Columbus' (OH) Caleb Stanley finished second in 27.35 while Jacksonville's (FL) Mario Pratt III was third in 27.47.
Girls 12yo 200m Dash: What a finish by New York's (NY) Anna Vidolova! In a tight down-to-the-wire race she would take the win running 25.54 (+0.1). Vidolova would upset Florissan's (MO) Mekenzie Rogers (25.55) - who was the defending age group champion - by .01 seconds. Buford's (GA) Quinn Conwell rounded out the top three clocking a 25.78.
Boys 12yo 200m Dash: The duo of Michael Merritt and Jacobey Mobley from My Brother's Keeper Track Club went 1-2 running 24.37 (-1.0) and 24.42 (-1.0) respectively. Taking third was Richmond Hill's (GA) Jaylen Irish in 25.03.
Girls 13yo 200m Dash: There of the nation's top sprint states showed out in this race with Florida's Skyler Franklin taking the win (24.61), Texa's Aaliyah Barnes placing second (25.18) Virginia's Shakayla Lavender taking third (25.41).
Boys 13yo 200m: Jayden Whidbee from Conyers, Georgia won the boys, 13-year-old age group, 200m running 24.13 (-0.1). He was followed in second by Jalen Cooper from Jacksonville, Florida (24.15) and Tony Williams from West Palm Beach, Florida in third (24.40).
Girls 14yo 200m: Leading the way was Maringouin's (LA) Makeriah Harris who won in 24.78 (-1.0). She was the only athlete to break 25-minutes in the 14-year-old age group. Hollywood's (FL) Christin Facey was second in 25.00 while Fayetteville's (GA) Kirah Copeland was third in 25.33.
Boys 14yo 200m: We got to see some of the next up-and-coming high school names shine in this one the top three all went sub-23-seconds led by Lorton's (VA) Jason Woods in 22.73. Deltona's (FL) Avian Edwards and Urbana's (IL) Terrell King followed in second (22.94) and third (22.97) respectively.
Girls 15-16 200m Dash: This is the race where things really started to pick up. Cynteria James (24.58) of Miami, FL took the win over College Station's (TX) Elnita Green (24.81). North Port, Florida's Kylah Buckle placed third in 24.83 but the top five all went sub-24-minutes.
Boys 15-16 200m: Tampa Hillborough's Erriyon Knighton took the race by the horns and finished in a jaw-dropping 20.33 for a new AAU age group national record. No one was anywhere close to his wheelhouse. He bested the previous national record time of 20.62 set by Florida's Tyrese Cooper back in 2016. Auburn's (WA) Isaiah Davis clocked a 21.68 for second place while Deland's (FL) Kevar Williams was third in 21.72.
Girls 17-18 200m: See above.
Boys 17-18 200m Dash: See above.

PRELIMINARY RACE RECAPS:

Boys 17-18 4x400m Relay: The 4x400m relays were the only event scheduled for prelims today and there was only going to be a boy's 17-18-year-old age group race with two teams entered, so it has been moved to a finals only race on Saturday.

TOP PERFORMER OF THE DAY
Erriyon Knighton, 16, Hillsborough HS, FL
Highlight:
Boys 15-16 200m Dash: 20:33

Runner-Up Nominee:
Makeriah Harris, 14, Plaquemine HS, LA
Highlight:
The Louisiana-based athlete is a rising star. She won the 100mH in 14.06 and followed shortly after with a win in the 200m in a time of 24.78.

WHAT'S NEXT?
On Saturday there's a big day of finals lined up. Take a look at the list of events below!
1500m Race Walk - Finals
400m - Finals
3000m Race Walk - Finals
4x100m - Finals
800m Run - Finals
100m - Finals
4x400m - Finals
10yo Long Jump
17-18yo Shot Put
13yo Discus
17-18 Long Jump
13yo Discus
12yo Shot Put
17-18yo Discus

AAU Junior Olympic Games Day 3 Recap