INDIANAPOLIS - The second day of competition concluded Saturday with Team USA claiming eight titles at the 2007 Pan American Junior Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
2007 Gatorade National Youth Track & Field Athlete of the Year and 2007 U.S. Junior champion Bryshon Nellum (Los Angeles, Calif.) won the men’s 400 meters in 45.40 seconds. Robert Simmons (Houston, Texas) took fourth in 46.46.
Jessica Beard (Euclid, Ohio), the 2007 U.S. Junior champion, took third in the women’s 400 meters, crossing the line in 51.91 seconds. Brandi Cross (Missouri City, Texas) was fourth in 52.32.
2007 USA Junior champion Jamesha Youngblood (Hercules, Calif.) won the women’s long jump with a leap of 6.40 meters/21 feet 0 inches. Ashika Charan (West Covina, Calif.) took fourth with 6.10m/20-0.25.
In the women’s 800m, 2007 U.S. Junior champion Latavia Thomas (Philadelphia, Pa.) won the title in 2:06.59. Sarah Cocco (Fairview, Colo.) was fourth in 2:08.45. On the men’s side, Jonathan Moore (Fort Johnson, N.Y.) took third in 1:49.17.
The women’s 4x100m relay team of Kenyanna Wilson (Peoria, Ariz.), Shataya Hendricks (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Madison McNary (Palm Harbor, Fl.) and Lynne Layne (New Rochelle, N.Y.) brought home the crown, winning in 43.71. The men’s 4x100m of Arthur Wims (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Shane Crawford (Winimac, Ind.), Kyle Stevenson (Memphis, Ind.) and Jonathan Williams (Temecula, Calif.) also won, crossing the line in 39.43.
Also at the track, Kenny Klotz (Portland, Ore.) won the men’s 10,000m, crossing the line in 31:04.57. Kauren Tarver (Phelan, Calif.) took third in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, finishing in 10:52.08. Roberto Vergara (Edinburg, Texas) took ninth in the 10,000m race walk in 47:55.37.
In other field event action, Luke Bryant (Clearwater, Kan.) stole the show in the men’s discus with his winning throw of 59.45m/195-0.5 while Nicholas Robinson (Lake Forest, Calif.) of UCLA was the runner-up with 55.93m/183-6. Kevin Snyder (Oklahoma City, Okla.) was the runner-up in the men’s high jump with his clearance of 2.08m/6-9.75. Nneka Ugochukwu (Irving, Texas) took second in the women’s shot put with her heave of 14.52m/47-7.75. American Junior record-holder Walter Henning (South Huntington, N.Y.) won the men’s hammer throw with a heave of 69.89m/229-3.
Competition at the 2007 Pan American Junior Championships concludes tomorrow. For more information and complete results, visit www.usatf.org.