It has been nearly two decades since American athletes last competed in Cuba, so regardless of the results, the U.S. high school track & field athletes brought to Havana to compete in the 2015 edition of the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational were bound to make history.
Their travel to Cuba provided by the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation, who put on events such as New Balance Nationals as well as help fund travel to top meets and training camps to further develop the nation's elite high school athletes. Beyond simply the valuable international experience by the U.S. athletes (for many a first time), the meet saw some outstanding performances in a virtual dual meet between the best preps in the United States versus the best from the same age group in Cuba.
MileSplit was on-site with video coverage by Todd Grasley of flrunners.com and assistance by Steve Underwood of the NSAF. Check out the highlights, results, race videos, and interviews below!
Ryan Clark (Banneker GA senior) won the boys 100 meter dash in a face-off with fellow American Noah Lyles in a US #6 all-time personal best clocking of 10.18 to improve upon his existing national leading time. Lyles (T.C. Williams VA junior) finished second with a personal best 10.38 clocking, which ranks him US #6.
Lyles came back in the 200 finals to go head to head with one of Cuba's best in Reynier Mena. Despite racing into a headwind (-1.7 reading), Lyles ran a US #2 20.48 personal best, but fell just short of defeating Mena who clocked in at 20.45 for the win.
Norman Grimes made a smashing debut in the 400 meter hurdles as the Canyon (TX) junior Grimes ran a US #2 time of 50.80 down in Cuba to claim victory as well. Grimes has to feel good about his chances of competing for the New Balance Nationals title next weekend against US #1 Rai Benjamin (50.45 PR).
Indoor national high jump champion Jaron Brooks from Kentucky succesfully cleared 6'11.50" to win the high jump competition in Havana.
Adam Kelly of Barrington (RI) easily took care of business in the boys hammer throw with his best throw of the day at a distance of 221'9.50" for first place.
Logan McKay, a distance runner from the outstanding distance program of Davis High School in utah, doubled back from his 3:58 1500 meter win on day one to finish runner-up in the 800 on Saturday in 1:53.05.
Ryan Camp, a junior from Archer High School in Georgia, remained unbeaten this spring in the discus, even when going international, with a winning throw of 178'3.75" in the discus.
The United States swept all of the relay races on the final day over Cuba posting some quick times with their All-Star lineups of 40.03 in the 4x100 and 3:12.80 in the 4x400 from the American boys.
Girls Day 2 Highlights:
Sarah Walker, a junior from Germantown Friends (PA), ran away from the field in the girls 800 to clock a new PR and improve one spot in her national ranking to US #4 2:05.79.
Anna Cockrell swept the hurdles at the Caribbean Scholastic Invite as the junior from Providence Day School in North Carolina followed up her first place showing on Friday in the girls 100 meter hurdles with a US #2 victory of 59.37 in the 400 meter hurdles on Saturday. Penn Relays 400 meter hurdles champ Brooklynn Broadwater was runner-up in the race at 1:03.26.
One of the youngest members for Team USA in Miami Northwestern (FL) sophomore Twanisha Terry won the girls 200 meter dash finals in a 23.474 clocking. Terry was also runner-up in the 100 meter dash finals (11.82) to a fellow American in Cassondra Hall.
Speaking of Hall, the Georgia state champ ran a wind legal season best of 11.59 in semis then 11.63 in the finals to take the girls 100 and move up to US #2 in the national rankings. Hall also ran a leg on the victorious American 4x100 (44.80) and 4x400 (3:44.64) meter relays.
The versatile thrower that is Sophia Rivera (Brentwood MO junior) won the shot put at the Caribbean Scholastic Invite with a mark of 48'2.75", while Kiana Phelps from Iowa was the girls discus champion with a mark of 155'7.25" from the US #2 ranked discus thrower.
