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Photo by Eric Taylor of Sydney McLaughlin
USATF Junior National Championships took place this past weekend, here is a look at how our New Jersey athletes handled the competition. Spoiler alert, they did pretty well.
Women 400 Meter Hurdles
Only a Junior, Sydney McLaughlin qualified for the World Junior Championships winning USATF Junior Nationals with a time of 54.54. She was just off her own American junior record of 54.46 set just last week at New Balance Nationals.
As has been the focus all year she'll be competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials, July 1st through 10th, in Eugene, Oregon.
Event 10 Women 400 Meter Hurdles
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World Jr: W 54.40 2005 Xing Wang, CHN
American Jr: A 54.46 6/18/2016 Sydney McLaughlin
WJC Std: & 1:00.75
Name Year Team Finals
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Finals
1 Sydney McLaughlin Unattached 54.54&
2 Anna Cockrell South Charlo 55.89&
3 Brandee Johnson Unattached 56.16&
4 Damajahnee Birch Arkansas 57.67&
5 Meleah Biermaier Unattached 58.85&
6 Jasmine Barge Nebraska 59.09&
7 Markeeta Thomas Clemson 1:00.16&
-- Jessica Duckett Tulane DQ 
Men 400 Meter Hurdles
Taylor McLaughlin completed the family sweep of the USATF Junior 400 meter hurdles winning his final with a time of 50.74. He was also a star at Union Catholic and has produced a fantastic freshman year at the University of Michigan since graduating in 2015.
Cory Poole of East Orange Campus HS was also in the final finishing fourth with a time of 51.91, he is only a junior. He was second at nationals last weekend running 51.56 and ranks US#3 among all high school athletes in this event.
Event 30 Men 400 Meter Hurdles
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World Jr: W 48.02 1984 Danny Harris, USA
American Jr: A 48.02 6/17/1984 Danny Harris
WJC Std: & 53.20
Name Year Team Finals
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Finals
1 Taylor McLaughlin Michigan 50.74&
2 Amere Lattin Houston 51.30&
3 Justin Alexander Hall of Fame 51.74&
4 Cory Poole Unattached 51.91&
5 Cody Johnson Unattached 52.92&
6 Julian Body Unattached 52.93&
7 TreShon Woods Unattached 53.63
Women Shot Put & Hammer
Alyssa Wilson and Nickolette Dunbar placed first and third in the women's shot put throwing 52-07.25 and 50-02.5 respectively. They are ranked US#1 and US#3 for high school so far this season, Wilson's US#1 coming last weekend at Nationals where she threw 55-9.25 to win a national title.
Event 17 Women Shot Put
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World Jr: W 20.54m 1989 Astrid Kumbernuss, GDR
American Jr: A 18.35m 6/11/2015 Raven Saunders
WJC Std: & 14.50m
Name Year Team Finals
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Finals
1 Alyssa Wilson Worlds Longe 16.03m& 52-07.25
16.03m 16.03m 15.70m 16.02m 15.27m FOUL
2 Elena Bruckner Unattached 15.56m& 51-00.75
14.17m 15.56m 15.49m FOUL FOUL 15.12m
3 Nickolette Dunbar Thrower Nati 15.30m& 50-02.50
FOUL 12.38m 15.02m 15.27m 15.30m FOUL
4 Kathleen Young Unattached 15.14m& 49-08.25
14.99m 14.66m 15.14m 14.93m FOUL 14.86m
5 Olatoye Sade Ohio St. 15.09m& 49-06.25
14.29m 14.74m 14.56m FOUL 15.09m FOUL
6 Brenn Flint Utah St. 14.57m& 47-09.75
13.69m 14.30m FOUL 14.10m 14.57m 14.30mAlyssa Wilson also placed 4th in the hammer marking 191-02, now ranked US#2 in an event New Jersey high school athletes don't typically get a chance to compete in!
Event 19 Women Hammer Throw
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World Jr: W 73.24m 2005 Wenxiu Zhang, CHN
American Jr: A 68.12m 6/16/2012 Shelby Ashe
WJC Std: & 57.50m
Name Year Team Finals
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Finals
1 Joy Mcarthur Unattached 62.07m& 203-08
FOUL FOUL 60.73m 62.07m FOUL FOUL
2 Olatoye Sade Ohio St. 60.58m& 198-09
60.58m FOUL 52.15m FOUL FOUL FOUL
3 Haley Showalter Wisconsin 59.17m& 194-01
56.81m 59.17m 58.83m 57.33m FOUL 57.47m
4 Alyssa Wilson Worlds Longe 58.28m& 191-02
53.47m FOUL FOUL 54.44m 54.99m 58.28m
5 Michaela Preachuk South Ala. 58.08m& 190-07
55.54m FOUL FOUL FOUL 58.08m 51.99m
6 Mikaila Martin Houston 57.78m& 189-07
56.99m 57.77m FOUL 57.78m 57.03m 55.19m
Men Shot Put
Andrew Liskowitz, who had a great career at Christian Brothers Academy, threw for fourth this weekend in the Michigan yellow and blue marking 64-03. Luke Grodeska of St. Rose, our NJ Meet of Champions winner, was 14th at 55-05.
Event 37 Men Shot Put
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World Jr: W 23.00m 2013 Jacko Gill, NZL
American Jr: A 21.90m 6/26/2015 John Maurins
WJC Std: & 18.25m
Name Year Team Finals
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Finals
1 Adrian Piperi III Unattached 20.18m& 66-02.50
20.08m 20.10m FOUL FOUL 20.18m 19.96m
2 Bronson Osborn Unattached 20.07m& 65-10.25
19.52m 19.76m 19.63m 19.62m 19.79m 20.07m
3 Jordan Geist Unattached 19.59m& 64-03.25
18.09m 17.87m 19.59m 18.94m FOUL FOUL
4 Andrew Liskowitz Michigan 19.58m& 64-03.00
17.89m 18.50m 19.39m 19.54m 19.17m 19.58m
5 Nathan Bultman Southern California 19.48m& 63-11.00
18.33m 19.09m 19.30m 19.41m FOUL 19.48m
6 Connor Bandel Unattached 19.42m& 63-08.75
17.44m 17.32m 19.04m 19.42m 19.16m 19.33m
....
14 Luke Grodeska Unattached 16.89m 55-05.00
16.83m FOUL 16.89m Women 3K Steeple
Olivia Viparina who graduated from Roxbury in 2015, placed fourth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase running 10:39.12. She now attends James Madison.
Event 6 Women 3000 Meter Steeplechase
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World Jr: W 9:20.37 2011 Birtukan Adamu, ETH
American Jr: A 9:49.25 6/11/2016 Devin Clark
WJC Std: & 10:45.00
Name Year Team Finals
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Finals
1 Devin Clark Arkansas 10:31.11&
2 Kelly Naumann Iowa St. 10:33.49&
3 Rachel Nichwitz Arkansas 10:36.55&
4 Olivia Viparina James Madison 10:39.12&
5 Riley Cooney Kansas 10:40.16&
6 Grace Gibbons Iowa St. 10:43.63&Men Javelin
Ryan Gebhardt, the 2015 MOCs winner in the javelin, placed 6th at USATF Jrs throwing 192-00. Gebhardt graduated from Wallkill Valley in 2015 and now attends Rowan University.
Event 40 Men Javelin Throw
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World Jr: W 84.69m 2011 Zigmunds Sirmais, LAT
American Jr: A 77.84m 6/12/2010 Sam Crouser
WJC Std: & 68.70m
Name Year Team Finals
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Finals
1 Hudson Keffer Arizona St. 70.05m& 229-10
63.34m 70.05m 69.08m 66.57m PASS PASS
2 Thomas Peters Southern Miss. 62.77m 205-11
58.66m FOUL 62.77m 56.28m 59.40m FOUL
3 Ian Behm Akron 62.60m 205-04
60.34m 59.06m 57.60m 62.27m 62.23m 62.60m
4 Derek Ziegenfuss Eastern Mich. 60.75m 199-04
56.60m 60.18m 57.53m 60.29m 60.75m 59.70m
5 Dauson Booker Unattached 60.68m 199-01
FOUL 57.26m 56.57m FOUL FOUL 60.68m
6 Ryan Gebhardt Rowan 58.52m 192-00
57.45m 54.99m 53.40m 58.47m 55.72m 58.52mMen Long Jump
Justes Nance of Blair Academy jumped to eighth in the long jump with a mark of 24-02.5. He is only a junior and has a best of 25-0 in this event.
Event 35 Men Long Jump
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World Jr: W 8.35m 2012 Sergey Morgunov, RUS
American Jr: A 8.34m 9/8/1972 Randy Williams
WJC Std: & 7.55m
Name Year Team Finals Wind
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Finals
1 Jamari Ward Unattached 7.84m& 1.5 25-08.75
7.48m(1.7) 7.84m(1.5) PASS 7.68m(1.4) 7.40m(1.0) PASS
2 Harrison Schrage Step Ur Game 7.70m& 0.5 25-03.25
7.62m(0.6) 7.62m(1.9) FOUL(2.4) 7.41m(0.9) 7.70m(0.5) FOUL(1.6)
3 Bryce Huggins Unattached 7.68m& 1.1 25-02.50
5.78m(2.0) FOUL(1.1) 7.45m(1.9) FOUL(1.6) 7.47m(1.1) 7.68m(1.1)
4 Charles Brown Jr Texas Tech 7.67m& 0.8 25-02.00
FOUL(1.6) FOUL(2.0) 7.67m(0.8) FOUL(1.6) 6.42m(0.9) 7.34m(0.4)
5 Steffin Mccarter Texas 7.63m& 1.6 25-00.50
7.08m(1.0) 7.27m(1.1) 7.33m(0.8) 7.63m(1.6) 7.61m(2.6) 7.31m(1.5)
6 Grant Holloway Unattached 7.59m& 1.9 24-11.00
7.29m(2.1) 7.48m(1.9) 7.59m(1.9) FOUL(0.8) FOUL(0.4) FOUL(2.1)
7 Rayvon Grey Unattached 7.59m& 1.1 24-11.00
FOUL(0.6) 7.28m(1.1) 7.59m(1.1) 7.31m(1.8) FOUL(1.4) FOUL(1.5)
8 Justes Nance Unattached 7.38m 2.0 24-02.50
6.69m(1.3) 7.32m(0.7) FOUL(1.2) 7.38m(2.0) FOUL(0.9) FOUL(0.5)ll