Photo by Tim Fulton of ArmoryTrack.com
A sad state of affairs in Virginia high school track and field as it appears there will only be one high school athlete from the state competing at the USATF Junior Nationals in Columbus, Ohio with T.C. Williams junior and VA state indoor long jump record holder Tynita Butts competing in the long jump.. Does Virginia not have the athletes good enough to compete for spots on the US World Juniors team? We do. Tynita Butts will be ranked fifth in the long jump and Natalie Baird would be ranked third in the discus. Others would not necessarily have realistic shots of making the World Juniors team, but still could be competitive in the meet. Nike Outdoor Nationals is a great event for high school athletes and the events put on by the National Scholastic Sports Foundation in the past have helped fund the trips of many of our nation's best juniors to USATF Junior Nationals. However, NON is not an official national championship meet, while USATF Junior Nationals is and on the line is the chance for athletes to represent their country at the World Junior Championships in Poland later this summer. This year due to the New York state meet being pushed back a week later than usual, the two meets were forced to be held on the same weekend and forcing many athletes to make a decision on which meet they will compete in.
Former VA HS athletes competing at the 2008 USATF Jr Nats (declared entries as of June 17th):
- Catherine White (Arkansas - Northside HS) Women's 5000 Meter Run - #1 Seed, 16:14.93
- Shakia Forbes (Seton Hall - Bethel HS) - Women's Long Jump - #2 Seed, 20-8
- Eddie Judge (Virginia Tech - Cox HS) - Men's 1500 Meter Run - #4 Seed, 3:48.55
- Ryan Witt (Virginia Tech - Sherando HS) - Men's 1500 Meter Run - #5 Seed, 3:48.60
- Frankt Nothaft (Stanford - Thomas Jefferson S&T) - Men's Hammer Throw - 53.74m
Below article contributed by the "Historian"
Virginia has a rich history of success at the USATF Junior Nationals
In 1972 two of Virginia’s all-time best won Junior National Championships:
Keith Witherspoon, former Huntington High School and University of Virginia athlete, would win the first Junior National Triple Jump Championship with a 51’5 ½” jump. Ronnie Ray coming off of his high school national record 440 Yard Dash at the Virginia State Championships would win the 440 Yard Dash in 46.3.
In the years that followed, 18 more Virginians would win Junior National Championships. They would be joined by 24 Virginia ladies, starting with Benita Fitzgerald in 1978 and most recently Queen Harrison in 2007.
Here are the names of those Virginian Junior National Champions:
Men's Champions
- Keith Witherspoon (Huntington) - Triple Jump - 51’5 ½” - 1972
- Ronnie Ray (Ferguson ) - 440 Yard Dash - 46.3 - 1972
- George Watts (Edison) - 10K - 29:44.6 - 1976
- Eric Brown (Bethel) - 100 Meter Dash - 10.29 - 1979
- Ricky Garcia (T.C. Williams) 3K Steeplechase - 8:54.89 - 1980
- Mike Mansy (T.C. Williams) 10K - 29:55.57 - 1980
- Rob Muzio (Robinson) - Decathlon - 7097 - 1982
- Keith Holley (Bayside) - Long Jump - 25’5 ¼” - 1988
- Andre Cason (Green Run) - 100 Meter Dash - 10.08 - 1988
- Lawrence Johnson (Great Bridge) - Pole Vault - 18’1” - 1993
- Tony Wheeler (Kecoughtan) - 200 Meter Dash - 20.67 - 1994
- Seneca Lassiter (Lafayette) - 1500 Meter Run - 3:48.50 - 1996
- Brian Hunter (Great Bridge) - Pole Vault - 17’ ¾” - 1998
- Rickey Harris (Centreville) - 400 Meter Hurdles - 50.28 - 1999
- Rickey Harris (Centreville) - 400 Meter Hurdles - 50.17 - 2000
- Richard Smith (South Lakes) - 800 Meter Run - 1:48.94 - 2002
- Keith Moffatt (Menchville) - High Jump - 7’1 ½” - 2003
- Lashawn Merritt (Wilson) - 200 Meter Dash - 20.72 - 2004
- Lashawn Merritt (Wilson ) - 400 Meter Dash - 46.80 - 2004
- Michael Morrison (Great Bridge) - Pole Vault - 16’8 ¾” - 2005
Women's Champions
- Benita Fitzgerald (Gar-Field) - 100 Meter Hurdles - 14.10 - 1978
- Benita Fitzgerald (Gar-Field) - 100 Meter Hurdles - 13.68 - 1979
- Arnita Epps (Kellam) - 100 Meter Hurdles - 14.10 - 1982
- Erin Keogh (Langley) - 3000 Meter Run - 9:30.20 - 1986
- Dana Boone (Lake Braddock) - Triple Jump - 40’3 ½” - 1986
- Lisa Wells (Manor ) - 100 Meter Hurdles - 13.57 - 1988
- Kim Blair (Hampton) - 400 Meter Hurdles - 59.59 - 1991
- Monyetta Haynesworth (Potomac) - Long Jump - 19’10 ¼” - 1992
- Tonya Williams (Norview) - 400 Meter Hurdles - 58.71 - 1992
- Tonya Williams (Norview) - 400 Meter Hurdles - 57.15 - 1993
- LaTasha Colander (Manor) - 100 Meter Hurdles - 13.36 - 1994
- Yolanda Thompson (West Potomac) - Triple Jump - 42’4” - 1998
- Keisha Banks (Midlothian) - 1500 Meter Run - 4:32.31 - 1998
- Laura Heiner (Centreville) - 3000 Meter Run - 9:46.59 - 1998
- Sheena Johnson (Gar-Field) - 400 Meter Hurdles - 59.10 - 1998
- Sheena Johnson (Gar-Field) - 400 Meter Hurdles - 56.82 - 2000
- Yolanda Thompson (West Potomac) - Long Jump - 21’3 ¼” - 2000
- Nikeya Green (Hayfield) - 800 Meter Run - 2:09.43 - 2000
- Sheena Johnson (Gar-Field) - 400 Meter Hurdles - 56.24 - 2001
- Janine Jones (Menchville) - 800 Meter Run - 2:07.41 - 2001
- Selina Sekulic (Ocean Lakes) - 3K Steeplechase - 10:34.72 - 2004
- Sarah Bowman (Fauquier) - 1500 Meter Run - 4:18.48 - 2005
- Stephanie Garcia (Broad Run) - 3K Steeplechase - 10:26.41 - 2007
- Queen Harrison (Hermitage) - 400 Meter Hurdles - 56.86 - 2007
In 1988, 21 Virginia runners went down to Tallahassee for the Junior Nationals. Five of them would make the US team to represent the US at the Junior World Championships in Sudbury, Canada.
Nine were 1988 Virginia State Champions and six more were former Virginia State Champions
- Anita Hooks – William Fleming – 1988 AAA Long Jump Champion
- Mindy Manuel – Thomas Jefferson – R – 1988 AAA Triple Jump Champion
- Lisa Wells – Manor – 1988 AAA 100 and 300 Meter Hurdle Champion
- Aaron Merriweather – Petersburg – 1988 AAA 200 Meter Dash Champion
- Traci Housel – Radford – 1988 AA Long Jump, 100 Meter Hurdle, 100 Meter Dash Champion
- Gloria Dillard – Christiansburg – 1988 AA Shot Put Champion
- Angel Fleetwood – Windsor – 1988 A 100, 200, 400 Meter Dash Champion
- Jonathan Fullen – Patrick Henry – GS – 1988 AA Triple Jump Champion
- Terence Warren – John F. Kennedy – 1988 AA 100 and 400 Meter Dash Champion
- Christa Scruggs – Thomas Edison – 1987 AAA 300 Meter Hurdle Champion
- Batanya Poole – Manor – 1989, 1990, 1991 AAA 400 Meter Dash Champion
- Andre Cason – Green Run – 1986, 1987 AAA 100 Meter Dash and 1986 200 Meter Dash Champion
- Keith Holley – Bayside – 1986, 1987 AAA Long Jump and 1987 Triple Jump Champion
- Marsha Fletcher – Osbourn Park – 1987 AAA 100 Meter Hurdle Champion
- Sharon Couch – Amelia County – 1987 A multi state champion
Where are today's championship athletes in VA? At NON? At beach week? Burned out? Running age group developmental meets?
Fast forward 20 years to today and what has happened to this year’s Virginia championship athletes?
Are our state champions too busy running on relays for their local clubs at age group meets? Are they burned out from over competition during the high school track season? Are they afraid to run the college freshmen in front of college coaches who may then decide not to recruit them? Are they too busy at Beach Week? Or is it the worst scenario – soccer?
It is a shame that some of our state champions who have moved to the top of the Virginia All-Time Best Performance Lists will not be representing Virginia at the Junior Nationals. I fear that it is a sign of the growing lack of commitment to the sport on the parts of our current athletes as well as their coaches. It also is a sign of the trend of taking the easy way - running in age group championships on relays so you can brag how you won the youth or intermediate national championship instead of finishing the outdoor season saying you competed against the best and had the chance to represent the country in a World Championship.
Let us pull for the college athletes from the state of Virginia who will be competing at Junior Nationals. They will represent Virginia well. Let us hope they add to the list of Virginia Junior National Champions.