*Ja'Shaun Lloyd became the national leader in both the 60m and 60mH over the weekend
Photo: Texas MileSplit
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A busy week of track and field provided a number of jaw-dropping performances from the New York International Showcase to a pair of elite high school meets put on by Texas Tech. There were national leads, class records, and a ton of PBs over the last three days, but while there were hundreds of outstanding results, there were five athletes that stood out amongst the rest.
The National Performer of the Week poll will close at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, January 30, and the winner will be announced shortly after.
Take a look at five of the top-performing boys from last weekend.
Ja'Shaun Lloyd, Athletic Performance Ranch (Texas): The Texas State commit had himself a day at the Texas Tech Wes Kittley High School Invitational as he set national leads in both the 60m and 60mH, winning both events with lifetime bests. After making his season debut in the 60m during prelims, Lloyd shifted gears and dropped a 6.65 in the final, promptly becoming the fastest athlete in the country this year. Clearly, that wasn't enough for the star, as Lloyd also won the 60mH in 7.59, another PB. Lloyd's perfect showing also saw him jump to No.4 on the all-time 60mH list and became the first high schooler to break 7.60 in Texas history.
Cooper Lutkenhaus, Justin Northwest (Texas): After a freshman campaign that saw him set record after record while cementing himself as one of the best half-milers in the country, the prodigy made his sophomore debut at the Texas Tech Invite, where he immediately picked up right where he left off. In a field packed with collegians, Lutkenhaus kept his composure and practiced patience up until the final 80m, where the sophomore made his signature kick to surpass a pair of collegians for the win in 1:50.15, the fastest time in the U.S. this winter. He snagged the win and crushed Michael Granville's (Bell Gardens, Calif.) indoor sophomore class record of 1:51.12 by nearly a second.
Ryan Buskey, Colonie (N.Y.): For the sixth time this year, Buskey soared higher than any of his competitors, this time winning his signature event, the high jump, at the New York International Showcase. The junior cleared 7-2 in his win, matching his season and personal best that he set back in December. Buskey was the lone athlete in the field to clear 7-0 and notched five first-attempt clearances, the only athlete with more than three. Buskey currently sits No. 2 in New York history and is just two inches shy of breaking Dan Olson'sf (Albany Academy) 24-year-old record of 7-4. He already holds the state junior class record in the event by nearly four inches.
Jordan Riggs, H-Town Hurricanes (Texas): In his first 400m race since the end of June, Riggs cruised to a 47.57 in the first round at the Texas Tech Wes Kittley High School Invitational. In the final, Riggs shattered his PB as he stopped the clock at 46.48, a new PB. Coming into the meet, Riggs' fastest mark was 47.55, which he bested on the indoor oval by nearly half of a second. The sophomore is coming into the track season as the top 400m returner in 5A and the defending runner-up. Riggs jumped to No. 4 on the Texas sophomore all-time leaderboard and is the third-fastest sophomore in national indoor history. Riggs also ran 21.67 for 200m in Lubbock, the 15th fastest time in Texas this season.
Shamrock Thoun, Woonsocket (R.I.): Since the second week of December, Thoun has picked up 10 consecutive wins in the weight throw, with his most recent victory coming at the RITCA Invitational in Providence, Rhode Island. Thoun came out on top of a field of 43 athletes, winning by nearly three feet. The junior's best throw of the day was 79-0.5, which is his third-best throw of the year. Earlier this month, Thoun became the top junior in state history and still sits just outside of the top five on the state's all-time leaderboard. The standout thrower ranks 16th in U.S. prep history and owns the fourth-best throw mark ever recorded for a junior.
