photo courtesy Victah Sailer / Photorun.net
Whitney Fountain (Columbus, NYC) stood in 2nd place after the first day of the USATF Juniors heptathlon on Wednesday at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Fountain, believed to be competing in her first heptathlon – her entry was based on a pentathlon score – scored 3,241 points in the opening four events. She was just behind Ashley Smith (Millikan, Long Beach, Calif), the national high school leader this spring with a best of 5,225.
Fountain was on pace to threaten the New York State all-time high school record of 4,953, set 29 years ago Heidi Mann (Queensbury, Glens Falls). (Mann technically scored 5,211, using the old tables. Her performances convert to 4,953.)
Fountain got off on the right foot with lifetime bests in the first two events, running 14.47 (+1.9) in the 100 hurdles and winning the high jump with a PR of 5-8 ¾. Her previous bests were 14.80 and 5-7. Although she put the shot 33 feet this spring, she slipped in that event, doing 29-1 ¾, then concluded the day with the fastest 200 in the field, 24.26 (+1.1).
Smith’s first-day performances were 14.23, 5-6 ½, 34-7 and 24.37, for a score of 3,298.
Fountain is an excellent longjumper – her 2010 best is 19-4 ¼ -- but it is not known if she has ever thrown a javelin. Those and the 800 are the events on Day Two. /JP/