Men's Recap: Tate Taylor Overtakes Blake Hamilton, Breaks 200 Record; Keenen Davis and Zacchaeus Brocks Destroy High School Hurdles Records; Jayden Deleon Beats Quincy Wilson

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Sam Givner and Ken Martinez

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

EUGENE – In a span of two hours Friday at Hayward Field, the greatest display of high school boys sprinting and hurdling ever served to build an American U20 team coming for medals in August. 

Three national high school records and another U.S. U20 record fell as the fastest teens in the country scrambled to make the cut and earn national team gear and an invitation to come back Aug. 5-9 for the World Athletics U20 Championships. 

Tate Taylor and Blake Hamilton both ran under Noah Lyles' high school record in the 200 meters. Taylor ran 19.94 and caught Hamilton, the Texas state champion, who finished in 20.02. 

What happened in the hurdles was just as spectacular. 

Keenen Davis of Archbishop Carroll DC, one day after approaching the 2002 high school 400-meter hurdles record of Kenneth Ferguson (49.38), destroyed that in final with 49.20. Right behind him, Miller Warme of GLS Speed in Washington (Kamiak High) ran No. 2 all-time 49.28. 

Andrew Jones, the Texas state champ who earlier this season broke the 300-meter hurdles record, finished third with No. 4 all-time 49.46 and didn't make the U.S. team. 

The 110-meter hurdles were also historic, and perhaps inspired by JaKobe Tharp's world record last week at the NCAA Championships.

 Zacchaeus Brocks, the Michigan state champion, became the first prep in history to go under 13 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles, smashing Wayne Davis' 2009 record of 13.08 by a tenth of a second. Brocks edged out Georgia freshman Le'Ezra Brown in the final, 12.975 to 12.977. 

Earlier in the prelim, Brown broke Tharp's U.S. U20 record when he ran 12.95. 

The first attention-grabber of the afternoon came with the 400 meters final. 

In a reprise of their epic duel at New Balance Nationals Indoor in Boston, Jayden Deleon not only challenged the Olympian and gold medalist Quincy Wilson, he beat him. 

Deleon, an LSU recruit, surged to the front in the final 60 meters and broke the tape in 44.52 seconds to become the second-fastest high schooler of all-time. Wilson, who hadn't lost a high school race in nearly 18 months, finished in a season's best 44.84 seconds. 

Outside of the sprint and hurdles final, the U.S. team came together with top-two finishes across an array of events. 

Michigan freshman Henry Dixon kept a Wolverine streak going in the men's U20 1,500 meters with his victory in 3:48.50. Oklahoma State's Nate Stadtlander was second in 3:49.27.   

In the 800 meters, Stefon Dodoo of Texas A&M won a three-man battle for the top two spots in 1:48.59. Kaleb Burroughs from South Carolina was second in 1:48.68, just ahead of a diving Henry Risser of Wisconsin (1:48.80). 

A pair of pre-meet favorites, high schooler Caleb Winders from Indiana (Bloomington North) and Oregon freshman Bodey Lutes, both did not finish. 

In the high jump, Gage Voyles of Kennesaw State, the Conference USA champion and NCAA qualifer who finished 16th last week, went over 2.24m (7-4.25) to win. U.S. high school leader Maddox Krotzer from South Garner NC earned the second spot on the national team with 2.20m (7-3). 

Kayden Hulet, a Nevada state champion in the shot put and discus, continued to throw big marks with the junior weight (6 kg) hammer. He won the U20 title with 239-1 (72.88m) and by a margin of 17 feet. Charles Sullivan of Somers NY was second with 67.70m (221-1). 

Another clutch performance for Miles Nesmith (Memphis Central TN) in the triple jump enabled the high school national record holder indoors to claim the U20 title. His sixth attempt 52-5.25 (15.98m) overtook Kell GA's Justin Arogundades' sixth round mark of 52-4.50 by three-quarters of an inch. 

College throwers Omar Hussein of Arkansas State and Michael Kpomassy of UTEP earned the team spots in the shot put. Hussein threw 20.97m (68-9.75) to win and Kpomassy was second with 19.99m (65-7). The top high school thrower was Mekhi Malcom of Anderson SC, who made the adjustment to the junior implement and finished third with 19.79m (64-11.75). 

In a 3,000 meters with just six competitors, high schoolers Noah Bontrager (Westview IN) and Grady Lenn (De Pere) sprang to life in a slow race and kicked their way onto the U.S. team. Bontrager, a sub-four miler indoors, won in 8:32.53 and Lenn was next in 8:34.58. 

Brody Foster of Knoxville Halls TN, the Tennessee state decathlon champion, won the U20 title with 7,604 points. Darius Jones Jr of the University of Wisconsin finished second with 7,547 points. 

In the 5,000-meter racewalk that began the day, Gael Plasencia glided his way to victory in 22:42.21. Plasencia lives and trains with a group in Mexico and said he hopes to be in shape to complete 5,000 meters in less than 20 minutes at the World U20 meet. Ian Britt of Maine Racewalkers finished second in 23:22.48 but doesn't have the World standard.