Prefontaine Classic 2008

With so many big invitationals and championships this past weekend, we wrap-up the weekend and move forward with our eyes focused forward towards Columbus, Ohio (USATF Junior Nationals) and Greensboro, North Carolina (Nike Outdoor Nationals). In this week's edition of News & Notes we touch upon a few meets, how Price and Roesler are dominating forces and what the week ahead brings. (Pictured left: Chanelle Price in the Pre Classic 800m, photo by Victah Sailer of PhotoRun.net)

In the 800, She could be a Contender - in the May 28 New York Times Chanelle Price will get one big race between her final PIAA state meet and the Olympic Trials, and it won't be Nike Outdoor Nationals or USATF Junior Nationals. It'll be the prestigious Prefontaine Classic on Sunday June 8 at Hayward Field at the Univeristy of Oregon. The race is the Prefontaine-retirement of 800 meter legend Maria Mutolo. Price was also named the USATF Athlete of the Week for the 2nd time during her senior year. Her 2:02.90 broke prep records held by two legends of the event, and achieved the "B" standard for the upcoming Olympic Trials. Price's first award was on January 29th after she set the US prep record for 500 meters at the New Balance Armory in New York City.

Chanelle Price (PA) (pictured left by Irishrunner.com's Timothy O'Dowd) will get one big race between her final PIAA state meet and the Olympic Trials, and it won't be Nike Outdoor Nationals or USATF Junior Nationals. It'll be the prestigious Prefontaine Classic on Sunday June 8 at Hayward Field at the Univeristy of Oregon. The race is the Prefontaine retirement of 800 meter legend Maria Mutolo and features one of the strongest 800m fields seen on U.S. soil this summer. Much more soon.

It was reported early last week that middle-distance sensation Chanelle Price (PA) entered the women's 800m dash at the Prefontaine Classic. Well another high school athlete has joined the Prefontaine Classic this week, as Utah distance runner Luke Puskedra (pictured left in lead at NIN by John Herzog) has entered the men's two-mile. According to a MileSplit source, Puskedra will be attempting to break the high school two-mile record of 8:36.3h set back in 1979 by Jeff Nelson. More information coming on both Price's and Puskedra's Pre Classic races.

With so many great results this past weekend, we wrap-up the weekend and look ahead in our weekly News & Notes section. This week we discuss a freshman shot put sensation not named Nick Vena, the big 1600m race in Minnesota on Saturday, other state action and the Prefontaine Classic. (Pictured left is Ryan Crouser of Oregon (wearing #65) and his cousin Sam Crouser. Ryan has throw 60-02 this year in the shot put as a freshman. Photo by Kim Spir)

Chanelle Price runs the 2nd best PA 800 ever in 2:01.61 at Prefontaine. #2 also happens to be US#2 behind Kim Gallagher's 2:00.07 - and Price has a few more chances... We are not in Shippensburg any more – Chanelle Price at Pre Ryann Krais is gaining fans and confidence as she chases records in her prep farewell... VIDEO: 12 "Run Like A Champion Videos" from the June 6 PA Distance Festival at West Chester Henderson HS US#2 all time for Ryann Krais of 5522 in the heptathlon - photo by Alan Versaw, Colarado Runner, a MileSplit.US affiliate Photo gallery from the 3rd Pennsylvania Distance Festival @ West Chester Henderson At the Great Southwest Classic, a day after her near record in the Heptathlon, Ryann Krais won the 300 hurdles in a PR of 41.20, and was named the Female Athlete of the Meet. On Thursday, Ryann Krais started her hep competition 79 points ahead of US-record-setting pace following four of the seven heptathlon events. But after the final three events, Krais came up a mere 11 points short of passing the national record of 5533. Krais' 5522 was a PR by 150 points. Her day two including an 18-10.50 long jump, a javelin of 104-11 and a 2:17.71 in the 800. At the 3rd Henderson Distance Festival, LaSalle senior Dan Lowry ran a 4:13.49 mile (60-2:03-3:07), the #1 PA (pure) time at that distance. The mark is a school record, eclipsing a 1974 mile run by John Burns. Cedar Crest's Tom Troxell went 1:52.87, which is just short of his PA#2 ranking from Districts. On Saturday at the Golden South Classic in Orlando, FL, frosh Taylor Ellis-Watson of the Springside School near Philadelphia, PRed in the 400, running a 55.65 to advance to the finals. Her 56.24 in the finals captured third place. In the 200, she ran 25.35 in the prelims and did not advance. At the MileStat.com Elite Track Gala @ Richmond, VA, Max Kaulbach, Germantown Friends, won the 1500 in a meet record and US#3 3:54.48, coming through the 800 in 2:04. At the Golden West Invitatonal in California, Jason Flangan, Father Judge, threw the javelin 168-05, for 2nd. MORE>>>

What a fantastic weekend it's been. Big championship style invitationals (Golden South, Golden West, Great Southwest) state meets (Ohio, Minnesota, New Hampshire, etc.) and the prestigous Prefontaine Classic hosted great high school competition all weekend long. A handful of U.S. top ten all-time performances took place, including Ryann Krais' (pictured left by Alan Versaw) U.S. #2 all-time heptathlon. **Chanelle Price (PA) runs 2:01.61 in Pre Classic 800m, U.S. #2 All-Time!!! **Laura Roesler (ND) runs 2:03.08 for 800m in California, U.S. #8 All-Time!!! **Jacquelyn Coward (TN) blazes 13.00 100m hurdles at Great Southwest, U.S. #2 All-Time!!! **Ryann Krais (PA) scores 5522 points at Great Southwest in heptathlon, U.S. #2 All-Time!!! Top Boys Weekend Highlights - Luke Puskedra (UT) runs 8:46.41 in Prefontaine Classic two-mile - D'Angelo Cherry (GA) blazes 10.16w in 100m at Golden West - Trotwood-Madison (OH) runs 1:25.44 4x2, 3:13.46 4x4 at OH State - Zach Wills (OH), only a freshman, wins OH State 3200m in 9:15.34 - Zachary Mellon (MN) runs 1:49.69 800m at MN State, U.S.#3 - Apple Valley (MN) wins 4x800 at MN State in U.S.#4 of 7:45.31 - Curtis Beach (NM) wins Great SW decathlon with 7262 points - Nick Vena (NJ) beats Mike Alleman (NJ) with 65-03.50 SP in NJ - Brett Johnson (NJ) runs 56.5 last lap to win NJ 1600m in 4:09.03 Top Girls Weekend Highlights - Alitta Boyd (CA) leaps 42-00 TJ, 19-06.25 LJ at Golden West - Ebony Eutsey (FL) blazes U.S.#1 400m in 53.23 at Golden West - Ryann Krais (PA) wins 300mH in 41.20 at Great Southwest - Hannah Carson (AZ) throws 160-11 javelin at Great Southwest - Three Texas high jumpers clear 6-00 at Great Southwest - Meshawn Graham (OH) runs U.S.#2 400m at OH State in 53.30 - Aareon Payne (OH) blazes 11.78 100m, 23.88 200m at OH State - Jillian Smith (NJ) runs U.S.#3 800m of 2:05.26 in NJ, U.S.#3 - Melanie Thompson (NJ) wins NJ MOC 3200m in 10:17.18, U.S.#5 Meet Pages & Results: Great Southwest T&F Classic - NJ Meet of Champions

News came this morning from FLRunners.com editor Jason Byrne that Florida sprint sensation Jeff Demps (pictured left by Jason Byrne) is entered in the 100m dash at Sunday's Prefontaine Classic. Demps' addition makes him the third high school athlete in the professional meet, joining Chanelle Price of Pennsylvania and Luke Puskedra of Utah. This is a great opportunity for the University of Florida-bound Demps to improve upon his 100m time and perhaps earn an invitation to the Olympic Trials. Pre Classic Start Lists

We learned this morning that Jeff Demps has been added to the 100 meter dash at the Prefontaine Classic on Sunday. For those of you who might not realize what a feat that is, only two other high schoolers nationwide will be taking part in this race. The field is open to only the nation's finest elite athletes including professional athletes, NCAA Champs, and Olympians. This is the race several years ago that allowed Alan Webb to break the high school mile record, by being pushed by these stars. So congratulations to Jeff for being invited and also for being named the Orlando Sentinel Athlete of the Year (for all sports). The two other high schoolers joining Jeff at the Pre Classic are Chanelle Price of Pennsylvania and Luke Puskedra of Utah. Chanelle is an Olympic hopeful in the 800 meters who as run 2:02 and hopes to approach 2-flat this weekend. Luke Puskedra will be competing in the two mile race and is hoping to challenge the high school record in that event. What can Jeff crank out? He was just one hundreth of a second off of the state record of 10.16 that has stood for over 30 years. Jeff ran a 10.17 earlier this year at the Florida Relays. So certainly that record is in jeopardy. The national high school record of 10.08 was set by J-Mee Samuels of North Carolina in 2005. That would certainly seem like a stretch at this point, but pulled in the slipstream of the best in the country and based on Jeff's talent and tendency to exceed expectations... you never know! We'll have to wait until Sunday to find out! Here is the complete entry list for the meet.

Running against some of the best athletes in the country and one of only three high schoolers competing in the entire meet, recent South Lake graduate Jeff Demps ran like he belonged! The featured athlete in the event by the NBC TV coverage, Demps had a lot of pressure on him to come through with a big one. He lead early in the race early before being caught during the last third of the race. His final time was 10.19, earning him third place. The time was just .02 off of his personal best that he ran at the Florida Relays in March and .03 off the state record. We should hopefully get one more chance at least to see Jeff compete before he takes off the track spikes and puts on a University of Florida football uniform for the year... that being at the Olympic Trials. That of course is where Houston McTear set the current state record of 10.16 in 1976 that has stood for 28 years. How very appropriate it would be if Jeff could take out the record at the same meet! Great job, Jeff... we are all very proud!

By Jack Pfeifer EUGENE, Ore. – With a flourish under a shockingly clear blue sky, this Northwest college town put on the country’s best one-day track meet Sunday, the annual Prefontaine Classic, as a final dress rehearsal for the upcoming Olympic Trials. They will start here at the University of Oregon’s spiffed-up Hayward Field in just 18 days. FULL ARTICLE HERE photo courtesy Kim Spir / OR.Milesplit.us

Photo by Victah Sailor - PhotoRun.net Running stride for stride with Olympic Gold medalist Maria Mutola could have been unnerving for recent Easton grad Chanelle Price. After all, it was 650 meters into the biggest 800 of her young career, and Price had been in her trademark position since the cut-in off the waterfall start – the lead. "It was a little nerve-wracking" Price said this week a few days after her US#2 all-time 2:01.61 at the Prefontaine Classic. But Price didn't back down, and stayed with Mutola through much of the final curve. It was the furthest Price had gone with the lead in a race with this level of competition. In last year's USATF Championships, where Price raced all three rounds before placing 7th in the finals... she had been caught and passed at the 600 meter mark.