Paths to Olympics stardom began in HS

 

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Genetics. Coaching. Determination. They all play a part in every track and field athlete's path to the Olympic Games. 

Making the U.S. Olympic team in track and field is one of the hardest things to do in sports, with a variables that are both manageable and unmanageable. 

There is no sure-fire way to make the team other than to be amazing on the right day at the Olympic Trials. 

There were many paths to Rio for this year's U.S. team. Some of the athletes were high school superstars and national record-setters. Others didn't become elite until they were in college. Some of them didn't go Division I. 

Some have seemingly always been at the top. Bernard Lagat. Jenny Simpson. Michelle Carter. Galen Rupp. Lashawn Merritt. Allyson Felix.

Others put it all together in 2016 and their names are only now becoming familiar.

A common denominator is that nearly all had some degree of success in high school track. Here is a brief glimpse at where the 2016 U.S. Olympic track team came from:

 

WOMEN | MEN

English Gardner (100), Eastern Regional (Voorhees, N.J.): After losing her junior season due to injury, she ran US#10 11.56 in 2010 to win the New Jersey Meet of Champions. Her progress continued at the University of Oregon where she won the NCAA 100 meters title in 2012 and 2013 before turning pro. She has won a pair of silver medals in the 4x100 at the 2013 and 2015 World Championships and U.S. 100-meter titles in 2013 and 2016.

Tianna Bartoletta (100/Long Jump), Elyria (Elyria, Ohio): She was the Ohio state champion in the 100, 200 and long jump during her senior year in 2003 and won a total of nine state titles. She made her first mark internationally as a long jumper, taking the World Junior title in 2004 and the World Championship title in 2005. She also won NCAA indoor and outdoor long jump titles in 2005. After 2008, she moved her attention to the track and has become one of the top sprinters in the U.S.

Tori Bowie (100/200), Pisgah (Sand Hill, Miss.): She won a handful of state titles in the 100, 200, long jump and relays in high school, graduating in 2008. Then she went to Southern Mississippi and became one of the top collegiate long jumpers. She won the NCAA long jump title as a junior. As a senior, she drastically lowered her 100 meters time and has become one of the top sprinters in the world over the past three years.

Deajah Stevens (200), Benjamin Cardozo (Queens, N.Y.): She attended three different high schools and three different colleges but her talent has been evident throughout all of the moves. As a senior at Cardozo she was part of a Penn Relays winning DMR. She was also second in the 200 at New Balance Nationals Indoor. She came to Oregon in the winter of 2016 and had a sensational spring, capped by a stunning second place finish in the Olympic Trials.

Video Interview from 2013 - Penn Relays DMR

Video Interview from 2013 - New Balance Nationals Indoor DMR

Jenna Prandini (200), Clovis (Clovis, Calif.): She enjoyed a fantastic career at Clovis, winning five California state titles between her junior and senior years. She was also the U.S. Junior champion in the long jump. At the University of Oregon, she focused on her speed and brought her times in the 100 and 200 down considerably. She won the NCAA long jump in 2014, the 100 meters in 2015 and was runner-up in the 200 both years. At the end of 2015 she won the Bowerman Award after turning pro. 

Video from 2010 - Arcadia Invitational Long Jump

Allyson Felix (400), Los Angeles Baptist (Los Angeles, Calif.): She was sensational in high school, breaking the U.S. high school record in the 200 meters (22.11) at altitude in Mexico in May of 2003. She became the first high school star to turn pro rather than compete for her school (USC) and she made the decision pay off becoming one of the most popular track athletes in the world for the past decade-plus.

Phyllis Francis (400), McAuley (Queens, N.Y.): She was primarily an 800 meters runner in high school, making her one of the few elites to actually go down in distance as she got older. She won the National Scholastic indoor title in the 800 meters (2:07.54) her senior year in 2010 and also ran 2:08.23 outdoors as a junior in 2009. At Oregon she became a dynamic 400-meter sprinter. She broke the collegiate record in the 400 as she won the 2014 NCAA title. She earned a silver medal as a member of the U.S. 4x400 relay team at the 2015 World Championships.

Natasha Hastings (400), Randolph (New York City): She ran US#1 52.04 in the 400 as a senior in 2004 and was a standout throughout her high school years as she became a PSAL legend. Her success continued at the University of South Carolina and she won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the U.S. 4x400 relay. She has been one of the top 400-meter sprinters in the U.S. for more than a decade.

Kate Grace (800), Marlborough (Los Angeles): She showed versatility from 400 (55.74) to cross country (2006 CIF Division 4 champion) in high school. After that she was a four-time All-American at Yale. After turning pro she won the U.S. 1-mile road championship in 2013. It was her only U.S. title until winning the 800 at the Olympic Trials.

Ajee Wilson (800), Academy of Allied Health & Science/Neptune (Neptune, N.J.): A tremendous high school talent, she qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 800 meters at the conclusion of her senior year in 2012. By then, she had already made U.S. teams for World Juniors (2010) and World Youth (2011). She returned to World Juniors in 2012 and won gold in the 800 in 2:00.91. She turned pro during her first week at Florida State and has been a global factor in the 800 ever since. She was sixth at the 2013 World Championships.

Video Interview from 2012 - U.S. Olympic Trials Semifinal

Chrishuna Williams (800), DeSoto (DeSoto, Texas): She focused on the 200 and 400 in high school, running a best of 54.55 at the 2011 Texas 5A state meet. At the University of Arkansas, she didn't begin running the 800 meters until her junior year (2014). As a senior in 2015, she placed fourth at the NCAA Championships in the 800.

Jenny Simpson (1,500), Oviedo (Oviedo, Fla.): She placed 10th at Foot Locker as a senior and then won the 2004 Florida Class 4A titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 the following spring. The quality of her running took a big step up at the University of Colorado, starting with the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She won the 2006 NCAA title in the steeplechase and was ninth in the 2008 Olympic final. Then, she turned her attention to the 1,500 and became the 2011 world champion. She has been in the hunt for global medals ever since.

Shannon Rowbury (1,500), Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco): In 2002, she was ranked US#4 in the 800, the 1,600 and the 3,200 meters. She won the state title in the 800 in 2001 and added the 1,600 in 2002. At Duke, she broke the school records in five different events from the 800 to the 5,000. She turned pro in 2007 and has been one of the top middle distance runners in the U.S. ever since. She won a World Championships bronze in the 1,500 in 2009. She is in her third Olympic Games.

Brenda Martinez (1,500), Rancho Cucamonga (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.): She was third at the CIF Southern Section Masters meet in the 1,600 meters as a senior in 2005 and ran 4:55.98. She began to develop into an elite middle distance runner at UC-Riverside, where she finished second in the NCAA 1,500 meters in 2009. She began working with renowned coach Joe Vigil and earned a bronze medal in the 800 meters at the 2013 World Championships.

Emma Coburn (3,000 Steeplechase), Crested Butte (Crested Butte, Colo.): She placed second at Nike Outdoor Nationals in the 2,000-meter steeplechase in 2008. Having grown up at nearly 9,000 feet elevation, she was a perfect fit at Colorado and quickly became a a collegiate success. She won the U.S. title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2011 and made her first World Championships team. At 21, she made the 2012 Olympic team and placed ninth in the final of the steeplechase in London.

Courtney Frerichs (3,000 Steeplechase), Nixa (Nixa, Mo.): Believe it or not, her only elite mark from her senior year in 2011 was in the triple jump. She was an untapped talent in high school who went to Missouri-Kansas City before transferring to the University of New Mexico. She competed for the U.S. at the 2012 World Juniors, taking 16th. As a senior at New Mexico she helped the Lobos win the NCAA cross country championship and then she won the 2016 NCAA steeplechase title.

Colleen Quigley (3,000 Steeplechase), Nerinx Hall (Webster Groves, Mo.): She won Missouri Class 4 titles in the 1,600 and the 3,200 and was the 20th place finisher at the 2010 Foot Locker Cross Country finals. That helped her land a scholarship at Florida State where she quickly developed into an elite talent. She won the 2015 NCAA 3,000-meter steeplechase title before turning pro.

Shelby Houlihan (5,000), Sioux City East (Sioux City, Iowa): A legend in her home state of Iowa, she won Class 4A titles in the 400, 800 and 1,500 as a senior in 2011. She was also a two-time NXN qualifier. She developed her talents at Arizona State where she was the 2014 NCAA champion in the 1,500 meters and a 12-time All-American.

Video Interview from 2010 - NXN Post-Race

Kim Conley (5,000), Montgomery (Santa Rosa, Calif.): Although she did qualify for state in the 1,600 as a senior in 2004, she was not a high school star. She ran 4:56.20 for 1,600 meters. Her career began to lift off at UC-Davis and she made program history by qualifying for NCAAs in cross country. She never made it to NCAAs in track and field. She became an assistant coach at her alama mater and continued to develop as a post-collegian. Her breakthrough came at the 2012 Olympic Trials where she dramatically earned a spot on the U.S. team and gained the A standard with a big sprint to third and lean at the finish line.

Abbey D'Agostino (5,000), Masconomet (Topfield, Mass.): She had only modest results in high school (graduating in 2010) but developed an interest in running that produced stunning results when she got to Dartmouth. At the Ivy League school she became one of the greatest college runners of all-time with seven NCAA championships. She turned pro in 2014.

Molly Huddle (10,000), Notre Dame (Elmira, N.Y.): Back in 2002, her senior year of high school, she was one of the top runners in the country. She had US#1 times in the 2-mile (10:01.08) and the 3,000 (9:21.37) and was US#2 in the 1,500 and mile. Her small high school did not have a cross country team. She went to the University of Notre Dame and was a 10-time All-American. For the past decade she has been one of the top professional road racers and distance runners in the U.S. 

Emily Infeld (10,000), Beaumont (Cleveland Heights, Ohio): She was third at Nike Indoor Nationals as a senior in 2008 and then went on to win Ohio state titles in the 800 (2:09.12) and 1,600 (US#5 4:47.31) in the spring. She won the 800 meters state title four years in a row in Ohio. Then she went to Georgetown where she was an instant hit. She won an NCAA 3,000 meters title indoors and placed second three times -- in cross country, the 1,500 and the 5,000. She joined Jerry Schumacher's Bowerman Track Club in November of 2012 and after a period of adjustment had a breakout year in 2015.

Marielle Hall (10,000), Haddonfield Memorial (Haddonfield, N.J.): She was one of the top distance runners in New Jersey and participated in a diverse set of meets -- everything from USATF Junior Olympics to the Colgate Games to her high school fixtures. As a senior in 2010 she ran US#2 4:25.05 in a 1,500 meters at Princeton, was US#11 in the 800 (2:08.81) and US#9 in the 3,000 (9:40.23). At Texas, she had a huge breakthrough her senior year in 2014 and won the NCAA title in the 5,000 meters. That launched her pro career.

Amy Cragg (Marathon), Leavenworth (Leavenworth, Kan.): She was a three-time Kansas state champion in the 3,200 meters and also won a cross country title. At Arizona State, she developed into a 10-time All-American and she was a college teammate of Desiree Davila (Linden). She began transitioning to the marathon in 2011.

Desiree Linden (Marathon), Hilltop (Chula Vista, Calif.): She was fifth in the California state finals of the 1,600 as a junior and fourth in the 3,200 as a senior (2001). She ran 10:39.60 for US#23 at the Mt. Carmel Invitational and US#10 4:54.93 for second place in the mile at Golden West. She was a three-time league champion in cross country. She was a two-time All-American at Arizona State and ran her first marathon in 2007.

Shalane Flanagan (Marathon), Marblehead (Marblehead, Mass.): Great genetics, perfect form, competitive drive, all of the traits that went into forging one of the greatest careers in U.S. distance running were on display in high school. She was a three-time state champ in cross country (1997, 1998, 1999). She was second at the outdoor national meet in the mile (4:48.47), good for US#2 behind Wyoming's Alicia Craig, and she won the indoor title (4:46.91). At the University of North Carolina she was a two-time NCAA cross country champion and a dominant figure on the college running scene. She was the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the 10,000 and a top-10 marathoner in 2012 and 2016.

Brianna Rollins (100 Hurdles), Northwestern (Miami): As a senior in 2009, she was the national champion in the 400-meter hurdles and also the Florida state champion in the 300 hurdles. She was also US#9 in the 100 hurdles (13.83). Her career took off like a rocket at Clemson and she was the 2013 World champion in Moscow. She won three NCAA titles at Clemson and broke the NCAA record when she ran 12.39.

Video Interview from 2009 - Nike Outdoor Nationals

Kristi Castlin (100 Hurdles), Chapel Hill (Atlanta): She was the Georgia state champion in the 100 and 300 hurdles as a senior in 2006 and 13th at Nike Outdoor Nationals. She won a gold medal at the Pan Am Juniors in Brazil in 2007. She was an eight-time All-American at Virginia Tech before embarking on a pro career. She made the 2012 World Indoor Championships team but was eliminated in the semifinals of the 100 hurdles at the Olympic Trials that year. 

Nia Ali (100 Hurdles), Pleasantville (Pleasantville, N.J.): After winning the New Jersey Meet of Champions in the 100 hurdles she was fourth at both Nike Outdoor Nationals and U.S. Juniors in the spring of 2006. She went to Tennessee as a heptathlete but began to focuse exclusively on the hurdles after transferring to USC. She was the NCAA champion in the 100 hurdles in 2011. After making the U.S. team for the World Championships in 2013 she took off 2015 to become a mother. She came back big in 2016, winning the World Indoor 60 hurdles in Portland. 

Dalilah Muhammad (400 Hurdles), Benjamin Cardozo (Queens, N.Y.): She was the New York City (PSAL) and state champion in the 400-meter hurdles and was nationally ranked indoors from 300 to 600 meters as a senior in 2008. She was also a 5-9 high jumper. She was a four-time All-American at USC. In 2013 she won her first U.S. title in the 400-meter hurdles and took a silver medal at the World Championships in Moscow.

Ashley Spencer (400 Hurdles), Lawrence North (Indianapolis): She was second in the Indiana state finals in both the 100 and 300 hurdles as a senior in 2011. Her 300 time was US#16 42.11. She won two NCAA titles at Illinois (2012 and 2013 in the flat 400) before transferring to Texas for her final two years. She was on the silver medal U.S. 4x400 relay at the 2013 World Championships. She turned her focus back to the 400 hurdles for the 2016 Olympic Trials.

Sydney McLaughlin (400 Hurdles), Union Catholic (Dunellen, N.J.): She is the youngest U.S. Olympic track athlete since the sport turned professional more than three decades ago. The daughter of 1984 Olympic trialist Wille McLaughlin has been sensational throughout her first three years of high school and broke the 31-year-old national high school record in the 400 hurdles at New Balance Nationals Outdoor (54.46).

Video Interview from 2015 - At Union Catholic High School

Video Interview from 2014 - NJ Catholic Conference Championships

Maria Michta-Coffey (20K Racewalk), Sachem North (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.): Her Olympic dream began in 1996 at the age of 10 and race walking became her thing in high school. She was 10th at the IAAF World Youth Championships in 2003 and 22nd at the IAAF World Juniors in 2004, her senior year. She placed 29th at the 2012 London Games and is an American record holder several times over.

Miranda Melville (20K Racewalk), Rush-Henrietta (Rochester, N.Y.): She got her start in high school in New York and graduated in 2007. She was a member of the 2015 World Championships team that competed in Beijing.

Chaunte Lowe (High Jump), J.W. North (Riverside, Calif.): She made a steady year-by-year progression in the high jump. She cleared 5-6 as a freshman, 5-8 as a sophomore, 6-0.50 as a junior and 6-1.50 as a senior. She won the California state title as a junior but lost to Sharon Day as a senior, in 2002. She won the outdoor national championship twice. She also had bests of 20-4.50 in the long jump and 41-3 in the triple jump.

Vashti Cunningham (High Junp), Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas): The daughter of an NFL quarterback and a ballet dancer, her genetics gifts have been evident throughout her recent high school career. She broke the national high school record with ease, going 6-5 at the 2015 Pan Am Juniors. Then she won the World Indoor Championships in March and turned pro ahead of her high school graduation.

Video Interview from 2015- USATF Junior Championships

Video Interview from 2016 - IAAF World Indoors

Inika McPherson (High Jump), Port Arthur Memorial (Port Arthur, Texas): She was one of the top high school high jumpers throughout her four years, including US#1 as a senior in 2005 with 6-2. She was plagued by an ankle injury at Cal but did win the 2009 Pac-10 title in the high jump. She made U.S. national teams for the 2011 and 2013 World Championships.

Jenn Suhr (Pole Vault), Fredonia (Fredonia, N.Y.): She played a variety of sports -- golf, softball, basketball, soccer and track -- in high school. She didn't start pole vaulting until she was out of college, in 2004. As a senior at Fredonia, she won the state title in the pentathlon. She earned the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics and has been at or near the top of the event ever since. She was the 2012 Olympic champion and the 2013 World Championships silver medalist.

Sandi Morris (Pole Vault), Greenville (Greenville, S.C.): She was a pole vaulter and 100-meter hurdler in high school who cleared 13-3.50 to win USATF Junior Olympics after graduating in 2010. It was her only prep meet over 13 feet. As a freshman at North Carolina she made 14 feet for the first time. She transferred to Arkansas after her sophomore year and began to take off. She won the NCAA indoor title in 2015 and placed second outdoors. She earned a silver medal at World Indoors in Portland in March.

Lexi Weeks (Pole Vault), Cabot (Cabot, Ark.): She broke the high school national record in the pole vault with 14-7.50 on July 4, 2015. A year later she made the Olympic team a month after winning the NCAA title for Arkansas. She and twin sister Tori were standouts in the pole vault, jumps and hurdles in high school. Tori owns the high school indoor record.

Video Interview from 2015 - New Balance Nationals Outdoor

Brittney Reese (Long Jump), Gulfport (Gulfport, Miss.): She won Mississippi state meet titles in the long jump, triple jump and high jump as a senior in 2004. She had bests of 5-10, 20-4.25 and 40-4.25 coming out of high school. She attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Ole Miss on the way to becoming the best long jumper in the world. She was a two-time NCAA champion. She is the reigning Olympic champion and a three-time World champion in the long jump.

Janay DeLoach (Long Jump), Ben Eielson (Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska): Talent finds its way to the light no matter where it is located, even on an Air Force base in Alaska. She was a basketball player and also a standout in track. She won four straight Alaska titles in the long jump (was the first girl in state history over 18 feet) and had a best of 19-5 her senior year in 2003. She also won three state titles in the 100. She was a four-time All-American at Colorado State and won the bronze medal in the long jump at the 2012 London Games.

Keturah Orji (Triple Jump), Mount Olive (Flanders, N.J.): She was the best jumper in the country in her final two years of high school, sweeping New Balance Nationals Indoor and Outdoor titles as a senior in 2014. She jumped 44-11 in the triple jump at World Youth as she took the bronze in the summer of 2013. In just two years at Georgia she has established herself as the best American triple jumper in history.

Video Interview from 2014 - New Balance Nationals Outdoors

Video Interview from 2014 - New Jersey Varsity Classic

Christina Epps (Triple Jump), Morristown (Morristown, N.J.): She was a 39-9 triple jumper in high school and placed third in the New Jersey Meet of Champions as a senior in 2009. She developed into a 43-foot jumper at Coppin State, where she graduated in 2014. She made the 2015 World Championships team and then hit a big PR over 46 feet to make the 2016 Olympic team.

Andrea Geubelle (Triple Jump), Curtis (University Place, Wash.): A strong jumper throughout her high school career, she won five state titles in Washington and had senior year bests of 20-0.50 in the long jump and 42-10.25 in the triple jump in 2009. She won Nike Outdoor Nationals titles in both events. At Kansas, she helped the Jayhawks win their first NCAA track championship. She won three NCAA titles. 

Michelle Carter (Shot Put), Red Oak (Red Oak, Texas): Just like her father, she is the national high school record holder in the shot put. As a senior in 2003, she threw 54-10.75 at the Texas state championship meet. That was two weeks after she broke the record for the first time, at regionals. She also had US#5 169-3 in the discus. She also broke the indoor national record. As a freshman and sophomore she was US#5 both years. As a junior, she threw US#1 53-3.75.

Raven Saunders (Shot Put), Burke (Charleston, S.C.): Her adoption and practice of the spin technique helped her make a quantum leap from 39-foot thower as a junior to national high school record holder indoors and out (56-8.25). She took silver at the 2014 World Juniors after using a Kickstarter campaign to get to Eugene for the qualifying meet. In two years of college, she has continued to develop under the coaching of Connie Price-Smith and won NCAA titles for Southern Illinois (2015) and Ole Miss (2016).

Video Interview from 2014 - New Balance Nationals Indoor

Video Interview from 2014 - New Balance Nationals Outdoor

Felisha Johnson (Shot Put), Lawrence North (Indianapolis): She was the Indiana state champion in the shot put as a senior in 2008, throwing 47-6.25. She was a versatile thrower at Indiana State, who competed in the hammer and shot put at the NCAA level. She won two NCAA titles in the weight throw indoors in 2011 and 2013. She was not yet a 60-foot thrower in the shot until after college when she was able to train full-time.

Whitney Ashley (Discus), J.W. North (Riverside): She was a basketball player and track athlete in high school. She was eight in the girls shot put at the CIF Finals in 2007. She spent two years honing her craft at Cerritos College before moving to San Diego State. She won the NCAA title in the discus in 2012 and subsequently made U.S. teams for the 2013 and 2015 World Championships.

Shelbi Vaughn (Discus), Legacy (Mansfield, Texas): She broke the national high school record in the discus as a senior in 2012 and competed in her first Olympic Trials, taking fourth. She took gold at the 2011 World Youth Championships and got bronze at World Juniors in 2012. She won NCAA discus titles in 2014 and 2015 at Texas A&M.

Video Interview from 2012 - U.S. Junior Championships

Kelsey Card (Discus), Carlinville (Carlinville, Ill.): Easily one of the top throwers in the country as a high school junior and senior (2011), she had bests of 167-4 in the discus and and 50-8.75 in the shot put. She won seven state titles. At Wisconsin, she qualified for NCAAs throughout her college career and capped it off with a national title in the discus in 2016 and month before making the Olympic team.

Amber Cambell (Hammer), Pike (Indianapolis, Ind.): She played volleyball and basketball in high school but also started throwing. She was third in the Indiana state meet in the discus as a senior in 1999 (147-6). She didn't pick up a hammer until she was at Coastal Carolina University. She has been at the forefront of U.S. hammer throwing for more than a decade and has made her third Olympic team.

Gwen Berry (Hammer), McCluer (Florissant, Mo.): She didn't begin throwing until she was at Southern Illinois, where she quickly learned and excelled in the hammer. The 2007 high school graduate placed fourth at the 2008 U.S. Junior Championships. Although she never won an NCAA title, she kept at it and won her first U.S. title in the weight throw indoors in 2013. In 2016, she broke the U.S. record on the way to making her first Olympic team.

DeAnna Price (Hammer), Troy Buchanan (Troy, Mo.): Never a state champion with the shot put or discus in high school, she had senior year bests (2011) of 42-4 in the shot put and 149-3 in the discus. She went to Southern Illinois and began to flourish. She won NCAA titles in the hammer in 2015 and 2016.

Maggie Malone (Javelin), Fillmore Central (Geneva, Neb.): She competed in the long and triple jump, the 200 and the 4x400 relay at the Class C state meet in high school in 2012. Javelin was not offered. She threw 166 feet as a freshman at Nebraska and improved to 181-8 to win Big Tens in 2014. She transferred to Texas A&M and kept making progress, culminating with a 2016 NCAA title.

Kara Winger (Javelin), Skyview (Vancouver, Wash.): Focused entirely on the javelin in high school she won three Washington state titles and threw US#2 159-2 as a senior in 2004.  She also participated in the Olympic Trials that year. She developed into the top thrower in the country at Purdue, winning the 2008 Olympic Trials. She broke the American record in 2010.

Brittany Borman (Javelin), Festus (Festus, Mo.): A solid thrower throughout her high school career, she had high school bests of 47-11 (shot put), 150-5 (discus) and 155-1 (javelin). Because Missouri is one of the states that doesn't offer javelin, she had to hone her skills at out-of-state meets. Her best mark in high school came during her junior (2007) when she won the Great Southwest.

Barbara Nwaba (Heptathlon), University (Los Angeles): In her senior year of 2007 she tied for 16th in the high jump and was 26th in the 300-meter hurdles at the CIF prelims. She got a bit more serious in track after enrolling at UC Santa Barbara, where she became an All-American in the heptathlon in 2012. She was fifth at the Olympic Trials in 2012 and kept improving from there. She made the World Championships team in 2015.

Kendell Williams (Heptathlon), Kell (Marietta, Ga.): One of the most versatile and talented high school athletes of the past decade, she won numerous national titles in multi events and typically was double and triple entered in events such as the high jump, long jump and 100 hurdles. She broke the national high school record in the heptathlon with 5,578 points as a junior. As a senior in 2013, she ranked US#1 in the 100 hurdles, US#1 in the high jump (indoors), and US#3 in the long jump. In three years at Georgia she has won NCAA titles in five of the six multis (indoors and out) that she has entered.

Video Interview from 2013 - Mobile Meet of Champions

Heather Miller-Koch (Heptathlon), Columbus (Columbus, Wis.): The 2005 high school graduate won the Wisconsin state triple jump title as a sophomore and was second as a junior. She went to NCAA Division II St. Cloud State University and was a 10-time All-American there. She stuck with the sport and finished fourth in the 2014 and 2015 U.S. Championships before making the Olympic team in 2016.

Morolake Akinosun (Relay Pool), Waubonsie Valley (Aurora, Ill.): She ran US#2 11.41 in the Illinois state finals in 2012 and also ran US#1 6.76 for 55 meters indoors. She has had a distinguished career at Texas, where she was second woman to score at NCAAs in four events two years in a row. 

Ariana Washington (Relay Pool), Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.): The Oregon sophomore was one of the top sprinters in the U.S. and one of the greatest of all-time in California for Long Beach Poly. Her three straight 100-200 doubles at the CIF finals has only been exceeded by Marion Jones. In 2016, she became the first woman to win the 100-200 double at NCAAs since 1998.

Video Interview from 2014 - World Junior Championships

Video Interview from 2013 - Arcadia Invitational SMR

Taylor Ellis-Watson (Relay Pool), Springside (Philadelphia): She was fifth in the 400 at New Balance Nationals Indoor as a senior in 2011 and ran 54.91 outdoors. After a year at Pitt she transferred to Arkansas and developed into one of the top 400-meter sprinters in the country. She was the NCAA runner-up indoors and outdoors in 2016 in the 400.

Francena McCorory (Relay Pool), Bethel (Hampton, Va.): She had impressive range in high school from 55 meters to 500. As a senior in 2006, she broke the indoor national record in the 300 meters (36.96) and the 400 (51.93) and was also US#1 that season in the 500 (1:11.97) and US#2 in the 55 (6.86).

Courtney Okolo (Relay Pool), Smith (Carrollton, Texas): She won the Texas 4A state title as a senior in 2012 in 52.40 seconds, good enough for US#3. She also won the 2012 Brooks PR meet indoors with 53.21 seconds. A stellar college career at Texas culminated with an NCAA record time of 49.76 and the national title at 400 meters.