June 29, 2022

Coleman, Garrett, Jackson Claim U20 Titles; Earn Team USA Spots for World Championships

(30-Jun) Eleven (11) USATF North Carolina members competed in the 2022 USATF U20 Outdoor Championships that concluded on Saturday (25-Jun) in Eugene, Oregon. The championships were the qualifying event for next the upcoming World Athletics U20 Championships to be held in Cali, Columbia August 1-6. The top two athletes in each event who met the world championship entry standard qualified to represent Team USA at the world championships.

Three (3) North Carolinians won their events and earned world championship Team USA spots.

In the women's 100m Shawnti Jackson (Wake Forest, NC) stormed to a decisive win running 11.06 (wind aided). In the first round, the rising high school senior, clocked 11.30; just .02 seconds off her personal best.

In the women's 400m Hurdles, Akala Garrett (Charlotte, NC; Purpose Driven NC Elite TC), a rising high school senior, won in career best time of 57.47. Garrett was the North Carolina 4A state champion in the 300m Hurdles and earlier in the year ran the #2 300m Hurdles time in state history; just missing the record (40.42) held by Anna Cockrell by .20 seconds.

In the men's Discus Throw Davidison University freshman Desmond Coleman (Charlotte, NC) was the 12th seed in the field of fifteen (15) throwers. But in round three he unleashed a massive throw that of 60.10m (197-2) that topped his previous career best mark by over 23 feet and put him into the lead. No one was able to better that throw and when the final throw of the competition was recorded Coleman was the U.S. champion and a member of Team USA.

A trio of locals just missed out on qualifying for the world championships with third place finishes. Each will serve as the first alternate for the world championships. In the women's 400m Kayla Brown (Gastonia, NC; Purpose Driven NC Elite TC) ran a personal best of 53.11 missing Team USA by just .21 seconds. She is a raising high school senior at Mallard Creek High School. The time places makes her the #4 performer on the all-time North Carolina list. In the men's 1500m, Jack Dingman (Mooresville, NC; East Carolina Univ.) ran a personal best of 3:48.75 to earn the bronze medal. His previous best time was 3:51.57. In the women's High Jump, Cheyla Scott (Charlotte, NC) cleared 1.81m (5-11¼) to earn her third place medal. The top four finishers all cleared the same height with the final placings determined by misses at lower heights. Earlier this season she cleared 6-2 (#2 North Carolina all-time) to win the state 4A championships.

Madeline Hill (Waxhaw, NC; East Carolina Univ.), Alexander Nunley (Garner, NC; North Carolina State Univ.), and Terrell Robinson, Jr. (Winston Salem, NC) each compete in two events during the three day competition. Hill finished sixth in the 3000m running 10:19.04 and seventh in the 5000m in a time of 17:05.13. Nunley was ninth in the 200m (21.60) and tenth in the 100 (10.62). Robinson was seventh in the 100m (10.48) and eleventh in the 200m (21.81).

The complete North Carolina Results Scoreboard can be found here.