2017 OUTdoor High School AOY's

Two for the price (FREE!) of one!
(Meaning I'm putting the Men & Women together in this post!)
Lots to do, so let's get started!
Simple set of guidelines--
1. ALL marks are OUTdoors!
2. No 1600 or 3200 times were considered, nor marks computed from them (for the HS 1 & 2 Mile).
3. HS Men's Throws (& Dec) are with HS weighted implements, NOT Youth or Junior!

This was a good year for Records of various kinds.
The Men had a pair of HSR's--Mondo Duplantis's 19-4.25 (his last & highest!), and the American Fork (Utah) 4 X Mile Relay team, who ran 16:41.30.

Frosh Class Records went to Brandon Miller's 1:49.87 in the 800, and Trey Tintinger's 7-1.50 HJ!
Ty Cooper's 20.51 broke the Soph Class record in the 200.
Eric Edwards's 13.32 in the 110H got the Junior Class record, as did Mondo's 19-4.25!
However, no Senior Class records fell this season!

The New Balance Nationals saw 5 Meet Records fall--
Jordan Geist's 76-0 SP, Turner Washington's 220-9 in the DT, Ayden Owens's 7009 in the Dec, as well as two Relay marks--Motor City TC's (Michigan) 3:20.25 in the SMR, and Parkview Express's (Georgia) 1:52.40 in the Swedish Relay!

Despite a great year for HS Men's T&F OUTdoors, my choice of MONDO DUPLANTIS as my Athlete of the Year was a given!
His THREE HSR's (18-6.50, 19-0.25, and 19-4.25) were WORLD Class, moving him beyond just 2017--to being an ALL-TIME Great!!
But my Honorable Mention list is long, and deserving!
Jordan Geist led a SP challenge that made Michael Carter sweat a little!
(Not to mention his massive PR in the Hammer Throw!!)
Reed Brown added his name to the growing list of sub-4:00 Milers!
Cooper Teare ran a fast 5000 & Mile!
Vernon Turner renewed interest in the HJ, while Turner Washington did the same with the DT!
Anthony Schwartz got injured, but his 10.15 100 before that got people talking!
Jamal Walton dipped under 45 in the 400--a rarity!
And FROSH Brandon Miller destroyed the Class Record, running (finally) 1:49.87!!

Performance of the Year?
You have to ask?
19-4.25 for MONDO!!
But you can't ignore Miller's Frosh 800 record, nor Geist's 76-0 (& 238-9), Turner's 7-6, Washington's 227-10, Brown's 3:59.30, or Schwartz's 10.15.
All of those get an HM!

My Event of the Year is based on how many marks date from 2017 (OUTdoors only!) on my DDD lists!
The Men's Mile is my EOY, with 5 marks on my list dated 2017!
The DT has 4.
With 3 are the 200, 110H, PV, SP, and the HT!
Two each for the 100, 400, 800, 2 Mile, and the 400H.
One apiece for the 1500, 5000, HJ, and the Decathlon!
ZERO marks in the 3000, 10000, 3000SC, LJ, TJ, and the JT!

My Personality of the Year is shared by DUPLANTIS and TYRESE COOPER!
Besides being the greatest PV'er ever (for HS), Mondo was a crowd pleaser, a striking performer (in the Show Business sense of that word!), and just a nice guy!
Tyrese gets this award for his penchant to double (& TRIPLE!!) in most of his many meets.
Not to mention having to run some heats or semi's also!!
While this might have prevented his running faster (& breaking records!), he gave his all in every meet, win or lose!

Here's all the athletes on my DDD's that have marks dated 2017!
Events with NO marks from 2017 are not listed!!
100---Schwartz (10.15--6th, tied with 1 other), Barnes (10.22--19th)
200---Ty Cooper (20.51--17th), Barnes (20.54--20th), Walton (20.57--23rd, tied with 1 other)
400---Walton (44.99--2nd), Shinnick (45.20--9th)
800---Cameron Cooper (1:47.59--5th), Worley (1:48.25--18th)
1500--Hasty (3:44.75--17th)
NOTE--1500 splits in Mile races were rarely taken!  I'm certain we would have seen more 1500 times make this list if they'd been timed there!!
Mile--Reed Brown (3:59.30--4th), Teare (4:00.16--11th), Worley (4:00.61--13th), Principe (4:00.73--14th), Hasty (4:01.75--21st)
2 Mile--Hasty (8:45.95--19th), Grijalva (8:46.68--24th)
5000--Teare (14:13.26--19th)
110H--E Edwards (13.32--5th, tied with 1 other), J Anderson (13.33--7th), Trey Cunningham (13.35--9th, tied with 1 other)
400H--Poole (49.88--8th), Burns (50.12--15th)
HJ---Turner (7-6--2nd, tied with 1 other)
PV---Duplantis (19-4.25--HSR--1st), Lightfoot (17-8.50--16th, tied with 3 others), Riddle (17-7--22nd, tied with 2 others)
SP--Geist (76-0--3rd), Piperi (74-11.50--6th), Oladipo (73-8.75--8th)
DT--Washington (227-10--4th), J Wilson (221-5--6th), Oladipo (215-3--12th), Mason (212-11--22nd, tied with 1 other)
HT--M Feldman (242-8--9th), Geist (238-9--13th, tied with 1 other), Slate (231-1--23rd)
Dec--Owens (7009--17th, tied with 1 other)

Now we turn to the Women!

Six HSR's were set by the Women OUTdoors this year!
Brie Oakley's 9:51.35 Two Mile, Alyssa Wilson's SP of 58-1, Western Branch's (Virginia) Shuttle Hurdle Relay time of 55.06, Lauren Harris's 1500 Walk time of 6:17.20, and a pair from Sydney McLaughlin--her 53.82 for 400H & 38.90 for the 300H!!

One HS PRO record was set--Candace Hill ran the 400 in 52.70!

Frosh Class Records went to Lexy Halladay's 4:41.80 Mile, London Culbreath's 10:04.73 for 2 Miles, Markalah Hart's 40.28 over 300H, and Jenna Rogers's 6-0.75 in the HJ!
Soph Class Records went to Kelsey Chmiel's 9:18.04 over 3000 meters, Tia Jones's 13.01 in the 100H, and Jasmine Moore's TJ of 43-7.25!
The sole Junior Class Record was Lanae Tava Thomas's LJ of 21-11.
Senior Class Records were set by Oakley in the Deuce, Wilson in the SP, and by McLaughlin's pair!!

HS PRO Senior Class Records went to Hill's 22.76 in the 200, and her 52.70!
This is a first for me, but I must mention two EIGHTH Grade Records--Grace Ping's 5000 of 16:25.63, and Tamari Davis's 23.21 in the 200!!

New Balance Nationals Meet Records included--
Symone Mason's 11.27 in the 100, though she tied the record!
McLaughlin's 54.22 over 400H, Anna Watson's 13-9 PV, Alyssa Wilson's 179-7 DT, plus a trio of Relays--Bullis TC's (Maryland) 44.88 in the 4X100, Union Catholic's (NJ) 2:05.93 in the Swedish Relay, and the 55.06 in the Shuttle Hurdles for Western Branch of Virginia!

Another in the "Do you really have to ask?" department is my Women's Athlete of the Year!
Who else but SYDNEY McLAUGHLIN??!!
Breaking TWO High School Records, one in the USATF meet's spectacular 400H race!
Running sensational Relay legs!
And being the best Juggler!!

Honorable Mentions go to Oakley, Wilson, Harris, and to Samantha Watson and Tara Davis!
Special Mentions to Grace Ping and Tamari Davis!

Choosing a Performance of the Year was simple---if we're speaking about the ATHLETE, not her mark(s). But in Sydney McLaughlin's case, I had to decide which was better--her 53.82 or her 38.90.
It's the 300H mark!!
She ran that solo at the Arcadia meet--very early in the season--and SMASHED the old mark, held by the venerable Lashinda Demus!
Her 53.82 was great also, but she ended 6th in that race--and she was breaking a record (her own!) she'd broken a few times already!!
Honorable Mentions go to McLaughlin's 53.82 (Natch!!), Oakley's Deuce, Harris's Walk, Chmiel's 3K, Wilson's SP, Watson's 2:00.65 PR in the 800, Rachel Baxter's 14-5.50 PV, but not leaving out Tara Davis, who LJ'ed 22-1 and ran the 100H in 12.95!--but also to Ms's Ping & Tamari Davis, who proved you don't need to be a HS'er yet to run HS-level times!!

My Event of the Year--as noted above--goes to the event with the most 2017 marks on my various DDD lists!!
So my Women's EOY is the Two Mile with 5 marks!
The TJ has 4.
Three each for the 400, 400H, and the LJ.
A pair are in the 100, 200, 800, 3000SC, 100H, PV, SP, JT, and HT!
One each for the 1500, 3000, 5000, DT, and the Heptathlon!
ZERO marks in the Mile, 10000, and the HJ!

My Personality of the Year--like the Men--is a dual award this year!
SYDNEY McLAUGHLIN just overwhelmed everyone in her events, including anchoring Record-breaking Relays.
But she's also a VERY interesting PERSON!
Not only her juggling, but just her humility and graciousness toward her friends & other athletes!
TARA DAVIS shares this award!
If you're on Twitter, check out her many offerings there--in words, photos, and videos--where her vivacious & endless smile--and her self-avowed love for her boyfriend--are there for all to enjoy!

Following is the list of everyone who makes my DDD (Top 24 A-T Performers) lists, with marks dated from 2017!!--OUTdoors only, of course!!

100---Mason (11.24--17th, tied with 2 others), Richardson (11.28--24th, tied with 1 other)
200---McLaughlin (22.96--17th, tied with 3 others), Mason (23.00--24th)
400---J Reed (51.71--11th), S Anderson (51.99--17th), Minor (52.05--21st)
800---Watson (2:00.65--3rd), Collier (2:03.32--15th, tied with 1 other)
1500--Tuohy (4:18.51--18th)
3000--Chmiel (9:18.04--13th)
2 Mile--Oakley (9:51.35--HSR--1st), Lane (10:01.18--10th), Culbreath (10:04.73--12th), Gregory (10:05.26--14th), Chmiel (10:10.45--22nd)
5000--Ping (16:25.63--16th)
3000SC--A Harris (10:14.76--3rd), C Martin (10:46.36--9th)
NOTE--My list for the 3000SC is just 14 deep!
100H---Tara Davis (12.95--4th, tied with 2 others), C Little (13.29--24th, tied with 1 other)
NOTE--I don't have a list for the 300H---but if I did, the following would make that list--
McLaughlin (38.90--HSR--1st), M Hart (40.28--6th), S Anderson (40.31--8th), Woodward (40.78--16th), S Robinson (40.84--21st)
400H--McLaughlin (53.82--HSR--1st), D Young (57.51--19th), Russell (57.55--21st)
LJ---Tara Davis (22-1--3rd), Tava Thomas (21-11--5th), Flannel (21-2.75--10th)
TJ---J Robinson (43-10.50--7th), J Moore (43-7.25--8th), Marsh (43-5--10th), Tara Davis (43-4--13th)
PV---Baxter (14-5.50--3rd), A Watson (13-9--15th, tied with 6 others)
SP---Wilson (58-1--HSR--1st), Young (53-5--11th)
DT---Wilson (182-0--11th, tied with 1 other)
JT---D Baker (169-2--13th), Ciccolini (164-9--19th)
HT--Shippee (201-4--4th), G Rao (185-8--21st, tied with 1 other)
Hept--Gittens (5490--6th)

Well, folks, that's it for the HS crowd!
I'll post my Collegiate AOY selections either later today, or tomorrow at the latest!!

See you soon!