USATF Junior National Championships (CA) Results

Despite a heat wave, the top junior throwers in the US gathered in Sacramento this weekend for the USATF Junior Championships. The junior championships is a unique competition as it is open to all athletes born in 1998 or later, allowing many college freshman to also enter. Junior men also throw the 6-kilogram international implement, which is more than a pound heavier than the standard high school hammer. Despite the added competition, it was a high school thrower that won the women’s competition. Alyssa Wilson (Donovan Catholic, Toms River, NJ) set a season’s best to by the narrowest of margins: one centimeter. Molly Leppelmeier (McComb, OH) added seven feet to her personal best to finish third overall, and the second best high school thrower. Shelby Moran (Sherwood, OR) also improved her best and came within inches of the Oregon state record in fourth place.

In the junior men’s competition Joshua Hernandez of Sam Houston State University showed the massive strides he has made during his first year in college. Last season he set the Texas state high school record with a throw of 222’09”. This weekend he threw nearly 250 feet with the heavier junior implement. His best throw of the competition moved him up to third all-time in the US among junior throwers trailing only former world junior champions Conor McCullough and Walter Henning and 1 centimeter ahead of high school record holder Rudy Winkler. Jacob Wickey (Medina, OH) was the top high school thrower. He finished third with a throw only eight inches from his personal best with the lighter high school hammer. His mark is also a new national leading mark for high school thowers with the international implement.

2017 USA Junior Championships - 6/22-24/2017
Sacramento, CA                   

Men Hammer Throw
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    World Jr: W 85.57m  2012        Ashraf Elseify, QAT                  
 American Jr: A 80.79m  7/25/2010   Conor McCullough                     
    Name                Team                    Finals
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  1 Joshua Hernandez    Sam Houston State       75.91m  249-00
  2 Cameron Thompson    Connecticut             64.81m  212-07
  3 Jacob Wickey        Unattached              64.72m  212-04
  4 Logan Kusky         Notre Dame              64.24m  210-09
  5 Nickolas Lane       Unattached              63.06m  206-11
  6 Steven Feldman      Unattached              62.32m  204-05
  7 Michael Feldman     Unattached              62.00m  203-05
  8 Kieran McKeag       Minnesota               60.71m  199-02
  9 Dilyn Cote          Unattached              58.64m  192-05
 10 Trenton Fanta       Purdue                  58.03m  190-04
 11 Ian Frost           Unattached              57.25m  187-10
 12 Jason Judge         Throw1Deep              52.74m  173-00
 13 Jared Briere        Unattached              52.06m  170-09
  - Alexy Talley        North Dakota State      Foul
  - Evan Hardin         Throw1Deep              DNS
  
Women Hammer Throw
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    World Jr: W 73.24m  2005        Wenxiu Zhang, CHN
American Jr: A 68.12m  6/16/2012   Shelby Ashe           
    Name                Team                    Finals
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  1 Alyssa Wilson       Worlds Longest TC-NJ    56.68m  185-11
  2 Courtney Jacobsen   Unattached              56.67m  185-11
  3 Molly Leppelmeier   Unattached              56.38m  185-00
  4 Shelby Moran        SuperThrower TC         55.45m  181-11
  5 Marissa Dunn        Central Michigan        53.34m  175-00
  6 Kathleen Young      Unattached              51.89m  170-03
  7 Madeline Rabing     Oregon                  51.20m  168-00
  8 Haleigh Sudbeck     Hawaii                  49.18m  161-04
  9 Nicole Freeman      Southern Illinois       48.10m  157-10
 10 Maia Garren         Utah State              47.56m  156-00
  - Meagan Malloy       Michigan                DNS