Bromell, Whitney Are Two Of Several Florida Speedsters Looking For Spot On World Youth Team

USATF Junior National Outdoor T&F Championships
Todd Grasley

For many athletes the opportunity to represent your country and wear the red, white, and blue is a dream. For several Florida speedsters the opportunity could be reality if they are able to finish in the top two at this weekend's USATF Junior National Championships at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Trayvon Bromell, the Gibbs High School alumni, and current Baylor freshman is the top seed in the 100 meter dash and comes in as the NCAA Champion in that event. Class of 2014 sprinter and FSU signee Kendal Williams is the fifth seed in the 100 and second fastest in the 200 meter dash while East Ridge rising junior Kaylin Whitney has the second fastest time in the girl's 100.They are just a handful of Florida alumni and current Florida stars competing. As always we will have full coverage including videos, interviews, photos, and a complete recap of all the action from our MileSplit team!


(Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport)

Trayvon Bromell  (pictured above)loves Hayward Field. A little less than a month ago the Gibbs High School alumni and Baylor freshman won his first ever NCAA Championship, capturing the 100 meter dash title in a world junior record time of 9.97. This weekend he will take to the historic track on the campus of the University of Oregon once more for the USA Junior Championships. He says he is looking forward to being around such a great atmosphere.

"I love the people. I love the track. There will be great competition and since the running will be during the day you will definitely see some fast times."

Bromell, who won the USA Junior Championships last year at Drake University, has been working on fine tuning his technique and recovery in order to run the perfect race. The freshman has the fastest time in the field but says he doesn't really feel any pressure when he gets in the blocks.

"I don't really think about pressure, because with pressure theres fear and fear is something I dont believe in. With faith in God what is there to be afraid of? Theirs an old saying I know, " if there is no enemy within the enemy on the outside can do no harm."



Last year, Kendal Williams was second at the 3A state finals behind Bromell in the 100 meter dash, this weekend the two will face off once again. Williams, who just finished his senior year at Stanton Prep has since stepped foot on the Florida State University campus as an incoming freshman. Williams, a six-time state champion, Dream 100 champion, and winner of our recent Boys Athlete of the Year Award, has a personal best of 10.28 and his the fifth fastest seed in the field, and second fastest high schooler behind fellow Floridian Terry Jernigan.
Williams defeated Jernigan in their two head to head battles this year at the Bob Hayes Invitational and at the Dream 100 in New York. Jernigan does however own a personal best one one-hundredth better than Williams of 10.28. He says the goal is top two, but if that doesn't happen a spot on the relay team would be just as good.

"The goal is to make the top two, but if all goes wrong  I am hoping to make the 4x1 squad. I am looking foward to running on this fast University of Oregon track and taking part in this awesome atmosphere.  It would mean a lot to make the world team and get to represent our country."

Williams who has drawn comparisons to Seminole great Walter Dix is perhaps strongest in the 200 meters, an event he has won a state championship in all all four years of his high school career. He recently ran a US#2 mark of 20.55 to win the Golden South Classic. He is seeded second behind fellow FSU signee Trentavis Friday of North Carolina who has ran 20.33 this season and is ranked second coming into the 100. The top two finishers in each event will advance to the IAAF World Youth Championships which will be held on the very same track just two weeks later. The Seminole sweep would be just a preview of what is to come from the Seminole sprint factory in year's to come.

Another Nole' Michael Cherry is the top seed in the 400 meter dash with a mark of 45.36. Incoming freshman Zyaire Clemes of New Jersey is seeded tied for eighth withBartram Trail alumni and University of Florida freshman Nick Uruburu.

Speaking of familiarity Bromell's counterpart at Baylor and fellow St. Pete native Timothy "T.J." Holmes brings one of the top times in the 400 meter hurdles. Of those that have run the 400 meter distance his 49.98 ranks number one. He says he is looking forward to being back at Hayward Field, a place he is familiar with.

"I'm excited. My goals are to make the team and run a new PR. It would mean a lot to me to make the team because this would be the first U.S. team I've ever made. My birthday was a couple of days ago so this would be a nice birthday gift."

Kaylin Whitney was looking forward to racing Arianna Washington this year. The two traded US#1 marks in the 100 and 200 throughout the year. The Dream 100 looked like a prime match up, but Washington wasn't entered in the race. Whitney, who won the 4A state championship in the 100 and 200 meter dash (her third and fourth state titles of her young career), went onto win the prestigious New York race as only a sophomore in a blistering personal best of 11.27. The following week she headed to Seattle for the Brooks PR Invitational and the Washington, Whitney war was imminent. However, hours before the race the Long Beach Poly and future University of Oregon star pulled out with an injured hamstring. The Floridia star brought home another gold in a windy 11.35. She says the thing she is looking forward the most is seeing her friends from those respective meets and hopefully a win.
 
"I missed all my friend from Brooks PR and New York (Dream 100). The goals are like everyone else's I'm looking to get a spot on the team. Although a gold medal isn't too shabby either. It would mean the world to make team USA! Especially with it being July 4th, it would be amazing to represent my country doing what I do best."
 
 
This week both girls are entered with Washington seeded first (11.22) and Whitney second (11.27). This competition is on Washington's future home turf with a return trip for her to the IAAF World Youth Championships on the line. Whitney is peaking and continues to perform on the biggest stages week after week. The field will be very competitive with former Hallandale and University of Arkansas freshman Regine Williams as well as The First Academy rising senior Teahna Daniels. Williams, who finished third at last year's 3A state championship, is seeded third with a mark of 11.29. Daniels (pictured above) has the fourth fastset time at 11.31, which she ran at the Dream 100 when she finished second behind Whitney.  She says she is looking forward to the experience more than anything else.
 
"Our main focus this week was technic for the last 40m. Making sure I was powerfully pumping my arms but still being relaxed. My goal is to have a perfect race and my times will show for themselves. Also I want to allow all the hard work and dedication to manifest in my race. Running for the US would mean everything to me. I would be very proud to represent the US team in the World Juniors and making the team would be a dream come true."
 
Last year's other World Youth entrant Ky Westbrook is seeded fifth.

Regine Williams leads those with Florida ties as the top seed in the 200 meter dash. Williams is third with a time of 23.06. Brittany Brown of Iowa has run 22.95 with Washington right behind in 22.96. Watch out for Whitney though. She steps up with the level of competition she is running against and is no stranger to competing against elite athletes. Last month at the Star Athletics Sprint Series she clocked a blistering 22.80  (2.1m/s wind) placing second behind Jamaican Olympian Veronica Campbell-Brown. Her time although it is wind-aided was one of the fastest ever all-conditions in the nation. The junior to be has a wind legal best of 23.58. Teahna Daniel's top wind legal time is 23.68.
 

(Photo courtesy of the University of Miami)

Dilliard alumni and current University of Miami freshman Shakima Wimbley is the number two seed in the 400 meters behind Kendall Baisden of Texas. Wimbley, the ACC champion at 200 meters and NCAA qualifier in the quarter-mile has a personal best of 51.68. She was named the ACC Freshman of the Year for the 2014 outdoor track and field season.
 
Rounding out the list of Floridians is Lake Brantley rising junior Sinclaire Johnson. Johnson, the 4A state champion in the 800 and 1600 meters will run the two-lapper and brings witih her a personal best of 2:10.08. Although she has met the qualifiying time it will be a tough battle to make the team as she is seeded last of all the runners in the field. Sabrina Southerland of Georgetown and Raevyn Rogers an University of Oregon signee are the top two in the field and have both run under 2:05.
 

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