EUGENE -- Team USA has 14 athletes advancing to semis or finals after the morning session of Day three at IAAF World Juniors at Hayward Field.
 
Elinor Purrier (Montgomery, Vermont) from the University of New Hampshire had the 3,000m steeplechase of her life to set a personal best of 10:08.33 in the the day’s opening on-track event. Purrier finished sixth in heat two to qualify for the final, and she chopped 16 seconds off her previous PR for he ninth-fastest time heading into the final. Purdue’s Hope Schmelzle (Wheaton, Illinois) was 14th in heat one at 10:41.38.
 
U.S. junior champion and Stanford Cardinal Valarie Allman (Longmont, Colorado) hit the automatic qualifying standard on her first attempt in the women’s discus, throwing 52.36m/171-9 to move on to the final. Katelyn Daniels of Michigan State had a best of 48.39m/158-9 for eighth place in Group A, but did not advance.
 
In shot put, Braheme Days (Bridgeton, New Jersey) of UCLA surpassed the automatic qualifying mark of 19.25m in the shot put on his second attempt, advancing to the final with his throw of 19.61m/64-4. Amir Ali-Patterson (Arcadia, California), advanced as the 11th-best finisher with his throw of 18.88m/61-11.5.
 
Devin King (Kentwood, Louisiana) made 5.10m/16-8.75 on his first attempt in the pole vault after no misses up to that point, and that clean slate was the key to qualifying for the final as the 10th-best vaulter on the day. The University of Oregon’s Cole Walsh (Phoenix, Arizona) cleared 5.00m/16-4.75, concluding as the 24th overall competitor and not making the final.
 
Charles Ionata (Barrington, Rhode Island) of Wake Forest had the best hammer throw of his life with the 6kg international implement, adding more than seven feet to his PR with a 69.93m/229-5 in round three that ranked him 10th in Group A and 20th overall. Charleston Southern’s Clarence Gallop(Providence, Rhode Island) threw 65.95m/216-4 on his first attempt was not enough to move him on to the final.
 
Trentavis Friday (Gastonia, North Carolina) cruised to a 20.60 first-place finish in his 200m heat as he equalled the fastest time of the day. Last night’s 100m champion, Kendal Williams (Jacksonville, Florida) was the fastest non-automatic qualifier, placing third in his heat at 21.16 to move on to the semifinals.
 
Running on the outside lane in the women’s 200m qualifying round, Jada Martin (Lithonia, Georgia) of LSU won her heat in 23.62 to automatically advance to tonight’s semifinal. One heat later, Kaylin Whitney (Clermont, Florida) made a move on the first curve and continued accelerating through the second to create distance and move into first place of her heat and to advance to the semis. Whitney finished in 23.31.
 
Keturah Orji (Budd Lake, New Jersey) made the most of her first attempt in the triple jump, setting a season best of 13.46m/44-2 and automatically qualifying for the final. Auburn’s Marshay Ryan(Chambersburg, Pennsylvania) fouled on her first attempt, but a wind-aided 13.21m/43-4.25 on her next jump was also good enough to also secure her spot in the final.
 
TJ Holmes (St. Petersburg, Florida) of Baylor won the first men’s 400m hurdles semifinal in 50.80 to qualify automatically for the final. Kenny Selmon (Mableton, Georgia) was not as fortunate, losing  his footing on the final hurdle and not advancing with his sixth place finish in 52.18.
 
Team USA ended the morning session on a high note as an easy win in 57.85 for Harvard’s Jade Miller(Temecula, California) in the first heat of the women’s 400m hurdles guaranteed her a spot in the semifinal alongside Texas A&M’s Shamier Little (Chicago, Illinois), who also advanced by winning her heat in 57.94. Little and Miller set the top times of the day in the event.