Contact: Jill M. Geer
USATF Director of Communications
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.usatf.org
317-261-0500
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, June 23, 2002
Dragila nearly perfect in PV; Jacobs wins 11th 1,500m title
PALO ALTO, Calif. – On the 30th anniversary of Title IX, women on Sunday
turned in some of the most memorable performances at the 2002 USA Outdoor
Track & Field Championships at Stanford University’s Cobb Track and Angell
Field.
The meet was a standing-room only sell-out for the second straight day, with
a record 7,564 fans on hand. Combined with 5,327 fans on Friday, 2,421 for
Saturday’s morning session and 7,178 at Saturday’s afternoon session, 22,490
people attended the 2002 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships over three
days.
Stacy Dragila broke her own meet record in the women’s pole vault with a
clearance of 4.65m/15-3. She very nearly set her third world record at the
Stanford facility – she twice broke the record here in 2001 – taking three
strong attempts at 4.83m/15-9.25. They were her only misses of the
competition, as she was flawless at all six of the heights she cleared en
route to winning her sixth U.S. outdoor crown. 2002 U.S. indoor champion
Mary Sauer was second in the competition at 4.45m/14-7.25 and Mel Mueller
was third at 4.40/14-5.25.
1996 Stanford graduate Regina Jacobs extended her phenomenal career as queen
of the women’s 1,500m, winning her 11th career title in the event and 22nd
overall national championship (indoor and outdoor track and cross country).
The Oakland, Calif., resident sprinted away from Suzy Favor Hamilton
(4:11.31) and Sarah Schwald (4:11.40) to win in 4:09.57, the fastest time by
an American this year.
Marion Jones won her fifth straight U.S. 200m title with a time of 22.35,
holding off Kelli White in 22.50. Jones’ time was the second-fastest in the
world in 2002 behind her own 22.32 and was her second win of the meet after
her 100m win on Saturday.
The acknowledged rulers of hurdling won the women’s and men’s sprint
hurdles. Three-time world champion Gail Devers won the eighth 100m hurdle
title of her career with a world-leading time of 12.51 seconds. Miesha
McKelvy was second in 12.60 and 2001 world outdoor champion Anjanette
Kirkland was third in 12.85.
Allen Johnson, also a three-time world champion, won his fifth U.S. crown in
13.08, the second-fastest time in the world this year behind his own 13.04.
Terrence Trammell was second in 13.17 and Larry Wade, challenging Johnson
before having problems over the final two hurdles, was third in 13.18.
The men’s 1,500m featured a stretch run reminiscent of horse racing’s Triple
Crown. 1997 national champ Seneca Lassiter and Bryan Berryhill were
neck-and-neck for the final 100m, and Lassiter won it by a nose with a time
of 3:40.90 to Berryhill’s 3:40.98. Ibrahim Aden was a distant third in
3:44.19.
Anthony Famiglietti surged with 3.5 laps to go to defeat a strong field in
the men’s 3,000m steeplechase. The 2001 World University Games champion,
Famiglietti ran a personal-best time of 8:19.07, Steve Slattery was second
in 8:23.44 and Tim Broe was third in 8:23.61.
Northern California native Alvin Harrison emerged from the long shadow of
Michael Johnson by winning the 400m title in 44.62. Angelo Taylor was second
in 25.00 and Antonio Pettigrew was third in 45.17.
It was the first U.S. title for Harrison, the 2000 Olympic silver medalist
behind Johnson and a two-time Olympic 4x400m gold medalist. Harrison paid
homage to Johnson on the awards stand and spoke of taking as the premiere
400m runner. “I will take this throne,” he said, “and assume this throne and
be the king I’m supposed to be.”
Anna Norgren Mahon continued her march through an impressive 2002 by winning
her first women’s hammer throw title with a mark of 70.27m/230-6. Her
performance broke Dawn Ellerbe’s met record of 69.20m/227-0 set in 2000 and
relegated Ellerbe, a five-time champion, to second (67.19m/220-5). It was
Mahon’s second U.S. crown in 2002, after she won the U.S. indoor weight
throw competition. On June 8, Norgren Mahon broke Ellerbe’s American record
with a throw of 71.64m/235-0.
Elizabeth Jackson ran the fastest women’s 3,000m steeplechase time ever run
on U.S. soil with her winning time of time 9:47.39. The American record
holder, Jackson has won three of the four U.S. titles ever run in the event.
The only other woman ever to win a U.S. championship, 2001 winner Lisa Nye,
was second in 9:52.61.
Walter Davis added the U.S. outdoor triple jump crown to his NCAA long jump
and triple jump titled with a best mark of 17.59m/57-8.50. National indoor
champ Tim Rusan was second with a wind-aided 17.30m/56-9.25, and LeVar
Anderson was third with a windy 16.74m/54-11.25.
Nathan Leeper won a tight competition in the men’s jump, clearing
2.32m/7-7.25 on his third attempt to win his fourth straight outdoor title.
Leeper needed the clearance to beat runners-up Charles Clinger and Matt
Hemingway, both of whom had cleared the previous height, 2.29m/7-6, on their
first attempts. Leeper had made 2.29m only on his final attempt.
Sandra Glover earned her fourth consecutive women’s 400m hurdles title with
a very impressive run of 55.22 seconds, beating runner-up Megan Addy by more
than two seconds. Brenda Taylor was third in 57.62. James Carter was a
first-time winner in the men’s 400m hurdles with a 2002 U.S.-leading time of
48.12. Joey Woody was second in 48.52 and Eric Thomas was third in 49.72.
As expected, Nicole Teter crushed the competition in the women’s 800m. A
runner on the Nike Farm Team who trains at Cobb Track, Teter let the field
run with her until the 600m mark, when she blew the race open and went on to
win in a U.S.-leading time of 1:58.83. Jen Toomey was second in 2:02.11 and
Sasha Spencer was third in 2:02.34.
In the men’s 800, 2001 champion David Krummenacker was a repeat winner in
1:47.24, outsprinting Khadevis Robinson (1:47.58) and Derrick Peterson
(1:48.14) after a slow pace of 54.05 for the first 400m.
Tim Seaman completed a sweep of 2002’s U.S. race walk track titles, winning
the 20,000m race walk in 1:26:40, ahead of Al Heppner’s 1:27:56.46. Seaman
won his fifth U.S. indoor mile RW title earlier this year.
In other events, Jearl Miles-Clark (50.91) ran down Michelle Collins (51.20)
in the final stretch of the women’s 400m; Adam Setliff won his third U.S.
discus title (63.74m/209-1) over John Godina (63.18m/207-3); and Ramon Clay
took the men’s 200m (20.27).
For full results from the meet and athlete quotes, visit the USATF Web site,
www.usatf.org
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