CARSON, CA >> Cullman's EC Gibbs placed 6th in 1500m run at the USATF Junior National Championships today in Carson, California. Gibbs, who was seeded 11th in the 12-person field after running 3:59.02 in the prelims on Friday afternoon, improved his 1500m personal best to 3:52.47 to finish 6th in the final. The time converts to 4:09.56 for 1600m. Joining Gibbs in the Junior competition were UMS-Wright grad and Stanford signee Norman (Donnell) Hill, who placed 8th in the pole vault with a 16' 0¾" clearance, and Kirby Patterson, now competing for Ole Miss, in the 800m. Patterson was 15th in 2:14.08. The 16' 0¾" mark was Hill's second time over the 16-foot barrier this year. He cleared 16' 1" in May to set the 4A state record at the AHSAA state championships in Birmingham.
Tiffany McWilliams, a 2001 graduate of Red Bay HS, finished 9th in the women's 1500m (4:14.46) after finishing 3rd in the race two years ago. Smiths Station alumna Markita James was 12th in the women's 400m hurdles (57.65).
Recently-crowned NCAA decathlon champion Trey Hardee, a Birmingham native, elected not to compete in the championships despite having the nation's 5th-best multievent performance (8041) of the year. Fernada Blakely, who led the Alabama prep ranks at 200m and 400m for Blount HS in 2000, did not show up for his preliminary heat of the open 400m. Blakely's 45.25 posting from earlier this season was the 13th-best in the country entering the championship meet.
Complete Results available at USATF.org.
photo by mensracing.com.
Tiffany McWilliams, a 2001 graduate of Red Bay HS, finished 9th in the women's 1500m (4:14.46) after finishing 3rd in the race two years ago. Smiths Station alumna Markita James was 12th in the women's 400m hurdles (57.65).
Recently-crowned NCAA decathlon champion Trey Hardee, a Birmingham native, elected not to compete in the championships despite having the nation's 5th-best multievent performance (8041) of the year. Fernada Blakely, who led the Alabama prep ranks at 200m and 400m for Blount HS in 2000, did not show up for his preliminary heat of the open 400m. Blakely's 45.25 posting from earlier this season was the 13th-best in the country entering the championship meet.
Complete Results available at USATF.org.
photo by mensracing.com.