Christian Miller Runs 10.14w, Quincy Wilson Opens Outdoor Season With 45.19 400; JaMeesia Ford, Cheickna Traore Win College 200s

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

PHOTOS by David Hicks

Sensational sprint times by Christian Miller of Creekside and Bullis School MD sophomore Quincy Wilson set the Pepsi Florida Relays abuzz Friday morning. 

First, Miller ran 10.14 seconds (+2.2w) to win the boys 100 meters, with his teammate Josh Howell second in 10.35. 

Then, Wilson (photo by Aidan Dagher) ran the third-fastest sophomore class time in history with 45.19 to win the 400 meters. 

"He executed pretty well," Bullis coach Joe Lee said. "We already talked about some things that can be done differently and we're going to work on. But forty-five nineteen, it ain't too bad to open up your (outdoor) season."

It also earned Wilson an Olympic Trials qualifier.

Alivia Williams of Montverde Academy FL ran a US#1 time of 52.30 to win a high-caliber girls 400. Tyra Cox of Miami Northwestern FL and Josie Donelson of Lake Oswego OR ran US#5 53.53 in different heats. 

INTERVIEWS

McKenzie Travis from Evangelical Christian FL edged Dasia Reed from Montverde Academy 11.43 to 11.45 in a close girls 100. 

The college sprints popped off as well. 

South Carolina freshman JaMeesia Ford, the NCAA indoor champion, won the women's 200 meters in 23.37 seconds. The Gamecocks also led qualifying in the 4x100 relay with 43.36 with Cynteria James on the backstretch and Ford anchoring. 

And Penn State's Cheickna Traore, the NCAA indoor runner-up, won the men's 200 in 20.23. 

Florida's Alida Van Daalen broke a meet record in the women's discus with 202-10 (61.84m). Vanderbilt's Veronica Fraley was second with 197-1 (60.07m). 

NCAA weight throw champion Kenneth Ikeji opened his outdoor hammer campaign with a distance of 239-9 (72.94m). 

Keyshawn Strachan of Auburn opened his 2024 season in the javelin with a winning throw of 242-9 (72.01m), moving him to ninth on the D1 collegiate list. 

Eniko Sara led a 1-2 finish for Nebraska in the women's javelin with a NCAA No. 4 mark of 177-11 (54.23m).

Preston Kuznof from Atlantic (PO) FL won a close competition for the boys javelin title with Niceville's Aidan Broussard. Kuznof hit his best throw in the second round with 205-3 (62.58m). Broussard came up just short of the lead in the fourth round with 204-4 (62.30m). 

In the long jump, Florida's Malcolm Clemons jumped an NCAA-leading mark of 26-3 (8.00m) and teammate Caleb Foster was second with 25-8.75 (7.84m).

In the high school hurdles, Thalia Waters of Atlantic (Delray) FL ran a winning time of US#6 13.62 in the girls 100-meter hurdles. Jabari Armstrong of George Steinbrenner FL won the boys 110s in US#10 13.78.

Chastity Pickett of Campbell put down a time of 55.70 to win the women's 400-meter hurdles. 

Riley Smith of Buccholz, who last week broke the all-time Florida 3,200 meters record, flashed his speed in winning the 800 meters in US#3 1:50.96.

Marco Arop of Canada, the world champion in the 800, won the men's 1,500 in 3:40.81 and Ryan Kinnane of Auburn was second in 3:41.42. 

Judy Kosgei from South Carolina outlasted Hayley Kitching of Penn State in the women's 1,500, 4:14.22 to 4:14.75.