Team USA NACAC roster announced
INDIANAPOLIS - Seventy-eight athletes will represent The Team USA roster for theat the 2008 NACAC Under-23 Track & Field Championships, whose roster was announced Wednsesday by USA Track & Field. The event will be held July 18-20 in Toluca, Mexico.
The NACAC Athletic Association's U23 Championships are held every two years in one of the 32 member nations of the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association, one of six regional athletics associations affiliated with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
At the 2006 NACAC Under-23 Championships, Team USA dominated the action in capturing the top two positions in twelve separate events at the Panamerican Stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Three former Pennsylvania prep stars are on the NACAC Under-23 team competing July 18-20 in Mexico. Ryan Whiting (Arizona State/Central Dauphin) is competing in the shot put and discus; Nicole Leach (UCLA/West Catholic), is in the 400 hurdles; and Ruby Radocaj (Minnesota/Williamsport) is in the javelin. Penn State University head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan, is the women's head coach for the team, and one of her athletes, Bridet Franek of Ohio, is in the steeplechase.
Team USA NACAC Roster - Men
100m: J-Mee Samuels (Fayetteville, Ark.); Evander Wells (Knoxville, Tenn.)
200m: Evander Wells (Knoxville, Tenn.); Trey Harts (Waco, Texas)
400m: LeJerald Betters (Waco, Texas); Ahmad Jamil Hubbard (Conyers, Ga.)
800m: Carlos Phillips (Gainesville, Fla.); Rob Novak (West Orange, N.J.)
1,500m: Andrew "A.J." Acosta (Eugene, Ore.); Jeff See (Middletown, Ohio)
3 km steeple: Kyle Heath (Farmington, N.Y.); Henry Miller, Portland, Ore.
110m Hurdles: Jason Richardson (Columbia, S.C.); Ronnie Ash (Raleigh, N.C.)
400m Hurdles: Justin Gaymon (Athens, Ga.); Nick Robinson (College Station, Texas)
20 km RW: Chris Tegtmeier (Janson, Neb.); Jared Swehosky (Slayton, Ore.)
High Jump: Scott Sellers (Manhattan, Kan.); Joe Kindred (Raleigh, N.C.)
Pole Vault: Paul "Mitch" Greeley (Rock Hill, S.C.); Jordan Scott (Lawrence, Kan.)
Long Jump: Reindell Cole (Las Vegas, Nev.); Matt Turner (Tempe, Ariz.)
Triple Jump: Nkosinza Balambu (Union City, Calif.); Andre Black (Louisville, Ky.)
Shot Put: John Hickey (Iowa City, Iowa); Ryan Whiting (Tempe, Ariz.)
Discus: Matt Lamb (Pullman, Wash.); Ryan Whiting (Tempe, Ariz.)
Hammer: John Freeman (Atlanta, Ga.); Matt Wauters (Moscow, Idaho)
Javelin: Chris Hill (Athens, Ga.); Corey White (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Decathlon: Raven Cepeda (Cedar Falls, Iowa); Nick Adcock (Kansas City, Mo.)
4x100m Relay pool: J-Mee Samuels (Fayetteville, Ark.); Evander Wells (Knoxville, Tenn.); Teddy Williams (San Antonio, Texas); Jeremy Hall (Gainesville, Fla.); Chris Dykes (College Station, Texas); plus anyone on the roster
4x400m Relay pool: LeJerald Betters (Waco, Texas); Ahmad Jamil Hubbard (Conyers, Ga.); Quentin Iglehart-Summers (Waco, Texas); plus anyone on the roster
Men's Staff
Head Coach - Al Schmidt
Head Manager - Manny Bautista
Assistant Coach - Robert Gary
Assistant Coach - Matt Somerlot
Assistant Coach - Rahn Sheffield
Team USA NACAC Roster - Women
100m: Scottesha Miller (Norman, Okla.); Tawanna Meadows (Troy, Ala.)
200m: Scottesha Miller (Norman, Okla.); Leslie Cole (Norman, Okla.)
400m: Francena McCorory (Norfolk, Va); Brandi Cross (Columbia, S.C.)
800m: Geena Gall (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
1,500m: Lauren Hagans (Waco, Texas)
3 km steeple: Nicole Bush (East Lansing, Mich.); Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio)
5,000m: Gwen Jorgensen (Waukesha, Wis.)
10,000m: Meghan Armstrong (Tualatin, Ore.); Morgan Haws (Kaysville, Utah)
100m Hurdles: Kristin Castlin (Blacksburg, Va.); Tiffany Ofili (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
400m Hurdles: Nicole Leach (Los Angeles, Calif.); Danielle Brown (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
20 km RW: Le'Erin Voss (St. Louis, Mo.); Christina Peters (Yellow Springs, Ohio)
High Jump: Desirae Gonder (Woodland Hills, Calif.); Rebecca Christensen (Celina, Texas)
Pole Vault: Stephane Bagan (San Clemente, Calif.); Katie Stripling (Jonesboro, Ark.)
Long Jump: Natasha Harvey (Jacksonville, Fla.); Joemi Maduka (Arlington, Tex.)
Triple Jump: Crystal Manning (Lawrence, Kan.); Tamarah Highsmith (Storrs, Ct.)
Shot Put: Sarah Stevens (Tempe, Ariz.); Aja Evans (Glenwood, Ill.)
Discus: Annie Hess (Portland, Ore); D'Andra Carter (Lubbock, Texas)
Hammer: Sarah Stevens (Tempe, Ariz.); Loren Groves (Manhattan, Kan.)
Javelin: Ruby Radocaj (Minneapolis, Minn.); Katie Coronado (Ruidoso Downs, Md.)
Heptathlon: Bettie Wade (Ann Arbor, Mich.); Marissa Harris (Starkville, Miss.)
4x100m Relay pool: Scottesha Miller (Norman, Okla.); Tawanna Meadows (Troy, Ala.); Jessica Onyepunuka (Los Angeles, Calif.); Lynne Layne (Knoxville, Tenn.); plus anyone on the roster
4x400m Relay: Francena McCorory (Norfolk, Va); Brandi Cross (Columbia, S.C.);
Kenyata Coleman (Oxford, Miss); plus anyone on the roster
Women's Staff
Head Coach - Beth Alford-Sullivan
Head Manager - Tonie Campbell
Assistant Coach - Lori Shepard
Assistant Coach - Carl Sheffield
Assistant Coach - Anna Mahon
For more information on Team USA at the 2008 NACAC Championships, visit www.usatf.org.