New Balance Nationals Outdoor Track and Field

Cedric McGriff, an NCA&TSU incoming freshman, won the Emerging Elite 110 meter hurdles at the New Balance Outdoor Championships at the Belk Track on the campus of NCATSU. McGriff’s time of 13.9 seconds broke the previous meet record of 13.97 seconds set in 2016 by Ihmir Marsette. Photo courtesy Micheal Simmons [/caption]

The New Balance Nationals Outdoor Track and Field meet held June 16 through the 18, was one for the record-books and the memory banks. The meet attracted more than 5,700 athletes during a weekend of near-perfect June weather at Aggie Stadium in Greensboro.

The NSAF outdoor nationals had some humble beginnings in California back in 1991.Today, thanks to partners like New Balance, Eastbay and many others, Father’s Day weekend at North Carolina A&T State University played host to prep track and field’s greatest spectacle - three days of superlative performances by athletes from 44 states, Canada and South Africa in the sprints, hurdles, distances, throws, jumps, walks and multis.

Among those performances, athletes set four national records, seven national class records and 22 meet records: nine championships, 11 Emerging Elite and two Freshman records.

High Point local medal winner Tamara Clark, a senior All-American sprinter, captured a bronze medal in the girls’ championship 100m with a time of 11.50 seconds. Clark is a two-time defending 4-A state champion in the 100m and 200m dashes. Clark just missed another medal in the 200m dash with a sixth place while her Heat TC just missed a medal in the 4x200m relay finishing sixth. She will be attending the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa )this fall on a track scholarship.

Sydney McLaughlin, the Union Catholic, N.J. junior and girls’ New Balance Athlete of the Meet, crushed a 32-year-old girls’ 400H mark (Leslie Maxie, 55.20 in ’84) Sunday with a mind-blowing 54.46 - also topping U.S. Youth, U.S. Junior and World Youth records simultaneously, and moving to second all-time World Junior. It was her third straight NBNO 400H title.

The Union Catholic, N.J. girls Swedish medley relay, which zipped 2:07.99 to break its own 2015 standard, was anchored by McLaughlin’s 49.80 seconds - thought to be the fastest-ever 400 leg by a prep girl to finish in any relay.

Lauren Harris, the Sachem East, N.Y. junior, who had previously become the first prep girl to finish under 7 minutes for the indoor 1-mile racewalk at NBNI, accomplished the same feat Friday with her 6:52.23.

The Ogden, UT boys’ 4x1 mile relay, which held off Great Oak, Ca (4x1600m record-holders) in a super-dramatic finish, 17:04.55 to 17:04.61 - were both under South Eugene’s 1976 mark.