By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The USATF U20 Championships are scheduled for June 23-25 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., and are a selection meet for the World Athletics U20 Championships, held August 1-6 in Cali, Colombia.

The following are 10 women’s storylines to follow at the event, which is being held for the first time since 2019:

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Young sprinters ready to take next step

For many athletes participating in the USATF U20 Outdoor Championships, it might be their first opportunity to compete at Hayward Field.

But for a trio of prep sprinters, they have plenty of experience racing on the big stage at the venue, including two of the all-time great high school competitors from Oregon.

Autumn Wilson of St. Dominic Savio in Texas won the 100-meter title June 18 at Nike Outdoor Nationals in a wind-legal 11.33 seconds in rainy and cold conditions.

Mia Brahe-Pedersen, a sophomore at Lake Oswego High, captured the 200-meter championship June 19 at Nike Outdoor Nationals in 23.25 seconds in slightly warmer weather after placing second to Wilson in the 100 final in 11.36.

Wilson also prevailed against Brahe-Pedersen in the 200 at the Arcadia Invitational in April. Brahe-Pedersen secured the Nike Indoor Nationals 200 title in their matchup in March at Ocean Breeze Sports Complex on Staten Island.

Brahe-Pedersen and Lily Jones of Roosevelt High, an Oregon signee who finished third in the 200 and fourth in the 100 at Nike Outdoor Nationals, also competed at Hayward Field for Oregon Relays and the 6A state championship meet, so the environment will be a familiar one.

But there will be plenty of new faces lined up against the prep standouts, including South Carolina teammates Jayla Jamison and Tierra Fraser, along with Iyana Gray of Texas-Arlington.

Kaniya Johnson of Lowndes High in Georgia, a Florida State signee representing Fast Forward Track Club, is also entered in both the 100 and 200, along with Alyssa Colbert of Northern Arizona.

Shawnti Jackson, a junior at Wakefield High in North Carolina and the national high school record holder in the indoor 60-meter dash at 7.18 seconds, is scheduled to compete in both sprinting events as well.

Georgia freshman Victoria Perrow is expected to race in the 100 and Kennedi Sanders of Madison-Ridgeland Academy in Mississippi, an LSU commit, is entered in the 200 and 400.

The 100 semifinals and final are scheduled for Friday, with the 200 qualifying races and championship being held Saturday.

Pole vault sister act faces strong challenge

Junior twin sisters Amanda Moll and Hana Moll, representing Capital High and Northwest Pole Vault Club in Washington, have been preparing all year for the opportunity to secure berths on the U.S. roster to compete at the World Under-20 Championships.

Amanda is the top-ranked Under-20 athlete in the world with her national high school record 14-9.50 (4.51m) from March at the 94th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. She also cleared 14-8 (4.47m) to win the title June 19 at Nike Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field.

Hana is ranked No. 3 this year with her 14-5.25 (4.40m) performance from April at the Oregon Relays at Hayward Field. She won the Nike Outdoor Nationals crown last year by clearing 14-4 (4.37m) and placed second June 19 in the final with a 13-10 (4.22m) effort.

But standing in the way of a potential sister sweep for the twins is Oklahoma freshman All-American Olivia Lueking, who ranks No. 2 among World Under-20 athletes this year with a 14-7.50 (4.46m) clearance in May at the Big 12 Championships in Texas.

Although Lueking finished 17th at the Division 1 Championships on May 9 at Hayward Field with a 13-3.50 (4.05m) clearance, she cleared 14-7.25 (4.45m) at Texas Relays. Lueking also placed fourth at the NCAA indoor meet in March in Alabama by clearing 14-5.50 (4.41m) after winning the Big 12 indoor crown with a 14-6 (4.42m) performance in February in Iowa.

Ella McRitchie, a sophomore at Bainbridge High in Washington competing for Northwest Pole Vault Club, and LSU-bound Emery Prentice of Vandebilt Catholic in Louisiana return to Hayward Field after placing third and fourth with 13-6.25 (4.12m) clearances at Nike Outdoor Nationals.

Familiar setting, different stakes

Future Stanford teammates Juliette Whittaker of Mount de Sales in Maryland and Roisin Willis from Stevens Point in Wisconsin competed last year at the U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field, as two of the three prep athletes to qualify in the 800 meters, along with Sophia Gorriaran of Moses Brown in Rhode Island.

Willis is the lone eligible member of the 2019 U-20 team who could make it again in 2022. 

Whittaker and Willis have continued to make history throughout their senior years, elevating to the Nos. 2 and 3 competitors in U.S. prep history in the event, in addition to teaming with Ali Ince of Normal Community in Illinois and Mia Cochran of Moon Area High in Pennsylvania to achieve an American Under-20 distance medley relay record by clocking 11:15.45 in March at the Meet of Champions in Chicago.

Whittaker ran 1:59.80 on May 20 at Track Night NYC Presented by Tracksmith at Icahn Stadium in New York, with Willis clocking 2:00.03 on June 4 at the Wisconsin state championships. Willis also boasts the fastest indoor all-time prep mark at 2:00.06.

After Willis focused on the 400 meters at both the Brooks PR Invitational and Nike Outdoor Nationals in her tuneup for the Under-20 meet, with Whittaker winning the Brooks PR mile June 15 in Seattle, they will reunite in Saturday’s final, looking to secure the top two spots to earn their spots on the U.S. roster.

Whittaker and Willis are also part of the lineup that achieved the World Under-20 indoor record in the 4x800 relay last year, teaming with Bailey Goggans of Marble Falls High in Texas, now at Texas A&M, and Gorriaran to clock 8:37.20 in Virginia Beach.

Michaela Rose, who ran 2:02.49 for LSU to place second May 14 at the SEC Championships in Oxford, Miss., is also entered in the field representing F.I.A. Ambassador Lions.

Talented trio tries to reach new heights

There is plenty of motivation, and likely a sense of unfinished business, for prep high jumpers JaiCieonna Gero-Holt, Emma Gates and Cheyla Scott after all three athletes cleared 5-10.50 (1.79m) on June 18 at Nike Outdoor Nationals, only to have fewer overall attempts decide the winner after all three competitors missed their opportunities at 6-0.50 (1.84m).

Gero-Holt, a freshman from Emerald Ridge High in Washington, is also entered in the heptathlon Thursday and Friday, before competing in the high jump final Saturday.

Gates, an Arizona signee from Cascade High in Oregon, and Scott – a junior at Butler High in North Carolina with a 6-2 (1.87m) clearance – are only scheduled to participate in the high jump. They tied for second at Nike Outdoor Nationals after clearing 5-10.50 on their third attempts, with Gero-Holt making the height on her second try.

Abigail Elmore, a sophomore at Gunter High in Texas who has achieved a 6-foot clearance this year, is also scheduled to compete.

Miracle Ailes, a former Iowa state champion at Keokuk High competing for Iowa Western Community College, should also be inspired to qualify for the U.S. roster after clearing 6-0.75 (1.85m) in May at the National Junior College Athletic Association Region XI meet, only to miss on three attempts at 5-8 (1.72m) and not produce a mark two weeks later at the national championship meet in Kansas.

Ailes prevailed against a field of Division 1 athletes in April to win the high jump competition at Drake Relays with a 5-11.50 (1.82m) clearance.

First of many potential meetings

Despite being among the fastest all-time prep athletes at the 1,600 and mile distances, Addy Wiley and Mia Barnett never had the opportunity to square off in high school.

Although they should have many chances to race once Wiley attends Colorado and Barnett enters her second year at Virginia, their first potential showdown should come Saturday in the 1,500-meter final.

Wiley, a recent graduate of Huntington North High in Indiana, won the 800-meter title June 19 in 2:04.64 at Nike Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field, but her focus the entire season has been on earning a spot on the U.S. roster to compete in Cali, Colombia.

Wiley ran the fastest 1,600 in prep history June 11 by clocking 4:26.16 at Grand Valley State in Michigan.

Barnett, who ran 4:37.58 for 1,600 and 9:52.23 for 3,200 during her senior season at Crescenta Valley High in California last year, clocked a personal-best 4:11.32 in April at Virginia. She also raced at the Division 1 East Regional in Indiana in May.

Barnett finished 10th in the mile final at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March in Alabama after running a lifetime-best 4:33.54 in the semifinals.

Ellie Shea, a sophomore at Belmont High in Massachusetts, is entered in multiple distance events after finishing runner-up in the 2-Mile championship June 18 at Nike Outdoor Nationals.

Shea, 16, produced a 4:14.35 effort in the 1,500 on June 4 at a Battle Road Track Club Twilight meet in Massachusetts, and should be a formidable challenger for Barnett and Wiley if she pursues racing in the event in Oregon.

Aria Hawkins, who finished 13th for Lee University of Tennessee at the NCAA Division 2 Championships at Grand Valley State, has clocked 4:27.91 in the 1,500.

Yuliya Petryk, an 18-year-old athlete from Ukraine who has been living and training in Colorado while the war continues in her home country, will be a special addition to the race with her lifetime-best 4:28.55 from the Balkan Under-20 Indoor Championships in February in Serbia.

Going the distance

The longest event on the schedule for Under-20 athletes is the 10,000-meter racewalk, scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Pacific time Friday.

Two of the top five competitors in U.S. prep history in the 3,000-meter racewalk – No. 4 Talia Green of College Prep in Oakland, Calif., and No. 5 Madison Morgan of Episcopal High in Texas – will renew acquaintances in a rematch of their June 17 showdown at Nike Outdoor Nationals.

Green clocked 14:04.90 to capture the title after finishing second last year to Morgan, who boasts a personal-best 14:12.66.

Only three U.S. prep athletes have ever produced sub-50 performances in the 10,000-meter racewalk, including the only three-time Under-20 champion and national high school record holder Taylor Ewert of Beavercreek, Ohio, who clocked 45:57.81 in 2018 in Indiana.

Angelica Harris, a junior at South Elgin High in Illinois representing the Elgin Sharks, clocked 50:44.37 in February. She is entered, along with junior twins and teammates Heather Durrant and Hannah Durrant, as well as junior Ashlyn Poulin of Gardiner High in Maine.

Harris is the national prep leader this year in the 5,000 at 24:07.47 from April, with Green achieving a mark of 24:08.60 on June 4 at Rancho Cordova High in California.

Angelina Colon, a freshman at NCAA Division 2 Mansfield University in Pennsylvania, is also entered, along with freshman Marissa Sciotto of Marist College.

Valeriya Sholomitska, a 17-year-old standout from Ukraine who has been living and training in Colorado while the war continues in her home country, will be a special addition to the race with her personal-best 46:20.91 from last year. She clocked 48:53 in the 10-kilometer racewalk as part of the World Racewalking Team Championships in Muscat in March.

Hurdling highlights on display

Four of the top 13 female athletes in the World Under-20 rankings in the 400-meter hurdles are expected to square off in Saturday’s final, led by the top-ranked competitor in junior Akala Garrett of Harding University in North Carolina and Purpose Driven Elite Track Club.

Garrett repeated as champion June 17 at Nike Outdoor Nationals by clocking a lifetime-best 57.46 at Hayward Field.

She will have the opportunity to compete against New Balance Nationals Outdoor winner Myla Greene, a junior at Bullis School in Maryland who clocked 58.27 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Greene ranks No. 11 among World Under-20 athletes this year, with Baylor freshman Jasmine Gryne at No. 13 with her 58.42 effort at the Big 12 Championships.

Michaela Rose of LSU, representing F.I.A. Ambassador Lions, ran 57.62 in April and was the fastest American Under-20 athlete this year until Garrett’s performance at Nike Outdoor Nationals. Rose, who is also entered in the 800, ranks No. 3 among World Under-20 competitors this season.

A pair of high school juniors who have produced sub-44 efforts in the 300-meter hurdles, Kennadi Reed of Long Beach Poly in California and Olivia Allen of Kingwood High in Texas, are looking to remain competitive in the 400 hurdles.

Seeking an encore performance

One of the most exciting matchups at Nike Outdoor Nationals was the showdown involving junior Kate Peters of Lake Oswego High in Oregon against sophomore Ellie Shea of Belmont High in Massachusetts.

Despite Shea leading for seven laps, Peters produced a late surge and prevailed in 9:51.48 to elevate to the No. 5 all-time prep competitor, with Shea placing second in 9:56.11.

Peters and Shea are both entered in the 3,000-meter final Saturday, looking to duplicate their success from June 18 at Hayward Field.

The prep standouts are expected to be joined by four impressive college freshmen, led by Heidi Nielson of Arkansas, who ran 9;21.30 in the indoor 3,000 in January.

Colleen Stegmann of Oklahoma State, who clocked 9:33.50 in the indoor 3,000 in February along with 4:35.67 in the outdoor 1,500 in May, is also entered.

Jill Walker, a Simi Valley High of California graduate competing for University of New Hampshire, ran 9:38.90 in the outdoor 3,000 in May. Virginia’s Mia Barnett, who attended Crescenta Valley High in California, is also entered, but would likely scratch the final if she qualified for the U.S. team in the 1,500 less than an hour earlier.

Analee Weaver, who recently confirmed her transfer from Brigham Young to Utah State, clocked 9;52.63 in the indoor 3,000 in February, and has entered both the 3,000 and 5,000.

Accelerating the learning curves

Three of the most promising college freshmen in the 400 meters will take their experiences from competing against older and faster athletes throughout the season, especially at conference championships, along with NCAA regional and semifinal races, and use that wisdom to their advantage Friday and Saturday.

Coastal Carolina’s Mekenze Kelley enters the meet with a personal-best 51.98 seconds, Texas A&M’s Kennedy Wade has run 52.48 and Harvard’s Victoria Bossong has clocked 53.01 this season.

Kelley advanced to the Division 1 semifinals, with Wade competing at the West Regional at Arkansas and Bossong racing at the East Regional in Indiana.

Kennadi Sanders of Madison-Ridgeland Academy in Mississippi, an LSU signee, ran 52.62 last year.

Zaya Akins, a junior at Raytown South High in Missouri who won the New Balance Nationals Outdoor title June 18 by clocking 52.88 in Philadelphia, is entered in the 400, along with Nike Outdoor Nationals runner-up Kaylyn Brown, a junior at Mallard Creek in North Carolina representing Purpose Driven Elite Track Club.

A pair of Georgia signees are also expected to race, with Texas prep standouts Haley Tate of Katy Seven Lakes and Hali Murphy of St. Dominic Savio also scheduled to compete.

Winn pursuing biggest career win

Whether it has been learning from veteran teammate Trace Mosby or competing against NCAA Division 2 champion Cheyenne Williamson from Saginaw Valley State, Pittsburg State freshman Blakelee Winn has developed into one of the most promising multi-event athletes among all collegiate freshmen, finishing third in both the indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon at the division championship meets this year.

Winn will have an opportunity to build on those experiences and potentially improve on her lifetime-best 5,518 points Thursday and Friday in a heptathlon competition scheduled to have four athletes who have surpassed the 5,000-point barrier.

Ariel Pedigo, an Oklahoma freshman who won Nike Outdoor Nationals last year at Hayward Field, has a personal-best 5,493 points from the AAU Junior Olympics in August. She finished seventh at the Big 12 Conference Championships in May with 5,272 points.

Bryanna Craig, a Louisiana Tech signee who graduated from Ruston High in Louisiana, placed second behind Pedigo with 5,138 points at last year’s Nike Outdoor Nationals.

She also finished fourth at the Under-20 Championships in 2019 in Florida with a then-national freshman class record 5,094 points, which was surpassed this year by JaiCieonna Gero-Holt, a ninth-grader from Emerald Ridge High who accumulated 5,108 points June 3-4 at the Washington State Combined Events Championships.

Gero-Holt was sixth at last year’s Nike Outdoor Nationals as an eighth-grader with 4,855 points.

Hollan Powers, a freshman at Arizona, returns to Hayward Field after finishing ninth in May at the Pac-12 Championships with 4,906 points.