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TRUJILLO, Peru — Team USATF’s brightest young stars are set to compete at the 2017 Pan American Junior Championships in Trujillo, Peru. The three-day meet kicks off Friday, July 21 and runs through Sunday, July 23.
The 85-athlete roster is highlighted by some of the most accomplished juniors in the United States, including high school stars Tara Davis (Agoura, California), Tyrese Cooper (Miami Gardens, Florida) and Adrian Piperi (The Woodlands, Texas) as well as rising NCAA talent Taylor Werner (Bloomsdale, Missouri) and Brandee’ Johnson (Suffolk, Virginia).
On the women’s side, the team is highlighted by the U.S high school record holder in the hurdles, Tia Jones (Marietta, Georgia) and Davis, the American junior record holder in the long jump. While this will be Jones’ first time representing Team USATF at Pan Am Juniors, she won bronze in the event at the IAAF U20 Championships in 2016 and set a world youth best at the 2016 USATF Junior Championships in Clovis last June. Davis is also no stranger to international competition. The Agoura, California native brought home a gold medal in the long jump from the IAAF World Youth Championships in 2015.
Joining Davis and Jones in the sprint events will be Brandee’ Johnson, who recently completed a stellar freshman season at the University of Florida. Johnson was the bronze medalist in the 400m hurdles at the IAAF World Youth Championships in 2015 and represented Team USATF at the IAAF U20 Championships last year.
The distance events will be highlighted by Werner and Michelle Magnani (Moorpark, California), both of whom have represented the United States internationally before. Werner was eighth at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country Challenge and capped a tremendous freshman campaign at the University of Arkansas, qualifying for all three NCAA Championships and earning All-American honors at the 2016 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. Magnani of Oklahoma State University earned all Big-12 honors in cross country and was the USATF Junior Cross Country Champion in 2017. She represented Team USATF at the IAAF U20 Cross Country Championships finishing 37th.
On the men’s side, the roster is highlighted by the 2015 IAAF World Youth Champion in the shot put, Piperi and Cooper, the high school national champion at 200 and 400 meters. Piperi, a University of Texas signee, is the 2017 UIL Texas 6A State Champion and the 2017 USATF Junior Outdoor runner-up. Cooper completed an impressive 200-400 double at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals, winning the 200m in 20.99, just 34 minutes before he won the 400m title in 45.89.
In the distance events, IAAF U20 Cross Country team member Alec Haines (Stillwater, Oklahoma) will represent Team USATF in the 5000m. Haines capped a successful first year at Oklahoma State University with a pair of top-10 finishes at the Big-12 Indoor Track and Field Championships in the mile and 3000m to go along with his 2017 USATF Junior Outdoors title in the 5000m.
Fans can join the conversation by following USATF on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook and using the hashtag #PanAmJrs.
For more information regarding the 2017 Pan Am Junior Championships, please visit the Peruvian Federation’s Facebook page for schedule, live streaming information and more.
Source: USATF
