The best sprinters in the country couldn’t keep up with South Hadley senior Jonas Clarke over 200 meters.
The South Hadley senior won the Nike Outdoor Nationals Championship division boys 200-meter dash at Heyward Field in Oregon on Sunday night. Coming out of lane seven, he trailed two around the turn but burst away from the competition down the straightaway to cross the line in 20.98 seconds. He clapped twice then struck a pose and pumped his fist in victory.
He also placed second in the championship boys 100-meter dash, crossing the line in 10.43 seconds. Duncanville, Texas’, Pierre Goree took first in 10.36.
Jonas Clarke 200M National Champ!!🔥 pic.twitter.com/rvDYhGeD5o
— Rich Marjanski (@fishomatic303) June 20, 2022
Northampton’s boys 1,600 spring medley relay took second in the Emerging Elite ‘A’ field. Rowan Hodgson, Alexander Caldanaro, Ryland Breen and Riley Cole finished in 3:36.76. Columbia, NY., placed first (3:33.39).
Breen also clocked a 11.62 in the boys freshman 100, just missing advancing to the next round.
South Hadley’s Emma Sanford took ninth in the girls heptathlon with 4,268 points. In the heptathlon, she was seventh in the high jump (1.56m), 10th in the shot put (9.49m), 11th in the javelin (5.04m), 12th in the 200 (26.69), 13th in the 100 hurdles (15.68) and 14th in the 800 (2:42.65).
Sanford also cleared 1.59 meters to take seventh in the emerging elite girls high jump.
Now the whole country knows Moriah Luetjen’s name.
The Amherst Regional freshman continued her breakout spring with a New Balance Outdoor Nationals gold medal this weekend in Philadelphia. She won the freshman girls 400-meter run in 58.33 seconds, pulling away from the field by nearly a second.
Natalie Longobucco of Wantagh, N.Y., was second in 59.15.
Luetjen also added another medal as a member of Amherst’s girls 1,600 sprint medley relay in the Rising Stars division. She, Ruby Austin, Anajisa Robinson and Tamar Byl-Brann placed sixth in 4:18.3. Allentown, N.J., clocked the winning time in 4:11.82.
Frontier Regional senior Jack Vecellio cleared 16 feet, 0.75 inches to take third in the boys championship pole vault. Justin Rogers of Hummelstown, Pa. , won at 16-8.75.
Northampton freshman Camilla Brewer soared to sixth in the girls freshman long jump with a leap of 35-1.25.
The Hurricanes boys sprint medley relay of Tristan Dole, Tafari Proctor, Miguel Pinero-Jacome and David Pinero-Jacome was 21st (3:41.29).
Logan Alfandi’s discus throw of 131 feet landed him 20th in the boys Rising Stars class.