Durrant, representing Elgin Sharks, produces fastest outdoor 3,000-meter race walk in U.S. prep history by clocking 13:27.22 in 17-18 final; Prairie Ridge graduate and TNT Track and Field Academy star Lydon secures back-to-back crowns in same division with lifetime-best 5,208 points, with Byrd, Dean and Robinson also winning multi titles and Kerr taking hammer

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

EUGENE, Ore. – Rylee Lydon aggressively ran, jumped and threw her way to the best heptathlon performance of her career at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships.

Heather Durrant ambitiously walked her way to U.S. prep history at Hayward Field.

As a result, a pair of Illinois standouts grabbed the spotlight Tuesday in the women’s 17-18 division, with Durrant producing a national high school record in the outdoor 3,000-meter race walk by clocking 13 minutes, 27.22 seconds to secure back-to-back titles and Lydon also repeating as heptathlon champion with a lifetime-best 5,208 points.

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Durrant, a recent graduate of Elgin High representing the Elgin Sharks, eclipsed the 2019 mark of 13:28.0 established by Beavercreek High of Ohio graduate Taylor Ewert at Penn Relays.

Ewert, now attending Michigan State, still boasts the absolute all-time prep standard of 13:24.76 in the indoor 3,000 race walk at the 2019 Virginia Showcase.

Durrant, who has committed to NAIA program University of the Cumberlands, had achieved a 13:31.49 performance last year at the AAU Region 13 Qualifier at Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill., to elevate to the No. 2 all-time outdoor competitor behind Ewert. She also won the 17-18 division title at Sacramento State by clocking 13:49.08.

Durrant, who won the USATF U20 title July 8 in the 10,000 race walk in 48:40.85 at Hayward Field, is expected to represent the U.S. at the Pan American U20 Championships on Aug. 4-6 in Puerto Rico.

But the final race of the summer with her Elgin Sharks teammates produced additional history, with recent South Elgin High graduate and Vanderbilt commit Angelica Harris placing second in 13:57.95 to elevate to the No. 4 all-time U.S. outdoor prep competitor.

Durrant and Harris became the first prep female athletes to both achieve sub-14 performances in the same 3,000 race walk.

Lydon, like Durrant, competed at Hayward Field for the second time this year, building on her runner-up effort June 16-17 at Nike Outdoor Nationals with 5,152 points.

Lydon, a Prairie Ridge High graduate and Texas A&M signee representing TNT Track and Field Academy, became the 33rd female athlete in U.S. prep history to surpass the 5,200-point barrier.

She built on an impressive opening day that included a 5-8.75 (1.75m) clearance in the high jump and 24.99 performance in the 200 meters by long jumping 18-0.25 (5.49m) and winning the 800 in 2:17.85.

Lydon won last year’s 17-18 division title with 4,677 points at Sacramento State and finished the year with a top mark of 4,784 points. She built on winning the adidas indoor pentathlon crown March 17 with 3,844 points in Virginia Beach by setting the Illinois state heptathlon record and finishing as the No. 3 U.S. prep outdoor competitor this season.

Falyn Lott, who recently completed her junior year at Frisco Panther Creek High representing North Texas Jackrabbits, placed second in a personal-best 4,842 points.

Yvette Harris, a recent graduate of Lincoln Stockton High in California and a Central Florida signee representing God Speed Track Club, took third with 4,708 points.

Kenneth Byrd, an incoming senior at East Burke High in North Carolina, relied significantly on a 15-9 (4.80m) pole vault performance to propel him to the men’s 17-18 decathlon championship with 6,940 points.

Byrd surpassed 6,900 points three times this season, including a lifetime-best 7,171 points July 9 at the USATF Region 3 Championships in Durham.

Tomeko Cates, who recently completed his junior year at Mary Walker High in Washington, achieved a personal-best 6,674 points in only his third career decathlon.

Colton Dean, an incoming junior at Canon-McMillan High in Pennsylvania representing Stallions Track Club, won the boys 15-16 decathlon championship with a lifetime-best 6,456 points, showcasing an impressive stretch by clocking 51.14 in the 400, running 15.52 in the 110 hurdles and achieving a 115-7 (35.24m) discus throw to contribute to an improvement of more than 600 points on his personal-best mark.

Jasmine Robinson, who recently completed her freshman year at North Cobb in Georgia representing The Heat Track Club, rallied from third place entering the final event of the girls 15-16 heptathlon by winning the 800 in 2:26.17 to prevail with 4,381 points.

Ellie McCuskey-Hay, an incoming sophomore at St. Ignatius High in California representing the Marin Waves, placed second with 4,356 points.

Karlie Bair, an eighth-grader competing for TNT Track Club in Idaho, took third with 4,284 points.

Aidan Kerr, who recently completed his sophomore year at Bloomington South High in Indiana, produced a sixth-round effort of 171-1 (52.15m) to triumph in the boys 15-16 hammer throw final.

Sam Didat, an incoming sophomore at Floyd Central High in Indiana, achieved a fifth-round mark of 167-3 (50.98m) to place second.

Clayton Stoil, a recent graduate of Langley High in Virginia, followed his 3,000 race walk title June 17 at Nike Outdoor Nationals by adding a 17-18 division crown in 13:34.08 in his return to Hayward Field.

David Dorantes, an incoming sophomore at Elgin High, gave the Elgin Sharks multiple national championships in the 3,000 race walk by securing the boys 15-16 division crown in 14:33.80.

Ashlyn Prescott of Distance University Club in Arizona triumphed in the 3,000 race walk final in the girls 15-16 division in 19:53.51.

Track Houston swept the 4x800 relay titles in the 17-18 division, with the men’s team clocking 7:54.88 and the women’s lineup running 9:19.95.

The Pacific Coast Shockwaves prevailed in the 4x800 relay final in the boys 15-16 division in 8:10.30.

Kansas Flyers emerged victorious in the girls 15-16 division 4x800 championship with a 9:22.46 effort.