Paul Chaney is gone with the wind
SLUH sprinter sweeps Marion Freeman Clayton Invitational
Of the St. Louis American
The 71st annual Marion Freeman Clayton Invitational track and field meet looked to lose some of its luster with the absence of stars J.C. Butler of Ladue and Timothy Allen of East St. Louis. Both headline performers were out with hamstring injuries.
Area track fans were still treated to a special performance, thanks to SLUH junior sprinter Paul Chaney, who stepped into the spotlight with a sparkling day at Washington University. Chaney set two meet records while sweeping the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes in convincing style.
Chaney’s records came in the 100, where he turned in a dazzling time of 10.1 seconds, and the 200, where his time of 21.1 broke a mark of 21.2 set just last year by former Parkway North star Imani Butler. The previous record in the 100 was the 10.4 turned in by former Ladue star Chuckie McGee in 1999.
Chaney’s fast times were aided by a pretty strong tailwind, but nonetheless, his showing was a solid statement that he will be a force to be reckoned with in the weeks leading up to the state championships at the end of the month.
Chaney’s triple was completed with his victory in the 400 in a swift 48.4. Wind or no wind, Paul Chaney is proving to be the real deal.
Chaney’s SLUH teammate Stephan Simmons also enjoyed a fine day as he finished second in the 100 and won the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 38.4. The dynamic duo led the Junior Billikens to a second-place finish in the team standings behind a powerful East St. Louis squad.
Allen was able to rest his sore hamstring while his teammates ran away with the Orange Division title. East Side got first place performances from Bernard Fowler in the 110-meter high hurdles, Bilal Hameed in the triple jump, Jarell McDaniels in the long jump, and the 4×400-meter relay team of Octavious Kaizer, Don Robinson, Mario McCottrell and Victor Robinson.
The Flyers backed up those first-place finishes with several seconds and thirds to score big. East Side is gearing up for another run at a IHSA Class AA state meet trophy, but they will need a healthy Allen to reach their ultimate goal of a state title.
One of the top individual performers in the Blue Division was Berkeley’s Terry Robinson in the hurdles. Robinson won the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.5 and 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 39.9. Robinson swept both events for the second week in succession in a big invitational meet. He accomplished the same task at the Dale Collier Invitational at Kirkwood last week. Robinson is establishing himself as one of the top Class 3 hurdlers in the state.
Hazelwood Central, Berkeley and Jennings notched a pair of relay victories in their respective divisions. Central’s 4×200 crew of A.J. Jimmerson, Garren Hendricks, Chuck Melton and Kenny Sims turned in an impressive time of 1:29.1. Jennings won the Blue Division 4×200 and 4×800 while Berkeley won the Blue Division 4×100 and 4×400.
Victoria’s records
The action was hot and heavy at the Victoria Reeves Invitational at Parkway South on Saturday. There were six meet records and several other top performances from a bunch of talented young ladies.
Freshman phenom Aleshia Usery of Berkeley set new records in the 100 (11.9) and 400 (56.7). New meet records have become commonplace for Usery in her first year of high school track.
Ladue set three meet records. Orie Ibe won the 300-meter low hurdles in 45.1. Orie joined Ysatis Williams, Elizabeth Prewitt-Allen and Azraa Rounds on the 4×200-meter relay team that set a new meet record of 1 minute 42.4 seconds. The team of Rounds, Williams, Prewitt-Allen and Danielle Oliver won the 4×100 in 48.3.
Leandra McGruder of Jefferson City set the sixth meet record in the long jump with a winning distance of 18 feet 3 inches. McGruder also won the triple jump with a leap of 37-10 while Rounds won the 200 in a quick 24.7.
Alton action today
There should be some pretty exciting girls action today at the Southwestern Conference meet at Alton High. The two featured teams at today’s meet will be the powerful East St. Louis Flyerettes and the Edwardsville Tigers. Both teams have been winning meets with regularity while piling up huge scoring numbers with a combination of talent and depth. Both teams have a chance to take many athletes to the IHSA Class AA girls state championships in Charleston, Ill. in two weeks. The action begins at 4 p.m.
St. Charles speeders
There are some pretty talented athletes across the bridge to the West in St. Charles County getting it done as well. On the girls side, Wentzville Holt’s Shanita Bledsoe is a top sprinter while Channell Lloyd of Fort Zumwalt North is an excellent hurdler. One of the top boys has been Chris Williams of Fort Zumwalt West, who is making a big impact in the 100, 200 and 400. Senior Darrell Lloyd of Fort Zumwalt North is also back after a two-year absence from the track.
