ALL-USA Second Team honoree Kaitlyn Merritt of Santa Margarita (Calif.) (Photo: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)
The 2014-15 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Girls Track and Field teams are coordinated by Fred Baer, the founder of Track and Field Writers of America. Girls selections are made by Mike Kennedy, the high school editor of Track and Field News.
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Reonna Collier had a breakout freshman season in 2014 at Piedmont Hills (San Jose, Calif.), winning both hurdle races at the California (CIF) state championships. She set an age 15 national record of 58.55 seconds in the 400 meter hurdles and earned All-USA first team recognition.
After transferring to Vacaville (Calif.) high school this season, however, Collier was declared ineligible for varsity competition. She was relegated to competing for her school in non-varsity events and could not defend her state titles. In the post season, however, she repeated as Golden West (national) Invitational champion in both hurdle races and then placed second in the 400 hurdles at the USATF Junior Nationals in a personal best 57.27 to become the No. 14 all-time high school performer. (Collier has been named to the U.S. team in the hurdles and the 4 x 400 relay for the Pan American Junior Championships in Canada at the end of July.) That still wasn’t enough to repeat as a first-team All-USA hurdles selection, one of the toughest categories — although she was a pre-season All-USA pick in March.
California 3,200 meter champion Destiny Collins of Great Oak (Temecula) was the national leader in that event with her winning time of 9 minutes, 53.79 seconds. She also had to settle for second-team honors — in the strong distance running category.
Sprints (100 & 200)
Alfreda Steele, Pasco (Dade City, Fla.), Jr. – 11.33, in 100.
Krystal Sparling, St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), Sr. – 11.37, in 100; 23.45, in 200.
Middle Distance (400 & 800)
Nicole Montgomery, Lewis-Palmer (Monument, Colo.), Sr. – 52.95, in 400.
Hannah Long, Eureka (Mo.), Sr. – 2:04.23, in 800; 4:40.15, in 1,600.
Distances (1,500, Mile & 2-Mile)
Danielle Jones, Desert Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.), Sr. – 4:39.88, in mile; 10:09.58, in 3,200.
Destiny Collins, Great Oak (Temecula, Calif.), Jr. – 4:40.34, in 1,600; 9:53.79, in 3,200.
Hurdles (100, 300 & 400)
Tonea Marshall, Seguin (Arlington, Tex.), Jr. – 13.44 (13.12w), in 100 hurdles.
Reonna Collier, Vacaville (Calif.), So. – 13.47, in 100 hurdles; 41.24, in 300 hurdles; 57.27, in 400 hurdles.
Vertical Jumps (Pole Vault & High Jump)
Janae Moffitt, Oak Hill (Converse, Ind.), Sr. – 5-11 3/4, in high jump.
Kaitlyn Merritt, Santa Margarita (Rancho S. Margarita, Calif.), Sr. – 13-7, in pole vault.
Horizontal Jumps (Triple Jump & Long Jump)
Asa Garcia, Texas City (Tex.) Sr. – 43-2 1/4, in triple jump.
Samiyah Samuels, Cypress Springs (Houston), Jr. – 20-6 1/2, (20-7 3/4w), in long jump.
Throws
Nickolette Dunbar, Whippany Park (Whippany, N.J.), Jr. – 51-2 3/4, in shot put.
Alyssa Wilson, Donovan Catholic (Toms River, N.J.), So. – 49-7 3/4, in shot put.