Teams coordinated by Fred Baer, founder, Track and Field Writers of America. Girls selections by Mike Kennedy, high school editor of Track and Field News.
Criteria included ranking on USA TODAY and Track and Field News national lists and the number of top performances, along with head-to-head competition during the regular season and in major postseason meets.
Christina Aragon (Photo: James Lang, USA TODAY Sports)
MORE:
Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year: Sydney McLaughlin, Union Catholic
Girls Track & Field Coach of the Year: Brian Fitzgerald, Rio Mesa
Here are the athletes selected in Long Sprints / Middle Distance (400 and 800). Returning ALL-USA selections are denoted with asterisks (*).
HSR indicates all-time U.S. high school record mark.
WJR indicates World Junior (under age 20) record.
w = wind-aided (more than 2.0 meters a second), over the limit for record purposes.
i = performed indoors.
LONG SPRINTS / MIDDLE DISTANCE (400 and 800)
First Team
*Christina Aragon
School: Billings, Mont.
Year: Senior
Times and events: 2:05.65, 800; 4:09.27, 1,500; 4:43.51, 1,600.
Aaliyah Miller
School: Boyd (McKinley, Texas)
Year: Senior
Times and events: 54.62, 400; 2:02.96, 800.
Ruby Stauber
School: Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.)
Year: Senior
Times and events: 2:03.43, 800.
*Samantha Watson
School: Rush-Henrietta (Henrietta, N.Y.)
Year: Junior
Times and events: 53.21, 400; 2:02.91, 800; 4:22.09, 1,500.
TRACKINGS: Reigning World Youth 800 meter champion Watson led Miller and Stauber to the line at this year’s USATF Junior Championships with the three fastest high school times of the season. The top two made the American team for this month’s World Junior Championships.
Watson was undefeated vs. preps this season but failed to advance out of the first round at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Aragon did make it to the 1,500 semifinals at the Trials but could not overcome a veteran American middle distance contingent. Earlier she won the adidas high school Dream Mile and was second in the 1,500 (top high school finisher) at the USATF Junior Nationals.
Second Team
Caitlin Collier
School: Bolles School (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Year: Junior
Times and events: 2:04.89, 800.
Ella Donaghu
School: Grant (Portland, Ore.)
Year: Senior
Times and events: 4:14.11, 1,500.