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.
Vashti Cunningham (Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
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Long Sprints and Middle Distance
Here are the athletes selected in Vertical Jumps (high jump, pole vault) and Horizontal Jumps (long jump, triple jump). 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.
Vertical Jumps (high jump, pole vault)
First Team:
Rachel Baxter
School: Canyon (Anaheim, Calif.)
Year: Junior
Height and event: 14-3, PV.
*Vashti Cunningham
School: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Year: Senior
Height and event: HSR, WJR 6-6 1/4i, HJ.
Carson Dingler
School: First Presbyterian Day (Macon, Ga.)
Year: Junior
Height and event: 13-9 1/4, PV.
Lillian Lowe
School: Callaway (Murray, Ky.)
Year: Junior
Height and event: 5-10 1/2, HJ.
TRACKINGS: Baxter and Dingler have moved up from the 2015 World Youth team to the 2016 World Junior team in the high jump. Baxter won the USATF Junior Nationals and has a best of 14-3 to rank third on the all-time high school list. Dingler’s best of 13-9 1/4 in finishing second ranks No. 13.
Cunningham had just three meets before turning pro but they included the world-leading 6-6 1/4 that won the U.S. indoor championship and is the highest jump ever by a high schooler.
Second Team
Erika Malispina
School: Pacific Collegiate (Santa Cruz, Calif.)
Year: Senior
Height and event: 13-9, PV.
Andrea Willis
School: Classical Academy (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Year: Senior
Height and event: 13-9, PV.
Horizontal Jumps (long jump, triple jump)
First Team
Tara Davis
School: Agoura (Agoura Hills, Calif.)
Year: Junior
Distance and event: 20-10 3/4i, LJ; 43-2, TJ.
Jasmine Moore
School: Lakeridge (Mansfield, Texas)
Year: Freshman
Distance and event: 19-3 1/4, LJ; 42-1 3/4 (43-5 3/4w), TJ.
*Chinne Okoronkwo
School: Mountlake Terrace, Wash.
Year: Senior
Distance and events: 19-3 1/4, LJ; 42-2 1/4 (42-7 3/4w), TJ.
Samiyah Samuels
School: Cypress Springs (Cypress, Texas)
Year: Senior
Distance and events: 21-1 1/2 (21-3 1/4i), LJ.
TRACKINGS: Samuels was clearly the top long jumper, although she had a limited campaign due to mid-season injuries. She won the New Balance Indoor Nationals at 21-3 1/4 (No.3 on the all-time high school list) and placed second (but was the top prep) at the USATF Junior Nationals.
Okoronkwo was also second at Juniors (first prep) in the triple jump at 42-2 ¼.
Moore had the longest triple jump with her wind-aided 43-5 3/4 to win the New Balance Outdoor Nationals.
Davis was the legal leader in the triple jump at 43-2 (No. 10 all-time) and had a 20-10 3/4 indoor long jump. She was the No. 2 high school finisher in both events at the Junior Nationals. At the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the long jump, Samuels finished 17th and Davis was 19th. Both failed to advance out of the qualifying round.
Second team
Taylor DeLoach
School: St. Vincent’s Academy (Savannah, Ga.)
Year: Senior
Distance and event: 20-10 ½, LJ.
Jaimie Robinson
School: Homewood-Flossmoor(Flossmoor, Il.)
Year: Junior
Distance and event: 41-10.50, TJ.