The 2017 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Preseason Girls Track and Field team was selected by Fred Baer, founder of the Track and Field Writers of America, and Mike Kennedy, high school editor of Track & Field News.
MORE: Sprints | Long and middle distance | Throws | Jumps | Hurdles
Here are the four athletes selected in the hurdles (100, 300 and 400). Returning ALL-USA selections are denoted with asterisks.
(i) denotes indoor mark; all others outdoors.
Race distances in meters unless noted.
CHANEL BRISSETT
School: Cheltenham (Wyncote, Pa.)
Year: Senior
Times, events: 12.95, 100H
*TIA JONES
School: Walton (Marietta, Ga.)
Year: Sophomore
Times, events: 12.84, 100H
Sydney McLaughlin (Photo: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)
*SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN
School: Union Catholic (Scotch Plains, N.J.)
Year: Senior
Times, events: 51.61i, 400 (2017); 54.15, 400H
EMILY SLOAN
School: Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch, Colo.)
Year: Junior
Times, events: 13.40, 100H; 41.34, 300H
Jurnee Woodward (Photo: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)
JURNEE WOODWARD
School: Vacaville (Calif.)
Year: Senior
Times, events: 13.52, 100H; 40.62, 300H
NEED TO KNOW:
Both hurdle national record breakers return: Jones, who ran 12.84 in the 100 hurdles as a freshman last year, and 2016 U.S. 400 hurdles Olympian Sydney McLaughlin (54.15). Both were also world junior (under age 20) records. McLaughlin, the youngest U.S. Olympic team member in 40 years, continued her record spree indoors this winter, running the 400 meters (without hurdles) in 51.61 to erase her own mark of 51.84 set last year.
Chanel Brissett holds the 16-year age and junior class records in the 100 hurdles (12.95) — as one of only five high school athletes who have ever run under 13 seconds. In 2016, she had to “settle” for second-team All-USA honors in the tough event.