The 2017 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Boys Track and Field teams are coordinated by Fred Baer, the founder of Track and Field Writers of America. Boys selections are made by Jack Shepard, the high school editor of Track and Field News.
Criteria included ranking on USA TODAY Sports 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.
The honorees are divided based on event. Follow the links below for each group; athletes are listed alphabetically. Races in meters unless noted. Field events are listed in feet and inches.
Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year: Mondo Duplantis, Lafayette (La.)
Boys Track & Field Coach of the Year: Juris Green, The Woodlands (Texas)
Long Sprints and Middle Distance
YEAR IN REVIEW
Duplantis was the only boys national record breaker during the 2017 outdoor season. He vaulted an overall world leading 19 feet, 4 1/4 inches on April 1 at the Texas Relays and has added nearly a foot to the national high school record of 18-4 3/4 set last year.
Three who challenged records were high jumper Vernon Turner of Yukon, Okla., with the No. 2 all-time clearance of 7-6; 300 meter hurdler Thomas Burns with the No. 2 all-time clocking of 35.25; and shot putter Jordan Geist of Knoch (Saxonburg, Pa.), with the No. 3 all-time shot put of 76-0.
Some others who made a dent in the all-time high school lists for their events:
- Reed Brown, Carroll (Southlake, Texas), No. 3 in the mile, 3:59.30
- Anthony Schwartz of American Heitage (Plantation, Fla.), No. 6 in the 100 meters with a world youth (under age 18 record) of 10.15
- Turner Washington, Canyon del Oro (Oro Valley, Ariz.), No. 4 in the discus, 227-10
- Eric Edwards, Langham Creek, Houston, tied for No. 5 in the 110 meter hurdles, 13.32
- Joseph Anderson, Upland, Calif., No. 7 in the 110 meter hurdles, 13.33
- Cameron Cooper, Oak Park, Mich., No. 6 at 800 meters, 1:47.59
- Cory Poole, East Orange, N.J., No. 7 in the 400 meter hurdles, 49.88
- Zachary Shinnick, Damien (La Verne, Calif.), No. 8 at 400 meters, 45.20.
ON TO PERU
High schoolers won eight events, competing against college freshmen, at the USATF Junior National Championships (for athletes under age 20) in Sacramento at the end of June. The top two finishers in each event secured U.S. team berths for the Pan Am Junior Championships in Peru later this month. The prep winners:
- Geist in the shot put
- Washington in the discus throw
- Edwards in the 110 hurdles
- Cameron Cooper in the 800 meters
- Poole in the 400 hurdles
- Shinnick in the 400 meters
- Tyrese Cooper of Norland (Miami Gardens, Fla.) in the 200 meters
- Liam Christensen of Academic Magnet (North Charleston, S.C.) in the javelin throw
PRESEASON: 2017 Preseason ALL-USA Boys Track and Field Teams
LOOKBACK: 2016 ALL-USA Boys Track and Field Team