The American Family Insurance ALL-USA Preseason Boys Track and Field team was selected by Fred Baer, the founder of the Track and Field Writers of America, and Jack Shepard, the high school editor for Track & Field News.
Performances are from 2014 unless otherwise noted. Asterisk (*) denotes a returning ALL-USA first-team selection.
i – denotes indoor performance; all others are outdoors.
w – indicates wind over the allowable limit of 2.0 meters per second for record and ranking purposes.
Sprints (100 & 200)
Ryan Clark, Bannecker (College Park, Ga.), Sr. – 10.38, in 100 (’15); 20.82 in 200.
Darryl Haraway, DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.), Sr. – 10.20 in 100.
Noah Lyles, T.C. Williams (Alexandria, Va.), Jr. – 20.71 (20.83i ) in 200 (’15).
Haraway is the top returning outdoor sprinter, but Clark had been dominant most of this indoor season, holding USA-leading marks in the 55, 60, and 200 meters — until Lyles set a junior class 200 record of 20.83 (No. 2 all-time high school) to win New Balance Indoor Nationals in New York last weekend ahead of Clark (20.85, No. 3 all-time). Clark beat Lyles in the 60 by .003 earlier in the meet.
Mount Vernon (N.Y.) runner Rai Benjamin is a preseason ALL-USA selection. (Photo: Carucha L. Meuse/The Journal News)
Long Sprints/Middle Distance (400 & 800)
Rai Benjamin, Mt. Vernon (N.Y.), Sr. – 46.59i, in 400 (’15).
*Josephus Lyles, Jr. T.C. Williams (Alexandria, Va.) – 46.23 in 400.
*Myles Marshall, Sr. Kingwood (Texas) – 1:48.43 in 800.
Noah and Josephus Lyles (also the indoor leader at 500 meters this year, 1:03.57) have been called the “nation’s fastest set of brothers” by Track & Field News. Although Noah is a year older, both are juniors and are the sons of former Seton Hall stars Keisha Caine and Kevin Lyles (a World Championships relay gold medalist).
Grand Blanc’s (Mich.) Grant Fisher was named Gatorade National Cross Country Runner of the Year / Susan Goldman
Distances (1,500, mile, 3,200, 2-mile, steeplechase)
*Grant Fisher, Grand Blanc, Mich., Sr. – 3:46.71 in 1,500; 4:02.02 in mile.
Andrew Hunter, Loudoun Valley (Purcellville, Va.), Jr. – 8:16.31 in 3,000; 8:48.22i in 2 mile (’15).
Fisher, the 2014 mile and 2-mile leader, won the Indoor Nationals mile in 4:03.5 (No. 3 all-time indoors) and Hunter took the 2 mile.
Hurdles (110, 300, 400)
Norman Grimes, Canyon, Texas, Jr. – 36.73 in 300 hurdles.
Daniel Roberts, Hampton, Ga., Jr. – 13.84, 110 in high hurdles.
There are no clear hurdles favorites. Indoor Nationals winner Grant Holloway of Grassfield (Chesapeake, Va.) should be in the mix here and is also a 7-1 high jumper.
Vertical Jumps (high jump, pole vault)
*Paulo Benavides, Franklin (El Paso, Texas), Sr. – 17-11i in pole vault (’15).
Brendon Rivera, Vela (Edinburg, Texas), Sr. – 7-3 in high jump.
Deakin Volz, South (Bloomington, Ind.), Sr. – 17-11 1/4i in pole vault (’15).
Benavides and Volz have both broken the high school indoor pole vault record of 17-10 3/4 in 2015 — Volz broke the record last weekend — and will target the outdoor mark of 18-3 1/2 set in 2012 (by Shawn Barber of Kingwood Park, Kingwood, Texas). Seven former high school athletes have vaulted 18 feet.
Horizontal Jumps (long jump, triple jump)
Joey Souza, Kingsburg. Calif., Sr. – 24-10 (25-7w) in long jump.
*Ja’Mari Ward, Cahokia, Ill., Jr. – 25-7 1/4i in long jump; 51-7 3/4i in triple jump (both ’15).
Top triple jump returnee Ward won both jumps at the Indoor Nationals with personal bests.
Throws (shot put, discus, hammer, javelin)
Carlos Davis, Blue Springs (Mo.), Sr. – 212-5 in discus.
Matt Katnik, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), Sr. – 68-9 in shot put (’15).
Discus leader Davis faces competition from his twin brother Khalil, who is the No. 2 returnee from 2014 with a 198-5 best.