Quartet achieves No. 3 all-time World U20 effort by clocking 42.88, also eclipsing 1999 meet record, joining Allen, Atkinson, Carter, Greene, Hughes Jr. and Mallard among U.S. gold medalists in Puerto Rico; Floyd takes men’s 400 to highlight five titles for Canada, Bahamas wins first men’s 4x100

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The United States was in need of a spark Saturday at the Pan American Under-20 Championships.

The Americans had just been disqualified as a result of an exchange zone violation in the men’s 4x100-meter relay and were looking for an uplifting performance to cap the schedule on the second day of the event at Jose A. Figueroa Freire Stadium in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

Not only did the U.S. women’s 4x100 relay respond to the challenge, but the quartet did so in memorable fashion.

Georgia’s Kaila Jackson, Texas A&M’s Camryn Dickson, incoming senior Avery Lewis of Friends’ Central School in Pennsylvania and Shawnti Jackson, a recent graduate of South Granville High in North Carolina and an Arkansas signee, produced an American U20 record by clocking 42.88 seconds to capture the gold medal for the fifth consecutive time.

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

The group lowered the mark of 43.28 achieved by South Carolina’s Jayla Jamison, Georgia’s Autumn Wilson, Iyana Gray of Texas-Arlington and Shawnti Jackson at last year’s World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia.

The U.S. also eclipsed the 1999 meet record of 43.38, also set by the American quartet of Alexis Joyce, Aleah Williams, Amber Robinson and Amaris Buchanan in Tampa, Fla.

The Americans joined Jamaica as the only countries to produce a sub-43 performance in World U20 women’s 4x100 history.

Jamaica ran 42.58 last year at the CARIFTA Games in Kingston, but the mark was not accepted as the World U20 record because all four athletes were not subject to drug testing following the event.

The Jamaicans then clocked 42.59 last year in Colombia, which is the recognized World U20 record, with the Americans now elevating to No. 3 all-time following Saturday’s performance.

The relay title was the seventh gold medal captured Saturday by the U.S., including three more 1-2 finishes in the men’s decathlon, men’s discus throw and women’s 400-meter final.

Aiden Carter, a recent graduate of Tigard High and an Oregon signee, won the decathlon with 6,808 points and former IMG Academy standout and future Ducks’ teammate Koby Kessler securing silver with 6,748 points.

Carter became the first American decathlete to capture the gold medal since George Patrick prevailed in 2017 in Peru.

Purdue’s Seth Allen produced an opening-round throw of 198 feet, 9 inches (60.58m) to prevail in the men’s discus final, with Brendon See – a recent graduate of JSerra High in California and an Oklahoma commit – securing silver following a fourth-round effort of 191-4 (58.32m).

Allen became the first American athlete to earn men’s discus gold since Payton Otterdahl in 2015 in Canada.

USC’s Christine Mallard triumphed in the women’s 400 in 51.88, with Lauren Lewis, a recent graduate of Prosper High and a Texas commit, placing second in 52.06. Mallard was the second straight U.S. competitor to win the title.

Myla Greene, a recent graduate of Bullis School in Maryland and a Tennessee commit, captured the women’s 100-meter hurdles crown with a wind-legal 13.70 to extend the U.S. streak of titles to six in a row.

Jamaica’s Asharria Ulett secured silver in 13.76, with Oregon’s Aaliyah McCormick finishing fifth for the Americans in 14.35.

Juriad Hughes, Jr., an incoming senior at Irondale High in Minnesota, emerged victorious in the men’s long jump final with a wind-legal leap of 24-11.75 (7.61m) in the first round, becoming the first American competitor to earn gold in the event since Ja’Mari Ward in 2017 in Peru.

Jamaica’s Royan Walters took silver with a second-round performance of 24-6.50 (7.48m), with Miami (Florida) signee Ashton Torns – a recent graduate of Austin Westlake High in Texas – grabbing bronze with a first-round mark of 24-3 (7.39m).

North Carolina’s Blaise Atkinson won the men’s 110-meter hurdles championship in a wind-legal 13.46 seconds, holding off Jamaica’s Daniel Beckford in 13.52.

Nathaniel Rayan, a recent graduate of Scotch Plains-Fanwood High in New Jersey and a Clemson signee, finished fifth in 13.63.

Canada enjoyed an impressive day with five gold medals, highlighted by Will Floyd – a recent Seattle Prep graduate and Stanford commit – winning the men’s 400-meter final in 45.62 to highlight a 1-2 finish for his country, including Georgia’s Christopher Morales Williams taking silver in 46.34.

Grant Buckmiller, a recent graduate of Lake Stevens High, earned bronze in 46.58, with another Washington prep standout and USC-bound Jake Andrews of Sehome High placing fourth in 46.74.

Floyd and Buckmiller both compete for the Washington-based GLS Speed Track Club under the guidance of coach Tatum Taylor.

Julia Tunks, a UCLA commit, prevailed for Canada in the women’s discus final with a fourth-round effort of 186-11 (56.98m).

Madeleine Fey, an incoming senior at Midlothian High in Texas, earned bronze for the U.S. with a sixth-round throw of 172-10 (52.70m), with Hadley Lucas – an incoming senior at Bloomington North High in Indiana – finishing fifth at 157-1 (47.88m).

Michigan’s Riley Flemington triumphed for Canada in the men’s 1,500 in 3:50.70, with an incoming senior Marcus Reilly of Northbridge High in Massachusetts placing fifth in 3:53.86 and recent Orem High of Utah graduate and Oregon signee Tayson Echohawk securing seventh in 3:54.99.

Jennessa Wolfe of Nova Scotia triumphed in the men’s high jump with a 5-7.25 (1.71m) clearance on her third attempt to take gold for Canada.

Kya Crooke, an incoming junior at Heritage Christian High in Indiana, earned silver for the U.S. by clearing 5-6 (1.68m) on her first attempt, with fellow American athlete Lauren Ann Barnes of Cincinnati taking bronze with a 5-5 (1.65m) clearance on her opening attempt.

Chloe Turner, representing the University of British Columbia, clocked 17:09.71 to prevail in the women’s 5,000 in 17:09.71.

Brown’s Nimrit Ahuja captured silver in 17:19.65 for the U.S., with Texas’ Elizabeth Pickett finishing fourth in 17:35.04.

With the U.S. having its pursuit of a third consecutive men’s 4x100 gold medal halted with the disqualification, the Bahamas captured its first relay title in meet history by clocking 39.75.

Nicaragua’s Gabriel Alvarado Davila triumphed in the men’s 10,000-meter race walk in 43:04.46, with American teammates Ryan Allen of Shore Athletic Club securing sixth in 50:01.52 and Clayton Stoil of Langley High in Virginia finishing seventh in 52:13.00.