American trio is joined by teammates Madison Whyte and George Garcia in capturing second titles in Puerto Rico, with U.S. sweeping 4x400 relays, in addition to Campbell, Gero-Holt, Gorriaran, Scott, Stein, Stimmel and Watcke also prevailing on final day to give country 30 gold medals overall

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Shawnti Jackson wanted the individual gold to complement her record-setting 4x100-meter relay victory.

Christine Mallard needed to anchor the United States women to victory in the 4x400 relay to support her 400-meter title and extend an impressive streak for the Americans.

And Ellie Shea achieved a distance double for the first time in 26 years at the Pan American Under-20 Championships.

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

All three American female athletes secured their second gold medals Sunday at the Jose A. Figueroa Freire Stadium in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, joining U.S. teammates George Garcia and Madison Whyte in capturing multiple titles at the three-day event, contributing to 30 championships for the U.S. overall.

Jackson, a recent graduate of South Granville High in North Carolina and an Arkansas signee, won the women’s 200-meter final in a wind-legal 22.35 seconds, eclipsing the 2011 meet record of 22.70 established by Bahamian standout Anthonique Strachan in 2011 in Miramar, Fla.

Jackson elevated to the No. 2 all-time U.S. outdoor prep competitor and No. 3 in American U20 outdoor history. She also ascended to the No. 7 all-time World U20 outdoor performer, contributing to one of six 1-2 finishes for the U.S. on the final day of the event.

Jackson also anchored the 4x100 relay to an American U20 all-time mark of 42.88, in addition to eclipsing the meet record Saturday.

Elise Cooper, an incoming sophomore at McDonough School in Maryland, clocked 22.80 for the U.S. to secure silver.

Shea, an incoming senior at Belmont High in Massachusetts, triumphed in the women’s 3,000-meter final in 9:05.78, taking down the oldest female record at the meet to complete her sweep of 1,500 and 3,000 championships.

Shea, 17, eclipsed the 1989 mark of 9:16.05 established by Canadian athlete Lisa Harvey in Argentina to capture the first gold in the event for the U.S. since Taylor Werner in 2017 in Peru.

Shea also became the first U.S. women’s competitor to win both distance titles in the same meet and only the second female athlete in meet history, along with Brazil’s Fabiana Cristine da Silva in 1997 in Cuba.

Shea captured four medals representing the Americans this year, including a silver July 23 in the 1,500 at the NACAC Under-23 Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica, in addition to a team bronze at the World Athletics U20 Cross Country Championships in February in Bathurst, Australia.

Canada’s Charlotte Sinke earned silver in 9:50.93, with incoming junior Zariel Macchia of William Floyd High in New York taking bronze for the Americans in 9:52.40, just ahead of Boise State’s Kaiya Robertson finishing fourth for Canada in 9:52.61.

Mallard, representing USC, joined recent Prosper High graduate and University of Texas signee Lauren Lewis, along with Boston College’s Sydney Segalla and Heritage High of Virginia alumni and future Trojans’ teammate Madison Whyte to capture the 4x400 crown in 3:30.25, earning the 10th consecutive victory for the U.S. women.

Whyte joined Mallard – the 400 gold medalist Saturday in 51.88 – in grabbing her second gold medal of the meet, including Friday’s mixed 4x400 relay.

Lubbock Christian’s George Garcia also became a two-time gold medalist for the U.S., teaming with Jace McGavock – a recent graduate of Campo Verde High in Arizona who will attend Mesa Community College – as well as former Washington prep standouts Jake Andrews of Sehome and Grant Buckmiller from Lake Stevens to prevail in the men’s 4x400 relay in 3:05.98, helping the Americans extend their winning streak in the event to seven in a row.

JaiCieonna Gero-Holt, an incoming junior at Emerald Ridge High in Washington, won the women’s heptathlon with 4,818 points, highlighted by victories in the high jump with a 6-foot clearance (1.83m), a 41-7.25 mark (12.68m) in the shot put, a leap of 18-4.25 (5.59m) in the long jump and a javelin throw of 136-3 (41.53m).

Gero-Holt followed Anna Hall, who won the 2019 Pan American U20 heptathlon title in Costa Rica.

Abby Elmore, an incoming senior at Gunter High in Texas, secured silver with 4,528 points.

Virginia Tech’s Kenna Stimmel cleared 14-1.25 (4.30m) on her second try to capture women’s pole vault gold, holding off Ella McRitchie, an incoming senior at Bainbridge High in Washington who achieved a first-attempt clearance at 13-11.25 (4.25m).

Stimmel captured the third consecutive pole vault championship for the U.S., including former Virginia Tech teammate Rachel Baxter winning in 2017 in Peru.

Future Oregon teammates Daniel Watcke of Hinsdale Central High in Illinois and Simeon Birnbaum of Rapid City Stevens High in South Dakota took the top two spots in the men’s 800-meter final, contributing to the first victory for the Americans in the event since 2015 in Canada.

Watcke clocked 1:48.86 and Birnbaum ran 1:49.31 to prevail against Brazil’s Marco Silva Goncalves (1:49.46).

Iowa’s Mike Stein achieved a second-round throw of 234-2 (71.38m) to capture the javelin championship, the second in a row for the U.S. men.

Florida International’s Blake Orr earned silver with a sixth-round performance of 213-7 (65.12m).

Grant Campbell, a recent graduate of Heritage High and a University of Tennessee signee, triumphed in the men’s high jump final with a first-attempt clearance at 7-2.25 (2.19m), giving the Americans their first gold medal in the event since Randall Cunningham, Jr. in 2015 in Canada.

Louisville’s Brion Stephens placed second by clearing 7-1.50 (2.17m) on his third try.

Sophia Gorriaran, a recent graduate of Moses Brown School in Rhode Island and a Harvard commit, benefited from an aggressive early pace to emerge victorious in the women’s 800-meter final in 2:04.68.

Canadian teammates Sorchia Shiu, representing Arizona, and Utah commit Kyla Martin ran 2:06.42 and 2:06.51, respectively, to grab silver and bronze, holding off American athlete Ali Ince of Normal Community High in Illinois (2:06.57).

Isabel Conde de Frankenberg, an incoming senior at Cedar Park High in Texas, represented Argentina with a seventh-place finish in 2:12.68.

Sterling Scott, a recent graduate of Starkville High in Mississippi and a University of Missouri signee, took only two attempts in the men’s triple jump final, but his opening-round mark of 51-5 (15.67m) was more than enough to help the Americans celebrate their first gold in the event since Will Claye in 2009 in Trinidad and Tobago.

East Carolina’s Jared Harrell finished fifth with a second-round effort of 49-2.50 (15.00m).

Peru’s Veronica Huacasi won the 3,000-meter steeplechase championship in 10:23.60, with William and Mary’s Catherine Garrison (10:28.34) and incoming junior Sydney Collier of Skyline High in Washington (11:25.04) placing second and third for the U.S. women.

Uruguay’s Manuela Rotundo Silvera achieved a sixth-round throw of 182 feet (55.49m) to capture the women’s javelin crown, with Evelyn Bliss – a recent graduate of Union-Allegheny Clarion Valley in Pennsylvania and a Bucknell commit – finishing second with a final-round effort of 173 feet (52.73m) and Princeton’s Shea Greene earning bronze with a fourth-round performance of 148-8 (45.33m).

Brazil’s Renan de Lima Gallina prevailed in the men’s 200-meter final in a wind-legal 20.44, with Nebraska’s Garrett Kaalund taking silver for the U.S. in 20.57 and San Jose State’s Cameron Tarver finishing fourth in 20.92. 

Canada’s Asia Phillips followed her NACAC U18 gold medal in the women’s triple jump in Costa Rica by capturing the Pan Am U20 title in Puerto Rico with a wind-legal effort of 43-0.50 (13.12m) in the second round.

Maryland’s Tolu Akinduro added a silver medal for Canada with her third-round leap of 42-9 (13.03m) and Oklahoma’s Agur Dwol grabbed bronze for the U.S. with a second-round performance of 41-10 (12.75m), just ahead of American teammate Suzan Ogunleye of Tennessee at 41-7 (12.67m).