Nicole Leach at the 2005 Arcadia International (© Kirby Lee)
Arcadia (LA), USAIt was a hectic day of competition for Nicole Leach (Fri 8). The Philadelphia West Catholic High (Pa) first won the 400m Hurdles in 59.31 competing unattached against collegiate athletes at the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational at UCLA. Then Leach, who placed fourth in the IAAF World Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy, last summer, fought Los Angeles Friday afternoon rush-hour traffic to compete in the Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia High.
Leach, 17, helped pace West Catholic to victories in the 4 x 200m relay in 1:38.73 and running the 400 leg of the 1600m sprint medley relay that finished in 4:00.44 to highlight the first day of the two-day premier American High School meeting.
Battling brisk winds and chilly conditions, Leach ran a 23.8 opening leg in the 4 x 200 relay that ranks as the No. 3 high school time in the U.S. this season. Leach ran a 54.3 leg in the sprint medley for the nation’s top mark in the event.
Leach, who will attend UCLA in the autumn, will compete in the 400m and in the 4 x 400m relay in the second and final day of the 38th edition of the annual Arcadia meet that in its history has produced 22 national records and seen the participation of 101 United States Olympians including 2004 medallists Joanna Hayes, Mebrahtom Keflizighi, and Deena Kastor, as well as Marion Jones, Gail Devers, Inger Miller and Mike Powell.
West Catholic’s sprint medley relay was among four nation-leading marks along with the Latham Shaker (NY) in the boys 4 x 800 (7:46.43), Pasadena Muir (Calif) (1:01.73) and Simi Valley Royal in the boys 4 x mile (17:48.59).
The girls and boys 400m races tomorrow (Sat 9) will be among the most anticipated events. The girls 400 features Leach, who has run the second-fastest high school mark of all-time at 52.19, Ridgeland Mississippi sophomore Bianca Knight, who has a best of 52.96, and Rancho Cucamonga sophomore Sa’de Williams, the national yearly leader at 53.30.
The boys 400m pits Californians David Gettis of Los Angeles Dorsey and Bryshon Nellum of Long Beach Poly. The Baylor-bound Gettis is the two-time defending state champion, and nation’s top returnee at 46.79. Nellum, a sophomore, won the National Junior Olympic title last summer.
Kirby Lee for the IAAF
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