Provided by: USATF
STATEN ISLAND, New York — The nation’s top athletes converged at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex Friday to contest multi events and weight throw on the first day of competition at the 2019 Toyota USATF Indoor Championships.
In an exciting women’s pentathlon, 17-year-old Anna Hall (Greenwood Village, Colorado) broke fellow competitor Kendell Williams’ (Kennesaw, Georgia) national high school record with 4,302 points to finish third behind Williams (4496) and Emilyn Dearman (4356). Hall, a 2018 IAAF U20 World Championships team member and committed Georgia recruit, set a personal best and took first in both the high jump (1.81m/5-11.25) and 800m (2:16.11). 2016 Olympian and Georgia alum Kendell Williams earned consistent marks in the 60m hurdles (8.18), long jump (6.35m/20-10) and high jump (1.81m/5-11.25).
Earlier in the day, 2017 SEC Indoor Champion in men’s weight throw Daniel Haugh (Marietta, Georgia) proved his talents against the country’s top competitors and took home the first title of national championships weekend. With a powerful final throw and lifetime best of 24.12m/79-1.75, Haugh earned gold in his first Toyota USATF Indoors appearance.
Former Ole Miss Rebel Janeah Stewart (Oxford, Mississippi) won her first USATF title as a professional. The reigning NCAA hammer throw champion went toe-to-toe against defending champion DeAnna Price until the fourth throw when Stewart catapulted a 24.80m/81-4.5, an inch shy of her indoor career best.
The men’s heptathlon ended Day 1 with Alex Bloom (Cincinnati, Ohio) in the lead with 3270 points, followed by Tim Ehrhardt (Santa Barbara, California) at 3231 and Solomon Simmons (Sandy Springs, Georgia) at 3213. Day 2 continues with the 60m hurdles at 12:30 p.m. ET.
