Oregon prep standouts, club teammates and close friends join Jackson and Jones to run 42.74, eclipsing 2016 mark of 42.93 by winning American quartet; U.S. earns another nine golds, including four more 1-2 finishes, with Beckmon adding another title in long jump and Arnold running 400 record

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Even when one athlete is on the runway and the other competitor is on the straightaway, close friends Sophia Beckmon and Mia Brahe-Pedersen always find their way back to sharing the spotlight together.

With each Oregon prep standout already having captured an individual gold medal for the United States at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Under-23 Championships, Beckmon and Brahe-Pedersen received an added bonus Saturday night.

Beckmon, a recent graduate of Oregon City High, and Lake Oswego incoming senior Brahe-Pedersen – teammates with Inner Circle Track Club – joined forces with Georgia’s Kaila Jackson and Central Florida’s Rayniah Jones to compete in the women’s 4x100-meter relay final at the National Stadium in San Jose, Costa Rica.

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The American quartet produced a meet-record 42.74 seconds, with Beckmon running the second leg and fellow 17-year-old Brahe-Pedersen pulling away from Jamaica (43.80) on the anchor to eclipse the 2016 mark of 42.93 achieved by the United States lineup in El Salvador.

Beckmon and Brahe-Pedersen also ran together June 25 on an Inner Circle Track Club 4x100 relay that was victorious in 45.24 at the USATF Oregon Association Junior Olympic Championships at Springfield High.

Jones also became a two-time gold medalist for the Americans, winning the 100-meter hurdles final earlier Saturday in a wind-legal 12.78 seconds. Crystal Morrison, an adidas professional athlete for Jamaica, secured silver in 12.81 and Destiny Huven – a recent Arkansas transfer – earned bronze for the U.S. in 13.10.

The Americans earned nine more gold medals on the second day of competition at the three-day meet, increasing their total to 20 titles, in addition to 36 overall medals.

The U.S. also achieved 1-2 finishes in the men’s and women’s long jump, the men’s hammer throw and the women’s 400.

Texas A&M standout Jermaisha Arnold produced the meet record for the U.S. in the 400 final by clocking 50.68, eclipsing the 51.02 performance from 2016 achieved by Jamaica’s Chrisann Gordon.

Fellow American Ziyah Holman of Michigan also ran under the previous record by clocking 50.95 to secure silver.

Beckmon, an Illinois signee, battled against Florida’s Claire Bryant in an exciting women’s long jump final, both achieving their best marks in the fifth round.

Beckmon prevailed with a wind-aided performance of 21-11.50 (6.69m), with Bryant achieving a wind-aided jump of 21-10.25 (6.66m).

Florida wasn’t done on the runway, as Malcolm Clemons rallied with a clutch wind-legal effort of 26-11 (8.21m) in the sixth round to surpass Florida State’s Jeremiah Davis and capture long jump gold for the Americans in a thrilling championship showdown. Davis grabbed silver with his wind-aided mark of 26-7 (8.10m) in the third round.

Auburn’s Kyle Moison held off Kansas State’s Kade McCall by a margin of 213 feet (64.93m) to 212-3 (64.69m) in the men’s hammer throw final to help the U.S. secure another pair of medals.

Texas A&M’s Connor Schulman joined Arnold as a gold medalist for the Aggies representing the U.S., emerging victorious in the men’s 110-meter hurdles in a wind-legal 13.40.

Craig Thorne, representing the University of Guelph, earned silver for Canada in 13.49, with Texas Tech’s Antoine Andrews taking third for the Bahamas in 13.57.

Jalani Davis of Ole Miss, who captured silver Friday in the women’s shot put final, won the hammer throw competition Saturday for the U.S. with a fifth-round effort of 209-4 (63.81m).

Notre Dame’s Jadin O’Brien, the reigning NCAA Division 1 indoor pentathlon champion, prevailed in the women’s heptathlon with 5,778 points, capped by a 2:20.52 performance in the 800.

Keyshawn Strachan of the Bahamas, who had his collegiate season at Auburn cut short as a result of injuries, triumphed in the men’s javelin throw final with a third-round effort of 257-2 (78.37m).

Nebraska’s Dash Sirmon, the reigning U.S. Under-20 champion, took silver with a third-round mark of 247 feet (75.28m), and Braden Presser of the U.S. Naval Academy earned bronze with a second-round throw of 238-2 (72.60m).

Clemson’s D’Andre Anderson, representing Jamaica, won the men’s 400 gold in 45.56, with Kansas State’s Kyle Gale grabbing the silver for Barbados in 45.80. USC’s William Jones took the bronze for the Americans in 45.95.

The American quartet of North Carolina’s Blaise Atkinson, Texas-San Antonio’s Brice Chabot, Louisiana Tech’s Rodney Heath, Jr. and Sam Blaskowski of Wisconsin-La Crosse earned the bronze medal in the men’s 4x100 final in 39.62.

Jehlani Gordon, Adrian Kerr, Travis Williams and Shakur Williams won gold for Jamaica in 39.04.

Samuel Allen of New Jersey finished second for the U.S. in the men’s 10,000 race walk in 49:26:82, with Guatemala’s Jose Mariano Ordonez Chicaj winning in 44:55.05.