BOONE, N.C. –– Two Appalachian State University men's track and field student-athletes will compete this week at the 2017 USATF (USA Track and Field) Junior Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, Calif. beginning Thursday, June 22.
Elliott Graves (Reidsville, N.C./Rockingham Early College) and Jordan Johnson (Kernersville, N.C./East Forsyth) both qualified and will both compete at the Junior Outdoor Championships on Friday, June 23.
Graves qualified in both the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles, while Johnson qualified in the long jump.
During the season, Graves won gold at the Sun Belt Championships in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 51.29 - shaving .19 seconds off of his personal-best. That time sits fourth all-time in program history and helped him earn the Sun Belt's Freshman Most Outstanding Performer.
Earlier in the year, Graves set his personal-best at the Duke Invitational with a time of 51.48 and placed second. In the 100-meter hurdles, Graves ran a seasons-best time of 14.60 in the prelims at the Sun Belt Championships.
Johnson blew away the competition at the Mountaineer Outdoor Meet during the season with a long jump of 23-10.00 feet to qualify. That jump narrowly missed the all-time top 10 list.
Graves will compete in the 110-meter hurdles first round at 12:15 p.m. on Friday, June 23, while Johnson will compete in the long jump at 2 p.m. The first round of the 400-hurdles is scheduled for 2:55 p.m. on Friday. The 110-meter hurdle finals are set for 4:15 p.m, while the 400-meter hurdle finals are slated for 4:53 p.m. on Saturday, June 23.
