Lisle, Ill., to host July 3 to 8 championships
More than 2,000 of the nation's top youth track and field athletes will make their way to Lisle, Ill., next week for the 2007 USA Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The competition will be held July 3 to 8 at The Sports Complex on the campus of Benedictine University.

The Championships are a national competition with entry based upon qualifying standards for each event and has the same age divisions as the USATF Junior Olympic program. Bantam (10 and under), Midget (11-12), Youth (13-14), Intermediate (15-16) and Young Men/Women (17-18). The USA Youth Outdoor Championships are also scored for team championships in all age divisions and is a popular competition for clubs around the country.

Among the top athletes scheduled to compete are:

*The young women's 400m will feature five members of the USA team that will compete at the IAAF World Youth Championships July 11-15, including Chanelle Price (Easton, Pa.). Price finished 7th in the open (elite) 800m at the 2007 AT&T USA Outdoor Championships with the 3rd-fastest high school time ever (2:02.38).

*Howard Shepard (Dallas, Texas), who set an intermediate boys' record in winning the National Junior Olympics 800m last year (1:52.25), will go for gold in the Youth Outdoor Championships. Shepard has a season- best of 1:51.31, and will compete in the event at the World Youth Championships.

*Youth girls' javelin record holder (44.19 meters/144 feet 11 inches) Hannah Carson (Mesa, Ariz.) will aim for triple gold, as she competes in the shot put, discus and javelin.

*The young men's high jump will be a showdown between last year's intermediate boys' champion Frankie Hammond and young men's runner-up Jonathan Clark. Hammond (Hollywood, Fla.) will compete at the World Youth Championships and Clark (Los Angeles, Calif.) will compete for UCLA next year.

*Candyce McGrone (Indianapolis, Ind.) is aiming for titles in the young women's 100m and 200m after finishing 4th in both at the Finish Line USA Junior Outdoors. She will have to face Chalonda Goodman (Newnan, Ga.), who was 4th in the intermediate girls' 100m and 2nd in the 200m at last year's Youth Outdoors.

For more information on the 2007 USA Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships, visit www.usatf.org