Wiesbaden’s Luke Jones heads down the home stretch in the boys 3,200-meter race, on his way to shattering the DODEA-Europe record in 9 minutes, 29.63 seconds at the European finals in Kaiserslautern, Germany, May 19, 2023. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Luke Jones made it official, finally earning the DODEA European record in the 3,200-meter run on Friday at the track and field championships.

His winning time on the all-weather track at Kaiserslautern High School was 9 minutes, 29.63 seconds.

Jones already knew he could run faster than his former Wiesbaden teammate Elijah Smith, who set the bar at 9:44.64 in the same race one year ago. Twice this track season, Jones dipped under Smith’s mark. But according to DODEA rules, the record only counts if it’s set at the European championships.

“Mission successful,” Jones said after the race.

Jones led from the gun, and nobody could stay with him. He led the chase pack by more than 30 seconds and lapped two runners. Stuttgart’s Carter Lindsey and Ramstein’s Frank Lozano battled it out for second place. Down the final stretch. Lindsey pulled ahead in 10:11.87, less than a second faster than Lozano.

Jones said he tried to run the same pace for all eight laps, aided by his coach and dad who clocked his progress and shouted out his splits. But a strong headwind on the back stretch and running alone made keeping a steady rhythm challenging, he said.

“It was pretty tough, but I was glad I was able to get it,” he said of the record. “I appreciate everyone’s efforts in helping me.”

Ansbach’s Tamia McLaughlin won the girls long jump event at the DODEA-Europe track and field championships in Kaiserslautern, Germany, May 19, 2023, with a leap of 18-04.25. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Alexander Daniels of Stuttgart anchors his team in the 4x800-meter relay at the DODEA-Europe track and field championships in Kaiserslautern, Germany, May 19, 2023, Daniels and teammates William Morken, Carter Lindsey and Tobin McArthur won in 8 minutes, 14.98 seconds. At left is Max Furqueron of the second-place Ramstein team. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein’s Claire Dalling, center, leads the pack at the end of the first lap of the girls 800-meter race at the DODEA-Europe track and field championships in Kaiserslautern, Germany, May 19, 2023. Dalling broke away on the last lap to win comfortably in 2 minutes, 24.85 seconds. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Ansbach’s Tamia McLaughlin won the girls high jump event at the DODEA-Europe track and field championships in Kaiserslautern, Germany, May 19, 2023, by being the only competitor to clear 5-03. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Jones wasn’t the only athlete to get into the record books Friday. Wiesbaden senior Ava Stout also set a new European best in the 100-meter hurdles in her preliminary heat. Her time of 14.59 seconds eclipsed the 14.81 set by former Ansbach track and field phenom Tiffany Heard in 2010. Stout will get another chance to lower the record on Saturday. Her closest competition is Kaiserslautern freshman Lellah Guhn, who is the second seed behind Stout in the finals with a qualifying time of 15.51. Stout is also the top seed in the 300-meter hurdles on Saturday.

While Stout vies for a double win in the hurdles, Ansbach senior Tamia McLaughlin earned two gold medals on Friday and is in the running for two more on Saturday.

McLaughlin defended her 2022 titles in the high jump and long jump, but she needed personal bests in both events to keep her winning streak alive. On her last attempt in the high jump, she cleared 5 feet, 3 inches – four inches higher than her championship jump a year ago and two inches better than runnerup Jodia Relojo, a Ramstein sophomore. McLaughlin also improved in the long jump by leaps and bounds, notching 18 feet, 4.25 inches, more than a foot longer than her previous best. Ramstein’s Mia Williams was second in 17-03.50.

“There’s a lot more competition than last year,” McLaughlin said. “The other girls push me to do better.”

Also defending a 2022 title was Kaiserslautern senior Sage Barnes. Like McLaughlin, Barnes had to unleash her best throw yet to win again. Her toss of 33 feet, 6 inches, was a foot farther than her previous personal record, and gave her a two-inch advantage over runnerup Alysha Edwards of Ramstein.

“It really feels good,” Barnes said of surpassing 33 feet. “That’s what I’ve been striving for this whole season.”

There were a few upsets and surprises on Friday, starting with the boys’ 3,200-meter relay. Stuttgart’s Tobin McArthur, Alex Daniels, Carter Lindsey and Will Morken ran a gutsy race to dethrone defending champion Ramstein by a stride, 8:14.98 to 8:15.59. McArthur, Daniels and Lindsey – seeded fourth in the race - handed the baton off in first, holding off various surges from the Ramstein runners. Morken then unleashed a 1:58 anchor leg – about five seconds faster than his previous best - to outkick the Royals’ Max Furqueron, who’s seeded second in Saturday’s 800-meter finals.

Another surprise was Lakenheath freshman Abra Mills, who held off a pair of seniors in the 1,600 to win her first European track and field title. Mills loped past Ramstein’s Julia Harris and defending champion Piper Parsells of Kaiserslautern during the first lap and kept the lead for the remaining three laps, holding off a late surge from Harris and Parsells to win in 5:18.45. Harris outsprinted Parsells for second in 5:19.69.

Mills was second in the DODEA European cross-country championship in the fall, but wasn’t certain she could outrun her more experienced peers.

“My game plan was to stick behind them,” she said of Harris and Parsells. But a case of nerves hastened her pace. “I was just, well, I might as well try to keep it up,” she said.

Ramstein senior Claire Dalling won the girls’ 800 meters in 2:24.85. She entered the race seeded second behind Parsells.

Other winners Friday were in field events. Brussels American senior William Pierce defended his 2022 triple jump title, his leap of 46 feet, 5.25 inches a mere 2.5 inches short of a European record in the books since 1974. That year, Frankfurt’s Doug Henderson soared 48 feet, 11.75 inches. No other DODEA Europe athlete has matched that feat since.

Brussels’ William Pierce won the triple jump competition at the DODEA-Europe track and field championships in Kaiserslautern, Germany, May 19, 2023, with a leap of 46-05.25. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Lakenheath’s Abra Mills leads Ramstein’s Julia Harris and Kaiserslautern’s Piper Parsells, on her way to winning the girls 1,600-meter race at the DODEA-Europe track and field championships in Kaiserslautern, Germany, May 19, 2023. She won in 5 minutes, 18.45 seconds, a personal best. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Stuttgart’s Jack Gruver won the discus event at the DODEA-Europe track and field championships in Kaiserslautern, Germany, May 19, 2023, with a throw of 134-02. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Sage Barnes won the girls shot put competition at the DODEA-Europe track and field championships in Kaiserslautern, Germany, May 19, 2023, with a throw of 33.06. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Stuttgart junior Jack Gruver also defended his title in the discus, obliterating his winning toss from a year ago. On Friday his best throw was 134 feet, .02 inches, compared to his winning throw of 118 feet, .01 inches in 2022. Three throwers, including Gruver, beat the winning 2022 mark this year.

Finals for the remaining field and track events start Saturday morning at Kaiserslautern. The first running event is slated to start at 10:30 a.m.