Humphreys' Javon Foreman and D'Jhontae Douglas are part of a strong Humphreys sprint corps. (Brian K. McCollum/Special to Stripes)
To check out meet schedule and list of records, click here.
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan – Jane Williams already rewritten the Pacific records in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs and owns every regional cross country mark.
Now, the Matthew C. Perry senior says she hopes to complete her high school journey by breaking the DODEA-Pacific Far East meet records in three distance events, including the 800.
She’ll get that chance Thursday and Friday at Yokota.
“I want the 1,600 and 800 at Far East and lower the 3,200 to 10:45,” Williams said. “I want to win them by as big a margin as possible.”
She’s definitely backed up her words thus far. Three weeks ago, she ran the 1,600 in 5:06.99, breaking the old record by .46 seconds. Before that, she ran the 3,200 in 11:00.89, topping the old mark of 11:04.56.
Her training partner, fellow senior Tyler Gaines, says he also has his eyes on the distance prizes.
But he knows he has a big handful of foes in Pacific record-holder William Beardsley of St. Mary’s and American School In Japan’s Sam Barbir and Kai Liljequist, against whom he ran at Far East cross country in October at Misawa Air Base.
“They’re the guys I’m trying to outdo. They’re the guys to chase,” Gaines said. “If I’m going to do it, that’s the place to do it.”
Matthew C. Perry's Jane Williams has already broken the Pacific records in the 1,600 and 3,200; now, she wants to rewrite the Far East meet records in each event plus win the 800. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Matthew C. Perry senior Tyler Gaines is hoping to overcome the likes of St. Mary's William Beardsley and ASIJ's Kai Liljequist and Sam Barbir to win some Far East distance events. (Kevin Rossiter/Special to Stripes)
Kadena's Sharday Baker is a hopeful to top the Pacific record in the 100 meters. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
The two-day Far East meet is the second since the coronavirus pandemic shut down the previous three meets.
Beardsley broke the boys 1,600 and 3,200 records last year to highlight the meet, and coaches say more may be on the way.
The 100- and 200-meter dashes are prime targets, coach Luke Voth of defending Division I team champion Nile C. Kinnick says.
“Look at the 100 and 200 times, this may be the best sprint corps the Pacific has had in quite awhile,” Voth said of sprinters such as D’Jhontae Douglas and Javon Foreman of Humphreys and Kadena’s Sharday Baker. Douglas has already topped the Pacific 100-meter mark and Baker has come close.
As for distance, Voth feels Williams “will be by herself; I can’t imagine anybody coming close to her.”
The April 13 inter-district in-season meet at Humphreys served as a baseline for three D-I schools to view their Far East chances. Kubasaki was one of those schools, and Dragons coach Josh McCall says Humphreys and Kadena look like two of the schools to beat.
“They (Humphreys) have some really good athletes; they competed with us (Kadena and Kubasaki) across the board,” McCall said. In the 100 and 200, “Kadena and Humphreys were really fast and their (400-meter relays) were really quick.”
Voth’s Red Devils weren’t at Humphreys, but he agrees with McCall that Kadena and Humphreys are primed, though “we’re in the hunt,” he said.
As for the Division II schools, Voth said Williams, Gaines and the Samurai have a prime distance corps. “Zama has excellent sprinters. Yokota is pretty well spread out.”
Action begins at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at Yokota’s Bonk Field.
