Nov. 16, 2004
Columbia, SC – Four USC track and field freshmen athletes were recognized in Track and Field News as 2004 High School All Americans.
Keith Hinnant, Jason Richardson, Natasha Hastings and Shalonda Solomon, each featured in the November edition, were recognized for their outstanding performances on the track last season.
On the men’s team, Hinnant, of Bay Shore, NY, received All American honors in the 400 meters based on his personal record of 46.54 and performances at the Golden West, USATF Juniors and World Junior Championships.
Richardson, of Cedar Hill, TX, received honors for the 300/400-meter hurdles. Richardson, who moved to the No. 1 spot from No. 2 last year, has a personal best of 36.05/49.49 and finished first at the State, Great Southwest, and adidas Outdoor Classic meets. Richardson, who received votes for Track and Field News Boys Athlete of the Year, was also recognized earlier in the year as National Gatorade Athlete of the Year. On the women’s side, Hastings received All American honors in the No. 1 spot for the 400 meters. Hastings has a personal record of 52.04 and top finishes at the Golden South, adidas Outdoor Classic, USATF Juniors and the World Junior Championships, where she received a gold medal in both the 400 meters and the 4×400 relay.
Solomon holds the All American No. 3 spot in the 100 meters and the No. 1 spot in the 200 meters with personal records of 11.41/11.32 and 22.82, respectively.
“Nobody earned more rankings than did Long Beach Poly’s Shalonda Solomon. We said that last year when she scored individually in the 100 (2) and 200 (2) and ran on a pair of ranked relays…she was even better this time around, scoring in five events and adding the honor of having at least a piece of No. 1 in no fewer than four of them,” said Mike Kennedy of Track and Field News. Solomon’s top finishes include a gold medal performance at the World Junior Championships in the 200 meters, as well as a member of the gold medal winning 4×400 relay with USC teammate Hastings.
Both Hasting and Solomon received votes for Track and Field News Girls Athlete of the Year in the No. 5 and 3 spots, respectively, while Solomon was also recognized at National Gatorade Athlete of the Year with USC teammate Richardson.
“We’re really proud and excited about having these athletes as a part of our program. They are all extremely talented athletes and we’re looking for big things out of each of them,” said USC Head Coach Curtis Frye.
