The indoor age group World Record Holder is back at it again. Now a year older -- although still young for her grade -- Jada Kenner (Tapestry Charter) just edged another state record. While she became most known for her efforts over 300m, winning the state title last year as a seventh grader, she began her record hunt in the 55m.
One year later, that hunt continues.
Running at the New Year Celebration, an invitational at Houghton College, Kenner took home her new personal best of 7.12 for the 55m dash. The effort was hard fought, as junior Kahniya James (Lockport) finished with the exact same finishing time -- Kenner earned the win based on milliseconds. The win makes her tied for the state lead. One day later, Mia D'Ambrosio (Schalmont), repeated the 7.12 state leading time with her winning mark at Springfield College in MA.
Kenner has two more marks on the radar for the indoor season. The eighth grade state record is held by fellow Section 6 athlete Jenna Crean (Orchard Park), who graduated high school last spring. That mark stands at 40.07, which is over the record of 39.24 that Kenner set as a seventh Grader. The other mark comes as the 13-year-old World Record at 39.16, set by Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain, achieved back in 2009. Since then, Asher-Smith has become the fastest female athlete in British history, taking bronze at the 2016 Olympics, among many other international medals at World competition. She is a favorite to return to the Olympics in 2020 for Team UK.
There is no official age group World Record for the 55m dash at the international level. Record keeping comes at 60m, where the 13-year-old record stands at 7.54, held by both a Canadian and an athlete from the Netherlands in the early 2000's. Kenner has a best of 7.79 in the event, but the event is only contested at indoor nationals, as well as certain Invites at the SPIRE Institute in the neighboring Ohio.
55 Meters (60y)
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6G: 7.40 PAM JONES (PS 146, Bronx) 1982
7G: 7.28 JADA KENNER (Tapestry) 2019 ** (Jan 18, New Balance Games, Armory)
8G: 7.16 GERALDINE MORGAN (IS 320, Brooklyn) 1988
7.12 JADA KENNER (Tapestry) 2020 ** (Jan 4, New Year Celebration, Houghton)
Fr: 6.99 STACEY MINOTT (New Rochelle) 1992
So: 7.02 ZILLA HIGGS (East High, Rochester) 1990
7.02 KEYON SOLEY (Uniondale) 1996
6.94 HALE HAZZARD (St. Anthony's) 2015 (Dec 30, Ocean Breeze Holiday Fest)
6.90 LANAE-TAVA THOMAS (Rush-Henrietta) 2015 (Dec 30, Houghton College Invite)
6.83 LANAE-TAVA THOMAS (Rush-Henrietta) 2016 ** (Feb 26, Section 5 StQual, RIT)
Jr: 6.82 ! KEYON SOLEY (Uniondale) 1997 (Mar 9, NSIC, Reggie Lewis, MA)
! [official clocking enroute to 60m]
Sr: 6.88y ANGELA WILLIAMS (McAuley, Brooklyn) 1983
6.84 ! WHITNEY FOUNTAIN (Christopher Columbus) 2010 ** (Mar 14, NSIC Nationals, Armory)
! [official clocking enroute to 60m]
6.84 ! HALLE HAZZARD (St. Anthony's) 2017 ** (Mar 12, NB Nationals, Armory)