Evan Matthews Tops Elite Field To Win 400m Hurdles Title


Evan Matthews continues to rack up accolades on the track, as the Pickerington Central rising senior captured the 400m hurdles victory earlier today at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines, Iowa.  Matthews' latest win complements the 300m hurdles DI state title he earned at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium back in June.  

Matthews, who was representing the Ohio Heat, recorded a US No. 16 time of 52.76 to take a decisive win in the finals.  He ran 54.10 in the preliminary round, which was the fourth fastest qualifying time.  In addition to the hurdles events, Matthews has excelled in the jumps, sprints and team relays over the last few years.  

MileSplit connected with Evan for further insight on his impressive performance:  

The race was very fast.  I think the entire experience and being around athletes as good as the ones I ran against helped to push me.  At our team practices, Coach Peppers always encourages us to get out fast and finish strong.  With this only being my second year hurdling, I think that he and Coach Lori have played a huge role in helping me to become the athlete that I am today.  I was also very motivated to run at Drake University due to its well known history of track and field.