SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- Relay gold was all she wrote on Sunday for Team USA’s women, who swept the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays, as Americans dominated both steeplechase events and concluded NACAC Senior Area Championships at Estadio Nacional with 27 golds and an overall collection of 47 total medals after three days of competition.   
 
The 4x100-meter women became Sunday’s first champions with Barbara Pierre (Knightdale, North Carolina) on the lead-off, Lekeisha Lawson (West Covina, California) and Dezerea Bryant (Lexington, Kentucky) on legs two and three, and the U.S. quartet’s youngest, 20-year-old Kyra Jefferson (Gainesville, Florida), anchoring the 42.24 win. In the 4x4, Kala Funderburk (St. Petersburgh, Florida), Charonda Williams (Apopka, Florida), Tiffany Williams (Columbia, South Carolina) and Courtney Okolo (Carrollton, Texas) were champions in 3:25.39, more than three seconds faster than the Jamaicans in second.      
 
The men’s 4x100m relay team of Trell Kimmons (Hernando, Mississippi), Harry Adams (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), BeeJay Lee (Chino, California) and Remontay McClain (Irvine, California) finished in 38.45 for the silver medal before the men’s 4x400m team gained the U.S. some redemption when Clayton Parros (Windermere, Florida) Calvin Smith (Lutz, Florida), Marcus Chambers (Tacoma, Washington) and James Harris (Lanett, Alabama) were first across the line in 3:00.07.
 
Needing to win or meet the qualifying standard of 82.00m/269-0 for a spot to represent Team USA at IAAF World Championships in Beijing in two weeks, Riley Dolezal (Fargo, North Dakota) went for the win, and did so convincingly. His fourth-round throw of 79.30m/260-2 was more than three feet better than the runner-up. The competition was a carryover from Saturday, when it was suspended due to torrential downpours.
 
Tiffany Williams (Columbia, South Carolina) had one of the best races of her season to claim gold in the women’s 400m hurdles, clocking 54.35 to win by more than a full second. Turquoise Thompson (Inglewood, California) was sixth in 56.41.
 
Colin Dunbar (Long Beach, California) had two legal attempts in the men’s hammer, and his 71.74m/235-4 in round four put him on the podium in silver medal position. JC Lambert (Roswell, Georgia) was fourth with his best throw landing at 70.53m/231-4.
 
Facing a two-time world champion and a two-time Olympic champion, Trevor Brown (Colorado Springs, Colorado) had his work cut out for him in the men’s 400mH. Brown responded with a bronze medal-winning performance in 49.88 to beat Olympic champion Felix Sanchez (Cuba) by almost a half-second in the process.
 
Ashley Higginson (Clinton, New Jersey) and Shalaya Kipp (Boulder, Colorado) repeated their 1-2 steeplechase dominance from Pan American Games with Higginson earning the gold in 9:56.75 and Kipp crossing in second for silver in 10:03.91. The two Americans were more than 12 seconds faster than the third-place finisher.
 
Team USA’s men matched the women’s steeplechase medal sweep, as Andy Bayer (Portland, Oregon) and Stanley Kebenei (Fayetteville, Arkansas) were clearly superior on the day. Bayer won in 8:44.88, almost eight seconds ahead of Kebenei’s 8:52.82. Those two were more than eight seconds clear of the bronze medalist.
 
Liz Patterson (Santa Cruz, California) was fourth in women’s high jump after getting over 1.82m/5-11.5. She cleared three bars throughout the competition before recording three misses at 1.85m/6-0.75.
 
The third round of the women’s long jump propelled Quanesha Burks (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) to the maximum aiding wind as it pushed her to a lifetime-best of 6.93m/22-9 and a gold medal. Sha’Keela Saunders (Lexington, Kentucky) joined Burks on the podium with a 6.57m/21-6.75 leap for bronze.
 
Picking up her second gold medal of the day, Kyra Jefferson (Gainesville, Florida) sprinted to a 22.50 in the women’s 200, .01 ahead of the silver medalist and .08 in front of teammate Dezerea Bryant (Lexington, Kentucky), who ran 22.58 for bronze.
 
Improving on their performances at the Pan American Games, Jon Jones (Portville, New York) and Darrell Hill (University Park, Pennsylvania) swept the men’s shot put medals. Jones blasted a 20.54m/67-4.75 in round 2 for the win, while Hill’s best of 19.67m/64-6.5 came in the fifth round.
 
Chanelle Price (Easton, Pennsylvania) did not disappoint in the women’s 800m, as she became the NACAC event’s champion, clocking 2:00.48 for the gold medal with American Dana Mecke (San Antonio, Texas) in fourth in 2:02.23. On the men’s side, Team USA won gold and silver with Ryan Martin (Lake Forest, California) finishing best in the field for gold and with a season’s best at 1:45.79 with teammate Clayton Murphy (New Paris, Ohio) close behind in second in 1:46.38 for the silver.
 
In the women’s 5,000m, Kellyn Taylor (Flagstaff, Arizona) crushed the field, finishing in 16:24.86, an astounding 80-plus seconds faster than the second-place competitor.
 
Click here for the competition results.
 
Team USA Medals at NACAC (47)
 
Gold (27)
Men’s 4x400 relay - Parros, Smith, Chambers, Harris (3:00.07)
Women’s 4x400 relay - Funderburk, C. Williams, T. Williams, Okolo (3:25.39)
Quanesha Burks, long jump (6.93m/22-9)
Jon Jones, shot put (20.54m/67-4.75)
Kellyn Taylor, 5000 (16:24.86)
Ryan Martin, 800 (1:45.79)
Amber Campbell, hammer throw (72.41m/237-6)
Chanelle Price, 800 (2:00.48)
Kyra Jefferson, 200 (22.50)
Ashley Higginson, 3000 steeplechase (9:56.75)
Andy Bayer, 3000 steeplechase (8:44.88)
Riley Dolezal, javelin (79.30m/260-2)
Tiffany Williams, 400m hurdles (54.35)
Women's 4x100 relay - Pierre, Lawson, Bryant, Jefferson (42.24)
Lopez Lomong, 5000 (13:57.53)
Cameron Burrell, long jump (8.06m/26-5.5)
Jill Camarena-Williams, shot put (18.62m/61-1.25)
Andrew Wheating, 1500 (3:45.08)
Rachel Schneider, 1500 (4:14.78)
Remontay McClain, 100 (10.09)
Barbara Pierre, 100 (11.12)
Courtney Okolo, 400 (51.57)
Lolo Jones, 100m hurdles (12.63w)
Summer Pierson, discus (56.64m/185-10)
Kristen Hixson, pole vault (4.50m/14-9)
Russ Winger, discus (60.68m/199-1)
Kara Winger, javelin (60.34m/197-11)
JaCorian Duffield, high jump (2.25m/7-4.5)
 
Silver (14)
Darrell Hill, shot put (19.67m/64-6.5)
Colin Dunbar, hammer (71.74m/235-4)
Clayton Murphy, 800 (1:46.38)
Shalaya Kipp, 3000 steeplechase (10:03.91)
Stanley Kebenei, 3000 steeplechase (8:52.82)
Men's 4x100 relay - Kimmons, Adams, Lee, McClain (38.45)
Jeneva Stevens, shot put (17.61m/57-9.5)
Daniel Winn, 1500 (3:45.43)
Shelby Houlihan, 1500 (4:16.61)
Charonda Williams, 100 (11.21)
Kala Funderburk, 400 (52.22)
Tenaya Jones, 100m hurdles (12.68w)
Josh Honeycutt, triple jump (16.57mw/54-4.5w)
Andrew Evans, discus (59.32m/194-7)
 
Bronze (6)
Sha’Keela Saunders, long jump, (6.57m/21-6.75)
Dezerea Bryant, 200 (22.58)
Trevor Brown, 400m hurdles (49.88)
Katie Nageotte, pole vault (4.30m/14-1.25)
Lynnika Pitts, triple jump (14.02mw/46-0w)
Hannah Carson, javelin (50.34m/165-2)