Southeast's Davis hurdles challenges

When he was younger, Wayne Davis II climbed on anything he could, from fences to trees.

These days, the rising junior at Southeast Raleigh High School is still climbing, although now his feet leave the ground to carry him over hurdles on the track.

Davis, 15, is one of the up-and-coming track-and-field talents developing in the Triangle. He has been selected by USA Track and Field to the team that will compete in the IAAF World Youth Track and Field championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic on July 11-15.

He was one of two athletes from the state selected to the team of 41 boys and girls who will represent the nation against other 15-17 year-olds from around the world.

Davis will compete today in the 110-meter hurdles at the Nike Outdoor Nationals held through Saturday at N.C. A&T's Belk Track in Greensboro. Top track and field athletes from around the country will compete in this premier high school event.

In a deep field, featuring some of the nation's fastest hurdlers, including Clayton graduate Johnny Dutch, Davis will represent the future of Triangle track and field.

With notable talents such as Athens Drive's Callan Fike, Southern Durham's Patience Coleman and East Wake's Lamar Davis graduating this spring and heading to college, others such as Davis are left to fill the void.

"As the years go on," Davis said. "I'm hoping to boost my name so everybody knows."

In March, he finished third at the Nike Indoor Nationals in the 60-meter hurdles and his time of 7.83 broke the national high school record for sophomores set two years before by Dutch.

If he makes it to the finals, his competition is likely to include William Wynne of Kennesaw, Ga., Oscar Spurlock of Dallas and Dutch, among others.

"It's going to be fast," said Dutch, who is a training partner with Davis on the Hurdles First year-round team with coach Steve McGill.

At 5-foot-10 and 152 pounds, Davis has committed to building technique. A four-inch growth spurt has increased his height, while more time in the weight room has added power for speed.

Southeast Raleigh coach Eddie Harden said Davis' athleticism makes way for his polished technique.

Harden and Davis have worked on making his leaps smooth, which has resulted in lower times.

"Wayne is a technician," Harden said. "If you tell him something he has to work on, that's going to be his focus. ... He's a hard worker."

With second-place finishes in the 110 hurdles at the 2006 USATF Youth Nationals and the Junior Olympic Nationals, Davis caught the eye of officials selecting the World Youth team. His continued success through this season sealed his status.

Earlier this year, he predicted his selection to the team while preparing a powerpoint presentation for class. He informed students about Chinese Olympic gold medalist Liu Xiang and explained Xiang's accomplishments match his goals for future success.

"If you want something bad enough, you can get it," Davis said. "I looked at my time and I said, 'If I steadily increase, I should be there.' "

And with that, he's still climbing.