by Ricky Quintana
The girls’ sprints will provide plenty of entertainment. Here’s an event-by-event preview:
100m Dash
“ Alex the Great” and “Speedy” will be the headliners for what promises to be a meet record-threatening race. Three of the top four nationally ranked 100m sprinters will be on hand to earn the coveted national championship ring given to all the adidas Outdoor Champions.
World Junior 400m record holder, Texas and Olympic team favorite, Sanya Richards (St. Thomas Aquinas, Ft. Lauderdale, FL) set the record of 11.39 in 2002.
Here’s a listing of the top competitors.
Alexandria Anderson (Morgan Park, Chicago, IL) got her moniker after splendid quadruple performance at the Illinois Class 2A state championships. There she recorded wins in the 100m, 11.41, a 24.11 in the 200m, a 53.13 in the 400m, and the long jump, 19 feet 11 inches. In all, the junior has collected 9 state championships and two runner-ups. She will be focusing on just two events here, the 100m and the 200m. She has bests of 11.14 and 23.74 in those two events. Ranking: US#3tie
Shalonda Solomon (Poly, Long Beach, CA) will be looking for that elusive individual title that escaped her at the California state championships last weekend. Hard sprinting “Speedy” has a best of 11.41 this season and a best of 11.35. She will have no relay chores at the AOC which should improve her prospects drastically. This will also be the first appearance at AOC for the coast hopping Solomon. College Choice: University of South Carolina.
Ranking: US #3 tie
Cleo Tyson( Huntsville, TX) has finished second in each of her two past championship races. She was runner-up at the TX 5A state meet to Krystin Lacy(Skyline, Dallas, TX) and runner-up to national leading Ashley Owens( Liberty, Colorado Springs, CO) at the Great Southwest Championships in Albuquerque, NM June 5. The University of Tennessee signee will try and reverse that trend at AOC.
Ranking: US #5.
2003 AOC Finish: 4th
Courtney Champion (Collins Hill, Suwanee, GA) won her fourth straight championship in the 200m at the GA State championships. This despite a hamstring and groin injuries that plagued her in the early part of the season. She also won the 100m in a quick 11.53. In all, she collected 6 individual titles in her career and just missed completing the 100m/200m 4 time double sweep after placing 2 nd in the 100m her freshman and sophomore years.
College Choice: University of Tennessee
Girls 200m
Almost an identical line-up as the 100m, but with some added spice. The only missing entrant from last year’s final is the winner, Shana Cox. The meet record is 23.03, again held by Sanya Richards. This surely will be threatened as three of the top five nationally ranked runners are entered.
Shalonda Solomon( Poly, Long Beach, CA) enters with the best time after her sizzling 22.92 runner-up at the California State Championships. It was an improvement over last year’s time by a scant 0.01.
Rank US #2
Cleo Tyson ( Huntsville, TX) sped to an all time best of 23.36 behind Ashley Owens at the Great Southwest Classis June 5. At the Texas 4A state meet she won both the 100m and 200m titles in scorching times, 11.51 and 23.41(which broke an 8 year old state record). It was the second year in a row that she completed the trick. Tyson earned the bronze medal at the World Youth Championships last summer in Sherbrooke, Canada. Ranking US # 4.
2003 AOC : 3 rd
Alexandria Anderson (Morgan Park, Chicago, IL) best in the 200m, 23.48, was set last summer at the USATF Junior Olympics in hot Miami. Her best FAT(Fully automatic time) this season, 24.11, was set while competing in 4 events.
With less events to compete in, she should improve on last year’s 6 th place AOC finish.
Krystin Lacy(Skyline , Dallas, TX) won the Texas state championship with a sizzling 23.45. It was the third state individual title for the junior in sprint deep Texas. The 200m will be the only individual event Lacy will run at AOC which should make a difference for last year’s 5 th placer.
Courtney Champion (Collins Hill, Suwanee, GA) earned her 4 th straight title in the 200m running 23.84. Last year’s AOC runner-up has improved to 23.44 this season, a .09 improvement. Champion earned the silver medal at the World Youth Championships last summer in Sherbrooke, Canada.
Bianca Knight( Ridgeland, Pearl, MS) claimed her 8th individual state titles by posting an impressive 11.56, 23.98, and 55.63 for her new school, Ridgeland and helped them win the Mississippi 4A state team championship. After a long layoff, Knight, only a freshman, posted a 3 rd place finish in the 100m, 11.82 and a 2 nd place finish in the 400m, 55.06 at Golden South June 5.
2003 AOC finish: 4 th.
Girls 400m
A very deep field will threaten Mikele Barber’s( Montclair, NJ) 1998 meet record of 52.36.
Natasha Hastings( AP Randolph, NY) ran a national leading 52.43 after rain delays June 6 th at the Golden South Classic in hot balmy conditions. Before the rain delays, she posted an impressive 11.61 win in the 100m. Hastings was named to the USA World Indoor Team that competed in Budapest has a best of 52.09 set in placing 3 rd at the USATF Junior Champs in Palo Alto, CA last summer. She was unchallenged in her 52.43 seasonal best at Golden South and her 52.09 all-time best makes her the best bet to win and set the meet record. Hastings earned the gold medal at the World Youth Championships last summer in Sherbrooke, Canada. College Choice: University of South Carolina. 2003 AOC: 3 rd place
Brandi Cross ( Missouri City, TX) rebounded from her tough no qualifying third place finish at the tough Texas 5A-region 3 meet May 1, by winning the Great Southwest Classic in Albuquerque, NM June 5 th in 53.88. She has a best of 53.79 from early on in this outdoor season.
2003 AOC: 4 th place.
Nicole Leach (West Catholic, Philadelphia, PA) sped to Penn relays record and US#11 time of 57.84 on April 22 in the 400m H. The junior is stepping down to the 400m where her best is 53.58 from winning Arcadia Invite April 10.
Bianca Knight (Ridgeland, Pearl, MS) was best, 53.81, was set last summer. She’s improved to 55.06 at Golden South and should be ready for another improvement as she focuses on fewer events.
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