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NCHSAA State Meet

Eddie Smith Fieldhouse, UNC, Chapel Hill NC

Saturday, February 10th

DyeStat On-Site with Brandon Miles & Ben Hovis

LIVE 4A RESULTS AT DURHAMSTRIDERS.COM

COMPLETE RESULTS - Complete results now posted from 4A as well as 1A/2A/3A

VIDEO INTERVIEWS: Brandon Miles interviews three of North Carolina's best (as well as in the nation) in Johnny Dutch, Trenton Guy Jr, & Gabby Mayo!

4A Highlights:

  • US #1 55 and US #2 300 sprinter Trenton Guy Jr. of West Charlotte rolls to two meet record times in sprints with 6.35 clocking in 55 (6.32 prelims) and 34.62 cocking in 300
  • Southeast Raleigh NC sr Gabby Mayo matches personal best and state meet record time of 6.87 in 55, anchors home 4x400 win
  • Clayton NC sr Johnny Dutch only a few hundredths of a second off his US 55H national record with a 7.11 meet record win
  • US #2 thrower Kamorean Hayes of Harding wins SP in 48-11.75
  • East Wake sr Lamarr Davis posts US #2 500 time of 1:04.05 in come from behind win over New Bern's Anthony Hendrix (US #3 1:04.72)
  • Southeast Raleigh sr Ebonie Cunningham stays as US #3 for 500 meters, but improves her time with a 1:14.41 meet record
  • Last year's NIN champ Patience Coleman of Southern Durham wins HJ in 5-8
  • RJ Reynolds sr Joanna Wright clears PB height of 12-1 to win PV
  • Harding jr Ranae Nelson leaps to US #5 best mark of 19-1 in LJ
  • With three different individual event winners in 55, 500, and 1000, Southeast Raleigh girls win state team championship by 13 points
  • Led by a 23-3.25 LJ win by Mike Daniels, Southeast Raleigh boys complete team sweep with a total of 41.5 points

Despite being the farthest south state to have an official indoor track season and state championship with only one indoor track facility for use by high school athletes, North Carolina had some of the nation's top track and field athletes this indoor season at the NCHSAA Indoor State Championships in Chapel Hill. Found competing at the University of North Carolina's Eddie Smith Field House were 55 meter national record holder Johnny Dutch, 2006 outdoor DyeStat Athlete of the Year Gabby Mayo, past US #1 performers Trenton Guy Jr, Kamorean Hayes, and Patience Coleman.

Dutch has had plenty of great memories at the Eddie Smith Field House. Last year, the Clayton NC star claimed the 55 meter hurdle state championship in a state meet record time of 7.13 as a junior. Last month at the Eastern Challenge held at UNC, Dutch broke the national record in the 55 meter hurdle event with an incredible 7.07 clocking on his birthday. Dutch was unable to better his time from last month on Saturday at the indoor state meet, but he was able to better his state meet record from a year ago in a 7.11 clocking.

The national record holder felt he had an "average" day. "Just doing it to get through it," said Dutch to sum up his final high school indoor state meet. Dutch giving his 7.11 clocking only a fair grade is scary thought on what he might have to store in the final months of his high school track career. He already has another national record on his mind at Nike Indoor Nationals as he will be competing in the 60 meter hurdles. "After breaking the 55 record, I was like 'Yeah its time to break the 60 meter hurdle record'."

Dutch set a sophomore class record in the hurdles and has only continued to get stronger from a great early start in high school. He keeps it pretty simple in explaining how he has worked to improve over the past few years. Just work twice as hard. "I just double up on everything I do every year. For example, pushups. Last year I did 200 every other day. Now I do 400."

An indoor state championship meet is a step down for level of competition for Gabby Mayo of Southeast Raleigh. Especially after competing with the big girls last month in an elite professional field at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games in the 60 meter dash that she got an eye opener of how good the best of the best are out there and what she needs to do to work to that level eventually. "I was very nervous, but the experience was great."

On a bit more fair playing field for the high school teenager from Raleigh, the Nike Outdoor Nationals 100 meter champion also competed in the World Junior Championships in Beijing last summer after earning a spot on the US Junior team at US Junior Nationals. Even with her success last year, Mayo knows that she will need to step up her game even more this year with the competition she may face nationally as well as internationally in hopefully a second trip with US Junior National team. "I am lifting more weights now, working on different things and a lot of things I wasn't doing last year.".

At the NCHSAA State Championships, Mayo matched her personal best of 6.87 to move up with the third fastest in the country this season for 55 meters. "I know that my training is paying off by running this time earlier in the year than last year."

Mayo's special day was not only limited to herself individually, but the entire Southeast Raleigh team as both boys and girls teams took the 4A state championship team titles. Mayo anchored home the winning 4x400 meter relay (4:04.65), but Southeast Raleigh had wrapped up the state crown before the final event from performance by several individuals including Mayo.

Teammate Ebonie Cunnigham already owned the nation's third fastest time for 500 meters. On Saturday, Cunnigham was still a US #3 performer in the sprint, but with a faster time as she won by nearly a fully five seconds in a state meet record time of 1:14.41. Southeast Raleigh junior Amanda Lapp rallied on the final lap to pass earlier 1600 meter state champion Callan Fike of Athens Drive to become the team's third individual state champion of the day with a time of 3:02.45 in the 1000 meter run. Southeast Raleigh (65 pts) as team finished 13 points ahead of Hardining (52 pts).

Harding was led by one of the nation's top throwers in the shot put with Kamorean Hayes. Hayes is currently ranked second in the nation at 49'2" and she was not far off her season best with a winning mark of 48'11.75". The Harding senior was over eight feet better than second place.

Trenton Guy Jr.'s individual performances were not enough to propel pre-meet favorite West Charlotte into a first place team finish. Their team chances of winning were hurt by one of their sprinters in Edward Alexander recently becoming academically ineligible to compete on the team. Hower, Guy Jr. pressed on without his side kick and likely toughest competition in the 55 meter dash.

After clocking a 6.32 in the prelims, the national leader in the 55 meter dash at 6.30 was just off his earlier time with a 6.35 clocking in the finals to claim his first indoor state championship for 55 meters. Last year's Nike Indoor champion for 60 meters and Nike Outdoor champion for 100 meters in Brandon Banks, won the event last year in Chapel Hill. The nation's second fastest sprinter for 300 meters benefited from not having to compete against US #2 all-time performer Sean Holston from Virginia for the third week in a row as he ran away with his second state championship of the day in a 34.62 clocking. Despite breaking two state meet records on the day, Guy Jr. was a little disappointed with his times and the team outcome. "I was a little disappointed with my 55 meter time because I wanted to better my time in the nation."

While North Carolina stars Mayo and Dutch have already decided on where they will be attending school next fall with Mayo at Texas A&M and Dutch at the University of south Carolina, Guy has yet to make his decision with several schools still in the hunt for the football and track star. The West Charlotte senior is looking at North Carolina Central, Clemson, UNC, Louisville, and Florida State. "I talked to all of the coaches if I can walk on to football and they said it would be alright, so I'm going to play football and run track when I go to college."

Garner senior Alesha Patterson stayed late into the competition with last year's Nike Indoor and Nike Outdoor Nationals champion Patience Coleman of Southern Durham with a clearance of 5'6" in the high jump, but Coleman with the superior personal best at 6'0" would clear 5'8" for the state win as she will be in strong contention to repeat as a national champion in March in Landover, Maryland.

East Wake senior Lamarr Davis, one of the country's top returning 800 meter runners, showed off the wheels which make him such a great half miler in the 500 meter dash as he ran a US #2 time in the event with a 1:04.05 clocking. Davis had the competition to pull him through to a fast time as it looked like New Bern sophomore Anthony Hendrix was going to steal the win from the top seed, but Davis found a burst of speed down the homestretch to get by Hendrix. Hendrix's state runner-up performance of 1:04.72 is third fastest in the country this season and even more impressive as a sophomore.

More to come...

1A/2A/3A Highlights:
Congratulations 1A/2A/3A State Team Champs Cummings girls & Parkland boys!

Photo by Ben Hovis, NCRunners.com
  • Parkland boys seal the team title with a 4x400 victory to close
  • With only three girls, Cumming takes 1A/2A/3A title
  • Cummings girls go 1-2 in 55H w/ sr Latoya James (8.18, 8.16 prelims) and so Sherice Walker (8.32, 8.29 prelims)
  • South Central jr Kelsey McCorkle picks up two sprint wins in G55 (7.11) and G300 (40.22)
  • North Rowan favorite Phillip Bush fails to make finals of B55H, but teammate John Bostick wins in 7.62
  • Bush redeems himself with 23'6.50" win in LJ
1A/2A/3A Winners
EventBoys
Girls
55m Dash Carver jr Bryce Sherman 6.52
South Central jr Kelsey McCorkle 7.11
300m Dash
Nash Central sr Handy Dawes 35.90
South Central jr Kelsey McCorkle 40.22
500m Dash
Asheboro sr Mike Eddy 1:06.10
Durham School sr Ericka Charles 1:17.36
1000m Run
Reidsville sr Stephon Roach 2:36.16
Cardinal Gibbons jr Heather Beichner 3:10.26
1600m Run
South Nash sr Kevin Wanichko 4:31.77
T.C. Roberson so Kylie Smith 5:25.96
3200m Run
Charlotte Catholic sr Jonathan Sunde 9:51.71
Northwood sophomore Katherine Dispennette 11:49.31
55m Hurdles
North Rowan jr John Bostick 7.62
Cummings sr Latoya James 8.18
4x400m Relay
Parkland 3:31.23
Parkland 4:16.29
4x800m RelayT.C. Roberson 8:25.66
Sun Valley 10:12.36
High Jump
Asheville senior Isaiah Thompson 6-6Ragsdale so Amy Wenner 5-2
Pole Vault
White Oak sr Ryan Oakes 14-6
White Oak jr Kristina Parker 10-6
Long Jump
North Rowan sr Phillip Bush 23-6.50
Ragsdale sr Kiara Crutchfield 18-3.50
Triple Jump
Fike jr Josh Foster 44-4.75
Cummings so Sherice Walker 38-7.50
Shot Put
Farmville Central sr Adrian Little 53-3.50
Wilkes Central jr Deidre Morrison 37-5.75
   
2007 NCHSAA INDOOR
1A-2A-3A TRACK & FIELD
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MEET SCHEDULE

7:45 Facility opens for Coaches and athletes
7:45 Packets available for Coaches
8:00 Facility opens for spectators
8:00 Meeting for Officials
8:15 Meeting for Coaches
8:15 Vaulters Verify Poles

9:00 FIELD EVENTS BEGIN

Women’s high jump followed by Men’s high jump
Women’s pole vault followed by Men’s pole vault
Women’s long jump followed by Women’s triple jump
Men’s long jump followed by Men’s triple jump
Men’s shot put followed by Women’s shot put

9:00 RUNNING EVENT FINALS:

55 meter high hurdles---------------------------------Women’s Semi-Finals
55 meter high hurdles---------------------------------Men’s Semi-Finals
55 meter dash-------------------------------------------Women’s Semi-Finals
55 meter dash-------------------------------------------Men’s Semi-Finals
3200 meter relay----------------------------------------Women
3200 meter relay----------------------------------------Men
55 meter high hurdles---------------------------------Women’s finals
55 meter high hurdles---------------------------------Men’s finals
55 meter dash-------------------------------------------Women’s finals
55 meter dash-------------------------------------------Men’s finals
1600 meter run------------------------------------------Women
1600 meter run------------------------------------------Men
500 meter run--------------------------------------------Women
500 meter run--------------------------------------------Men
1000 meter run-------------------------------------------Women
1000 meter run-------------------------------------------Men
300 meter dash-------------------------------------------Women
300 meter dash-------------------------------------------Men
3200 meter run--------------------------------------------Women
3200 meter run--------------------------------------------Men
1600 meter relay------------------------------------------Women
1600 meter relay------------------------------------------Men

2007 NCHSAA INDOOR
4A TRACK & FIELD
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MEET SCHEDULE


2:00 Facility opens for Coaches and athletes
2:00 Packets available for Coaches
2:15 Meeting for Officials – PLACE TBA
2:45 Meeting for Coaches – PLACE TBA
2:45 Vaulters Verify Poles – At the Site of the Pole Vault prior to Competition when they check in

4:00 FIELD EVENTS BEGIN

Women’s high jump followed by men’s high jump
Women’s pole vault followed by men’s pole vault
Women’s long jump followed by women’s triple jump
Men’s long jump followed by men’s triple jump
Men’s shot put followed by women’s shot put

4:00 RUNNING EVENT FINALS:

55 meter high hurdles---------------------------------Women’s Semi-Finals
55 meter high hurdles---------------------------------Men’s Semi-Finals
55 meter dash-------------------------------------------Women’s Semi-Finals
55 meter dash-------------------------------------------Men’s Semi-Finals
3200 meter relay----------------------------------------Women
3200 meter relay----------------------------------------Men
55 meter high hurdles---------------------------------Women’s finals
55 meter high hurdles---------------------------------Men’s finals
55 meter dash-------------------------------------------Women’s finals
55 meter dash-------------------------------------------Men’s finals
1600 meter run------------------------------------------Women
1600 meter run------------------------------------------Men
500 meter run--------------------------------------------Women
500 meter run--------------------------------------------Men
1000 meter run-------------------------------------------Women
1000 meter run-------------------------------------------Men
300 meter dash-------------------------------------------Women
300 meter dash-------------------------------------------Men
3200 meter run--------------------------------------------Women
3200 meter run--------------------------------------------Men
1600 meter relay------------------------------------------Women
1600 meter relay------------------------------------------Men

 

4A NCHSAA Boy's Indoor Preview

By: Ben Hovis of NCRunners.com, a MileSplit Network Site

A look at the boy's 4A state meet.

This meet should be great. I will go out on a limb here and say, "Expect some of the top indoor performances in the country." Ok, that really isn't a risk, that is an obvious statement since we have names such as: Trenton Guy Jr., Edward Alexander, Johnny Dutch, Austin Davis, LaMarr Davis, Anthony Hendrix, Kelvin Hardesty, Dylan Ferris, and Spencer Adams.

The team champion . . . I believe New Bern is the favorite as they are spread out among multiple events and will finish highly in most of them. They should score in both relays, the 55-1000m, TJ, SP, and possibly others. West Charlotte will definitely be in the mix. The sprints are their bread and butter. They will score a lot of points thands to Guy, Alexander, and not to be forgotten about, Demario House. We'll see how far the 4x400 and sprints can take them. RJ Reynolds is another team who has potential to finish high. Charlton Rolle will score a lot of points as he is extremely talented. Vance is the 4th team I see up towards the top. They have sprinters, they have hurdlers, they have Alex Wiggan in the 1600, and they have some field event athletes. However, these kids are on the border line of scoring in almost every event. They will need to come through. I'd love to see it come down to the 4x400 with New Bern and West Charlotte having to win the event to win the title.

The sprints - can you say "West Charlotte"? Trenton Guy Jr. leads the US in the 55m and has already won on this track. His own teammate may be his biggest competition, as Edward Alexander is the 3rd ranked 55m runner in the country. Chris Culliver of Garner has run fast outdoors and handtimed, so we will see if his 6.24 seed time is legit. This field is loaded and should be very exciting and very fast! The 300m will feature some of the same names. Guy just ran 34.17 on the banked track at V-Tech, losing to Sean Holston of VA who ran the fastest time in the US. He has won on this track in 34.99. In that race he barely held off Antonio Sales of East Chapel Hill who ran 35.07. There are more times in the 34's but all of them were run on an outdoor track. The 500m should also be very exciting and very fast. LaMarr Davis won at the Eastern HS Challenge in 1:04.85. That is the 2nd fastest time in the US on a flat track. Anthony Hendrix lost to LaMarr on that day, but ran the 5th fastest time in the US. Then last weekend, 2 new names popped up, as Miles Walker of Providence and Ian Williamson of Green Hope went 1, 2 at the Virginia Tech meet. Their times rank #1 and #2 in the US on a banked track. So, as you can see, this field is loaded. Not to mention, Clinton Peguese of West Charlotte who has run 1:05.2 outdoors and is on their very fast 4x400 team. Can they get close to 1:04 flat?

The boy's 1000m should be fun. Dylan Ferris of East Forsyth won at V-Tech last weekend with the #2 time ever run by a NC athlete. His time of 2:30.91 also ranks him #5 in the US right now. Anthony Hendrix of New Bern comes in as the #2 seed but has already run 1:55 in the 800 this season. I see this race being a battle with both guys gutting it out and giving the crowd an incredible finish. John Curtiss of Providence is no slouch as he ran 2:35.03 at V-Tech last weekend. His time puts him #13 on the All-Time NC list. The 1600m run looks to be all Dakota Lowery. With Dylan Ferris not signed up for the 1600 it really opens the door for Lowery to win going away. Dakota is only seeded 4th with a 4:30, but has run 4:21 for a true mile, a 4:19 converted 1600m. The race should be for 2nd place here between John Curtiss, Greg Dame of Mount Tabor, and Nick Graw of Enloe, only a 9th grader. The 3200 looks to be where the XC runners can be found. Sam Mordecai, Greg Dame, Ross Hughes, Andy Wacker, Dakota Lowery, Ryan Kaat, and Charlie McGoogan were all big names during the XC season. Only 2 of these guys have broken 10:00 but there is no way that is the case after this race is over with. Look for the winner to run somewhere around the 9:40 mark. I'm going to leave this one alone as far as picking a winner goes.

The boy's 55m hurdles should be a no-brainer as the fastest high school 55m hurdler EVER is in this race. Johnny Dutch of Clayton HS set a new National Record at UNC, running 7.07. It's crazy to think that he will easily win this event when Bulter's Spencer Adams is the 3rd fastest 55m in the US this indoor season. However, his 7.33 is nowhere near Dutch's 7.07. Reynolds has 2 top hurdlers themselves and will be needing big points here, Charlton Rolle & Korel Mack will look to help Reynolds out in this event.

As I said before, I'd love to see the meet come down to the 4x400. West Charlotte and New Bern didn't get to race eachother at the Eastern HS Challenge, but New Bern ended up winning out of the 2nd heat. West Charlotte ran 3:20.9 at a polar bear meet at Independence HS . . . that's fast! There are other teams in this event though, look for Sanderson, SE Raleigh, Wakefield, Reynolds and Vance to roll, too. The 4x800 should be fun as well. Providence HS ran 8:16 at V-Tech which was a good bit faster than what they ran at UNC earlier. Southeast Raleigh ran 8:21 at the Eastern HS Challenge which was the fastest NC time of the day. I hope we can see something around 8:10 for the win, but we'll see.

The high jump is led by Brandon Wiggins of B.L. Smith. His 6' 4" clearnace is 2 inches better than 7 others listed at 6' 2", so I'd say this one is up in the air. Austin Davis of Northern Durham will look to sweep the horizontal jumps. He should have an easier time in the triple jump, as he is one of the best in the country with his 47' 11.5" mark at the Eastern HS Challenge. New Bern's Rashad Dobie is the #2 seed in the triple but 2 feet behind. Close behind him is Ashspon Forrest of Independence with his 45' 8.5". They are the only other 2 over the 45' barrier. In the long jump, Davis is the #2 seed. The #1 seed goes to Reynolds' Charlton Rolle with his jump of 22' 11.5". There are 5 guys who have jumped over 22' in the long jump. These guys are flying.

The pole vault should be a good competition. Scott Houston of NW Guilford won at the Eastern HS Challenge with a clearance of 14-6. Macey Ruble of Watauga has cleared 14' and Maverick Miles of South Rowan and Tyler Benton of Pincrest have both been over 13-6. I'm looking forward to this one.

Finally, the shot put's #1 seed is John Sabacinski of Myers Park. He threw 48' 7.5" back in December, so we'll see what he's got in February. Mark Blackeney of Vance is the only other thrower who has gone over 48' this season. I'm sure we'd all like to see 50'.

 

4A NCHSAA Girl's Indoor Preview

By: Ben Hovis of NCRunners.com, a MileSplit Network site

A look at the 4A Girl's Indoor Sate meet.

There are a number of teams who have a chance to win this title. At the top should be the following teams: Southeast Raleigh, Harding University, Mount Tabor, and RJ Reynolds. Southeast Raleigh is led by a very strong trio of Gabby Mayo, Ebonie Cunningham, and Amanda Lapp. These 3 are at the top of multiple events and wins at the state meet go a long way. Harding is also a team full of talent. Kamorean Hayes, Ranae Nelson, Ashley Bethune, and Felicia Paulding . . . among others. Mount Tabor has Taylor Dewberry, Courtney Bowen, and Courtney Whittington. These three girls will push Tabor to the top of the team scores. RJ Reynolds is led by Joanna Wright, possibly a future pentathlete? Shanice Jones should also provide some needed points for Reynolds. That's really it though. Could they win with 2 athletes and a 4x400 team? We'll see. In my opinion, Southeast Raleigh wins with Harding 2nd.

Gabby Mayo the nation's top returning sprinter outdoors is only running one open event. She will win, but it could be close, as Gabbrielle Glenn, Providence HS, made it a bit of a race at the Eastern HS Challenge. Ashley Bethune of Harding ran an impressive 7.11 at V-Tech last weekend, so she will be at the top as well. In the girl's 300m race, Ebonie Cunningham leads the way with the only sub-40.00 performance. Gabrielle Glenn will be right there in this one as well, with Harding's Felicia Paulding running close, too. Ebonie should also lead the way in the 500m dash. This one could be a run away as she has run almost 5 seconds faster than anyone else at this distance. The real battle seems to be for 2nd place. Taylor Dewberry of Mount Tabor, Shanice Jones of Reynolds, Amanda Jones of East Forsyth, and Christy Johnson of Athens Drive should be a great race.

The distance events will feature names such as: Callan Fike, Amanda Lapp, Kimberly Spano, Andie Cozzarelli, Courtney Bowen, and Courtney Whittington. The 1000m run will probably be between Fike, Lapp, and Spano. Callan Fike of Athens Drive has run 2:56 outdoors this season and a 5:02 in the1600m run. She is definitely the favorite to win both events, but the double could be hard. Amanda Lapp of Southeast Raleigh has been running very well. She has run 3:01 outdoors and will definitely push Callan in the 1000. Kimberly Spano obviously has the potential to compete at any distance. I don't know too much about her this indoor season and she hasn't raced indoors yet, so she is a bit of question mark. Plan on her being right there though, that's the only way she knows how to run. Andie Cozzarelli has the fastest 3200m time and is seeded 3rd in the 1600. She will do well in both, scoring major points for Apex. The Courtney's, Bowen and Whittington of Mount Tabor will do well in all 3 races. Courtney Bowen is one of the top seeds in the 1600m and the 1000m. She has been running very well in these events. Courtney Whittington is the 2nd seed in the 3200m, only 3 seconds behind Cozzarelli. She will definitely be competing for the 3200m title. No one should touch Callan Fike in the 1600m based on what's on paper, but only the race will tell for sure.

The 55m hurdles looks to be an easy win for Ashley Bethune of Harding. Her time of 8.18 is one of the top times in the US. Kiara Benson of Vance, Tacara Morrisey of EE Smith, and Patience Coleman of Southern Durham are the only other 3 ladies who have been under 8.5. I believe the race for 2nd-5th will be awesome in this one.

The relays are going to be very fun! The 4x400 race could be incredible as the top 4 teams in the race, in my opinion, are the top 4 teams in the meet. Reynolds leads the way with their 4:11.18 at the Eastern HS Challenge. Southeast Raleigh, Harding, and Mount Tabor are all under 4:15, so this one could be very close. Will Gabby Mayo run the 4x400? I can't wait for this race. The 4x800 should also be a battle as there isn't a team heads above the rest. Vance leads the way with a 10:20 run outdoors at North Meck HS, but Pinecrest ran their 10:20 indoors at Chapel Hill. There are 8 teams from 10:20-10:33, all of whom could win this race. Look for a lot of lead changes in this one.

In the high jump, Patience Coleman should continue to dominate her competition. She has already jumped 5' 8" in the Eddie Field House this season and she has jumped 6' in her career. This seems to be another event where the battle will be for 2nd place. The girl's long jump may provide us with some of the top jumps in the US. Ranae Nelson of Harding already has the 8th best jump in the country with her leap at the Clemson Invite. Not far behind her is Jacinda Evans of Southern Durham who jumped 18' 5" early in the season in Virginia. Can we see 19 feet? The triple jump is led by Chrishawn Williams of Southeast Raleigh. Her jump at the Eastern HS Challenge of 36' 8" is over a foot better than the 2nd seed Nadia Morgan of North Forsyth. I'd say this one is up in the air, hopefully we can get more ladies over the 36' barrier.

Joanna Wright and Makenzie Mullinax have already done battle this season at Chapel Hill. Joanna of Reynolds has cleared 11-6 at her last two competitions and Makenzie of South Rowan has cleared 11'. Watuaga has two ladies, Taylor Cook and Brooke Miller, both of whom abe been over 10' this season.

Finally, the girl's shot put. There is really only one name to know here, Kamorean Hayes of Harding. She hasn't yet claimed the #1 throw in the US this season, so hopefully she will have a goal of leaving this meet with the first 50' throw of 2007. Her training partner, Aslynn Halvorson of Butler HS has the 2nd best throw and is the only othe girl over 40'.

 

1A/2A/3A NCHSAA Boy's Preview

By: Ben Hovis of NCRunners.com, a MileSplit Network site

A look at the 1A/2A/3A NCHSAA Boy's State Championship. (as of 2/1/07)

There looks to be a number of teams who have a chance in winning this meet. In my opinion, Parkland, TC Roberson, Nash Central, Asheville, and North Rowan look to be at the top. Parkland could win both relays and do very well in the 55-500m run. TC Roberson will score many points in the distance events, but also have athletes spread throughout the other events. Nash Central looks to have athletes everywhere, with 2 of the top 4 seeds in the 500m. Asheville is very strong in the field events with Isaiah Thompson jumping well. They will also score points in the distance events, so they could be tough. Finally, North Rowan looks very tough in the hurdles and the jumps.

In the sprints, Bryce Sherman, a transfer to Carver, has only run one race and has the fastest seed time. There are only 5 athletes listed in the 55m, and Sherman and Dominique Tate are both from Carver. Big points for them. In the 300m, Pakland has the top 2 seeds, Jarrell Elliot & Charles Lindsay, This race will probably be won with a time of 35.7ish as a number of athletes are flirting with the 36.00 barrier. Handy Dawes of Nash Central leads the way in the 500m with a quick 1:05.54. This looks to be a 3-man race with Handy, Mike Eddy of Asheboro, and Jarrell Elliott of Parkland. These 3 are the only athletes are 2 seconds faster than the next best. Nash Central and Parkland both have 2 athletes seeded in the 5.

In the distance events, similar names to the XC season will be popping up. Thomas Young of Reagan has been running very well this indoor season. His 2:36.16 from the Virginia Tech meet leads the way in the 1000m run. Stephon Roach of Reidsville is the #2 seed with a 2:37 seed time from a polar bear meet. They are the only two with times under 2:40, but look for Sean Sewell of Cardinal Gibbons and Drew Tucker of West Stokes (last years 800m state champ, 1:52) to lead a challenge from others. The 1600m should be a good race. Kevin Wanichko of Southern Nash looks to challenge the top seed, Thomas Young, and push for a sub-4:30 performance. Josh Dubin of TCR ran 4:35 in the cold on 1/31, with 2nd place running 4:53. There are other big names in the race, Andrew North of Asheville, Daniel Hamilton of Franklin, Zachary Bryan of Reidsville, and a couple Mooresville guys. The winner should be right at the 4:30 mark, give or take a few seconds. In my opinion, the 3200m will be one of the more exciting races. Patrick Campbell of Mooresville and Jonathan Sunde of Charlotte Catholic will be fresh for the race while the other top seeds will be coming off the 1600m. Again, most of the top XC runners can be found in this mix. Look for the race to be tactical to start and then the pace begin to quicken throughout.

North Rowan's Phillip Bush & John Bostick lead the way in the 55m hurdles. Phillip won the Wally Gilbert Invitation early in the season. The obvious point to make here is, North Rowan and Parkland, 2 team contenders, will be scoring big points.

Parkland leads the way in the 4x400 and with their top 300m and 500m runners, look for this seed to stand. Nash Central should push a bit in the 4x400 as well. TC Roberson has the top time in the 4x800. They ran 8:19 at the Clemson meet. Parkland could battle TCR for the top spot, but with all the depth that TCR has in the 1000m, I'd say they win this one by 5 seconds or so.

Isaiah Thompson of Asheville will be a leader in each of the jumps. Hopefully he doesn't loose any spring with all the jumping he will be doing. His jump of 6' 6" from V-Tech leads the way with Derrick Ross of Union Pines. The high jump could be a good one with 5 athletes within 2 inches of one another. The long jump is actually led by Phillip Bush of North Rowan. He jumped 23-2 at the Clemson meet, but it isn't updated on the entry list. He and Isaiah could push for one of the top jumps in the US. The boy's triple jump could push the 45' mark. Jamel Allison of Mooresville was the 3A state champ last year, but is only seeded 8th. Cordell Livingston of SW Guilford looks to challenge Isaiah for the win.

The pole vault has two 14' vaulters in Zach Smith of Ragsdale and Ryan Oakes of White Oak. Kent England of Asheville and Evan Sandling will definitely be in the mix as well. This is one of my favorite events to watch.

Adrian Little of Farmville Central leads the way in the shot put with his 55-8.25. He is the obvioius favorite here, but Jason Roberts of SW Guilford will definitely want to pull off the upset. He has thrown multiple 52' throws this season.

 

1A/2A/3A NCHSAA Girl's Preview

By: Ben Hovis of NCRunners.com, a MileSplit Network site

A look at the 1A/2A/3A NCHSAA Girls Championship (as of 1/31/07)

Don’t look past the small schools in North Carolina. Some of the finest athletes in North Carolina call the smaller divisions, 1A/2A/3A, home. On February 10th, the NCHSAA will see how it’s new format works. In the past, all classifications have competed together at the indoor state meet, but this year there will two separate meets. It is somewhat a shame, as we won’t get to see a “Meet of Champions” as it has felt in the past. However, it will also give more athletes the opportunity to feel successful, and there will be more state titles handed out.

In the girls’ 1A/2A/3A meet, Burlington Cummings looks to have a strong team led by Latoya James, Brittany Wilkins, and Sherice Walker. Parkland’s girls also look to be tough. Christine Council will score in the sprints and their relay teams look solid as well. TC Roberson is always tough in the distance events and will look to score a lot of points there. Finally, Ragsdale looks like a true contender with the Crutchfield sister’s spreading out among multiple events. There will obviously be others there too, but these look to be four of the top teams.

In the sprints, you should see a lot of similar names at the top of the races. Kelsey McCorkle of South Central broke the state 3A record last year in the 100m running 11.79 as a 10th grader. She will be tough to beat in the 55m and the 300m dashes. One young lady who will look to do just that will be Christine Council of Parkland, just a sophomore. Ericka Charles of Durham School of the Arts could be competing for wins in anything from the 55m to the 500m, and she is entered in all three. Latoya James of Cummings has a legit shot at winning the 300m dash after her fine performance at the Eastern HS Challenge. Back to Ericka Charles – her best event may be the 500m as she is seeded #1 with a time from an outdoor polar bear meet. Yvonna Hines of Northeast Guilford won’t go down easy though as she was a sub-60 400m last year. Also, Jasmine Irby of Parkland and Brandy Swann of Jacksonville broke 60 and should be in the mix.

In the distance events, there are obvious favorites, but also a lot of question marks. Christina Hobbs of Sun Valley and LeaAnna Godwin of Triton look to be the 2 early favorites in the 1000m run with sub 3:10 performances. Lindsay Ester of Williams ran 5:19 last year and is the 3rd seed. Look for her to be right in the mix. The big question mark will be Heather Beichner of Cardinal Gibbons. Beichner was the 2A state XC champ, and ran under 5:10 last year in the mile. She only comes in with a 3:21 but I guarantee she is faster than that. In the 1600m run, similar names will be competing for the title but now you can throw Laura Brentnell of Ragsdale into the mix. Laura showed up at one of the last polar bear meets and looks to be in fine form. Don’t count out the TCR girls, Caroline Kirby who recently won the 3A XC title, Hannah McArdle last year’s 3A 1600m champ, and Kylie Smith who just ran 5:32 in the cold at the WNC Polar Bear Championships. The 3200m race will feature Caroline Kirby and Kylie Smith again. Caroline ran 12:05 at the WNC champs, winning by over 40 seconds. However, Kaylin Royals of Glenn is the top seed with her 11:50 from a Mt. Tabor polar bear meet. Kathryn Dispennette of Northwood had a very fine XC season and is the #2 seed, right behind Royals. Look for Cara Hayes of Asheville to do well as she too is coming off a very exciting XC season.

The 55m hurdles should be owned by the ladies from Cummings as both Latoya James and Sherice Walker have some of the fastest times turned in in the US this indoor season. The real battle here looks to be who will take 3rd: Radiance Basden of Western Guilford, Kiara Crutchfield of Ragsdale, or Sophia Treakle of Asheville.

In the girl’s 4x400, Parkland’s girls just ran a swift 4:13 at the Virginia Tech meet. This time is actually 2nd in the state up to this point, so they have to be the favorites. Your guess is as good as mine with the order here. The other relays event, the 4x800, looks to be in the hands of one of the top distance programs in the state, TC Roberson. Word is they would have run faster than 10:08.8 at Clemson had the lap counters done their job correctly??? Sun Valley has Christina Hobbs, who may the best 800m runner in the field, but will that be enough to run with the girls of TCR? Jacksonville just ran 10:24, all by themselves the other day and you can’t ever count out Gibbons.

The jumps should be close, especially in the high and triple jump. Southern Nash has the top 2 qualifiers in the high jump in, Laura Langley and Kiona Crudup. Don’t forget about Bridgette Hills of TC Roberson who is the top returner from the 3A outdoor state championships last year. Also, January Spencer of Union Pines finished among the top athletes at the 3A outdoor meet last year. This one should be good. The triple jump features the top 4 ladies in the event so far this indoor season. Radiance Basden of Western Guilford won the Eastern HS Challenge with a hop, skip, and a jump of 38-7. Behind her are Latoya James and Sherice Walker of Cummings HS. Both ladies have been over 38 feet this season and are looking to win. The 4th is Dekalah Price of T.W. Andrews. She is very close to the 38’ mark, as her best is 37-10.5 from V-Tech. Kiara Crutchfield of Ragsdale had a stellar jump at Virginia Tech, going over the 18’ mark. She is the only one who has jumped beyond 17 and one half feet in the competition this season. Don’t count out Radiance Basden or Brittany Wilkins though.

The pole vault looks to be a battle between 2 ten-foot vaulters up to this point. Kristina Parker of White Oak and Maggie Jordan of Rocky Mount have both cleared 10’ this season.

Finally, the women’s shot put may be the biggest runaway of the competition. Deidra Morrison of Wilkes Central has thrown over 6 feet further than any other lady in the event this indoor season. Unless she really stumbles, look for her to win big.

 

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