 | 2008 Virginia Tech Invitational
January 25-26, 2008 -- Rector Fieldhouse, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA DyeStat on-site with SteveU and Ken Charnock
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Day 2 Highlights
- SE Raleigh jr Wayne Davis improved on his 7.12 with a 7.08 55H, #2 all-time and just .01 off of Johnny Dutch's USR from last year.
- Bethel VA sr Ja-Vell Bullard prevailed over a tough field, including US-leader Justin Murdock, and came up with a US#1 33.97 300. Richard Montgomery sr Brendan Etzel's 34.47 behind him is US#2, and King's Fork sr Keith Ricks blazed a US#3 34.57 to win another heat.
- Bullard later ripped a 48.2 anchor as Bethel took the 4x400 in a US#1 3:19.70 to end the meet.
 | The finish of the meet: West Charlotte NC takes the 4x200. Photo Ken Charnock
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Eleanor Roosevelt's girls came in after having to miss Day 1 and took home a US#1 4x400 in 3:48.54 and 1:41.79 in the 4x200. Osbourn Park VA ran 3:51.44 to equal the previous US#1.- East Forsyth NC sr Dylan Ferris, after a 1:51.9 leg in the 4x800 Friday, measured his efforts en route to a 1:54.41/4:16.07 800/mile double, winning both Invitational events by negative-splitting both races. In the morning 800, he won by nearly 2 sec. over Eleanor Roosevelt sr Daniel Edmund. In the afternoon mile, he held off a tough challenge from Mooresville NC sr Patrick Campbell (4:16.73) for the meet record.
- Eleanor Roosevelt sr Tasha Stanley led most of the way en route to a US#2 1:12.81 500.
- Potomac VA sr Eric Gyamfi came out of the 2nd section to take the 500 in US#2 1:05.59.
- West Charlotte jr Nyosha Bryant scored a 7.10/40.19 55/300 double (though other runners allegedly ran faster the last heat).
- Foot Locker Finalist and Midlothian VA so Kat Lautzenheiser ran away from the field for the Invite Mile win, hitting 5:04.30. The other special Invitational win was scored by Westfield VA's Tasha Potasinski in the 800 (2:15.98).
- Nansemond River VA jr Kelvin Griffin dominated the LJ with a US#2 23-05.50
- NW Guliford NC sr Scott Houston, already US#2 in the PV at 16-10, cleared a meet record 16-01 to win before missing 16-06.
- Bishop McNamara MD jr Saniel Atkinson won a jumpoff at 5-7 in the high jump after both she and Potomac VA jr Pearl Bickersteth both cleared 5-6, but missed at a US#1-equaling 5-8.
- Orange County VA sr Logan Collins ran a very solid 2;30.59 for the 1000 victory.
- West Charlotte NC won a near-photo-finish 4x200, coming from behind to prevail in 1:29.65.
- TC Williams VA's Tynita Butts scared the 19-foot barrier with her 18-10.75 LJ
- After a 6.34 prelim, Meade MD sr and last year's time leader (6.21) Justin Murdock took the 55 handily in 6.39.
Day One
 |  |  | | Shot put winner Emily Vannoy MD, triple jump winner David Wilson VA, and 3200 1-2 finishers Pete Dorrell VA and Kyle Satterwhite VA. Photos Ken Charnock. |
Day 1 Highlights - Davis, Ferris, Dorrell, Wilson lead the way
- SE Raleigh NC jr Wayne Davis sets the track afire early with a US#1 7.12 55H prelim. That moves him from 10th all-time US to =3rd. Fellow North Carolinian Johnny Dutch is just .05 away
- Dylan Ferris's East Forsyth NC 4x800 team may have run just 8:06.45, but the nation's top returnee outdoors in the 800 and mile showed he's getting fit by hitting an unofficial 1:51.9 anchor split for four circuits of the track. The win went to Thomas Edison VA in 8:01.90
- Blacksburg sr Peter Dorrell split 4:37-4:29 for a 9:06.30 3200, using a surprise challenge from West Albemarle sr Kyle Satterwhite (US#2 9:12.20, PR by 11 seconds) to score a US#1.
- George Washington jr David Wilson, never having hit 48 feet before, improved all the way to a US#2 49-06. He needed a big PR day to beat Olu Olamigoke's 48-09.
- Thomas Johnson VA's Emily Vannoy, already US#3 at 46-10 in the SP, hit 45-11 to win easily
- The Invitational DMRs went to Quince Orchard MD boys in 10:35.59 and Winston Churchill VA girls in 12:26.12
- Atlee VA jr Emma Dejarnette took the girls PV at 12-00
- JR Tucker VA jr Jasia Richardson took the TJ in 38-08
Lead Story - Only the beginning for VA Tech's big stars
By SteveU
 |  | Big double winners Dylan Ferris and Ja-Vell Bullard.
Photos Ken Charnock
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It may seem like the leading champions in the Virginia Tech Invitational this weekend were producing top performances at a level worthy of anchoring a whole season. But for those opposing the likes of Wayne Davis, Ja-Vell Bullard, Pete Dorrell, Dylan Ferris, or the Eleanor Roosevelt girls 4x400 … guess what? You’ve got another thing coming. It’s still several weeks until the national championship part of the season and these kids are still finding themselves. As the old song goes, they’ve only just begun.
Davis? The Southeast Raleigh NC jr did not feel in the zone or as good as his previous 7.16 (last week) and 7.12 (Friday’s prelims) all-time, list-shaking 55H times, yet he lowered his PR to 7.08, history’s #2 and just .01 off of the USR fellow North Carolinian Johnny Dutch set last year. Dorrell? The Blacksburg VA sr was kind of planning on a moderate mid-9:10s effort Friday night in the 3200, with hopes of saving plenty for Saturday’s mile. But thanks to the aggressive push by surprising Kyle Satterwhite, he knocked his PR down to a US#1 9:06.30.
Ferris? The East Forsyth NC, the nation’s #1 returning mile and 800 runner, was trying to mete his effort out over 3 middle-distance events in less than 24 hours. He got caught up in a catch-up effort in the 4x8 Friday, however, and wound up surprising himself with a 1:51.9 split, and still had enough to sweep Saturday. Eleanor Roosevelt? They had a meet in MD postponed and rescheduled for Thursday, which meant they couldn’t compete in Friday’s session, yet their top girls showed up Saturday for their first big meet of the year (and having graduated three studs) and still rolled both the 4x200 and 4x400, the latter in a US-leading 3:48.54.
And as for Bullard? He’s put up good times at 400 (48-mid) and 200 (22-low), and had raced some 300s, but nothing had prepared him to lay the smack down on a field like the one lined up today and shave a second off his PR. His 33.97 puts him on a new level – hey, he could be this year’s Sean Holston. The senior was equally impressive in ripping a 48.2 to anchor his Bethel VA team to a US#2 3:19.70.
Yes, there was plenty to be impressed with this weekend in Blacksburg, and plenty of reason to expect to be even more impressed by these athletes come March – and beyond.
More to come Sunday …
Preview: NC stars ready to throw down with VA's best at VT
Wayne Davis, Dylan Ferris, Scott Houston lead Carolina invasion
Meet preview by SteveU
A handful of North Carolina standouts making the trip north are expected to provide many of the highlights at the Virginia Tech High School Invitational this weekend. The huge, 2-day affair includes the expected hundreds of athletes from the home state, as well as those from NC, Maryland, and other states. There are six special invitational events, including boys and girls miles, DMRs, and 800s.
One of the biggest stars of indoor track so far is Wayne Davis III, the junior from SE Raleigh who has hit #4 (7.63 60H) and #10 (7.19 55H) all-time in the two hurdle distances so far. The NON and World Youth Games champion has picked up right where he left off last summer. His 60H is just 0.01 off the USR shared by three others, while his 55H time – the event contested here – is 0.12 off the 7.07 national mark fellow North Carolinian Johnny Dutch ran last year.
East Forsyth NC sr Dylan Ferris is entered in both the 800 and mile, both of which are Saturday afternoon. The mile field will include Millrose entrant Pete Dorrell of Blacksburg VA; Foot Locker finalists Jason Witt VA, Patrick Campbell NC, Thomas Porter VA, and Mike Hammonds VA; and T.J. Hobart PA. Ferris is the nation’s top returnee in the 800 and mile (outdoors), respectively, with PRs of 1:49.27 and 4:08.1. He has raced a few times this season, but this is the first time he will really be tested. Out there are U.S. #1s of 4:12.48 and 1:52.80 by Robby Andrews and Isaiah Ward, respectively. Expect him to make a run for at least one of those.
The boys 800 and mile are probably the strongest of the invitational events. Walt Whitman MD sr Morgane Gay is seeded first in the mile and 800. She recently ran 5:06, but hit 4:59 last year. Foot Locker Finals Kat Lautenhauser VA is also in the field. Eleanor Roosevelt MD leads an unproven girls DMR field, while Mountain View VA – with FL Finalist Porter a likely anchor – could lead the boys.
Dorrell, running just minutes from home, is entered in both the 3200 and mile. In Friday’s 3200, he would have a shot at the meet record of 9:06.91. He has already qualified for the Millrose Games in the mile.
In the boys sprints, the meet will serve as a showcase for Justin Murdock, the Glen Burnie MD sr who led the US at 55m last year at 6.21 and leads the US so far this winter at 300 with 34.64. He is entered in both events. The girls’ short dash fields include West Charlotte NC’s Nyosha Bryant, who is US#4 at 55m.
The boys of New Bern NC seem to be everywhere this winter and Blacksburg is no exception. The most interesting race may be the 500, where Anthony Hendrix is matched up with Dahma Smiles and Michael Sesay, with a chance to break 1:05 and take the US lead. Fans will recall former New Bern runner Karjuan Williams blazing 1:02.80 here two years ago. Their relays will take a crack at 7:50 in the 4x800 and 1:27 in the 4x200.
(Update: New Bern was not at the meet the first day and is believed to be at the Eastern Challenge NC)
Roosevelt, not quite as deep as a year ago with the loss of the Jamesons and Marika Walker, still has plenty of talent and power. Tasha Stanley, whose lean for the win in the 4x800 at Penn last year will never be forgotten, could move up on the all-time list in the 500, while Doris Anyanwu will battle in the 300. ER will also be featured in the DMR.
(Update: Roosevelt was not at Day1 of the meet due to rescheduling of another meet)
The biggest bang in the field events could come from NW Guliford NC sr Scott Houston, who is knocking at the door of 17 feet in the PV (Update: He is also entered at the Eastern Challenge).
More
- In the 4x200, Eleanor Roosevelt MD, Bethel VA and Elizabeth VA are all seeded between 1:39-1:41.
- Ashley Orr VA, Krystina Muhammad DE, and US Youth champ Michelle Newman MD should battle in the horizontal jumps,
- 45-footer Emily Vannoy is the class of the SP field
- Olu Olamigoke and Antonio Miller will highlight the boys TJ
- Frede Spelleman heads the shot list with a PR of nearly 62 feet
- Kelvin Griffin is listed at 23-10 in the long jump
Schedule Virginia Tech High School Invitational
Indoor Track Meet
January 25-26, 2008 Friday, January 25th
3:30pm Doors Open. Packets available for pickup (left front doors of Rector Field House)
4:00pm Check-In for events 7 and 8 commence.
4:30pm Coaches’ meeting. Back right corner of field house (Clerk of Course). IMPORTANT
All athletes must be at the Clerk of Course when their event is called. It is your responsibility to make check-in. Remain at the Clerk
of Course for heat assignments, lane assignments, and hip numbers. Women’s 55 H report directly to the starting line. ALL other
events report to the Clerk of Course. Event
Time Event Number Gender Min. Mark 5:00pm
Shot Put 1 Female (40 athletes) 32’
Triple Jump 2 Male (40 athletes) 42’
Pole Vault 3 Female (30 athletes) 8’
Triple Jump 5 Female (40 athletes) 32’ 7:15pm High Jump 4 Male (30 athletes) 5’10”
7:30pm Shot Put 6 Male (40 athletes) 44’ Rolling Schedule – Rolling Time Schedule 5:00pm
60 Hurdles 7 Female (70 athletes)
60 Hurdles 8 Male (70 athletes)
60 Dash 9 Female (80 athletes)
60 Dash 10 Male (80 athletes) Invitational DMR 11 Female (1 section)
Invitational DMR 12 Male (1 section)
4x800 Relay 13 Female (4 sections)
4x800 Relay 14 Male (4 sections)
3200 15 Female (60 athletes)
3200 16 Male (60 athletes) Saturday, January 26th 7:30am Doors Open
8:00am Check-In for events 21 and 22 commence.
8:30am Coaches’ Meeting Event
Time Event Number Gender Min. Mark 9:00am
Long Jump 17 Female 14’6”
Long Jump 18 Male 19’
High Jump 19 Female 4’10”
Pole Vault 20 Male 12’ Rolling Time Schedule 9:00am
4x200 Relay 21 Female (12 sections)
4x200 Relay 22 Male (12 sections)
Invitational 800 41 Female (1 section)
Invitational 800 40 Male (1section)
1000 Meter Run 23 Female (5 sections) (62 athletes)
1000 Meter Run 24 Male (5 sections) (62 athletes)
300 Dash 25 Female (12 sections) (72 athletes)
300 Dash 26 Male (12 sections) (72 athletes)
60 Hurdles - Finals 27 Female (top 8 times from Friday)
60 Hurdles - Finals 28 Male (top 8 times from Friday)
60 Dash - Finals 29 Female (top 8 times from Friday)
60 Dash – Finals 30 Male (top 8 times from Friday)
500 Run 31 Female (11 sections) (72 athletes)
500 Run 32 Male (12 sections) (72 athletes)
1600 Run 35 Female (5 sections) (62 athletes)
Invitational Mile 37 Female (1 section) (10 athletes)
1600 Run 34 Male (5 sections) (62 athletes)
Invitational Mile 36 Male (1 sections) (10 athletes)
1600 Relay 39 Female (11 sections)
1600 Relay 38 Male (11 sections)
Southeast Region Index
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