OPEN DIVISION -- UMS-Wright Preparatory School -- Friday, April 4, 2008 @ 3PM INVITATIONAL DIVISION -- St. Paul's Episcopal School -- Saturday, April 5, 2008@ 1PM

• 1. Madeline and Malia – The matchup of Madeline Morgan and Malia Cali could be one of the best distance showdowns this meet has ever had. The former is the fast-rising Mountain Brook AL junior who willed her lithe frame through the wind and mud last fall at NTN for the individual win, then has shown her improved speed this winter with her 2nd at Nike Indoor in the mile. The latter is this past fall’s revelation from St. Thomas Aquinas in Hammond, Louisiana, who missed making Foot Locker Finals, but then rolled to an impressive 10:29.70 at NSIC last month.

And if that wasn’t enough, the race will also feature defending champ Jennifer Dunn (Austin AL), top Kentucky runner Mary Grace Pellegrini (DuPont Manual), and home track favorite Mary Carlton Johnston (St. Paul’s Episcopal). Dunn beat Morgan for the title last year.

Morgan has yet to run a serious deuce this year … one can only imagine with the marriage of her improved speed and top-notch XC endurance will produce. Look for a sub-10:30 if the weather gods cooperate … but the meet record is hardly a given. Laura Zeigle ran a magnificent 10:23.05 in 2002.

• 2. Flying Spears – Last year, Tyler Hamlet of Scottsboro AL delighted fans with an all-time AL state jav record of 187-00. A junior named Kyle Smith was 9th and last with 150-10. Well, Mr. Smith has come a long, long way since then. His 205-04 is now the AL standard and #2 in the country. But Hamlet may not let his title go easily. He’s back and he’s up to 196 feet.

• 3. Meet Mr. Tate – Starkville MS jr Tavarius Tate was not a nationally-recognized name in the long sprints until that 46.91 he dropped at the Mississippi State Bulldog meet last weekend. Suddenly he is the hot sprinter who almost no one has seen. Before March he had never broken 48. He’ll get seen here, as the favorite in the 400 and also coming back in the 200. Watch for a potentially great battle with Cahokia IL’s Darian Donald, who ran 47.0 as a soph last year.

• 4. World Youth Medalist’s Return – When Chalonda Goodman exchanged 1st’s and 2nd’s in the 100 and 200 with Breanna Hubbard last year, she was best known as the sister of graduated 400 standout Cedric. Could the statuesque Newnan GA sprinter have imagined, with all the great talent competing last spring, that she would go on to win both events at Nike Outdoor and then become the World Youth Champs silver medalist in the 200? Chalonda’s soph year was truly magical, but she can sneak up on no one this year. Currently, she has the best all-conditions 100 in the US (11.43) and her Georgia rival Hubbard will return to battle her in both sprints. It could be another great year for Goodman … or maybe it will be Hubbard’s year. Stay tuned.

• 5. McGee Defends the Mile – Coming back to Mobile defend her mile title will be Cory McGee, the Pass Christian MS soph who ran a meet record 4:54.25 last year as a freshman in the cold and wind. She should get competition from White Station TN sr Virginia Hine, and Mtn. Brook soph Catherine Diethelm. Chamblee GA standout Emily Reese, the sub-4:50 miler and all-around distance standout who was originally listed to do battle with McGee, will be taking the weekend off after her race at World XC in Scotland.

• 6. Jumping Jacks – The 24-foot barrier in the boys long jump and the 7- and perhaps the 6-foot barriers in the respective boys and girls high jumps will be under siege Saturday. Foley AL sr. Julio Jones stunned with 24-02 in the LJ last year and will be back to defend his title. He should get strong competition from Bourgeois LA sr Christian Williams 23-10.50 (indoors), and St. Amant LA jr Adam Hebert (23-03). Cordova AL sr Tyler Campbell and Hoover AL jr Anthony May both have PRs of 6-10 in the HJ. Three girls who have cleared 5-08.25 or better will lead the girls HJ field – Pensacola FL’s Danielle Williams (5-10), Mountain Brook AL’s Alexandra Morgan (5-09), and Murphy AL’s Alexis Paine (5-08.25).

• Hoover AL sr Patrick McGregor, Nike Indoor mile runner-up, vs. defending champ Miles Svoboda (Pope HS, GA)
• Mountain Brook’s Jake Stephens and Parkview GA’s Marcellis Lynch, 1:52.19 and 1:52.37 in the 800 last year. Lynch was 3rd and Stephens 4th here in 2007.
• Starkville vs. Cahokia in the boys 4x400
• St. Paul’s AL Neal Tisher in the girls PV, a recent 12-06 performer
• Mountain Brook AL’s Marie Demedicis in the 800 (2:12)
• Towers GA jr Brittany Porter with 19-05.25 in the LJ (also defending champ)
• Ruston LA’s Uzunma Udeh, 39-11 last year in the TJ