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Girls High School Preview
Super 55 Hurdle and Sprint Fields and top Horizontal Jump Groups The second annual Run for the Dream Indoor Meet this Monday, Martin Luther King Day, in Fresno at the Save Mart Center will showcase some of the nation’s top female track and field athletes. The distaff portion of the meet has dynamite groups in the 55 meter hurdles, 55 meter dash, Long and Triple Jumps. A good afternoon of entertainment should greet those making the trip to Fresno Monday, with a four-way collegiate meet in the morning, and Olympic level USA against the World during the evening portion of the meet date. The High School athletes will compete for three regional teams from around the state. The Southern squad will consist of athletes from the San Diego, Los Angeles, and Southern Sections. The Central squad will be athletes from the Central, Sac Joaquin, and Northern Sections, with the Northern California squad made up of Central Coast, North Coast, and San Francisco-Oakland area athletes. Athletes in the following preview are identified from their area of the state (No=North Team, Ce=Central Team, and So=South squad), with their high schools listed for purpose of identification only, as they are not competing for them this date. Time limitations on the meet date have a slightly reduced event schedule.
55 Meter Hurdle Prelims action will start the day at 3:00 p.m. and give folks a chance to view one of the nation’s top all-around athletes, with Vashti Thomas (No/Mt. Pleasant HS, San Jose) the nation’s best outdoors at the 100 meter hurdle distance with a stunning 13.03 in winning last year’s State Meet. The 13.03 is a State Record and the #2 High School time ever run. Thomas is a fine jumper also, with 20-02.5 Long Jump and 41-06.5 (43-01.25w bests) Triple Jump marks and can challenge as the best female prep athlete in the nation this spring. Northern California has the power in the short barrier event, with Julian Purvis (No/St. Elizabeth HS of Oakland) 13.32 in her state runner-up effort, making her among the top dozen ever at the prep level. Purvis was the World Youth (under 18) champ last summer, with Dahlys Marshall (No/Valley Christian of San Jose) fourth in State last June with a fine 13.66 clocking. Briana Stewart (No/Logan of Union City) is another great all-arounder with 14.15 speed here (13.82w) who hopes to help the Northern group to a sweep. Emani Truluck (So/Malibu) was 14.31 last year and an eighth place in the Southern Section meet, and Lyndsay Pearson (So/San Marcos of Santa Barbara) was 14.43 and 42.82 in the 300 Hurdles on the way to fifth at State. Another of the flying Purvis sisters, Ashton (No/St. Elizabeth of Oakland), headlines the 55 Meter Dash event. Ashton last year as a frosh rocketed one of prep history’s great ninth grade times with an 11.40 100 meter clocking and State runner-up finish in that event. She went on during the summer to place seventh in the World Youth Championships, with a gold medal in the Medley Relay at that affair. Central team star Kasey Rogers (Ce/Franklin HS of Elk Grove) was the Sac Joaquin Section champ last year with an 11.89 100 meter best, with Nijah Nelms (So/Birmingham of Lake Balboa) the LA City Runner-up over that distancde last May at 11.95 (11.90w best). Dahlys Marshall (No/Valley Christian of San Jose) was 11.96 for 100 meters in addition to her super hurdling last spring. We will have our first prep level competition viewing of great ninth grader Akawkaw Ndipagbor (So/Long Beach Poly), with a great eighth grade summer last year with 11.98 (100), 24.21 (200), and 53.73 (400) clockings with USATF JO National Championships in the latter two. 55 is a bit short for Akawkaw but expect to be hearing a lot from her the next four years. Erin Reid (So/LB Poly) was 12.05 (11.84w) last spring for 100 meters and was third in the Southern Section finals.
The horizontal jumps, Long and Triple, will feature great groups. Vashti Thomas (No/Mt. Pleasant) also happens to be the nation’s top returning Long Jumper (20-02.5), with Briana Stewart (No/Logan of Union City) the country’s top Triple Jumper (41-08.5), with Thomas #2 there at 41-06.5 (43-01.25w). Alitta Boyd (No/Moreau of Hayward) is the nation’s #4 returning Triple Jumper at 41-00.25 and adds a 19-03.25 Long Jump. Bombing efforts should be featured in both the bounding events with strong supporting casts. Ashtynn Baltimore (So/Marlborough of Los Angeles) was 19-04.75 in the Long Jump last spring and sixth in the State meet. Amber Purvis (Ce/Benicia), another of the running, hurdling, and jumping relatives, is the Sac Joaquin Champ in the Long Jump at 19-01.5, with Deja Edwards (Ce/Whitney of Rocklin) second in that area with a 19-02.5 best. A number in the Triple Jump come in at over 39 feet, with Starisa Childs (So/Carson) 39-11w to with the LA City section, the Southern Section Champ, Melissa Keltner (So/Chino Hills) 39-06.5w, Lyndsay Pearson (So/San Marcos of Santa Barbara) 39-03.5, and Kayla Green (Ce/Florin) 39-00 from the Sac Joaquin area. The nation’s top middle school jumper from last year, Ciarra Brewer (No/Logan of Union City) brings in fine 39-03 and 18-10 marks to the two horizontal jumps.
The 800 features a group of flyers from the different areas of the State. Justine Fedronic (No/Carlmont) was the Arcadia champ last April at 2:08.08 before injury, with Anja Disiena (So/Fountain Valley) third at State at 2:09.54. Jordan Diaz (No/Leigh of San Jose) was 2:11.96 last year as a frosh and eighth at State, with Jami Hardy (No/Logan of Union City) the NCS Champ at 2:11.65 and Brazile Clark (No/Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland) 2:11.75 and fourth at the NCS Meet of Champs. Ashlee Thomas (Ce/Centennial of Bakersfield) was the Central Section Champ at 2:14.19, with Alisah Brown (Ce/Madera) a fine 2:11.92 while taking third at the Golden West Invitational. Sarah Vitug (So/University City of San Diego) was the area runner-up last spring at 2:14.89. A very competitive group should make for a fine Mile contest. Meaghan Marvin (Ce/Clovis) had a great Fall Cross Country season that went through to the Foot Locker National Championships, with the 10:39.54 3200 soph runner hoping to move down in distance with success here. Megan Fairley (So/Peninsula of Rolling Hills) was 4:55.38 and fifth at State two years ago over 1600 meters, and had a fine fall Cross Country season as she returns in style from injury. Stephanie Felix (So/La Mirada) is a fine 10:37.35 3200 runner and has a 5:01.69 1600 best, with Chloe Allen (Ce/Clovis West of Fresno) 5:00.39 last year while third in the Central Section. A couple of placers from the State Meet headline the High Jump. Camilla Dencer (So/West Valley Christian of West Hills) was 5-07 last spring and fourth at State, with Tara Richmond (So/LB Poly) also 5-07 for a best and a tie for fifth at the State competition in June. Janelle Coulter (No/Aptos) was third in the CCS last year at 5-06.5, with Holly Franks (Ce/Sierra of Tollhouse) the Central Section runner-up at 5-06. Samantha Balentine (Ce/Lodi) was fourth in the Sac Joaquin Section meet at 5-06, with Ashley Henry (So/Rancho Cucamonga) seventh in the Southern Section championship meet at 5-06. Tess Balcomb (Ce/Colfax) heads the Girls Pole Vault with an 11-11.75 best and third place effort last year in the Sac Joaquin Section Finals. Lauren Radke (So/Oaks Christian of Westlake Village) was 11-08 in 2007 with a fifth place finish in the Southern Section. Allison Berryhill (Ce/Clovis West) was the Central Section runner-up last May at 11-06.
The two relays on the program, the 4x160 and 4x440 have some good groups. In the shorter event, the Southern California “A” squad did not have to leave the city of Long Beach for fine team members, with Erin Reid, State 400 Champ Jasmine Joseph, Akawkaw Ndipagbor, and Angele Cooper looking like a tough group to beat. In the 4x440 Reid is replaced by Nyjah Cousar in what looks like another solid squad. |
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