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DyeStat 2001 Outdoor
Mobile Meet of Champions
Preview
by John Dye
The Invitational Division of the MOC will run Saturday night at St. Paul's Episcopal school in Mobile with a strong group of nationally ranked athletes in attendance. Competition will be especially fast and furious in the sprints, the 3200 meters, and the high jump. Here are the events and athletes to watch:
BOYS
Most intriguing will be the matchup of two of the top freshmen sprinters in the country -- Jerald Watson LA and Michael Grant GA -- with other strong talent in the mix. Ashton Collins of Louisiana comes to Mobile with the fastest 400 meter time in the country this season, 46.29.
Boys 100
A battle of freshman phenoms
- fr Jerald Watson LA, 6.78 in prelims at NSIC for new freshman 60 meter record, and 2nd in finals to Brendan Christian
- fr Michael Grant GA, 5th NSIC 60 finals 6.98; 2000 USATF Youth Boys 100 and 200 champion, setting a Youth Boys national record in each event, 10.94 and 21.84.
- sr Ben Kittleson KY, 6.42 55m indoors US#8, 6.87 60m indoors 4th NIC Maryland
- Chris Lawson LA, 6.45 55m indoors, 7.01 60m indoors 7th NSIC New York
Boys 200
- jr Aaron Collins LA, 22.17 indoors, 6th NSIC New York
- jr Michael Loyd NC, 21.73 3rd AAU JO nationals
- fr Xavier Carter FL
Boys 400
- jr Ashton Collins LA 46.29 US#1 this season, 48.0 indoors #2 NSIC New York
- sr Jonathan Fortenberry GA 48.22, 4th NSIC New York
- fr Xavier Carter FL
Boys 110 Hurdles
Georgia pair who ran 2-3 at NSIC New York will tangle here, with good company from Florida and North Carolian.
- sr Josh Walker GA, U. of Florida signee, 14.08 -0.7 winner of Florida Relays last week and second in 60
meter hurdles at NSIC New York last month. - jr Dexter Faulk GA, 7.86 60H 3rd at NSIC New York, 13.67 110H best in 2000 US#5
- jr Michael Loyd NC, 7.51 55H indoors
Boys High Jump
This event features a trio of 6-10 jumpers: sr Janon Busby AL, Matt Denton MS, and Rophyell Howell MS.
Boys Pole Vault
sr Brad Smith GA (15-10 indoors, winner of Georgia HS Invitational in the Georgia Dome) and sr Garrett Penton FL (15-0, 2nd NSIC New York) will be challenged by a trio of local vaulters from McGill-Toolen of Mobile led by Matt Vogtner.
Boys Relays
If Miami Central FL lives up to its 2000 numbers, they will run off with a pair of golds in the 4x400 (3:15.13 1st Florida Relays) and 4x800 (7:39.56 Florida 4A state meet, US#3 2000). The Collins brothers have paced J.S. Clark LA to a 3:18+ 4x400 already this year.
GIRLS
Excitement centers on the sprints and the high jump. The sprints are loaded with national elite runners including Janice Davis MS, Stephanie Smith GA, Christy Fairly MS, and Shamekia Louis LA. The high jump matches up a super pair of "KB" seniors: defending MOC champion and local favorite Kaylah Burks AL and Kelley Bowman KY.
100
- sr Shamekia Louis LA, 11.79 100m 2000 Louisiana 2A champion, 7.15 55m indoors LA #1
- soph Nikita Taylor MS 11.94, 2000 Mississippi North regional champion.
200
- soph Janice Davis MS, 23.73 indoors, 3rd to Angel Perkins' US record at NSIC New York; 23.80 2000, 3rd USATF JO nationals.
- soph Stephanie Smith GA, 24.21 indoors, 24.00 2000 outdoor
- sr Shamekia Louis LA, 24.39 2000 Louisiana 2A champion
- jr Donesha Spivey FL, 24.27 2nd 2000 AAU JO nationals
- sr Christy Fairley MS, 24.92 2000 Mississippi 4A champion
400
- soph Stephanie Smith GA, 52.64 US#4, 2000 USATF JO national champion
- soph Janice Davis MS 52.92 US#6, 2000 outdoor, 2nd USATF JO nationals to Smith.
- sr Christy Fairley MS 53.57 2000 Mississippi 4A champion
High Jump
- Kaylah Burks AL (5-10 last week, US#1 so far in 2001)
- Kelley Bowman KY (5-10.5 Kentucky champion in 2000).
3200
We could see a re-run of last week's Florida Relays 1A/2A 3200 meters, when local 8th grader Tara Lenn AL, who attends MOC host school St. Paul's Episcopal, came within a whisker (0.01) of catching 2000 Foot Locker Cross Country finalist Christa Benton FL in a driving rain. But it is much more than a 2-girl race as defending champion Tricia Delacourt FL, Carling Cookerly FL (winner of the Florida Relays 3A/4A division in 11:06.36), jr Ali Sauer KY, sr Shannon Womack GA, sr Ginger Wheeler NC (2000 North Carolina cross country champion) are also in the mix.
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