|
by Pete Cava
LANDOVER, Md., March 7, 2002 --- The Nike Indoor Classic gets underway
Saturday at the Price George’s Sports and Learning Complex.
Here’s a preview of the girls events at the two-day meet.
60 meters: Ashlee Williams
(Bishop Dunne HS, Dallas, TX), 6th in last year's meet, is back.
Jakki Bailey (Kennett Square, PA, HS) and Zenobia Reed
(Lamar HS, Houston, TX) should provide stiff competition. Bailey
ran a 7.47 60m earlier this season, while Reed's season best in
7.46.
200 meters: Kamilah Salaam
(Glasgow HS, Wilmington, DE) was 6th in last year's race as
a sophomore. This year she's run 24.72 on a flat track and looms
as the favorite. Jakki Bailey (Kennett Square, PA, HS) should
be her main competition. Bailey comes in with a flat-track season
best of 25.25.
400 meters: Four of last year's
six finalists return, including junior Christina Smith (Penn
HS, Philadelphia, PA), who was the 2001 runnerup. The other three
finalists are local girls --- Erica Johnson (Woodson HS,
Washington, DC), 3rd last year; and teammates Renee Clarke
(Eleanor Roosevelt HS, Greenbelt, MD) and Romona Modeste
(Eleanor Roosevelt HS, Greenbelt, MD). Clarke was 4th here a year
ago while Modeste took 6th.
800 meters: Mindy Sullivan
(Coronado HS, Lubbock, TX), the nation's second-fastest prep last
year at 2:08.38, comes here with a season best of 2:12.87 on a banked
track. Jenna Timinsky (San Dieguito HS, Encinitas, CA), a
2:09.12 outdoor performer last year, has an ‘02 indoor best
of 2:12.8 (banked track). Crystal Anyanwu (Eleanor Roosevelt
HS, Greenbelt, MD) ran for the U.S. team at last year's World Youth
Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. Ari Lambie (Bromfield
School, Harvard, MA) could be a darkhorse. Lambie, a junior, has
1000m times of 2:56.03 (flat track) and 2:53.72 (banked track) this
season.
Mile: Molly Huddle (Notre
Dame HS, Elmira, NY) is a strong favorite. The University of Notre
Dame recruit is among the current U.S. leaders in the 1500m (4:22.1
flat track), mile (4:57.0 flat track) and 3000m (9:31.97 flat track).
Outdoors, Huddle took 3rd in the mile at the National Scholastic
meet and placed 4th at last December's FootLocker Cross Country
Championship.
2-Mile: Top contenders include
North Carolinians Laura Stanley (Country Day, Asheville,
NC) and Carly Matthews (Mt. Tabor HS, Winston-Salem, NC),
along with New Yorkers Nicole Blood (Saratoga Springs, NY,
HS) and Kristen Coon (Webster, NY, HS). Stanley took 5th
at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. Blood, a freshman,
is one of the meet's youngest entries.
60m hurdles: Defending champ
Ashlee Williams (Bishop Dunne HS, Dallas, TX) hopes to make
it two in a row. One of the top hurdlers this indoor season, Williams
was the ‘01 USA Junior 100H champion. She's also a top contender
in the 60m. Williams faces very stiff competition from Sheena
Gordon (McDowell HS, Erie, PA), Candice Davis (Pioneer
HS, Ann Arbor, MI), Vicki Howard (Montbello HS, Denver, CO),
Chanda Hardin-Scott (Denver, CO, East HS) and Janelle
Mulkey (East Central HS, San Antonio, TX). Gordon was 3rd in
this event last year and Davis, who took 5th, was also the 100H
5th-placer at last summer's National Scholastic meet. Howard, Hardin-Scott
and Mulkey all rank near the top of the current prep lists. Fans
might think they're seeing double during this event, but won't need
an eye exam. Diana and Julie Pickler (Rowlett, TX,
HS) are twins and also outstanding hurdles prospects. Diana ran
13.75 last outdoor season, while Julie was a 13.94 performer.
Mile walk: Christine Tagliaferri
(Penfield, NY, HS), who was 5th last year, is this year's top
contender.
4x200m relay: Top entries include
Eleanor Roosevelt HS (Greenbelt, MD), with times of 1:40.87
(flat) and 1:38.20 (banked) this season. Renee Clarke and
Romona Modeste, two of the top contenders in the 400m, along
with Kaprice Williams and Tiandra Ponteen make Roosevelt
a formidable presence. Ponteen's name appears near the top on current
prep lists from 300 to 500 meters.
4x400m relay: William Penn
HS (Philadelphia, PA) won this event at the ‘01 meet and checks
in with an ‘02 best of 3:54.39 on a flat track. Eleanor
Roosevelt, 3rd last year, comes here with ‘01 times of
3:52.3 (flat) and 3:45.62 (banked). Also in this strong f ield is
Stephenson HS (Stone Mountain, GA), which produced a 3:51.82
in a first-place finish on an oversized flat track at last month's
Kentucky Invitational.
4x800m relay: William Penn
HS (Philadelphia, PA), 3rd a year ago, is back. Woodrow Wilson
HS (Camden, NJ) comes to Landover with a season best of 9:24.0.
Eleanor Roosevelt HS (Greenbelt, MD) will field a young quartet
here, but could surprise.
4xMile: Rockford (MI)
HS won this event last year, becoming the 5th-fastest school of
all-time. The Michigan girls lead the current prep list at 21:39.78.
Sprint medley relay: Top contenders
include William Penn HS (Philadelphia, PA), Central
HS (Trenton, NJ) and Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, MD), all
among the top squads on the current prep list.
Distance medley relay: Perennial
powerhouse Rockford (MI) HS returns. They're the defending champs
and registered the 6th-fastest indoor mark of all-time on this track
a year ago. William Penn HS (Philadelphia, PA) and Eleanor
Roosevelt HS (Greenbelt, MD) should finish near the top.
High jump: Sheena Gordon (McDowell
HS, Erie, PA), one of the top stars of last year's meet, returns
as the defending champ. The ubiquitous Gordon also won the triple
jump and finished 3rd in the hurdles and 5th in the long jump. Outdoors,
Gordon was 2nd at the National Scholastic meet. Her season best
of 5-10 tops the current indoor prep list. Gordon's biggest challenger
could be Lisa Schenk (Jackson, NJ, Memorial HS), a 5-7 jumper
last indoor season.
Pole vault: Anyone's guess
here. Samantha Shepard (Weston, MA, HS) and Molly Lederman
(New Jewish School, Waltham, MA) finished 1-2 here last year
and will renew their friendly rivalry. Stacie Manuel (Willmar,
MN, HS), last year's No. 2 outdoor prep vaulter at 13-1.75, is another
contender. So is Jocelyn Lindsay (Central HS, Waynesburg,
PA), who placed 6th at the ‘01 meet. Jessica Graff (Mt.
Airy, MD) was the AAU Junior Olympic champ last summer and Jenny
Green (Central Catholic HS, Grand Island, NE) comes to town
with a season best of 12-9.
Long jump: Sheena Gordon
(McDowell HS, Erie, PA), 5th in ‘01, is back. Don't overlook
Kamesha Whitmire (Spartanburg, SC, HS), a 20-1.5 outdoor
performer last year. Aquila Judge (Scituate, MA, HS), Shaunalee
Williams (Mount Vernon, NY, HS) and Erica McClain (Clarke
HS, Plano, TX) rank near the top of the 2001 prep list.
Shot put: Lindsay Neuberger
(Cox HS, Virginia Beach, VA) returns, hoping to improve on her 2nd-place
finish in ‘01. Neuberger's the current prep leader at 48-4.75.
She'll have to get past three New Jerseyites: sisters Kelly
and Jessica Fazekas (Northern Valley, Demarest, NJ), as well
as Nicola Wilson (Central HS, Trenton, NJ). Kelly, a junior,
has a season best of 45-1. Jessica, a senior, checks in at 46-7.
Wilson's best put to date is 45-6.75.
Weight throw: Kristen Michalski
(West Warwick, RI, HS), the ‘01 runnerup, will return. Last
summer, she went on to place second in the hammer throw at the USA
Junior Championships. Internationally, Michalski placed 10th in
the hammer at the World Youth Championships in Debrecen, Hungary,
and was 6th at the Pan American Junior Championships in Santa Fe,
Argentina. Jennifer Wynn (Alexander, Douglasville, GA), Danielle
Dufresne (Toll Gate HS, Warwick, RI) and Shelly Wu (Merrimack,
NH), who finished 6th through 8th here last year, will return. Wynn's
58-4 is currently the No. 2 U.S. prep throw. Kristen Callan (Monroe-Woodbury
HS, Central Valley, NY) and Ronda Gullatte (Sprayberry HS,
Marrietta, GA) add depth. Callan's a 51-7 thrower this season, while
Gullatte's ‘02 best is 50-11.
Pentathon: Briana Smith
(Chesterfield, VA), 5th here last year, is back. But so is Julie
Pickler (Rowlett, TX, HS), the No. 3 prep heptathlete of ‘01
with a score of 5147. Julie's twin sister, Diana, is also
entered. The Pickler sisters are also among the top hurdlers in
this year's Nike Indoor Classic.
Nike Indoor Classic 2002
|
