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200 - Field
is headed by national indoor record holder (21.02) Brendan
Christian, Austin TX sr, whose titles include adidas Outdoor,
Texas 4A, AAU JO, and Golden West. He is off to a flying start
this year with US#1 indoor marks in the 200m (21.74) and 55m
(6.26).
Mile and 2 Mile --
Stevens Point WI jr Chris Solinsky is the favorite
in both, if he chooses to double in the morning 2-Mile and
evening mile. He is coming on strong in his junior year after
being held back by injuries last year. In the fall, he broke
a long standing Wisconsin state cross country record (15:07
5k on a tough course) and then dipped under 15 minutes for
5k finishing a close 3rd behind Tim Moore and Bobby Lockhart
in the Foot Locker national finals at Disney World in December.
Challenging Solinsky will be Liberty MO jr Adam Perkins,
2-time Youth Athletic Nationals 1500m winner with PR's of
1:53.97 for 800m, 3:52.19 1500m, and 4:12.66c mile; Homewood
AL sr Tyler Stanfield, a Foot Locker national XC finalist;
Jamestown VA sr Bryce Ruiz, 2000 AAU JO 1500m champion;
Maclay FL soph Ryan Deak, indoor freshman 2-mile record
holder and champion of the 2001 Great American Cross Country
Festival; Denver CO sr Bret Schoolmeester, 2-time state
cross country champion and 2001 Colorado 2A 2-Mile champion.
400 -
With his 46.04 US leading time in 2001, Sterling Houston TX
sr Kelly Willie is the clear favorite. He won the Texas
4A and Golden West titles before shutting down last May. Willie
may get a fight from Westminster CO sr Travis Anderson
(47.09 PR), Simplot and Colorado 5A champion; Camden NJ sr
Jade Smith, with a PR of 48.04 and relay splits faster
than that; and Louisiana twins Ashton (46.29) and Aaron
(49.90).
800 -
Don Lugo CA sr Raphael Asafo-Agyei rates as favorite
off his 1:50.70 sixth place at the 2001 adidas Outdoor Nationals
in Raleigh. He was first at last year's Arcadia Inv and second
in the California state meet. Also of interest are Coppell
Dallas TX sr Keith Jensen (1:54), who was blocked from
the Texas State Meet last year because Texas' best two, Jonathan
Johnson and Will Fitts, were in his region and Texas only
advances the top two; and Grant OR jr Joaquin Chapa
(1:54.42), whose name shows his blood lines as son of Rudy
Chapa, who set the national prep record for 10,000 meters
26 years ago.
4xMile Relay
- good matchup of Don Lugo CA, led by Erick Maldonado,
and FMR TC (Klein TX), led by Steve Magness.
Jumps -
Eagle ID jr Donovan Kilmartin shows his decathlete
versatility as top seed in high jump (6-10.25), pole vault
(16-4.75), and long jump (23-11.75w and 23-6). Murrieta Valley
CA sr Justin Nelson (6-10) will challenge in high jump.
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800
- National championship calibre showdown with five
sub-2:10 girls and six more with PRs of 2:13.60 or better.
Headed by record setting 1-2 girls in 2001 Texas State Meet:
Mindy Sullivan 2:08.38 and Kelly Cordell 2:08.48.
200 -
Features three of the best in the US: Natchez MS jr Janice
Davis, one of the hottest runners of the indoor season
with doubles at LSU and Arkansas; 2001 US Junior National
200 meter champion (23.38); 7:01 55m US#2, 55.59 400m US#3
this year --- Aquinas FL sr Sanya Richards, 2001 USATF
JO 200m champion (23.09), qualified for 2001 Florida State
Meet in 5 events --- Los Angeles CA Baptist jr Allyson
Felix, 2001 World Youth Championship 100m winner (11.57),
2001 California state 100m champion (11.61), 200m PR of 23.27
running second to Angel Perkins in 2001 California state meet.
Davis and Felix will also run the 60m, along with J.W. North,
Riverside CA sr Tracee Thomas and Plano TX soph Erica
McLain.
4x400
- the SoCal rivalry of Wilson Long Beach (alias Teekay
Track Club) and J. W. North, Riverside, is joined by
United Stars of Philadelphia, which beat Teekay at
Simplot last year, Reagan Austin TX, San Antonio TX Heat,
and James Logan CA. Wilson practically owns the
4x400 record book, with the six best all-time marks indoors
and the five best ever outdoors, including a new US record
of 3:35.72 by the 2001 squad at the California state meet.
High Jump
- First rematch of last year's titanic duel at the adidas
Outdoor Nationals in Raleigh, when J.W. North, Riverside CA
sr Chaunte Howard and McDowell PA sr Sheena Gordon
tied on height at 6-0.5 and Howard won the championship on
fewest misses. They are joined by Memorial Houston jr Meggie
Schuelke, who hit 5-10 as a soph last year.
Pole Vault -
Super matchup of the current season leader and the US indoor
record holder. Grand Island NE jr Jenny Green turned
heads when she won the big Pole Vault Summit last month in
Reno at 12-9, tieing Molly Lederman MA for US#1 this season.
Lederman's training partner, Weston MA sr Samantha Shepard,
who vaulted in the USA women's nationals before she was in
high school, set the US indoor record last year at 13-3.5.
Not to be overlooked is Skyview Nampa ID jr Julene Bailey
(PR 12-7), winner of the 2001 World Youth Championships.
2 Mile
- This was supposed to get top billing with a dream matchup
of the 3 fastest returning distance runners in the country:
Deerfield IL sr Erika Odlaug, winner of the Golden
West and Junior Nationals; Smoky Hill
CO sr Megan Kaltenbach; and Enumclaw WA sr Alison
Tubbs, runaway winner of the 2001 Great American Cross
Country Festival. But Tubbs went down with a stress fracture,
and Odlaug opted for the USA Winter XC Nationals this same
weekend to try for the US junior women's team at the World
Cross Country Championships in Ireland next month. Nevertheless,
this is still a very strong event with Kaltenbach (PR
10:15.37c), who beat the best at Arcadia last April --- Murrieta
Valley CA soph Liza Pasciuto, a Foot Locker national
finalist as a freshman, PR 10:53.10c --- Phillips Exeter MA
sr Emily Hampson, 2000 New England Prep School 1500m
champion (4:35.27) --- Leavenworth KS sr Amy Hastings,
2001 Kansas 6A 3200m champion (11:00.20) --- Minnesota 8th
grade phenom BriaWetsch --- and Faith Lutheran NV soph
Nikki Peterson, winner of two big cross country meets
in Southern California last fall.
400 -
Sanya Richards (53.47 PR) will double here and face
Merion Mercy PA jr Tiffany Abney (53.94), champion
of the Colgate Games in New York last Saturday; Colorado 5A
champion Megan Fox (55.10); Wilson Long Beach CA jr
Ashley Freeman (55.40); Lincoln NE sr Ashley Selig
(56.48), 2001 Nebraska Class C champion; and J.W. North, Riverside
CA sr Tracee Thomas (54.32), 2001 Youth Athletic Nationals
champion.
Mile -
A deep field of girls who have made their mark nationally
at longer or shorter distances, most notably Coronado Lubbock
TX sr Mindy Sullivan. An 800-meter specialist last
year, Sullivan decided to stretch out her distance this year
and won the Texas state cross country championship at 2 miles
and qualified for the Foot Locker cross country national finals
at 5k. She has tried the mile indoors with a 5:04.52 effort
running attached at Texas Tech in December. The winner could
also come from San Dieguito CA sr Jenna Timinsky (5:00.95c);
Shelbyville IL jr Sarah Selby (5:04.66 indoors); Emily
Hampson (4:35.27 1500m); Liza Pasciuto; Rockford
MI soph Nikki Bohnsack (5:01.28), a Foot Locker national
finalist this year; Riley County KS Erin Mortimer (4:59.40);
KS freshman Mallory Champa, 2001 USATF JO intermediate
1500m champion (4:44.12 1500m); or Tri-Valley NY soph Heather
Iatauro (5:03.04), winner of this year's Hispanic Games
mile indoors in New York.
4xMile Relay -
Rockford MI set new national records last year in both
this and the 4x1600 meter relay and return with a younger
lineup.
Distance Medley Relay
- Rockford MI, both 2nd and 3rd last year in the adidas
Outdoor Nationals at Raleigh, goes with the younger lineup
this year.
Horizontal Jumps
- McDowell PA sr Sheena Gordon (43-0.25w) and Plano
TX soph Erica McLain (42-7w) were 3rd and 5th in the
country last year. In long jump, they are joined by twins
Diana (19-4) and Julie Pickler (19-3), Rowlett
TX seniors.
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