Anna Cockrell has shaken things up in this classification, and could be the final piece to the champioship puzzle for Providence Day.
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Girls Preview (Virtual Meet)
Events to Watch
Cha'Mia Rothwell (Durham Academy) won the 100 Dash and finished second in the 100 Hurdles last year, when she was just in 8th grade. Although increased maturity may make her even stronger this year, she also has much more competition, because Anna Cockrell (Providence Day) moved into the classification. It looks like their battle in the 100 will be excellent to watch, and the race for third behind them could also be fun. Rothwell is also the top seed in the 200, against two other legitimate title contenders in Chanin Scott (Charlotte Latin) and Jonah Edwards (Providence Day). Those two are also the only sub-60 400 runners in the field. The pole vault is wide open, with two mid-9-foot jumpers in front of 6 competitors at 8' 6" or better. In the shot put, Alexus Baldwin (Ravenscroft) has a 1-foot advantage over everyone else, but the next 4 athletes are all within a foot of each other.
Athletes to Watch
In addition to the races listed above, Cockrell leads the list in the 300 hurdles, and Rothwell is also a 5' 4" high jumper. Margaret Edwards (Ravenscroft) is one of the top 5 high jumpers in the state, regardless of classification. Wesley Frazier (Ravenscroft) automatically makes the distance races more interesting, albeit somewhat less competitive. Don't overlook the excellence of Eliza Dekker (Durham Academy); if she isn't required to run for team points, she could sit out the 1600 and gun for an upset in the 800.
Teams to Watch
Boys Preview (Virtual Meet)
Events to Watch
The1600 should be extremely exciting, with three guys coming in with times under 4:20: Clayton Wilson (Greensboro Day), Ben Huffman (Providence Day), and Ryan Speer (North Raleigh Christian). Speer is also a contender in the 800, but if this race goes really fast that could compromise his legs for the later event. The 4x100 looks very competitive, as the top 4 are seeded closely. The 4x800 should also be fun to watch, with two teams up front - Providence Day and North Raleigh Christian - plus a deep battle for third place. The pole vault is another strong event, with Ryan Acks (Charlotte Latin) leading leading three 13+ jumpers (plus 4 more at 12' 6" or better). Finally, the 300 hurdles features no clear favorite, with the top 4 all within a second of each other in a race that has a way of shaking things up.
Athletes to Watch
Christian White, formerly of Ardrey Kell but at Charlotte Latin this year, is the top seed in the 400 as well as the 800. That is a difficult combination, though, and it will be interesting to see if he drops one to focus on the other. If White doesn't enter the 400, that would become one of the most competitive events of the day. Marcus Abraham (Metrolina Christian) is one of the best throwers in North Carolina, and he should be in complete control of both the shot put and the discus this weekend. Gregory Harper (Ravenscroft School) is the only long jumper over 22 feet - in fact, nobody else has even jumped 21 feet. Harper is also the top seed in the triple jump, which should be a closer battle for him. Huffman enters as the top 3200 runner, but he would very much like to claim the 1600 first. Kofie Yeboah (Ravenscroft) is a talented sprinter but has not put up much in the way of results this spring, so he might be a bit of a wild card.
Teams to Watch
Providence Day looks strongest on paper, but not by enough to declare them likely winners. The next group of teams (Charlotte Latin, North Raleigh Christian, Charlotte Christian, and Ravenscroft) all score within 10 points of each other in the virtual meet. That means that, even if none of them can get to first place, there should be a terrific competition for second.