The "grudge match" between these two has been over five months in the making, and the all-time state records may never be the same.

Meet Page

(Performance List, Schedule)

Now in its sixth year, what was once a small tune-up meet has become one of the best collections of talent in the state for the spring season.  The meet still stays true to its roots, as just like its early years the distance races are loaded.  Over the last two years, thanks in no small part to a partnership with the NCTCCCA, the entries in the sprints, hurdles, and field events have gotten much stronger, making it a complete meet where athletes and spectators can get great competition across all the events.  Check out some of the best matchups in the previews below, and come out to watch the meet tonight!

Skip to Boys Preview

Girls Preview

The 800 is the unquestioned centerpiece of the meet, as we finally get the matchup we've wanted all year.  Ever since Malia Ellington defeated Blake Dodge in a 1600 indoors, the track community has wanted to see the two stars square off in an 800.  They both ran 2:11 at New Balance Nationals Indoors, but in separate races, and they haven't faced each other this spring.  Dodge currently sits at #2 on the NC All-Time list for this event, and she really wants to challenge for the state record of 2:06.67; a hard-charging opponent like Ellington is just what she needs to make such an attempt.  It won't just be those two going after it, either, as the rest of the field is absolutely loaded.  Eliza Dekker has been showing signs of a breakthrough in the 800, which has always been her strongest event (she broke 2:17 in 8th grade), and Cary's Lakeisha Warner also has a strong history with the event, having clocked 2:10 in 2012.  The weather might not be warm enough for the native of the British Virgin Islands, but the competition should still bring out her best.  Add in Anna Passannante, who held the top spot in the state rankings for a while in April and May, plus Casey Greenwalt and her cross-town rival Anna Vess, whose performances at the 3A state meet were eye-opening for many, and you have an outstanding front group.  Vess, in particular, should be interesting to watch, as she has not focused on the 800 all season - but she showed her footspeed when going toe-to-toe with Dodge two weeks ago.

After her promising freshman season, Breanne Bygrave has had a bit of a rough sophomore campaign - at least until the regionals rolled around.  There and at the 4A state meet she showed significant improvement, and that could continue today against Ebony Williams in the 100 Hurdles.  Ariel Davis has also recently taken a big step forward in the hurdles, and she would love to get closer to the 14-second barrier.  Courtney Warner, one of the stars of the 3A state meet, will get to run against arguably the state's best 100 runner in Charminique Hackney, although the Carry sprinter has been hampered by minor injuries recently.  Layla White is the top seed in the 400 and is looking for her first outdoor sub-55 time, with a fleet of strong runners behind her including Jaleesa Smoot and McKinley McNeill.  Williams will take on Lydia Laws and sleeper candidate Kylie Polsgrove in the 400 Hurdles, while Hackney, Warner, Smoot, and others will face off in the 200.  In one of the more interesting races of the night, Cary's girls will run the 800 SMR, perhaps with an eye on making some noise in that event at NBN.

The 800 is not the only girls' distance race with serious talent.  Ryen Frazier headlines the Two Mile, with Rebekah Greengrass also on board for competition.  Blair Ramsey will try to pull several would-be sub-5 girls through that barrier with her, and Cardinal Gibbons could put three girls under 5 with strong races from Mary Grace Doggett, Sophie Ebihara, and Megan Vaughn.  Casey Greenwalt and Brooke Turner will also be in that lead pack and looking to post new PR's.  At the end of the evening, Asheville rivals Anna Vess and Lily Anderson will go head-to-head in the 5000, with Kayla Holder lilkely to be right with them.

The triple jump should be a serious fight between several strong contenders - K'Lynn Beal is the top seed, but Lydia Laws is a contender, and the Cummings duo of Kayla Moore and Kenyae Majors could also threaten (both jumped over 36 feet in the winter before struggling a bit through outdoor season).  Majors and Moore are also two of the five 18-foot long jumpers entered, along with Beal, Kacia Vines, Lauren White.  Polsgrove will face Ashley Parker in the high jump, and as Kylie will be fresh it will be an excellent chance for another attempt at 5' 8".  Finally, Mariel Finger will make another attempt to replicate her 12 foot jump from earlier this season, with one of the state's top returners for next year, Taylor Helms, trying to move closer to the coveted mark herself.

Boys Preview

The best event of the night looks like the mile, even if top seed Ryan Speer ends up being a little fatigued after the 800 earlier in the meet.  You can feel the hunger from the 2 through 6 seeds in this race, none of whom has ever broken 4:20, but all of whom are within 3 seconds of doing so.  That should bring serious intensity to the front pack, especially with seniors like Chris O'Brien, Matthew Blivin, and Patrick Sheehan trying to close out their high school careers with new PR's.  Add in Blanton Gillespie and Nolan Cook, who are both establishing themselves as returners to be reckoned with, and you have the formula for a fast race.  Speer and Jon Knight could drop this race after battling in the 800, but there will still be enough talent among the contenders to force the pace.  Don't be surprised if Josh Mitchell (Cary Academy) gets in on the action, too - he's due for a big race after steady improvement this season.

The other distance events are stacked, as well.  Kyle Christ (West Johnston) is looking for a strong 5000, although running the mile not too far ahead of that might throw a wrench into those plans.  Ryan Speer and Jon Knight are set for an epic showdown in the 800, with Christian White right in the mix and a second group of guys trying to break 1:54 adding to the depth in that event.

Although the number of competitors in the field events isn't large, the talent is very strong.  Take the high jump, where state leader Myles Lazarou preps for his summer quest of finally achieving 7 feet, while 3A state champ Chris Garrick will provide some competition.  Four vaulters are entered at 14' 6" or 14' 7", which should push them to perform their best.  Isaiah Moore is tuning up for his annual chase of a New Balance Nationals title, but he isn't the only 23-footer in the meet: Jordan Santana (North Davidson) and Tevin Quick (Ragsdale) can also put up big numbers.  Noah Tyson and Ryan Davis top the entries in the triple jump and the throws, respectively.

Finally, but certainly not least, you onlt have a few more opportunities to witness the talent and technical execution of Tentavis Friday before he moves on to Florida State.  He needs to drop 0.04 from his 100 time to move into NC #3 All Time, and he is conceivably in reach of the state record in the 200 (currently held by J-Mee Samuels at 20.32).  On the one hand, this meet is a stepping-stone for him, and the weather isn't as warm as you would want for elite sprint times; on the other hand, this is the meet where Trent dropped his current PR of 20.79 (after running sub-47 in the 400, no less).  Though there is nobody else in the field that can push the Cherryville senior, there should be excellent races behind him - there are 7 sub-22 entries in the 200 and 9 listed at 10.80 or faster in the 100.  Deedro Clarke comes from the Bahamas with best times of 10.55 and 21.40, good enough to push Friday at least somewhat, and he could pull NC athletes like Daniel Estrada, Jakara King-Penn, and Khairee Lewis to faster times.  Isaiah Moore will try to get further under 14 against Emmanuel Jackson in the 100 Hurdles, while President Rimpsey and Dominick Patterson will square off in the 400 Hurdles.  In the middle of the meet, Marquavious Johnson will try to shake move past an injury-plagued spring season for himself and his Knightdale teammates, and running under 47 for the first time in his career would be an excellent way to do just that.