This classification is a perfect example of the rapid explosion we've seen in adaptive participation, as defending 100 and 200 champ Dylan Pinder will be joined by three other male wheelchair athletes.
The rise in participation among adaptive events has possibly been the biggest story over the last year in the overall context of track & field in North Carolina. While some of the NCHSAA's policies regarding these athletes have been controversial, one thing is certain: our state has ensured that the door is wide open for anyone who wants to participate in this sport, and in that sense we are national leaders. In no meet is this more evident than the 2A State Championship, where 4 male wheelchair athletes will compete - more than there were among all genders and all classifications 2 years ago. To my mind, this is just one more thing that makes our sport special, and all the rest is just quibbling over details. For a preview of the wheelchair events, and also all the other events, see below!
More NCHSAA 2A State Meet Coverage
- Performance List
- Meet Page (results from previous years)
- Virtual Meets (using regional results only): Boys | Girls
- Virtual Meets (using season bests): Boys | Girls
Sprints & Hurdles
Brian Sessoms is back, and he is on his postseason game again. The Carver senior is the defending champion in the 100 and 200, and he follows a familiar pattern each spring: quiet most of the season, then he explodes when championships are on the line. He holds the top seed in both races again, but he has a healthy Juwon Crowder (Forest Hills) to deal with in the 100 this year, and that's a real challenge. The 200 could belong to Sessoms, though, unless someone who hasn't been under 22 breaks through this weekend. There will be a showdown in the 110 Hurdles, too, as indoor 55H champ Elliott Graves (Reidsville) faces Jayhlen Washington (North Brunswick). They ran identical 14.55 times last weekend, and their season bests are separated by only 0.01! Graves will most likely dominate the 300 Hurdles, though, as he is one of the state's best regardless of classification in that race. Aurelio Ottey (Southwest Onslow) is the only boy in the 400 that has broken 50, but that doesn't make him a lock; Amari Devaughn (T.W. Andrews) ran in the low 48's last year.
Kayla Moore (Cummings) has had a bit of a rough year, but she came through the other side with yet another #1 seed in the 100 Hurdles, and it will take something highly unusual for her to lose that race. She also advanced in the 300 Hurdles but will be running in the slow section - just remember that she won that race last year. If Moore isn't up to full speed in the 300, then it becomes a battle between Brianna White (North Rowan) and Mya Jones (Newton-Conover). It's good to see Jaleesa Smoot (Salisbury) back in the state meet after an injury forced her out last spring; she is the top seed in the 100 and the 400 and will also run the 200 (at which point I suspect she will be rather tired). Payton Rusell (North Rowan) has a season best in the 400 that makes her a serious contender, as do SyKonza Evans (Carver) and Kameron Skeen (Thomasville) in the 100. The 200 appears to be wide open, with as many as 5 girls that could legitimately win. Time to apply the George Principle: when in doubt, go with the freshest legs. After Smoot and Russell get done battling in the 400, it seems likely that Starbesha Satterwhite (Warren County) or Courtney Miles (Beddingfield) will be able to slip in for the 200 win.
Field Events
Croatan's Samantha Layko is the defending champion and top seed in the discus, and this season her shot put has improved enough to make her the favorite there, as well. Keona Finkley (St. Pauls) is a little over a foot behind her as the second seed in the shot, and nobody is close in the discus. In contrast, the girls' long jump could be the most exciting and intense competition of the weekend. Kayla Moore (Cummings) has the top seed, but Courtney Miles (Beddingfield) has been over 18 feet 6 times this spring, including two 19-foot jumps in small meets (though she hasn't duplicated that distance on a big stage yet). Tainasha Vines (Bunn) hasn't jumped 18 this year, but she did it last spring, with a PR of 18' 9". Even the fifth seed in the long jump, Cummings' Kenyae Majors, has been over 18! Vines is the top seed in the triple jump, but Tangela Williams (North Johnston) and Kelsia Moore (Cummings) are right on her heels. Taylor Singleton (Hendersonville) is the best among the vaulters with her PR of 9' 6", but if she only clears 8' 6" like last weekend then it will open the door for several other contenders. Ditto in the high jump, where Vanessa Agrusa (Franklin) has cleared 5' 5", and she has a whopping SIX 5' 4" jumpers hard on her heels.
It's not often that you see three 23-foot long jumpers in a classification with schools this small, but that's exactly what we've got on Saturday. The trouble is, two of the jumpers have only done that once, including top seed Damani Sharpe (Beddingfield), who either caught inspiration or a gust of wind at his regional (although he has jumped in the 22's before, he has been inconsistent). The same is true for Damarius Valentine (East Lincoln), while the most consistently strong jumper has been Jayhlen Washington (North Brunswick). Sharpe jumped 45 feet in the triple this season but did not advance to the state meet, leaving Washington to take on top seed Di'Joun Huitt (Bunker Hill). Huitt only needs to duplicate his 46' 11.25" jump from last weekend to win, but you know he really wants that 47-footer! Magnus Herweyer (Carrboro) looks dominant in the throws, and Jonathan Shingleton (North Pitt) should be in control of the vault, but the high jump looks very interesting. Top seed Desmond Lindsay (Forest Hills) cleared 6' 6" last weekend, but Rondez Taylor (Franklinton) also has the same PR - and that doesn't even factor in the 3 other guys who have been over 6' 4" this season.
Distance Races
Carrboro's Maysa Araba rarely shows her full ability until the state meet rolls around - which makes you wonder what she has in store for us this year after posting PR's of 2:18 and 4:55 (converted from the mile) during the season. She will be challenged by Brittany Stanley (Mt. Pleasant), especially in the 800; in fact, it wouldn't be terribly surprising to see Stanley walk off the 1600 and push all her chips in for the half-mile. Araba's teammate Helen Morken is the top seed in the 3200, and she will have her hands full with Mariah Howlett (Lake Norman Charter), who was able to cruise in the regional but has a season best only 5 seconds off Morken's.
Could we see three different winners in three boys' distance races? Blanton Gillespie (Shelby) favors the 1600, where he is the top seed, although Elijah Inuwa (CATA) is lurking with a deceptive seed time. Inuwa is the runner most likely to double, as he can dominate in the 800; the question is whether he wants to pour all his energy into his favorite race, or divide it between the two. There could also be a really intense battle for second in the 800, by the way, with Sean Doyle (Polk County) being pursued by 5 guys with PR's under 2:01. Meanwhile, Corbin Boyles (Maiden) is ready to claim another 3200 state title, and don't believe for a minute that his 9:58 seed time is the best he can do (he has a season best of 9:41 and a PR of 9:24). He handled the only other sub-10 runner in the field, Gillespie, at their regional last weekend, but you never know what can happen a week later.
Wheelchair Events
This is the classification for the best boys' wheelchair competition, with 4 guys entered in various events, including two that set state meet records in last year's meet. It starts in the throws, where Antoine Perry (Franklinton) has the top seed and also leads the overall state rankings. Kenny Korff (North Brunswick) enters the meet with the top discus mark, although that event will be closely contested. State record holder and defending champion Bryce Floyd (South Lenoir) did not compete in the throws at his regional, unfortunately, because this could have been a really entertaining showdown between three good throwers. On the track, it's Dylan Pinder (North Johnston) that dominates in the 100 and 200, while Perry opts for the 400.
Relays & Team Scores
East Lincoln enters the meet with the top seed time in the girls' 4x800, but Carrboro wasn't pushed in their regional - the Jaguars have run 9:32 this season, and will most likely separate early and cruise to the win. Carrboro is also the top seed in the 4x400 as they look for bookend relay wins, but Newton-Conover is definitely a threat there. Cummings is the only girls' 4x1 team in the classification to have broken 50 seconds, while Kinston's girls will have to battle St. Pauls for the 4x2 title.
The boys' 4x100 could be a barn-burner, with top seed Bunn facing three teams that are less than half a second behind them: Franklinton, Beddingfield, and Kinston. Don't count out Carver, either, especially with Brian Sessoms on the anchor! Neither Washington nor North Pitt advanced from the regional in the 4x200, though both have run under 1:30 - that leaves Bunker Hill as the lone team in that category to actually make it here, with Carver chasing. The meet starts with a 4x8 battle between familiar mountain foes Polk County and Franklin (although beach schools Currituck and Croatan could put themselves right in the middle of it). Expect it to end with a bang, as Lake Norman Charter, North Pitt, and North Brunswick have all run between 3:27 and 3:28 this season...and that final race could have big implications on the team scores.
Not surprisingly, this is shaping up to be a 2-team battle in the girls' scores, between Cummings and Carrboro. The virtual meet with season bests gives the nod to the Jaguars, while the one using regional performances tabs the Cavaliers as the slight favorite. This will come down to actual performances, and that's always the way it should be. For the boys, North Brunswick appeared to be a heavy favorite all season, but without Derrick Wheeler in the throws the Scorpions have come back to the rest of the pack. With the right breaks, Bunker Hill and North Pitt could pull off the upset and take home a title. If any of the three fall off at all, then Polk County and Carver will be lurking not far behind.
This classification is a perfect example of the rapid explosion we've seen in adaptive participation, as defending 100 and 200 champ Dylan Pinder will be joined by three other male wheelchair athletes.
The rise in participation among adaptive events has possibly been the biggest story over the last year in the overall context of track & field in North Carolina. While some of the NCHSAA's policies regarding these athletes have been controversial, one thing is certain: our state has ensured that the door is wide open for anyone who wants to participate in this sport, and in that sense we are national leaders. In no meet is this more evident than the 2A State Championship, where 4 male wheelchair athletes will compete - more than there were among all genders and all classifications 2 years ago. To my mind, this is just one more thing that makes our sport special, and all the rest is just quibbling over details. For a preview of the wheelchair events, and also all the other events, see below!