There's nothing "Mini" about the level of talent that hits JDL Fast Track this weekend, in a meet where established stars can get in work and future stars regularly blossom.
Don't let the name fool you: the "Mini-Meets" don't mean there is "Mini-Talent" on display this weekend. Combined, last year's three January Mini-Meets produced 139 national elite performances - the same number as at the "regular" Fast Track Invitational two weeks later. That's true again this year, with many of the state's top individuals and teams scheduled to attend one of the three sessions. Check out the quick summary of each session below, then click through the virtual meets for more details!
What To Watch on Friday:
- Girls & Boys Pole Vault: Tessa Sheets (Northwood) has cleared 11 feet this winter, outdoors, and could exceed her PR of 11' 3" in superior indoor conditions. Chesley Krug (TC Roberson) and Olivia Goodwin (Cary) are looking for their first 11 foot jumps. In the boys' competition, state leader Elijah Cole (Millbrook) will take on fellow 15-footer Joseph Popek (Ragsdale).
- Girls Long & Triple Jump: Cummings has loaded their trio of jumpers (Kayla Moore, Kelsia Moore, and Kenyae Majors) into the long jump, where they have the top 3 seeds. The first-ever indoor appearance from Gracie Miller (Burlington Christian), a 17-foot jumper, helps add to the competition. Kelsia and Kenyae will then face off against Imani Bennett (Southern Guilford) in a loaded triple jump.
- Girls & Boys 4x800: Green Hope holds the top seed in both races, and could run away with the boys' race, although Page will try to prevent that from happening. On the girls' side, traditional powers T.C. Roberson and Cardinal Gibbons will try to battle the Falcons, who are NC #5 right now, as all three teams would like to run 10 minutes or faster.
- Kayla Moore (Cummings): She should dominate the 55 Hurdles, as she is looking to put up a sub-8.20 time to move into the top 3 in the state rankings.
- Girls 55 Dash: Tajah Walston (Cummings, NC #3) and Sun-Sara' Williams (Independence, NC #5) will battle for the win, and there should also be a very intense competition right around the 3A & 4A qualifying times.
- Girls 4x200: Cummings, Cary, and Olympic all have strong teams, so the final section should be fun to watch.
- Sara Platek: After setting a facility record in the 3200 before the holiday, does she have a sub-5 1600 in her?
- Girls & Boys 1000 Run: Should be extremely competitive up front in both races. For the girls, Kate Sanborn (Pinecrest), Anna Passannante (Chapel Hill), and freshman Alessandra Rodriguez (Green Hope, 800 PR or 2:19) all have established mid-distance credentials, and Grace West (Pinecrest) ran 3:06 at JDL in December. Nolan Patrick (Southwest Guilford) and Ian Shanklin (Page) should be well-matched in the boys' race, and several other competitors could get in on the race for sub-2:40.
What to Watch of Saturday Morning:
- Boys Shot Put: Terrell Adams (Middle Creek) s the current state leader, and he will have a challenge from Mooresville's Daniel McArthur, who is also solidly in the mid-50's.
- Lauren White & Kenya Livingston: White is the NC co-leader in the long jump at 17' 7.75", she has 18-foot potential, and she will have a good opponent in Chandler Robinson (Wando SC). Livingston leads the high jump rankings and is looking for the first 5' 8" of the season.
- Girls & Boys 4x800: In the girls' race, Providence will be heavily favored if they stack the relay, as they have run 10:01 this winter, but Marvin Ridge can field a strong team, and Rocky River has been under 10:30. Boys' state leader Asheville should be challenged by Lake Norman.
- Akira Rhodes (Mallard Creek): As a freshman at Cox Mill last year she turned heads; now she's looking to move up the rankings in the 55 Hurdles.
- Girls 55 Dash:
- Girls 1600 Run: Jena Metwalli (Cannon School) is the state leader in the 1000, and she will take on Sarah LaTour (Cuthbertson) as well as Leesville Road teammates Emily Pettis & Taylor Hemming in this race - all of them competing unattached.
- Girls 500 Dash: Both are racing unattached, but Tatiana Mills (Berry) and Victoria Porter (South Mecklenburg) are among the state's best long sprinters.
- Girls 300 Dash: White, Mills, and Cambrea Sturgis (Statesville) square off in what should be a very interesting final section.
- Boys 3200 Run: Several evenly-matched runners will battle each other and the 10-minute barrier. Haven Honeycutt (Asheville) has already been under 10 indoors, Jacob Gonzalez (South Johnston) did it last spring outdoors, and Dakota Mendenhall (Forbush) is looking for his first sub-10. Zachary Mercer (Mooresville) could also be in the hunt for something in the 9:50's.
What to Watch on Saturday Night:
- Boys Shot Put: two of the state's best square off, with Magnus Herweyer (Carrboro) taking on Zachary Farmer (Hunt). Both of them will know what Adams threw in the Saturday Morning session, and that could be extra motivation.
- Girls Triple Jump: A good battle between several evenly-matched competitors, even if three of them are from the same team (Southeast Raleigh's Charlonda Washington, Jordan Gary, and Shannon MacLeod). Throw in Jordan Moore (Southern Alamance) and Jahnae Bowman (Parkland) and this could go to whoever jumps well tomorrow.
- Boys 4x800: Current state leader (using polar bear times) Weddington will take on perennial powers Southeast Raleigh and Mount Tabor - and the Spartans just put three guys under 2:39 at a weekday meet at JDL.
- Girls & Boys 4x200: Parkland and Southeast Raleigh go head-to-head in the girls' race, then West Rowan takes on Parkland and Weddington on the boys' side.
- Boys 500: State leader Jayon Woodard (Southeast Raleigh) will defend his ranking against Parkland's Lorenzo Graise. At the same time, two runners with big outdoor times are looking to back them up with strong indoor marks: Ardrey Kell's Joshua Cooper and Southeast Raleigh's Khalil Gary.
- Boys 1000: Weddington has a trio with huge outdoor times in Mitchell Resor, Matthew Conner, and Alex Hazan, and now they get to prove those times on the more-challenging flat 200. Christian Pigues (Trinity Academy) is strong and experienced in this event, and he should benefit from the aggressive pace up front.
- McKinley McNeill: The US leader in the 500 will run that event as well as the 300, where she is aiming for a sub-40 time.
- Elliott Graves (Reidsville): North Carolina's best hurdler this season, he will run that event as well as the 55 Dash.
- Girls & Boys 4x400: See the 4x200 above, plus Weddington's strong girls team.