Olympians and World Champions Come to Winston-Salem! Camel City Invitational Preview

Camel City Elite Invite

College Invitational Preview

There is only one dedicated Elite field event, the pole vault, but that hasn't stopped a handful of the best professional athletes in the country from coming to compete in other events.  In addition, there are many current North Carolina collegians, as well as a host of former NC high school athletes, entered in the college invitational portion of the meet on Friday night and Saturday morning.


Highlight Events

  • Weight Throw (Friday): Two former NC stars in the throws, Kayla Padgett (West Brunswick) and Mohogany Baker (Berry Academy), have teamed up for ECU and are in the top 4 entries in this event.  The headliner for the women, though is definitely 9-time US champion Amber Campbell, who trains with the Mjolnir Throws Club in Charleston SC.  Andy Fryman finished 3rd at the USATF Indoor Nationals in this event last winter, and UNC's A.J. Hicks is one of the best in the NCAA.  You can also spot a bunch of former NC throwing stars farther down the performance list, making this an event worth seeing.

  • High Jump (Friday): Nicole Greene, who lit up JDL Fast Track last year as a high school senior, is back now as a UNC freshman.  She will take on Canadian Olympic heptathlete Brianne Theisen-Eaton and Elon's Megan Kirschling.  Keep an eye on Alexandria Florent, who came all the way across the country from California to attend Wake Forest.  Brianne's husband Ashton Eaton, the world record holder in the Decathlon, will also compete in this event; he is seeded 5th, with Avion Jones (ECU) holding the top spot. Former East Burke jumper Tanner Anderson will compete unattached.

  • Elite Pole Vaul (Saturday): Katie Nageotte returns to Winston-Salem after competing in the StreetVault during the summer, and her 4.55m (14' 11") PR is the best in the field.  Regulars at JDL might recognize Alina McDonald, the home-schooled South Carolina athlete that is currently between high school and college.  Former East Forsyth standout Sydney White joins Wake Forest teammate Katie Adair among the top 5 seeds.  For the men, John Vellenoweth has a PR of 16' 11.25", good enough to lead all the entries for this event.  Ragsdale's Joseph Popek should be competitive with his recent 15' 6" clearance.

  • 60 Dash: Ramon Gittens (Barbados, St. Augustine's) headlines the men's sprints, as his 10.02 PR in the 100 was good enough to get him into the semi-finals of the world championships last summer.  Olympic decathlon gold medalist Ashton Eaton will also compete here, one of four events he has entered this weekend.  Cuthbertson graduate Raven Covington has blossomed at WSSU, posting a 7.41 at this distance last winter.  She is seeded 2nd behind NC A&T's India Brown, a South Carolina native.  Courtney Warner, who tore up JDL as a student at C.B. Aycock last year, now competes for ECU, and she should be in the final.  Maurice Eaddy, Kendall Kee, Sean McLean, Reneazia Collins and Sydnei Murphy (Apex/Duke) are among the many former NC high school stars in this race.
  • Triple Jump: Former Princeton star Imani Oliver has a PR of 43' 11.5", set just two weekends ago in Tennessee, that has her sitting at #14 in the world right now.  Kenna Wolter jumped over 44 feet last spring, though, and that could make for a spirited competition.  Two of the better long jumpers in the meet, Alitta Boyd and Tristine Johnson (Jordan/UNC), should also be in the thick of the medal fight here.  Michael Wamer (South Carolina) is a 54-foot-plus jumper, and he is seeded WAY ahead of the rest of the field.  


Friday Night

  • Mile: This womne's race is littered with former North Carolina prep runners, too many to name. NC State's Bethany Neeley (competing unattached) sits atop the list of entries, with high schooler Blair Ramsey (Grimsley) seeded to make the top section (and a long-time NC veteran, Ericka Charles of DSA and ECU, also in the top 7).  For the men, Duke has claimed the top 5 seeds led by Blake Udland, with former David Oliver Classic miler Logan Poteet (Kell GA/North Florida) in 6th.

  • 5000: Former Page runner Caroline Yarbrough is the top seed after a solid freshman cross country season at Davidson.  On the men's side, former East Lincoln runner Dylan Belles (UNCG) is seeded third, with current Duke Blue Devil William Rooney in the top spot.

  • 800: Kenyette Iyevbele, who recently completed her eligibility at NC State, is looking to make the transition to international competition.  The product of Olympic HS in Charlotte has a PR of 2:02.43, good enough for the top seed in this race.  Former Duke runner Abby Farley is also highly ranked, and you can spot Leesville Road's G'Jasmyne Butler in this event, too.  Duke has the top 2 spots on the men's performance list in Michal Filipczak and Kyle Francis.

  • 400: NC A&T's Dajuan Harding has the #1 seed in the men's race with his PR of 46.99 from last spring. Duke's Madeline Kopp is the top entry in the women's race, with Campbell's Jocelyn Culbreath (Reagan) among the favorites.

  • 3000: Elon's women hold the top three seeds, all at 9:39 and change.  High school junior Sara Platek (Ragsdale) takes on the collegians in this one, and she will be joined by South Carolina's Logan Morris (Spartanburg Christian). For the men, recent East Henderson graduate Tanis Baldwin returns to JDL Fast Track as a college freshman, competing unattached.  He is seeded 7th, just behind Davidson's John Mogen, and Baldwin will have NC State teammate Ben Barrett with him.

  • Long Jump: Shakinah Brooks, a graduate of Southeast Raleigh who now attends St. Augustine's. had a breakthrough performance of 21' 2.75" (wind-aided) last spring, enough to give her the favorite status here.  Another former NC high school star, Tristine Johnson (Jordan/UNC), holds the second seed, but watch out for Alitta Boyd, a pro with a PR of 20' 9".  Trey McRae (Scotland County/UNCC) ranks first in the men's long jump, with former Douglas Byrd athlete Frank Quarles (NC A&T) in third.

  • Pole Vault: Duke's Megan Clark, the co-owner of the all-time ACC mark in this event at 4.50m (14' 9"), is the top seed, with teammate Madison Heath just behind her.  Current high school junior Tessa Sheets (Northwood) is in the meet and should be competitive.  Likewise for Justin Richard (Lake Norman), who is seeded second behind Duke's Jordan Hatfield and just ahead of former East Rowan vaulter Marshall Shank (Carson-Newman).


Saturday Morning:

  • 200: The top seed among the women belongs to Tristie Johnson (Bethune Cookman), but former Monroe star Reneazia Collins (NC A&T) is seeded a close 3rd.  UNC's Katlin Sherman, part of the Parkland juggernaut of the last few years, is also in the race.  Burkheart Ellis Jr (Knightdale/St. Augustine's), also known as the "Curve King," holds the top spot on the men's 200 list; he has found some international success competing for his native Barbados.  Former Broughton sprinter Caleb Gabriel, now at NC A&T, is also seeded well.
  • Distance Medley Relay: UNC and Virginia Tech both have strong, deep distance squads, and they will go head-to-head in both the men's and women's races - plus, throw in Duke for the men, to make it an even better ACC grudge match.
  • 60 Hurdles: Jackie Coward has run 8.02 in this event, and has a 100H PR of 12.73; she's good enough to make the final and hang with the Elite hurdlers. Likewise for Kendra Newton, who DID make the finals last year.  Anna Cockrell (Providence Day) will tune up for that Elite race by running in the prelims, and it's possible that ECU's Cheyenne Hutchinson (Hopewell) could sneak into the finals, too.  Former Cummings star Isaiah Moore (South Carolina) is the top collegiate seed on the men's side, behind 4 unattached athletes.  Kemar Clarke has a PR of 7.73 in this event from back in 2014, and if he's in good shape he could be a candidate to fill one of the 4 open spots in the Elite final.
  • 4x400: It's always fun watching a professional relay team, and the Nike-sponsored G.W. Express club is running in both the men's and women's races.  So are South Carolina and St. Augustine's, both traditionally 400 powers.  
  • Shot Put: Former UNC Tar Heel Mitchell Pope has a PR of 67' 6.75", but that was set all the way back in 2008.  He is entered far below that mark, but still at #1, just ahead of current Wake Forest thrower John Maurins.  If you look further down the list, you can see that Ashton Eaton guy again, getting in some practice for his next Olympic run in the decathlon.  His wife, Brianne Theisen-Eaton, is also throwing as she gears up for the heptathlon, in which she holds the Canadian national record.  She will have to contend with four in-state throwers led by Sarah Howard (UNC), and that group includes two Elon throwers that you might recognize: Bryanna Hames (Myers Park) and Breanna Warren (Western Guilford).