Girls Elite Events
Without question, the strongest girls' event of the afternoon session Saturday will be the Elite 400, and it's because of a fleet of Florida sprinters that have made the trip up to NC this weekend. The top seed is Jan'Tajah Ford (Northeast FL), who is the #20 returner in the nation going into this spring season with her PR of 53.77 (not to mention her time of 55.38 already this indoor season). Teammate Daneisha Woodside has also broken 56 this winter, and they will be challenged by Karimah Davis (Palm Beach Central FL), whose PR is under 54 as well. Hoke's Maya Singletary will try to defend NC from the Sunshine State incursion (which includes 3 more Florida runners), with Gracie Whelan (Providence Day) expected to be right on her heels - the two are #1 and #2 in the state in the 500 right now.
In contrast, the 60 Dash could be more of an NC affair, as the top 3 sprinters in the state are scheduled to compete. Briana Jordan (Ashbrook) is US #5 in the 55 right now, with Tamara Clark (High Point Central) at #7 and super frosh Jordan Sales (J.H. Rose) also in the top 25 nationally. The chief challenger from out of state should be Sophia Falco (Lakewood Ranch FL), who is the #11 returner in the country in the 100 (Clark is #8). In the 60 Hurdles, though, Florida again has the advantage: Kenya Dillon (Olympia FL) and Tiara McMinn (Miami Jackson FL) both have 100H lifetime bests under 14 seconds, with Aria Tate (Wharton FL) also expected to compete well.
Both the 800 and the Mile lack a national superstar, but that might make the races even more competitive. Monzerad Creary (High Point Central) has the best PR in the 800 field, with Riley Coggin (Brentwood TN) expected to challenge her. In the Mile, NCHSAA 3A foes Emme Fisher (West Carteret) and Katherine Dokholyan (Chapel Hill) will square off once again, as both aim to break 5 minutes at some point this semester.