Girls Open Events
Although there are no separate Elite field events, this meet has always attracted some of the top jumpers in the region, and this year is no exception. Freshman Kamiya Dendy (T. L. Hanna SC) and senior McMinn are both seeded at 5' 8" in the High Jump, and both are legit. So are North Carolina jumpers Kayla Nesbitt-McEwen (High Point Central) and Sarah Timberlake (West Forsyth). Two of the girls in the 60 Dash, Falco and Daloria Boone (John Milledge Academy GA), are also the top 2 seeds in the Long Jump, and they are both threat to break 20 feet. They will be pursued by a flotilla of 18-foot jumpers, including current NC #1 Nicole Barnes (T.W. Andrews). Her teammate Peighton Simmons is currently NC #2 in the Triple Jump, but her PR is 41' 7" - that makes her the #5 returner in the nation. She may have to jump that this weekend to stay ahead of Falco, who has also cracked the 40-foot barrier. There are also 3 verified 39-foot jumpers from Florida in the field: Daneesha Davidson (Hillsborough FL), Marquasha Myers (Oak Ridge FL), and Kalijah Pettway (Lincoln FL). Veronica Fraley (Wakefield) is back to try to duplicate her 44' 7" US #11 Shot Put from last weekend, and if she does she will most likely dominate - her closest competition would be 38-footers Chevalier Blaire (North Rowan) and Skyler Gadsden (Berkley SC). The only girls' field event that lacks depth is the Pole Vault, where Olivia Goodwin (Cary) and Tessa Sheets (Northwood) will both likely enter after all the other jumpers are out - but their duel should be exciting to watch!
On the track, the Elite events aren't the only races that will be exciting. Eliza Witherspoon (Brevard) leads a large contingent of 11-minute 3200 runners that includes sisters Aoife and Elaina O'Riordan (Bolles School FL) as well as Natalie Morris (Loudoun Valley VA). Sarah LaTour (Cuthbertson) is the top entry in the 1600, but she may withdraw to save for her race in the Elite Mile Saturday; if so, then there will be an excellent battle for the win between at least 5 runners seeded between 5:20 and 5:25, led by Maeve O'Riordan (Bolles School). Annie Pierce (Cardinal Gibbons) will be the top seed in the 1000, followed closely by Kensi Gray (Hardin Valley Academy TN) and Noelle Saine (Loudoun Valley VA).
Although the Elite 60 Dash pulled some of the talent off the top of the 55 Dash list, a few girls opted to run both: Sales, Boone, and Corbin McLean (Ragsdale), for example. Another interesting entry: Davis, who is in the Elite 400, also has a 100 PR of 11.81 and could be a factor in this race. Sales will also run the 300 Dash, which is good - she has a ton of potential in the long sprints, having clocked 24.92 for the 200 in 8th grade. Nya'h Whitted (Oak Ridge FL) ran 39.82 on an outdoor track last February, which is fast enough to make her an interesting competitor here, and her teammate Chantel Johnson could also contend. Watch out for Payton Russell (North Rowan) in both the 300 and the 500 Dash - she somehow manages to slide under the radar, but she has a 400 PR of 55.70 and just missed the cut for the Elite 400. Singletary is the favorite in the longest sprint, though - she is NC #2 in this event. Jessica Dixon (Broughton) is the real deal, too, and I wouldn't be surprised to see her in the top 3 when the dust settles.
There are some really spectacular relays lined up this weekend, starting with the 4x800 Friday night. Bolles School has brought a strong team up from Florida, and they should more than justify their 9:45 seed time. Hardin Valley (TN) also has a deep squad listed at 9:50, which puts them pretty much even with North Carolina powers Cardinal Gibbons and Mount Tabor. That should lead to a nice 4-way battle up front, which in turn could pull a team to a new NC #1 or even a US top 25 time. High Point rivals will square off in the 4x200, with Andrews sporting the better indoor time but Central having a faster time outdoors. Hoke and Rocky River are looking to get into the mix in this race, as well, and that could push the pace fast enough to get some nationally ranked times posted. The meet will conclude with a small but strong group of 4x400 squads, including NC #3 Hoke and NC #4 High Point Central, two teams that are on the verge of breaking 4 minutes.