NCRunners Elite is upon us! The final regular season meet of the year as conference championships are already underway! We will have both videos and photos uploaded on Saturday and Sunday!
Boys Pole Vault
NC#1 Ben Finger (North Gaston), T-NC#4 Peter Shelley (Marvin Ridge) and Justin Richard (Lake Norman) NC#9 Jonathan Lehe (Lake Norman) and NC#11 Ben Nason (Providence Day) make for a super strong field in the boys Pole Vault. Finger, Richard and Lehe each train with Rocketman Pole Vault and all have broken 14 feet this season. Finger has battled some ankle injury all year, but will this be the meet he gets sole possession of NC#1 from Tyler Fitzgerald? Both Finger and Fitzgerald have jumped 14-8 this outdoor season.
Girls 100m Hurdles
Kayla Moore (Cummings) has been under 14 seconds once this season with her NC#1 13.98, but I'm sure she's looking for faster than that before the season ends. She will be in a class among her own tomorrow, and hopefully we will see a new NC#1 mark.
Boys 100m Dash
Dontavian Smith (Person) has run 10.58, with a best of 10.70 this season placing him at NC#7 so far this year. Smith I'm sure feel's he is capable of much more this year. Milan Howard of Charlotte Catholic also has went under 11 this season at 10.99 and will hope to challenge Smith if he has an off day.
Girls 1600m Run
Sarah LaTour has been on a tear this season. LaTour has run 5:02.80 and will be a big favorite in this final section. Elise Wright (T.C.Roberson) will also be one to keep an eye on. She's run 2:17 for 800 and certainly has a lot more potential in the 1600.
Boys 1600m Run
Dakota Mendenhall (Forbush) has run 4:20.40 this year and will look to break the 4:20 barrier for the first time this season. Mendenhall has been phenomenal this outdoor season and will be tough to beat. Quinn Schneider (Woodlawn School) and Chad Stirling (Charlotte Catholic) will certainly be right with Mendenhall fighting for the win. Also freshman Adam Habas (Providence Day) ran 1:57.7 yesterday, he certainly could be the first freshman boy under 4:30 this season.
Girls 400m Run
Kiya Oviosun (Southeast Guilford) has a breakout performance in the 400 early in April, and will look to continue that breaking her 56.50 PR. She will be challenged by Jada Griffin (Overhills) who has a season's be of 57.01. This should be a tight battle between these two girls!
Boys 400m Run
This is certainly the most exciting event of the day. J Johnson (Panther Creek) split a 47.5 last weekend in the SMR at Apex Relays. Now he faces up against the best North Carolina high school boys All-Time 400m runner in Chantz Sawyers. Sawyers holds the state record of 46.35, and has run just over that at 46.4 this season. Sawyers in hungry to run in the 45s even though it's early in the season. Johnson is a 100/200 meter specialist and though taking down Sawyers will be a massive upset, he will show he could have the best 100-400 range in North Carolina this season.
Not to be overshadowed are Khaleb McRae, Canoy Tyree, Doug Dracon, Kokayi Cobb and Allen Brockford who all are capable of going sub 50 tomorrow. We could see plenty of top 10 times in NC from this fast heat!
Girls 300m Hurdles
Kayla Moore (Cummings) has run 43.79 for the 300m Hurdles, but we haven't see her focus on this event so far this year. If she wants to win tomorrow she will have to be ready to go as Jessica Wright (Hillside) sits at NC#3 and Jorja Medders NC#5 this season, and both have broken 45 seconds. Wright's NC#3 mark is 44.79. Could we see the first sub 44 second performance from this outdoor season?
Boys 800m Run
Four guys that have run 1:57 or faster will square off in the boys 800 tomorrow that'll feature Evan Harris (Lake Norman), Mason Bhatia (Marvin Ridge), Joel Shores (Southeast Guilford) and superstar freshman Adam Habas (Providence Day). Harris is the class of the field with a PR of 1:55.21, but Bhatia and Shores are certainly not ones to sleep on! Yesterday Habas threw down a 3 second PR of 1:57.77 and it's crazy that he's set up to improve on that mark, though he is entered in the 1600 as well. I know Evan Harris is ready for a fast 800 after an off day in his only fast 800 of the season at the Bojangles Classic. Harris did run 4:16.71 for 1600 last week, so he's certainly fit!
Girls 200m Dash
Kiya Oviosun (Southeast Guilford) will match up with Jessica Wright (Hillside) as both girls will be doubling back from events earlier in the day. We will see who can recover the best and if Wright can upset Oviosun, who has run 24.18 for the 200 this year!
Boys 200m Dash
It's going to be a fun one with Chantz Sawyers (Platinum Sports) and Dontavian Smith (Person) who have run 21.15 and 21.45 respectively for the 200. Smith will be coming back from the 100 while Sawyers the 400. Sawyers holds the top time in NC this season at 21.29, while Smith hasn't run under FAT timing this year as he's focused on the 100 so far.
Boys 3200m Run
The final individual event of the day will have a big matchup between Noah Dolhare (Providence Day), David Melville (Northern Guilford), Austin Carroll (Corinth Holders) and Quinn Schneider (Woodlawn School). All three of the boys should certainly be under 9:30 tomorrow if the pace is honest. Carroll had a monster 1600 last weekend at Apex Relays running 4:15.29! He could post a big PR in the 3200 tomorrow, but will have to go through Melville and Dolhare, who both are looking to get a fast 3200 under their belt before conference and states get underway.
