Girls
Athletes to Watch
If you want to see the best athletes in the state (and some of the best in the nation), make sure to pay attention to the field events. Shemiah Brooks (Southwest Guilford) leads the entry list in both the long jump and triple jump, and she is also a top competitor in the 55 hurdles. Alexis Perry (Jordan) has the same mark as Brooks in the long jump, and she also ranks highly in the high jump and hurdles. Hannah Hensley (Pinecrest) has the top mark in the high jump, and she is also a potential scorer in the long jump. Sydney White (East Forsyth) is only in the pole vault, but she is among the nation's best in that event, as is Kristen Lee (Wakefield). Speaking of the hurdles, that race has been tightly contested this winter, with different winners in nearly every major invitational. Alvonna Blakney (West Mecklenburg) leads the field for now, with Tyler Brockington (Dudley) hard on her heels. Brockington is also a top competitor in the 300, where she will face Ariah Graham (Wakefield), who is currently ranked fourth in the country; Graham will also have a good shot to win the long jump. Graham's teammates will be highly visible throughout the shorter track events: J'Den Williams is ranked second in the 55 dash (and is tied for 5th in the country), Tiana Patillo and DeJah Jones are 1-2 in the 500, and Olicia Sharp is seeded to score in both the 55 dash and the 300. While you watch the sprints, you'll definitely notice Gabrielle Gray (High Point Central), who has been dominant in the 55 this winter and ranks second in the nation in that event. You certainly can't count out Alexis Murphy (Apex) either, as holds a US #9 ranking in the 55. That's 3 of the top 10 sprinters in the country in one event! The distance races could easily see three different winners, and much will depend on the strategy of race selection for those qualified in multiple events. Broughton teammates Mattie Blue and Megan Sullivan lead the 1000 list, with Jennie Cunningham (Pinecrest) and Maura McDonnell (Green Hope) both having plenty of experience in that event. Cunningham is the defending champion in the 1000, but she is also entered in a strong 1600 field that includes Sullivan and Blue, top qualifier Darby Middlebrook (Watauga), and Erica Amatori (Green Hope). It will be interesting to see if any of the top 1600 entrants scratch to focus on the 1000. Meanwhile, Middlebrook leads the 3200 list but will have her hands full with Anna McBride (Davie), the defending outdoor champ and top returning 4A 2-mile.
Teams to Watch
Wakefield's girls have by far the most firepower of any team in the field, and they can close the meet with the top 4x400 team in the nation. Green Hope is loaded in the distance races (although that's not all they have), and they are the big favorites to win the 4x800. Look out for a great battle for second in the 4x800 among three schools who have broken 10 minutes already this winter, and you should definitely watch Parkland's 4x400, as they have gone under 4 minutes and rank among the best in state history. Dudley, powered by Brockington and Achsah Brice, has a chance to end up with some team hardware, as well. Watauga and Broughton both rank as potential top 5 teams, but will they run their distance runners in all entered races? If not, a large contingent of teams lurks behind them, hoping for a top team finish.
Boys
Athletes to Watch
The field in the sprints has qualified hevily on hand times, but you should look to the indoor FAT times to get a sense of the likely contenders. Da'Quan Smalls (Knightdale) and Aaron Tindall (Olympic) are the only two athletes in the field to prove that they can go under 6.50 in championship conditions, while Jermaine Lewis (West Forsyth) and Christopher Thompson (North Mecklenburg) have been close. Anyone entered on a hand time has to prove they can run with those four in the prelims before they can be taken seriously. Smalls also leads the 300 list, but his outdoor time (running only one wide curve instead of 3 tight ones) may not stand up to that of Chris Boyd (Ben L Smith). Likewise for Marquavious Johnson (Knightdale), who leads the lists of qualifiers in the 500 but will have a hard time holding off experienced indoor runner Brian Davis (Fuquay-Varina), the only man in the field with an indoor time under 1:06. Every few years, the Winston-Salem area seems to have a batch of great boys' distance runners, and this is one of those years. Craig Engels (Reagan) leads the 1600 entries and is ranked second in the 1000 behind Josh Copus (Mount Tabor). Jordan Marsh, also from Reagan, is a top-5 contender in the 1600 and 3200, while teammate Perry Cabean leads the 3200 list. Bakri Abushouk (Cary) will try to break up the Triad contingent in the 1600 and 1000, while Broughton's Sam Robertson and East Chapel Hill's Sam Miner will be runnning for a 3200 title. Engels is also entered in the 3200, and the word from the 3-4 (that's Winston for those not in the know) says he could attempt the triple if his team needs the points, but he would likely be running from the slower section. Hezekiah Ward (Southeast Guilford) is the top qualifier in the 55 hurdles and also the one that has proven himself indoors. There will be some serious explosiveness on display in the field events Saturday: Jonathan Addison (Enloe) ranks first in the high jump with his 6' 10" clearance, and he would like to get some tries at the golden height of 7 feet. Addison also ranks second in the long jump behind Khourtne Whitted (Riverside), who is among the top 5 in the nation in that event. Austin Vegas (East Forsyth) has consistently vaulted better than anyone in the state this winter, but he would very much like to improve on his 15-foot marks so far. Jon Beyle (East Chapel Hill) is the clear leader in a shot put field that boasts five 50-foot-plus throwers; he is a great athlete and fun to watch (check out his recent interview at UNC). Jaylon Holt (Southeast Raleigh) leads the triple jump field with a mark from early December, but he will have to be good to stay ahead of a deep field of contenders.
Teams to Watch
Despite all the competition listed above for the individual events, the 4x800 could be the best race of the day. Top seed Mount Tabor will have their hands full with Knightdale, Ardrey Kell, and Fuquay-Varina. If the seeding falls right and Reagan is in the fast section, don't be surprised if they stack the relay and try to grab some points for the team competition. In the 4x400, Knightdale and Southeast Raleigh have already had one big battle this year, and this looks like it might be a second, with the rest of the field possibly left running for third. At first glance, Knightdale appears to be the favorite for the overall team title, but their virtual score could be a bit deceiving: take away the 4x200 and then allow for their outdoor times in many of the short races, and this could be a closer competition than it first seems. Their conference mates Southeast Raleigh also have a strong team, losing to Knightdale by only three in the Greater Neuse championship meet in late January. DIstance-heavy squad Reagan could also be in the hunt for a trophy, which only goes to the top two teams; if freshman sprinter Jakara King-Penn can emerge from the mass of 6.54 hand-timed sprinters to grab some points, that would boost the Raiders' cause. The next tier of teams includes Enloe, Southeast Guilford, and Mount Tabor; of those three, Southeast and Tabor have the best chances to move up by virtue of strong performances on the meet day, as Enloe is powered by an athlete who is already seeded at the top of his events.
Girls
Athletes to Watch
If you want to see the best athletes in the state (and some of the best in the nation), make sure to pay attention to the field events. Shemiah Brooks (Southwest Guilford) leads the entry list in both the long jump and triple jump, and she is also a top competitor in the 55 hurdles. Alexis Perry (Jordan) has the same mark as Brooks in the long jump, and she also ranks highly in the high jump and hurdles. Hannah Hensley (Pinecrest) has the top mark in the high jump, and she is also a potential scorer in the long jump. Sydney White (East Forsyth) is only in the pole vault, but she is among the nation's best in that event, as is Kristen Lee (Wakefield). Speaking of the hurdles, that race has been tightly contested this winter, with different winners in nearly every major invitational. Alvonna Blakney (West Mecklenburg) leads the field for now, with Tyler Brockington (Dudley) hard on her heels. Brockington is also a top competitor in the 300, where she will face Ariah Graham (Wakefield), who is currently ranked fourth in the country; Graham will also have a good shot to win the long jump. Graham's teammates will be highly visible throughout the shorter track events: J'Den Williams is ranked second in the 55 dash (and is tied for 5th in the country), Tiana Patillo and DeJah Jones are 1-2 in the 500, and Olicia Sharp is seeded to score in both the 55 dash and the 300. While you watch the sprints, you'll definitely notice Gabrielle Gray (High Point Central), who has been dominant in the 55 this winter and ranks second in the nation in that event. You certainly can't count out Alexis Murphy (Apex) either, as holds a US #9 ranking in the 55. That's 3 of the top 10 sprinters in the country in one event! The distance races could easily see three different winners, and much will depend on the strategy of race selection for those qualified in multiple events. Broughton teammates Mattie Blue and Megan Sullivan lead the 1000 list, with Jennie Cunningham (Pinecrest) and Maura McDonnell (Green Hope) both having plenty of experience in that event. Cunningham is the defending champion in the 1000, but she is also entered in a strong 1600 field that includes Sullivan and Blue, top qualifier Darby Middlebrook (Watauga), and Erica Amatori (Green Hope). It will be interesting to see if any of the top 1600 entrants scratch to focus on the 1000. Meanwhile, Middlebrook leads the 3200 list but will have her hands full with Anna McBride (Davie), the defending outdoor champ and top returning 4A 2-mile.