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Girls

Sprints & Hurdles

You'll have a hard time finding an athlete represented in more events than Monroe's Janieyah Collins. She leads all returners in the 200 dash and the 100 hurdles, and she led all 1A girls in the 55, 300, and 500 this winter. Sister Reneazia Collins tops the list of returning runners in the 300 hurdles and is second in the 400. Shecorya Brewer (North Moore), Chasity Roberts (Jones), and Jazman Richardson (Winston-Salem Prep) all ran under 12.35 for the 100 last year, and that could set up a tremendous battle for the state title in that event; Richardson is also a contender in the 200. Teaunna Cuthbertson (North Rowan) has the best returning time in both the 55 hurdles and the 100 hurdles, while Holly Gaines (Chatham Central) is the preseason leader in the 400.

Distance

The distance races are a toss-up this year, and there could easily be a different champion in each of the three events. Illa Jones (Gray Stone Day) returns the top time in the state in the 800, but her teammate Hunter Latimer put up an even better 1000 time this winter. Madison Durham (Elkin) tops the preseason list in the 1600 (she also is the #2 returner in the 800), but Carly Kreber (Bishop McGuinness) has had a very strong fall and winter and could be a contender there or in the 3200. Sarah Hardin (Lake Norman Charter) has the best returning time for the 3200 and had a good cross country season, but she hasn't raced since November. Keep an eye on teammates Elizabeth Lackey and Erin Brooks of Hendersonville, who will be pushed by each other and by their school's proud tradition in the distances. Also, never count out the 1A state champion in cross country, Mount Airy's Kirstin Parries, who ran well in her first-ever indoor season. Gray Stone Day had by far the best 1A 4x800 team, but It appears that Bishop McGuinnness could have enough returning talent to challenge them.

Field Events

Hailey Cook (Hendersonville) is arguably the state's best thrower of any classification, and she is as close to a lock in the shot put as you can have before the season even starts. Cook also leads all 1A returners in the discus throw. Monroe's Jamie Glenn is perhaps the most versatile athlete in this class, as she ranks first in the triple jump, second in the shot put, and second in the long jump among returning athletes. Glenn had a great indoor season, as well, and should be ready to score big points for her team this spring. North Rowan's Cuthbertson tops the preseason list in the long jump, and both she and teammate Yasarian Bush have been over 35 feet in the triple jump. If you only looked at returning results, you would see a three-way tie atop the high jump; in truth, though, Makayla Roten (West Wilkes) went 5' 6" this winter to position herself as the preseason favorite. Roten also vaulted 9' 6" this winter, putting her into second entering the season behind Tess Rogers (North Stokes). Samantha Dimmette (Elkin, throws), Chryssandra Tatum (Lejeune, triple jump), Stephanie Johnson (Andrews, high jump), Allison Perrell (South Stokes, high jump), Princess Stone (NCSSM, triple jump), and Meghen Breeden (West Wilkes, pole vault) are all high-quality athletes with the ability to score at the state meet.

Teams to Watch

It's pretty obvious that Monroe has the most firepower of any 1A girls team, and after finishing third in both the 2011 outdoor and the 2011 indoor state meets, they will be primed for a breakthrough. With four girls ranked among the top 8 1A returners in the 100, the final piece of the puzzle for Monroe could be the sprint relays. Defending champion Hendersonville still has enough to challenge for a spot on the final podium, while North Rowan depends on two monster athletes for their point production, which could limit their success at the state meet.

Virtual Meet: Returning Girls

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Boys

Sprints & Hurdles

Although each sprint race has a different returning leader, there is a clear favorite in the hurdles races: Johnny Oglesby of North Rowan leads the lists for both the 110 and the 300. Teammate Titus King is #2 in the 110, and watch out for Richard Lu (NCSSM) who ranked in the top 3 in both hurdles races last spring and had a strong winter season. Speaking of strong winters, Brandon Little (Monroe) burst onto the scene with 1A-leading times in the 55 dash and the 300, making him an instant title contender in the 100 and 200 against fields of returners that lack a dominant individual sprinter. Tyre Scott (Andrews) tops the preseason list in the 100, while he ranks second behind Julius Brown (Red Springs) in the 200. Kelby Sherrill (Robbinsville) looks like a runaway favorite in the 400, at least on paper, but he will probably have to break 50 to make that come true on May 12th. North Rowan has two other athletes of note here: Daylon Gray and Titus King both rank high in the 100 and 200, and that gives the Cavaliers a chance at having great sprint relays, too. If you're looking for a dark horse candidate, look at Chase Stevens (Mitchell), who led all 1A runners in the 500 this winter.

Distance

You won't find him in many places on the returning list, but Stephen Mulherin (NCSSM) has established himself as the man to beat in whatever race he runs. The 1A state champ in cross country also won the 3200 (and finished second in the 1600) indoors this winter. Teammates Levi Rolles and Bobby Baraldi are quality runners in their own right, and they will have to score well again this year to give their team any hope of a team title this spring. Chris Hack (Lake Norman Charter) is the only returner in 1A to have broken 2 minutes in the 800 last year, while Zach Millsaps (Elkin) is a threat in both the 800 and the 1600. It will be interesting to watch the development of two young stars-in-the-making this year: sophomore Dylan Johnson (Hayesville) and freshman Frank Cline (Robbinsville).

Field Events

Adding to their firepower in the sprints, North Rowan also sports a pair of highly-ranked throwers: Javon Hargrave holds down preseason #1 in the shot put, while Will Robertson is ranked second in the discus. Robert Overton (Red Springs) is the top returner in the discus and #2 in the shot, and Demetrius West (Lakewood) was the 1A leader in the shot put during the winter season. The odds-on favorite for the individual MVP at the boys' 1A state meet will be North Rowan's Oglesby, as he also leads the long jump and triple jump preseason lists. Joktan Moore (Mount Airy) is the only other athlete ranked in the top 3 in both of the horizontal jumps. Grant Rivers (Hendersonville) holds a narrow lead at the top of the returning high jump list, with only a 1-inch advantage over North Rowan's Malik Ford. Watch out for Darrow Goff (NCSSM), whose 6' 4" indoors equals Rivers' best from last year. Eric Deoliveira (Pamlico) and Matt Layne (West Wilkes) both cleared 13' 6" this winter, finishing in a tie for 3rd place at the indoor state meet; the next time they meet, it could be to decide the 1A outdoor title.

Teams to Watch

It looks like the top two teams from last spring will be back for a rematch. Science & Math finished second to North Rowan in 2011, and both have almost everyone back. Will Stephen Mulherin's dramatic improvement be enough to put the Unicorns over the top against the large number of athletes that North Rowan brings to the table? Will the third-rated team, Pamlico, be able to do enough with their diverse squad to threaten for the podium? We'll just have to wait to find out the answers to these questions.