Booker Nunley of Garner High School, the #2 ranked hurdler in the United States, found out on Monday that he would be ineligble for the remainder of the indoor season and all of the outdoor season. Why you ask? Booker needed one last class to graduate during the 2007-2008 school year. At first, he thought he would go ahead and take that class, then graduate early. However, with the vast improvement he was making during the summer, he was encouraged by many to finish off a full senior year. Booker listened to those that suggested this move, thus decided to be a normal senior and complete the year. However, during the process of preparing for the school year, he only registered for two classes. Rules state that athletes must take 3 classes a semester(in a block schedule like Garner's) in order to be eligible for the next semester's athletics. This is the huge problem. No one at Booker's school noticed this mistake: not his coach, not his counselor, not the Athletic Director, nor the Principal. One person, his track coach, served as three of the previously mentioned roles. So the question becomes where was the ball dropped? It seems this is a situation that could've easily been prevented.

Scott Houston of Northwest Guilford is one of the top pole vaulters in the US. He is currently ranked #2 nationally with his vault of 16-10. This mark was almost a foot better than his previous best, and it broke the old state record by 8 inches.Scott's improvement has been noticed by many in the pole vaulting community. Recently, Shannon Pope, the former NC record holder contacted me because he wanted to congratulate Scott.Mike Byrnes of the National Scholastic Sports Federation has just written an article which is now posted on NationalScholastic.org. Check it out, as Scott is now making a name for pole vaulting in NC.

  The boy's rankings is much closer at the top. There are 5 teams within 20 points of one another, two 4A schools and three 3A schools.From the looks of it, both state meets will be highly competitive.New Bern is on top for 4A and Asheville sits at the top for the 1A/2A/3A schools. 

Beginning with the 2008 Outdoor Season the following will be the new NCRunner's Performance Standards. These marks can serve as starting points for many of you as your prepare to set goals for the upcoming season.Best of luck, North Carolina. 

The indoor season for North Carolina is just about over, believe it or not. The state meet is in a couple weeks and then many will prepare for Nike Indoor Nationals. Here is a look at the top teams in the state. The rankings are based on the "Indoor" Rankings and not the "Winter" Rankings. So, looking at the rankings. West Charlotte's girls are the top ranked 4A school. While Cummings, last year's 1A/2A/3A state indoor champs, could win again this year.

After such a great weekend for North Carolina at the Eastern High School Challenge and the Virginia Tech Invitationa, it seems crazy to bring up something negative. However, this must be SEEN! Here is a closer look at the Eastern High School Challenge. There were obvious problems with the entry times and the performance standards. Many coaches are entering athletes with seeded times to simply get them into the meet. I talked with many coaches during the meet and most coaches are upset with all the "tweaking" of times. Obviously, this does not take into account falls, injuries, bad races, etc. So, I have highlighted all the marks that didn't meet the performance standards. Then I figured out a number of averages . . . hope you find this interesting.  

The Eastern High School Challenge turned in some stellar performances across the board. Full coverage will not be up until tomorrow, but in the meantime, be sure to check out what is already posted. Videos, pictures, highlights, etc. will periodically be loaded, so check back often.   Results: Day 1 | Day 2 Video of just about every race was taken, take some time to watch.    

North Carolina athletes put together some amazing marks at Virginia Tech this weekend.   For now, check the results . . . things to look for - Wayne Davis!!! Boy's mile, girl's sprints, boy's pole vault, relays, and more   Photo: courtesy of John Herzog, Milestat.com photographer

Kelsey McCorkle of South Central will lead the girl's sprints. The Eastern High School Challenge is the 2nd meet this season at the Eddie Field House on Chapel Hill's campus. There was a bit of confusion leading up to the NC Opener as the Durham Striders had to create performance standards because the entries were so abundant.This meet looks to be great as many of NC's best will be in attendance, however - there are still issues with entries. Performance standards have been set for this meet since it's beginnings. However, coaches often only look at these standards like, "How fast will I have to fudge my athletes marks to get them into the meet?"I'm still amazed, after all the talk, that coaches continue to enter marks which aren't even close to what their athletes can do.I know some athletes will have bad races and will not meet the standards due to that reason. After the meet, NCRunners will definitely revisit the standards and do a bit of analysis. Take a look at this analysis from the NC Opener (scroll down).  

Some of North Carolina's best will travel to Virginia Tech this weekend, looking for some new competition and top marks.   Here's a short list of some attending V-Tech: Dylan Ferris, Patrick Campbell, Nyosha Bryant, Wayne Davis, Scott Houston, and New Bern (entered in both meets).   Let's take a closer look . . .

North Carolina athletes performed well over the weekend.Photo taken by Ted Plunkett, Milestat.Wayne Davis Video - 60mH Finals and interview with Brandon Miles of Milestat.com  At the Asics High School Invitational in Virginia, Kelsey McCorkle, Mike Price, Wayne Davis, Brandy Swann, Anthony Hendrix, Jonique Fonville, Dannielle Davis, and Fuquawn Green all came away with individual titles. Asics photos: Hoerner Gallery | Plunkett Gallery The KTC High School Indoor Track Classic, in Tennessee, John Harwell, Taylor Cook, and Dannielle Hobbs were the only individual winners. However, Nyosha Bryant, Aslynn Halvorson, Taylor Cook, and Ashley Bethune turned in top performances as well.

Weather conditions in Cumberland County may cancel the Saturday meet. For more details . . .

Many athletes from North Carolina are headed to Tennessee for the Knoxville Track Club meet. Check out the performance lists. Dylan Ferris of East Forsyth and Nyosha Bryant of West Charlotte will lead NC. 

New Bern heads out of state again, for the 3rd weekend in a row. Can they continue coming returning home with some of the nation's finest marks?

 Photo: By Mark Keenan, from NC HS opener last weekend. New Bern, Sam Jordan of Laney, Booker Nunley of Garner, and Wayne Davis of SE Raleigh all traveled as a part of Track EC and lit up the track. North Carolina continues to prove to the rest of the US that it is a hotbed for track. Last year, multiple national champions and numerous top-5 performers came out of the Tarheel state. This year looks to be the same!

In its third decade of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, Gatorade has announced its 2007-08 Boys & Girls Cross Country Runners of the Year. Gatorade and RISE teamed up to name State Boys & Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year award winners representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Check out who was named ROY for North Carolina. 

   Scott Houston, last year's 4A state indoor and outdoor pole vault champion may just be in a class of his own.

North Carolina has a limited amount of indoor meets in the state. Appalachian State hosted one in December, the Durham Striders hosted the NC Opener, and they will also host the Eastern HS Challenge later this month.  With few actual indoor meets, many of the states track athletes all converge on one place. This is what happened at the Durham Striders HS Opener. Kids from all over the state, New Bern to Wilmington to Charlotte to Hendersonville to Boone to Raleigh and everywhere inbewteen, made the trip to Chapel Hill.  There were some fine performances by North Caroilina athletes. RESULTS: Boys | GirlsTOP PERFORMERS: NCRunners' ElitesDurham Striders HS Opener Video - Various clips from the meet 

The boy's meet looks to be exciting with a few of the nations top returning individuals headed to the Eddie Field House.  

Here's a quick glimpse into this weekend's events for the girls.  Every year, there are a number of coaches who enter some pretty crazy times, 2008 has begun the same way. There are a number of girls ranked highly in some events who I don't know about. Hopefully, they will prove to be for real this weekend.