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Sprints/Hurdles

Nyshedra Brown (West Craven) is back as the defending state champ in the 100 and 200, and her 2012 times of 11.77 and 24.37 are impressive. Courtney Crawford (McMichael) and Qizeah Jackson (Westover) both ran under 25 in the 200 last spring. Maya Evans (Fike) was the brightest star among 3A sprinters during the winter, clocking 1:15.60 in the 500 to rank 12th in the country (and 10th in North Carolina history). She would appear to be ahead of last year's pace, which produced a 3A-best time of 57.05 in the 400. Kayla Mitchell (Overhills) and Ariel Davis (Northern Guilford) both had solid hurdle races indoors; Davis has by far the best returning 100 Hurdles time with her mark of 14.39. Lydia Laws (Western Alamance) ran 44.84 in the 300 Hurdles last spring, with Davis right behind in 44.91.

Distance

Blake Dodge (West Carteret) had the first wire-to-wire healthy indoor season of her career, and as a result produced PR's of 3:01.59 in the 1000 and 5:08.40 in the 1600. She will now split time between soccer and outdoor track, and if she loses any fitness she will have to watch out for Carmen Hilliard; the South Brunswick senior was second in the rankings for both of those races. Dodge is the top returner in the 800, but don't forget about Alexa Young (Chapel Hill), who doesn't compete indoors but did run 2:16 last spring. Likewise for teammate Tristin Van Ord, whose breakthrough 5:07 in the 2012 postseason is the best returning 3A mark, edging out Hilliard's 5:08. Mary Grace Doggett (Cardinal Gibbons) ran 10:57 and 5:19 during the winter; she is the defending state champ in the 3200, and is already nearly 25 seconds ahead of the time she ran while winning that title. Teammate Rachel Bartolomeo has struggled with injuries this year, but did run 11:08 last spring.

Field Events

Elizabeth Olesen (Hickory Ridge) cleared 5' 6" during indoor season, with Qizeah Jackson (Westover) just behind her at 5' 5". Olesen's PR is 5' 7" from last spring, and she will be hunting for greater heights during the 2013 season. Three girls landed in the low 17's for long jump this past winter: Lydia Laws (Western Alamance), Courtney Crawford (McMichael), and Tamilia Wright (Williams). Crawford is the top returner from last spring, with a best jump of 18' 7.5" (maybe she responds best to warm weather). Wright also jumped 36' 5" in the triple jump to lead all 3A athletes indoors, although Destinie Sykes (Ashbrook) and Talvanisha Lawing (AL Brown) also went beyond 36 feet. Brooke Shelton (Ledford) cleared 12' 0.5" in the pole vault during the winter, but there is some question as to whether she will compete for her school this spring. Mohogany Baker (Phillip O. Berry) threw 38' 11.75 indoors, tops among 3A girls, but she also did not compete for her school all season (no word on whether that will change in the spring). Heidi Brickhouse (West Henderson) is the top returning thrower from last spring, with her mark of 36' 1", and there are 4 35-footers right behind her to make things very competitive. Likewise in the discus, where three girls threw greater than 110 feet last spring:Lyssa Wallace-O'Neill (Jacksonville), Kayla Powell (Currituck), and Tiara Bland (Southern Lee).

NCHSAA 3A Girls Winter 2013 Rankings

NCHSAA 3A Girls Returning Rankings from Spring 2012

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Sprints/Hurdles

The 100 Dash field in this classification is full of both potential and uncertainty. TJ Logan (Northern Guilford) came out of nowhere last year to post a windy 10.51, while Tyshawn Siders (Jacksonville) dropped a 10.58 in his regional that he wasn't able to match in any other race. Brandon McLean (Triton) proved his polar bear times were not crazy during indoor season by running 35.61 in the 300, barely edging out Cameron Stinson (Hickory) for the top mark among 3A sprinters (Stinson also ran a windy 10.67 last spring). He could make things interesting in the 200, where Logan and Stinson were already set to have some interesting races. Kris Lordman (Asheville) ran 48.94 last spring, with Frank Quarles (Douglas Byrd) right behind in 49.29. Traevin Drayton-Ferguson (Phillip O. Berry) had the best 500 time in the classification this past winter, running 1:06.12; that bodes well for his 400 and 800 outdoors. Saadiq Sweezer (Eastern Alamance) and DeAndre McGill (Northeast Guilford) also ran under 1:07. Marvin Fulwood (North Forsyth) had the fastest 3A 55 Hurdles time of the 2013 indoor season, although the crop of hurdlers in this classification wasn't very strong. Elijah Goins (Cox Mill) leads all 3A returners in the 110 Hurdles, which appears to be a wide-open race. Brandon Washington (Asheville) is a bigger favorite in the 300 Hurdles, as he is the only sub-40 runner back from 2012.

Distance

John Crossley (West Carteret) led the state for all classifications in the 1000 during the winter season. He is ahead of last year's pace in his 800 development, and could decide to factor in some 1600's along the way. Steve Stowe (North Forsyth) also showed impressive development in the 1000, and could be poised for a breakout in the 800 after two solid seasons. Chris Reeder (Chapel Hill) ran 1:54, 4:18, and 9:33 last spring, the last two being the top returning times in the 1600 and 3200, respectively. Nick Tyrey (Cardinal Gibbons) posted a 4:24.40 in the indoor postseason, a significant improvement over his regular season time; perhaps that's a sign that he is still rounding into shape and has more to come. Tyrey also led all 3A two-milers this winter with his mark of 9:36.57, although Matt Burns (Weddington) was close behind in 9:44.53. Keep an eye on Tanis Baldwin (East Henderson), who continues to develop on the track side to match his very strong cross country season, as well as Tima Karginov (Chapel Hill).

Field Events

Jordan Warren (Hickory Ridge) had a good winter season, clearing 6' 4" in the high jump and 47' 2" in the triple jump, both 3A state leaders. There's a good chance that Warren, the top returner in both of those events, will need more than his 6' 5" PR too hold off a crowded group of challengers in the high jump. Cameron Stinson (Hickory) jumped 23' in the long jump to win the 1A/2A/3A indoor title, but Frank Quarles (Douglas Byrd) is the top returner at 23' 11". Thor Smith (Northern Guilford) and Ian West (Fike) both cleared 14' 6" in the vault indoors, setting up some good battles during the spring season. Smith has a PR of 14' 8.5, and Jose San Miguel (Cardinal Gibbons) could also enter the discussion, as he jumped 14' 3.5" last spring. Colin Minor (South Brunswick) had the leading 3A throw during the winter season with his mark of 53' 7.75", while Myquon Stout (Jesse Carson) was close behind at 52' 11.25". Stout is the top returner from the spring, having thrown 55' 5" (he is also the outdoor defending champ in the shot put). Stout also leads all the returning discus throwers with his toss of 154' 2"; Mateius Brown (Western Harnett) also beat the 150-foot mark.