Mar 08, 2013

Wesley Frazier leads a strong group of North Carolina girls into the Armory for the final meet of the indoor season.

NC Girls Preview | NC Boys Preview

List of NC Athletes in Championship Events

MileSplit Meet Page

(National Previews, Photos, Results, Interviews)

The 2013 New Balance Indoor Nationals begin today at the Armory in New York City, and as usual there is a large contingent of North Carolina athletes present. The meet is the conclusion to the indoor season, and it is held on a 200 meters banked track that is extremely fast. Competition is divided into three divisions: Championship, Emerging Elite, and Freshman. Athletes from our state are competing in all three divisions, but the previews below will focus only on the Championship events. Follow @NCRunners on Twitter to quickly hear about any new state-leading or nationally-ranked performances throughout the weekend.

Girls Preview

North Carolina's talent is highly clustered when it comes to this year's national meet: 27 girls from the Old North State are entered in only 5 events! Those would be the sprints and hurdles races (60, 200, 400, 60H), plus the 5000. The girls in the 60 Dash face some serious competition, and will be doing well just to make it to the semis; Paisley Simmons (TW Andrews) probably has the best shot, but in a short race like the 60 you have to bring your absolute best just to have a chance to move on. The 200 looks like a little bit better race for the NC sprinters; Tyra Lea (Wakefield) is ranked 4th in the nation in both that event and in the 300, and Ebony Williams (Parkland) sits at US #18 in the 300. Our state also has a lot of firepower in the 400, with Tiana Patillo (Wakefield, US #3 in the 500, US #14 in the 400), Layla White (Cary, US #6 in the 500), and Maya Evans (Fike, US #12 in the 500). Don't count out JeMay Ward (Wakefield), who is currently 26th in the country in the 300 and is sometimes overlooked in the shadows of her teammates. Breanne Bygrave (Wakefield) currently sits at US #16 in the 60 Hurdles; in the 55 Hurdles, Hunter Roberts (Southwest Guilford) and Anna Cockrell (Providence Day) are tied for US #11 (with Bygrave at 14). That means all three of them have a legitimate shot at the semifinals, and it wouldn't be out of the question for Jacklyn Howell (Southeast Raleigh) to sneak in, as well.

The Frazier sisters are going long in this meet: both Wesley and Ryen are entered in the fastest sections of the two-mile and the 5000. Wesley ranks third in the nation in the two-mile, Ryen thirteenth, and both are accomplished in the 5K on the track. Keep an eye on Mount Tabor's Kayla Montgomery in the slower section of the 5000, where there are also three other North Carolina girls running. Rumor has it that Montgomery's workouts have been fantastic lately. The Wakefield girls will be threats to win the 4x200 and 4x400 relays, and fellow Wolverine Kristen Lee ranks 7th in the country in the pole vault. Bre'Anna Warren (Western Guilford) is US #16 in the shot put and only needs another inch or two to move up to second all-time for North Carolina. Finally, North Carolina girls will compete in two of the lesser-known events: Mohogany Baker (who attends Phillip O. Berry but competed for her club team this winter) is entered in the weight throw, and Aminah Ghaffar (Fayetteville Academy) will compete in the indoor pentathlon.

NBNI Girls Preview on MileSplit National Portal

Boys Preview

As with the girls, a lot of the boys' talent from North Carolina is centered into two clusters: the 200/400, and the two-mile/5000. In the 200, the boys from our state will need to have the races of their lives to make the finals; Ragsdale's Xavier Jones is the best bet for a breakout, but he will need to do a lot better than the 22.82 he ran in Kentucky a few weeks ago. The 400 could bring better fortune for NC's athletes, though: Marquavious Johnson (Knightdale) ranks 4th in the nation in the 500, with Parkland's Josiah Elliott right behind him. Kwame Donyinah (Myers Park) never seemed to find the right fit in the 300 or 500 this winter (though he ran good times in both), but we know from last spring and summer that the 400 is just perfect for him.

Way back in early December, Trevor Sleight (Carolina Day) ran 14:57 in the 5000 in a college meet, and that time has held up as the #1 mark in the country all season. Sleight will have his hands full in this race, however, with the likes of Edward Cheserek. Bakri Abushouk (Cary) currently occupies the 13th spot in the national two-mile rankings, but he will be looking to finish higher than that this weekend. Isaiah Moore (Cummings) ranks 7th in the country in the 60 Hurdles and 10th in the 55 Hurdles; teammate Thomas Jones II (US #15 in the 55H) has a good chance to make the semi-finals and an outside chance of sneaking into the final. The Knightdale boys might be well-served by saving some energy for the 4x400, where they currently rank 4th in the nation; they also hold a US #13 ranking in the 4x200. Ethan Smith (Cedar Ridge) will try to improve on his US #21 ranking in the pole vault.

NBNI Boys Preview on MileSplit National Portal

List of NC Athletes Competing in Championship Events

Shakinah Brooks (SE Raleigh) 60 Dash

Ama-Selina Tchume (SE Raleigh) 60 Dash

Jasmine Dawson (West Johnston) 60 Dash, 200 Dash

Imari McLean (Hillside) 60 Dash

Paisley Simmons (TW Andrews) 60 Dash

Erin Morrison (Parkland) 200 Dash

Reneazia Collins (Monroe) 200 Dash

Ebony Williams (Parkland) 200 Dash

Courtney Crawford (McMichael) 200 Dash

Tyra Lea (Wakefield) 200 Dash

Myshale Spigner (Parkland) 200 Dash

JeMay Ward (Wakefield) 400 Dash

Maya Evans (Fike) 400 Dash

Tiana Patillo (Wakefield) 400 Dash

Layla White (Cary) 400 Dash

Wesley Frazier (Ravenscroft) Two Mile Run, 5000 Run

Ryen Frazier (Ravenscroft) Two Mile Run, 5000 Run

Kayla Montgomery (Mount Tabor) 5000 Run

Mary Grace Doggett (Cardinal Gibbons) 5000 Run

Theresa Enright (Green Hope) 5000 Run

Allie Castro (North Lincoln) 5000 Run

Lydia Laws (Western Alamance) 60 Hurdles

Jacklyn Howell (SE Raleigh) 60 Hurdles

Anna Cockrell (Providence Day) 60 Hurdles

Hunter Roberts (SW Guilford) 60 Hurdles

Breanne Bygrave (Wakefield) 60 Hurdles

Jasmine Moore (Wakefield) 60 Hurdles

Parkland Girls 4x200, 4x400

Wakefield Girls 4x200, 4x400, Shuttle Hurdles

Green Hope Girls 1600 SMR, Shuttle Hurdles

Kristen Lee (Wakefield) Pole Vault

Rayna Yvars (Green Hope) Pole Vault

Breanna Warren (Western Guilford) Shot Put

Mohogany Baker (Phillip O. Berry) Weight Throw

Aminah Ghaffar (Fayetteville Academy) Pentathlon

Xavier Jones (Ragsdale) 200 Dash, 400 Dash

Kimani Hoffman (Knightdale) 200 Dash, Triple Jump

Caleb Gabriel (Broughton) 200 Dash

Brandon McLean (Triton) 200 Dash

Marquavious Johnson (Knightdale) 400 Dash

Kwame Donyinah (Knightdale) 400 Dash

Josiah Elliott (Parkland) 400 Dash

William Roberson (Broughton) Two Mile Run, 5000 Run

Bakri Abushouk (Cary) Two Mile Run

Trevor Sleight (Carolina Day) 5000 Run

Thomas Jones II (Cummings) 60 Hurdles

Isaiah Moore (Cummings) 60 Hurdles, Long Jump

Broughton Boys 4x1 Mile, 4x200

Knightdale Boys 4x200, 4x400, 4x800

Wakefield Boys 4x200

Ethan Smith (Cedar Ridge) Pole Vault

Jalen Peterkin (Southern Durham) Shot Put

Chris Cubra (AC Reynolds) Shot Put

New Balance Nationals Indoor: NC Preview