Chris Cubra (AC Reynolds) will be defending his home turf this weekend, as 40 teams gather in Asheville.
Meet Page
(Teams Entered, Performance List)
Saturday marks the 11th running of the Blue Ridge Classic at A. C. Reynolds High School in Asheville. The meet has served as one of the highlights of the outdoor season in Western North Carolina, bringing together a big variety of schools of different sizes. This year, nearly 40 teams have signed up, mostly from North Carolina but also from Virginia, Tennessee, and even Alabama. Unfortunately, cooler weather might put a damper on the power-oriented events (although it could provide a rare late-spring boost to the distance runners), but that does not take away from the competitiveness of the meet. Held in a beautiful facility and run by an experienced and dedicated staff, the Blue Ridge Classic is one of the most enjoyable meets that any team can experience.
Girls Preview
Events to Watch
Hunter Welborn (Starmount) is the top seed in a high jump competition that should be fun to watch. The event also features 5' 4" jumpers Morgan Lowe (Swain) and Anisia Starege (TC Roberson) along with Welborn, who has cleared 5' 6" this season. There will also be two 5' 2" jumpers and a fleet of 5-footers, all of them looking to move up on Saturday. The battle for first place in the 1600 might not be exciting (see below), but after that the race should be really intense. That is because there are 8 girls with verified times between 5:21 and 5:29 in the race, with Larissa Wood (AC Reynolds) and Lily Anderson (TC Roberson) likely at the front of that pack. Watch out for Katarina Ruehl (North Buncombe), who is seeded at 5:40 but has a PR of 5:20. Likewise for Casey Greenwalt (TC Roberson), who ran 2:18 for the 800 last weekend and could be primed for a breakout 1600. One other thing to watch out for during the girls' events: can TC Roberson sweep all 4 relays? The Rams hold the top seed in each of those events, but could face competition in the 4x100.
Athletes to Watch
Hailey Cook (Hendersonville) is the current all-classes state leader in the shot put with her mark of 45' 0.5", and she is also a dominant figure in the discus. Brooke Gordon (TC Roberson) should have the run of the track in the 3200; she will have to be able to push herself if she wants to run under 11 minutes again. Scottsboro (AL) has traveled up for this meet with a few strong individuals that will definitely affect the outcome of the meet. Emily Eustace (Scottsboro AL) is the top seed in the pole vault, although the weather conditions might prevent her from improving on her 11' 1" PR. Olivia Thompson, on the other hand, should benefit from the cooler temperatures as she seeks to improve on her 1600 time of 5:10.90. She will have to do it without much push from the rest of the field, though, as that time is 11 seconds faster than anyone else. Thompson is also the top seed in the 800, but should face more competition there.
Girls Virtual Meet
Boys Preview
Events to Watch
Three of the top 6 triple jumpers in the state are in this meet, as Western North Carolina stakes its claim as the current capital of that event. Steffon Hill (East Henderson) and Noah Tyson (Asheville) are separated by only half an inch when you compare best jumps this season, and both of them will be looking to get past the 47-foot barrier. Mehki McGuyver (Asheville) has jumped 45' 0.5", and Grant Holmes (Faquier VA) has a PR of 44' 4", making this battle deep as well as strong. The shot put features three legitimat 50-footers, led by home-team star Chris Cubra (AC Reynolds). Anthony Bowling (Marion) and Marcus Abraham (Metrolina Christian) will be right there to push Cubra for the win. Abraham and Cubra will also headline an impressive field of discus throwers, with Kyle Malone (East Henderson) also in the mix in that event. The 3200 should also be very competitive, and will benefit from the cooler temperatures more than any other event. There are 5 boys entered with verified times under 10 minutes, led by Patrick Sheehan (Lake Norman). Zach Boone (Mitchell) and Dylan Johnson (Hayesville) should provide strong competition up front. In the 400, David Yang (Providence) is the top seed in a field that has 6 athletes seeded in the 51-second range behind him. While those times might not rewrite the top-10 rankings, the finals should be extremely competitive.
Athletes to Watch
Grant Holmes (Fauquier) is the top seed in the pole vault with his mark of 14' 7", over a foot better than the next competitor. Grant Rivers (Hendersonville) is the class of the field in the high jump with his PR of 6' 8", and he is also known as a strong hurdler. However, he will have his hands full with Drew Barker (TC Roberson), who has the top FAT mark in the state in the 110 hurdles, having run 14.54 last weekend. In turn, Barker will have a tough time in the 300 hurdles competing against Brandon Washington (Asheville), who is the state leader in that event. Wyatt Maxey (Providence) will be looking to dominate in the 1600 and sharpen up for his postseason; however, he will face tough competition from Madison Estes (Scottsboro AL) in the 800.
