After a breakthrough in the 300 last week, Ama-Selina Tchume (Wakefield) hopes to drop even more time on the lightning-fast banked track.
The Virginia Tech Invitational is arguably the biggest and most-competitive meet in the Southeast, filled with top talent from Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, and other states. Unfortunately, the weather is already putting a dent in the talent pool, and more school systems in North Carolina and eastern Virginia might decide to cancel school tomorrow, putting even more athletes out of the meet. The previews below assume that the North Carolina athletes listed will be able to attend the meet, but take that with a grain of salt. If they do get up to Blacksburg, the Virginia Tech track always returns very fast times, particularly in the long sprints (where the banked curves make it easier to sustain speed) and in the jumps (where the elevated wooden runways add spring).
Events to Watch
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Girls Premier Mile: Rebekah Greengrass (Panther Creek) will square off against some of the nation's best Saturday in her pursuit of a sub-5 time. She has been tuning up with shorter races for speed work, but hasn't run the mile yet this winter.
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Girls 55 Hurdles: The potential match-up between national co-leaders Chantel Ray (Hampton) and Jacklyn Howell (Southeast Raleigh) won't happen, as Ray's school system will not allow the athletes to travel. That could lead to North Carolina domination here, as Howell is joined by Wakefield's Breanne Bygrave and Jasmine Moore.
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Girls Relays: Wakefield, the state's dominant girls' sprint program of the last four years, once again faces Parkland, a team that has been chasing the Wolverines for the last two years. This year the Mustangs have caught up, and currently rank US #3 in the 4x4 and #5 in the 4x2. The fast track could help Parkland challenge the 1:40 and 3:50 barriers, while Wakefield looks to take a step back toward national relay competition now that the team is healthy. Wakefield also has a strong 4x8 that could run under 9:50 in a meet of this caliber.
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Girls 300: Ama-Selina Tchume (Wakefield) had a breakthrough race last week on the flat track at JDL, and now she can drop more time on the former Madison Square Garden track. She will have plenty of push, both from Virginia sprinters and from Parkland teammates Ebony Williams and Erin Morrison. JeMay Ward (Wakefield) will also be in the race, and with all four of them in the top 2 heats together there could be some rewriting of the state rankings.
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Boys SP: Elijah Mallory (Wakefield) and Marcus Abraham (Victory Christian) are two of the best throwers in the state, and they will get to face a field that includes the 4th- and 9th-ranked athletes in the nation.
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Boys TJ: Asheville teammates Noah Tyson and Mekhi McGuyver want to get past the 47-foot barrier, and this is a great place to do that. They will be surrounded by athletes of similar ability, and will have the chance to compete for the win as well as the big mark.
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Boys 300: Jamaree Murray (Southeast Raleigh) will aim for sub-34 with two other nationally-ranked sprinters from Virginia. If successful, he would become one of the top 3 sprinters in state history.
Other Notable North Carolina Entries
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Wakefield girls: Ama-Selina Tchume (55), Tia Robinson (500), Ricole Jenkins (500), Angela Delfino (1600)
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Parkland girls: Katlyn Sherman (55), Nateja Hale (55H), Ila Mumford (LJ. TJ)
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Southeast Raleigh girls: Jasmine Allen (500), Kaylie Loyd (1000), Hasana Clark (SP)
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Anna McElrath (Independence) 1000, 1600
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Hannah Moerk (East Forsyth) 1000, 1600
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Southeast Raleigh boys: Jamaree Murray (55), Jayon Woodard (500), 4x400, 4x800,
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Christopher Mangum (Independence) 55H