Events to Watch:

Girls Triple Jump: It's not just Sydnei Murphy (Apex), who is currently US #1 with her 40' 10.25" mark (although that jump was unattached, so she still needs a state-qualifying mark). Murphy is the heavy favorite to win, but behind her there should be a great battle between would-be 38-footers like Imani Bennett (Southern Guilford) and Hopewell teammates Olivia Walker and Nicole Lawson. Watch out for #8 seed Tamilia Wright (Walter Williams), who has a PR of 37' 9". Also, Parkland continues to quietly improve in the field events, which are often overshadowed by their spectacular long-sprinters; Nateja Hale has a good chance to become the Mustangs' second 37-foot jumper this season.
Boys Pole Vault: Would seeing 5 of the top 6 vaulters in the state this season grab your attention? How about three of the top 10 vaulters in NC history? Drew Pedersen (Apex, #2 All-Time) will take on an extremely competitive field that includes fellow 16-footer Ian West (Fike, #10 All-Time indoors, #3 All-Time outdoors). Add Tristan Shaver (Ledford, #9 All-Time Indoors), Michael Utecht (Apex), and Marshall Shank (East Rowan), and there should be some fireworks over by the American flag tomorrow!
55 Hurdles: On the boys' side, Marcus Krah (Hillside) returns to the track after posting a US #2 mark of 7.29 in December, while four up-and-coming hurdlers jockey for position going into the Elite 60 Hurdles at the David Oliver Classic. Caleb Walker (Independence), Corey Thompson Jr. (East Gaston), Elliott Graves (Reidsville), and Benjamin McMillan (Hough) are all trying to make a name for themselves, and also trying to stay in the top 5 of the state rankings. The girls' field is even more loaded, with current national leader Anna Cockrell (Providence Day) taking on surging Ebony Williams (Parkland, US #4). Gabriele Cunningham (Mallard Creek) and Ariel Davis (Platinum Sports) will also provide a competitive push, while Breanne Bygrave (Wakefield) hopes to return to the form of two years ago when she ran 8.11.
Girls 55 Dash: 10 of the top 12 sprinters in the current state rankings are in this race, and that means 2 of them aren't going to make the finals! Current US #4 Murphy and US #10 Cunningham have both been strong in pressure situations so far this season. From third-seed Cockrell back to the #10 seed, though, the rest of the top contenders are only separated by 0.09 seconds! In this event, the prelims are going to be like finals, and the final is going to be something special! Watch for Tamara Clark (High Point Central), who hasn't run against someone faster than her in the 55 all season, and that could mean a big time drop Saturday.
3200 Run: The girls' race should feature a strong front pack, while the biggest excitement in the boy's race is likely to be behind the leaders. Malia Ellington (Community School of Davidson) leads the field, although she is currently outside the top 5 in the state in this event (expect that to change soon). She'll have her hands full with Foot Locker Finalist Kathleen Mansure (Watauga), who is effectively running in her debut race for the season: she ran the 1600 in November as part of her cross country post-season preparation, but hasn't raced since. That 1600, by the way, was a 20-second PR, and you can expect Mansure to quickly threaten the 11-minute mark based on her immense improvement this past fall. Marissa Bishop and Amanda Wiggenhorn (Cardinal Gibbons) are also making their initial foray into individual indoor competition for the season, while Mary Prouty (Myers Park) is stepping up from the distance she has previously run indoors, the 1600. On the boys' side, Philip Hall (South View) is the favorite with his 9:32 from an outdoor meet, and it looks like Kenny Kneisel (Mount Tabor, 9:15 in the fall) is the only runner with the credentials to challenge him. Behind those two, though, there could be a real barn-burner in the upper 9-minute range. The top contenders fall into 3 categories: some have already broken 10 this winter, like Robert Anderson (Pinecrest) and Daniel Watts (Parkland), or are incredibly close like Alex Cornwell (Hickory Ridge) and Nick Ciaccia (R.J. Reynolds); some are prime contenders running their first 32 of the season, like Zach Marchinko (Carson), Michael Staples (South View), and the Weddington duo of Alex Hazan and Ryan Hobbs; and some of the entries are maybe just a tad optimistic.
Girls High Jump: A 3-girl battle at the top includes co-state leaders Elizabeth Olesen (Hickory Ridge) and Kylie Polsgrove (Avery), plus this will be a great chance for Kenya Livingston (Rocky River) to break out from the pack of 5' 4" jumpers.
300 Dash: The boys' and girls' races are both interesting in this event, but for different reasons. Several boys with big outdoor times will get to prove their mettle indoors - Chuka Soronnadi (Butler) is a perfect example of that, as is DeAllen Hargrove (North Meck). They will compete with Jeremiah Brown (Southwest Guilford) and Brandon Massey (Parkwood), who have both run in the 35's indoors, and T. J. Bleichner could get involved in the top 5 if the 500 doesn't take too much out of him, On the girls' side the headline is the top 2 runners: Clark and Williams square off after separately running the US #3 and #5 times last weekend at JDL. In addition toKatlyn Sherman (Parkland), who is already under 40, and Lauren White (who is getting close to that mark), keep an eye on Cockrell - she ran 42.68 in the 300 Hurdles last spring.
4x200 Relay: Do you like chaos? This is your event! Between the nature of the event itself, which involves people barreling full-speed into tight curves while trying to run in the same lane, the amount of over-seeding going on for this race adds another dimension of entropy altogether. That's especially true on the boys' side, where Asheville, North Mecklenburg, and Butler are the only teams that have actually run under 1:33, even though 11 teams seeded themselves at that mark or faster (of those 3, only North Meck has an indoor time in that range). On the girls' side, behind the expected Parkland domination of the Mustangs' signature event, there should be a really good battle for second; Wakefield and Dudley have the best credentials, but there are other challengers that might be able to hang with them.

Athletes & Teams to Watch:

Ellington isn't just in the 3200 - as the state's preeminent multi-race grinder, she will also run the 1600 and the 1000. In the first race she will face Grace Sullivan (Providence), Sophie Ebihara (Cardinal Gibbons), and Blair Ramsey (Grimsley, making her 2015 debut). In the 1000, Ellington's best event, she is likely to dominate, but there could be a good race for second place.
You can never go wrong watching Parkland's girls. In addition to the events featured above, check out McKinley McNeill in the 500, and their 4x400 battle against Wakefield could also be fun. A lot of the Mustangs' success will hinge on the injury status of a few key contributors.
Platinum sports has become well-known for the individual athletes it brings to the meets, but this time the Greensboro-area club team will field relay teams.
Saturday will not be the first time that Khayla Dawson (Olympic) and Alicia Springs (Mallard Creek) have faced off in two events in one meet. What's unusual is that one of the events is the weight throw! Get there early to see an event that's rarely contested in NC high school competition.
In addition to the hurdles, Krah is the top long jumper in the state, and he will also be looking to move up in the triple jump rankings. Don't forget to check out US #2 high-jumper Keon Howe (Mallard Creek), who will square off against Frankie Thomas (Mauldin, SC) and his 6' 8" PR.
Philip Hall isn't just running the 3200 - he will be in the 1600, and so will Mitchell Resor (Weddington). Resor has run 4:23 outdoors this winter, while Hall hasn't run the mile yet, so hopefully they will push each other. Resor is also likely on the Weddington boys 4x8, which is top-seeded and has a lot of potential.
Apex teammates Zoe Early and Anna Eaton return to vault, as does Alina McDonald (Carolina Homeschool, SC).
Bleichner's best race is the 500, where he is looking for his first indoor 1:05. He also wants to prep for the Elite 400 at the David Oliver Classic, just as Josh Little (East Rowan) is looking to get ready for the Elite 60.
Vincent Crisp (North Mecklenburg) takes another crack at going under 2:30 in the 1000, with Christian Pigues (Trinity Academy), Chris Perez (West Johnston), and Parker Lee (Fuquay-Varina) hoping to benefit from his fast pace.
Overhills has been producing solid boys' 4x4 teams for several years now. This season, they have a 3:29.10 outdoors, but need to post an indoor mark to get a spot in the rankings.