Sometimes high school athletes get to compete at UNC twice during the indoor season, but this is a year where Eddie Smith Fieldhouse is only on the calendar once. Although JDL Fast Track has quickly obtained a reputation for big performances, UNC's facility has a ton of history behind it - after all, for years it was the only indoor track in the state, hosting nearly all of North Carolina's state meets in its two incarnations. Before the current building there was the "Tin Can," which housed a 160-meter wooden track - thank goodness for modern developments!
Field Events
UNC's facility is one of the best in the nation for watching the field events, as it is open and well-lit (especially when it is sunny outside). This meet always seems to attract top talent to the center of the track, too, and this year's version is no exception. Perhaps we will get an answer to the conundrum of Jamie Brown (Knightdale), who busted out a 24-foot long jump at a polar bear earlier this season after being a consistent upper-21 to lower-22 guy beforehand. That kind of thing CAN happen in the jumps, but it could also have been a wind-aided attempt, and only the totality of his performances in time will tell. He's not the only one with the same story in this meet, interestingly; Laron James (Buchholz, FL) has almost the exact same resume in the long jump. Marcus Krah (Hillside) struggled in the jumps last weekend at JDL, but hopefully he will get back on track this time around; in the triple he will face Darryl Shaw (Jack Britt) and maybe Noah Tyson (Asheville) - "maybe" because Tyson was also registered for Virginia Tech. Terrell Adams (Middle Creek) will get the chance to show that his 54-foot throw from a polar bear wasn't a fluke, as he faces state leader Ryan Davis (Pine Forest) and the consistently excellent Marcus Abaraham (Victory Christian). The pole vault could be the highlight of the boys' competition overall, as Apex teammates Drew Pedersen and Michael Utecht will square off against Ian West (Fike, if he is healthy again) and also David Bell (Bishop Kenny, FL).
Sydnei Murphy (Apex) continues to work on her triple jumping, and though Eddie Smith is not known as a great location for that event, the national leader still wants to get back over 41 feet. She will face a tough trio of Floridians in Brittany Bowald (Atlantic Coast), Nicole Greene (Ponte Vedra), and Kiana Davis (Buchholz), all of whom have been over 38 feet. Throw in the typical crew of Cummings jumpers, and this could be a lot of fun to watch! Greene, who is competing at her future collegiate home this weekend, is best known for her high jumping; expect her to win that, although Elizabeth Olesen (Hickory Ridge) is more than capable of keeping pace. Jza-Quashia "Mookie" Chavis (Northern Durham) will be throwing indoors for the first time ever, and she will have to contend with the state leader, Khayla Dawson (Olympic), and also Hasana Clark (Southeast Raleigh). In a bit of deja vu, Apex vaulters Zoe Early and Anna Eaton will face Frances Rice (Bolles, FL) and Zoe Harper (Ponte Vedra); the four competed last month at the NCRunners Holiday Invitational.
Sprints & Hurdles
Ryan Clark (Banneker, GA) begins his tour of North Carolina this weekend (the current US leader in the 60 will also be at the David Oliver Classic), and inside sources tell NCRunners that he has his eye on a run at the national record in the 300. If that's true, UNC's track has wide curves (for a flat 200) that could help his cause. In that race, he will face Kaylan Love-Soles (Rocky River), Kymani Dula (Southern Alamance), and Chuka Soronnadi (Butler) among others, and in the 55 he will have to stay in front of Daniel Estrada (Platinum Sports). It will be interesting to see Nyheim Hines (Garner) in his first indoor race of the year, and only his second ever. Love-Soles will also be in the 500, where he will have to contend with T. J. Bleichner (Fuquay-Varina) and one of the top 800 runners in the state, Ryan Speer (North Raleigh Christian). The top two hurdlers in our state, Marcus Krah (Hillside) and Emmanuel Jackson (Sanderson) will clash in the finals.
There is a veritable fleet of out-of-state athletes entered in the girls sprints, some of them with highly optimistic seed times. Sydnei Murphy (Apex) doesn't mind the challenge, though, and athletes like Karimah Davis (Palm Beach Central, FL) are the real deal. The biggest challenge could come from a local foe, though, as Charminiqu Hackney (Cary) continues to round into form. Davis, by the way, is also a 55-second 400 runner in addition to being sub-12 in the 100 last spring, so that would make her a favorite in the 500 this weekend...if Layla White (Cary) wasn't also in the race. That should be an excellent duel! Davis is also in the 300 and it seems like she will be pretty tired by then, which could set up a great battle between her, Lauren White, Lydia Gamble, Cambria Shuford, Courtney Warner, and JeMay Ward as they jockey for position in the state rankings and seeding at the state meet. In the hurdles, the states 3rd, 5th, and 6th-ranked athletes will square off, as all three of them try to move closer to running sub-8.
Distance Races
At first glance, it looks like a Leesville Road kinda day at UNC, but that could be a bit deceiving. Nevada Mareno (Leesville Road) is tuning up for the Elite Mile at the David Oliver Classic, and she will run away with the 1000. Her teammates G'Jasmyne Butler and Taylor Hemmings are seeded high in the 1600, although Janay Hall (South View), Ashley Smith (West Forsyth), and Jena Metwalli (Cannon School) may have something to say about that. Arden Vessie (Corinth Holders) is scheduled to make her first race since an injury ended her cross country season, and under the circumstances it seems like seeding her at her all-time PR might be a bit much. Emily Pettis (Leesville Road) has run 11:22 this winter after transferring from Millbrook, while Rebekah Greengrass (Panther Creek) just opened her season with an 11:07 last Friday, and Kayla Holder (Wake Forest) is also just getting going.
On the boys' side, the big story is the debut of the Broughton squad. The 1000 looks to be wide open, with the top 3 seeds having raced each other well last weekend (Christian Pigues won that battle), but the addition of Michael Staples (South View) and Jeremy Brown (Broughton) should spice the race up a little bit. Brown will also run the 1600, where Josh Mitchell (Cary Academy) will also be putting in his first race of the season, and they will be joined by Staples and Kyle Christ (West Johnston). Peter Millsaps and Robbie Simmons will represent Broughton in the 3200, and they will find cross-town competition from Dean Abushouk (Cary) and Tucker Cera (Millbrook), not to mention. Also worth watching: Andrew Ciaccia (RJ Reynolds) has been engaging in a game of leapfrog in the 3200 rankings over the past few weeks with his twin brother, Nick, and this is his chance to get back in front.
More Eastern Challenge Coverage:
- Live Results
- Meet Page (Schedule, Performance Lists, Prior Years)
