The field events will take center stage on Saturday as they dominate the meet schedule, with all 5 of them going on amidst only 4 running events during the morning and early afternoon. Luckily, there are top-flight athletes all over the performance list, and we should see some really competitive battles. That's even more true when you consider that the theme of the day is REMATCHES - we have familiar foes meeting again in several events, hoping that the rivalry will continue to push their performances higher.
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High Jump
Christopher Garrick (Marvin Ridge) and Keon Howe (Mallard Creek) pushed each other to identical US #2 marks of 6' 10" the last time they met, and both attempted 7 feet. If they can recreate that magic for their final battle of the season (unless they both go to New Balance Nationals Indoor), maybe we will see that barrier broken. Elizabeth Olesen (Hickory Ridge) is the top seed in the girls' competition, and she is looking to return to her 5' 9" form as she gears up for her postseason meets.
Pole Vault
Alina McDonald (Carolina Homeschool, SC) and Anna Eaton (Apex, above) wrote themselves into the JDL Fast Track record books two weekends ago, both of them tying the facility's best-ever high school jump at US #17 12' 6". Add in Zoe Early (Apex) and Chesney Ward (Ragsdale), the latter making her big-meet debut for the season after jumping very well in smaller JDL meets all winter, and you have the makings of a great final few heights.
The top 8 boys' vaulters in the state, and 9 of the top 10, are signed up for this event. Hopefully, Ian West (Fike) has recovered and is cleared to compete against Apex teammates Drew Pedersen and Michael Utecht, as well as Tristian Shaver (Ledford).
Shot Put
This may be the thinnest event of the weekend, but there is still talent at the top. NC #3 Alycia Springs (Mallard Creek) will take on NC #4 Hasana Clark and her Southeast Raleigh throws crew, while Terrell Adams (Middle Creek) is looking to match his 54-foot outdoor throw (which would put him at least NC #3 if he can do it). Keep an eye on Samson Bradsher (Hobbton), the 1A state champ last spring; if he can get back over 50 feet, he'll be in the running for another title.
Long Jump
Marcus Krah (Hillside, above) finally put it all together in the jumps last weekend, and that was on the UNC runways that are believed by many to be difficult to jump on. This weekend, Krah will try to improve on his NC #1 US #19 mark of 23' 0". Jamie Brown (Knightdale) has an indoor best of 22' 7" NC #3, and he will be looking to get into the 23's as well. Tevin Quick (Ragsdale) has an indoor season best of 22' 0" NC #4, and he has jumped over 23 feet in past seasons. If all three are on their game, there could be some lead-switching during the finals!
Sydnei Murphy (Apex) sits at US #7 and NC #1 in this event, having a season best of 19' 3.25". Though she seems to have been focusing a lot on her sprinting this winter, that speed will eventually pay off in the long jump, too - and when it does she could be a 20-footer. NC #4 K'Lynn Beal (Broughton) is the chief competition for Murphy, while Courtney Cefalo (Ledford) is looking for her first-ever 18-foot jump.
Triple Jump
Krah is also the top seed in this event with his NC #2 US #11 47' 2.75" jump. If he duplicates that he will probably cruise to the win, but there could be a logjam of 45-foot jumpers jockeying for better spots in the rankings: NC #5 Steve Fossi-Noue (Mallard Creek), NC #6 Noah Tyson (Asheville), NC #7 Julian Graves (Marvin Ridge), and NC #8 Arjun Patel (R.J. Reynolds).
Although US leader Murphy is not in this event, the rest of the top 4 in the state is competing, with one addition from outside our borders. NC #2 Nicole Lawson (Hopewell) will have to work hard to stay in front of NC #3 Nateja Hale (Parkland), while NC #4 Mikaela Siebert (Cuthbertson) returns after over a month off from competition. Meredith Willis (George Wythe, VA) has also been in the upper 37's this winter, so she'll be right in the mix in what could be a very entertaining final.
55 Meter Dash
Although NC #3 Katlyn Sherman (Parkland) is the top seed, it will be interesting to see what NC #6 Anna Cockrell (Providence Day, above) can do in this race. Could she win the 55 Dash in the morning, then come back to take the Invitational 60 Hurdles in the afternoon? Several of the competitors from the 60 Dash have decided to sit out the 55, and that could open the door for someone like NC #8 Sun-Sara' Williams (Independence) to shine in the final.
Ryan Clark (Banneker, GA) has set up a rather grueling schedule for himself in this meet: first he will run the 55's, then the 300, and finally the Invitational 60 Dash. He is the national leader in this event, and this will be the second weekend in a row where he battles NC #1 US 6 Nyheim Hines (Garner). Hines actually made his season debut with that race - is it possible that he was still shaking off the rust, and could be even faster this week? NC #7 Jeremiah Dorsey (Olympic) is also in the race, as is Joshua Pearson (Platinum Sports), who is on his way back to full strength after some time off.
1600 Meter Run
With many of NC's best distance runners saving themselves for the Invitational Mile later in the day (or on the way to Boston), we ended up with two very interesting fields in this event. Julia Wood (Rappahannock County, VA) ran 5:07 last year, but this is her first race of the current season. Ditto for Georgie MacKenzie (Leesburg Heritage, VA) and her 5:09 PR - she trains with a group of runners (including Foot Locker Finalists Drew Hunter, Ciara Donohue, and Weini Kelati) from multiple schools in Loudoun County, which does not support indoor track. Lexi King (Marvin Ridge) and Haley Schaeffer (Jacksonville) are among the North Carolina runners that will attempt to repel this incursion from North of our borders.
First, ignore the top two seeds in the boys 1600 - they have moved over to the Invitational Mile and will not compete in the 1600. That means another pair of NoVa runners will have the inside spots in the final section: Jack Joyce (Briar Woods, VA) has a PR of 4:27, and Fitsum Seyoum (Tuscarora, VA) has run 4:29. Kyle Christ (West Johnston), Josh Mitchell (Cary Academy), and Jose Rosas (Sanderson) are all in the low-4:30's this season, and should be able to compete well against the Virginians.
300 Meter Dash
Ryan Clark's mission is clear: he wants to challenge the national record in the 300 of 33.05, set two years ago by Michael Cherry. Clark ran 33.94 US #6 at UNC last weekend, and we are all hoping he can improve on that Saturday. If he does, it may help pull NC #3 Jeremiah Brown (Southwest Guilford) and NC #6 Chuka Soronnadi (Butler) toward the 35-second barrier. An interesting entrant: Jake Dixon (Cheverus, ME), who has run 35.50 and has a 400 PR of 48.93 (he will also be in the Invitational 400 later in the day).
On the girls' side, the top 300 runners in the state have all opted to conserve for the Invitational races. While that takes away some of the national-level fireworks that the 300 has been producing at JDL Fast Track this year, it does create a very interesting and highly competitive set of races. In the fastest section, barring any scratches, all 6 of the runners have verified times between 41.11 and 41.67, with Mya Johnson (Dudey) leading the charge toward sub-41 times. Watch out for Miaysha Bryant (Parkland) in the second-fastest section, as she is seeded well below her season best of 40, and she could steal the win.
1000 Meter Run
Caitie Faust (Marist, GA) may have been taking on a challenge in the 500 Friday night, but this race is right in her wheelhouse - she just ran 2:12 for the 800 last weekend, which is US #3 in that event right now. Look for her to be sub-3 for sure, and don't be surprised if G'Jasmyne Butler (Leesville Road) threatens that barrier, too. There will be a fleet of Cary and Leesville Road runners in this race that don't normally get to run fresh, but with the 4x8 on Friday night there could be serious improvement.
Just like Ryan Clark in the 300, Elijah Inuwa (Central Academy of Technology) has a clear goal for this race: attack the all-time North Carolina record of 2:28.04, which has stood since 1990. It will have to be a solo effort, because the rest of the front-runners will be in the low 2:30's, even if they run well. Chris Perez (West Johnston) and Ryan Buscaglia (Maggie Walker, VA) will both be seeking their first sub-2:35 time of the season, as will Christian Pigues (Trinity Academy). Bryan Grumbach (White Knoll, SC) is a 1:58 800 runner making his indoor debut.