Last year Kaylyn Brown won an epic battle with Akala Garrett in the 400m clocking 56.84 to win as a 7th grader. She went on to run 12.19, 24.47 and 56.55 over the course of the summer with Purpose Driven Elite TC. This year Brown has run 12.34 (12.14 HT), and 56.54 in the 400m and well as 2:24.22 in the 800m. She'll go after a double title in the 100m and 200m dash this weekend. Though both the fields are stacked!
Clifton Davis Jr (Turrentine Middle)
Clifton Davis Jr has had great success on the track as an 8th grader for Turrentine MS with an NC No. 1 mark of 19-11 in the long jump and an NC No. 3 53.74 400m this season. We'll see Davis in both of those events as well as the 4x200m where he'll likely see competition to push him for the first time this season.
Akala Garrett has been in a class of her own in the hurdles for some time now. Last year she ran 14.03 in the 100m Hurdles and won the NCRunners Middle School Elite Invitational a year ago in 14.80! Garrett has run 25.20, 58.04 and 2:21 this outdoor season, but this Saturday will be her season debut in the 100m Hurdles and her first ever career 300m Hurdle. With great endurance, being a hurdler also leading the state in the 800m, the longer hurdles could be her best event once she gets adjusted to it.
Rocky Hansen of Rugby MS has been undefeated so far this spring in the 1600m holding a personal best of 4:52.83, a North Carolina MS State Lead, as well as 4 sub-5:00 marks on the year. Hansen comes in as the top seed, but will have a lot of strong competition with 8 other boys with 5:00.0 credentials or faster! Last year the field yielded 8 boys under 5:00 and it'll hopefully exceed 10 athletes on Saturday. Hansen will also race in the 800m where he holds a 2:18 PR.
Last year Charlotte Bell (Cuthbertson MS) took 3rd in the 1600m and 2nd in the 3200m clocking 5:18 and 11:49 as a 6th grader. This year she's been phenomenal running 2:23, 5:14 and 11:24 for the 3200m. She holds the state lead in both the 1600m and 3200m this season. Bell will lead a loaded 1600m and 3200m field this weekend that has the potential to put multiple girls under 5:10 and 11:30!
Vanessa Alder is the next Alder in line behind Carmen Alder (Pinecrest) who is the high school state leader in the 1600m at 4:52.14. Vanessa is a star in her own right with a 4:49.72 1500m and 10:40 3000m to her name from last summer as a 7th grader. She also won the 3200m last year at this event with a 11:33 and was the 1600m runner-up in 5:18. Last week she ran a solo 10:43.22 3000m, 11:30 3200m pace, so you know she's ready to roll this weekend!
Kaitlyn Obremski will make the 4+ hour trip from Topsail, NC to compete in loaded 1600m, 3200m fields! Obremski holds a season best of 5:20 and has run 19:06 for 5000m in cross country. She won the Rising Stars race at Nike Cross Southeast Regional this year and was the runner-up in the 13-14 race at Foot Locker South in 2017.
Allison Hall was the NCISAA 4A State Cross Country Champion this fall where she ran 20:04 in the worst racing conditions possible on a hilly course. The 7th grader holds an XC PR of 19:12 at WakeMed and has run 5:21 this season in the 1600m and 12:14 in the 3200m. She'll compete in both the 1600m and 3200m this weekend again the loaded girl's fields. Fellow future NCISAA 3A Star Abby Smith (Carolina Day) will also compete alongside her in the 3200m.
