Time for the big leagues! These 4A races are slated to be some of the fastest of the day, with countless national-caliber competitors and close matchups that guarantee some upsets. This year's NCHSAA 4A State Championships will certainly live up to the hype and maybe even more! Without further ado, let's dive into six events guaranteed to knock your socks off!
Girls' Long Jump
Reigning indoor state champion in this event, Kelly MacBride comes in with an all-around personal best of 18-11, despite "only" jumping 18-10 this year at the All American Track Classic. Second to MacBride at the NCHSAA 4A Indoor State Championships was Sebla Miracle with an 18-06.25 personal best.
Farrah Anderson comes in seeded third with a fresh new career high of 18-07 from the Southern Carolina Conference Championships. Right behind her is Aleah Weight with a solid 18-04.25 best. These girl will certainly look to take the title from defending champion MacBride on Saturday, which should give us some entertaining matchups to watch.
Boys' 4x100 Meter Relay
If you want excitement, this might just be where to find it. Mallard Creek and Parkland Magnet will be gunning for the title on Saturday. Mallard Creek comes in seeded first overall thanks to their 40.91 performance last weekend.
Parkland Magnet currently holds the 4A state meet record in the event from 2024, where they ran a 40.66 to claim the state title. Parkland returns three boys from their record-setting relay lineup, showing that they have the experience and composure needed to top Mallard Creek. However, it all comes down to who is better on the day, so make sure to tune in to find out.
Girls' 800 Meter Run
Boy, oh boy, do these distance girls know how to run fast! I know I said that for 3A, but it just doesn't get much better than this.
Louisa Betz comes into this race with the fastest personal best of 2:08 for 800 meters. However, the rest of the field is not far off as both Rachel Riley and Kaitlyn Estep hold solid 2:10 personal bests in the event. Even more impressively, they are both underclassmen, with Estep being a freshman while Riley is a sophomore.
Two other notable entrants include Ava Maugh and Kasey Dingman, with almost identical marks of 2:12 for 800 meters. The current state meet record sits at 2:07 by Sanu Jallow from 2021, which could be in danger. Now, that might be a slight stretch, but with the right competition and conditions, I think all of these girls are capable of such a mark.
Boys' 800 Meter Run
This 4A division is seriously talented when it comes to the distance events and this event is no exception. Current US #5 in this event, Joshua Cooper is going into Saturday as the favorite with his incredibly impressive 1:49 personal best. Cooper is also the top returner from last year's edition of this race.
While Cooper may be the favorite, he will not go unchallenged, as the likes of Cade Cresswell and Kyle Barney hold personal bests of 1:50 and 1:51, respectively. Barney is the defending 1000-meter state champion from the indoor championships, showing he knows how to navigate high-pressure situations.
Girls' 1600 Meter Run
Forgive me for including three distance events in this preview, but these distance events are simply some of the best events of the day. Colby McCollum is the leading entry in this race, fresh off her winning performance at the 4A Midwest Regionals against Kasey Dingman. McCollum ran 4:49, while Dingman crossed the line in 4:51.
The reigning indoor state champion in this event is none other than Sofi Alexander, with an impressive 4:51 1600-meter personal best, in addition to her 10:24 3200-meter best. Alexander will also be facing off against Louisa Betz, who is slated to compete in the 800-meter as well. Several other girls are also planning on doing the mid-distance double (800 and 1600 meters), with Dingman and Kaitlyn Estep vying for two podium finishes on Saturday.
Boys' 400 Meter Dash
There are four boys under 48 seconds this season, and they are all slated to compete on Saturday. Dominic Harper leads the charge with his 46.86 mark from this season, which currently sits at US #3 on the national leaderboard for the event.
Harper has run almost a second faster than the second fastest in the field, Khalil Price. Price boasts a solid time of 47.59 400-meter personal best to make him the second boy under 48 seconds in this division. Following him are Liam Kinken, Anthony Boykin Jr., and Jace Wynn. Kinken is also the only underclassman in the field, showing promise at such a young age.