Layla White (Cary) reclaimed the national lead in the 500, and there were many other top performances despite the weather.
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Boys Highlights | Girls Highlights
Although the weather prevented schools from several large school systems from attending the meet (including Wake, Guilford, and Mecklenburg counties). Nonetheless, enough of the state's top athletes made it out to the JDL to produce several North Carolina top 5 performances, plus a handful of nationally-ranked marks. Below are the highlights from the meet, featuring the events that produced the top performances.
Girls' Highlights
Girls 500 Run
Although this race was a rematch of the 500 from the NC High School Opener at UNC, Layla White (Cary) took the race over from the start and never let it get as close as that one was. She hit the 300 mark in 41 and change, and was able to keep turning over as she came around in a new US #1 time of 1:15.11.
Girls 500 Meter Dash
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Name Year School Finals H# Points
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1 Layla White SO Unattached 1:15.11 2
2 Maya Evans SR Fike 1:17.17 2
3 Kaila Smith SR Unattached 1:22.39 2
4 Ashley Jemerson FR Unattached 1:23.95 2
5 Taylor Potts JR Alexander Ce 1:24.53 1
6 Courtney Joyner SO Providence D 1:28.24 2
7 Tiara McDay FR Unattached 1:28.55 1
8 Miranda Tyson SR Mount Tabor 1:29.66 1
Girls 1000 Run
Gina Daniel (Providence) went straight to the front of this race, but she was pushed most of the way through by Hana Ratcliffe (Durham School of the Arts) and Katie Cease (West Carteret). Toward the end, Cease faded (obviously tired from winning the 1600 earlier in the day), and surprising freshman Reagan Portelance (Lake Norman) caught up to her.
Girls 1000 Meter Run
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Name Year School Finals Points
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1 Gina Daniel SR Unattached 3:02.77
2 Hana Ratcliffe JR Unattached 3:09.32
3 Reagan Portelance FR Lake Norman 3:13.35
4 Katie Cease SR West Cartere 3:16.60
5 Caitlin Potter JR North Lincol 3:17.36
6 Hannah Moerk JR East Forsyth 3:18.52
7 Doria Kosmala SR Watauga 3:19.26
8 Ellen Spencer FR West Forsyth 3:19.55
Girls 55 Hurdles
After Mollie Williams (Clayton) ran a fast 8.18 in the prelims (easing off over the last two hurdles), anticipation was running high for the final. However, after Williams hit the second hurdle and stumbled, it was Anna Cockerell (Providence Day) that stole the show, running 8.10 to become the new state leader (US #4). Cockerell moves all the way up to 9th all-time for North Carolina indoor performances in her first year of high school competition, although the former Detroit Country Day athlete went to New Balance Indoor Nationals as an 8th-grader last winter. Fellow freshman Shellbi Chapman (Sanderson) dropped her best time to 8.27, giving North Carolina the top three 9th-grade hurdlers in the country right now (including Wakefield's Breanne Bygrave).
Girls 55 Meter Hurdles
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Name Year School Finals Points
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Finals
1 Anna Cockrell FR Providence D 8.10
2 Shellbi Chapman FR Unattached 8.27
3 Kaila Smith SR Unattached 8.42
4 Aminah Ghaffar SR Unattached 8.43
5 Mollie Williams SR Unattached 8.57
6 Ariel Davis SO Unattached 8.63
7 Lydia Laws JR Unattached 8.73
8 Lanetia Mack SR Mount Tabor 8.76
Girls Pole Vault
Although they had to compete unattached, three vaulters that share the same coach made it out to the competition on Saturday, and they produced some great results. Rayna Yvars (Green Hope) set a new indoor PR and NC #2 mark of 11' 9", and she had a really good attempt at 12 feet to close out the meet (all the running events had finished at that point). That height is the fifth-best in state history indoors, but it wasn't the only impressive jump of the day. Freshman teammate Zoe Early cleared 11 feet, tying her for third in the state overall and equaling the top 9th-grade mark in the country.
Girls Pole Vault
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Name Year School Finals Points
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1 Rayna Yvars SR Unattached 11-09.00 3.58m
2 Zoe Early FR Unattached 11-00.00 3.35m
3 Tess Rogers North Stokes 10-06.00 3.20m
4 Savannah Bowne SR Unattached 10-00.00 3.04m
5 cassie kowalski SO Unattached 9-06.00 2.89m
5 Lauren Kent SR Mount Tabor 9-06.00 2.89m
7 Alison Seramur Watauga 9-00.00 2.74m
7 Anne Worth SO Asheville 9-00.00 2.74m
7 Mariel Finger JR North Gaston 9-00.00 2.74m
Other Top Girls Performances
Stalwart thrower Bre'anna Warren (Western Guilford) uncorked a big PR of 44' 7", moving her up to third-best in state history and US #3 indoors. Arjia Gibson (Lake Norman) improved her PR in the long jump to 17' 10", moving her into a tie for second in the state right now. Eliza Dekker (Durham Academy) upped her season best to 11:09.04 in the 3200, NC #3 this winter.
Boys' Highlights
Boys 1600
Although it didn't produce any PR or season-best times, this was an exciting race to with several lead changes. Josh Mosteller (North Lincoln) led early but gave way to Clayton Wilson (Greensboro Day) before Philip Hall (Terry Sanford) took over late. Wilson and Jacob Poyner (Warsaw Community IN) tried to go with him, but they could not match his closing speed.
Boys 1600 Meter Run
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Name Year School Finals Points
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1 Phillip Hall SO Sanford, Ter 4:26.69
2 Jacob Poyner Unattached J 4:28.53
3 Clayton Wilson SR Greensboro D 4:29.57
4 Andrew Fea JR North Lincol 4:32.64
5 Josh Mosteller SR North Lincol 4:37.12
6 Jonathan Wagner SR Lake Norman 4:37.99
7 Brad Walter SO Mount Tabor 4:42.09
8 Dean Abushouk SO Unattached 4:42.31
Boys 3200 Run
AJ Tucker (Cedar Ridge) was able to pull away from a big lead pack over the last 800 to take the win in 9:40.78, NC #3 this season. Ryan Shannon (North Lincoln) was able to hold off the remaining members of the pack to take second in a new PR time of 9:45.98. The race produced seven sub-10 minute times, which is outstanding considering the athletes that were missing due to weather cancellations.
Boys 3200 Meter Run
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Name Year School Finals Points
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1 AJ Tucker SR Cedar Ridge 9:40.78
2 Ryan Shannon JR North Lincol 9:45.98
3 Patrick Sheehan JR Lake Norman 9:49.57
4 Chris Kelly JR Unattached 9:49.61
5 Dominic Collichio Unattached 9:55.21
6 Dustin Sneed JR Reynolds, R. 9:56.54
7 Evan Georges Charlotte Ca 9:58.21
8 Nick Ciaccia SO Reynolds, R. 10:07.39
Other Top Boys Performances
Caleb Gabriel (Broughton) had a strong day, running 6.48 (NC #5) and 35.84 (NC #4). Chris Cubra (AC Reynolds) threw 53 feet even, third-best in the state this season.