ESPNHS Track & XC

Nick Hartle wants to run fast in the 800 meters and believes he can get a couple of seconds under 1:50.

But last weekend the senior from Centennial High School in Las Vegas was all about helping his team try to win its first Nevada boys track and field championship, which is why he was willing to try an ambitious four-event workload in the Class 4A battle that included the 400, 800, 1,600 and 3,200.

“I tried a quad last year, but I did the 4x4 (relay) instead of the open 400,” Hartle said.

In Nevada, regional meets whittle the fields down so that the state championships are a finals-only meet.

At Damonte Ranch High School in Reno last Friday, Hartle won the 1,600 meters in 4:18.03 (at 4,500 feet elevation) and then 50 minutes later turned the 400 in a track record 47.79 seconds – an amazing turn of speed for someone whose range goes up to 5,000 meters, where he is a two-time state cross-country champ.

Hartle figured that the 400 would be the most difficult race to win. State leader Arnold Carrillo of McQueen had run 47.43 at the Arcadia Invitational on April 7. But when Carrillo suffered an injury at the regional meet, Hartle knew he’d have a chance to sweep all four races.

Hartle had dipped below 48 seconds on a relay split, but never in an open 400. For a mid-distance runner, Hartle’s US#58 time felt like his best performance of the weekend.

“It was a huge PR,” he said. “After that I was positive that I could win all four.”

On Saturday, Hartle ran 1:52.53 to take the 800 and 9:28.27 in the 3,200, where he won by 20 seconds.

Hartle’s 40 points gave Centennial a huge boost. The school totaled 79 points and won the state crown by 18.

The UCLA-bound Hartle is Centennial’s salutatorian and also won the school’s outstanding male athlete award at a ceremony earlier this week. He concluded his prep career in Nevada with two cross country titles, six individual track titles and one relay victory.

Earlier this season, Hartle was the anchor for two huge relay efforts. At Arcadia, Centennial won the 4x800 relay in 7:44.00 (US#6). A couple weeks later, at the Mt. SAC Relays, Centennial put together a US#1 distance medley relay (10.05.84). In that race, Hartle split 4:12.8 in the 1,600.

Hartle is the state record holder in the 800 (1:49.91) and 1,600 (4:10.23) and has left a significant imprint on Nevada high school running.

“Because we are one of the smaller states, in terms of numbers (of people), in the past we haven’t seen a whole lot of talent. Nevada has been on the back burner,” he said.

High jumper Gabby Williams and throwers Ashlie Blake and Avione Allgood have also contributed to putting Nevada on the front burner this spring. Hartle would like to do his part to keep it there and plans to run at Great Southwest and New Balance Nationals with hopes of driving his 800 meter time down even lower and perhaps winning a national title.

“I’d like to get as low as I can get, under 1:50 again, and hopefully down to 1:47 or 1:46,” he said.

With 47.79 speed in the 400 meters, Hartle has renewed confidence that he has what it take to move into the all-time list in the 800.

He’ll take a couple more shots at it.

“I kind of just want to go for one more month and then relax before going to college,” he said.

Press Release

NEW YORK CITY (May 16, 2012)—Josh Lampron and Ben Malone, who own the two fastest 1500-meter times in the nation so far this season, are among 16 top high school athletes added to the fields for the adidas Dream 100 and adidas Dream Mile at the adidas Grand Prix on June 9, organizers have announced.

Also headlining the roster are Ajee Wilson, the 2011 World Youth Champion at 800 meters, and freshman sensation Alexa Efraimson, the first freshman ever invited to a Dream event.

The Dream 100 and Dream Mile are again destined to be among the most hotly contested events at the adidas Grand Prix on June 9. In its eighth year as one of the premier track-and-field events in the world, the adidas Grand Prix, at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island, will feature dozens of Olympic medalists and World Champions, including Yohan Blake, the reigning 100-meter World Champion, and David Rudisha, the 800-meter World Record-holder, who will be making his U.S. debut. The event will again be the sixth stop on the international Samsung Diamond League circuit and is part of the Visa Championships Series. Tickets are now available at adidasgrandprix.com or by calling 1-877-849-8722.

Lampron, a senior from Mansfield, Mass., last weekend ran 3:45.74 for 1500 meters at a meet in Boston, among the top-20 high school times in U.S. history and the fastest in the nation since 2009. The 2011 national champion in the mile, Lampron is a three-time state champion and will attend Villanova University in the fall.

Malone, a junior from Hillsdale, N.J., is the 2012 National Indoor Champion at 800 meters and holds U.S. high school indoor records for a junior at 800 meters (1:49.94) and 1000 meters (2:23.56). On Monday, he ran the #2 time in the U.S. at 1500 meters, 3:49.84.

A senior from Neptune, N.J., Wilson is one of the top high school athletes in New Jersey history. Currently ranked #2 in the nation at 800 meters, she finished the 2012 indoor season ranked #1 at both 600 and 800 meters. A qualifier for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, Wilson will attend Florida State University.

Efraimson, of Camas, Wash., has run 4:23.41 for 1500 meters already this season to rank #4 on the U.S. list, and her time of 2:08.92 for 800 meters is #7. She finished 14th at cross country nationals last fall.

Also accepting invitations to the Boys’ Dream Mile are Jacob Burcham, a junior from Ona, W. Va.; who finished seventh at 1500 meters in the 2011 World Youth Championships in 3:46.55, the fastest time by a U.S. prep last year; Brannon Kidder, a senior from Lancaster, Ohio, a four-time state track champion ranked #4 in the U.S. at 1600 meters who is headed to Penn State University; Craig Nowak, a senior from Cypress, Tex., who is a five-time 5A state champion, ranks #2 at 1600 meters and #3 at 3200 meters, and will attend Oklahoma State University; and Craig Engels, a senior from Pfafftown, N.C., ranked in the top 10 at the mile (#3), 1500 meters (#4), and 3200 meters (#10). Engels was the 2012 Penn Relays Mile Champion in front of Burcham, the runner-up, and Malone, who placed third. He will attend North Carolina State University.

Joining Wilson and Efraimson in the Girls’ Dream Mile will be Haley Pierce, a senior from Wilmington, Del., the 15-time State Champion ranked #3 at 3200 meters and #4 at 1600 meters who will attend Georgetown University; Angel Piccirillo, a senior from Homer Center, Penn., who is a two-time state Gatorade Cross-Country Athlete of the Year, a seven-time State Champion, ranks #2 in the mile and will attend Villanova University; Amy-Eloise Neale, a junior from Snohomish, Wash., six-time Washington 3A State Champion ranked #4 in the mile and #6 at 1500 meters; and Paige Rice, a sophomore from St. Mary’s Academy in Portland, Ore., the 6A Oregon Cross Country State Champion ranked #4 in the U.S. at 1500 meters.

Burcham, Wilson, Pierce, Piccirillo and Neale are all making return Dream Mile appearances.

Joining the field of the adidas Boys’ Dream 100 are Raymond Bozmans of Fort Collins, Colo., a senior ranked #3 in the U.S. at 100 meters and #5 at 200 meters who is the 2012 Arcadia Invite Champion and will attend Texas Christian University on a football scholarship; and Khalfani Muhammad of Sherman Oaks, Calif., a junior who is the 2012 Mt. SAC champion at both 100 and 200 meters and 2011 state runner-up in both distances.

Added to the adidas Girls’ Dream 100 are Kali Davis-White of Lauderdale Lake, Fla., a junior ranked #4 in the U.S. and 2012 Florida State 4A runner-up at both 100 and 200 meters to the previously announced Shayla Sanders; and Destinee Gause of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, a senior who is the 2012 National Indoor Champion at 200 meters and is ranked #5 at 100 meters. The 2011 Ohio State Champion at 100 and 200 meters, she will attend the University of Florida.

Fields for the Dream Mile and Dream 100 are being drawn from the winners of three qualifying meets in the adidas Golden Stripes series, as well as from at-large bids. The first meet, the adidas Meet of Champions, was held on March 24, followed by the Kansas Relays in Lawrence, Kan., April 19-21. Next up is the Golden South Classic in Orlando, Fla., on May 26. In addition to the opportunity to compete in a world-class international track event, athletes in the Dream Mile and Dream 100 will also have the chance to receive coaching from mile legend Jim Ryun.

All of the latest news, photos and additional information on the event can be found at adidasgrandprix.com, the event’s pages on Facebook at facebook.com/adidasGrandPrix and on Twitter at twitter.com/adidasGrandPrix. When tweeting, use #agpny. For even more coverage on the Dream Mile and Dream 100, visit adidasgoldenstripes.com.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Sara Hunninghake, Global Athletics & Marketing
media@globalathletics.com
917.972.3656

ARIZONA STATE MEET
It was 100 degrees in Yuma, Ariz. on Thursday, where Cibola High junior Bernie Montoya was preparing for the Arizona state championships this weekend.

On Friday, he’ll run in the 1,600 and 800 at Mesa Community College. On Saturday, he has a leg on the 4x800 relay, and finally, the 3,200 meters.

This spring, Montoya has emerged as one of the standout members of a junior class of distance runners that includes Edward Cheserek, Jake Leingang, Jacob Burcham and Andrew Gardner.

A month after taking the lead on the last lap and finishing second in the blockbuster Arcadia 3,200 meters, in an Arizona record 8:48.25, Montoya is still coming to grips with his sudden rise to the prep distance ultra-elite.

“Honestly, I never thought I’d be at this level,” he said.

At Arcadia, he went to the starting line unsure whether he could break nine minutes.

“I was just hoping to survive,” Montoya said. “It gives me goose bumps and chills just thinking about (what happened). To challenge Futsum (Zeinasellassie), I didn’t think I’d be a contender for the gold. But with two laps left I thought, ‘I’ve gone this far. No reason to quit now. Why not go for it?’”

Montoya has the U.S. lead in the 3,000 meters, 8:18.81, because he was leading the race when the runners hit that point and timed en route to the finish line.

Since then, he has run 4:07.72 in the 1,600 meters and 1:53.22 in the 800.

In 2011, Montoya made news in Arizona when he won the 1,600 at the state championships despite losing his shoe midway through the race. He ran 4:12.01, crossing the finish line and then limping off the track because of torn skin on the bottom of his foot.

He didn’t race again on the track last spring, though Arizona’s state meet is in mid-May.

“The reality is, we saw it coming,” Cibola coach Kris Norton said of Montoya’s improvement. “His sophomore year, at a dual meet, he ran 9:22 goofing around and smiling. There was no way he couldn’t have run nine flat, but he only had one good chance with Billy Orman. But that state race got tactical. They were running together and came through the mile in 4:50.”

So Norton said he was thinking 8:55 at Arcadia – great, but not the eye-popping 8:48 that broke Orman’s state record.

But the most noticeable change in Montoya might be his physique. He came out of his sophomore year looking like a high school kid. He emerged from Yuma’s furnace of a summer this past September with a physique more typical of a college runner. That led to a fall campaign that included a state title and, eventually, a 12th-place finish at Nike Cross Nationals. But it seems the fruition of that summer work has truly come this spring on the flat, fast ovals of California and Arizona.

“I think it’s just more experience,” Montoya said. “My sophomore year, I was barely entering the sport. With a year of solid summer training and winter training, and resistance training that I’ve done, it defined and toned the body.”

Montoya was already blessed with impeccable running form. With a bigger base, natural maturation and repeated exposure to Yuma’s tough running conditions, he has moved to the forefront.

Over the summer, Montoya trained with Norton and his college-aged son, Ryan, on the flat paths that follow the Colorado River and assorted canals.

They would rise at 4:30 or 5 a.m. to get up and go run 10-12 miles early in the morning when the temperatures were still cool. Norton and three other coaches were in charge of transporting water to them at checkpoints on the route.

“We just need to be careful with training because the heat is really dangerous,” Montoya said. “It could toughen you up a little bit.”

In July, the average daily high temperature in Yuma is 107 degrees; in August, it’s 106 but there is more humidity.

Montoya also has easy access to sand dunes, which he runs in early in the season for a challenging leg-strengthening workout.

“It’s mostly very dry and scorching hot,” he said. “I’ve always been able to manage (the heat). You learn to adapt here. You have to drink a lot of water and stay out of the sun. For training, we find a way around (the challenges) and get our workouts in.”

After this weekend, Montoya will begin to focus on the Dream Mile at the Adidas Grand Prix. Beyond that, the schedule is still up in the air. He has also been invited to the Nike Elite Camp in July.

Norton and Montoya are still getting used to the opportunities that come from being a national caliber elite.

“It’s a little strange,” Norton said. “You’ve been doing the coaching, and doing all the training, and then you get a kid like this. You want to make sure you are doing everything you can for the kid to make sure he fulfills his potential. That’s the main thing, taking little extra steps to challenge a kid at this level.”

The Olympic Trials, which will decide which U.S. track and field athletes make it to the 2012 London Games, are just six weeks away.

As the high school season moves toward state championships from coast to coast, we have an eye on which preps may crash the party in Eugene and go head to head with professionals and collegians in competition for a spot in the U.S. Olympic team.

Making it to the Olympics as a high school student (or recent graduate) is exceedingly rare in modern track and field. Dwayne Evans made the team in 200 in 1976, shortly after graduating from Arizona’s South Mountain High School. The same year, Johnny "Lam" Jones, a legend from Lampassas High (Texas) made it in the 100 meters and won a gold medal in the 4x100 relay.

No high school male has competed in the Olympic Games in a U.S. uniform since then.

Sisters Sherri and Denean Howard of Kennedy High (Los Angeles) went 1-2 in the 400 meters at the 1980 Olympic Trials, but that year’s U.S. team didn’t get compete in Moscow, Russia because of a boycott. Denean was just 15 at the time, coming out of her sophomore year. (She would go on to make three more Olympic teams).

Before Title IX became law in the 1970s it was common for teenagers to make the U.S. women’s Olympic team. But the advent of college scholarships, plus professional opportunities, has made it exceedingly difficult for a high school athlete to make the team ever again.

However, the very best prep athletes do make it into the Trials on occasion, soaking up the experience of being one step away from their dream. The starts lists usually include 24-32 athletes per event.

Here is a closer look at where some of this year’s top high school athletes stand. Some of these athletes may choose not to do the Trials for scheduling reasons. The U.S. Junior Championships, which is the qualifying meet for World Juniors (and a trip to Barcelona) is just days before the Trials start at Eugene, Oregon's Hayward Field.

Olympic Trials Qualifying Standards

2012 US High School Leaders

BOYS
Marvin Bracy, Boone (Florida): A report in Monday’s Orlando Sentinel stated that there is hope that Bracy will be able to be at full strength for the Golden South Invitational on May 26. Bracy, who has a wind-legal best of 10.25 seconds (and 10.05 wind-aided), won the Florida state title in the 100 over the weekend, but had to pull out of the 200 with a slight hamstring strain. If he can get back to his best, Bracy should make the cut-off for the Trials. He would be a longshot to make the finals there.

Aldrich Bailey, Timberview (Texas): Based on the sizzling 45.19 he ran a little over a week ago, Bailey is a shoo-in to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the 400 meters. And if he can bring the time down even further, as he has suggested that he will, he could have a realistic chance of advancing beyond the first round. Arman Hall (Florida) and Najee Glass (N.J.) could potentially make it into the Trials, too, but both of them would need to PR and dip below 46 seconds.

Sean Keller, Heritage (Vancouver, Wash.): With the US #2 all-time throw of 244-1 at the end of April, Keller moved into the top 10 nationally (including pros and collegians). His place in the Trials is probably secure, but if he chooses to throw at the U.S Junior Championships the preceding week he may not have a rested arm.

Jacob Blankenship (Ohio), Shawn Barber (Texas), Reese Watson (Texas): During the indoor season, there was a lot of momentum happening for the top boys pole vaulters. But outdoors, not one of them has made 17 feet since April 1. And time is running out. The standard to make the Trials is 18-0.50, which none of them has made yet. However, Barber is eligible to compete for Canada and will likely compete in that nation's trials.

Devin Field (Texas) and Jarrion Lawson (Texas): Field was not allowed to compete this spring in varsity events for DeSoto because of the UIL’s residency issues, but his goal for the spring was 26 feet in the long jump. If he can get close to that number, he could make the Trials field (it takes 25-7 to qualify). Lawson, of Liberty-Eylau, has a wind-aided best of 25-10.75. If he can go big at the Texas state championships (without the wind), then he has a chance of making the cut.

Tyler Sorenson (California): The record-breaking junior racewalker earned a spot in the 20-kilometer even last year as a 17-year-old, making him one of the youngest Trials qualifiers ever for this event.

GIRLS

Haley Crouser, Gresham (Ore.): Only a high school junior, Crouser joined her older brother Sam and cousin Ryan as a national record holder this spring when she threw her javelin 181-2. She is a lock to make it into the Trials (along with Sam and Ryan), but she would need a huge PR in order to make it to London. (The Olympic A standard is 200-1). She has a realistic chance to finish in the top five at the Trials. Avione Allgood (Nev.) has been hoping all spring that her surgically repaired shoulder heals in time to throw at the Trials. She threw 176-8 for fourth at the U.S. Championships last year and competed at the Pan Am Games last fall.

Shelbi Vaughan, Legacy (Mansfield, Texas): She is consistently in the 180s with her discus and hit a best of 191-6 for a new U.S. high school record. That puts her squarely inside the top 10 nationally. On a good day, she could even make the finals at the Olympic Trials. But in 2008, the three who made the U.S. team all threw farther than 205 feet.

Gabrielle Williams, Reed (Sparks, Nev.): Still a little shy of the Trials standard (6-0.50), the U.S. leader has cleared six feet once and has a little more time to make an improvement that could put her into the field. It’s a lot to ask of a high school sophomore.

Shayla Sanders, Boyd H. Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.): She has been the dominant high school sprinter this spring in the 100 (11.33) and 200 (23.25), but these are extremely competitive events in the U.S. What will it take for her lineup against the likes of Carmelita Jeter or Allyson Felix? Sanders has met the qualifying standard for the 100, but if a bunch of women run fast at the NCAA championships, it could bump her down the list. If she can improve her time by even a few hundredths, she’d have a good chance of making the field. In 2008, it took 23.12 to make the field in the 200, so that might be out of reach.

Robin Reynolds, Jackson (Miami): The US leader in the 400 (52.19) has the B standard for the Trials, but that’s not a guarantee of making the cut. In 2008, 52.58 was the last accepted entry (out of 27 in the field). Reynolds’ best time would have made the field (22nd). Reynolds also has a long jump best of 20-6.25, about eight inches short of the Trials qualifying mark.

Ajee Wilson, Neptune (N.J.), Mary Cain, Bronxville (N.Y.) and Amy Weissenbach, Harvard-Westlake (Calif.): These are three of the all-time best prep 800-meter runners and all three of them have credentials that could put them into the Trials. In 2008, the slowest woman in the field made it in with 2:04.90. This is becoming a deeper even in the U.S., so it could take something a little faster this time. Wilson ran 2:02.64 last July and has a best so far this spring of 2:05.28. Cain, who is only a sophomore, is coming on strong and has a best of 2:05.90, but split 2:03.7 on a relay last year. She is also very close to the Trials B standard in the 1,500 (4:17.00). Weissenbach, the California state champion, has a PR of 2:02.04, although she has not run a fast one yet this spring.

Trinity Wilson, St. Mary’s College (Calif.), Dior Hall, George Washington (Colo.), Traci Hicks, Long Beach Poly (Calif.): In 2008, Jacqueline Coward (Tenn.) was a prep elite who made the field, qualifying with her best time of 13.20. At the Trials, she ran 13.69 and was last in her prelim, demonstrating how massive the leap is to this level of competition. Wilson ran 13.41 on April 7, but also suffered a hairline fracture of her big toe and hasn’t competed since. If she can return in time to compete in the California state meet, and get back to her PR of 13.15, she could land in the Trials. Hall, a sophomore, is the indoor national champion and has a PR of 13.18 from last year. Hicks has a wind-aided best of 13.22 and could also be on the bubble for a berth. (In 2008, it took 13.24 to make it into the meet).

Brianna Nerud, North Shore (Glen Head, N.Y.): The senior has run a couple of 3,000-meter steeplechase races in order to see if she can make the Trials B standard of 10:15, but has a best so far of 10:24.95. It would take a startling improvement in order to make the field. In 2008, it took 10:09 to make it and this year will probably take something a few seconds faster.

Cayla Hatton, Phillips Academy (Andover, Mass.): She ran an eye-popping 10,000 meters time of 33:17.28 at a low-key college meet – second-fastest in U.S. high school history. At the time, it seemed like she might be a lock for the Trials. Now, it appears that time won’t make the cut. In 2008, 33:24.10 secured the last spot in the field. This time around, it is much more competitive thanks to a couple of fast races this spring at Stanford (April 6 and 27). Twenty-nine women broke 33 minutes in those two races.

Kendell Williams, Kell (Marietta, Ga.): Has she gotten well-rounded enough to score 5,600 points in the heptathlon? That’s what it takes to make it into the Trials (at a minimum), and last year as a sophomore Williams was an age-group record-breaker with 5,170. Williams can compete with the best in the hurdles, high jump and long jump. She was reportedly working on her throws with the Throw1Deep Club in Georgia and that was a smart move. If her shot put and javelin are consistently superior to where they were a year ago, 5,600 is within her range.

There are just three stop lights in Buckley, Wash., the small town located in the foothills halfway between the city of Seattle and the summit of Mt. Rainier. There’s just one restaurant, Wally’s, a drive-in that’s popular with the high school kids.

It’s the kind of place where the high school’s sports are a big deal.

Last week, word spread like wildfire that Marcus Dickson was going after the White River High School record in the 1,600 meters in a dual meet against Sumner, right there in Buckley.

Dickson encouraged the buzz in town and then put on a show for the people who came to watch him run in his final home meet. He ran a US#1 4:05.83, helped by a teammate willing to run the first 800 in 2:02 and coaches positioned strategically around the track to keep him up to date on his split times.

“It was my last meet ever in a small town where people always ask me how I’m doing,” Dickson said. “A lot of people came out. We’d spread the word, ‘Come watch the mile.’ A lot of classmates and community members showed up. I knew it was going to be hard to run 4:05 in a league meet, but I also knew I had it in me.”

The school record was not soft. Andy Maris ran 4:06.61 in 1989. Dickson could see the name and time on a wall at the school every day and had long ago decided he wanted to take it down.

He got into position to do it with an ambitious 50-mile per week training regimen logged during a very wet Northwest winter and early spring. Dickson was the last athlete invited to join the field for the mile at the Brooks PR Invitational on Feb. 26 and then he ran 4:07.18 for the win in his only indoor meet.

“That broke me out of my shell a little bit,” Dickson said. “I had never run in a major race before. I’d read about those guys and found out when I met them that they were all regular kids like me. It told me I can run with anyone right now.”

In mid-March, when a late winter blast of snow and ice made the track at White River unusable, Dickson drove to nearby schools at lower elevations to scout for a track that was clear. He found one at Auburn-Riverside, waited until the school’s track teams were done using it, and then completed his workout under the cloak of darkness.

When the weather is at its worst – and the rain is colder at Buckley’s 700 feet – Dickson turns it to his advantage.

“No one else is running right now, so let’s run,” he said.

Dickson escaped the drizzle to run at the Arcadia Invitational on April 7 in California, finishing second in the mile to Brad Nye (Kaysville, Utah) in 4:09.41.

“Brad’s an amazing runner and it’s hard to beat him,” Dickson said of his future BYU teammate. “I was happy with what I did, it was an outdoor PR at the time, but I hate losing. I think (Arcadia) was a turning point for me. After Brooks I felt invincible. At Arcadia, I was expecting to win that race. It was a little wake-up.”

Motivation comes easy to Dickson, the youngest of five kids. He grew up wanting to surpass the achievements of his two older brothers, who both ran at Auburn High, one of the big Class 4A schools downhill from Buckley. Even within Washington, Dickson didn't gain widespread recognition until this year because of the exploits of runners like Andrew Gardner, Nathan Weitz and Anthony Armstrong.

"Those guys are the real deal, in track and cross," Dickson said. "They always beat me in cross country. I was hoping for a big year in track but wasn’t always sure because they always beat me. They motivated me to work harder. I thought of each one of those guys and wanted to be with them in track."

On April 26, at Buckley, there was a burst of hail at the track 20 minutes before the 1,600. But the people who came to watch had just enough time to close their umbrellas and find a good place to stand or sit. The sun came out. And Dickson got ready to run.

“He had a plan,” White River coach Jerry Scheidt said. “He wanted to break that record. He’s been chasing that thing for four years.”

Teammate Kody Gould, a 4:16 1,600-meter runner, helped him get to 2:02 for two laps.

By the end, Dickson was lapping runners, which caused a brief mix-up for the timing system. But the hand times all confirmed that it was under 4:06 and the automatic timing verified it. The townspeople cheered. Classmates greeted him with hugs.

With the months of May and June still to go, Dickson has a lot to look forward to on the track. He’d like to help White River win the Class 2A championship, running as many races as he needs to make that happen.

He certainly feels like he’s got a shot at the state record in the 800 (1:49.41 by John Cote of Lindbergh in 1997), mostly likely when he runs at the Oregon-Washington BorderDuel in Portland on June 2 against Nick Boersma (1:51.78) and Izaic Yorks (1:51.75). Two days after the 4:05, at the Shoreline Invitational, he just missed that 800 mark, running US#2 1:49.45.

And he’ll get another shot at Nye and the rest of the nation’s top milers when he makes his first trip to New York City for the June 9 Jim Ryun Dream Mile.

“I’m excited,” Dickson said. “There’s a lot left to do.”

Two big California invitational meets for open, college and Olympic-level athletes provided the venue for a trio of US#1 and all-time list-making performances this past weekend in the distances.

At the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford, Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) senior Cami Chapus competed in the second-fastest of six 1,500-meter sections and while she finished 11th, she clocked a US#1 4:19.54. The race was won by Lauren Johnson of Nike in 4:11.22. Chapus’ time is second only to her PR 4:17.12 that she ran last year in also leading the nation, and making her #6 in prep history in the event, at the World Youth Champs. She also was US#1 last spring in the mile and is expected to try and defend her title at the adidas Dream Mile in June.

Also at the Payton Jordan meet, Cary Academy (Raleigh, N.C.) senior Thomas Graham ran a major 5,000 on the track for the second time this year and improved his US#1 mark slightly to 14:11.23. He placed ninth in the third-fastest section of the event, won by Colorado’s Christian Thompson in 13:59.23. Graham remains #16 on the all-time list with that performance.

Down south at the UCSD Triton Invitational, La Costa Canyon (Escondido, Calif.) senior Darren Fahy made his 3k ST debut in alarmingly good fashion, running a US#1 9:03.15 that rocketed him up to #7 on the all-time list. Fahy is also currently US#3 and #6 in the 1,600 (4:08.15) and 3,200 (8:54.51) and was unbeaten last fall in cross-country until the Foot Locker Finals. Graham’s big senior year has also included a ninth-place finish at Foot Locker Finals.

MEET INDEX

PHILADELPHIA – When Tyrone Walker decided to go for broke in the Championship of America 4x800 with 300 meters left there may have been 49,000 people at Franklin Field who thought the move came too early.

The people that mattered most -- Walker’s three Westfield teammates and his coach – all trusted that he was doing the right thing.

“I wasn’t worried,” Westfield coach Kelly Deegan said. “I have confidence in him. If he thinks that’s the time to go then that’s OK.”

Westfield (Chantilly, Va.) ran US#1 7:39.73 and more importantly won the race on Saturday during the primetime session of the Penn Relays. Max Chambers (1:57.6), Jeff Edmondson (1:56.4), Nathan Kiley (1:51.3) and Walker (1:54.4) couldn’t afford one bad step against Kingston College of Jamaica, which finished second in 7:40.52.

Westfield ran the top time in qualifying on Friday but ran nine seconds better in the final.

The first big moment came in the final 200 of the third leg, when Kiley flew by two Jamaican runners to give Westfield its first lead. Kiley’s 1:51.3 split was the fastest in the race.

He turned the baton over to Walker but Kingston’s Sanj Powell quickly moved the front. Walker tucked in behind and waited for his cue.

“That’s my plan every time I run,” Walker said. “Always take it at 300. I try to keep a constant pace for the first 400 so I can have enough for the kick. There was nothing that told me (to go), it just where I knew I wanted to kick.”

The new question became: Who had more to give, Walker or Powell? As Walker drove for home, Powell drew even and tried to go around him. The two kept moving at the same speed and Walker wasn’t about to give up his precious lead.

“I was sort of praying in my head ‘Please don’t let him catch me,’” Walker said. “I would have dove across the finish line if it’s what I had to do to keep the lead.”

It was a six-second improvement for Westfield, which placed fifth at New Balance Nationals Indoor in March.

The team is already looking ahead to New Balance Outdoors with the idea of contending for the national title in June.

“I don’t think we ever had it close in our dreams to win this honestly,” Kiley said. “With the crowd here, a lot of them were rooting for Jamaica and a lot were cheering for the U.S. There was not only race competition, it (felt) like representing our country.”

The Jamaican crowd still had lots to cheer about, even though the U.S. professionals won all six of their matchups with Jamaica.

In the boys 4x400 Championship of America, Carribean schools swept the top six places, led by Munro College of Jamaica (3:11.91). Lodge of Barbados was third, the only non-Jamaican team. U.S. entrants Gardena Serra (Calif.) and Trenton Central (N.J.) were both disqualified.

Earlier, in the 4x100, Wolmer’s Boys (Jamaica) went 40.34 and led a 1-2-3 sweep for the island nation. The huge Jamaican presence in the stadium included prime minister Portia Simpson Miller, who sat in the grandstand and also took part in a ceremony on the Franklin Field infield.

Jamaica’s high school excellence extended to the field events, too. Clive Pullen of Jamaica College won the long jump with 24-3, edging Anthony Averett of Woodbury (N.J.), who went 24-0.25. Christoff Bryan of Wolmer’s won the high jump with a clearance at 6-11.50.

The U.S. got victories from Michael Jensen of Appoquinimink (Middletown, Del.), who went 16-4.75 and PR’d by more than a foot.

And in the triple jump, Anaquan Peterson of Lakeland (Suffolk, Va.) took the title with a wind-aided mark of 50 feet even.

Eric Futch, one of Pennsylvania's top high school athletes, also had a big day. In the morning, he won the 400 hurdles in a US#1 time of 51.77. And later, he split 48.5 to help Penn Wood win the Philadelphia Area boys 4x400 title.

Texas 5A Region 1 Results

Aldrich Bailey of Timberview (Arlington, Texas) ran the fastest 400 by a U.S. prep in 17 years on Saturday at the Texas 5A Region 1 meet in Lubbock, Texas.

Bailey ran 45.19 seconds to better the National Federation (high school-only competition) record of 45.25 set by Calvin Harrison in 1993. However, his time ranks No. 6 all-time among preps, according to Jack Shepard's High School Track, trailing Darrell Robinson's 1982 record of 44.69, Jerome Young's 45.01 (1995), Henry Thomas' 45.09 (1985), Obea Moore's 45.14 (1995) and William Reed's 45.17 (1987).

Bailey also broke the Texas state record.

"I was expecting (to run fast)," Bailey told Dyestat after the race. "I surprised myself a little bit, but not all the way. My goal is to run 44 this year."

In contrast to other races this year, Bailey decided to get out fast and not let himself rest.

"In other races I've been relaxing too much," he said. "You can't slow down much in the 400. It's a sprint. I got out good, picked it up on the curve and stayed strong."

Bailey thought he might dip under 45 seconds but said he slowed just a little before the finish line.

Bailey also split a reported 44.8 anchor leg on Timberview's 4x400 relay, which ran 3:12.71. And the school's 4x100 relay ran 40.46. Both of those relay performances are new US#1s.

"My team had a good day," Bailey said.

By Rich Gonzalez
Editor, ESPNHS/DyeStatCal

(ARCADIA, Calif.) -- The Sacramento Meet of Champions enjoyed perhaps its greatest showing yet, with the 32-year-old meet brandishing a meet-best 478 DyeStateElite marks. The total DSE tally vaulted the popular Northern California meet up to third on this year's California meet rankings list as well as among the top 10 meets nationally!

The very powerful Escondido Invitational in San Diego County once again delivered great action as 11 new San Diego Section leading marks were established among a very robust 136 DyeStatElite marks. That ranks second this year (only behind the Mt. Carmel Invitational) among San Diego Section invitationals.

Over in the Southern Section, the Ventura County Championships exactly matched the Escondido Invitational for weekend DSE bragging rights thus far, with athletes from the 805 area code looking very strong in the dashes. Oak Park's Sydney Lewis led the onslaught with a state-leading mark at 100 meters.

Up the state at the Reedley Invitational, the Central Section's finest turned out en force to achieve eight section-leading marks while accumulating a batch of 124 DyeStateElite marks to trail only the West Coast Relays among local meet tallies this year.

Here's the 2012 updated California list comprised of "The Century Club", which is those meets with at least 100 DyeStatElite marks:



Rankings of 2012 California Meets By DyeStatElite Marks Achieved:

1) Arcadia Invitational 1,482 DyeStatElites

2) Mt. SAC Relays 606 DyeStatElites

3) Sacramento Meet of Champions 478 DyeStatElites

4) Stanford Invitational 259 DyeStatElites

5) Mt. Carmel Invitational 251 DyeStatElites

6) Orange County Champs 228 DyeStatElites

7) Trabuco Hills Invitational 202 DyeStatElites

8 ) California Relays 172 DyeStatElites

9 ) CCS Top 8 166 DyeStatElites

10) Woody Wilson Invitational 156 DyeStatElites

11) West Coast Relays 149 DyeStatElites

12) Inland Empire Champs 144 DyeStatElites

13) Escondido Invitational 136 DyeStatElites

13) Ventura County Championships 136 DyeStatElites

15) Reedley Invitational 124 DyeStatElites

16) Distance Meet of Champs 120 DyeStatElites

17) Pasadena Games 117 DyeStatElites

18) Irvine Invitational 109 DyeStatElites



Notes:

* DSE's are performance standards for each event based on year-over-year national rating performance cutoffs.

* DyeStat does not currently compute Elite Marks in the 4x1600, 4xMile and Shuttle Hurdles relays.

PENN RELAYS INDEX | RESULTS

PHILADELPHIA – There isn’t another high school in the U.S. that travels 2,400 miles for a “home” meet, but then again, there isn’t another Long Beach Poly.

At the Penn Relays, Poly doesn’t just represent a school on the Pacific Coast. It stands up for the entire country, plays the role of America’s last best hope against the otherworldly fast Jamaicans.

For the second year in a row, the Long Beach Poly girls rose up and beat the best of Jamaica in the 4x100 relay, this time coming from behind on sophomore Ariana Washington’s stirring anchor leg.

“I did what I was trained to do,” said Washington, who took the baton in third or fourth and then flew beneath a roaring wall of noise down the home straightaway to victory in 46.35. “I’m trained to get the baton and go and that’s what I did. I had no thoughts. I knew there was a lot of pressure and I couldn’t let my team down.”

It takes a meet with the enduring stature of Penn Relays to provide the intersection for Long Beach Poly and the Jamaican teams like Vere Tech, which has won here 15 times, or St. Jago, which has won four, or Holmwood Tech (3) or Edwin Allen (2).

Incidentally, Kingston is closer to Philadelphia than Long Beach – by about 900 miles. In a meet that loves to bill its “USA vs. The World” program, it often starts informally with the Jamaicans vs. Poly and the appreciative crowd has come to expect great moments to arise from the competition.

“The feeling you get when people respect you like that, it’s awesome. You can’t put it into words,” said longtime coach Don Norford, architect of the Long Beach Poly dynasty.

Carrying the burden of trying to defend the title, with three newcomers to the lineup, Poly ran the fastest time in qualifying on Thursday. And then in the final, the quartet quickly fell behind on the lead-off. There was a risk of getting buried at that point.

“I was really scared,” said Traci Hicks, making her third appearance in the 4x100 championship. “Diamond (Thomas) and I had a bad hand-off (between legs 2 and 3). I was really worried. But when Ariana got, I felt confident. She doesn’t like to lose.”

Washington erased any mistakes with a scorching anchor.

“It was probably the fastest 100 of my whole life,” she said.

Washington was an alternate for Poly last year. Next year, she will try to help her school win it again. The anticipation of 2013 began before Friday’s celebration died down.

“Just like this year, next year’s team is already ready,” Norford said. “It’s the way we coach them. We know what to do here, what to tell them, and what not to tell them, so they’re physically and spiritually prepared.”

Cheserek too much for CBA

In the highly anticipated distance medley showdown between St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.) and Christian Brothers Academy (Lincroft, N.J.), there was a changing of the guard.

CBA , the reigning champ, built a 10-second gap on St. Benedict’s entering the 1,600-meter anchor legs. But senior George Kelly played the first lap too conservatively and Edward Cheserek caught up with a fast 57.

Then Cheserek settled on Kelly’s shoulder for two laps and patiently waited for the 300-to-go mark, where he flew into the lead and began to sprint for home. Kelly had saved something, but not enough to respond to the Foot Locker champion and 4:02 miler.

Cheserek split 4:06.2 to Kelly’s 4:17.6.

“I was thinking stay with the leader all the way,” he said. “I wanted to take off with 300 meter to go.”

Cheserek anticipated that he might need to make up as much as eight seconds after he got the stick.

“When the announced said (my first lap was) 57, I knew that’s too fast for me,” he said. “I slowed down.”

St. Benedict’s plan was to keep CBA within eyesight on the first three legs.

CBA’s Tim Gorman gained a three-second lead on Darien Edwards (3:06.2 to 3:09.2), the 400s were essentially a tie (48.7 for StB, 49.0 for CBA), and CBA padded seven more seconds onto the lead with Clark Mangini’s 1:56.2 for the 800 leg.

Against Cheserek, 10 seconds wasn’t enough cushion.

In the boys mile, Jacob Burcham of Cabell Midland (Ona, W.V.) appeared to be coasting toward victory with 400 meters to go but his 15-meter lead wasn’t safe. Craig Engels of Ronald Reagan (Pfafftown, N.C.) closed the gap on Burcham and then pulled out a narrow victory in 4:09.42 to 4:09.49.

Both Burcham and Engels had participated in their schools’ 4x800 relays eight hours earlier.

To kill some of the time, Engels went to a hotel near Franklin Field that he wasn’t staying at and took a nap in its lobby.

Not only did Engels take down the pre-race favorite, he also outkicked most of the kickers in a race that included 800-meter standouts Ben Malone of Pascack Valley (N.J.), Drew Magaha of Upper Moreland (Pa.) and Zevon Watkins of Liverpool (N.Y.), plus Ahmed Bile of Annandale (Va).

“With 400 to go I was working on cutting down (Burcham’s) lead,” Engels said. “I knew I had some speed and I tried to give everything I had in the last 100. It’s the biggest deal race I’ve ever won. Those guys are better than me. I just got lucky. Burcham would probably win any other day.”

In the 3,000 meters, Thomas Madden of Skyline (Front Royal, Va.) demonstrated his fitness with a fine time of 8:25.54, winning by almost five seconds. In a race supposedly lacking a big-gun talent, 12 runners broke 8:40. Madden, a junior, was 18^th in last year’s race.

In the girls 4x800, Fayetteville-Manlius (N.Y.) fell off the hot pace of Edwin Allen (Clarendon, Jamaica) and was seven seconds back half way through.

Edwin Allen cruised to the title in 8:52.97, anchored by Marleena Eubanks’ 2:09.3. F-M, which won the DMR last year, was second in 9:04.22, roughly the same time it ran in qualifying. Holmwood Tech of Jamaica was eight seconds further back, taking third.

F-M anchor Katie Brislin split 2:12.7.

“I was looking up and looking at (Eubanks) trying to catch up the best I could,” Brislin said. “We wanted to go faster than we did in qualifiers, but we did the best we could.”

Heather Martin led off in 2:18.5, Katie Sischo ran 2:15.8 and Jillian Fanning ran 2:17.2.

“Last year our relay won the DMR and if we’d done that we could have been one of the top contenders,” Brislin said. “We wanted to challenge ourselves in the 4x8 and even though we didn’t win it was a good experience.”

Jamaican schools went 1-2-3 in the girls 4x400 relay, led by winner Edwin Allen (3:42.06). Junipero Serra (Calif.) was fourth in 3:46.43 and Wakefield (N.C.) finished fifth in 3:51.88.

US#1 for Mattis in discus

Breezy conditions may have had something to do with slowing runners down a bit, but it didn’t seem to have an adverse effect at the throwing venue near Franklin Field.

Sam Mattis of East Brunswick (N.J.) hurled a PR 211-11 for his first Penn Relays crown and a new US#1 for 2012.

“I don’t think the wind really helped anyone today,” he said. “It wasn’t particularly wind on that (big) throw.”

Mattis had finished second in the discus in 2010 and 2011.

“Winning here is incredible,” he said. “I don’t know how to describe it.”

Billy Stanley of South Park, Pa. unleashed a meet record throw of 223-3 to win the javelin competition by 22 feet. (The meet record was for the “new” javelin implement that went into use in 2002). It was also a huge personal best for Stanley, who threw 208-8 as a sophomore.

Braheme Days of Bridgetown (N.J.) won the shot put with a mark of 68-8.50, building on what was already a five-year win streak for New Jersey in the event (including the last four by Nick Vena).

PENN RELAYS INDEX | THURSDAY RESULTS

PHILADELPHIA – Haley Pierce and Mary Cain continued to cement their status as legends at the historic Penn Relays on Thursday at Franklin Field.

During an electric evening of racing for some of the country’s premier girls distance runners, Pierce and her Tatnall School (Wilmington, Del.) teammates smashed the Penn Relays record in the distance medley relay by more than five seconds, clocking 11 minutes, 28.86. That’s No. 3 all-time, trailing only the times Harvard-Westake (Calif.) and Fayetteville-Manlius (N.Y.) posted at last year’s New Balance Nationals.

Pierce, who anchored the victory with a 4:42.8 split, had made the difficult decision to push her chips in with her teammates rather than try to duplicate her stunning 3,000-meter victory over Aisling Cuffe last year.

She had no regrets.

“It was kind of a hard choice at first,” Pierce said. “I thought I could really go after the 3,000, but the more I thought about it, the relay had such strong competition this year and we had three or four girls in position to run that (and win). It wasn’t that hard to decide once I thought about it. I’m really happy.”

North Shore (N.Y.) threw down the gantlet early, with Brianna Nerud gapping the field quickly and turning a scintillating opening leg of 3:26.7 for the 1,200 – and Penn Relays record split. Only four women in the college DMR championship race ran faster than Nerud did on the lead-off leg.

When she handed off the baton, Nerud had her team up by nine seconds.

But Tatnall’s Reagan Anderson ran a solid 3:35.7, and then Lindsey Voltz made up four seconds with a 57.8 split on the 400. Then, on the 800-meter leg, Julie Williams stalked North Shore’s Elizabeth Caldwell and ran 2:12.5, a whopping five seconds faster than her PR.

Williams put the baton in Pierce’s hand a half step behind North Shore’s Samantha Nadel. It was a perfect spot to be. North Shore’s lead and confidence were evaporated. Pierce remained tucked comfortably behind Nadel for a lap and then couldn’t resist going around her and pulling away.

“It was a perfect setup,” Pierce said. “At first I wanted to stay relaxed and just kick (at the end), but I felt good and I didn’t want to regret staying behind just because.”

North Shore finished second in 10:39.29.

A kick to ‘mess with’

As Tatnall celebrated its victory, Cain, the sensational sophomore from Bronxville, N.Y. dropped a devastating last-lap 62.5 to tear away from all contenders in a loaded girls mile. She finished in 4:39.28, breaking the meet record and moving to No. 7 on the all-time list. It is the fastest full mile ever for a sophomore, although Jordan Hasay ran a 1,600 that converts to 4:39.13 in 2007.

Cain bolted off the starting line and led the first lap but then two-time defending champ Angel Piccirillo of Homer Center (Homer City, Pa.) refused to yield and surged to the lead.

“Angel was amazing,” Cain said. “She was an angel to me. I wanted to go out and lead it, but she was going with me that whole time. She took the lead on the second lap and had it in the third. But with 600 (left) I was like ‘No, I want this so bad.’”

Cain ramped up her speed and sailed away from Piccirillo and everyone else.

“I got a kick to mess with,” Cain said. “That last 400, (I thought) just kill it.”

Piccirillo was second in 4:47.49 – running faster than she did in her wins in 2010 and 2011. Samantha George of Millbrook (Raleigh, N.C.) was third in 4:48.11 and Ajee Wilson of Neptune (Neptune, N.J.) was fourth in 4:52.89.

Lake Braddock 1-3 in 3K

Right after Cain’s heroics, Sophie Chase of Lake Braddock (Burke, Pa.) ran a lifetime best 9:37.86 to win the 3,000 meters. And perhaps more surprising was that her sophomore teammate, Hannah Christen, was right behind her, finishing third in 9:42.97.

It was a seven-second PR for Chase, a junior, and a breakthrough 17-second PR for Christen.

“I’m so proud of her,” Chase said of Christen. “It was great experience for us to be able to do it together.”

Tori Gerlach of Pennridge (Perkasie, Pa.) nosed ahead of Christen for second, with 9:42.92.

LB Poly, Wakefield vs. Jamaicans

The bulk of the day’s action on the track was devoted to 4x100s and 4x400s, events that Jamaican schools have used to stamp their collective identity on the Penn Relays.

But a couple of U.S. sprints powers also were formidable during Thursday’s qualifying action. Long Beach Poly, the 2011 Penn champion, turned the fastest 4x100 relay of the day, clocking 46.39 seconds. Edwin Allen (Jamaica) ran 46.45 and Wakefield (N.C.) was third-fastest with 47.17.

Of the eight teams qualifying for the championship final, five hail from Jamaica, three from the U.S.
In the 4x400, Wakefield got a 54.7 anchor split from Ariah Graham and put together a US#6 time of 3:46.64. That was the second-fastest time of the day, trailing Jamaica power Holmwood Tech’s 3:45.58. The championship final will feature four U.S. teams and four Jamaican teams.

The split of the day belonged to Shaunae Miller of St. Augustine’s (Bahamas), who ran a blistering second leg of 51.7 for her team.

In the 4x800 relay, Fayetteville-Manlius (N.Y.) clocked a US#1 9:04.21 to set up a championship showdown with Jamaica’s Edwin Allen, which led qualifying by winning its heat in 8:58.51.

In the 400-meter hurdles, Alexis Franklin of Old Mill (Millersville, Md.) won the first high school championship of the day by running US#1 59.05 seconds.

In the field events, there seemed to be a Pennsylvania vs. Jamaica theme. The home state collected three victories and Jamaicans four.

Rachel Fatherly of Williamsport, Pa. won the shot put with 47-5, Christine Streisel of Tamaqua, Pa. won the javelin with 154-11 and Larisa Debich of Hempfield Area, Pa. won the pole vault by clearing 12-5.50.

Meanwhile, Chanice Porter of Manchester won the long jump at 19-5.50, Shardia Lawrence of Vere Tech won the triple jump with 40-8.25, Danniel Thomas of Edwin Allen led a 1-5 Jamaican sweep in the discus with 167-4 and Kimberly Williamson of Edwin Allen leapt 6-0 to win the high jump.

PENN RELAYS INDEX



Everything about the Penn Relays is huge – from the crowd, the numbers of athletes, to the tradition. The 118^th Penn Relays features 33 hours of competition and an average of one race every five minutes.

Here is a closer look at 10 of the top high school storylines this week at the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field.

1. The Boys Distance Medley Relay: This has the makings of a classic, with two sensational New Jersey teams going at it. Christian Brothers Academy (Lincroft, N.J.), the consummate team (2011 NXN champion), led by senior George Kelly, is trying to become the first U.S. repeat champion since Bishop Loughlin’s four-year run from 1949-52. Meanwhile, St. Benedict’s has Foot Locker champion Edward Cheserek on the anchor leg, a prospect that throws CBA’s title defense into serious doubt. St. Benedict’s won the New Balance National Indoor title, with Cheserek going 4:07.4 on the anchor. A third New Jersey team, Piscataway, could be a factor with Tim Ball on the anchor leg.
2. The Girls Mile: On the face of it, Olympic Trials hopefuls Ajee Wilson of Nepture, N.J. and Mary Cain of Bronxvile, N.Y., are the headliners. They faced one another in the 800 meters at New Balance Nationals Indoor, with Wilson taking the title. Wilson ran 2:05.28 for 800 meters last week at Princeton. Cain is the sophomore class record holder in the indoor 1,500 and is coming in off a 2:05.90 800 meters at the New York Relays. But the homestate girl, Angel Piccirillo of Homer Center, cannot be overlooked. She is a two-time defending champion in this event and will do all she can to defend her turf. This fast lineup also includes Kelsey Margey of Friends Academy (N.Y.), a future teammate of Piccirillo’s.
3. The Boys Mile: This one could be a blockbuster, too. Cabell Midland (Ona, W.V.) standout Jacob Burcham is the top returnee after placing third last year as a sophomore. But this race could have everything to do with closing speed, and Ben Malone of Pascack Valley (Hillsdale, N.J.) and Drew Magaha of Upper Moreland (Willow Grove, Pa.) have shown raw speed. Malone ran 1:49.94 to win the NB Nationals Indoor title. Magaha is the hottest runner in the country right now, coming in off a 1:48.82 last week. How sweet would a win at Penn be for him? Magaha is a University of Pennsylvania recruit and Franklin Field is about to become home. Also, Millrose and U.S. Open champ Zavon Watkins (Liverpool, N.Y.) could be in the mix when the big push begins.
4. Boys 4x800 relay: Can Chariho (Wood River Junction, R.I.) or Boys and Girls (Brooklyn, N.Y.) win another big championship? One of the biggest surprises of New Balance Nationals Indoor was Chariho, which won the 4xMile. B&G, meanwhile, won the 4x800 national indoor title. Challenges will come from Cabell Midland (W.V.), Pennridge (Perkasie, Pa.) and Jamaica’s Holmwood Tech.
5. Girls Distance Medley Relay: Two of the top distance programs in the U.S. go head-to-head with lineups chocked full of Division I talent. The Tatnall School (Wilmington, Del.) boasts Haley Pierce, the reigning Penn Relays 3,000 champ, and talented junior Reagan Anderson. North Shore counters with the one-two punch of Samantha Nadel, coming back from an injury, and Brianna Nerud.
6. Girls 4x100 relay: Defending champion Long Beach Poly (Calif.) is the only U.S. school to break the Jamaican hold on this event going back to 1982. Poly also won in 1995 and 2003. If there is another U.S. contender, it may be Wakefield (N.C.), which has senior anchor Ariah Graham and owns the US#1 4x200 (1:35.98).
7. Girls 4x800 relay: The reigning DMR champions, Fayetteville-Manlius is pushing its chips into the event it won at New Balance Nationals Indoor. The quartet of Katie Sischo, Jillian Fanning, Heather Martin, and Katie Breslin ran 8:58.18 at the Armory in March.
8. The 4x400s: There are hour upon hour of 4x4s, a spectacle unto itself. The girls from Vere Tech in Jamaica have won the event 10 times but could be pressed by U.S. teams from Wakefield, N.C. and Long Beach Poly (Calif). The boys event could be dominated by Jamaica yet again. Munro College has run 3:12.32 this season already. Calabar won the Jamaican championships with 3:10.19. Boys and Girls (N.Y.) and St. Peter’s (N.J.), featuring Najee Glass, are the top U.S. contenders.
9. Boys 3,000: This event doesn’t have a lot of marquee names, but there is an opportunity here for someone to seize a big moment. Adam Visokay of Albemarle, Va. has run 9:00.06 indoors for two miles and will face competition from Connor Rog (Ct.), Sam Parsons (Del.), Tom Awad (N.Y.) and Eric Holt (N.Y.).
10. Boys Shot Put: For four years in a row, Nick Vena won the boys shot put for New Jersey’s Morristown High School. This year, Vena will vie for his first college title at Penn (against the likes of Ryan Crouser), opening the door to a new high school champ. Braheme Days of Bridgetown, N.J. threw 70-8 indoors, won the national indoor title, and looks like the heir apparent to the Penn title.

By Rich Gonzalez
Editor, ESPNHS/DyeStatCal

(April 25, 2012) -- With a lineup headed by national leaders Gabby Williams and Sasha Wallace, this Saturday's 32nd annual Sacramento Meet of Champions is primed to continue its tradition as perhaps the premier Northern California late-season invitational in recent years.

A total of 145 schools are entered to compete in the single-day affair, which has relocated to American River College as a results of stadium renovations at Sacramento City College's Hughes Stadium.

This year's lineup showcases 32 athletes currently ranked among the top 10 in the state of California in their respective events. But perhaps leading the way is out-of-stater Williams of Reed HS in Nevada, who recently took over the national lead in the girls high jump with her clearance on 6-00.00 at the Del Oro Invitational.

Meanwhile, Holy Names' Wallace seeks to make more national headlines in the sand pits after taking over the national lead in the triple jump when she spanned a staggering 42-10.75 in the event at last weekend's Mt. SAC Relays. Her main nemesis here should be Bear River all-arounder Kendal Nielsen, who'll seek to break through the 40-foot barrier after a lifetime-best 39-05.00 bound in recent weeks. Wallace is also entered as the top seed in the high hurdles (13.43, #3 this year in all conditions) while training mate Trinity Wilson (St. Mary's HS, Berkeley) remains sidelined and recovering from a toe injury.

Another top talent in action will be Presentation pole vaulter Taylore Jaques, who scaled 13-00.00 for the third time this season in recent action, with the mark earning her a share of a three-way tie for the state lead in the event. Jacques, Homestead's Rachel Bolton and Las Lomas' Cimran Virdi are entrants each ranked among the top five in the state in the event.

On the boys side, Kennedy of Richmond hurdler Kenneth Walker III is the top name entered, with the football star heading up the high hurdles field thanks to a state-leading 14.05 clocking over the 39-inch high barriers.

Perhaps the deepest event of the whole meet is the triple jump, where James Logan's Jeff Prothro leads four athletes holding marks ranking among the top 10 in the state in all conditions. Prothro, who cleared 48-01.25 at the Arcadia Invitational to move to #2 in the state, will be challenged by Merrill West's Deon Pinder, Bishop O'Dowd's Nathaniel Moore and James Logan's Karsten Wethington.

Below is a list of entered athletes who currently rank among the top 10 in the state based on 2012 marks:

ATHLETES RANKED IN TOP 10 IN STATE COMPETING @
SATURDAY'S SACRAMENTO MEET OF CHAMPIONS

Boys 100
Kyree King (Colony) 10.61 (#4)

Boys 200
Daniel Fortenko (Terra Linda) 21.46 (#3)

Boys 400
Frank Kurtz (Heritage) 48.22 (#3)
Daveon Overton (Vallejo) 48.85 (#10)

Boys 800
Dylan Chamberlen (Paradise) 1:52.95 (#4)
Darrell Jackson (Fairfield) 1:53.85 (#7)

Boys 1600
Thomas Joyce (Campolindo) 4:10.31c (#3)

Boys HH
Kenneth Walker (Kennedy) 14.05 #1)

Boys HJ
Noel Frazier (California) 6-10.00 (#2)

Boys PV
Colin Barber (San Ramon Valley) 16-01.00 (#4)

Boys LJ
Conner Barla (Golden Sierra) 22-09.00w (#9 all conditions)

Boys TJ
Jeff Prothro (James Logan) 48-01.25 (#2)
Deon Pinder (Merrill West) 47-10.75 (#4)
Nathaniel Moore (Bishop O'Dowd) 47-07.00 (#5)
Karsten Wethington (James Logan) 46-06.00 (#10 ac)

Boys SP
Ryan Donnahoe (Gridley) 58-06.00 (#10)

Boys DT
Curtis Bleasdale (Vacaville) 177-07 #9

Girls 800
Kody Atkins (Chico) 2:10.37 (#3)
Madison Rcisk (California) 2:11.69 (#6)

Girls 1600
Carrie Verdon (Campolindo) 4:51.68c (#4)

Girls HH
Sasha Wallace (Holy Names) 13.43 (#3 ac)
Daje Pugh (Fairfield) 14.08 (#9 ac)
Daria Cook (Vacaville) 14.08 (#9 ac)

Girls LH
Daje Pugh (Fairfield) 42.98 (#2)
Daria Cook (Vacaville) 43.41 (#6)

Girls HJ
Gabby Williams (Reed, Nev.) 6-00.00 (#1)

Girls PV
Taylore Jaques (Presentation) 13-00.00 (#1)
Rachel Bolton (Homestead) 12-10.00 (#4)
Cimran Virdi (Las Lomas) 12-09.00 (#5)

Girls LJ
Shea Taylor (Grace Davis) 19-02.00 (#7 ac)

Girls TJ
Sasha Wallace (Holy Names) 42-04.75 (#1)
Kendal Nielsen (Brea River) 39-05.00 (#4)

Girls SP
Lovina Akauoka (Vallejo) 42-09.00 (#7)

Full entries, by school

By Rich Gonzalez
Editor, ESPNHS/DyeStatCal

(ARCADIA, Calif.) -- With several top regional championship meets taking place last weekend, there's been some juggling in the 2012 order of top California meets based on DyeStatElite marks achieved.

Based on its whopping 606 DSE's achieved, the Mt. SAC Relays moved up to #2 for the year; the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet and the Woody Wilson Invitational (Sac-Joaquin) also moved into the Top 10 for the year.

By season's end, look for the two-day state meet (predicted to be about 900 DyeStatElites) and the CIF-Southern Section Divisional Finals meet (between 800-900 DSE's) to make big moves at the top.

Here's the 2012 list, which includes all invitationals with at least 52 DSE's attained. In terms of non-invitationals, this year's Vista Murrieta-Great Oak dual meet generated 42 DSE's all by itself!

Rankings of 2012 California Meets By DyeStatElite Marks Achieved:

1) Arcadia Invitational 1,482 DyeStatElites

2) Mt. SAC Relays 606 DyeStatElites

3) Stanford Invitational 259 DyeStatElites

4) Mt. Carmel Invitational 251 DyeStatElites

5) Orange County Champs 228 DyeStatElites

6) Trabuco Hills Invitational 202 DyeStatElites

7) California Relays 172 DyeStatElites

8 ) CCS Top 8 166 DyeStatElites

9) Woody Wilson Invitational 156 DyeStatElites

10) West Coast Relays 149 DyeStatElites

11) Inland Empire Champs 144 DyeStatElites

12)) Distance Meet of Champs 120 DyeStatElites

13) Pasadena Games 117 DyeStatElites

14) Irvine Invitational 109 DyeStatElites

15) Maurice Greene Invitational 98 DyeStatElites

16) Redondo Invitational 66 DyeStatElites

17) San Gabriel Valley Champs 65 DyeStatElites

18) Rocklin Thunder Invitational 63 DyeStatElites

29) Sacramento State Classic 59 DyeStatElites

20) Sanger Metric Classic 58 DyeStatElites

20) St. Francis Invitational 58 DyeStatElites

22) Triton Invitational 56 DyeStatElites

23) Beach Cities Invitational 54 DyeStatElites

24) Dan Gabor Invitational 52 DyeStatElites

24) Roosevelt Invitational 52 DyeStatElites

Notes:

* DSE's are performance standards for each event based on year-over-year national rating performance cutoffs.

* DyeStat does not currently compute Elite Marks in the 4x1600, 4xMile and Shuttle Hurdles relays.

INDIANAPOLIS -- 2011 Nike Cross Nationals champ and two-time Foot Locker Finals runner-up Futsum Zeinasellassie has finally made his college choice – just a couple of days after the best performance of his career on the track.

The North Central (Indianapolis) senior has committed to Northern Arizona, according to his coach Rick Stover in a report published by Indystar.com. At Arcadia Saturday, Zeinasellassie had said he was weighing the pros and cons of five schools he has visited: Indiana, Purdue, Butler, Northern Arizona and Oklahoma State. Bahlbi Gebreyohanns, his older brother, runs at Northern Arizona as well.

Zeinasellassie has won six state titles in Indiana (three cross country and three 3,200) going into this spring. His winning 8:47.75 at Arcadia was an all-time Indiana best. He also won the Gatorade National Cross Country Boys Runner of the Year award last fall.