Sixteen Bold Predictions For 2016


Nevada Mareno and Leesville Road High School will break the 4x800m National High School Record at New Balance Nationals Indoor

Expect a heated rematch of the Girls 4x800m Relay Championship at New Balance Nationals Indoor between 1-2 finishers Western Branch of Virginia and Leesville Road of North Carolina. Last March, Nevada Mareno ran the fastest split of the day (2:07.6) to finish within one second of wire-to-wire leaders Western Branch, 9:03.63 to 9:02.27.

Leesville Road returns all four runners from last year's national runner-up squad, plus adds transfer Shelbi Chapman (1:16 500m). Mareno, of course, placed third at Foot Locker Nationals this fall and returns to the indoor oval as the defending national indoor mile champion.

Defending champions Western Branch graduated Jewel Smith, but the always-stacked Bruins can be counted on to have another sub-2:20 half miler by March.

The national indoor record is 8:53.67, set by Boys & Girls of New York in 2002.

- jojo