Team VA's New Balance Nationals Preview!

This weekend is going to be historically great for Virginia reams and athletes. Check out our quick previews below.


Quick video preview:


Serious Championship Contenders 

Friday


Weini Kelati (Heritage) - Girls 5000m Run 

The Foot Locker National Champion is finally going to really run this indoor season. Fortunately she lives in Loudoun County which sans she has done nothing but train and recover since XC season which in turn should mean she is also really ready to run.

She is not only the heavy favorite in this stacked race but she is also looking to become the first girl ever to break 16 minutes indoors. She has a legit shot at achieving that too!


Libby Davidson (E.C. Glass)  - Girls 5000m Run

The E.C. Glass junior is also in this race and you definitely cannot count her out. She is definitely one of the runners who gets better with distance which means the added distance on an indoor track could be the perfect combination for her this weekend. 


Loudoun Valley Boys Distance Medley (12-4-8-16)

What more do we need toe ay than this team is going to be anchored by Hunter!? They will also likely have Bogucki and Smagh running to make this team not only a title contender but a national record contender as well.


Saturday 


Western Branch - Both Shuttle Hurdle Relays 

This year this could be one of the biggest events of the entire meet but the Bruins will not be in both seeded heats that means they are really going to have to chase the clock. But, if history is on their side they should place highly considering this is their event and their girls set the national record last year!


Loudoun Valley Boys 4xMile

Drew Hunter and crew will be at agin in this one but his crew is not only just running for the national title but the national record as well. They really have a shot at it with Drew, Bogucki, Smagh, and Peter Morris all running. If Drew runs under 4:00 and the rest run 4:22 then the record is easily theirs! 


Chantilly Boys SMR (200-200-400-800)

Anytime you have one of the nation's best 500m runners (Titus Jeffries) and a 1:51 anchor (Brandon McGorty) you are going to be in contention for this title. 


E.C. Glass Girls 4x800

Last year they were somewhat of a surprise 6th place finisher but this year no one is going to sleep on them. DeCarmo, Rennyson, and Davidson are all going to throw down fast splits which in the end means we could be watching a team chase down the state record en route to a national title. 


Western Branch Girls 4x800

Though they are not in the seeded section, you cannot ever count out a relay team with both Faith Ross and Amanda Thomas on it. If they are going to win it they are going to have to do it against the clock in the slow section. 


Lake Braddock Girls 4x800

The big question here is whether Kate Murphy runs on the team or not. Regardless they are fast but if Kate anchors the team they move way up in the rankings and could seriously win the national title as well. 


Grant Holloway Pentathlon 

This could seriously be the biggest event of the meet for VA with Grant ready to knock down the door and win the national title in his first time ever competing in this event. He is also attempting to break Gunnar Nixon's national record in this event.



Sunday


Nansemond River (Team War) Girls 4x200m Relay 

They currently sit at US #2 and VA #1 all-time so it would be an understatement to say they are a title contender. They could really do something special this weekend and if they get the stick around with clean handoffs be ready for a very fast time!


T.C. Williams Boys 4x200m Relay 

All year this national record has evaded them. It is not because of lack of speed but just poor handoffs. This meet they will have to have perfect handoffs but will also have a ton of competition. With others pushing them and two Lyles running, anything could happen and one of those is a national record. 


Western Branch Boys 4x200m Relay

Don't sleep on Branch. They did the same thing last year where they entered the meet as one of the top teams but at the meet itself dropped a ton of time... roughly two seconds. This could be the case this year which would mean they could enter the finals as the top seed with a preferred lane. 


Grassfield Girls 4x200m Relay

This team is fast... though they haven't put together the fuels quad many times this year it is no secret that they have a lot of speed on this team. If Ghee runs on this team get ready to see a very fast time and another team in the 4x200 final. 


Kate Murphy/Libby Davidson/Weini Kelati Girls 2 Mile

This one is going to be epic! You cannot argue these three girls are the best in the entire nation in this event and against each other is going to be something to remember. Kate may be the returning runner-up and reigning Penn Relays champ but Libby and Weini are too tough to count out. Both will have the 5K Friday night but both love the distance. This could be the race of the meet and could be a VA sweep.


Grant Holloway Boys 60m Hurdles

He is all-time top three in the US in this event and the defending national champion. This on top of the Pentathlon will be interesting but he will only have to really run once he gets to the finals. National record is very much in danger. 


Brandee' Johnson Girls 200m Dash & 60m Hurdles 

She is one of the top girls in the entire country and when UC's stud is out that opens a whole lot of room for Brandee' in the 60H. She is going against tough competition and defending champions but entering the event she should be seeded nothing less than third in both!


Noah Lyles Boys 60m Dash/200m Dash

Last year and this year Noah is going to have a ton of talent around him in both races but speed doesn't lie. HE is 100% the guy to beat in both of these races and the national record at 200m is very much in danger of getting obliterated this year.


Josephus Lyles Boys 60m Dash/400m Dash

This one has avoided him for quite too long. He is the twice defending outdoor national champion at 400m but still has yet to win the indoor title. Watch the clock on this one and his first 200 as he will apologetically go for the national record. He is also deadly at 60m considering he has beat Noah back-to-back and Noah is the guy to beat. 


Lauryn Ghee Girls 400m Dash

This is really what she has been working for all year. It was noticeable how few meets she ran in this year and it has been to get a great base down to run the 400m twice. She is going to arguably have the toughest road of anyone though as she will have to beat Sydney McLaughlin (UC) to win. That means the junior national record is basically gone already as both are juniors. 


Destiny Ward 400m Dash

It should be a national slogan, don't count out Destiny. She may not be the top seed but she is a veteran winner and oh yeah... defending 6A 400m champ! That's right, last outdoor season she took down Lauryn Ghee. That means if Lauryn is one of the favorites that Destiny must be as well. She may not have the flashy 500m record but she sure does have speed and endurance. 


Brandon McGorty 800m Run

Last year he was runner-up out of the slow section as only a sophomore... he is handedly US #1 at both 800 and 1000 and comes into this race not only chasing that first national title but the national record as well which is just a second under his pr. With this competition and his fitness level we could really see something special. 


Kate Murphy Girls Mile Run

She is a beast. She shattered the state and Millrose mile records but she could be facing a really tough battle with fatigue after running the deuce just a few hours before. It will be interesting to see who doubles and who scratches. She is still the girl to beat, tired or not. 


Western Branch Girls 4x400m Relay

Just this past weekend they finally put a stacked relay onto the track and ran a 3:51 to ensure they made it to the seeded section and that is just what they did. They are stacking this one and though they will face off with Union Catholic and Oak Park, they could very well be the team to beat.