We've become spoiled here in North Carolina the past few years. Our state has been able to host the New Balance Nationals at a great facility like A&T's Belk Track, and we have also produced some of the leading athletes in the meet (Fuquwan Green, Wayne Davis II, Johnny Dutch, and many more). This year's group of boys is not quite as star-laden as in some years past, but North Carolina will be represented by a deep and talented bunch nonetheless.
(EE = Emerging Elite event, C = Championship event)
Thursday
Events to Watch
This is a light day for North Carolina boys, with the main highlight being the 5000 meters. Thomas Graham and Mitch Mallory will venture into the longer race, and the smart money says they both run well. Edward Cheserek (NJ) is the national leader, and he may run away from the rest of the field tonight, as there is nobody else with a sub-15 time this spring, though Jeremy Elkaim (NJ) went under 15 minutes during cross country season.
NC Entry List
Thomas Graham (Cary Academy) C 5000
Mitch Mallory (Wakefield) C 5000
Peter Ficalora (Leesville Road) EE Pole Vault
John Mangum (Green Hope) EE Pole Vault
Jahmaal Daniel (Terry Sanford) Freshman 100
Jamal Frazier (Enloe) Freshman 100
Cameron Roane (Riverside) Freshman 100
Kahlil Simpson (Greenville) Freshman 100
Marquavious Johnson (Knightdale) Freshman 400
Jamaree Murray (Fuquay-Varina) Freshman 400
Friday
Events to Watch
On Friday, boys from the Old North State will heat things up in familiar events for the nationals crowd: sprints and hurdles. Two athletes that we've missed this spring, Jarrett Samuels and Kendall Kee, will return to action in the 100, where they will be joined by Tevin Hester and defending champion Sean McLean. Levonte Whitfield (FL) has a US #8 10.31 coming into the race, with Jeryl Brazil and Antwan Wright having gone under 10.50 this spring.
Our state is well represented in the 110 hurdles, too, with Daishon Barger, Stanley Broaden, Joshua Dunston, Abraham Faison, and Demonte Wilson all competing. (NC has a ton of competitors in the Emerging Elite 100 and 110 hurdles, as well.) Dominant national leader Jonathan Cabral (Agoura CA) did not make the trip across the country, and that leaves the door open for many competitors. US #2 Desmond Wallace (SC), US #3 Artie Burns (FL), US #5 Kenneth Minkah (TX), US #7 Donovan Robertson (OH), US #8 Jordan Moore (GA), and US #9 Jonathan Jones (GA), and US #12 Randolph Bermea (TX) are all within 2 tenths of a second, and all under 13.80 this year!
In relay action, Knightdale begins an epic relay quest at this year's nationals. Having been slightly upstaged by Berry Academy over the course of the state meets, I know the Knights will be looking for some redemption as well as a final feather in the caps of their seniors. Knightdale and Berry look like the top two seeds in the 4x200 with the Texas and Florida powers not attending, and they will be joined by Vance, West Rowan, and Riverside.
Knightdale will also run the 1600 medley along with Eastern Alamance. With the anchor legs set to run 800m, it looks like Chester Valley (aka Great Valley, PA) and anchor Ned Willig (US #22) may be the team to beat, along with Liverpool (NY) and anchor Zavon Johnson (US #12).
Later in the day, Knightdale and Berry will meet again in the 4x100 qualifying, where US #2 Flanagan (FL) bring a monster 40.57 time into the race. They are the only representatives from the sprint relay powers in Florida and Texas, however, and so the NC schools have a great chance to make the finals.
NC Entry List
Berry C 4x200, C 4x100
Knightdale C 4x200, C 1600 Medley, C 4x100
Riverside C 4x200
West Rowan C 4x200
Vance C 4x200
Tevin Hester (Granville Central) C 100
Kendall Kee (Crest) C 100
Sean McLean (Word of God) C 100
Jarrett Samuels (Evelyn Mack) C 100
Daishon Barger (West Rowan) C 110 Hurdles
Stanley Broaden (Ashley) C 110 Hurdles
Joshua Dunston (Knightdale) C 110 Hurdles
Abraham Faison (Southern Alamance) C 110 Hurdles
Demonte Wilson (Crest) C 110 Hurdles
Mitch Mallory (Wakefield) C 2 Mile
Eastern Alamance C 1600 Medley
Colin Minor (South Brunswick) C Hammer Throw
Ryan Minor (South Brunswick) C Hammer Throw
Rueben Malone (Harnett Central) C Triple Jump
Cary EE 4x800, EE 4x200
Eastern Alamance EE 4x800
Knightdale EE 4x800
West Johnston EE 4x200
Michael Colven (Marvin Ridge) EE 1 Mile
Marquis Bailey (BL Smith) EE 110 Hurdles
Timothy Hardy (Knightdale) EE 110 Hurdles
Erin Jenkins (Vance) EE 110 Hurdles
Thomas Jones III (Cummings) EE 110 Hurdles
Isaiah Moore (Williams) EE 110 Hurdles
Jamar Collins-Hall (Britt) EE 400
Brian Davis (Fuquay-Varina) EE 400
Tony Grice (Southside) EE 400
Barry Harris (Ragsdale) EE 400
Dante Ortado (BL Smith) EE 400
Raphael Rojas (Ardrey Kell) EE 400
Jeremy Williams (High Point Central) EE 400
Chris Boyd (BL Smith) EE 100
Jordan Brown (Davidson Day) EE 100
Christopher Eley (Northwest Guilford) EE 100
Jonathan Gaither (Lake Norman) EE 100, EE Triple Jump
Jeffrey Hendricks (Vance) EE 100
Jamarii Millikan (TW Andrews) EE 100
Jaye Pratt (Hillside) EE 100
Brannon Strayhorn (Knightdale) EE 100
Justin Thorne (Clayton) EE 100
Mitch McLeod (Chapel Hill) EE 2 Mile
Eric Upchurch (Harnett Central) EE Shot Put
George Freiberger (Westchester) EE Triple Jump
Samuel Starks (North Rowan) EE Triple Jump
Cameron Walton (Cary Academy) EE Triple Jump
Ben Huffman (Providence Day) Freshman 1 Mile
Collin Loy (Southern Alamance) Freshman 1 Mile
Shawn Marcie (Franklin) Freshman 1 Mile
Saturday
Events to Watch
Some of the state's best field event athletes will be in action as Saturday rolls around. Jarret Samuels finished sixth in the long jump last year, but will he be rusty from lack of competition? Josh McClam has been over 24 feet this spring, and Joshua Dunston is always a threat. The favorite in the event is Marquis Dendy (DE) with his US #7 mark of 24' 9.75", and US #9 Tyler Anderson (TN) is also in the meet. Courtland Clavette will square off in the discus against US #2 Sam Mattis (NJ) and US #3 Kyle Long (FL), who are both 200+ foot throwers, as well as US#10 Isaiah Simmons and two others over 190 feet. Jonathan Addison and Alex Louden will face national leader Justin Fondren (MS) in the high jump, as well as US #4 Errin Baynes (WV). Finally, the pole vault should be a fantastic event, not just for in-state stars Alex Lomax and Austin Vegas, but also for US #1 Andrew Irwin (AR) and his 17' 6.5" PR! US #2 Nikita Kirilov (GA), US #4 Dalton Duvio (LA), US #6 vaulters Sam Kendricks (MS), Joey Uhle (OH), and Jacob Blankenship (OH) have all cleared 17 feet, setting this up to be one of the most intesely competitive events of the meet.
Once again, the sprints and hurdles will take center stage. Kee, McLean, and Hester will be joined by Harvey McSwain III and Eric Winfrey in the 200. US #2 Arman Hall (FL) is the top seed, but is well within the grasp of NC's best sprinters. In the 400 hurdles, Marquis Bailey, Stanley Broaden, Christopher Eley, and Erin Jenkins will match up with US #2 400H Jermaine Collier (NJ), US #3 400H Christopher Grinley (FL), US #5 400H Joseph Payton (NY), US #5 300H Randy Bermea (TX), and US #6 300H Artie Burns (FL).
Knightdale will have to be deep, determined, and well-conditioned to make it through a brutal schedule of relays. In addition to the three on Friday, the Knights will add three more on Saturday (plus a possible 4x100 final as well). Their day starts with the shuttle hurdles, against Vance and NJ power Christian Brothers (three hurdlers under 15.01 this spring). In the 800 medley they will face a tough challenge from a Middletown (NY) team that has sub-47 anchor Mel Mosley (US #8) and his twin brother Manny, as well as 22.19 200 runner Webb Pierre. Smiths Station (AL) also has a strong team, with two sub-22 200 riunners and a sub-48 anchor leg.
Finally comes the 4x400, where Knightdale and fellow North Carolinians Wakefield and Fuquay-Varina will have to contend with national leaders Miami Northwestern and their 3:10 season best. St. Thomas Aquinas is US #2, and they have US #1 400 runner Arman Hall on the anchor leg. Middletown will be in the mix here, too, as they hold the US #7 ranking. This is a great race for a NC team to hit their season best!
For NC distance fans, this meet will not provide a lot of home-state favorites to support (although there promise to be some fantastic races from out-of-state teams). On Saturday, Matus Kriska and Blake Williams will square off in a repeat of their Golden South race of two weeks ago. US #3 Jantzen Oshier (CA) will be looking to improve on his 4:06 last weekend in New York and become the second high schooler to break 4 minutes this year (his PR this spring is 4:00.83). Daniel Everett (MO) has a 4:06.24 this year, making him US #12.
NC Entry List
Knightdale C Shuttle Hurdles, 800 Medley
Vance C Shuttle Hurdles
Marquis Bailey (BL Smith) C 400 Hurdles
Stanley Broaden (Ashley) C 400 Hurdles
Christopher Eley (Northwest Guilford) C 400 Hurdles
Erin Jenkins (Vance) C 400 Hurdles
Tevin Hester (Granville Central) C 200
Kendall Kee (Crest) C 200
Sean McLean (Word of God) C 200
Harvey McSwain III (Crest) C 200
Eric Winfrey (Douglas Byrd) C 200
Aaron Covington (Wakefield) C 400
Xavier Jones (Ragsdale) C 400
Eric Winfrey (Douglas Byrd) C 400
Matus Kriska (Mount Airy) C 1 Mile
Blake Williams (Northern Durham) C 1 Mile
Fuquay-Varina C 4x400 (running as Carolina Allstars)
Wakefield C 4x400 (running as Junior Striders)
Knightdale C 4x400
Alex Lomax (Maiden) C Pole Vault
Austin Vegas (East Forsyth) C Pole Vault
Courtland Clavette (AC Reynolds) C Discus
Jonathan Addison (Enloe) C High Jump
Alex Louden (East Wake) C High Jump
Joshua Dunston (Knightdale) C Long Jump
Josh McClam (Holly Springs) C Long Jump
Jarrett Samuels (Evelyn Mack) C Long Jump
Chris Boyd (BL Smith) EE 200
Jordan Brown (Davidson Day) EE 200
Brian Davis (Fuquay-Varina) EE 200
Tony Grice (Southside) EE 200
Cole Henderson (Western Alamance) EE 200
Jeffrey Hendricks (Vance) EE 200
Xavier Jones (Ragsdale) EE 200
Darrell Sheppard (Cary) EE 200
Justin Thorne (Clayton) EE 200
Brandon Dunford (Hopewell) EE 800
Chase Helton (Douglas Byrd) EE 800
Paul Lilley (Rocky Mount) EE 800
Carl Walton (Northwest Guilford) EE 800
Jeremy Williams (High Point Central) EE 800
White Oak EE 4x400
Northwest Guilford EE 4x400
Deondre Butler (Fayetteville) EE Long Jump
Rueben Malone (Harnett Central) EE Long Jump
Yacouba Meite (TW Andrews) EE Long Jump
Frank Quarles (Douglas Byrd) EE Long Jump
Cameron Walton (Cary Academy) EE Long Jump
