It was an attack of the sub 11 two milers from the Virginia girls this weekend with three runners dipping well under the 11 minutes this weekend. Homeschooled junior star Aurora Scott ran a US #1 time of 10:29.12 at the Asics Invitational in Lynchburg, while Deep Run senior Courtlin LaReau challenged her through a 5:12 first mile and held on for a US #3 time of 10:45.86. Incredibly both were newbies to the event indoors with this weekend being Scott's first indoor meet. Meanwhile, Chantilly sophomore Lia DiValentin clocked a US #5 time of 10:49.11 on Friday evening at UNC's Eastern Challenge.
2007 Virginia High School Girls Indoor State Leaderboard
Asics Invitational Meet Summary - By Brandon Miles. Footlocker South champion Aurora Scott was competing in her first indoor meet ever, while Deep Run senior Courtlin LaReau was racing for the first time at 3200 meters on the track. The outcome was a US #1 from Scott and US #3 from LaReau proving talent can override inexperience.
Lap-By-Lap Breakdown of Aurora Scott's US #1 10:29 3200 - By Brandon Miles. Lap by lap photo breakdown with splits of Aurora Scott's US #1 10:29.12 3200 meter performance at the Asics Invitational held at Liberty University's Tolsma Track Center in Lynhburg, Virginia on Saturday, January 20th. Second place finisher Courtlin LaReau of Deep Run also posted a US #3 time of 10:45.86 in her debut at 3200 meters. Audio interview with Scott and video of the race also posted!
Asics Invitational Performance List Asics Invitational Preview - By Brandon Miles. This weekend's Asics Invitational will be hosted at Liberty University's Tolsma Track Center in Lynchburg and will be hosted over two days on Friday and Saturday. The meet will feature four individual state leaders including the likes of Bethel's Shakia Forbes and Harrisonburg's Tim Beierle as well as the state's fastest 4x400 meter relay in the Osbourn Park girls. Events will start at 4:30 PM on Friday and resume again on Saturday at 9:00 AM.
East Coast Invitational Meet Summary - By Brandon Miles. Not too many surprises at the East Coast Invitational as teams and individuals already established as some of the best in the Central Region did not disappoint with their performances this weekend at the Arthur Ashe Center in Richmond. The Midlothian girls ruled the distance races and the Manchester boys dominated the sprints and relays. Meanwhile, the Matoaca pair of Shanneka Claiborne and Aramis Massenburg showed just why they are state leaders in their respective events.
East Coast Invitational Performance List East Coast Invitational Preview - By Brandon Miles. Despite being hosted at the Arthur Ashe Center, the East Coast Invitational continues to be one of the longest standing high school invitational in the state of Virginia and continues to bring in some of the state's best talent. The meet use to be hosted inside the Richmond Coliseum on a wooden banked track before moving over to the Arthur Ashe Center. The 2007 edition of the East Coast Invitational will feature Shanneka Claiborne, Aramis Massenburg, Rachel Butler, Anthony Chesson, and Anne Marie Gordon as some of the state's top athletes in the meet with the Manchester boys and Midlothian girls as the top teams attending.
Eastern Challenge Meet Summary - By Brandon Miles. The state of Virginia was well represented at the Eastern Challenge held at the University of North Carolina's Eddie Smith Fieldhouse in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. While conceding the sprint and hurdle events to North Carolina athletes, Virginians swept the distance events with winners and many top finishers in the 1000, 1600, and 3200 meter races for both and girls as well as the 4x800 meter relay. In field events action, Virginia had several meet champions beating some strong competition.
Article: Spooner finishes 6th in New Balance Games Mile - By Brandon Miles. West Springfield senior Mike Spooner found himself stuck in a strategic and kicker's race in the elite high school mile at New Balance Games halfway through the race.
Article: Spooner to compete in Millrose qualifier mile Saturday at the Armory - By Brandon Miles. West Springfield senior Mike Spooner is set to compete in a high caliber field of some of the East Coast's best prep milers on Saturday at the 12th annual New Balance Games held at the Armory in New York City. Spooner ran 4:16 for 1600 meters and 4:17 for a full mile last spring as a junior. He is coming off a strong cross country season, which included a state championship and appearance at Footlocker Nationals in San Diego.
Meet Summary: Val's gals fly high at PV Summit in Reno - By Brandon Miles. Val's pole vault gals had exceptional showings at the Pole Vault Summit held in Reno, Nevada this past weekend. Val Osipenko is one of the best pole vault coaches in the state and works as a club coach to three of the state's best vaulters with Mills Godwin's Anne Marie Gordon, Westfield's Betsy Alter, and St. Catherine's Carrie Wortham. All three vaulters competed in the pole vault extravaganza held out west.