As this weekend's VHSL Group AAA State Indoor Championships approaches where state champions will be decided to earn their bragging rights as the best in the state this year in their respective events, lets take a look at past state champions and all-time lists of the VHSL Group AAA State Indoor Track & Field Championships to see where today's top athletes might historically compare.
Team Champions
Western Branch and Manchester appear to be the favorites to win the team championship after winning regional championships in the Eastern Region and Central Region. Robert E. Lee also stands a shot to pull it out if both favored teams slip with Sean Holston looking to pick up 30 points on his own in a sprint triple. It would be the first state indoor team championships for any of the three schools. It would be the second year in a row that a new school joined the team champions list.
The Bethel girls will look to edge one state title closer to Lake Braddock's state best total of 7 state team championships. Bethel with 5 state team championships has made a recent surge after Lake Braddock by winning the last three state team championships. Bethel would become the first team ever to win four consecutive state indoor championships as they joined Lake Braddock (1985, 1986, 1987) as the only teams to win three in a row with last year's state championship.
Individual Champions
Sean Holston will be looking to become the 10th Virginian high school male athlete to win four or more individual state titles if he is able to win all the 55, 300, and 500 meter dashes on Saturday. Doug Dickinson, Newport News High great, has the largest haul of state titles at 11. Holston would be joining three other Northern Region athletes on the list including Sharif Karie (6 state titles), Alan Webb (5 state titles), and Rickey Harris (4 state titles)
Champion Totals
Bethel leads all-time with a total of 30 event state champions, which is 6 better than Lake Braddock with a total of 24 over the program's history. With Shakia Forbes as the top seed in the long jump and their 4x200 meter relay and Crystal Carrington in the 55 meter dash as contenders as well, Bethel could raise their total to 33.
State Meet Changes
This will be the 20 years from when the meet was switched to a two day format. In 2003, the meet was held on one day due to snow. This is also the 20th anniversary of the girls triple jump being added to meet, which the event has produced some of the nation's best in the state of Virginia. This year is now different with two US top five performers in April Sinkler of Brooke Point and Rachel Butler of Lee-Davis.
Meet Records in Jeopardy/All-Time Lists
There are several state meet records are in serious jeopardy of being broken this weekend. Of the three races that Holston will be competing in, the 300 meter dash appears to be the only realistic one for Holston to break despite being on the tail end of his triple. The 300 meter record of 33.78 was set in 1978 by Anthony Wheeler of Kecoughtan. The 55 meter dash and 500 meter dash records look to be out of reach as Andre Cason of Green Run's 6.24 clocking in the 55 meter dash at the 1986 state meet and Kerry Wooden of Warwick's 1:03.01 win in the 500 meter dash at the 1988 state meet have stood the test of time over two decades.
While neither has broken 1:30 yet, the fireworks that will be generated between a pending battle between Manchester and Western Branch could push both or one of them under 1:30 on the flat track at GMU to challenge Deep Creek's 1:29.70 record from 2002.
Oscar Smith's Frede Spellman still has a ways to go to challenge the 1978 meet record of 65'5.50" by Dan Krueger of Bayside, but if Spellman is able to match or better his 61'11.50" season best, the Oscar Smith junior would move him into the top five all-time in the shot put. Only six throwers have ever thrown over 60 feet in state meet history.
There is great depth in the girls 3200 meter run with talent up front with four proven sub 11 minute runners in Courtlin LaReau of Deep Run, Lia DiValentin of Chantilly, Rachel Rose of Albemarle, and Sarrah Hadiji of W.T. Woodson. In 2003, the state meet had four girls under 11 minutes in the state meet with Amanda Patterson (10:34), Melissa Dewey (10:47), Beth Fahey (10:48), and Morgan Phelan (10:57). The best year for the 3200 girls was in 1986 as they were led by then a national record holder in Erin Keogh of Langley. Keogh won the state race in 10:25.13 (set the current state record of 10:07.03 the next year), while an impressive top four followed with Chantilly's Amy Colvin (10:41.53), Lake Braddock's Wendy Neely (10:41.55), and West Potomac's Gabrielle Pholmann (10:51.2). Could the 2007 girls join 1986 and 2004 with four under 11 minutes?
Never has the state meet had two girls under 8 seconds in the 55 meter hurdles, but after Menchville's Kali Watkins at 7.95 and Hampton's Tierra Brown at 7.99 both went under the time in the same race in the finals of the Eastern Region Meet, it is a strong possibility this weekend. Sheena Johnson's 2000 meet record of 7.75 should be safe from both, but Watkins and Brown are capable of joining a current group of 5 Virginian hurdle greats under 8 seconds at the indoor state meet.
The Midlothian girls will be looking to become only the second girls 4x800 meter relay to win for three consecutive years as the 1998-2000 relays from Thomas Jefferson S&T set the standard including the state meet record of 9:12.82. Midlothian will be joined by Westfield, who held the US #1 time of 9:19 in the event after a win in Virginia Tech, in chasing after the seven year old meet record.
Ashley Gatling is already the state meet record holder in the high jump after clearing 5'9" in last year's state title, so it is a no brainer for the record holder to challenger her own record. If the top competitiors match their season best clearances, this would be the first state meet to have three high jumpers at 5'8" or better with Gatling, April Sinkler, and DeShana Briggs.
Its going to take an off day from several of the state's top vaulters for the 2003 state meet record of 11'4" by Westfield's Kathryn Pettine to survive another year with three vaulters coming in with bests of 11'6" or better. 2005 AAA state champion Anne Marie Gordon of Mills Godwin leads all at 12'1", but has been challenged at the district and regional level by Annie Powell of Patrick Henry, who has a 11'6" best. Westfield's Betsy Alter would like to keep the state record in her team's ownership as the Northern Region champ has also cleared 11'6" this season.
Another state meet record holder joins Gatling in returning for 2007 with Centreville junior Brittni Finch, who leaped to a meet history best of 19'10.25" in her 2006 state championship performance. However, state record holder Finch comes in as the underdog as the fourth seed at 19'0.25" with Bethel's Shakia Forbes (19'6"), Deep Run's Ashley Orr (19'1.25"), and T.C. Williams' Tynita Butts (19'0.75") making for a great field. The most jumpers ever in a state meet over 19 feet is two, so it would make history if four were able to leap over the mark. If Finch is able to win, she will then be able to set the state for her senior to become only the second female athlete ever to win the state title in the long jump three years in a row with Amy Seward of Salem accomplishing the task in 2001 to 2003.