The second annual MileStat.com Elite Track Gala will be contested tomorrow at Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond, Virginia with an excellent assembly of some of Virginia's best athletes as well as decent number of outstanding out-of-staters making the trip to compete in the post-season event. The meet once again has attracted a high quality field including the likes of national champion sprinter Sean Holston of Robert E. Lee as well as arguably the nation's top girls' high school track program in the United States in the Blazin' Raiders from Eleanor Roosevelt in Greenbelt, Maryland. From the start of the boys' high jump competition at 2 pm and the remaining field events at 3 pm to the conclusion of the meet seven or eight hours later with the All-Star distance medley relays, there is plenty of great competition for spectators to enjoy.
.JPG)
Boys Sprints:
The top name among the boys' sprinters is quite easy to find in Sean Holston (pictured left by John Herzog) as the future star at Florida State University will be competing in the 200 meter dash in hopes of finally dipping under 21 seconds in the event. Holston had two solid clockings in the 200 meter dash in mid to late April with a 21.07 clocking at the Allen Johnson Invite and followed up in the next weekend at the Dogwood Track Classic in a 21.09 performance. This will be the first time all spring long for Holston in which the 200 meter dash will be his first event of the meet. Last weekend at the AAA State Championships, Holston won the 200 meter dash state title in his sixth race of the meet after going through trials and finals of the 100, 200, and 400 meter dashes. Currently only nine athletes in the U.S. this outdoor season have broken 21 seconds, so a sub 21 performance would assure Holston a US top 10 ranking in the event.
Holston had originally planned to travel to Golden West this weekend to face off against US #1 leader in the 200 (20.43) and 400 (45.54) meter dashes, Bryshon Nellum of Long Beach Poly, in California at Golden West in the 400 meter dash, but decided the travels would be tough on him as he prepares for Nike Outdoor Nationals next weekend.
While state leader Holston at 46.47 is not competing in the 400 meter dash at the Gala, it should be one of the deeper events on Saturday in the sprints with a total of seven athletes have run under 49 seconds. Michael DeHaven from Sandy Creek High School in Georgia has once again made the trip far up north to Richmond to compete at the Gala. DeHaven was fourth in last year's race with a time of 48.99 and returns this year as the top seed as he has recorded a personal best of 47.62 this spring. DeHaven helped his squad to the 3A state title in Georgia in May by finishing second and third respectively in the finals of the 200 and 400 meter dashes.
Last year's Gala 400 meter runner-up is back in DeMatha Catholic (MD)freshmen Taylor Sykes. Sykes, a native of Chesapeake as his older brother Ryan competed and graduated from Great Bridge in 2006, had one of the most impressive performances in last year's meet to clock in at 48.67 for second place only as an eighth grader.
While DeHaven and Sykes have past experience competing in the meet, the newcomers to the Gala for the 400 meter dash will certainly make the top section of the 400 meter dash one of the hottest races of the evening with the likes of Group AA state champion Ronquis Posey of Brunswick Senior and the Western Branch sophomore tandem of Daniel Nix and Javanti Sparrow. Sparrow was the state runner-up last Saturday in Newport News with a personal best of 48.17 and claimed the 500 meter state title indoors, while Nix was all-state in the same 400 meter finals at 48.52.
Manchester senior Reggie Hill will be looking to keep the Gala 100 meter dash title and meet record in Manchester's hands after his teammate Anthony Chesson won in 10.97. Hill has the leading time among all entrants at 10.59, which is a state leading time. However, there were will be some tough competition for Hill to contend with including Group A state runner-up Ronald Coles. Meanwhile, also competing are Western Branch's Kelvin Griffin and Woodbridge's Joe Williams, who were both qualifiers in the AAA state 100 meter finals last Saturday, which Hill failed to qualify for the finals in. Should be one of the more up for grabs events in the meet with seven athletes entered under the meet record.
Boys Distance:
The 800 meter run was one of the deepest races last year at the Gala with seventh place at 1:57.58 as Fork Union's Jamie Reichlen was one place off a top six medal. Reichlen returns to the Gala with an improved time of 1:56.96, yet one again finds himself on the outside looking as the 11th seed in what looks to be one of the best individual races of the evening. The Gala 800 meter run for boys definitely looks to be the best 800 meter race this season in Virginia including last weekend's state championship races as Dylan Ferris (pictured right by Mark Keenen for NCRunners.com), a junior from East Forsyth High School in North Carolina, leads the field with a 1:51.48 best, which ranks 8th in the country currently. Ferris recorded his US top 10 time in a double at the North Carolina 4A State Meet in which before his 1:51.48 800 meter title win, Ferris won the 1600 meter run in 4:14 with an incredible last 800 meters of 1:59.
The 800 meter race itself has a strong out of state presence with eight of top nine entrants coming in from outside of the state of Virginia as the top three seeds are from North Carolina in Ferris, Drew Tucker of West Stokes High Schol, and Dakota Lowery of West Johnston High School. Tucker is a two-time 2A state champion in North Carolina in the 800 meter run and has a 1:54 best this spring, but ran 1:52 last year as a junior in his 2A state title victory and is anxious to drop down to 1:52 against fellow North Carolina state champ Ferris. Meanwhile, Lowery recently raced against Ferris last weekend in the Raleigh Running Outfitters Mile Under the Stars
and placed second to Ferris with a US #9 time of 4:12.8. The outcome for Ferris was even better as the race champion at 4:08.1, which is a US #2 performance only behind Matt Centrowitz's 4:03.40 at the Reebok Grand Prix last Saturday against a professional field.
The list just gets better and better in this event with another sub 4:20 miler from North Carolina in Sean Sewell of Cardinal Gibbons, who has split 1:55 on several occassions. There is also a strong representation from up north in Maryland and DC athletes in the field. Gonzaga's Aaron Taylor knows how to win at Sports Backers Stadium as he claimed the Southern Track Classic in May in 1:56.13 in convincing fashion. A second win for Taylor in Richmond this season may be a long shot with the likes of Ferris in the field as Taylor is seeded eight in the race, but he will definitely be along for the ride in a race which could produce personal bests for many. Maryland 4A state runner-up Jordan Sawadago, went under 1:55 at the Maryland State Championships in second place at 1:54.49.
Heritage's Nick McLaughlin, who just missed claiming a state championship at the Virginia AA State Championships last weekend in Harrisonburg with Blacksburg's Peter Dorrell just nipping him at the line for win that took several officials looking at the camera finish of the photo to decide with both being timed to same hundredth of a secondtime of 1:54.40, looks to be the homestate's best respective in the stacked race. McLaughlin, a signee for Virginia Tech, has been a late bloomer this spring in the event as he had a coming out party in a victory at the Dogwood Track Classic in April. McLaughin is ranked third in the state currently in the event.
The 1500 meter run will likely have the most suspense in determing the winner with a handful of runners entered with just as much of a chance as the next guy to steal the victory. There is no doubt this pack is looking to take advantage of the "100 meter head start" that they will get from their usual race distance of 1600 meters to attempt to push for a 4:10 or faster converted time from their 1500 meter performance at the Gala. The race features three state champions in Virginia 2A state champion Peter Dorrell of Blacksburg, Virginia 3A state champion Eddie Judge of Cox, and Maryland 2A state champion Andrew Revelle competing for the Mac Los Track Club. Revelle has the leading 1600 meter time among the three with his 4:14.83 state meet performance, but neither Dorrell or Judge were far off him in the heat at their state championships last Saturday in 4:15.22 for Dorrell at 2A and 4:15.78 for Judge at 3A. Both times were season bests for the two Virginia state champions. All three are looking to push for a sub 4:10 1600 meter converted effort in the event, which would would take a time under 3:53 for 1500 meters.
There are several outstanding runners in the race to bolster the depth in the field including Robert E. Lee's Josef Tessema, who has clocked in at 4:16 for 1600 meters this spring, and Turner Ashby's Alex Ott as the super sophomore talent was a 2A state runner-up to Dorrell last weekend in a personal best time of 4:20.03. Making the trek up all the way from Athens, Georgia to compete in the Gala is Athens Christian junior Brandon Griffin, who has ran 4:19 this spring for 1600 meters.
The 5000 meter field in the second to last running event of evening under the lights will be paced by Andy Wacker from Pinecrest High School in North Carolina. Wacker was a Nike Indoor Nationals All-American in the event this past March with a time of 15:12.35, which placed him second in between two Virginians in Jason Witt and Thomas Porter. Wacker, who will be running at the University of Colorado next fall under Mark Wetmore, recently clocked a lifetime personal best of 4:16.1 for a full mile last Saturday night in the same race with Ferris and Lowery in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Virginian most likely to challenge or push Wacker despite being seeded over 30 seconds ahead of the next competitors is Hermitage senior John Vial. Although Vial has a personal best of 15:57 for 5K from cross country, his track times in the 3200 meter run this spring indicate he is certainly fit enough to run with Wacker and ventue well below his former 5K best. Vial clocked his 3200 meter best of 9:24, which is superior to Wacker's best this spring of 9:26 at Sports Backers Stadium a month ago in the Southern Track Classic two mile race.
Even if this race did not have the quality and quantity of runners it has for this year's MileStat.com Elite Track Gala, the boys' steeplechase would still be the most anticipated boys' distance race on the track. It gives the same thrill for track fans as do crashes for Nascar fans and fights for hockey fans. Everyone wants to see the fall in the water pit. However, the top participants in the steeplechase at the Gala have over plans including qualifying for some future races in the steeplechase at Nike Outdoor Nationals (6:14) and US Junior Nationals (6:25).
The times are well within reach for a talented group of distance athletes leading the event with two sub 4:20 milers and two state champions in the race. Jamestown senior Andrew Mearns has the most experience in the event since competing in the event in his younger days in AAU summer track and has improved greatly in the other distance events as a senior including a personal best 1600 meter time of 4:15 recorded at Sports Backers Stadium in the Southern Track mile race. However, Mearns experience was overtaken last year at the Gala on the last barrier in an exciting finish by Clarke County's Daniel Callan, who beat Mearns (6:29.56) by two seconds in last year's race in 6:27.66. Callan returns for the Gala steeple with some improved credentials including a great double at the Virginia 1A State Championships last Saturday in Radford with a second place finish in the 1600 meter run in 4:24 and personal best time of 1:56 to win the 800 meter state title. Callan will be joined in the race by another top Group A distance runner in Nathan Brame as the Radford junior looks to convert the success he has found in cross country with a state championship this past fall and in the 1600 meter run with his second consecutive state last weekend into a strong steeplechaser. Brame has a personal best of 4:22 in the 1600 meter run, which is third fastest among the steeple entrants behind Mearns and Rockbridge County senior John Crews.
Crews is the sleeper in this field and one to place a careful eye on in the race. He has had to live in the shadows of his older brother John Crews, who bursted onto the state scene as an underclassmen as one of the state's best distance runners and now currently runners for NC State. Meanwhile, Scott Crews has been late bloomer unlike his brother as he only had a personal best of 4:32 for 1600 meters last year as a junior. However, he has been able to drop his times down considerably this year in his final year of high school including a 4:19.37 1600 meter personal best at the Valley District Championships. Crews finished fourth in the 2A state 1600 meter race last weekend in a close race for second behind Turner Ashby's Ott and Jamestown's Mearns in 4:21.74.
The steeple is one event that has grown greatly from last year's event as the list of skeptics of the Gala continue to dwindle as everyone received a medal in last year's race with five finishers, but this year will be a dogfight for the top six positions with a total of 23 entrants.
Boys Hurdles:
Much like the 1500 meter run, 5000 meter run, and steeplechase prepare many of the high school distance runners for what it will be like at the college event in the races which are more commonly run at the next level, the 400 meter hurdles at the Gala gives the current high school 300 meter hurdles a chance to test themselves in one of the toughest races on the track. Highland Springs senior Adams Abdulrazaaq (pictured left by John Herzog), two-time Virginia 3A state champion in the short hurdle races with a 55 meter hurdle title and 110 meter hurdle title from last weekend in Newport News under his belt, is anxious to see what he can do in the 400 meter hurdle event as it is likely an event he will specialize in at the University of Virginia next year and possibly earn him future tickets to NCAA National Championship competitions. Abdulrazaaq leads a total of eight entrants under 40 seconds in the 300 meter hurdles this season with his best time of 37.79, which he clocked at the Southern Track Classic. After tripping on his second hurdle last weekend in the 300 meter hurdles state finals and end his hopes of a hurdles sweep at the AAA State Championships, Abdulrazaaq will be eager to redeem himself.
A win in the 110 meter hurdles earlier will not come easy for Abdulrazaaq when facing Western Branch sophomore Kevin Newsome. Newsome and Lakeland's Predist Walker pushed Abdulrazaaq to the line in last Saturday's 110 meter hurdles state finals as it took a late surge from Abdulrazaaq to claim the state title. Abdulrazaaq recorded his state leading time of 14.04 at Sports Backers Stadium in the Southern Track Classic, while Newsome has ran his two fastest times this spring with 1/8 inch spikes at Todd Stadium with his best of 14.24 at the Eastern Region Meet. Newsome will look to challenge for the win and push closer to 14 seconds flat with the opportunity to compete in 1/4 inch spikes at Sports Backers on Saturday.
Boys Field Events:
Nearly all of the state's bests and leaders in the field events will be answering the roll call on Saturday starting at 2 PM with the boys' high jump and 3 PM with the other field events begining and others following once their female counterparts have completed their events. A total of seven state champions from last weekend will be competing in the boys' field events at the Gala.
The boys' jumps are simply loaded. The high jump will have Tony Brown of Brunswick, the 2A state champion in the event and the only athlete in Virginia this spring to have cleared 6'10" in the event. He will need another 6'10" performance at the Gala though with Hickory senior Kevin Nichols posing as a formidable challenger. Earlier misses prevented Nichols from winning the 3A state title over Chris Copeland of Lakeland, but his clearance of 6'8" is noteworthy considering Brown cleared 6'7" last weekend for his AA state title.
The long jump has the potential to produce three 24 footers as Nike Indoor Nationals runner-up Rashaad Cannon of Highland Springs and Cedric Hudson of Mountain View have already achieved the mark this spring, but Wesley Smith of Oscar Smith got the better of both of them as well as the rest of Group AAA last weekend to win his first state tile in the long jump with a mark of 23'8.50". Smith has a best mark of 23'11" this spring at the Eastern Region Meet and will look to produce his first jump over 24 feet with the likes of Cannon, Hudson, and others in the field pressing to get revenge on the AAA state champion.
The triple jump should also produce some big marks with the field assembled including two performers over 48 feet in two-time Virginia 3A state outdoor champion Antonio Miller of Manchester and state runner-up to Miller last weekend in Mountain View junior Olu Olamigoke at 48'2.50". Olamigoke put out his best mark in his opening jump last weekend at Todd Stadium, while it took a clutch final jump from Miller at 48'4.50" to defend his title. Miller's best as well as state leading mark of 48'8.50" came at Sports Backers Stadium for the Central Region Meet.
There is some talent lurking behind both Miller and Olamigoke that could move ahead both and pull off a somewhat surprising win at the Gala. Western Branch sophomore Kelvin Griffin needs this meet to shake off what was a frustrating state meet for himself and his team as he scored no points in all three jumping events that he competed in, which was unexpected. Griffin is right off popping a mark of 48 feet with a 47'10.75" best to date. Also in the triple jump field is Virginia 3A state indoor champion Marcus Robinson of J.R. Tucker, who has struggled to find the same success this spring as he found indoors in the state championships at George Mason, but will look to redeem himself with a win against the state's best.
.JPG)
An unfortunate, but understand scratch by Liberty's Erik Kuster as the Virginia 2A state discus champion and meet record holder (179'0") wanted to skip his own high school graduation to come compete in throws at the Gala, but he had to honor his parents' wishes to walk with his classmates at the graduation ceremony. Now that is a true track and field athlete. However, the throws should be one of the best events in the meet even without Kuster as nearly all the state's best will be going head-to-head.
Kuster would have been one of three discus throwers over 170 feet as now it is down to two with Louisa County's Todd Shelton at 175'2" and Denbigh's Jaymes Brooks at 172'8". Neither could be too pleased with their state meet performances as Shelton was over 10 feet off his best at 164'2" as a 2A state runner-up to Kuster, while Brooks ended up second to his teammate Terrence Riggins with a mark of 155'3". Riggins will be competing alongside his teammate once again at the Gala and cannot be overlooked considering his state title last weekend against AAA's best.
The shot put will be a deep competition with 11 throwers over 50 feet led by Nike Indoor All-American as well as AAA state indoor and outdoor champion Frede Spellman (pictured right by John Herzog). Spellman has been the man to beat in the event all year long and has withstood the challenges with only a lone loss at the Southern Track Classic to Liberty's Kuster. Spellman threw for a season best of 57'7" in his AAA state title last weekend, but Kuster moved him as the state leader by half an inch in his AA state title mark of 57'7.50". The Oscrar Smith junior Spellman would like to reclaim his spot on the state leaderboard on Saturday and certainly has it in him with two marks over 60 feet from the indoor season. The competition behind will certainly challenge him to a strong mark with the likes of familar Eastern Region foes in Jaymes Brooks of Denbigh (56'4.50") and Darien Kearney of Western Branch (56'3"). Colonial Forge senior Josh Capriani will be a strong contestant in both throwing events out of the Northwest Region with season best marks of 55'5" in the shot put and 162'9" in the discus. Last year's Gala, one of the more surprising performances came in the boys' discus throw when Mills Godwin's Chad Lawson launched a personal best mark of 15 feet exactly in a 176'10" win.