Reason #6: Six is the number of races Lauryn Ghee ran in for 6A States both indoors and outdoors. It is also the number of races that she won. She pulled off a nearly impossible double-triple crown last year and this year she will be chasing much more than state titles. That was evident outdoors when she blasted a 22.97 at outdoor nationals to break her second state record on the year. It is obvious Grassfield will field a 4x200 considering they are US #1 but the question will remain for another couple weeks whether she will double with a 300 or 500 considering she is one of the best in the entire nation in both events.
Reason #7: Seven is a lucky number. It is so lucky that Titiana Marsh has collected that many state titles through just her sophomore year. She is a junior now and has not dropped a state jumping title since her freshman indoor season and considering she already opened up strong in both events it looks like that trend will continue. There is something different though this year and it is that she will finally face off with some really tough competition in both the long and triple jumps with both events boasting stacked competition fields for this meet. It will take over 43' and 21' to safely secure a title this January.
Reason #8: Stanford Commit and Chantilly senior, Brandon McGorty will be chasing history at this meet. Though relay plans are still under wraps and likely up for decision, it is clear he will be running an 800. That of course means you can at least expect a very fast time from the US #2 returner. He isn't putting anything out there except that he wants to run fast and if he is healthy that will certainly be the case.
Reason #9: If you haven't seen the renderings or plans, this track is going to be one of the best in the entire nation. It features a 200m hydraulically banking track, double horizontal runways, double pole vault runways, a 100m warmup track, and a nine lane sprint straight down the middle. This track will be home to many high caliber meets and the VA Showcase is definitely a great meet to truly open this facility up.
Reason #10: The host organization of the New Balance Indoor/Outdoor Nationals and Great American XC Festival are so excited and confident that this meet is going to be legit that they have made this meet an NSAF Select meet! This status is not only a trophy in its own right, it is also the start of a great partnership that is helping grow this meet and the entire sport of T&F.
For info about NSAF or to compete at New Balance Indoor Nationals Click here!