We are now under two weeks away from the biggest meet of the year and potentially in the history of regular season track and field. The VA Showcase on Liberty University's brand new 200m hydraulically banking track is not only drawing the best talent from around the nation but is also drawing Jamaicans! For the first time in U.S. prep history a Jamaican high school will field an indoor relay team... and that history is taking place in two weeks.
Press Release on St. Jago Attending VA Showcase
This school, St. Jago, owns school records that are faster than US National Records. Their girls will be running the 4x200 and posted an impressive 1:36.72 outdoors last year. They also went 45.24 and 46.40 with their Class 1 and Class 2 teams the previous season as well in the 4x100... yes, that is a 46.40 for all underclassmen.
So we know St. Jago, and really any Jamaican team, will bring the heat but they are not the only team in this race. Also slated to compete in this race and more specifically the top section of this race is current US #1 Western Branch, The Bullis School, and Grassfield. All three of these American teams are 1:37.5 or better teams.
To put this speed into perspective, a time like that would rank US #1 for the entire season nine out of the past 10 seasons. It should also be noted that three teams have never achieved a sub 1:38 mark in a single season and this could happen in a single race.
The first priority in this race will be the win, focusing on the win means you will have a very fast time, but the time is also important. The time everyone is chasing is 1:35.86 which is Long Beach Poly's 2003 national and World Youth record. That time is an average of 23.96 and is in no small part thanks to the Solomon girls throwing down some near 23.00 splits indoors.
That being said... let's take a deeper look into the stats behind this and figure out who will take home this title.