It should be a very light weekend meets as no major high school indoor invitationals have been scheduled for Saturday in any of Virginia's indoor track & field facilities. Hopefully next year, someone will step up to host an invitational this weekend as this weekend is just as good as any if not better than the past two weekends to host an invitational with high school athletes having one more week of training following their winter break.
January 22, 2010 @ Tolsma Track Center in Lynchburg, VA
Hosted by Amherst County
The closest thing to a major meet this weekend will be Friday night at Liberty University with the Mid Area Track Classic in Lynchburg hosting approximiately 40 schools in the one day meet. Orange County's Ashontae Jackson will be starring in the girls sprints as a top seed in the 55 and 300 meter dash., while the Stevens twins of Blacksburg with US 1000 leader Joanna Stevens and US 3200 leader Kathleen Stevens will be racing without one another in their national leading events.
George Carter of Blacksburg and Yazid Zouamia of Centreville have two of the state's fastest times at the mile and 1600 meter distances, but will be not competing head to head this weeken at Liberty with Carter doubling in the 1600/1000 and Zouamia as the heavy favorite in the 3200 meter run. Heritage junior Daniel McFadden ventures out of Tidewater this weekend and will attempt to drop his current 7.48 state leading time in the 55 meter hurdles even further at the Tolsma Track Center on Friday night.
January 23, 2010 @ St. Christopher's Indoor Track in Richmond, VA
Hosted by Saint Christopher`s
St. Christopher's School almost weekly hosts a mini invitational each week including around 6 schools and this Saturday's meet will be one of its most competitive among the meet series featuring some of the top schools in the Central Region with Deep Run, Lee-Davis, Manchester, and Midlothian competing. Montasia Golden of Lee-Davis could potentially take over the meet individually as the top entrant in the 55 meter dash, 300 meter dash, and triple jump as well as a force to take first place in the 500 meter dash. In the long jump, Golden will face off with another Central Region jump standoutin Nikki Nunn of Manchester, the state leader at a 19'2" season best mark. Also in the field events, two of the state's top shot putters will face off in Deep Run's Thomas Fuson and Lee-Davis' Wes Tuck with both having marks over 50 feet this season.
The girls 1600 meter run should be a featured race on the track with four entrants capable of running under 5:10 in Courtney Dobbs and Madalyn Nuckols of Deep Run, Midlothian freshmen Marie Johnston, and Lee-Davis senior Amanda Lineberry. Juniors Brayden Burleigh of Midlothian and Cody Snyder of Lee-Davis will certainly battle for their share of Central Region titles over the two years, but will not face off on Saturday with Burleigh as the 1000 top seed and Snyder expected to win the 1600 easily without Burleigh to challenge.
Meets Elsewhere in VA:
Other teams are filling the void of a lack of indoor meets this meet by taking it outdoors with polar bear meets being held at Douglas Freeman and Osbourn Park on Saturday. A total of 650 athletes and 13 schools will be competing at Douglas Freeman High School on Saturday, which should produce many district and regional qualifiers as well as potential state qualifiers.
