CNU High School Showcase 2008

Photo by John HerzogThe Eastern Region will be coming out in full force for this weekend's CNU Showcase in Newport News. Many of the state's top teams will be testing to see where they are at with less than two months before the indoor state championships in George Mason. Virtually all of the top girls teams will be at the Freeman Center including the  Landstown girls, who had some of the state's fastest sprint relays last winter and spring. Northern Region powerhouse Lake Braddock and defending AAA state indoor champion Midlothian girls will also be bringing their "A" teams into Newport News. Landstown is not the lone great team out of the Eastern Region though as Booker T. Washington, Grassfield, and Western Branch girls will have relays and athletes making noise at CNU. FMileStat.com's Brandon Miles previews Friday's events with a preview article of Saturday's events to be posted on Thursday. MileStat.com will be on-site with Brandon Miles and John Herzog. CNU Showcase Preview - Friday's Events CNU Showcase Performance List   

The fast sections of the girls 1000, boys 300, and girls 4x400 are clearly the featured events on Saturday at CNU. Here are the names why...Girls 1000: Paige Johnston, Tasia Potasinski, Kerry Hartman, Brittany SevachkoBoys 300: Curtis Campbell, Daniel Nix, Keith Ricks, Taylor Sykes Girls 4x400: Landstown, Grassfield, Booker T. Washington, Bethel There will be several meet and high school facility records expected to go down this weekend as there were actually be three current facility record holders in the building back to improve upon their Freeman Center records including Oscar Smith's Frede Spellman in the shot put and the Bethel boys' 4x400 meter relay. 

Westfield senior Tasia Potasinski (pictured left by John Herzog) was rolling last weekend at the CNU Showcase in Newport News. The fastest returning 800 meter runner in the state (2:12.21 PR) anchored her 4x800 meter relay last Friday to a US #1 time of 9:22.90 with a 2:15 anchor leg split. She followed up on day two of events with a near personal best and US #10 time of 2:59.36 in a 1000 meter run as she defeated a strong field including defending state 1000 meter champion Paige Johnston of Midlothian. Potasinski looks to keep the momentum going into this weekend at the Asics Invitational at Liberty University where she will compete against another state champion runner in Laura Rapp (4:55 1600 best) of Heritage in Friday night’s 1600 meter run. The Westfield girls were able to win that elusive first state title in the 4x800 meter relay last June after coming into several previous state meets as one of the top squads in the event. Maybe it is Potasinski’s time to win her first individual state title as well after she broke out onto the scene as a freshman with a 2:15 800 meter win at the Northern Region Outdoor Meet. The country of Poland certainly has been kind to the Virginia high school running community as of late with allowing us to have 2007 Nike Indoor Nationals 800 champ Axel Mostrag compete at Fork Union as well as Potasinski with Polish heritage. Potasinski’s father was born in Poland. MileStat.com’s Brandon Miles caught up with the Westfield middle distance star for an athlete spotlight interview.

Photos taken by John Herzog at the 2008 CNU Showcase held at Christopher Newport University's Freeman Center in Newport News, Virginia on Friday and Saturday, January 11th and 12th.