The number of Virginians headed down to South Carolina this weekend on their spring break to compete at the Taco Bell Classic is a positive sign for the sport within the state. Instead of taking a family vacation to the beach or out of the country, these athletes and teams are out seeking the best competition in the Southeast region on their spring breaks from school. Such sacrifices are needed to be made to break records and attain greatness. Many of these athletes already are great, but none are looking to settle for where they are at.
Girls Hurdles
Nearly all of Virginia's best hurdlers will be racing at Spring Valley High School in Columbia. Tierra Brown of Hampton leads this group as she is the top seed in the 100 meter hurdles and finds herself in a loaded 400 meter hurdles top section with many of the nation's best. Brown is a two-time 300 meter state champion and will be facing off with a familar rival in fellow Peninsula District hurdler Nicole Saunders of Menchville. Saunders was the Nike Outdoor Nationals runner-up in the 400 meter hurdles and finished one spot off qualifying for World Juniors in the event at US Junior Nationals in 58.88 best. Brown has yet to break 60 seconds in the event as she was an All-American at NON last spring in a 1:00.45 best, but has the confidence going into this weekend after winning the 55 meter hurdles state championship in indoors.
However, junior Ryann Krais of Methacton High School in Pennsylvania could steal the win from both Saunders and Brown as she was third behind Saunders at NON last June in 59.64. However, the two-time Nike Indoor Nationals pentathlon champion Krais came up short in defeating Saunders three last spring as Saunders also defeated her at Penn Relays and US Junior Nationals last spring.
One of the best young talents in both girls hurdle races will be South Carolina's Jessica Stowers of Pendleton High School. Stowers has run times of 13.82 in the 100 meter hurdles and 1:02.38 in the 400 meter hurdles. Both of those times came last year as an eighth grader. Stowers might be Brown's biggest threat in the 100 meter hurdles as she Stowers has a victory over Brown this year from indoors. Stowers set a national freshmen record in the 60 meter hurdles (8.50) at Nike Indoor Nationals with a third place finish in the finals as Brown was an All-American as well in fifth place (8.59). Brown has the top personal best coming in though in the 100 meter hurdles at 13.70.
Two other of Virginia's top hurdlers find themselves on the outside looking in as the competition will be that tough this weekend at Taco Bell with Menchville senior Kali Watkins and Lee-Davis senior Rachel Butler. Watkins looks to have a better shot of breaking in the 100 meter hurdles, while Butler might be stronger in the 400 meter hurdles. Watkins was a state runner-up to Brown last year in the 100 meter hurdles and this year in the 55 meter hurdles. Butler has a best of 43.41 in the 300 meter hurdles.
Boys Hurdles
The competition that the Virginian boys hurdlers have to face is no easier with the likes of Johnny Dutch out of Clayton High. Dutch, one of the nation's top hurdlers, will be favored heavily to win the 110 meter hurdles. Dutch was the 2006 Nike Outdoor Nationals champion in the event as he posted a personal best of 13.54 in the national champioship win last June.
There should be a race within a race with Virginia's top three hurdlers in Group AAA 55 meter hurdles state champion Adams Abuldrazaaq of Highland Springs, Group AA 55 meter hurdles state champion Ethan Nixon of Brookville, and 110 meter hurdles state leader Aramis Massenburg of Matoaca. Massenburg had everyone's number throughout much of the indoor season as the state leader in the 55 meter hurdles, but struggled at the AAA State Meet to allow for a surprise winner in Adams Abulrazaaq. However, Massenburg bounced quickly back this spring with a win over the Highland Springs senior at the All-American Track Classic in the 110 meter hurdles. Nixon, a junior, will be trying to hold his own against the two Central Region seniors as well as national caliber competition such as Dutch.
Only Massenburg will be coming back in the 400 meter hurdles, while Abdulrazaaq and Nixon will be competing in other events. Abdulrazaaq will have two more running events on his plate in the 400 and 200 meter dash, while Nixon is featured in the high jump competition.
Boys Sprints
The 200 meter dash looks to be forfeited to what should be an epic battle between National Scholastic Indoor Championships 200 meter winner Trenton Guy Jr of West Charlotte and Justin Christian from Morrow High School in Florida. Morrow will be looking to take both the 100 and 200 meter dash as the top seed in both.
However, the 400 meter dash shows lots of potential for a possible Virginia winner with the top two seeds in Bethel junior Sherrard Marrow and Deep Creek sophomore Curtis Campbell. Campbell is one of the top underclassmen sprinters in the state as shown with a sub 1:05 500 meter run indoors to finish as a state runner-up in the event. Marrow as a sophomore broke 50 seconds for Bethel at 49.94 and looks to drop a big personal best to start off his junior year. Abdulrazaaq actually has the fastest all-time best among all the Virginian entrants at 49.17 from last spring.
Girls Relays
The Eastern Region girls will go to battle in the 4x200 and 4x400 meter relays. Menchville, Deep Creek, and Bethel bring in 4x400 teams that can go well under 4 minutes, while the Bethel and Deep Creek girls are two of the top three seeds in the 4x100 meter relay. Therrell High School of Georgia is the top seed in both races though as the team from Atlanta is very legit as they ran a 46.96 4x100 and 3:51.73 4x400 in the same meet on March 24th.
Boys Relays
Miller Grove of Georgia's Baron Brown has the top time this spring and with eight entrants under 49 seconds, the race should be fairly wild open. Miller Grove has the top seeded relays in the 4x100 and 4x400. The Georgia team has already ran well under 3:20 this season in the 4x400 with a 3:16.11 best.
Deep Creek and Bethel should be in contention for the win in both relays as the Deep Creek boys rolled out a swift 4x200 meter relay time at the Conn-Madden Relays in 1:27.57 earlier in the year, while the Bethel boys won national titles in the 4x200 and 4x400 at Nike Indoor Nationals.
Girls Distance
Group A state cross country champion Mariah Hagadone of Buffalo Gap is the top Virginian girl in the distance events as she will be doubling with the 3200 on Friday night and mile on Saturday. Hagadone, also a defending state champion for 800 meters, will be making a rare 3200 meter appearance. She will be joined in the mile on Saturday with William Byrd's Alisha Royal, who will be returning to see her old friends as she transferred to William Byrd from South Carolina last summer.
Georgian Jackie Drouin, one of the Southeast's best distance runners is the top seed and favorite in both races.
Boys Distance
Deep Creek's Keonta Coleman, one of the team's top quarter milers will be experimenting with the 800 meter run this weekend, while Daniel Cummings of Bethel is the lone wolf for Virginia in the 1600 and 3200 meter run.
Girls Field Events
All three girls jumping events are headed up top by a Virginian with Shakia Forbes of Bethel in the long jump, Rachel Butler in the triple jump, and Ashley Gatling in the high jump. All three were very consistent during the indoor season and continuation with that pattern this spring into this weekend will lead to a big invite win.
Forbes was the state runner-up in the long jump at the AAA State Indoor Meet and won a national title at NSIC, while finishing as a national runner-up at NIN. Meanwhile, Butler won the state championship in the triple jump and was an All-American in the event at NIN. Gatling was also a national runner-up at Nike Indoor Nationals along with Forbes in the high jump.
Forbes will be facing only one competitor with a best over 19 feet in Ranae Nelson of Harding University in North Carolina, while Forbes has a best of 19'6". Butler is a foot better than her competition at 40'1" and has already gone over 39 feet this season in a home quad meet.
Gatling has a little more reason to be concerned with her competition as there are three 5'8" jumpers seeded right behind her as the top seed at 5'9" including fellow Virginian Mia Aghaji of Matoaca.
Boys Field Events
Highland Springs senior Rashaad Cannon is likely the only Virginian that has a shot of winning out of the field events as the Nike Indoor Nationals runner-up in the long jump is the top seed in the event with his best mark of 23'9", but he will be joined by two Georgians over 23 feet in Anthony Taylor of Westside High and Stephen Hill of Miller Grove. Cannon was originally slated to compete at Arcadia last weekend, but ended up visiting colleges instead. Highland Springs may end up with two event winners at Taco Bell as Abdulrazaaq has a good shot at first in the 400 meter dash.
The Lee-Davis duo of Cody Mohn and Adam Taylor look to break into the top six for both the shot put and discus along with Deep Creek's Chad Lucas.
Both only sophomores, Matthew Armentrout of Deep Run and Andrew Epperson of Brookville will gain valuable experience in Columbia as the pole vault competition will be stiff as they find themselves seeded at the bottom end of 20 competitor field with their 13'6" bests.