NSAF On-Site at 120th Penn Relays: Prep Girls Preview

by Steve Underwood

 

RELAYS

4x100

Long Beach Poly, CA won this event in 2011 and 2012, on the strength of anchors from Akawkaw Ndipagbor and Ariana Washington, then took 3rd in 2013.  They’re strong again this year at 45.66 – even as Washington continues to rise to top form following an injury – but the form shown by the top Jamaican teams this spring makes even a top-3 finish seem daunting.

Edwin Allen (2nd here in 2013) has been stunning, with a 43.95 best that most college teams would envy and is more than a half-second better than Poly’s HSR from 2004.  The 43.95 came at the UTech meet two weeks ago after the quartet won the Jamaican ISSA/Grace Kennedy HS Champs (the "Champs") 17-18s in 44.17.  Christiana Williams, the Champs’ 100 victor with an 11.19(-0.6w), is their top gun and the 44.32 meet record by Vere Tech from 2004 could be in deep trouble.  Penn Relays defending champ Holmwood Tech was DQ’d at the Champs, but ran 44.89 at the UTech meet, where St. Jago also ran 45.43.  Then there’s rising power Hydel, which hit 45.33 to win the 13-14 girls (!) at the Champs.

Could any other U.S. teams make the final?  This is perhaps the toughest relay for East Coast schools, most of which haven’t had major 4x100 races yet (as opposed to the 4x4 and 4x8, which are indoor events, of course).  Schools that ran particularly strong 4x200s indoors, and are entered here, include NBNI champ New Rochelle NY at 1:38.41, Columbia NJ at 1:38.99 and Cheltenham PA at 1:39.00.  Bullis MD has the fastest 4x100 among entered U.S. schools, after Poly, with a 47.35.

4x400

The last U.S. team that was really able to challenge and win here was Eleanor Roosevelt MD, which went back-to-back in 2007-2008.  More recently, top American squads haven’t been at that sub-3:40 level and Jamaica has produced at least a couple each year.  In 2013, Vere Tech led a 1-2-3 sweep with its 3:36.72, while Columbia NJ was the top U.S. team in 4th at 3:42.49.  The pattern is likely to continue in 2014.

As is the case in the 4x100, Edwin Allen has a 2014 best – 3:34.16 – that surpasses the meet record.  They weren’t quite as fast in the Champs, but still prevailed in 3:35.70.  Vere Tech was 2nd there with 3:37.42 and St. Jago was 3rd – but has a seasonal best of 3:36.89 from the UTech meet.  With Holmwood running 3:38.40 at UTech as well, that’s four Jamaican squads that are more than three seconds faster than any U.S. team has clocked. 

Long Beach Poly CA, as they are in the 4x100, is that top U.S. entry at 3:42.84.  Columbia NJ again has a team that can probably run in the low 3:40s, having hit an indoor best of 3:46.42.  Milford Mill MD at 3:48.62, Western Branch VA at 3:49.92, Woodbridge VA at 3:50.11, St. Mary’s CA 3:50.15 and Piedmont Hills CA 3:50.87 are other top American quartets, with several others in the low 3:50s and primed for a breakout – with hopes of at least making the final.

4x800

One of the great moments for U.S. prep fans in the 2013 Penn Relays came when Olivia Baker anchored an come-from-behind 4x8 win over 2-time defending champ Edwin Allen of Jamaica, 8:56.37 to 8:56.86.  Can they possibly do it again?  They still have Baker and at least a contending quartet at that distance, having a 9:05.40 best indoors.  Edwin Allen, with the possibility of a relay sweep, comes in with 8:52.81 creds and a 2:06 anchor in Marleena EubanksHolmwood Tech is another powerhouse from Jamaica, with an 8:53.65 this year. 

The top contender to net an American win, however, could be Freehold Township NJ, which captured NBNI with 9:00.62 and is on the rise after taking 3rd here last year in 9:06.12.  They don’t have a really fast star on the anchor, but have great consistency through four legs.  Several other schools are in the 9:05-9:15 range and could not only make the final, but contend.

DMR

There’s no question that when you think of the girls’ distance medley relay, you have to think first of West Springfield VA, which is in the second half of a two-year run that has netted them the 2013 NBNO and 2014 NBNI titles.  They’re hard to beat with senior anchor Caroline Alcorta, the Millrose Mile winner who is always capable of dropping a mid-to-low 4:40s leg to wrap things up.  While there may not be a “super” sub-11:40 group in the field this year, as has been in the recent past, West Springfield can run at least 11:45 on almost any day and that will be tough to beat.

There are at least two other familiar schools which can contend, though, including Haddonfield Memorial NJ and their freshman anchor Briana Gess.  While she’s on the opposite end of the spectrum from Alcorta in terms of experience, Gess has a lot of raw talent and growing racing chops.  After they closed hard on West Springfield for 2nd at NBNI, it will be interesting to see what they can do here.  You also can’t forget about defending champ Benjamin Cardozo NY, which graduated anchor Sabrina Southerland, but still has Denise Branch and at least low-11:50s potential.

DISTANCES/HURDLES

Mile

In previewing the girls’ mile, it definitely makes sense to start with Kennedy Weisner and Amelia Paladino.  Not only are they the top two returnees from the 2013 Penn Relays mile, where they were 3rd (4:52.76) and 4th (4:56.57), respectively, but both have continued to build their resumes to justify their favorites’ roles a year later.  Weisner (Elk County Catholic, PA senior) had some ups and downs during the rest of 2013 outdoor and XC, but roared back this winter to take 2nd at Millrose and 3rd at NBNI with new PRs of 4:48.16 and 4:45.20.  Paladino (University, WV senior) has been perhaps even more sensational, taking 11th at Foot Locker Finals in the fall and improving dramatically indoors to eventually run 4:43.84 for 2nd at NBNI.  Both have raced lightly since NBNI.

Speaking of NBNI, the Penn field looks an awful lot like what we saw in New York last month, especially as we go deeper.  The 6th-12th finishers in the NBNI mile make up most of the remaining contenders here.  These four stand out:

  • Macey Schweikert (Robinson, VA senior) was 6th overall at NBNI at 4:50.45 (2nd in 1st section) and was also 9th here last year.  She has enough speed to have run 2:49.63 for 1k and 1:19.20 for 500 indoors.
  • Malia Ellington (Davidson, NC junior) was 7th at NBNI at 4:50.58 (5th in 2nd section) and is running her first Penn mile (12th in 3k last year).  She’s had a busy month, winning the Youth Olympic Trials 1,500 at 4:36.56 and taking 3rd in the Arcadia mile at 4:52.44.
  • Mady Clahane (Cumberland Valley, PA soph) was “just” 10th at NBNI in 4:56.22 (7th in 2nd section), but had previously smoked a big PR 4:49.17 for 4th at Millrose.  This is her 1st Penn mile.
  • Ellie Gonzalez (Catholic HS, MD senior) was 8th at NBNI with 4:53.76 after a 12th in the NXN XC Finals last December.  She’s a consistent low-4:50s runner.

With everyone else in the field having run at least 4:56 – and with four other Penn returnees like Marissa Sheva (6th), Marin Warner (7th), Tiana Guevara (8th) and Kelly Hayes (16th) coming back – almost anyone has a chance to win, especially if the pace is slow at all.

3000m

With the reported withdrawal Tuesday of NBNI 5k/2M double champion Tessa Barrett, the favorite’s role will switch to Connecticut rivals Hannah Debalsi and Claire Howlett.  PennTrackXC (pa.milesplit.com) posted on its site that Barrett, an Abington Heights, PA senior who smashed the 5k national record at NBNI and won the 2M as well (after a Foot Locker Finals title in the fall), would not run in the Penn 3k in order to spend time with her seriously ill father. 

Debalsi (Staples, CT soph) was 2nd behind Barrett at Foot Locker Finals and had a nation-leading 10:12.95 2-mile going into NBNI last month.  She led most of that race, but a late charge by Barrett and a disastrous fall in the final lap left her in 4th place.  The key for her will be a hard pace that withers the kicks of other contenders.  Howlett (Westhill, CT senior), who’s had her share of wins over Debalsi at various distances, was 3rd in the NBNI 5k after placing 5th over the same distance at NBNO last June.  Neither ran this race last year.

The deep field of more than 20 has plenty of other contenders, at least to get in the top 3-5.  Although she hasn’t been quite as strong since, 2012 runner-up Hannah Christen (Lake Braddock, VA senior) is in the field; she was 11th last year.  Gianna Frontera (Newburgh NY senior) was 5th last year with 9:45.49 – which has remained her PR.  Two from North Carolina who should make an impact are Kayla Montgomery (Mt. Tabor, senior), who was 8th in the NBNI 5k and has a 10:32.21 3,200 best, and Mary Grace Doggett (Cardinal Gibbons, senior) – 4th at the NBNI 5k and with a 10:35.39 3,200 PR. 

Two other New Yorkers, Katie Lembo and Bella Burda, will be in the mix, too.  Lembo (Penfield, senior) was 9th last year (9:49.39), ran a best of 9:41.67, and has hit 9:52.56 so far this year.  Burda (Arlington, NY junior) was just 15th last year, but has a 9:33.90 best going back to winter of 2013 and ran 9:52.47 this winter.  Also returning from 8th the past two years (9:48.39 in 2013) is Regan Rome (Dallas, PA).

400H

With no real top returnees, this could be a wide-open race.  Just one athlete has a sub-59 to their credit in this field, and that’s Jamaican Andrenette Knight (Vere Tech), who was just 3rd at the Champs, but had reportedly run 58.59 a few weeks earlier.  Rival Shantae Green of Holmwood Tech reportedly fell at the 8th hurdle of the Champs after a heat time of 59.68, so she has to be in the mix, as well.

From New Jersey will come a few strong contenders in Torie Robinson (Winslow Twp, senior) and Morgan Harvey (North Hunterdon, senior) – the national #2-3 returnees in the event.  Neither has contested it this year, but Robinson was the NJ MOC winner at 59.56 and also the AAU JO runner-up.  She focused mostly on short stuff this winter, hitting 6.95 and 7.53 for 55 and 60 dashes, and 8.17 for 55H.  Harvey hit 1:01.74 two weeks ago after a 59.63 runner-up finish to Robinson at that MOC.  She was also 2nd at NBNO with 59.95.

And while they aren’t listed (seeded) as high, it would be silly to overlook the Long Beach Poly, CA tandem of Kymber Payne and Ebony Crear.  Payne was 8th here last year at 1:02.70, but went on to run US#3 41.32 for 300H.  She’s at 42.41 so far in 2014.  Crear just hit a big PR 41.46 while taking 2nd at Mt. SAC last weekend.  Also watch for Emma Gallagher (Garden City, NY junior), a versatile long sprinter/mid-distance runner with hurdle skills to the tune of 59.93 – though she’s been inconsistent.  She tuned up for Penn with a 1:02.05 to win the NY Relays last weekend.

JUMPS

Triple Jump

Trying to remember when NSAF Project Triple Jump athlete Keturah Orji (Mt. Olive, NJ senior) has been beaten in her specialty is no easy task.  That’s because it’s almost never happened.  Orji really embraced the event early in her sophomore year, then she started winning and no one in Jersey could beat her.  It wasn’t until the 2012 NBNO that she lost (3rd).  As a junior last year, Orji had four wins indoors, culminating with her first NBNI title, but then she came to Penn and suffered a bit of an upset.  Anna Williams, an Edison, VA senior who was 3rd to Orji at NBNI, had the jump of her prep career with a 41-1.5 – with Orji four inches behind in 2nd.

Well, several weeks later, Orji joined the 42-foot club (to be followed by 43 and 44) and no U.S. prep has been close since.  Now, about six weeks after her 2nd NBNI win and early in her outdoor campaign, she will tackle a meet that probably has to qualify as “unfinished business.”  In fact, not only was Orji beaten in the TJ last year, but she struggled to 16th in the 2012 Penn long jump – more than a foot and a half off her best.  No question she would love to add a gold watch to a list of honors that of course also includes two medals at last summer’s World Youth champs.  Within reach is the meet record of 43-10 by Jamaica’s Kimberly Williams (Vere Tech) from 2007.

Orji’s toughest competition will probably come from Jamaica’s Shardia Lawrence (Hydel).  She was the 2012 champ here (40-8.25), then 4th last year (just a half-inch behind Orji), and has a 42-7.5 PR overall.  She leapt 42-4.75 this year in taking 2nd in the Champs.  Behind those two is Taryn Rolle of the Bahamas and NSAF Caribbean Scholastic Invitational (CSI) 2013 alum Javonne Antoine (Elizabeth Seton, MD senior).  Rolle was 4th at CARIFTA this past weekend with a legal 41-6.  Antoine was 7th here last year, 4th last month at NBNI and is fresh off a US#4 40-10 PR at Taco Bell two weeks ago. 

Long Jump

Jamaica is in a good position for a 1-2 finish with the return of last year’s 2nd- and 3rd-place finishers in Claudette Allen (Edwin Allen) and Annastacia Forrester (Manchester).  Allen bounded 19-10.25 and Forrester 19-9.75 in their finishes behind then-South County, VA senior Felecia Majors.  Both have gotten better and crushed it at the Champs last month.  Allen hit a massive 21-2 in 17-18s, while Forrester flew out to a legal 20-8 in taking the 15-16s (both legal).  Allen is also coming off a 2nd-place finish at CARIFTA with 20-8.5w.  These two will be exceedingly tough to beat.

The challengers include the Western Branch, VA pair of Milan Parks and Jewel Smith, plus New Jersey’s Kayla Richardson and Cidae’a Woods.  Parks was 6th here last year, then reached 19-6.75 this past winter, and later won the state 6A title.  The junior was just 16th at NBNI, however.  Her teammate Smith was 2nd at state and a 19-4 leaper, then was 10th at NBNI at 18-10.5.

High Jump

Cyre Virgo (Fleetwood, PA junior) will hope for a return to form if she is to defend her 2013 title here.  As a soph in 2013, Virgo exploded on the national scene with 5-9 and 5-10 clearances during her indoor campaign, leading to a upset victory at NBNI with 5-11.25.  After winning Penn with 5-8.75, she hit 6-1 outdoors and the state 3A title with another 5-11.25.  But this year has been different after getting a late start due to basketball and she has a best of just 5-8.5 so far (2nd NBNI).

There’s at least two Jamaicans talented enough to wrest the title away from Virgo.  Krista-Gay Taylor (Convent of Mercy) was 2nd at the Champs (17-18s) with a 5-10 after taking 5th here in 2013 at 5-7.25.  Shanae McKenzie (Manchester) took the same spot at the Champs in the 15-16s, clearing 5-8.75.  Meanwhile, another Pennsylvanian is in the mix with Megan McCloskey (Germantown, senior) returning after tying for 3rd last year (also 5-7.25).  She tied for 3rd at NBNI last month with the same height as Virgo and has been consistent at 5-8 or 5-9 since she was a frosh.  Taylor, McCloskey also tied for 8th in the 2012 Penn Relays, with Virgo taking 14th.

Pole Vault

The last time we saw Olivia Gruver (Franklin, MD junior) was probably one of the more painful experiences of her young career, but if she can uphold her favorite’s status here, it might go a long way toward erasing that memory.  Three weeks ago, Gruver no-heighted in a Youth Olympic Trials vault that was marred by ... some unusual logistical conditions that threw the relatively inexperienced elite off her game.  This, in turn, came just two weeks after the utter highlight of Gruver’s vaulting life – a big PR 13-4.5 that earned her 3rd at NBNI.  While she had taken up the sport in 2012, she didn’t join the 12-foot club until mid-January of this year.  An NBNI-type performance this weekend could dominate the field.

There are three others who have cleared 12-8 or better who could challenge.  Hannah Meador (Fluvanna County, senior) went 12-6 this winter, but has a career best of 12-8.5 from two years ago and has placed 3rd here at Penn each of the past two years.  Jacqueline Meeks (First Colonial, VA senior) had a disappointing no-height herself – at NBNI – but was 6A indoor state champ and had a best of 12-9.  Jackie McNulty (Oakdale, MD junior) won Virginia Tech indoor with 12-8, was 9th at NBNI, then went 12-9 outdoors two weeks ago.  She was 9th here last year.

THROWS

Javelin

The NSAF’s Kultan Keihas Project Javelin will again have a presence in a major meet as Chrissy Glasmann (Park City, UT junior) leads entries in her specialty.  Glasmann had a smashing PR and Utah state record in March with a 160-6 throw that is US#2.  She then took 7th in the Youth Olympic Trials javelin, but is looking to return to form this weekend.  Her sister Megan, now a Kultan Keihas alum, was 6th here in 2012 before going on to an amazing 2013 that included a Pan Am Juniors title and the US#2 all-time performance.

When South Africa decided not to send their corps to the high school events this week, that took out of the girls’ javelin 179-4 performer Megan Wilke – the world’s #5 Junior performer this young season, who would rank #2 all-time among U.S. preps herself.  There were two others who could have finished in the top five as well.

Shot Put

A fairly balanced mix of girls from five states, plus Jamaica, should battle for the crown – but Courtney McCartney (Selinsgrove Area, PA) deserves favorite’s status.  She’s the top returnee from 2013 Penn with her 45-3 in second.  She took awhile to get back to the 45s indoors (state meet), then was 7th at NBNI – the highest finish among entries.  But the big news for McCartney was a PR 47-2.5 outdoors last weekend that cements her as the girl to beat.

Galissa Cause (Battlefield, VA senior) has the next best PR at 46-7.25, from winning the VA indoor Meet of Champs.  She was 7th here last year and 12th at NBNI last month.  Two from Jamaica to watch are Kiona Bradshaw (Vere Tech), who was 12th last year but 2nd at the Champs with 43-4, and Isheka Binns (Manchester) – 4th last year at 43-8.5 and trying to regain that form.  Other 43-footers who could contend include Cheyenne Bellerand (Emerson, NJ senor), Claudia Ababio (Clarksburg, MD senior) and Tara Belinsky (Manhasset, NY senor).

Discus

Jamaica has risen up in recent years to dominate this event, winning the past four titles and – despite last year’s 1-2 punch having graduated – will be favored to make it five in a row.  They have three throwers between 148 and 158 feet, including Shadae Lawrence (Hydel) and Edwin Allen stars Rochelle Frazer and Tasha Crosse.  At the Champs, they went 1-2-3 at 157-8, 155-10 and 148-0.  Frazer, however, won CARIFTA last weekend.

The top U.S. contender to break up the sweep could be Carter Green (North Schuykill, PA senior) – if she can return to 2013 form.  In her district meet last May, she hit 152-7, but she’s typically in the 130s.

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