National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

MEET HOME PAGE | RESULTS PAGE | SCHEDULE | MEET RECORDS
Margot Kelly's AZTrackXC.com coverage

8 great storylines for Chandler

Hurdle queen moves outdoors

Fewer athletes have been on the precipice of a national record longer than was Dior Hall (Denver Science & Tech/George Washington CO senior), who for more than two years had multiple performances within .05 of Jackie Coward’s indoor 60 meter hurdles HSR.  So when Hall crossed the line at New Balance Nationals Indoor last Sunday, and the 8.11 national record result was delivered over the P.A., it was perhaps the most satisfying moment of the meet.  But now, less than a week later, Hall will shift gears and run a major 100 hurdles final outdoors.

How will Hall handle the transition?  Colorado’s late winter hasn’t exactly been ideal for practicing outdoors and the warm weather may be a bit of a shock.  Will her supreme current fitness be the overriding factor and help produce a stellar early-season time?  No one should be expecting a run at a national outdoor record this soon (Candy Young’s ancient 12.95), but Hall has stated that it’s the ultimate goal this spring.  Amazingly, Hall’s outdoor best of 13.18 still dates back to her freshman year of 2011 when she exploded on the scene with that mark at Great Southwest.  However, over the infrequently contested 100H with 30” barriers, Hall took down her own mother’s HSR from 1986 when she won silver at the World Youth Champs last summer.  Hall has been long overdue to hit at least 13.3 or better and this could be the meet.

Hall’s competition will be pretty good, by the way, with at least four others capable of 13.8-14.2 times, led by Californians Jasmyne Graham (Eleanor Roosevelt, junior) and Kymber Payne (Long Beach Poly, senior) with 13.80 PRs from 2013 and demonstrated 2014 fitness.  Payne was 3rd here last year.  The 13.87 meet record set last year by Chandler’s Sherrelle Jordan should be in mortal danger.

Blake wants to go big ... again

It’s hard to believe that you could see a 53-10 in a high school girls shot put competition and then several throws later find that it’s still nearly three feet off the lead (and, eventually, the win).  But that’s what happened last weekend at NBNI as Ashlie Blake (Liberty, NV senior) blasted an eye-popping PR on her first throw.  In 99.9 percent of history’s prep girls’ shot competitions, that would have been good for the win.  But minutes later, the event shot into Twilight Zone territory when Raven Saunders (Burke, SC senior) launched the ball 56-7.5.

Fast forward to this weekend:  Blake returns to the ring, but this time it’s outdoors – in what one would presume is her comfort zone in the desert – and sans Saunders.  She’s the favorite in the girls shot here (as well as the discus) and the stage will be hers.  Fans would do well to keep in mind not only Blake’s monster runner-up performance from last weekend, but also her final throw foul that landed within an inch or so of the 55-foot mark.  Yes, you read that right.  A small foot foul prevented it from being measured, but there was no doubt that Blake was in Michelle Carter territory.  The outdoor record (Carter’s 54-10.5 from 2003) is still up for the taking and it certainly seems clear that Blake is ready.  This could be the performance of the weekend at Chandler.

The meet record, certainly, should go down: 45-6 by Chandler’s great thrower Hannah Carson in 2011.  Watch for Chandler's Ky Westbrook, the World Youth champ sprinter who also throws a mean shot: She hit 42-6 here last year and has a 47-9 PR.

Geberkidane’s returns for outdoor debut

Thanks to Andy Truard, Bernie Montoya and Billy Orman the past few years, Chandler’s rep for fast boys’ distance times has really grown.  Arizona will again bring talent to the three longest boys’ races, but it will be another visitor from Denver who bears the most focus. 

The last (and only) time Cerake Giberkidane (Denver East, senior) came to Arizona was last November, when in his first XC race against competition outside of Colorado, he won the NXN Southwest race.  This was a big deal, as Giberkidane had exploded early in the season in Colorado and put together a stellar state meet campaign, but had never been tested beyond.  He would go on to get 4th at NXN Finals.  Then this winter, he won a low key mile early, then really showed what he could do in the Simplot 3,200, with a meet record 9:01.13.  Here, Geberkidane’s scheduled for both the mile and 3,200 – a tough one-evening double.  It will be interesting to see how he manages the races (if he runs them both), and if he can get either meet record: Truard’s 4:09.71 from last year or Orman’s 9:07.25 from 2011.  Depending on whether he also goes to Arcadia, this could be Geb’s best fast-time/strong competition opportunity.

The top challenger in the mile should come from Nathan Rodriguez (Corona del Sol, AZ senior), the state D1 XC champ who was 3rd in the race in 2013 and later set a 4:12.87 1,600 PR (and has a 4:14.39 so far this year).  In the 3,200, Arizonans Lucky Schreiner (Campo Verde, junior) and Rodriguez’s teammate Ryan Normand (2nd last year) have new PRs of 9:15.58 and 9:17.42, and Rodriguez ran 9:10 himself last year (if he doubles, too).  Matlazomatli Rojas (California HS, CA senior) has also recently run 9:15.58 to emerge a contender.

Westbrook-Washington III will be limited

Chandler senior Ky Westbrook and Long Beach Poly senior Ariana Washington have quite a rivalry.  One could say it starts here and has extended all the way to Donetsk, Ukraine.  Let’s go back to 2012.  Poly and Washington invade Chandler and bang out a blistering meet record 46.04 4x100.  Westbrook and teammate Jasmine Todd go 1-2 on Washington in the 100, but Washington comes back and wins the 200.  In 2013, Westbrook comes back and doubles up Washington in both individual dashes, and anchors the winning 4x1 as well.  At Great Southwest, Washington doubles the dashes while Westbrook struggles to a 5th and a 3rd.  But then at the World Youth Trials, Westbrook comes back to claim both.  At Worlds, it’s a Westbrook-Washington 1-2 finish for gold and silver, Washington gets silver in the 200 (Westbrook didn’t run) and they combine for the medley relay gold.

With both being seniors this spring, a final showdown here would be the bomb, but unfortunately, Washington has been struggling with injury.  She has not raced individually this year and will race only the 4x100.  Westbrook, thus, will be looking to defend her individual crowns without her rival.  But she is looking for a boost, too; at NBNI last weekend, she was 5th in the 60 and did not make the 200 final.  It’s a long season, though, with meets like New Balance Outdoors and the World Juniors being the ultimate goals.

Poly will also reportedly be missing super frosh Kaelin Roberts, who had run a fast early-season 54.63 400 recently.  Still, they will have a strong squad here.  Besides the hurdlers Payne and Ebony Crear, they’ll be favored to defend their girls’ 4x800 title, and have senior Jade Lewis in the 100 and 200, and frosh Autumn Wright and senior Hollie Harris in the 400 (and be part of a still strong 4x4).  And for the boys, senior Vincent Calhoun could take the high jump, and senior Juan Ward could win the 110 hurdles and score high in the 300H, among others.

Lucas goes for the sprint double

You could make a good argument that Paul Lucas (Mountain Pointe, AZ junior) is the best young sprinter in the country.  Last year, as a soph, Lucas had the best legal 200 among 10th-graders at 20.99 and third-best overall among non-seniors.  Only Californian Myles Valentine ran faster among sophs in the 100 as Lucas clocked 10.44.  He was D1 state champ at both the 100 and 200 (and 400), and here last March he won the 100 with a 10.66 into a headwind and was beaten in the 200 by just .01 by Trevon Myles.

Myles isn’t back and Lucas is a favorite in both dashes this time.  He’s off to a good start in 2014, with 21.34 200 and 6.34 55 dash clockings in his only indoor meet and 10.52 and 21.23 marks so far outdoors.  Isak Washington (El Paso Americas, TX senior) should be one of the top contenders in both dashes, with bests of 10.61 and 21.77.  In the 200, also watch for Brandon Singleton (Cherokee Trail, CO senior), who ran 21.59 last year and was 2nd at Simplot.

3-state girls’ mile battle

The best girls’ distance race looks to be the Sally Mayerhoff Mile, where three girls from three states – all acclaimed national-class runners – will battle for the victory.  Danielle Jones (Desert Vista, AZ) has become, arguably, the state’s finest runner and has a strong range from 800 to XC.  She ran a 4:51.17 1,600 last year and is just getting her racing season going.  Sydney Badger (Centennial, NV senior) has been her state’s top runner now for awhile; she hit 4:52.16 for a full mile in winning Mt. SAC last year.  Earlier this week, she ran a 5:01/10:38 double for 16/32, and she’s also top seeded in the 800.

And from Colorado, Katie Rainsberger (Air Academy, soph) also possesses some great range, from a 2:08 800 best to XC proficiency.  Her best 1,600 is 4:53.41 from last year and she figures to be right in the mix, too.  Whoever comes up for the victory, look for the meet record to go down:  It’s 4:56.45 by Julia Foster (Albuquerque Academy, NM) in 2011.

Jackson eyes 25-footer; leading Serra contingent

Long Beach Poly is hardly the only big California program on hand.  Serra Gardena is also in the house and has some of its big guns on hand.  Make sure to check out the boys’ long jump, which features 25-footer Adoree’ Jackson.  Jackson was runner-up in last weekend’s NBNI long jump, with 24-4, and was very close to a 25+ jump where he had a small foul.  Chandler’s Bryce Lamb holds the meet record with 24-9.  Also, last year Serra led the national at 4x400 (3:10.59) and was US#2 at 4x100 (40.49).  While they graduated some of that talent and are not at that level yet, they could sweep those relays. 

Individually, look for Ronny Hall in the 400, where his 47.19 best from last year earns him top billing – though the aforementioned Brandon Singleton (Cherokee Trail, CO, in the 200) is a long sprint threat, too.  Serra also features Jeremy Franklin, a triple threat thrower who is coming off a 5th in the NBNI weight throw and will contend in the shot and discus.  That discus field also includes Ashlie Blake’s teammate at Liberty NY, Reno Tuufuli, who also repped Team USA at World Youth last year.

Project TJ representing

If it seems like everywhere you look the NSAF’s Project Triple Jump is representing, well, it only seems that way.  But the far-flung roster of talent training with the group does get around and Chandler is another major meet where they are featured.  Featured, that is, in the names of El Paso Borges teammates KeAndre Bates and Arielle Mack.  Bates, a World Youth finalist and 51-6 jumper last year, is coming off his runner-up finish at NBNI where he hit 50 feet for the first time this year.  He’s a big fave in his specialty, where Bryce Lamb holds the meet record at 50-0, and is also contesting the LJ and HJ.  Mack had a rough outing in the Emerging Elite TJ last week at NBNI and will be looking to get things smoothed out in a field where she’s a contender.

A few more quick storylines

• The girls PV features Vanessa Davis (Desert Vista, AZ junior), a 12-9 vaulter last year who has hit 12-6 this year so far.  A Desert Vista alum has a meet record to shoot for:  13-0 by Shaylah Simpson in 2010.
• The boys PV field is led by Timothy Duckworth (Arcadia, AZ senior).  He had a rough outing here last year, clearing just 13-2, but his 16-2 PR from this year leads the field.  Also watch for Will Hooper (Moon Valley, AZ senior), 4th here last year with his 15-8 PR, and new 15-6 performer Jake Alme of Desert Vista.
• The Centennial (NV) boys had a scintillating 7:42.52 4x800 best last year and return much of that talent.  Senior Jackson Carter is the top guy and also the favorite individually in the 800.  Centennial has another favorite in sub-42 300 hurdler Tiana Bonds.
• Shayna Yon – Singleton’s junior teammate at Cherokee Trail CO – also will make a big impact in a few events.  She’s favored in the long jump with 19-6 creds and is a top 100 contender to run with Westbrook.
• Brophy Prep, AZ senior Robert Grant is the guy to beat in the 300 hurdles.  He’s defending champ and eventually got down to 36.88 last year. 
• The girls’ 4x400 should be a good battle between three teams in the 3:50 range: Poly, Centennial NV, and Thunderridge AZ.