Girls Sprints/Hurdles
Teahna Daniels will look to get down in the 11.1 range again for 100m.
Girls 100m
Teahna Daniels is the prep most likely to make an impact in this race. The First Academy, FL senior took runner-up to National Record Holder Candace Hill at the adidas Dream 100 before skipping the behemoth of last weekend's Brooks PR and New Balance Nationals competitions.
Can the future Longhorn throw down a wind-legal 11.1? She owns a wind-aided best of 11.15 (+2.4) and will need to run a similar time to be competitive with All-American freshmen Ky Westbrook of USC and Aleia Hobbs of LSU, who finished fourth and sixth, respectively, at the NCAA Championship.
Girls 200m
Deanna Hill of Southern California is the only sprinter in the field under 23 seconds this year and enters as the odds-on favorite.
The top preps include Hannah Jackson of Sulphur, La., who ran a best of 23.59 for runner-up honors at the Great Southwest Classic and is the reigning Louisiana 5A State champion in the event. Junior Cassondra Hall of Northside Robbins, Ga. took runner-up in the 200m at New Balance Nationals, running a new all-time best of 23.71. Hall had a tough 100m race at New Balance, where she did not advance to the final, though she does own a speedy best of 11.5.
Girls 400m
Top seed Kendall Ellis of USC, formerly of powerhouse program St. Thomas Aquinas, FL, ran 52.58 to nab a qualifying spot for the NCAA Championships this spring. She ran just 54.45 in the prelims at NCAAs and did not advance.
High school senior Zola Golden was a sub-53 second performer as a junior, the same year she won the New Balance Nationals Outdoor. This year, she has trained and competed while unattached from her high school and not quite attained the same levels as one year ago. Her season-best effort of 53.72 came with a fifth-place finish at adidas Grand Prix two weeks ago.
Girls 100m Hurdles
National high school record holder Dior Hall headlines this field. Just one year removed from her 12.92 record, the USC frosh took third at the NCAA Championships in 12.74.
No one else is seeded under 13 seconds, leaving a tough field of prep runners with more than a good shot to finish in the top three. Mecca McGlaston of Dublin, CA is the fifth-fastest performer in history with her 13.18 from the California state meet, though Ashley Miller (13.38 best) of East Ridge, FL beat her at Brooks PR.
Anna Cockrell could also easily contend for the win, as she set the North Carolina all-time state record holder for 100m hurdles at 13.21, which ranks U.S. No. 4 this year. The Providence Day, NC junior took third at New Balance Nationals Outdoor last weekend.
Girls 400m Hurdles
Cockrell is also entered in the 400m hurdles, where she may have an even better shot to place. The rising senior placed third at New Balance Nationals Outdoor in 57.70.
Reonna Collier of Vacaville, CA ran 58.55 last year at this meet as a freshman; the race was her only attempt at the distance. She is just recently returning to outdoor competition, as she had to sit out of the California state finals because she transferred schools. The sophomore certainly has the wheels - she ran 53.85 to win the Golden West Invitational in her only open 400m this season. She won the California state meet last year in the 300m hurdles with a mind-blowing 40.9.
Sprints/Hurdles - Distance - Field
*Editor's Note: Seed times listed below are from the official USATF start list and are not representative of personal records or season-best times.