Junior Women's Preview
by Event Categories

By Steve Underwood

Women's Sprints: Colorado stars clash
If you were at the Colorado state meet in May, you may have watched Regis Jesuit sr Ana Holland and her great sprint triple in 5A, and MaryBeth Sant sweeping the 100 and 200 again in 4A, and wished you could see them race each other.  In Des Moines, your wish will come true, as both are scheduled to double the shortest dashes.  As far as the post-season to date, the two girls have taken very different approaches.  Sant finished second in the adidas Dream 100, ran a US#1 11.25 at the Freddie Houston Meet of Champs, then was 2nd in the Great Southwest 100 behind Ariana Washington in 11.26w.  It should also be noted that Sant is entered in the 100 for the Senior meet.  Holland, meanwhile, has run a few low-key meets since state, but not close to her 11.33/23.29/52.49 PRs – which are all in the nation’s top three. 

Of course, Sant and Holland are not the only two contenders in these dashes.  Always tough Lincoln-Way East IL sr Aaliyah Brown (11.42 PR) and East Ridge FL super frosh Kaylin Whitney (11.54/11.47w) will also contend, while the collegiate competition includes 2012 World Junior Finalist Jennifer Madu, previously of Plano East TX and now a Texas A&M frosh (11.31); Central Florida’s Alexis Faulknor (11.42) and Illinois’ Morolake Akinosun (11.45) – a former rival of Brown’s in Illinois.

At twice the distance, Holland and Sant (23.61) are tough, but the collegians may be tougher: Florida frosh Destinee Gause (2012 NBNI 200 champ while at Reynoldsburg OH) is at 23.19 and Akinosun at 23.26.  Five more collegians and preps are at 23.77 or better.

One of those, former Carrollton Smith TX prep Courtney Okolo – now at U of Texas – is clearly the woman to beat at 400 with a 51.96 best.  The duo who represented Team USA at World Juniors last year – Florida frosh Robin Reynolds and Detroit Country Day MI sr Kendall Baisden – are both back, too.  Baisden has not been under 54 this year, but is known for running much faster in the summer.  The other prep to watch most closely is South County VA sr Felicia Majors (53.65), the do-everything girl who can sprint, jump or pole vault with nearly equal aplomb.

Women's Hurdles: Californians Wallace and Miller are faves
As it will turn out, at neither NBNO or Juniors will we get a matchup between top 100 hurdlers Kendell Williams (the Kell GA sr won NBNO; is in the hept here) and Castro Valley CA sr Sasha Wallace – who was not in Greensboro but is top-seeded here.  Her 13.43 best should be tough to beat; she was a disappointed 5th here last year and will be out to dominate.  The rest of the top contenders are collegians, with Arizona frosh Traci Hicks leading at 13.59.

The 400 hurdles will come down to those experienced at that distance and the preps that are coming from mostly 300H backgrounds.  The latter group, however, features US#1 and Great Oak CA sr Jade Miller, who has crushed it this year to the tune of a 41.02.  Two others that are sub-42 include Berkmar GA sr Elexis Guster (41.80) and Rogers TX sr Lauren Bedrich (41.86).  The top entries with 400H marks are South Carolina’s Tyler Brockington at 57.40 and Coastal Carolina’s Jessica Gelibert at 57.86.

Women's Distances: Collegians mostly dominant among entries
The women’s 800 could have really been a barnburner if collegiate frosh eligibles like Stanford’s Amy Weissenbach (2:02 back in 2011), Angel Piccirillo and Kelsey Margey of Villanova, and Notre Dame’s Danielle Aragon had not all scratched.  Still, it will be interesting to see what fast-rising Eastern IN sr Brittany Neeley (2:07.91 and part of US#1 4x800 relay) can do against collegians like Baylor’s Olicia Williams (2:05.20) and Stanford’s Claudia Saunders (2:06.96). 

Margey and Weissenbach instead head up the 1,500 entries, both in the 4:17s, in a field that is dominated at the top by collegians.  Griswold IA soph Rebekah Topham ran 4:28.92 for 1,500 last year here, but 4:42.27 has been her best this spring.  Another Iowan, Foot Locker Finalist Anna Holdiman, is the top 1500/1600/mile prep entry at 4:53.83.

At 3,000, Holdiman is also the top prep entry at 9:53.36 – with Stony Brook frosh Christina Melian the top overall at 9:37.59.  Five preps with 3,200 PRs between 10:36 and 10:41 are also in the field, led by Ursuline NY frosh Anna Flynn.  The 5,000 field is almost exclusively collegians, led by last winter’s Junior XC champ Emily Stites of William and Mary.

The 3,000 steeple field is lorded over by Syracuse frosh Brianna Nerud, who as a North Shore NY senior set two prep USRs last summer at World Juniors.  But it will be interesting to see what Bethany Neeley does.  The Eastern IN senior, sister of 800 contender Brittany, debuted in the 2k steeple just a few weeks ago with a great 6:37.52.

The women’s 10,000 race walk is tougher to seed with entries coming with 3k and 5k seed times, but Sachem North NY jr Katie Michta (53:14.21) and Connetquot NY soph Monika Farmer (54:04.77) are the leading two with recent marks in the event.

Women's Jumps: HJ group full of high flyers
The women’s HJ field is small, but stellar, featuring two of the year’s five 6-footers and two more at 5-10 or better.  West Albany OR sr Rachel Proteau made Team USA for Pan-Ams in 2011 and is tied for US#1 at 6-1.  She’s also entered in Senior Nationals.  South Pasadena jr Claire Kieffer-Wright has cleared 6-0, Aberdeen Central SD jr Alexis Clark 5-11 (indoors) and Manvel TX jr Makenzie Smajstrla 5-10.  With Great Southwest hept champ Alexa Harmon-Thomas also in the field, this is probably the best prep gathering of the year.

A very interesting competition should be the pole vault.  Texas preps Annie Rhodes (Waco Midway senior) and Lakan Taylor (FW Boswell senior) are basically a few months removed from their early-season skywalking at 14-0 and 13-11 and Rhodes in particular has suffered some losses.  If they’re closer to 13 feet than 14, then more than half a dozen are in contention.  Watch for US#5 Emily Savage, the Weston CT sr who won NBNO last weekend at 12-10, but had a 13-2.5 PR the week before.  Wrightstown WI jr Bonnie Draxler has a 13-4.25 PR from last year and is at 13-0 this year.  Mill Valley KS sr Emily Brigham cleared 13-6.25 during indoor and 13-4 outdoors.

Duke’s Megan Clark leads collegiate contenders with 13-7.25.

The previously mentioned Alexis Faulknor of Central Florida also paces long jump entries at 21-4.25.  If she’s on, it’s over.  There are numerous entries around 20 feet, though, including several top preps.  Penn Relays champ, the aforementioned do-everything Felicia Majors from Virginia’s South County is a big threat with a 20-3 best, while Redlands CA super soph Margaux Jones was the Southern Section champ with 20-2.75 and also has a 20-3.5w.  Several others are just under 20 feet.

The triple jump is the second event in which Castro Valley CA’s Sasha Wallace will have a great chance to make Team USA.  It might be tougher than the hurdles, though.  Wallace is US#2 with 42-4, but Texas A&M frosh Jennifer Madu has a 42-9.5 best – when she made the World Junior team here last year.  Baylor frosh Brianna Richardson is nearly as good at 42-6.

Women's Throws: Ewen shoots for record, new rival
Two great things could happen in the women’s shot and discus and they both involve Maggie Ewen.  The St. Francis MN sr is knocking at the door of Michelle Carter’s USR with 54-8.5 and 54-3.75 at her state meet and NBNO the past two weeks, respectively.  She’ll have another chance to bust it here.  Then in the discus, sporting her PR of US#2 175-9, she’s set to meet US#1 Valarie Allman from Silver Creek CO – who threw 184-6 early in the year and has won Arcadia, Texas Relays and Golden West.  Ewen was 3rd and Allman 6th here last year behind USR-setter Shelbi Vaughan.

In the shot, also watch for CA state champ and Golden West champ Stamatia Scarvelis from Dos Pueblos, with a 51-11 best.  Among the collegians, there’s defending champ Tori Owers, the Georgia prep now at Cal and with a 52-10.25 PR, and Oklahoma State’s Chase Ealey – the former New Mexico prep who has rocketed up to 52-6.5.  Then in the discus, also beware of Kentucky collegian Rebecca Famurewa, who is up to 187-3, Clovis West CA sr Nwanneka Okwelogu at 173-9 and Cherokee NJ sr Jess Woodard at 168-0.

One of the great mostly missing stars of 2013 has been Gresham OR sr Haley Crouser, the USR holder who is an Olympic Trials, World Youth and World Junior finalist the past two years.  She has the US#1 at 171-11, but has been plagued by injury.  But the event has US#2 Nicolle Murphy, the Arkansas City KS jr who is one of the fastest rising throwers in the country with a 168-5 best from her region meet.  There a few other collegians entered in the 160 range, as well as Megan Glasmann, the Park City UT sr who won NBNO last weekend at 159-1.

Finally, in the hammer it will be a battle mostly of Throw 1 Deep athletes, both prep and collegiate.  Avana Story was the NBNO champ last year and this year at North Carolina she is up to 194-6.  Sabrina Gaitan 192-5 and Casidy Callihan 184-1 are the top current preps in the program.  They are the top three contenders to make the team.