2017 NCHSAA Outdoor ChampionshipsMay 16, 2017 by Johanna Gretschel
Top 5 Races To Watch At North Carolina State Meet
Top 5 Races To Watch At North Carolina State Meet
North Carolina High School Outdoor Track & Field State Championship meet preview
High school state championship season is officially here! FloTrack will stream live from Greensboro, North Carolina, for the NCHSAA Outdoor Championships this Friday and Saturday, May 19-20. Check out the official entries from Class 4A, 3A, 2A, and 1A here, watch the action live here beginning at 10 AM ET on Friday, and read on to learn about the top races of the weekend.
When: Friday (rolling schedule begins at 1 PM ET)
Who: Connor Lane, Ian Shanklin, Cameron Ponder
Why: It's rare to see three sub-nine-minute two milers compete against each other for a state title, but North Carolina track fans are in for a special treat on Friday evening. Connor Lane of Cardinal Gibbons, Ian Shanklin of Page, and Cameron Ponder of Mount Tabor all traveled to California for the Arcadia Invitational to break the elusive prep barrier: Lane ran 8:47, a new North Carolina state record; Shanklin 8:50.79 and Ponder 8:56.49, a new junior state record. Lane is the defending state champion and looks to round out his senior year collection of state titles, as he won the 4A cross country title and indoor 3200m title. The Stanford commit is also a top national level talent: He was eighth at Foot Locker Nationals and is a three-time All-American at New Balance Nationals.
Ponder is still just a junior, but he's already won an indoor state title over 1600m and has twice finished runner-up at the state meet to Lane.
Neither Shanklin nor Ponder has competed at the national level that Lane has reached, but the Arcadia race narrowed the gap a bit, particularly for Shanklin, who was just three seconds and six spots back of Lane. The NC State commit has improved by 40 seconds in the 3200m since placing fourth at the state meet in 2016. His best state meet finish was runner-up honors in the indoor 1600m behind Ponder this year. He'll be the freshest of the sub-nine trio, as he is running the 4x800m during the morning session. Meanwhile, both Lane and Ponder are doubling up in the 1600m and 3200m.
Watch Connor Lane and Cameron Ponder battle at the 2016 NCHSAA Class 4A state meet over 3200m:
When: Friday (rolling schedule begins at 1 PM ET)
Who: Cameron Ponder, Connor Lane
Why: Stanford commit Connor Lane is overwhelmingly favored in the 3200m, but Page junior Cameron Ponder serves up an interesting challenge in the shorter distance race, which is first on the plate for both athletes. Ponder, who ran 4:20.12 for 1600m as a sophomore, recently shaved down his mile best to a speedy 4:11.46, good for third place at the Penn Relays Carnival and the No. 5 ranking in the Class of 2018.
Lane's PB of 4:12.45 dates back to 2016, but he typically opts for two mile or 5K races at the national level. He is likely more than ready to shave that time down, especially after the rash of sub-four attempts among his peers in the Class of 2017. Lane was second at the Raleigh Relays adidas Dream Mile qualifier to Waleed Suliman in March, 4:13.51 to 4:15.84, which was his only mark in the distance this spring.
When: Friday (rolling schedule begins at 1 PM ET)
Who: Tamara Clark, Alysia Johnson
Why: Two-time defending state champion Tamara Clark of High Point Central is aiming for title No. 3 in the 200m to close out her senior year, but she faces a tough challenge from upstart freshman Alysia Johnson of Hillside. Clark, a New Balance indoor All-American over 200m, handily beat her younger opponent at the indoor state meet over 300m, 37.81 to 40.01, and the regional meet, 23.57 to 24.17, but Johnson is improving by leaps and bounds in her ninth-grade outdoor season and an upset isn't out of the question. The freshman is the favorite for the 400m title after running a state-leading 53.87 (U.S. No. 13), and it will take every ounce of the Alabama signee's energy to retain the 200m title.
When: Friday (rolling schedule begins at 1 PM ET)
Who: Alysia Johnson, Maya Singletary
Why: After running 59.82 as a seventh-grader and 56.35 as an eighth-grader, it's no suprise that Alysia Johnson of Hillside has raced straight to the top of the North Carolina state leaderboards in her freshman year. The freshman has raced just two quarter miles this season: a 54.10 win over 500m indoor state champion Maya Singletary, who ran a PB of 54.56 that day, and then a 53.87 state leader to win her regional meet. That time ranks No. 5 in North Carolina state history for a high school girl, No. 13 in the nation this year, and is a huge improvement on her 57.88 indoor best, which bodes well for future success at national meets this summer.
But first, can she win her first state title? Johnson was a well-beaten fifth in the 55m and third in the 300m at the indoor state meet but seems to have found her stride outdoors -- and her best event.
Of note: the North Carolina state record is 52.74, set in 1997 by Demetria Washington.
Watch freshman Alysia Johnson take down indoor state champ Maya Singletary, 54.10 to 54.56, in April at the Bill Carver Track & Field Classic:
When: Friday (rolling schedule begins at 1 PM ET)
Who: J Johnson, Rondell Terry, Kobe Barnes, Brandon Ray
Why: The Mideast region figures to factor heavily in boy's 100m scoring. J Johnson (10.62) led Rondell Terry (10.70), Kobe Barnes (10.74), and Brandon Ray (10.78) at the regional meet, and some combination of those athletes will likely make up the top four. Johnson is the star here, as he was the New Balance Nationals Indoor runner-up in the 60m this March, but nothing is guaranteed. The perfect 100m requires a lot of outside factors to fall in place, and Johnson hasn't had the best luck in the past, as he was just seventh in the finals at the state meet last year. He made a sweep of the indoor state meet, winning the long jump, 60m and 300m, so we'll see if he can keep the senior year magic flowing with a few more big wins.
Watch out for the 4x100m as well, where Johnson's Panther Creek will battle with Terry's Garner High on the anchor leg for top honors.
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4A Boys 3200m
When: Friday (rolling schedule begins at 1 PM ET)
Who: Connor Lane, Ian Shanklin, Cameron Ponder
Why: It's rare to see three sub-nine-minute two milers compete against each other for a state title, but North Carolina track fans are in for a special treat on Friday evening. Connor Lane of Cardinal Gibbons, Ian Shanklin of Page, and Cameron Ponder of Mount Tabor all traveled to California for the Arcadia Invitational to break the elusive prep barrier: Lane ran 8:47, a new North Carolina state record; Shanklin 8:50.79 and Ponder 8:56.49, a new junior state record. Lane is the defending state champion and looks to round out his senior year collection of state titles, as he won the 4A cross country title and indoor 3200m title. The Stanford commit is also a top national level talent: He was eighth at Foot Locker Nationals and is a three-time All-American at New Balance Nationals.
Ponder is still just a junior, but he's already won an indoor state title over 1600m and has twice finished runner-up at the state meet to Lane.
Neither Shanklin nor Ponder has competed at the national level that Lane has reached, but the Arcadia race narrowed the gap a bit, particularly for Shanklin, who was just three seconds and six spots back of Lane. The NC State commit has improved by 40 seconds in the 3200m since placing fourth at the state meet in 2016. His best state meet finish was runner-up honors in the indoor 1600m behind Ponder this year. He'll be the freshest of the sub-nine trio, as he is running the 4x800m during the morning session. Meanwhile, both Lane and Ponder are doubling up in the 1600m and 3200m.
Watch Connor Lane and Cameron Ponder battle at the 2016 NCHSAA Class 4A state meet over 3200m:
4A Boys 1600m
When: Friday (rolling schedule begins at 1 PM ET)
Who: Cameron Ponder, Connor Lane
Why: Stanford commit Connor Lane is overwhelmingly favored in the 3200m, but Page junior Cameron Ponder serves up an interesting challenge in the shorter distance race, which is first on the plate for both athletes. Ponder, who ran 4:20.12 for 1600m as a sophomore, recently shaved down his mile best to a speedy 4:11.46, good for third place at the Penn Relays Carnival and the No. 5 ranking in the Class of 2018.
Lane's PB of 4:12.45 dates back to 2016, but he typically opts for two mile or 5K races at the national level. He is likely more than ready to shave that time down, especially after the rash of sub-four attempts among his peers in the Class of 2017. Lane was second at the Raleigh Relays adidas Dream Mile qualifier to Waleed Suliman in March, 4:13.51 to 4:15.84, which was his only mark in the distance this spring.
4A Girls 200m
When: Friday (rolling schedule begins at 1 PM ET)
Who: Tamara Clark, Alysia Johnson
Why: Two-time defending state champion Tamara Clark of High Point Central is aiming for title No. 3 in the 200m to close out her senior year, but she faces a tough challenge from upstart freshman Alysia Johnson of Hillside. Clark, a New Balance indoor All-American over 200m, handily beat her younger opponent at the indoor state meet over 300m, 37.81 to 40.01, and the regional meet, 23.57 to 24.17, but Johnson is improving by leaps and bounds in her ninth-grade outdoor season and an upset isn't out of the question. The freshman is the favorite for the 400m title after running a state-leading 53.87 (U.S. No. 13), and it will take every ounce of the Alabama signee's energy to retain the 200m title.
4A Girls 400m
When: Friday (rolling schedule begins at 1 PM ET)
Who: Alysia Johnson, Maya Singletary
Why: After running 59.82 as a seventh-grader and 56.35 as an eighth-grader, it's no suprise that Alysia Johnson of Hillside has raced straight to the top of the North Carolina state leaderboards in her freshman year. The freshman has raced just two quarter miles this season: a 54.10 win over 500m indoor state champion Maya Singletary, who ran a PB of 54.56 that day, and then a 53.87 state leader to win her regional meet. That time ranks No. 5 in North Carolina state history for a high school girl, No. 13 in the nation this year, and is a huge improvement on her 57.88 indoor best, which bodes well for future success at national meets this summer.
But first, can she win her first state title? Johnson was a well-beaten fifth in the 55m and third in the 300m at the indoor state meet but seems to have found her stride outdoors -- and her best event.
Of note: the North Carolina state record is 52.74, set in 1997 by Demetria Washington.
Watch freshman Alysia Johnson take down indoor state champ Maya Singletary, 54.10 to 54.56, in April at the Bill Carver Track & Field Classic:
4A Boys 100m
When: Friday (rolling schedule begins at 1 PM ET)
Who: J Johnson, Rondell Terry, Kobe Barnes, Brandon Ray
Why: The Mideast region figures to factor heavily in boy's 100m scoring. J Johnson (10.62) led Rondell Terry (10.70), Kobe Barnes (10.74), and Brandon Ray (10.78) at the regional meet, and some combination of those athletes will likely make up the top four. Johnson is the star here, as he was the New Balance Nationals Indoor runner-up in the 60m this March, but nothing is guaranteed. The perfect 100m requires a lot of outside factors to fall in place, and Johnson hasn't had the best luck in the past, as he was just seventh in the finals at the state meet last year. He made a sweep of the indoor state meet, winning the long jump, 60m and 300m, so we'll see if he can keep the senior year magic flowing with a few more big wins.
Watch out for the 4x100m as well, where Johnson's Panther Creek will battle with Terry's Garner High on the anchor leg for top honors.
How to Watch
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