KENTUCKY STATE TRACK MEET
May 23, 2014 - May 24, 2014 @ Shively Track Complex (University of Kentucky) in Lexington, KY
Timing/Results: FM Timing
KHSAA Class AAA State Meet Heat Sheets
KHSAA Class AA State Meet Heat Sheets
KHSAA Class A State Meet Heat Sheets
Class AA Boys State Meet Entries - Re-Ranked by 2014 Season Best
Class AA Girls State Meet Entries - Re-Ranked by 2014 Season Best
CLASS AA BOYS
Last year saw Lexington Catholic take home the Class AA State Team Championship led by Nicholas Laureano and Andrew Vollet each having big days. This year a new champion will rise with perennial power Paducah Tilghman leading the charge but it will be a tough path to travel to the title.
The first event of the day will set the tone for many of the team contenders on Friday. The 4x800m Relay will be a showdown between Highlands, North Oldham, South Warren, and Covington Catholic. Highlands and North Oldham both come in with season best of 8:20, but the question becomes what relay will each team put out there. Will Highlands run Ethan Shuley or John Michael Griffith, what about David Terkula or Trenton Fryman for North? If both squads go full blast than the time could easily dip below 8:15. If either squad takes the safer option and rest the above runners (each school has very solid distance depth) than South Warren and Cov. Cath will be right there to try and snatch the title. Ten points in the 4x800m could come big for one of these teams as the team scores should be close in the end for hardwood at state.
Next comes the hurdles which is where Paducah Tilghman is going to try and score big, real big. Juniors Lenny Grace and Marcus Corbett will try and combine together 12 or more points with potentially 18. Elizabethtown's James Washington and Western Hill's Cameron Murphy will try and rain on Tilghman's parade though. Washington comes in with the leading time on the season in the 110m Hurdles with a 14.74.
One of the best races of the day will be in the 4x200m Relay. The top 8 teams all come in with season best between 1:30.61 - 1:31.90. This race is interesting because it is loaded with the non-traditional powers. Moore, Warren Central, and Doss are three of the favorites. Each of these squads have some very solid sprint relays to check out. Moore and Warren Central each have a favorite in the 100m Dash in Augustine Tugbe and Rondell Green that are leading those sprints.
The distance races 1600/3200m will be a battle between the above mentioned Fryman, Shuley, & Griffith along with Adam Sandidge from LaRue County. The AA sophomore duo of Fryman and Shuley are laying the ground work for two more years of great battles in XC and track. Fryman has the best time on the season with a 4:19.22 with Shuley are 4:25.17. The two veterans of JMG and Sandidge are very dangerous here. Sandidge will be fresh for sure with no 4x800m Relay. JMG has rolled a 4:22.08 so he is right there with Fryman on time. Watch out for a pack race in the 1600m with all the action happening in the last lap. Do not ignore Brandon Price of Bardstown or Nick Robinson of Mason County in the 1600m Run either. The 3200m Run will have several veterans capable of surprising people including Travis O'Dell of Spencer County, Iszack Whitsell of Webster County, Cole Grecco of Garrard County or defending Class AA XC State Champion Jay Solinger of Collins. Solinger proved me wrong in XC season when it crushed the Horse Park course for the win so watch out.
The 400m match-up between Lewis County's Tanner Barton and Highland's Alex Veneman should be a sub 50 battle with potential for low, low 49s. Jake Erpenbeck of Covington Catholic and Quinton Baker of Ashland Blazer are two others to watch in the 100m/200m along with Green and Tugbe mentioned above.
Stick around for the 4x400m Relay battle between Mason County and Paducah Tilghman. Both have run 3:27 this year and should duke it out till the line.
The best field event to watch should be the High Jump where Elizabethtown's Juirien Royal popped off a 6-09. He has been improving rapidly at the end of the season hitting PRs two meets in a row. The Pole Vault will be key to the team chances of South Warren as they will be bring in Huzyak brothers. The senior Ben is seeded #1 with a season best of 13-00. Ed is tied at #2 with a 12-06. The Long Jump has load of athletes over 20 foot but with only one on the season over 21-00. Arien Beasley leads the way seeded #1 and will be key to North Oldham's chances in the team race.
Tilghman is likely to get major points from the throws with Jalon Chism seeded #1 by 25 feet in the Discus and Tre Coleman coming in seeded #2 based on the 2014 season.
Keys to Team Race
Paducah Tilghman - Hurdles (Grace and Corbett), Throws (Chism & Coleman, Relay Points, Nickel and Dime everything else
Highlands - Distance Points (Shuley & Griffith), 200/400 from Veneman
North Oldham - Distance Points (Fryman, Terkula, Gardiner), Beasley (Jumps, anything in the sprints)
Etown - Field Events and Washington in the Hurdles
South Warren - Hurdles, Jumps, Nickel and Dime everything
Bardstown - Brandon Price (beast mode 1600m, 800m, 400m) and Nickel and Dime