SPRINTS
60 Meter Dash
The girls race will be a showdown between two defending national champs with Jayla Kirkland (200m) and Lynna Irby (400m). These two will also showdown in the 200 meter dash later in the day. Can they break the field house record set back in 2007 with a 7.26 60m? With the level of competition set for the meet, this mark is not out of the question. Both ladies have run in the 7.40's this season, so keep an eye on this record to fall. Irby is returning to build on her second place finish at this meet last season. Milan Young from Texas will be in the mix as well.
On the Kentucky side, Brooke Raglin will continue her stellar start to her senior season with the 8th best seed time. She has already run 7.66 this season and is poised to best that time after focusing much of her indoor season on the 200m.
For the boys the race looks a lot more wide open. Six gentlemen come in with seed times only 0.13 seconds apart. Eric Allen (Bullis) comes in with the top seed and looks to build on his 7th place finish from last year's meet. But he will have to get through the defending champ Eric Harrison. They will have newcomer to the Kentucky track and field scene, Rondale Moore (Trinity) transferred from New Albany, IN and is the top ranked 60m sprinter in the state. His 6.90 time from the Indiana Track Club Invitational puts him just 0.20 second off of the field house record.
Besides Moore, JP Vaught will lead the Kentucky contingent. Vaught took second at the Wildcat Classic losing narrowly to Augustine Tugbe of Louisville Ballard.
60 Meter Hurdles
Taylor Scott (NC) and Milan Young (TX) are the top seeds coming into the race. Last season, the UK HS Invite saw a finals with six seniors. Antonia Frazier (GA) is the only returner placing 9th in 2016. Milan Young comes in with a PR of 8.43 last week in Texas while Taylor Scott's 55m PR is 8.41. This will be an interesting prelim and final to watch to see who surprises the group.
The Kentucky athletes for the 60m hurdles are few. Led by Hadiya Williams (Louisville Male) who has posted a 9.43 and 9.38 this indoor season at the Wildcat Classic and Indiana Track Club Invitational.
Kentre Patterson (MI) comes in with a 0.2 lead on the field. He has had an active indoor season steadily improving from an 8.25 on January 8 to 7.88 at the end of January. He will be challenged by the Kentucky stud Isaiah McCall of Bryan Station. Isaiah has been a staple of Kentucky hurdles for the last 5 years and looks to finish off his campaign with an award laden senior season. UK signee Matt Peare (OH) will challenge these two as he also competes in the pole vault.
200 Meter Dash
Again we have the matchup that many will come to Nutter Field House to watch. Jayla Kirkland and Lynna Irby will face off with Stephanie Davis (MD). Davis looks to redeem herself from a false start in 2016 and place herself in the conversation for the 200m meet championship. She will have fresh legs as the other two will have two 60m races (prelim and final) under their belts for the day. It will be interesting to see them all face off in the first heat from lanes 4, 5, & 6. A sleeper, if you want to call her that, in this race may be Dajour Miles (IL) who will also have the 400 on her docket for the meet.
Again, Brooke Raglin is the top contender for the Kentucky athletes. She comes in with the 9th best seed time and will look to improve on her 24.86 from the Wildcat Classic.
The boys race will feature Brian Herron (GA), the national freshman class record holder, and Eric Allen (Bullis) as the top two seeds. They will both look to break Maxwell Willis' (DC) 2016 field house record of 21.04. Both of these guys come in with times matching or better than Willis' mark from last season. Herron placed sixth in the 200m at this meet last season, and will look to capitalize on a solid start to his sophomore campaign and take down some hefty records.
The top Kentucky qualifier is JP Vaught (Southwestern) with the 22nd best seed time.
400 Meter Dash
Watch out for the girls 400m dash! Syaira Richardson (VA) has yet to run the 400 this indoor season, but she has dominated the 300m. With wins at the VA Showcase, Armory, and Gloucester Pre-Holiday Invitational, she is ready for a big performance. She placed second at this meet last season, but later went onto win the New Balance National Indoor title. She will be challenged by Dajour Miles (IL), the reigning AAU Junior Olympic Games 400 champion. These two will duke it out first heat with Shaianne Sipsey (GA). Watch for a field house record as they chase the 2012 mark of 53.88.
Talor Wilkerson (Bryan Station) is the top Kentucky qualifer. Talor placed fourth at the state championships last May and is driven for a successful senior year!
Brian Herron, runner up in this event last year, pops up again in the 400. His PR of 46.29 is over half a second faster than the field house record set in 2003. Herron will be chasing Tyrese Cooper's sophomore record. After Herron, there is a group of six guys within 0.6 seconds of each other. They are led by Davonte Fuller (SC) and Kokayi Cobb (SC), but it appears that second place is wide open.
Korie Cleveland (John Hardin) and Maliq Trigg (Bryan Station) are the top Kentucky competitors. With the graduation of Will Allen, the title of 400 champ is up for grabs. Who will set themselves apart to take the state title?