Eastern Relays Preview: Burcham, Thomson, Baker & Dumford Go after the 4:00 Mark

 

 

EASTERN RELAYS

April 26, 2013 - April 27, 2013 @ University of Louisville in Louisville, KY

 

Eastern Relays Live Results

Eastern Relays Time Schedule

Eastern Relays Performance List

The Eastern Relays gets under way tonight at the University of Louisville.  Annually this the top meet in Kentucky and it continues to grow more each year.  Last year saw the huge Boys 3200m Run on Friday night with Jacob Thomson cracking 9 in the 3200 (first person on KY soil to do so) and a 39 runners going under the 10 minute mark. Tretez Kinnaird set a new pr in the 800 going under 1:50 for the first time.  Danielle Pfeifer and Brannon Kidder from Ohio put up great displays in the 800 and 1600m.  Katherine Receveur rolled in the 1600, Ronnie Baker 10.59/47 400 and that does not even cover the field events.   That was all last year and this year could top that.

Kentucky's top two runners this year are Thomson and Kinnaird.  Both are All-Americans who have been two of the best in the nation this year.  Thomson was an XC All-American who was recently finished fourth at Arcadia in the 3200 with an 8:48.  Kinnaird had the fastest time during indoors in the 800m Run with a 1:50.97.   So it only makes sense the biggest events would be built around them.  In the boys mile, notice the switch from the 1600m, it is Thomson along with Jacob Burcham (WV), Jacob Dumford (OH), Mark Hadley (OH) and Brock Baker (TN) leading the way.  Burcham is the fastest person in the field with a best of 4:02.73.  The rest roll in Baker 4:09.43, Dumford 4:10.35, Thomson 4:10.69, and Hadley 4:12.80.  That is just the top, there are more sub 4:20s from this year alone entered not counting their PR.  The pace should be fast with the hopes to get the lead group under 4:05.  Baker has gone the fastest this year so far with his 4:09 but Burcham has the name and Thomson has the home crowd to defend. Watch out for this one!!!! Oh, I forgot to mention check out the schools these boys are attending next year...... Burcham and Baker to Oklahoma, Thomson to NC State, and Dumford to Notre Dame, that alone tells you the field is top notch.

Tretez Kinnaird, senior from Butler comes in at 1:52 this year but loves to make a big splash especially at the University of Louisville.  He crushed the KY State Record last year and ended up going 1:49.31.  After making the decision to take up his future at Indiana University this winter he cruised to a US #1 like stated above.  Last year he ran a sub 1:50 winning by nearly six seconds.  This year he will not be that lucky to win that big, but that is a great thing.  There will be runners to help push him towards another sub 1:50 or faster.  Thomson and Baker are in the field.  They are at 1:52 and 1:53 but that is exactly what the race needs.  Dominic Seitzer from Ohio is right there at 1:53 as well.  This is set up for a load of runners to get near that 1:50 mark. 

The big events tonight will be the 3200m Runs.  The girls are led by Lauren Wood from Mason, Ohio.  She placed fourth in XC at the Ohio State Championship with a 17:52, she has a PR of 10:58 and was a Nike Cross Nationals qualifier.  Nicole Gardner was a XC State Champion in Tennessee this past fall, she has run 11:15.  They will be stalked by a crew from Kentucky, Class AAA foes Emily Bean of Asssumption and Whitney O'Bryan from Daviess County.  They have battled many times including last year where Bean won the Eastern Relays with a 11:05. Watch out for newcomer to the varsity scene, 8th grader Michaela Reinhart from Lexington Catholic.  She has run 11:20 in her first season of high school running. This could be a night filled with successful dreams of running sub 11. 

The boys race is loaded up led by Sam Wharton from Ohio.  He ran a 9:02 at Arcadia in CA.  The Stanford signee was the Nike Cross Nationals Champion..... that's right champion.  He will be pushed by Grant Nykaza, a Florida State signer who went 9:07 at the FSU Relays in March.  Indiana State XC Champ Connor Sorrells was at 9:02 last year in this race and is back for another chance. The field is deep and is primed to go under 9:00 with the right pace set in the first mile. 

The girls 100m Dash could be sub 12 bound with the right conditions.  Alisha Adair (Western Hills, KY) ran 12.03 last week at the University of Kentucky. Autumn Heath, Lakota East ran the same time on April 10th.  The crew from Morgan Park in Illinois will be strong up front as well.  If the wind is right this could be super fast.  Not to mention Adair will look to go big especially since she is announcing her college choice this coming Monday.

Seven boys come in at under 11 in the 100m this season led by Jonathan Parker from Missouri at 10.64.  His teammate, Jamal Robinson will is also sub 11 at 10.89.  Billy Chanatry from Ohio is at 10.84.  Cam Chuevront from Somerset comes in at 10.84 leading the KY crowd.  The boys 4x2 is loaded with three schools under 1:30 this year.  North Hardin from Kentucky will have a chance to push to break that barrier.

The Girls One Mile Run has Katherine Receveur of Assumption and Gabby Karas of Collins both coming in with best under 5. They have both been limited in their running outdoor this year but two of the best in Kentucky history so watch out.  Maggie Allen from Sacred Heart, Nicole Gardner from Tennessee, and Cassidy Hale of Manual will all be going after the sub 5 barrier. 

The girls 400m is led by Parker English from Illinois and Taylor Bradley from the host school, Eastern in Louisville.  Adair is in the race as well and she has a PR in the 56s.  English and Adair will face off in the 200 as well with both under 25 seconds. 

The boys 200m has James Quick up front.  The Trinity senior will play football at the University of Louisville and smoked a 20.94 on this track last year. 

The throws give us a 60 foot battle.  Miami, Ohio signer Andrew Vollet has a best of 61-08 and Notre Dame football signer Hunter Bivin is at 60-02.  Can they rise up and try to out throw the other to the next level.  They are both top 21 in the nation.  Cody Hamsley of Indiana will go after the 200 ft barrier in the discus.  The girls shot has Mubinah Khaleel at 40-00.  Sarah Bell is a 13 plus Pole Vaulter. 

These are just highlights, but the field is deep, real deep.  It is too much and someone has been left out I am sure.  Loaded and KYtrackXC.com will be on-site all day tomorrow.  Check back for updates all day long.

EASTERN RELAYS

April 26, 2013 - April 27, 2013 @ University of Louisville in Louisville, KY

 

Eastern Relays Live Results

Eastern Relays Time Schedule

Eastern Relays Performance List