10 (more) Great Storylines for Great Southwest

By Steve Underwood

You’ve probably read about the great 100- and 200-meter sprinters invading the ABQ this weekend for the 38th Great Southwest Classic.  But they are far from the only outstanding prep track and field stars competing for top honors.  Check out 10 more top storylines to watch for:

1. Vault battle at 17 feet
It’s been awhile since New Balance Nationals Indoor champ (17-1) and outdoor national leader (17-8.5) Daven Murprhee had a big vault.  The Big Sandy (Harmony, Texas) senior scored his PR at the Texas Relays at the end of March.  He cleared 17-0 at his late April regional meet, but just 15-3 at state (still winning).  If he wins and gets at least close to his PR, he wouldn’t be the first vault star to use GSW for a return to form.  Last year, fellow Texan Shawn Barber had gone a few months between 17-footers before he set the meet record here with 17-5.5.  He went on to set the USR of 18-3.5 later in the summer.

Murphree will no doubt be pushed here by US#2 17-3.5 vaulter and John Curtis (River Ridge, La.) senior Dylan Duvio.  He was 2nd in Murphree at NBNI, cleared 17-0 for the first time behind Devin King at the Mobile Challenge, then notched his PR at his regional meet in April.  He then won state at 16-8 and has been training since.  This could be the best field event of the meet.

2. Can Hall return to form?
There have been a lot of electric moments in hurdle events at GSW, but few more so than in 2011, when a freshman from Colorado named Dior Hall scorched the 100H barriers in 13.18, setting a national class and age record, and moving to #4 all-time overall for preps.  Two years later, Hall’s PR remains the same, and she’s had some major highs and lows.  In 2012, she stunned defending champ Trinity Wilson at NBNI to capture the 60H title in 8.19, then #2 all-time.  Then she made the World Junior team at 100H, only to take a tumble in Barcelona in the semis.  This past winter, the George Washington (Denver) junior lowered her 60H PR to 8.17, just .01 off the USR, but lost tough battles to Sasha Wallace at Brooks and NBNI (where she fell to 7th).

Hall didn’t get into the outdoor wars this spring until May, and since has run 13.67 to win 5A state and US#3 13.60 at the same USATF meet where Sant ran the 11.25 100.  There won’t be an easy road to victory as she returns here, with four other entrants under 14 seconds.  Leading them is Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.) junior Daeshon Gordon, who won Golden South with a US#11 13.77.  She was also 2nd at 4A state and 3rd at Arcadia.  Eleanor Roosevelt (Corona, Calif.) soph Jasmyne Graham (also a top LJ contender) and Long Beach Poly junior Kymber Payne are right behind Gordon on the list at 13.80. 

3. Another siege on 20-foot barrier in girls LJ?
If there isn’t at least one girl with a “20” next to her name at the end of Saturday’s long jump, it will be a shock.  And don’ t be surprised if Courtney Corrin’s 20-11 national leader gets at least a stiff challenge.

As was the case last year – when Sydney Conley’s 21-2w led seven girls at 19-9 or better (albeit all wind-aided) – the girls LJ is loaded.  Los Osos (Calif.) sr Kira Moreland, who has played second fiddle to her rival Corrin all year, finally tops the favorites list here.  Moreland has gone over 20 feet legal in five meets, but has only triumphed in the CIF-SS D1 Prelims – with her super US#3 20-7 – while Corrin won the D3 Prelims.  She’ll get super competition from George Washington (Denver) jr Chyna Ries, who has several meets over 20 feet (US#5 20-2.5/20-3.5nwi PRs) and was 2nd here in 2011.  Also in the mix will be Eleanor Roosevelt (Corona, Calif.) soph Jasmyne Graham (19-8.5w PR, 5th at state) and Holt (Wentzville, Mo.) senior Nataliyah Friar, whose 19-9.5w best came while taking 7th here last year.  Six others are also in the 19s.

4. Boys indoor 1-2 LJ’ers do battle
The boys’ long jump field isn’t as deep as the girls’, but it certainly is top-heavy.  You could make an argument that the field is led by the nation’s top two jumpers.

Tyler (Texas) senior Andre Jefferson has a national title to his credit, having taken the NBNI crown at 24-8.5 and also with a US#2 24-11 best indoors.  Outdoors, he has been pretty consistent over 24, with 4A state and Texas Relay titles in hand.  Mountain Pointe (Phoenix, Ariz.) senior Travonn White stunned fans over the winter in his only indoor meet – the USATF West Zone champs – with a US#1 25-3.5.  He does have a legal 24-6.5 outdoors, but at state he leapt just 22-10.5 for 3rd (and was 7th here last year).  White does have more creds from 2012, though, too: He was D1 champ then with 24-5.5 and went 24-10.5 (both legal) at Sun Angel.  If both are on Saturday, we could have a new pair of outdoor 25-footers.

One other possible threat: El Paso Burges junior KeAndre Bates hasn’t been above 23 this year, but was 2nd last year here at 23-6.5.

5. Can Brittain get back to 7-3?
Like his fellow Texan, Daven Murphree, Randal (Amarillo) senior Logan Brittain has some major creds from a few months ago, but hasn’t been at that level since.  In Brittain’s case, it’s a US#2 7-3 high jump he had back in March.  He hasn’t been within five inches of that since, with just a 6-8 at 4A state – though it was good for his third straight title.  Oddly, he’s went from 7-0 as a soph, to 6-10 as a junior, to 6-8 as a senior in that meet.

Brittain is also the defending champ here at GSW, with a 6-8 getting it done in 2012 as well.  That height may not get it done this time, however, if any of the three others who have done 6-10 or better have anything to do with it.  Olathe North (Kansas) senior Kai Shean-Rowden is his state’s 6A champ with a 6-11 best; Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) junior Colt Sessions went 6-11 for his state’s 4A crown; and North Canyon (Phoenix) junior Bryant O’Georgia cleared 6-10 for his state’s D1 title.

6. Harmon-Thomas chases 5,000
In 2012, the very talented Alexa Harmon-Thomas, then a Lawrence Free State (Kansas) soph, scored 4,688 points in the heptathlon here, but had to settle for third behind Kendall Williams – the Georgia star who would set the USR later in the summer – and freakily talented Gaby Williams of Nevada, a multis neophyte with crazy springs that got her fourth in the Olympic Trials high jump.

This year, one Williams has other plans and the other has been injured, so Harmon-Thomas is the solid favorite.  At the NBNI pentathlon this past winter, Harmon-Thomas was 330 points behind Kendal Williams’ USR, but the good news was that she still scored 3,738, good for #4 all-time.  Here, scoring 5,000 points and ascending to the elite level is a good goal; she could be the 10th in the history of the meet to do so.  Note: Through the first day, Harmon-Thomas leads by 102 points with a 3,258 total – more than 200 ahead of last year.

7. Mahler succeeds the legends
If you’re a decathlete trying to win at GSW, you can’t help but be motivated – hopefully not intimidated – by the legends of the recent past.  Local star Curtis Beach and Oklahoma standout Gunnar Nixon both set national records here.  Now comes Texan Wolf Mahler, who scored 7.274 last summer and comes in as the strong favorite.  No one else in the field has scored 6,000.  Does Mahler have what it takes to get at least 7.500 or better.  Note: Through the first day, Mahler leads by 335 points with a 3,771 total.  He won the 100, shot put and 400.

8. No more pain for Payne
Like fellow Golden Staters Ariana Washington and Kira Moreland, Long Beach Poly junior Kymber Payne (also a 100H contenders) will take advantage of a rare year when GSW and the California State Meet don’t conflict and comes to Albuquerque as a favorite.  And, like Moreland, Payne will do so while finally being able to step out from a rival’s shadow.

Payne has a US#3 41.32 best in the 300H, but she’s finished second to US#1 Jade Miller on half a dozen different occasions – most recently last weekend as Miller ran her nation-leading 41.02.  At Mt. SAC, Miller finished a mere .01 ahead of Payne.  But Miller is not in the ABQ, so Payne is favored over Centennial (Nev.) junior Tiana Bonds – who scored her US#7 41.84 best in winning her D1 state title.  Four others with bests under 43.00 will attempt to challenge, with the aforementioned Daeshon Gordon from Florida the next best at 42.16.

9. Can Jones get back under 1:50?
Charles Jones, Jr. came here last year as a soph from Cardinal Ritter (St. Louis, Mo.), sporting a stunning 1:49.96 best from his Class 3 State Meet.  Quite a mark for a 10th-grader, but he ran into a very determined senior, Centennial, Nevada’s Nick Hartle, who blasted a meet record 1:49.48 for the title, about two seconds up on Jones.

Jones backed up his time during the summer, though, with a 1:49.78 at AAU JOs.  This spring, he’s ruled the ShowMe State again, albeit with a slightly slower 1:50.33 best.  Can he finally get another sub-1:50, this time as the favorite?  There should be no question that he’ll be pushed.  2012’s third place finisher here, Blair Henderson of St. Louis, La., hit 1:51.71 a year ago, 1:52.22 indoors, then has been under 1:51 three times this spring – including a little-noticed 1:50.04 in an age-group meet last weekend.  Boyd Anderson (Fla.) soph Javon Patterson, another young talent who was second at Golden South in 1:51.15, will also challenge.

10. Utahans could rule the distances
No, Dream Mile and Arcadia 3,200 champ Ben Saarel isn’t here.  Neither is the state’s top distance girl, Sarah Feeny.  But most of the rest of the distance standouts in Utah will be here this weekend and are favored in the six longest races.

You can start in the boys’ 3,200, where Sky View’s super soph Conner Mantz was the state 4A runnerup and ran 9:04.05 at Arcadia.  In the girls’ 8-lapper, it’s Orem senior Summer Harper, 2nd here last year and also a 4A runnerup and with a best of 10:42.81, who is the favorite.  In the 1,500, it’s Herriman soph Lucy Biles on the girls’ side, with a 4:56.62 1,600 best, while Ogden senior Jordan Cross – who clocked 4:10.97 for 1,600 at Chandler back in March – wears the fave mantle in the boys’ metric mile.  Finally, Timpanogos senior Jake Heslington, who ripped an 8:59.73 3,200 at Arcadia, is trying his hand at the 2k steeplechase with a good chance to take home gold.

Don’t think, however, that Utahans won’t be challenged.  In the boys’ 3,200, there’s 9:06.86 performer Chris Mooneyham from Missouri, as well as home-state fave Luis Martinez – the Cleveland (Rio Rancho) senior who may have “only” run 9:22 for 3,200 this year, but has a 4:11.66 1,600 best and was the NXN Southwest champ and 3rd-place finisher the past two years in XC.  And another Missouri runner, Spencer Haik, last week ran a 4:12.22 mile and will challenge in the 1,500.