8th Annual Atlanta Games Invitational Preview

This Saturday marks the 8th year of the Atlanta Games Invitational. MileSplit Georgia will be onsite covering the event with exclusive photos of field events, a photo gallery of all heats of running events and shooting video of every heat of track events to be posted asap. The meet got its beginning in 2013 and every Spring has been held at beautiful Lakewood Stadium hosted by Grady HS. Currently, 40 schools are registered to compete along with over 1200 athletes. The meet will also feature a Coach's 4x100 relay event again this year. So Coaches, please dust off the spikes and show your kids who truly run things! After constant rain the past 4 days, cancelling dozens of meets and Friday being a test of the fittest, with wind gusts up to 40 mph, you better hold on to your hats and batten the hatches down! Saturday appears to be quite mild, sunny, high in the low 60's and a slight breeze. This should help produce some of the best performances of the season thus far.. An unusual factoid about Lakewood is its a 9 lane track.

(scroll down for Meet records)

GIRLS

In the Girls team competition, powerful Hillcrest HS out of Simpsonville, SC will be on a mission to Atlanta aiming to take the team hardware back across the state line. The Rams are the reigning AAAAA champs in South Carolina and are loaded in the sprints, 800m and relays. McEachern may have the best shot to stick with Hillcrest.  The Indians are tough in the hurdles, jumps and sprints. Dunwoody (defending 5A state champs) are very strong in the Throws (featuring Janae Profit), as well as distance and jumps. Monroe Comprehensive (4th in 4A last season) seems to reload every season with young talent, and always have speed, jumps, hurdles and look strong in the throws for Atlanta Games Invitational. North Cobb Christian will rely on Synclair Savage to ring up big points in the jumps & sprints. 

Girls Athletes to Watch

Based on entries submitted to the Atlanta Games, after 'registration' was closed, here are the top female athletes to be on the lookout for. (Relays are based only on current season bests) Georgia tracksters Milan Ming of Atlanta Girls School (200/400), Lauren Lewis of Langston Hughes (800/1600), Synclair Savage of North Cobb Christian (100/200/LJ), Chakiya Plummer (100/300 hurdles), Jayda Parsons (100m/LJ) and Jayla Brown (100h/TJ) of McEachern,  Janae Profit (Shot/Discus) and Ariel Lawrence (LJ/TJ) of Dunwoody along with Layla Senter (Shot/Discus) of Decatur are truly Georgia Elite and are not to be missed at Atlanta Games. Anna Mothner of Dunwoody is the favorite to win the 3200m run.