https://dop3o1hd82eb7.cloudfront.net/user_files/11171/2012 coaches invitational acceptance list.pdf
Boys 100
How low can they go……..11 guys are seeded under 11.0!!!!!!!! Amba Etta/McEachern has the best time of the all the competitors this season but will receive some major competition from Branson Thompson,/Chestatee, Levon Whitfield/ Jones HS won the 100m last summer at Golden South in 10.31. Lee Williams/Maclay HS and Florida A&M signee will also be competitive as will Tracy McKinney of Smith Station who is fresh off a 6A State Championship in the Alabama Indoor 60m. Don’t blink during this final or you will miss out on something special.
Boys 110 hurdles
The top 2 seeds are Region rivals Tye Richardson/Sprayberry (2011 AAAA 3rd State) and Devon Williams/Kell (2011 AAAA State Runner up) who will battle it out through the final hurdle. Dennis Gillespie/Norcross has started off 2012 very strong as has Quincy Mauger/Kell,and Tanner Riddle/N. Forsyth and they could content for the title.
Boys 1600
This will be one exciting race with 15 runners under 4:30. Peachtree Ridge’s Josh Brickell is the pre-race favorite, coming in with an impressive 4:19. Josh was the GHSA AAAAA State XC champion as well as placing 8th at Footlocker Nationals last fall. Zane Coburn from Grady High School has been impressive this season with stand out performance at the Eagles Landing Chick-fil-A Invitational by posting a 1:54 800m. That kind of speed is going to be a factor in this race at Tech. Senior Adam Jones from Columbus will be in contention with a personal best of 4:21. Bailey Roth of Eagles Landing will also be one to watch. Just a sophomore who is coming into his own, he won the GHSA AAA State Cross Country Championships in 2011. Another pack of boys that will be in the mix is Brian Sullivan from Walton, Chattahoochee’s Austin Erickson, Kevin Mills of Peachtree Ridge and Sid Vaughn from Lakeside Evans.
Long jump
Boys long jump looks to be an extremely competitive event yet again at the Coaches Invitational in 2012. This yea’rs field consists of 5 jumpers over 22 feet. However, one young man, Cameron Luper from Auburn High School, has separated himself from the pack with a personal best of 23' 10.75" hoping to eclipse the elite 24' mark this weekend. You will also not want to miss this event, as 3 of the top 5 jumpers duking it out (Myles Everett, Pope/Michael Newton, Sprayberry/Devon Williams, Kell), are from the same County and each have a chance of going over 23'! Should be a great battle as each young man will be also looking to gain the upper hand for next week’s Cobb County Championships!
Boys High Jump
Lining up to be a great competition featuring Oglethorpe County’s Maurice Freeman who cleared 6’-6” as a freshman, took a couple of years off, and has already cleared 6’-8” this year and Etowah’s Brandon Goodman who was second in last year’s 5A Georgia Olympics with 6’-8”. Also pushing these two will be Jones County’s Trevor Shuler, North Forsyth’s Super Soph Tanner Riddle, and Auburn High School’s and Alabama State Indoor Runner-up Quinn Nalls, who have all gone over 6’-6” this early season.
Boys Triple Jump
This year’s competition in the boys triple jump will be a highly contested event. All of the entries have leaped 40 feet or more. The top contenders are Lee Williams of Maclay and Quin Nalls of Auburn, who have both jumped 47 feet or more. The top six competitors have all leaped 44 feet or more.
Boys Discus:
Sensational Freshman thrower Kenneth Brinson(Marist) is coming in with an advantage in the discus this year already throwing over 180 feet, and is looking to push closer to the 200 foot mark and a possible state record down the line. The pushing will likely be done by the top challengers Tony Philpot(Opelika), Jordan Chambers(Kell), and a pair of Eagle's Landing High School Throwers Shawayne Lawrence and Gino Fabrezio.
Boys Shot Put:
Jordan Chambers (Kell HS), last year's Georgia AAAA state champion in the shot put, looks to hold off a strong field of throwers which include Tony Philpot(Opelika), Matt Roon(Grayson), Marco Vahoua(Pope), and Kenneth Brinson(Marist), all of whom have thrown over 50 feet this year.
Boys PV
Last year’s State record was truly exciting but this years should prove to showcase some quality talent as well. Austin Eckenroth's is clearly the front runner with a PR of 15'10"however he has 4 other competitors nipping on his heels. Tyler Craig at 15'-0"; Tray Oats at 14'-10", James Wink at 14'-8" and Matt Morris at 14'-6".
4X100
Just as the Men’s 100 will be blistering so will the 4X100. Featuring Sprayberry, Kell (2011 AAAA 5th) Auburn (currently has the fastest time in Alabama), Smith Station (Fastest Alabama team in 2011) Norcross and Jones. North Cobb has also looked impressive so far this season and could also challenge the heavy weights.
4X400
McEachern , Sprayberry(47.0 anchor leg in Michael Newton) and Kell have posted some quality times so far this season and good competition always brings out the best in everyone. This will be a great race to end the 2012 Coaches Invitational J
4X1600
Georgia is impressive in this annual distance brawl boosting incredible times. All teams must remain focused or the last leg could be a dream killer. Brookwood comes in as the favorite after winning the XC title in the fall. Peachtree Ridge (fastest 1600 submitted in Josh Brickell) will battle to the final leg as will St Pius, Lakeside Evans and Walton. This will be a competitive race that will definitely get a few names on the ALL TIME Georgia record books.
Girls 100
After a very successful Summer and indoor season Brianna Vaughn/Union Grove (2011 AAAA State 3rd) comes into the Coaches Invitational as the top seed. She will be pursed by a host of fleet feeted women in Jasmine Abrahams/Grayson(2011 AAAAA State 4th) , Tayla Carter/Walton(2011 AAAAA State 2nd) and Sonikqua Walters/ Peachtree Ridge.
100 Hurdles
Kendall Williams/Kell (2011 AAAA State Champion/HS National Record Holder) will again be a pleasure to watch in the 100 hurdles as the top seed. The race for 2nd will be from Michaela Greer/Walton. , Autumn Burnette, Peachtree Ridge (2011 AAAAA State Runner up) and Shanel Burr/ North Cobb (2011 AAAAA State 5th).
Girls 1600
Great competitive field for the girls 1600m run. Stefanie Kurgatt from the Maclay School in Tallahassee, Florida is leading the way with a personal best time of 4:56. Stefanie was the 2nd place finisher in the 2011 Florida State High School XC Championships last November. Caroline Kissel of Brookwood will be challenging the lead pack with a personal best of 5:04. Sahara Fletcher of Westminster is the reigning GHSA –AA State 3200m Champion, as well as GHSA Cross Country - AA State Champion. Sahara comes in with a 5:06 1600m. Lauren Kelly from Peachtree Ridge who is coming in with a personal best of 5:09 will also be in contention. Rounding out the top group will be three girls who are running well this season coming off great performances last fall – Marci Merriman from Lassiter, Annie Kelly from Milton, and Sarah Bowles from Lakeside Evans.
Girls Long Jump
This event will be a fun one to watch. Tika Slay, a multi-event athlete, from Alexander(2011 AAAA State Champion) comes into the Tech meet leading the group with a PR of 18-08. Nadia Lee the 2011-Region3 AAAA Long & Triple Jump Champion and GHSA - AAAA state runner up in the Triple Jump posts an 18-05 best. Also contending for the top spot from the state of Florida, coming out of Jones High School in Orlando, is Jazmyne Gilliam with a best jump of 17-11.
Girls High Jump
Girl’s high jump features National Indoor Champion and number one nationally ranked Kendell Williams, of Kell High School, who has already cleared 6’-0” this year. Five other girls have gone at least 5’-4” this year including Westminster’s Olivia Hewitt, North Forsyth’s Carlin Light and Marist’s Bailey Weiland who all battled for the title last year with Olivia as the champion.
Girls Triple Jump
The top girl to watch in this event will be Imoni McCorvey from Maclay High School in Tallahassee, FL. Imoni has a PR of 38-2 and is the 2011 Florida High School State Runner up in the Triple Jump. Nadia Lee from McIntosh will be jumping at McCorvey’s heels as she is the 2011-Region 3 AAAA Long & Triple Jump Champion and the GHSA-AAAA State Runner up in this event. Jakayla Hand from Opelika, AL has a PR of 37-3 in the Triple Jump. She placed third in the 2012 Alabama High School State Indoor Championships in this event.
Girls Discus:
A strong group of seniors lead a very talented group of throwers in this year's Coaches Invitational. The discus event is really up for grabs and should be very competitive. Look for Seniors Dana Cole(Allatoona), Avana Story(Woodward), Joi Iverson(Columbus), Monica Phillips(Pope), and Sophomore Shakeela Webb(Auburn) to challenge for the top spots.
Girls Shot Put:
This year expect to see some exceptional Girls Shot Put marks put up by a group of very capable senior ladies who have all thrown over 38 feet. The group to watch for this year includes Avana Story(Woodward), Shermaine Pinkard(Jones County), Shelby Smith(Grayson), Monica Phillips(Pope), and Charity Grimes(Alexander).
Girls PV
Megan Clark/Columbus and a recent Duke signee will battle it out with Anna Dunn/Creekview as both have outstanding early seasons. Other challengers should include Elise Moffatt/Allatoona and Lillian Van Winkle//Mclay. With all these quality ladies the meet record of 11’10 could be in jeorpardy.
4X100
Walton (2011 AAAAA 6th) boasts the fastest time this year (2011 AAAAA 4th)however McEachern is always in the mix as will Jones High School, Peachtree Ridge and Grayson.
4X400
2011 AAAAA State Runner-up, McEachern is the only team this season to go under 4:00 but will be challenged by Eastside who ran an incredible 3:48 in 2011 in route to the AAA State Championship. Peachtree Ridge, Grayson and Jones High School will also make the race exciting down to the final leg of the race. .
4X1600
The powerhouse distance schools will again be impressive as they strut their stuff. Walton (2011 AAAAA State XC Champions) will battle it out with Harrison (2011 XC State Runner up), Marist (2011 AAAA State Champions), Westminster (2011 AA State Champions), Lakeside Evan, Brookwood and Peachtree Ridge.