This meet features several heavyweight match ups. The following is an analysis of the top competitors in each field event.
High Jump
For the girls, Melanie Trumbo and Maya Moore have been head and shoulders above the competition. Trumbo has cleared 5'7" while Moore cleared 5'8" last year. It will be interesting to see if Maya has had enough time after the conclusion of basketball season to find her rhythm. Lavonda Watson, of Mill Creek, has been jumping well of late and cleared a personal best of 5'4" in a meet two weeks ago.
For the boys, Daniel Averso of Providence Christian Academy, is alone at the top of the heap in this one. The story here will be whether or not Daniel can keep himself relaxed enough to reach those big marks he seems destined for. Championships are all about winning first, records second. If Daniel can keep this in mind, it will be interesting to see if he can crack the 7' barrier.
Pole Vault
If Erica Penk is recovered from what appeared to be an early season injury, she and Annalise Peters from GACS should be set up to put on a show in the vault. Both athletes have cleared 11'00" and the county meet has often produced some epic battles. This year should be no different.
For the boys, Cameron Cheek, from Mill Creek, has already broken 15' in the vault this year and typically that would be more than enough to win. But talent responds to challenges and that is the case again this year as several other vaulters have already broken the 14' barrier and could challenge for the title. Michael Hughes of GACS has cleared 15' this season. Michael Martin, of Parkview, has cleared 14' and Wes Graham of North Gwinnett has also cleared 14'. This one should be an event not to miss!
Long Jump
Nicole Okolo, of Collins Hill, has absolutely blossomed this year and one of the areas where she has most improved is the long jump. With a top mark of 18'4.5", Nicole has the edge on Tierra Bagby, of Shiloh, and Latoya Collins, of Norcross. A lot will depend on how these young ladies respond to the cooler temperatures expected on Saturday.
With 6 boys all within four inches of each other, this one is literally up for grabs. Tyrece Berry, of Norcross, Larry Cooper and Jay Archer, both of South Gwinnett, have all cleared 21' this season.
Triple Jump
Nicole Okolo, once again sits at the top of the heap with a 37'8.5" effort. Erica Penk is a gamer though and has jumped 36'1" this season. Again, the person that handles the weather the best will be the one standing on the top of the podium at the end of this one.
Steven Rattigan, of Brookwood, has the edge here with a leap of 43'8" this season. If he falters, look for Donald Taylor, of Shiloh, or Kendall Parks, of Norcross, to make their move. TJ Holliday, of Collins Hill, should also be in contention for this one.
Shot Put
One would think that Eve Machovec would be the number one ranked competitor but junior Juliana Smith, of Berkmar, has posted a 40'11" mark already this season and will give the younger Machovec a challenge. Ana Ruiz, of Collins Hill, has also been throwing well with a 37'6" effort already this season.
Israel Machovec is hitting on all cylinders right now in the shot put. With his recent 60 foot plus effort at the Coaches Invitational he is close to 13' in front of his closest competitor, ninth grader Ryan Robinson of Mill Creek. If Machovec can hit his positions an eye opening mark is a possibility here and Scott Erbach's 1987 record of 57' 2 ½" is definitely in danger here.
Discus
Eve Machovec, should find herself atop the standings based on her performances so far. The county record is 136'1", held by Mandy Kinney of Brookwood. If the wind is blowing right, this could be another mark that bites the dust as Machovec has already hit 143' this season.
Brother Israel, hit a 180' throw at an all comers meet this week and is considered the front runner. The county record is 181'7" set by Kibwe Johnson of North Gwinnett, and this one too could go down if conditions are right on Saturday. Eric Gill, of Collins Hill, and Michael Butler, also from Dacula, should be in the hunt for medals.
4x800
The Parkview boys, appear to be the class of the field although Brookwood, Central Gwinnett, Mill Creek and Berkmar could make this one interesting.
The girls race should be quite a match up as Collins Hill, Grayson, Brookwood, and Peachtree Ridge battle it out over 8 laps. This one could go much faster than it is on paper if four teams are locked up tight coming into the fourth leg. How teams set up their teams could be the difference in this one.
4x100
Shiloh, Parkview, Peachtree Ridge, Norcross, South Gwinnett and Brookwood could have a photo finish in this one. Shiloh has the top time here but this is anybody's race and if the weather warms up, we could see a quick final. Hand offs will be crucial in this one. The smoothest team could walk away with this one.
For the girls, Collins Hill and Shiloh are the teams to beat. Norcross, Parkview and Collins Hill's 2nd team should all be in the hunt to make it on the podium.
1600m
Nathan Frasier comes in with the top time but bragging rights are at stake in this one and with a quality field, anything is possible. Billy Mateker, of Brookwood, Michael Winston, of Parkview and Matt Churley, also of Collins Hill, should all be in the front pack. While not as fast as the Cobb Championship 1600, this one shapes up as a quality field with a tight front pack. Frasier has the edge in this one but the field will be looking for any sign of weakness so again, another quality race is expected.
Jackie Drouin is by far the class of the field and one of the outstanding 1600m runners in the state. She is easily expected to retain her title. After her, things get interesting as a couple of freshman look to stake their claim to heir apparent. Sara Curry, of Peachtree Ridge and Nicole DiMercurio, of North Gwinnett, match up well and should battle it out for the full four laps. Don't be surprised if Amy French finds her way into the front pack as well which could make things interesting for DiMercurio. While not as deep as in years past, the girls at the top should be ready to run quality times.
400m
Brandon Erwin, of Grayson HS, returns one last time to defend his crown but young Miles Ottinot, a sophomore out of South Gwinnett, has posted a 48.50 and could provide a formidable obstacle for Brandon's quest. Expect a heavy weight battle here as these two athletes appear to be the front runners with Justin Davis of Peachtree Ridge and Donald Taylor, of Shiloh, also in the mix.
Brittany Hall of Meadowcreek is the class of the field. If she can handle the cool weather, she should sail through to the top spot. Danielle Davenport, of Norcross, has run 57.0 this season and will try to make it close against the speedy Hall.
100m
Caleb King, of Parkview, comes in with a seed time of 10.77 while Sydney James, of Norcross, comes in with a 10.78. Does it get any closer than this? Expect another photo finish with a tight pack of runners as the title of Gwinnett's fastest man is up for grabs.
Shannon Wilson, of Buford, and Kendra Davis, of Norcross, have turned in some lofty seed times. Nicole Mobley, of Berkmar, is a seasoned veteran as well along with Rayven Tirado of Collins Hill. This one should be tight at the front with Wilson having the edge.
100m/110m Hurdles
Once again, there is no clear cut favorite on the boy's side. There are 3 boys with times within .02 seconds of one another. Sam Henley of Brookwood has the top time with a 14.88. He'll be sorely tested by Evan Brusich, Parkview, and Hunter Treadaway, Greater Atlanta Christian.
On the girl's side, a clear cut favorite is evident. Nicole Okolo is by far the most talented hurdler in the race. Her only competition will be from teammate Lindsey Luce who has seen big improvements of late, dropping below 15.00 for the first time this season last week.
800m
Another great race in this one will see Billy Mateker of Brookwood line up against Tim Guglielmo of Collins Hill, Justin Schneider of GACS, Bryan Wilson of Collins Hill, and Frank Boling of GACS all capable of sub 2 minute 800m times. A photo finish is possible in this one with a huge pack together at the finish. Will it come down to who has the best kick or will other strategies prevail. Stay tuned for this one as a very talented field should make it through to finals.
This should be the race of the meet on the girl's side. Jackie Drouin and Erin Guglielmo from Collins Hill will line it up against Brittany Hall from Meadowcreek, one of the premier 800m runners in the nation. Will Guglielmo and Drouin be able to keep pace with the speedy Hall? Will Melissa Stephenson of Parkview and only a freshman be able to keep pace with the talented trio? What about Tamia Thomas of Brookwood who took a year away from the event but who has posted some eye opening times? Then there is the relatively unknown Brittany Watts from Shiloh? How does she fit in the mix? This one should be worth the price of admission.
200m
For the boys, Miles Ottinot of South Gwinnett and Caleb King of Parkview will hook up with Brandon Erwin, the Purdue football signee, in what should be a very close race and once again, it's anybody's race.
Latoya Collins of Norcross and Nicole Mobley of Berkmar should battle each other for the top spot in this one. Keep an eye out for freshman Brittany Broome of North Gwinnett along with Shannon Wilson and Tierra Bagby all working to get their way up on the podium.
300 Hurdles
Lindsey Luce has been steadily improving this season and this one should be her race. Kristi Vester, of Parkview, is young and getting better every meet and should provide Luce with her toughest competition. Bethany Ullrich, of Mill Creek, is a solid runner who will be ready to step in if somebody makes a mistake.
Once again, the story for the boys is who will step up? Jimmy Farley, of Dacula, and Hunter Treadaway, of GACS, turned in identical seed times. Kendall Parks and Sam Henley should be right in the mix along with Aziz Nasser in what should be a very tight race.
3200m
The boys race will feature such notables as Nathan Frasier, of Collins Hill, and Michael Winston of Parkview. Roland Adams of Colliins Hill and Patrick Ollinger of Parkview will keep it close but Frasier and Winston should be able to separate with Frasier getting the nod here.
The girls race will be a case of the old vs. new. Alexis Nichols, a senior from Collins Hill, will face a couple of new faces in Sara Curry and Nicole Dimercurio, from Peachtree Ridge and North Gwinnett respectively, along with teammate Allyson McGinty, a remarkable group of ninth graders. Abby Self should also be in the mix but hasn't been as successful on the oval as she was on the open trails in cross country. Could this be the meet that Self discovers the magic from cross country and challenges the front runner. This has the possibility of being a very interesting race.
4x400m
For the girls, it should be a battle to see who can get the closest to Collins Hill. On the boys side, once again there is no clear cut favorite and should be a close affair between several teams. This one might be decided by the team that needs the points for the win.
It's apparent that there are two very different meets that will take place this weekend. On the girls side, you have several clear cut favorites and a group of young talented contenders that are capable of anything. On the boys side, you have a series of races with no clear cut favorite, making the meet a virtual toss up. Every race will be huge for the boys as teams strive to earn valuable points. See you there as things crank up on Saturday morning!