Memorable Matchups In Class A Sprints And Hurdles


Girls

100m/200m

No surprise here, the 2 fastest girls at the State Final last year are back again to duel it out. T'nia Riley of Minneapolis North and Jia Lewis of Minneapolis Edison High. Senior T'nia Riley has ran her PR twice at 11.79 - once to win the state meet 100m dash and the other to win the AAU Region 14 Qualifier in July. With vast improvement throughout last year, and an almost undefeated season in the finals in both 2016 and 2017, look for her to be unstoppable. On the other hand, Jia Lewis comes in with the second fastest time of 11.93, also at the state meet final. However, her PR of 11.91 dates back to 2014 in the Section 4A finals. Although she doesn't seem to be the most consistent, she has been on the big stage multiple times including the USATF National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships. Junior Maelea Harmon of Waterville-Elysion-Morristown comes into this year's track season with plenty of experience. She took 4th in 2017 in the 100m dash with a time of 12.30, 3rd in 2016 with a time of 12.42, and took 7th in the 200m dash with a time of 25.85 in 2017 as well. With the consistency and experience Maelea has, she could be one to dethrone either T'nia and Jia. Looking into the 200m dash, both T'nia Riley and Jia Lewis are back at it again. They took first and second respectively, but with only a 0.05 second gap between the two. Also worth noting is the .81 second difference between the Jia and the next fastest lady. Secondly, four of the top five places from last year return, with only two being seniors this year. Junior Kya Phillips of Cristo Rey Jesuit HS (who placed fourth last year at the state meet) will also be looking to fight for a top spot in the 200m dash. With a PR of 25.27 and still improving, she'll be looking to lower that differential between her and the two up front. However, when looking at the USATF National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships, it is worth noting that Kya took down the elder Jada Lewis placing 3rd in the prelim with a time of 26.07. Lastly, eighth grade sensation CJ Adamson of Rochester Lourdes High School will try to repeat her fantastic performance from last year. As a seventh grader, she took fifth place at the state meet with a 25.62 200m dash. While many other girls are most likely doubling or tripling in other events, if CJ stays fresh for the 200m dash, she could do some major damage.


400m

Kya Phillips of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School looks to take the crown once again in the 400m dash. After winning with a time of 56.40, she is one of the top athletes in the state. Competing at the USATF National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships in the 400m dash as well, she took 18th in the prelims with a time of 57.84. In the month following the state meet, she was still able to win the USATF Minnesota JO Championships, and still compete almost a month and a half following the regular season. Junior Robbie Grace of Blake (also a fantastic long jumper) comes in with the second fastest PR in the state from last year with a time of 57.31. She took 4th place at Hamline as a freshman, and finished third at the state AA meet. After Blake switched to Single A, she took third place at state in the 400m dash, and followed it up with a second place finish from last year. You know this girl will be near the top. The freshman duo of Lizzy Schmidt from Belle Plaine High School and Hannah Cornelius will look to find themselves in the top 3 at the state meet. Both girls are extremely similar in PR's and will be sure to have a close finish. Looking at the 400 as a whole, 10 girls come into the year with sub-60 second PR's.


Hurdles

When looking at the State Meet results from last year, one glaring fact sticks out. Everyone is a senior except for one individual: Ailsa Gilbert. The Watertown-Mayer product took 8th at the state meet last year as the sole underclassman. She comes into this year with a PR of 15.14 Hamline Elite Meet from last year. Also a talented jumper, she took second at the state championships last year in the triple jump, third the year before, and fourth as an 8th grader. In addition, she took 10th as a freshman in the 100m hurdles with a time of 15.46. Her steady improvement seems to be valuable as she sits at the top of the chart now. With only .1 seconds separating the PR's of senior Emma Weatherly from Byron High School and Ailsa Gilbert, the crown of the short sprint hurdles seems to be wide open. As a sophomore, she took fifth in the 100m hurdles with a time of 15.63. With three state meet appearances under her belt, she has more than enough experience to vie for the title. Rounding out the top 5, are Michelle Neece of Pipestone Area High School, Paige Ziegler of Frazee High School, and Lizzy Subbert of Fairmont High School. Best of all, these three ladies are only separated by .01 seconds with PR's of 15.48, 15.49, and 15.49 respectively. Lastly, Senior Aleece Durbin of Crookston High School rounds out the women with sub 16-second PR's in the 100m hurdles.

Leading the field in the 300 hurdles is sophomore Karley Motschenbacher of Park Christian High School, who was third at the state meet last year just barely sneaking under 45 seconds with a time of 44.99. Also a sophomore, Jaylen Struck-Schmitz of Belle Plaine High School follows close behind with a PR of 45.17 from last year's state prelims. Although she did qualify for the finals, she did not race for an unknown reason. Look for her to want redemption at the state meet. Senior Aleece Durbin is back again in the 300 hurdles with the third fastest time in the state. Her 45.57 is a bit behind Jaylen Struck-Schmitz but also over half a second ahead of Marissa Richter of Dover-Eyota High School. Aleece placed 4th in the prelims last year, and had a tough final finishing in eighth with a time of 48.56. Although, that may have not been her ideal result, you can expect she is hungry for more.