We thought this one might end up being huge, and it is...
Air Force High School Indoor Open Start Lists
For those not yet entered, but who just decided they want to be, race day registration is still available.
Some of tomorrow's projected highlights:
Girls 60 Meters - Ally Watt heads a field with no less than 13 entries seeded below 8.00. That means at least five of those girls aren't making finals. So much for coasting through prelims here.
Boys 200 Meters - It's hard to see anyone but Jai'Shawn Thompson as the favorite here, but we should get some really nice looks at Trevor Cook, Jack Robb (newly back from an injury and coming down a distance from his usual 400), and Aaron Ragin. And, in the realm of the unknown is Chris Robbins, representing Centennial Track Club. His name does not show up in the MileSplit databanks, but if he can live up to his seed times, it should be something special.
Girls 200 Meters - Ally Watt, Alexei Cox, and Mackenzie Howie all come in with seeds under 25 seconds. Cox has run mostly shorter stuff this winter, so this will be something of a new look for us. What's interesting about Watt and Howie is that they are teammates at Pine Creek this spring. The relay potential at Pine Creek is simply off the charts right now.
Boys 400 Meters - Jack Robb, Zane Vanderberg, Aaron Ragin, and Gabe Brown makes most of a very strong heat. The one-turn stagger, followed by two turns of unlaned racing makes this one all the more interesting. Pencil Vanderberg in as the favorite as he has the best time of the season--by quite a bit.
Boys 800 Meters - It should be a good showdown between Liam Meirow and Zac Petrie. It's too bad William Mayhew isn't listed here as well (maybe he shows up on meet day). Meirow is faster than his 1:59 season best and this setup gives him a little more reason to show it than he's had in previous meets.
Girls 800 Meters - I'm not sure who the #1 seed Meghan Kearney is, but if she's ready to bump elbows with Katie Rainsberger for three laps, this one could be fun.
Boys Mile - Who doesn't want to see what kind of shape Cerake Geberkidane is in right now?
Boys 2 Mile - Liberty Bell titleist Matthew Barrazza comes back to Colorado for this one. Can any of the Colorado guys hold him off this time?
Girls 60 Hurdles - It would be nice to see Dior Hall on the start line, but it will be a race-day registration if we do. Hannah Felice lists an 8.40 seed time. That's rarified air there, but she will have Carly Lester pushing her. Let's see what comes down with this one!
Boys and Girls Pole Vault - It should go without saying that this is one of the marquee events of this meet--every year. Air Force is a great pole vault program, and this isn't a bad meet to come to to put your pole vault skills on display. Connor McLean is a 16 foot kind of vaulter. Desert Vista out of Arizona is bringing in a few of their top vaulters. Jake Alme and Vanessa Davis should be among the last vaulters standing. And, the locals have a few entries like Megan McCabe and Brad Mattison who've earned a few pole vault accolades of their own. Keep an eye on how these contests progress.
Boys Long Jump - Ron Sweeten and Connor Turnage should push each other a little. A 23-footer isn't in the land of fantasy here.
Girls Long Jump - Maya Evans has already been to 18-4 this season. And she has several girls in the field who are fully capable of pushing her out a little farther than that.
Girls Shot Put - Don't believe Mariah Walker's seed mark. Somebody missed a keystroke there. Walker is currently threatening the few remaining places ahead of her on the Colorado all-time list. 46 - 48 feet is definitely possible. And, I believe Shaina Burns is coming in from Minnesota, where she threw over 42 feet in her state meet this spring.
For reasons that aren't always transparent to me, the walk-up crowd at a meet like this is usually pretty good. Clearly, there are a few additional entries out there who could add even more to an already loaded meet. We'll see what we get on Saturday morning.