She sometimes gets overshadowed by her superstar teammate, but Carolyn Wilson (Oaks Christian) ranks among the nation's top 5 returners in the indoor 400.
Despite the cooler weather, winter competition is getting ready to heat up in California! There are 4 scheduled all-comers meets this weekend, followed by a whole passel of them the next weekend - and that weekend (of January 14th) is also when we will likely see the first true indoor competition for Golden State athletes, as well! It's time to take a detailed look at the athletes that are most likely to make a big impact this winter. Given the dual nature of the California winter season, where athletes can compete in both true indoor and outdoor "all-comers" meets, it seems best to preview the two event sets separately for the sprinters and hurdlers.
Returning Indoor Stars
Two of California's all-time best competed in multiple indoor meets last winter, and both of them are back with something to prove. Tara Davis (Agoura) ran 8.34 for the 60 Hurdles at the Simplot Games, US #2 among returners, but then ended up 6th at New Balance Nationals Indoor. After showing everyone that she is a threat to lead the nation in both jumps this year (she was 2nd in both at NBNI), I imagine she wants to establish that the same is true for the hurdles. Meanwhile, Lauren Rain Williams (Oaks Christian) is back to defend her 200 Dash national title, and you can bet that she's ready to compete again after having her outdoor season cut short due to an injury during the 200 final at the CIF State Meet. Williams ran well over a second faster than any other California athlete indoors, and three tenths faster than the #2 returner in the nation! She also finished 3rd in the 60 Dash at nationals, with the #1 returning time in the country in that event as well. By all rights, she should have been one of the stars that lit up the international scene last summer, with trips to the US Olympic Trials and World Juniors very likely. Hopefully, we will see a fully recovered athlete tearing up indoor tracks again this winter!
It will be interesting to see how much the Calabasas duo of Tierra Crockrell and Deanna Nowling have improved since last summer. The pair of sophomores are the #2 (Nowling) and #3 (Crockrell) California returners in the 60 Dash indoors, and Tierra is also CA #2 returning in the 200 (junior Tierra Robinson-Jones is the only other girl that cracked 25 indoors). Carolyn Wilson (Oaks Christian) was by far the best 400 runner in the state during true indoor competition last year, clocking 54.56 to rank 5th in the nation going into this season. Also, keep an eye on Jasmin Reed (Serra), who ran several indoor meets last winter but made a big jump forward in the spring, making the 100 & 200 finals at the CIF State Meet.
Returning Outdoor (All-Comers) Stars
When you talk about running the 60 Dash outdoors during the winter, you have to consider two major variables. What is the temperature at race time? Anything less than 60 degrees makes it hard for a sprinter's muscles to fire at full power. Was there a wind, and if so was it behind the athletes or in their face? These things can make the race a toss-up: sometimes the outdoor performances are slower than true indoor competition, but occasionally they can be faster. Take the example of Ariyonna Augustine (Long Beach Poly), who ran 7.50 to win the Winter Championships title, a time that would make her 13th among returning athletes nationwide if it was run indoors. How do we judge that against wind-neutral, temperature-controlled performances? Does it represent her best, or did conditions hinder her? I suspect that, if she chooses to return to indoor competition (she went to NBNI in 2014 and won the freshman 60 Dash), Augustine will definitely be among the top 10 athletes in the nation, but it's hard to tell whether she is a contender for the top 5. Emerald Bowens (Redlands East Valley) also ran 7.50, which turned out to be quite a bit faster than her true indoor races last winter (her best was 7.65).
When you look at the 300 Dash in all-comers competition, another complicating factor gets introduced: the curves on an outdoor track are much wider, which makes it easier to approach full speed; on a standard 200 meter indoor track, a sprinter must navigate 3 tight curves, including one at the start of the race. That renders any comparison between indoor and outdoor 300's nearly useless. Still, we did see Kaelin Roberts (Carson) clock 38.72 in the one race she ran last winter, which was a harbinger of her incredible 2016 spring season. Breanna Bernard-Joseph (Eleanor Roosevelt) is back to defend her Winter Championships title in that event, having won in 39.17 over Wilson. Both Nowling and Crockrell could challenge for the win in either the 60 or the 300 this year with solid improvement.
Some people might argue with the placement of the 600 Run as a sprint - it's an interesting hybrid race where speedy mid-distance runners can compete with top long sprinters. Wilson won the Winter Championships race in dominating fashion in 2016, while 400/800 runner Bailey Pate (West Ranch) is the #2 returner.
While Davis posted the top hurdle time in all-comers competition, she did not compete at the Winter Championships. Danae Dyer (Temecula Valley) and Shante Robinson (Mira Costa) were 2-3 in that meet, and they might end end up battling for the win this year.
Stars We Hope to See
Obviously, it would be great to see Roberts and her Carson teammates do some work on the indoor circuit this winter - I'm guessing they could run a pretty mean 4x200! It would also be cool to see Rae'vyn Lawler (Sacramento) run the 60 indoors at some of the big meets in the western US. I think it would be interesting to watch Maliyah Medley (El Toro) against national competition in the indoor 400, too. And of course I'd pay to see the two Vacaville hurdlers, Jurnee Woodward and Reonna Collier, competing indoors, not to mention Kaylah Robinson (El Cerrito). Along with Davis, those three could help California take over the indoor 60 Hurdles rankings!