Florida Female Athletes Take Aim at New Balance Nationals Heptathlon Title

DyeStat Florida

In 2013, Admiral Farragut sophomore Brittany McGee won the New Balance Nationals heptathlon title. Last season, the heptathlon title was stolen away back to the Midwest by Shania Burns, now at Texas A&M. This weekend, the state of Florida stands a very good chance of bringing the heptathlon title back to the Sunshine State.

Shania Burns, now at Texas A&M won the 2014 heptathlon with 5163 points but Burns is out of the picture now and the stage is set for one of the five competitors from Florida to take it. Foremost among them is Brittany McGee. McGee took a step back in 2014, falling to seventh-place but her finish to the 2015 outdoor high school season and her charge into a summer training regimen, have her poised as the one to beat. McGee, having already won the event and having recently signed to run track at Stanford, has little to prove.

"I think there's less pressure this year," McGee said. "I'm just going for a PR in every event and aiming for 5,000 points - if it wins, it wins."

Don't think that means McGee has let up on her training for NB Nationals. If anything, she's even more prepared for this one.

"This is the first season I've been completely healthy (coming into NB Nationals)," McGee said. "I've been able to do things I haven't had time to practice for in the past."

McGee elected to forego the Golden South Classic this year in order to hone in on training for the NB National heptathlon. Almost immediately after the high school season, McGee jumped into heptathlon training. The biggest gaps were her throws, the javelin and shot, and her most loathed event, the 800m. McGee has made use of numerous resources all across the Tampa area this summer. She worked with Riverview throwing coach Mike Zelazo on her javelin and shot put. She worked out with Dunedin's Olivia Welsh (3rd place at 2A state meet in 100m hurdles) in the 100m hurdles and worked out with her school coach Phil Barnhill on the other events.

"This is the first year I've been able to practice for all seven events," McGee said.

McGee even attacked her weakest event, the 800m this season. Technically, McGee was thinking about improving her 800m time at NB Nationals since October of 2014.

"I ran cross country last fall thinking, 'this is going to help me eight months in advance of the meet,'" McGee said. "Once the track season was over, I worked for two straight weeks on distance training."

McGee typically builds a lead through her wheelhouse events, the hurdles and high jump. She set PRs in both events in 2015. She also recorded two 19 feet long jumps since the end of the 2014 season. For McGee to win it, she'll have to build a formidable lead heading into the final event, the 800m. McGee finished 13th in the event the last two years and has aims at both improving her time and stacking up an insurmountable lead. She was encouraged watching Kansas State's Akela Jones win the NCAA heptathlon this year. Jones piled up a 250-point lead heading into the 800m and held on for the title.

Perhaps the biggest threat to McGee winning her second heptathlon title is another Florida athlete, Michelle Atherley. Atherley is a hurdle specialist and a pentathlon competitor, who is headed to Auburn in the fall. Atherley and McGee met once this year at the Lady Tarpon Invitational in Punta Gorda where Atherley won the 100m hurdles in 13.93. McGee cracked 14 seconds in the event this season at regionals, setting a PR but Atherly has ran a 13.61 this season. McGee, used to dominating the 100m hurdles in the heptathlon, might have to play second fiddle this year. Atherley's high jump marks stack up well against McGee's, too. Atherley has a 5-6 to her credit while McGee has just a 5-4 mark. McGee said she has been hitting 5-6 and 5-7 in practice leading up to NB Nationals but the first two events of this year's heptathlon will be grueling competition.

"This is my first heptathlon but it felt like a natural progression into the outdoor season to do the heptathlon. I had already competed in five events of the indoor season so I figured why not," Atherley said. "I do want to go into college as a multi-event athlete and make the pentathlon and heptathlon my main events."

While McGee's nemesis is the 800m, Atherley's is the shot.

"(Shot) requires attention that I haven't had the opportunity to give to it," Atherley said. "The key for me will be to hit the marks I know I can get, for me to focus on what I've been training for and know I can do."

Atherley and McGee will be in the same heat in the 200m, capping Friday's events and could very well be first and second place in the standings heading into the final three events on Saturday.

McGee had some earth-shattering long jumps this year, too, a season-best 19-3.75 to win the Class A state title but Atherly has an 18-11.5 from a meet in January of this year. From there, it goes to javelin, where most competitors are as green as any other and concludes with the loathsome 800m. The heptathlon title could come down to the athletes' performances in their most reviled and most inexperienced event. No one will be able to coast through the 800m this season. If it's not McGee and Atherley digging it out for points, there are still other Florida contenders.

Junior Jordan Fields of Creekside High School could upset the whole applecart. Fields was the 2014 NB Nationals heptathlon runner up with 4886 points. Fields' hurdle times and throws will hold her back but Fields won the high jump (5-8.5) and was second in the 800m and long jump in 2014 (at NB Nationals heptathlon). If the points are close coming into the 800m, look for Fields to make a run at the title.

Douglas High School junior Gillian Morrison is as likely as challenger as anyone. Morrison didn't do New Balance last year but scored 4566 points at the 2014 AAU Club Championships. Morrison's javelin (114-4 PR) and shot put (33-1 PR) throws should keep her in the mix for the title.

Bishop Kenny senior Emily Myslinski will be a factor, too. Myslinski doesn't have any heptathlon marks to her credit but she has marks in every event in the heptathlon aside from the 800m. Myslinski doesn't have the marks in the long jump and high jump but she has a 37-8.5 throw in the shot put that could win the event for her.