Brooks PR Invitational Preview: Girls Sprints

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

A collection of the top sprinters and hurdlers in the country will arrive in Seattle this week for the Brooks PR Invitational. Here’s a look at how the races are shaping up in the Girls 100 Meters, Girls 400 Meters and Girls 100-Meter Hurdles:

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Girls 100

Meet record: 10.98, Candace Hill (2015)

Nobody has run faster this spring than Sha’Carri Richardson of Dallas Carter TX, who clocked 11.12 for the Texas 4A title on May 12. Granted, it was wind-aided (+3.2w), but it is an all-conditions best for 2018 so far.

De’Anna Nowling of Calabasas CA is coming into Seattle with a head of steam after running 11.47 last Saturday to win the CIF final in the 100 meters.

Jazmyne Frost powered Serra CA to the girls team title in California last weekend and placed second in the 100 meters and third in the 200. She ran a personal-best time of 11.57 in the 100 in the prelims.

Kailei Collins from Cypress Ranch High in Houston ran a personal best time of 11.45 seconds on her way to second place in the Texas Class 6A state final.

Washington will be well represented by three athletes. Aliya Wilson of Tahoma, who was fourth at the Brooks PR Invitational last year, won her second consecutive Class 4A title in the 100 meters last month. She has a season-best of 11.60.

Sophomore Faith Richardson of Renton WA lowered her best time to 11.95 to win the Washington Class 2A final. Another sophomore, Harlowe Brumett-Dunn of Seattle Academy, is the Class 1A state champion and ran a best time this spring of 11.98.

Girls 400

Meet record: 53.18, Hannah Waller (2016)

Three of the top six girls in the country, and four of the top 10, make this an extraordinarily deep event.

Tierra Robinson-Jones just ran 52.37 last Saturday to win the California state championship and moved to US#2 this season. She will go up against Meghan Hunter of Provo UT, who captured state titles in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 all on the same weekend at the Utah state meet. Hunter was ranked No. 1 in the country when she ran 52.59 for a big personal best at the Davis Invitational on April 28.

Jan’Taijah Ford from Northeast (Oakland Park) FL ranks sixth in the country at 52.82, a performance she logged at the Louie Bing Classic back on Feb. 17. Ford won the Florida Class 3A title with 53.19.

Bailey Lear of Frisco Heritage TX, the defending champion, won the Class 5A final in Texas with 53.34 seconds, which is US#10.

Lily Williams of Grandview CO, a sophomore, put together the best race of her career in the Class 5A final at the Colorado state meet, where she upset national leader Arria Minor to win in 53.85.

Alexis Surrell of Newark Memorial CA was fourth at the California state finals (54.20) and ran a season-best time of 53.95 at the NCS Meet of Champions, where she was second to Robinson-Jones.

Talented freshman Trinty Price from Buford GA finished second at the Georgia state meet with 53.95.

Christal Johnson of Puyallup WA, a junior, went undefeated in Washington this spring and ran 55.24 to win the Class 4A title. She owns a personal best of 55.03.  

Girls 100 Hurdles

Meet record: 13.32, Dior Hall (2014)

The competition between Emily Sloan and Grace Stark could be enough to drive one of them to a meet-record time. STORY

Stark, a junior from White Lake Lakeland broke the all-time Michigan record last weekend when she ran 13.16 to win the 100-meter hurdles at the MHSAA LP Division 1 state meet. That moved her to No. 11 on the all-time list.

Sloan of Rock Canyon CO ran 13.54 to win the Great Southwest Classic title last weekend in New Mexico. She is undefeated this season in the 100-meter hurdles and owns a personal best of 13.43, which she ran at Arcadia in April.  

At New Balance Nationals Indoor in March, Stark ran 8.05 for second place in the 60-meter hurdles final and Sloan was fourth in 8.19. Sloan has run a personal-best 8.07 in the 60 hurdles.

Kattiana Ealy-Pulido from Klein Collins TX won the Class 6A title in Texas, running 13.69 seconds.

Aasia Laurencin, a sophomore from Oak Park MI, has improved her personal best by more than a second since the start of the season. She finished second to Stark last Saturday in the Michigan state final with a new PR of 13.54.

Alaina Brady from Tahoma was the top hurdler in Washington this spring and ran 14.16 (2.1w) to win the Class 4A state title.