By Stephen Underwood

The Girls' Eight Great Storylines feature covered the biggest storylines of the meet, but what about those at the next level, other top contenders, and other details about events not covered in that piece?  We tackle many of those here.

Girls Field Events/Multis Talking Points (read about the Williams-Major pent battle, the Texas pole vault girls, and the 40-foot triple jumpers in Girls' Eight Great Storylines feature)

• Pentathlon Spoiler – One girl who definitely shouldn’t be left out of the discussion concerning whether two-time champ Kendell Williams GA can hold off rising star Felicia Majors VA, is Kansan junior Alexa Harmon-Thomas.  She’s improved her high jump to 5-10 this winter and her long jump is in the mid-18s.  She’s also competitive with the others in the 60H, shot and 800.
• Race to 60 – The winner in the girls weight throw might be the first athlete who can crack the 60-foot barrier.  After two years of Shelby Ashe setting records, followed by Avana Story’s 63+ to win last year, the event isn’t as strong at the top.  But Throw1Deep standouts Casidy Callahan and Sabrina Gaitan are both in the 59s, while Gabrielle Figueroa of Ohio is nearly there.
• Indoor Debut – Minnesotan Maggie Ewen – US#2 in the discus the past two years behind now-graduated Shelbi Vaughan – will make not just her NBNI debut, but will throw the shot in a major indoor meet for the first time Saturday.  With a best of 48-6 from last spring, she has the best overall PR in the field and thus has to be considered the favorite.

Girls Individual Sprints/Hurdles Talking Points (read about the Wallace-Hall 60H rematch and the girls 60 in Girls' Eight Great Storylines feature)

• Baisden is out – The fastest indoor 200 mark of the year has come from Kendall Baisden MI, 24.06 on an oversized track.  She was registered for NBNI, but it’s been reported she’ll miss competing due to injury.  Baisden has won national titles twice in the 400 on this track: at NBNI in 2011 and NSIC in 2010.  She was also a World Junior Team USA member last summer.  Baisden’s 8th-grade sister Karrington, however, is expected to compete in the Emerging Elite 200.
• So is Sant – US#1 60 dasher MaryBeth Sant of Colorado scratched Thursday.  She had finished an off-form fifth at the Brooks PR meet, but came back at USATFs and made the 60 against the elites, running 7.36 in the final for eighth.  The Rocky Mountain State had looked like it could potentially have had three finalists in the 60; they could still have two:  Zainab Sanni (US#6 7.47 best) and Chyna Ries (7.55 best in 2013, 7.48 in ’12). 
• Family Tradition – Maiya Dendy – who has a 7.07 best in the 55 and will run the 60 this weekend – is the younger sister of Marquis Dendy, who is now at the University of Florida.  Dendy, who is now a 27-foot long jumper, captured a horizontal jumps double in 2011 here and represented Team USA in the 2010 World Juniors (among his many accomplishments).
• Loaded 1-lapper – Despite the absence of Baisden, the 200 could hardly be more loaded.  To wit, Deajah Stevens NY and Jada Martin GA were second and fourth in 2012 – and Stevens has the best regulation track mark of 2013 at 24.38 – yet they cannot be considered locks to even make the final.  Interestingly, many of the other top contenders have made their mark at different distances than the 200.  Kadecia Baird NY was last summer’s US#1 in the 400 and current #1 in the 300; Kali Davis-White FL is US#2 in the 60 after winning the Brooks race; and Tyra Lea NC and Andrea Wright VA are #3-4 on the 300 list.
• Amazing Range Dept. – She isn’t that well known outside Rhode Island, but those who watch Maddy Berkson run week-in, week-out know what an amazingly versatile runner she is.  It’s not necessarily that Berkson is one of the only girls out there with endurance who can turn a 400 well under 60.  It’s how she puts herself on the line.  She’s ranked in the top 20 nationally in the 600, 800, 1k (US#3), mile, and 3k.  So what is Berkson running here?  Try the 400 ... and the 800 (she was fourth in 2012).  Don’t think she can’t make the final in both.  And get this: Last year, she long jumped 19 feet!
• 60H Formchart-breaker? – Given the quality of the top end of the 60H field – Hall, Wallace, etc. – the event will be one of the toughest to crack for any underdogs.  But if you’re looking for a rising star who might be able to crack the top five, anyway, consider Patrycja Dziekonska from New Jersey.  At the Eastern State champs, she had her second big PR in three days, getting down to a US#5 8.01 for 55H. 

Girls Individual Distance Talking Points (read about the the Michigan girls distance stars in Girls' Eight Great Storylines feature)

• Miling Meiers – Two-time mile champion Hannah Meier MI is listed for Sunday in both the mile and 800 (and Saturday’s 4x1 Mile Relay), but don’t be surprised if she sticks with just the shorter race and leaves the mile to her twin sister.  Haley was a disappointing 14th last year and has had other times where she’s lagged well behind Hannah, but she’s been better than ever this winter.  Haley’s entered only in the mile and the previous day’s relay, and at 4:45.24 has a best more than five seconds clear of any other mile entrant this winter.  She was outkicked for the win by Amy Eloise-Neale at Brooks, while Hannah won the 800.  Late note: Hannah Meier has actually scratched out of the 800 and will run only the mile on Sunday, apparently hoping for the threepeat and perhaps a 1-2 finish with her sister.
• Finn might be out – In an NASF blog this week, defending 5,000 champ Erin Finn reported she’s been suffering from a virus followed by a bacterial sinus infection, putting Friday’s race in doubt.
• Stopping M&M – A few who stand between Hannah Meier and her hoped-for third NBNI individual title: Kailee Sawyer of Ontario, who has a best of 2:08.04 outdoors; Simplot Champ (2:09.14) Shea Martinez from Utah; and local star Sabrina Southerland of nearby Cardozo – the Millrose Mile champ who will also likely be Haley Meier’s toughest competition at that distance.
• Frazier’s Indoor Redemption? – Wesley Frazier NC has one of the best New Balance Nationals Outdoor distance resumes of recent years, having won three titles combined in 2011 and 2012, plus a collection of other top-three finishes.  Indoors, not so good – she’s never placed better than fourth in three races.  This winter’s been pretty strong for her so far, with a NB Indoor Grand Prix mile win and a 10:14.88 runner-up behind Erin Finn MI in the Brooks 2M.  It’s hard to imagine she could capture the 5,000 with USR-holder Finn in top form and looking to defend, but in the 2M she basically shares the favorite’s role with New Yorker Bella Burda as she tries one last time for an indoor crown.  One of Frazier’s national victories was the 2M outdoors last spring.
• Walkers to Watch – Don’t sleep on the girls 1M racewalk, which has a very fast, deep and competitive field this year.  Most of the nation’s top racers are here in New York (competing at 1500m) and Ji Won Kang has soared to US#1 at 6:44.62 – just 0.38 ahead of Annica Penn.  They were 2-3, respectively, last year in this race.  The other four girls who have broken 7:00 this winter are also in the field, as well as Katie Michta – who is better known for longer races but has walked 6:48 for 1500 last year.

Girls Relays Talking Points (read about the the queens of the sprints and sprint relays and the deep balanced distance relays in Girls' Eight Great Storylines feature)

• Cardozo’s Decision – One of the meet’s great chances for a national record appeared that it would be Benjamin Cardozo NY in the sprint medley, after they combined for a US#1 3:54.78 in January, #3 all-time.  Not too many schools can boast a sprinter/middle distance combo like Deajah Stevens and Sabrina Southerland.  Instead, they’ll go for the DMR, where they popped a US#3 11:55.96 early in the season.  While a victory in that event, let alone a USR, will likely not be as easily achieved as in the SMR, the fact that the DMR is Friday compared to the SMR Saturday gives Cardozo’s stars a day of relative rest in-between.
• Amazing Anchors – One of the biggest thrills of any national track meet is when a relay comes down to a pair of top national class individuals battling it out on the anchor.  That could certainly be the case in the girls’ 4x400, where US#1 Columbia NJ has Olivia Baker and #2 Medgar Evers counters with Kadecia Baird.  Expect Columbia to have a lead of a second or three at the final pass, leaving Baker to try and hold off her somewhat faster (51.04 outdoors) rival.  In the 4x200, it’s likely to be Baird against 200/300 star Tyra Lea as US#1 Evers battles #2 Wakefield NC.
• Back up the Mountain – With a good chance to place in the top 5 of the DMR is Mountain Brook AL.  Fans will remember during the height of their distance prowess with a group headed by Madeline Morgan, they won both the 4x800 and DMR at Nike Indoor Nationals in 2008.  With a new group of young talent, it looks like Coach Greg Echols’ girls are back.
• The Next Humphrey – 60H top contender Marlon Humphrey, a junior, may be getting the national headlines competing for his Hoover team now, but keep an eye on his freshman sister Brittley.  She’s a favorite to win the girls’ Emerging Elite 60H and is a key reason while her team could claim the 4x55 shuttle hurdle relay crown.