By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

NEW YORK -- New Balance Nationals Indoor returns to The Armory this weekend in New York City. It’s a track meet that features the cream of the crop of U.S. high school athletes and it’s wrapped in a setting that lends a carnival-type atmosphere.

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It’s a meet where high school athletes go for backpacks and PRs. And for the best of the best, it’s a chance to leave a mark on the sport and create a “Wow” moment.

Here are 10 of the storylines we’ll be paying close attention to at NBNI 2019.

1 – Bullis. If Ashton Allen were to emerge from the weekend as one of stars everyone is talking about, it won’t be a surprise. Allen was the lynchpin in the Bullis School MD’s double national record relay performances in January (4x200 and 4x400) and he is one of the top entries in the 400 meters. If national records begin to tumble at The Armory this weekend, Bullis (and Allen) will be right in the middle of it. Andre Turay, Jay Pendarvis Jr. and Ryan Willie may have all transferred in, but they are now entrenched in the program and all play key roles in the success of the team.

2 – Kurt Powdar. The nation’s top hurdler has a chance a redemption this week and that always makes for a feel-good story. A false start ruined Powdar’s 60-meter hurdles final last year. He got it right last June and won the 110-meter hurdles title at New Balance Nationals Outdoor in Greensboro, N.C. (13.59). The senior at Oscar Smith VA. He is the national leader in the 60 hurdles at 7.61 seconds.

3 – Boys Mile. Foster Malleck from Canada ran 4:07.28 in the mile in Boston in February, which is faster than any of the boys in the U.S. this winter. Malleck, a senior from Kitchener, Ontario, faces a strong field that includes Matthew Payamps, the New York 1,600 meters champion and No. 2 all-time 1,000 meters performer from St. Anthony’s NY.  Cole Sprout of Valor Christian CO, Jake Renfree of Knoxville Catholic TN, Daniel Maton of Camas WA and Nick Foster of Ann Arbor Pioneer MI all loom large in what should be an entertaining final section of the championship mile.

4 – Trey Knight. Little by little, the junior from Ridgefield WA is approaching the national high school record in the weight throw, which belongs to Conor McCullough (93-3.25 in 2009). When McCullough launched that throw, it almost hit the balcony seating above the far end of The Armory’s throwing cage. Knight threw 86-7.50 at the Simplot Games, which put him close to McCullough’s junior class national record 87-10.50. If Knight can surpass that, he’ll own the all-time freshman, sophomore and junior class records.

5 – Who’s fastest? The graduation of Anthony Schwartz has left a wide opening for one of the top sprinters in the U.S. to step up and claim the mantle of fastest prep in the land. There are three names that seem like favorites to win the boys 60-meter dash and others who could pull off an upset. Lance Lang, a senior from McCluer North MO came out of the woodwork at the University of Kentucky High School Invitational and ran 6.62 seconds, which shot him up to No. 4 (tied) on the all-time list. Lang was a rising talent as a sophomore in Missouri in 2017, but he lost his 2018 season due to a hamstring injury. Benson Tech OR junior Micah Williams is the best Oregon sprinter since Ryan Bailey, and maybe even better than him. Williams ran 6.64 to win the 60 title at the Simplot Games in Idaho, after running 6.67 in his opener at the Dempsey track in Seattle. Another junior, Illinois state champion Marcellus Moore of Plainfield (North), has run a season-best 6.65, at Kentucky. Of the three, Moore is the only one entered in the 200 as well.

6 – The Jungle TC. The alma mater of new U.S. indoor 2-mile champion Drew Hunter, which is coached by his parents, Marc and Joan, continues to be a dominate force in boys distance running. The runners who were part of last December’s second straight Nike Cross Nationals championship in Portland are ready to load up in relays on the track. Last year’s victory in the 4xMile and national record performance of 17:01.82 must have this group begging the question:  Can we go sub-17? Led by veteran performers Sam Affolder, Jacob Hunter and Connor Wells, The Jungle TC (Loudoun Valley VA) has three teams entered in the 4xMile and one each in the 4x800 and Distance Medley Relay.

7 – St. Benedict’s 4x800. The quartet of Alfred Chawonza, Jackson Burnett, Lewis Ngwenya and Ronald Kigen are aiming for something big this weekend, something that might place them in the school’s track and field lore beside Edward Cheserek. The boys 4x800 relay ran 7:43.68 at the NYRR Millrose Games a month ago – that was 14th all-time. They know they are capable of even more. The number to keep an eye on is the national record. It’s 7:36.99 by Albemarle VA in 2009. That record could be in play.

8 – Luis Peralta. The senior from Passaic NJ, who competes internationally for the Dominican Republic, chased fast times this winter in the 600 and 1,000. He’ll finish the season ranked No. 1 in the 600 and third in the 1,000. Now it’s time to go after something fast in the 800 and he’ll need to run fast in order to beat New Jersey rival Chawonza of St. Benedict’s, Washington’s two-time outdoor champion Maton, and Danbury CT’s Malcolm Going.

9 – Kenneth Wei. The surprising senior from Mount Sinai NY competed at the Toyota USATF Indoor Championships, where he never really got on track and finished ninth, missing the finals by one spot. But that big-stage experience could be valuable as he tries to prove that his 25-foot leap at the Section 11 County Championships was no fluke. Wei, who burst onto the scene this winter after committing to M.I.T., is also entered in the 60-meter hurdles. At the New York state meet, Wei won the long jump with 23-5.50 and placed second in the hurdles. Ezra Mellinger from Lampeter, Pa. is in the picture in a big way, too, after jumping 24-11.50 at the Pennsylvania state meet.

10 – Aiden Felty. He smashed the New England High School Indoor Championships meet record in the shot put last weekend when he threw 66-10. Even that was a little bit shy of his season best mark of 67-0 just after Christmas. Felty has already established himself as an all-time great in the throws in the Northeast. A title this weekend, plus a PR, and would help him lay claim to being the best thrower in the country this year.