By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The Outdoor Nationals, presented by Nike, are scheduled for June 30 to July 3 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

WATCH THE OUTDOOR NATIONALS, PRESENTED BY NIKE

Here are 10 girls storylines to follow at one of the nation’s elite high school track and field competitions, hosted by the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation, which will highlight different groups of events each day:

Pole position

Two of the top six prep female vaulters in history are scheduled to square off Thursday in a competition that also features four of the eight athletes who have achieved 14-foot clearances during the outdoor season.

Paige Sommers and Amanda Moll have combined to achieve every outdoor grade record, as well as the top national high school outdoor clearance, all in the past two years.

Sommers, a recent graduate of Westlake High in California and a Duke signee, boasts the national high school outdoor record at 14-9 (4.50m) and is returning to Hayward Field after competing June 24 in the qualifying round at the United States Olympic Team Trials.

Although Sommers was unable to clear the opening height of 14-1.25 (4.30m), it was a valuable experience for her to get practice on the runway in preparation for one of the most anticipated showdowns of the meet.

Moll, representing Northwest Pole Vault Club and Capital High in Washington, has achieved the sophomore class record of 14-7.25 (4.45m) on June 6 at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in California.

Moll also boasts the freshman class record of 14-3.75 (4.36m) from last year, with Sommers clearing the junior class record of 14-6 (4.42m) last season before the pandemic disrupted both of their schedules.

Sommers and Amanda Moll both cleared 12-11.50 (3.96m) in challenging conditions March 28 at the NSAF Meet of Champions in South Carolina, with Sommers prevailing on fewer attempts. Both competitors are looking for much better results Thursday.

Hana Moll, Amanda’s twin sister, has cleared 14-1.25, helping them join Lexi Jacobus and Tori Hoggard of Cabot High in Arkansas as the only sister tandems to both achieve 14-foot clearances during their prep careers.

Kenna Stimmel of Margaretta High in Ohio boasts a 14-1 (4.29m) clearance from April. Three other athletes who have all cleared at least 13-9 (4.19m) – Tori Thomas of Rock Island Alleman High in Illinois, Emily Fitzsimmons of Austin Lake Travis High in Texas and Allison Neiders of Holy Names Academy in Washington – are also scheduled to compete. Neiders is a training partner of the Moll sisters, also representing Northwest Pole Vault Club.

Ready to give it their best shot

Nine prep competitors have surpassed the 50-foot mark in the shot put this season, with six of them expected to participate in the showcase event Wednesday, on the opening night of the event.

Makayla Long, a graduate of Perry High in Arizona and a Baylor signee, has the best mark in the country at 53-3.75 (16.24m) from April and has been preparing for her return to Oregon – where she attended high school at West Linn in 2018 and 2019 – since winning Division 1 state titles in the shot put and discus throw May 12-15.

Long will be joined by Ashlyn Giles of Schuylkill Valley in Pennsylvania, who boasts a personal-best 52-11 (16.12m) from April, along with Sarah Marvin of Byron High in Michigan, who has a top mark of 51-10.75 (15.81m) and has decided to remain in state by signing with the Wolverines.

A pair of Indiana commits will also be showcased with Jayden Ulrich of East Alton-Wood River High in Illinois and Makayla Hunter of Chandler High in Arizona. Ulrich has thrown 51-10.75 and Hunter produced a personal-best 50-5 (15.36m).

Along with Giles, another Pennsylvania standout in Siniru Iheoma of Council Rock South, a Princeton commit, is also scheduled to compete with a lifetime-best 51-8.50 (15.76m).

Adding even more depth to the field are a pair of competitors on the cusp of 50-foot efforts, with junior Emma Callahan of Shenango High in Pennsylvania at 49-3.50 (15.02m) and Amelia Flynt of Katy Cinco Ranch in Texas at 49-2 (14.98m), a Cal signee.

A Duck in waiting

One of the central figures in the incoming recruiting class for the University of Oregon is sprinter Jasmine Montgomery of San Antonio Reagan High in Texas, who boasts all-conditions marks of 11.09 in the 100-meter dash and 22.94 in the 200.

Montgomery won the adidas Boost Boston Games on May 23 with a wind-legal 11.27 performance. She has a best wind-legal mark of 23.71 in the 200, in addition to marks of 11.16 and 23.27 in March at the Ron Faught Invitational that had no wind reading available.

Montgomery is scheduled to compete Friday in the 100 and 200, giving fans of Oregon track and field an opportunity to watch a future Duck before she officially joins the program in Eugene.

Kaniya Johnson of White Knoll High in South Carolina, Kaila Jackson of Detroit Renaissance High in Michigan, Samirah Moody of Rivers High in Massachusetts, Trinity Rossum of Greater Atlanta Christian in Georgia, Trinity Henderson of Chandler High in Arizona, Taejha Badal of Concordia Lutheran High in Texas, Tamila Fuller of Peachtree Ridge High and Colleen Branch of Westlake High, both from Georgia, are among the leading challengers to Montgomery in the 100, along with Oregon freshman standout Mia Brahe-Pedersen of Lake Oswego.

Madison Whyte of Heritage High in Virginia, Camille Peisner of Valor Christian High in Colorado and Jayla Jamison of Airport High in South Carolina join Montgomery and several of the aforementioned standouts in the 200, with qualifying and championship races in both the 100 and 200 scheduled for Friday.

Another Texas standout, Kennedy Wade of Clear Falls, leads the field in the 400 meters with a personal-best 52.72. Wade has signed with Texas A&M. She is expected to be challenged by Aaliyah Butler of Miami Northwestern High, who has run 53.05, along with South Carolina commit Aaliyah Pyatt of Massaponax High in Virginia and sophomore Sydney Harris of Buford High in Georgia.

Renewing acquaintances

The last time Saratoga Springs High of New York and Niwot High from Colorado were both competing in Oregon, they were standing on the same podium at the 2019 Nike Cross Nationals at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland.

Saratoga Springs, competing as Kinetic, won the girls national title and Niwot took third. Although the two programs will have to wait until the fall for a potential cross country rematch, they will have multiple opportunities to square off Friday and Saturday in distance relays, both seeking record-setting performances.

Niwot, competing as Real Training, has already run 8:55.86 on May 28 at 5,500 feet elevation in Colorado. Lucca Fulkerson, Mia Prok, Madison Shults and Taylor James will be aiming for the national record of 8:43.12, held since 2008 by Eleanor Roosevelt High from Maryland.

The meet record is 8:46.98, achieved in 2010 by Fayetteville-Manlius High of New York.

Ann Arbor Pioneer High of Michigan – competing as Purple Track Club – adds depth to the race, along with Haddonfield Memorial of New Jersey, La Salle Academy of Rhode Island and California programs JSerra and La Canada, which won the 4x800 on June 25 at Arcadia High.

Kinetic and Real Training are scheduled to match up in the 4xmile relay Friday and the distance medley relay Saturday. The 4xmile national record of 19:56.75 set by Suffern High of New York has stood since 2006.

Stella Vieth will join Fulkerson, Prok and Shults for Real Training, with Kinetic expected to run Emily Bush, Alycia Hart, Mackenzie Hart and Ella Kurto.

The all-time national prep distance medley relay recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary, with Harvard-Westlake High of California running 11:22.23 at the 2011 final in Greensboro, N.C.

Kimora Northrup is scheduled to join James, Prok and Shults for Real Training, with the same quartet prepared to compete for Kinetic.

Colts Neck, Haddonfield and Ridgewood are all representing New Jersey in the distance relays.

More throws to show off

Before the shot put takes center stage in the ring Wednesday, there are three additional finals scheduled in the discus, hammer and javelin, with several of the top prep throwers in the country expected to attend.

The recent return to elite form of Faith Bender from Bakersfield Liberty High, an Arizona State signee, has only added more anticipation in the discus competition, especially following her national-leading 173-9 (52.95m) at the California Track and Field Championships on June 25 at Arcadia High. Bender had been out of action for a year recovering from a back injury.

Amelia Flynt of Katy Cinco Ranch High in Texas, a Cal commit, boasted the top mark in the country at 173-7 (52.90m) from the UIL 6A State Championships in May and this will be the first showdown of the year involving the two future Pac-12 competitors.

Ashlyn Giles of Schuylkill Valley in Pennsylvania has thrown 169-2 (51.56m), Jayden Ulrich of East Alton-Wood River High in Illinois has produced a mark of 168-1.75 (51.25m) and Danni Langseth of D.C. Everest High in Wisconsin enters with a personal-best 167-1 (50.92m), with Kaiah Fisher of Hidden Valley High in Oregon, Bella Rigby of Bakersfield Liberty, Makayla Long of Perry High in Arizona, Giavonna Meeks of Northfield High in Colorado, Sarah Marvin of Byron High in Michigan and Pennsylvania standouts Siniru Iheoma of Council Rock South and Isabella Gera of Hempfield Area all having thrown at least 160 feet this season.

The girls javelin championship showcases the top two competitors in the country in Midwestern stars Sydney Juszczyk from Trinity Catholic High in Missouri and Katelyn Fairchild of Andale High in Kansas.

Fairchild produced a throw of 146-4 (44.61m) to place 12th in the June 26 final at the Olympic Trials after throwing 160-11 (49.05m) in qualifying the day before. Juszczyk had a best mark of 156-1 (47.58m) in qualifying but was unable to advance to the final.

Juszczyk achieved a personal-best 177-11 (54.22m) effort in April, with Fairchild throwing 175-4 (53.44m) on May 20 at her 4A regional meet in Kansas. McKenzie Fairchild, Katelyn’s sophomore sister, has achieved a 159-2 (48.51m) performance May 28 at the Kansas state meet.

Shea Greene of Weston High in Connecticut, Trinity Spooner of South Beauregard High in Louisiana and Kohana Nakato of Summit High in Oregon have all thrown beyond 150 feet, along with the Arizona duo of Jade Kwinn from Sabino and Makayla Hunter of Chandler. Gabriella Garcia of Basha High in Arizona, the top freshman in the country at 147-7 (44.98m), is also expected to compete.

Sophia Gallucci of Coventry High in Rhode Island highlights the hammer throw final, with her top mark of 177-2 (54.00m), squaring off against Katelyn Peterson of Dixon High in California and her personal-best 173-3 (52.80m), Sydney Lake of Timber Creek High in Florida and her top mark of 169-1.25 (51.54m), as well as Meeks at 168-3.25 (51.28m).

Alexandra Payne of North Kitsap High in Washington and Leah Moore of Hillhouse High in Connecticut have also surpassed 160 feet this season.

Saturday distance showcase

The finals scheduled for the 800, mile, 2 mile and 5,000 meters, along with the 2,000-meter steeplechase, are all scheduled for Saturday, creating an opportunity for one of the strongest one-day distance showcases at any meet in prep history.

Sydney Masciarelli, a graduate of Marianapolis Prep in Connecticut and a North Carolina signee, has entered the 2,000 steeplechase, looking to lower her own national high school record 6:25.35 from June 19 at the New York State Showcase.

Several New York standouts, led by Brooke Rauber of Tully, along with Karrie Baloga of Cornwall Central, Sheridan Wheeler and Alycia Hart of Saratoga Springs, Kate Putman of Cicero North Syracuse and Hannah Ielfield of South Lewis Central are also entered.

Addison Stevenson of Katy Tompkins High in Texas and Alli Crytser of Hanover High in Virginia are also entered and have the potential to run under 7 minutes.

The girls mile features Addy Wiley of Huntington North High in Indiana, who produced a national-leading 4:38.14 at the RunningLane Championships on June 13 in Alabama.

That same race saw eighth-grader Sadie Engelhardt of Cabrillo Middle School in Ventura, Calif., run 4:40.16 for the fastest mile by a 14-year-old athlete.

They will reunite as part of a field that also includes Sophia Gorriaran of Moses Brown School in Rhode Island, Ava Parekh of Latin School in Chicago, Anastacia Gonzales of Boerne Champion in Texas, Margot Appleton of Portsmouth Abbey High in Rhode Island, Madison Shults of Niwot High in Colorado and Washington athletes Ella Borsheim of Bellarmine Prep and Julia David-Smith of Issaquah.

The 2-mile final is highlighted by Appleton, who has run 10:07.65, along with Ella Kurto of Saratoga Springs High in New York, Kaylie Armitage of La Salle Academy in Rhode Island, Kora Malacek of Onalaska High in Wisconsin, Ellie Shea of Belmont High in Massachusetts, Mia Cochran of Moon Area High in Pennsylvania, Lucca Fulkerson of Niwot and David-Smith. 

Caroline Wells of Winter Springs High in Florida and Appleton are among the top entries in the 5,000, along with Eva Jess of El Paso Franklin High in Texas, Addison Cox of Coe-Brown Northwood Academy in New Hampshire and Shea.

Taylor James of Niwot, Micah Trusty of Friends’ Central in Pennsylvania, Gabriella Grissom of Sandy Creek High in Georgia, in addition to North Carolina athletes Lauren Tolbert of Highland Tech and Sanu Jallow of West Mecklenburg High are the entries who have run under 2:08.0 in the 800 final.

Ainsley Erzen of Carlisle High in Iowa ran a personal-best 2:09.79 in the 3A state final and could benefit from an elevated level of competition.

Oregon’s best on display

Without the opportunity to participate in the Oregon Relays during the season, several of the state’s top high school athletes have been patiently waiting to get their first opportunity to compete at Hayward Field after postseason opportunities were spread out in Harrisburg, Oregon City, Siuslaw, Wilsonville and Union.

Led by Lake Oswego freshman sprinter Mia Brahe-Pedersen, Oregon City junior hurdler Harley Daniel, Cascade junior high jumper Emma Gates, Summit senior thrower Kohana Nakato, Hidden Valley junior thrower Kaiah Fisher, Oregon City sophomore jumper Sophia Beckmon, Ida B. Wells junior distance runner Charlotte Richman, St. Mary’s Academy senior pole vaulter Sydney McCann and Gladstone junior multi-event athlete DeShanae Norman, Oregon will be well represented in several of the championship events during the four-day meet.

Gates, who has cleared 5-11 (1.80m), is perhaps the strongest contender to capture an individual title.

Norman is entered in the high jump and long jump Thursday, followed by the heptathlon Friday and Saturday.

Brahe-Pedersen is the fastest freshman in Oregon prep history and the best all-around sprinter to compete in the state since Kellie Schueler of Summit in 2009.

Beckmon could challenge the state long jump record of 19-10 (6.04m) held since 1987 by Churchill’s Michelle Reynolds.

Pedigo looks to produce own Hayward Magic

Ariel Pedigo of Parkview Baptist High in Louisiana, an Oklahoma signee, won the high jump at adidas indoor nationals with a 5-10 (1.77m) clearance and boasts the top heptathlon score in the country this season at 5,363 points from the AAU Region 11 qualifier in Hammond.

She will look to achieve another memorable performance Friday and Saturday in the heptathlon, similar to her brother Tzuriel Pedigo, who won the NCAA Division 1 javelin title on his final throw June 9 to help contribute to a national team championship for LSU at Hayward Field.

Pedigo, also scheduled to high jump Thursday, will be participating in her third heptathlon in less than a month.

Her biggest competition is expected to come from Bryanna Craig of Lubbock Coronado High in Texas. Craig, who set the freshman class national record in 2019 by scoring 5,094 points at the USATF Under-20 Championships in Florida, won the NSAF Meet of Champions in March in South Carolina with 5,117 points.

JaiCieonna Gero-Holt of Emerald Ridge High is looking to surpass the 5,000-point mark after winning the Washington State Combined Events Championships on June 18-19 with 4,941 points.

Shaina Zinter of Concordia Academy-Roseville in Minnesota is also a threat to surpass 5,000 points after finishing second to Craig with 4,898 at the NSAF Meet of Champions. Skyler Schuller of Coppell High in Texas, only a sophomore, has a personal-best 4,839 points and will be competing in her first heptathlon since February.

Expectations high for hurdlers

Morgan Taylor of Humble Summer Creek High in Texas was part of a 6A state championship race May 8 in the 100-meter hurdles with four athletes running wind-aided performances under 13.30.

Taylor, who has run a wind-legal 13.89 effort in March, will rely on that experience to establish herself as one of the leading contenders in the 100 hurdles, with prelims and finals scheduled for Friday.

Rahni Turner of Westwood High in Arizona, Nonah Waldron of Oak Park High in Michigan, Tairah Johnson of Fort Bend Marshall High in Texas, Katharine Duren of Central Catholic High in Massachusetts, Mackenzie Carney of Waukee High in Iowa and Akala Garrett of Harding University in North Carolina are also expected to be in contention.

Freshman Makeriah Harris of Scotlandville High in Louisiana, representing Run Fast Track Club, and Garrett are two of the only three athletes to have run under a minute in the 400-meter hurdles in the country this season and they are scheduled to square off Friday in the final.

Mackenzie Hartman of Seven Hills Upper High in Ohio, Allyria McBride of Wheeler High in Georgia, Mackenzie Sullivan of Farmington Hills Mercy High in Michigan, Megan Webb of Wellesley High in Massachusetts and Logan Neely of DeSoto High in Texas are also entered in the 400 hurdles, along with Taylor and Waldron.

Gorriaran motivated to go again

Following her sophomore class national record 2:02.26 in the 800 meters June 24 in the opening round of the Olympic Trials, Sophia Gorriaran of Moses Brown School in Rhode Island will return to Hayward Field to compete Friday in the 400 meters, followed by Saturday in the mile.

Gorriaran boasts outdoor personal bests of 54.73 in the 400 and 4:48.66 in the mile. She has also run 4:47.21 in the indoor mile.

The only other time Gorriaran attempted this exact double was Jan. 2-3 indoors at the Grant Holloway Holiday Invitational in Virginia Beach.

Gorriaran, who finished 19th out of 42 entries in the 800, and pole vaulter Paige Sommers of Westlake High in California are two of the four prep female athletes returning to compete again in Eugene after already experiencing the Olympic Trials.

Katelyn Fairchild and Sydney Juszczyk both placed in the top 20 in the javelin competition at the Trials.