A number of standout freshmen and sophomores are set to compete at National meets this weekend. Who should be on your list of ones to watch? Read below and make sure to click over to the second page.
Page 2: Freshmen
The Sophomores:
Kaddel Howard to Compete in Championship 200m Dash and Championship 400m Dash at Nike.
Kaddel Howard (Cedar Crest) will be in contention for an All-American finish in the 400m dash. Howard sits at the US No. 14 spot for the event with a time of 54.93, which she ran to win the PTFCA Indoor State title.
Trevon Foster to Compete in Championship 60m Hurdles at New Balance.
We like Trevon Foster's (The Hill School) odds to All-American. The sophomore won the PTFCA Indoor State title, running a PR of 7.85. This effort ranks him 11th in the nation.
Abaas Hunter to Compete in Championship 400m Dash at Nike.
Episcopal Academy's Abaas Hunter will take to the track in the Championship 400m. Keep an eye on him, as he's fresh off a 49.10 PR at the PTFCA Indoor State Championship.
Carter Smith to Compete in Championship 800m Run at New Balance.
Mifflin County's Carter Smith is no stranger to competing at the level of his competition. Smith is shedding light on his true potential after winning the PTFCA Indoor 800m title in a US No. 11 time of 1:52.83.
Gwen Hamilton to Compete in Championship 800m Run at Nike.
Speaking of 800m runners, Archbishop Wood's Gwen Hamilton could earn herself a national title. At 2:08.17, she is the top-seeded athlete in the field. She ran this personal best time to finish second at the PTFCA Indoor State Championship behind Penn Charter's Alli DeLisi.
Hamilton is the second-ranked 800m runner in the United States.
Nicholas Mazzeo to Compete in Championship 1 Mile and Championship 2 Mile at New Balance.
Nicholas Mazzeo (Lower Merion) will be mixing it up in some big races in Boston. With the top-ranked distance boys in the country (JoJo Jourdon in the 1 Mile and Drew Griffith in the 2 Mile) setting the pace, there's no question that Mazzeo will be surrounded by the elite competition to run fast times.
Mazzeo is fresh off two medals from the PTFCA Indoor State Championship. He was 3rd in the mile in 4:13.42 and 5th in the 3000m run in 8:38.65.
Alexander Mazzeo to Compete in Championship 2 Mile at New Balance.
Nicholas Mazzeo's twin brother, Alexander, also needs to be on your radar. The PTFCA Indoor 3000m run 4th place finisher has what it takes to surprise people this weekend.
He ran 8:36.55 at the state meet, making him the 3rd ranked sophomore in the nation over 3000m.
Milena Sciullo to Compete in Championship High Jump and Championship Triple Jump at New Balance.
Milena Sciullo (Grove City Area) is the last sophomore, but certainly not least, to be on the lookout for this weekend.
Sciullo can potentially repeat the double titles she earned at the PTFCA Indoor State Championship, but this time on the national stage.
As the US No. 3 triple jumper and second seed at 39-2, she's just one inch behind Winslow Township's Ma'Syiah Brawner at 39-3. One good jump from Sciullo could lock the title down.
Meanwhile, Sciullo is the top seed at 5-7 in the high jump. With other close competitors, she will still need to be on top of her game.