Girls 500 Meter Dash
Photo by Steven Pisano
Saturday will mark the Maryland debut of last year's MD #1 500 runner, Bullis' Masai Russell. She dropped her personal best of 1:13.72 at the Montgomery Invitational in an epic showdown with Nyjari McNeil and will be running her first 500 since that incredible performance on Saturday. She has already run 24.53 and 56.85 on banked tracks in New York this season - both wins - and will return to Maryland hoping to take back the #1 ranking in the state.
Picking up the win might actually be harder than taking down the MD #1 time, because she will have stiff competition with one of Virginia's top sprinters in Syaira Richardson. The Nansemond River senior has won two consecutive outdoor 400 state titles and owns an indoor 500 personal best of 1:14.48. After a fifth-place finish in the 500 at last year's SMAC Classic Richardson will be back at the Sportsplex with a purpose on Saturday.
Perhaps the most intriguing runner in Saturday's 500 will be Patuxent senior Hayley Jackson. It's hard to argue that she doesn't have the best range in the state - she clocked a MD #3 500 just a few weeks after earning All-American honors at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in San Diego. Jackson has a full plate on her hands on Saturday with the 500, 1600 and 800 - possibly a preview of what she will aim for at the 2A state meet?