Devion Bryant's longer-distance improvements on the course this past fall certainly seem to have already translated into success on the track. (Photo by Brandon Miles)
If you blinked - well, don't worry. You still had plenty of time to take in all the action from Saturday's Ed Bowie mega-meet (and if you did miss any of it, we have every race video archived here). These were the top storylines from what is sure to be one of the biggest meets of the season in Maryland.
Devion Bryant's Triple
North Point senior Devion Bryant showed big improvements on the longer end of the distance spectrum this cross country season, winning the 3A South regional title. His momentum did not halt as he made the transition into the winter. His first race of the day was an anchor on the Eagles' 4x800 relay that set what was then a MD #1 time of 8:26 (since surpassed by River Hill). Bryant ran an unofficial 1:59 anchor leg to lead North Point to a win in the relay, then came back to win not only the 1600 (4:30.38) but the open 800 as well (1:59.91).
Jordan Mozie, Junior Phenom
Mozie's transition into the state spotlight happened last year as a sophomore, especially won she won four open events at the Prince George's County outdoor championships (400, 800, 1600 and 3200). She kicked off her junior season of indoor track by winning the meet's MVP award, setting meet records (and MD #1 times) in the 500 and 800. Her 500 time of 1:16.03 still sits as the US #3 mark heading into Wednesday.
Clippers Rack Up Mid-Distance Points
The Oxon Hill girls scored 36 points at Saturday's meet (good for sixth place), and 32 of them came in three mid-distance events: the 800, 4x400 and 4x800. They dominated in the 4x8 to start the day (10:28, current MD #7) and then came back and went 4-5-6 in the 800. All three of Nia Dugger, Genelle Stephens and Nicole Onyenyeonwu ran between 2:34 and 2:36. Finally, they also won the 4x4 to close out the meet, their 4:13.04 time falling just a second short of the fastest time in the state so far this winter.
Winborne Joins an Exclusive Early-Season Group
Old Mill's Camron Winborne is still just a junior but on Saturday he became just the third boy in the state so far this year to break 36 seconds in the 300 meter dash. In fact, four of the top five boys on the state 300 leaderboard (Winborne included) are juniors, and Saturday's meet was filled with underclassman sprinters. The top four finishers in the 55 meter dash (Winborne finished fourth) were either juniors or sophomores, and only one senior cracked the top ten in the 300 meter dash.
Triple Jumping Onto the US Leaderboard
Both Bishop McNamara's Mya Bradley and C.H. Flowers' Anissa Bernard cleared 37 feet in the triple jump at Saturday's meet, making them two of just 18 girls in the country so far to have done so. Bradley's 37'7.50 winning jump was not an indoor personal best, but the only time she bested it last winter was at the final meet of the season at New Balance Indoor Nationals. Bernard, last spring's 4A South champion in the event, set an indoor personal best and is currently the fourth-ranked junior in the event.
Hussen Takes Down Another DC Runner
Parkdale's Jafar Hussen is starting to build a senior-year resumé that stacks up favorably to the best distance runners from Prince George's County over the course of this entire decade. He won his second 3200 race in as many weekends on Saturday, once again beating one of the top runners from neighboring Washington, D.C. The race played out similarly to his win at last week's DCIAA Invitational, and this week he held off Gonzaga's Patrick Donnelly for his second straight sub-9:50 win (both of which came after he ran the 1600, as well).
Shaking Up the State Shot Put Rankings
So far, five of the top six girls shot put performances in the state came at Saturday's meet, including the top three from North Point's Shantia Creek-Barrett, Old Mill's Hafsat Bakare and North Point's Mekhya Jones. Wise's Tatianna Elliott not only threw 36 feet (good for seventh and sixth on the state leaderboard), but also win the 55 meter hurdles.
Bowie Relays Are Back Once More
The Bulldogs have gained a reputation for consistently having some of the deepest groups of sprinters in the state, a strength that really shows up in the relays toward the end of the meet in the 4x2 and 4x4. Bowie won both relays on Saturday, beating in-county and out-of-state challengers alike en route to a MD #1 mark in the 4x2 (1:32.32) and a MD #2 time in the 4x4 (3:34.74).
