Westside Track and Field Athletes Set for NIC

John Olson
westside team at gsp
Martez Brown (left), Dennis Martin (center), and Brandon Brown (right) watched the GSP Relays on March 6.
Westside High School, located in Anderson is taking 10 track and field athletes to the Nike Indoor Championships. The meet is taking place from March 13 and 14 in Landover, MD at Prince George's County Sportsplex.

Brandon Brown is entered in the 60-meter high hurdles, 55 shuttle hurdle relay and triple jump. Brown is tied in the No. 6 U.S. spot in the 55 high hurdles and 10th in the 60-meter high hurdles. Dennis Martin is entered in the 60 high hurdles and 55 shuttle hurdle relay for Westside. Martin is ranked eighth in the 55 high hurdles and tied for the U.S. no. 5 spot in the 60 high hurdles. Martin is the 2001 USATF 110 high hurdles USATF Junior Olympic Champion, 2003 AAU Junior Olympic National Champion in the 110 high hurdles, 2003 AAU Junior Olympic 400-meter hurdles National Champion, 2003 state meet runner-up in the 110 hurdles and a two time AAU All-American. Martez Brown, entered in the 55 hurdle relay did not compete in indoor due to a hamstring injury.

Mauricus Brown, the younger brother of Martez Brown rounds out the shuttle hurdle relay squad of Brandon Brown, Martez Brown and Martin. Brandon Ellis is entered in the NIC 200 meter event.

westside
Brandon Brown (lane 6) and Dennis Martin (lane 4) cross the finish line one and two in a heat of the 110 hurdles at Seneca on Monday.
Five female athletes at Westside are also entered in the meet. Polly Hardy (60 high hurdles, 55 shuttle hurdle relay), Nyoka Norman (55 hurdle relay), Holly Hardy (55 hurdle relay), Brandi Myers (55 hurdle relay) and Tempest Vance (pentathlon, long jump) make up the squad from Westside.

Polly Hardy is ranked 15th in the U.S. 60 high hurdles and 20th in the 55 high hurdles. Nyoka Norman is the 2001 and 2002 100 hurdle and 400 hurdle state champion. Norman also holds the state record in the 400 hurdles. Norman ended her 2002 season with a fourth place U.S. ranking in the 400 hurdles, named to the 2002 Track and Field All-American Team in the 400 hurdles and is the 2002 AAU Junior Olympic National Champion in the 400 hurdles.

martez brown
Martez Brown leaps over a hurdle at Seneca on March 8.
"This can be a special weekend for Westside High School Track and Field and track and field in (the state of) South Carolina," said Westside Coach KB Brown. Rod Cowan is the head track and field coach at Westside.

Westside personal bests
Dennis Martin 110 HH-14.2, 400LH 54.3 (2003 AAU JO Nationals); Nyoka Norman 100HH-14.2, 59.75 (2002 AAU JO Nationals); Martez Brown 110HH-14.6, 400LH 55.7 (2003 AAU State Meet); Brandon Brown 110hh-14.7 (2003 AAU State Meet)

  • Full entries list
  • Meet Schedule
  • Full South Carolina NIC Preview

    Next up in South Carolina is the Diamond Hornet Invitational in Lower Richland and the Wildcat Relays in Charleston. Both meets take place on March 13. Ashley Hall (girls only), Beaufort, Fort Dorchester, Hilton Head, Stall, Wando, West Ashley and St. John's make up the Wildcat Relays competitors. Twenty schools are competing in the Diamond Hornet Invitational.