Girls 400 Meter Hurdles
The top contenders in the girls 400 meter hurdles should all be athletes crossing over from Alligator Alley from South Florida.
American Heritage junior Amaiya Samuel tops the list as the #9 ranked 400 meter hurdler in Florida with her 1:02.83 season best coming from a runner-up finish at the Louie Bing Invitational. Samuel is looking to bounce back from a disappointing sixth place finish of 1:06.25 in the finals at the Bob Hayes Invitational after being the third fastest qualifier in the prelims at 1:04.92.
Also coming back from competing in Jacksonville at the Bob Hayes Invitational and competing in the finals of the 400 meter hurdles is a pair from Miami Northwestern in junior Shakynah Tresvant who ran a 1:03.46 PR for third place and Natyia Alexandre of Miami Northwestern who finished 7th in 1:06.55. Alexandre ran a personal best of 1:04.19 the weekend prior for the win at the North Florida/South Florida Challenge.
Miami Northwestern has traditionally been deep at the 300 meter hurdles and appears to be the same well in the move up to the 400 meter hurdles with four of the top seven entrants with Tresvant, Alexandre, Emani Perry (1:04.37 PR), and Jahkaya McBurney (1:08.05).
Kahalia Hoo of Chaminade-Madonna and Isabella Nebel of Academy have both run 1:05 in the 400 meter hurdles and looking to make another time drop this weekend.
Boys 400 Meter Hurdles
Jeremiah Smith of Chaminade-Madonna at FL #19 season best of 56.12 and Devin Jones of Miami Northwestern at FL #21 season best of 56.15 are both looking for their first major wins of the season in the 400 meter hurdles and will have great opportunity this weekend at Dunbar.
Smith was fourth at the Louie Bing Invitational to start his season with the PR performance, while Jones ran his best in the prelims at Louie Bing but had a much better showing in the finals at the Sam Burley Invitational earlier this month with a runner-up finish of 56.70.
Jones might have a tough decision later in the season whether to focus on the 400 meter hurdles or the 800 meter run in championship season as he owns a personal best of 1:55 in the 800 as well. Miami Northwestern teammates Makhi Fleming (57.76 PR) and Nathan Washington (59.24) will try to join him in the finals of the 400 meter hurdles at the Guy Thomas Memorial Classic.