SHAPE's Brandon Glenn, left, races to the finish line to win the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.9 seconds at a DODDS track meet in Mannheim, Germany. Glenn is expected to challenge this year at 400 meters, the high jump and long jump. (Raymond T. Conway / S&S)
High school track athletes hoping to be pushed to their best performances should enjoy this season, which begins on Saturday.
Medalists from last season’s European championships sprints, middle-distance, distance, hurdles and the field events return in sufficient numbers to ensure there will be standout boys and girls at every meet. Here’s what to expect:
Sprints
Kaiserslautern sophomore Lynndsey Hyter will get a chance to renew her battles with European 100-meter champion Brittany Cornish of Frankfurt International School, Ashley Gauss of Hohenfels, Alexis Bouldin of Wiesbaden and Raquel McCullum of Ramstein. All placed in the 100, 200 or both last season.
Joining them as sprint podium candidates will be the Würzburg sprint medley relay duo of April Ryans and Jerriniece Herrin, along with Wolfpack teammate Shara Patterson, Hohenfels’ Christina Bledsoe and Ansbach’s Naila Sharif and Zee Watson.
There’ll be a changing of the guard in the boys sprints, where 100 champ Aaron Scott of Kaiserslautern, 200 king Antonio Harris of Vilseck and 400 gold-medalist Jared Cosens of Ramstein have left. Contending to fill their shoes will be M.J. Jinks of Naples, James Esters of Ansbach, Trenton Tiggs and D.J. Johnson of Heidelberg, Travis James and Miguel Delgado of Brussels and Würzburg freshman Tim Parker.
Parker, according to coach John Sullivan, can also challenge in the 400- and 800-meter run, as can Mike McHugh of Hohenfels. Heidelberg’s Brandon Grant is a considerable threat in the 400, along with Bitburg’s Lance Hoffman, SHAPE’s Brandon Glenn and Ansbach’s quartet of Taurean Outley, a newcomer from Texas, Vic Green, Dameon Outley and Adam Golden.
Middle distance
Last year’s 1-2 finishers in the girls’ 800 — Jill Dyer of FIS and Brittney Britton of Ansbach — will resume their battle this season. They should be joined by Stephanie Gonzalez of SHAPE.
The 1,500 is the property of Naples sophomore Charity Williams, the European cross-country champion. Williams won the 1,500 last spring by more than 11.5 seconds over her nearest rival.
Ramstein’s Kenny Grosselin, the reigning European 3,000 and cross-country champion, returns to contest the 800 and 1,500 against David Forte of SHAPE and Jamal Anene of Kaiserslautern. Anene’s teammate, Steven Burnett, joins the fray at 1,500 meters, as does Heidelberg’s Will Dawson, while Wiesbaden’s John Slappy will attempt to replace his former teammate, Marquise Eubanks, as the European 800-meter champion. FIS sophomore Sam Dickenson will focus on the 800 this season, according to athletic director Ray Morgentstern.
Distance
Naples’ Williams was second in the 3,000 last season, but her European cross-country championship would seem to move her into gold-medal country in this event, too. She’s expected to be pushed hard by Beth Nielsen of Ramstein, Bona Jones of Patch, Molly Muench of Black Forest Academy, and Würzburg’s Diana Rosslerova, Riley Dooley and Erin Gray, the defending Division I champion, among others.
Ramstein’s Grosselin is the boys’ 3,000 king, and he’s backed by teammates Parker Cowles and Rob Cochran. Kaiserslautern’s Burnett and FIS sophomore Dickenson also run the 3,000, as do Heath Belliveau of Wiesbaden and Würzburg’s Jonathan Painter, Robert Fleck, Nick Strobel, Joe Pugh and Jesse Painter.
Hurdles
BFA’s Elaine Fowler won the 100 hurdles and Kaiserslautern’s Hyter the 300s last year as freshmen, and both return. Nicola Olin of FIS, silver medalist to Hyter in the 300s, will give it another try this season. Bitburg junior Jessica Greenwald and Würzburg’s Myaj Stewart run both events well.
In the boys hurdles, last year’s runaway winner, Jacob Palmer of Ramstein, graduated, and Ansbach sensation Jon Austin, third in both events, returned to the States. Look for Lorenzo Cruz of Hohenfels to move up in both events, challenged by Vic Leaks and Golden of Ansbach and Würzburg sophomore Daniel Henry.
Field events
DODDS-Europe female athlete of the year Nicole Lassetter returns to defend her discus and shot put titles, and once again she’ll duel Paige Nicoson of Vilseck, especially in the latter event. With Nicoson performing for Hohenfels last season, Lassetter beat her by one-quarter inch on her last throw in the Europeans. Hohenfels transfer Erin Small will try to make it a three-way battle in the shot.
K-town’s Hyter, defending champ in the long jump, will be challenged by fourth-place finisher Trinity Bursy of Lakenheath, who will return to also defend her high jump title against BFA’s Fowler. Cornish of FIS is back to defend her triple-jump crown.
Boys discus king Chris Eubanks of Bitburg will attempt this time around to double with the shot put crown, vacated by the graduated Melvin Jackson of Mannheim. Eubanks will be hotly contested by Würzburg’s Jordan King, Heidelberg’s Eugene Bringman and Brandon Simmons, and the Ansbach trio of Russell Bailey, Mike Ewing and Dan Lozano.
Heidelberg’s Nate Idlet and Johnson will once again challenge high jump champion Glenn of SHAPE, while Glenn and Justin Gennings of Würzburg appear to be the favorites in the long jump.
Naples transfer Jordan Johnson gives London Central a leg up in the triple jump.
