Sydney McLaughlin ran 54.46 in the 400m hurdles to set a new national high school record and American junior record at New Balance Nationals Outdoor.
Sprints/Hurdles
100m
Who: Candace Hill, Teahna Daniels, Katia Seymour
When: Friday, 5:05 p.m. PT [First Round]; Friday, 8:00 p.m. PT [Final]
Why: America's youngest track pro in Candace Hill will test herself against NCAA indoor 60m champion Teahna Daniels. Hill, who represents ASICS, set the national high school record of 10.98 last June but has run just 11.19 (+1.6) so far this year. Daniels won the NCAA indoor 60m title as a true freshman for the Longhorns and owns a season-best effort of 11.52 in the 100m. While Hill takes the prospects of World Junior seriously, this event is also a warm-up of sorts for the Olympic Trials next weekend. Seymour is the No. 1-ranked prep in the nation this year at 11.26 (+1.9); she was second at the adidas Dream 100 last weekend.
Watch Katia Seymour run U.S. No. 1 11.26 in the 100m:
100m Hurdles
Who: Tonea Marshall, Chanel Brissett, Tia Jones, Brandeé Johnson, Alexis Duncan, Jasmyne Graham, Anna Cockrell
When: Saturday, 4:55 p.m. PT [First Round]; Saturday, 8:20 p.m. PT [Final]
Why: This star-studded field could produce a national record. Six athletes here rank on the prep top 10 all-time list: Chanel Brissett (No. 3 all-time, 13.01), Tonea Marshall (No. 5 all-time, 13.04), Brandeé Johnson (No. 6 all-time, 13.08), Tia Jones (No. 7 all-time, 13.14), Jasmyne Graham (T-No. 9 all-time, 13.17) and Anna Cockrell (T-No. 9 all-time, 13.17). Graham has run a season-best mark of 13.27 in her freshman year at USC. Brissett won New Balance Nationals Outdoor over Jones, Johnson, Marshall and Cockrell.
Watch the post-race interview with Chanel Brissett after winning New Balance Nationals:
200m
Who: Candace Hill, Taylor Bennett, Briana Guillory, Celera Barnes
When: Saturday, 6:35 p.m. PT [First Round]; Sunday, 7:22 p.m. PT [Final]
Why: World Youth champion Hill has run a slightly wind-aided 22.38 (+2.1) this year, though she set the world youth best mark of 22.43 into a -0.7 meters per second headwind last summer. We don't see the 17-year-old ASICS losing here, but her top competition will include Baylor freshman Bennett, who has run 22.71 (-1.0) and Iowa State frosh Guillory, whose top mark of 22.95 (+0.7) was good enough to win the Big 10 Conference title. Barnes, the California state champion and a UCLA commit, is the top prep entrant with a season-best wind-legal mark of 23.5.
400m
Who: Kaelin Roberts, Sammy Watson, Lynna Irby, Hannah Waller
When: Saturday, 5:20 p.m. PT [First Round]; Sunday, 6:45 p.m. PT [Final]
Why: Our bets are on high schoolers to take the top two spots here. New Balance Nationals champion Irby mostly has W's on her resume, although one runner-up finish is particularly noteworthy: the 2015 IAAF World Youth Championships, where she clocked her PR of 51.79. That's the fastest time in this field and she's undefeated this year. Watson, the World Youth champion for 800m, has not lost a 400m race since 2014, including this year's loaded Prefontaine Classic. Roberts and Waller went 1-2 at the CIF State Finals: U.S. No. 2, 52.28 to U.S. No. 7, 53.01, and Waller enjoyed a nice win at the Brooks PR Invitational last weekend while taking down NCAA record-holder Courtney Okolo's meet record in 53.18.
Watch Hannah Waller break Courtney Okolo's meet record at Brooks PR:
400m Hurdles
Who: Sydney McLaughlin, Anna Cockrell
When: Friday, 6:45 p.m. PT [First Round]; Saturday, 7:25 p.m. PT [Final]
Why: McLaughlin, the No. 4-ranked woman in the U.S. this year, is a potential addition to the U.S. Olympic Team at the Trials in two weeks. Here, the national high school record-holder at 54.46 should easily secure a berth to Poland. Cockrell ranks No. 5 on the all-time list with her new PR of 56.28.