Published: 12:25 AM, Thu May 20, 2010
Winfrey, Eley O'Reilly looking to repeat at state track championships
While most participants are gearing up for the finale of the outdoor track and field season, two Cumberland County runners are only beginning.
The defending girls' and boys' 4-A outdoor state champions in the 400-meter dash, respectively, Jack Britt's Sanura Eley O'Reilly and Douglas Byrd's Eric Winfrey, haven't participated in the event much this season. When both dropped the fastest 400 times run by high school kids in North Carolina this year at last weekend's regionals, they were basically getting reacquainted.
Eley O'Reilly turned plenty of heads at the 4-A East regional as she covered her 400 in 54.69 seconds, nearly 4 seconds faster than her nearest competitor. Winfrey, running at the 3-A level now, won the Mideast regional 400 by more than 2 seconds in 49.19.
Both will be heavy favorites when the 3-A and 4-A outdoor state track and field championships are held this Friday and Saturday, respectively, at Irwin Belk track at North Carolina A&T. The duo have worked all year in preparation for the coming months, and states will be only the start of their competitive seasons.
"It was one of those things that we've been counting on them - their maturity as track and field athletes - not to have so many races to get them in race shape," said Michael Gibson, who coaches both athletes with the Fayetteville Flyers. "And we're relying on that maturity to understand that the 400 meters is a controlled sprint where you're putting back-to-back-to-back-to-back 100-meter runs together in a manner that you can judge their pace."
The athletes spent the spring running 100s and 200s at meets to work on their speed and form. They also mixed in 800s to improve endurance. Each runner didn't mind avoiding the 400 because they knew their seasons won't end until August, after a handful of national meets and the Junior Olympics.
Eley O'Reilly, a senior, already is signed to run at South Carolina next year, and Winfrey
is receiving mail from schools across the country as a junior. Both are in the running to be two of the best 400 runners in the nation with Eley O'Reilly's time ranked 22nd and Winfrey's 32nd, according to milesplit.com.
To get them there, Buccaneers coach Rick Stoker and Douglas Byrd coach Robert Freeman have worked with the Fayetteville Flyers all year long. The cooperation allowed the athletes to focus more on weight training this past season, developing the strength both felt at regionals.
"When I put it down more than usual, coming home in the last 200, I actually felt really smooth coming home," said Winfrey, whose goal is to run 46 seconds this year. "I held my mechanics really well."
After taking second in the 200 at state last year, Winfrey would like to complete the double this season. He also is on Byrd's 4x400 relay team, parts of which won the indoor state championship this winter.
Eley O'Reilly also will run the 4x400 with a team that is ranked third in the state after it went 3:56.56 at regionals. Besides that, though, her focus will be on the 400, and she should get her first taste of national-level competition.
Riverside's Aiesha Goggins ran 54.97 at the 4-A Mideast regional last week, .28 seconds off Eley O'Reilly's time. The senior's goal is to run a 52 before heading off to college, and the good competition might help her accomplish the feat early.
"I have dreams of hitting certain times, but I don't know the feeling of actually doing it," Eley O'Reilly said. "Just to feel that accomplishment, after all the work I put in, would be amazing."
Staff writer Paul Shugar can be reached at shugarp@fayobserver.com or 486-3513.3-A STATE OUTDOOR TRACK MEET
When: 10 a.m., Friday
Where: Irwin Belk Track, North Carolina A&T
Milesplit.com predicted boys team champion: Crest (Douglas Byrd is highest projected local squad in eighth).
Milesplit.com predicted girls team champion: South Central (Douglas Byrd is highest projected local squad in 36th).
ATHLETES TO WATCH
(All rankings from milesplit.us)
Girls
Naomi Alston (Douglas Byrd) is ranked 16th in the state for the 400 (57.45).
Boys
Justin Brabham (Union Pines) is tied for 13th in the state in the 110 hurdles (14.71).
Joseph Mathews (Western Harnett) is tied for sixth in the state in the high jump (6-6).
John Minott (Union Pines) is tied for sixth in the state in the high jump (6-6) and tied for 12th in the long jump (22-6.5).
Eric Winfrey (Douglas Byrd) the defending 4-A outdoor state champion in the 400 is ranked first in the state for the 400 (47.82) and 14th in the 200 (21.84).
4-A STATE OUTDOOR TRACK MEET
When: 10 a.m., Saturday
Where: Irwin Belk Track, North Carolina A&T
Milesplit.com predicted boys team champion: Southeast Raleigh (Jack Britt is highest projected local squad in eighth).
Milesplit.com predicted girls team champion: Wakefield (Jack Britt is highest projected local squad in 16th).
ATHLETES TO WATCH
(All rankings from milesplit.us)
Girls
Carthenia Brown (Lumberton) is ranked sixth in the state for the shot put (39-9).
Tatyana Bryant (South View) is ranked 19th in the state for the triple jump (36-4).
Nicole Chavis (Lumberton) is ranked third in the state for the shot put (40-1) and seventh for the discus (122-4).
Jennie Cunningham (Pinecrest) is ranked fifth in the state in the 800 (2:18.22).
Sanura Eley O'Reilly (Jack Britt) the defending outdoor state champion in the 400 is ranked first in the state in the event (54.69).
Cheyna Elliott (Harnett Central) is tied for 12th in the state for the long jump (17-11).
Ariel Gates (Scotland) is ranked fourth in the state for the 300 hurdles (44.54).
Darlene Girardeau (South View) is tied for 12th in the state for the long jump (17-11).
Jovanah Graham (E.E. Smith) is ranked 20th in the state in the shot put (36-11.75).
Hannah Hensley (Pinecrest) is second in the state in the high jump (5-7) and tied for 18th in the long jump (17-8).
Takera Knowles (South View) is ranked 10th in the state for the discus (120-5.25).
Lexie Schustrom (Pinecrest) is ranked fourth in the state in the 3,200 (19:46.96) and fifth in the 1,600 (5:05.47).
Latoya Wright (Harnett Central) is ranked 14th in the state for the shot put (37-11).
Jack Britt's 4x400 girls relay (Emani Little, Victoria Anderson, Fionnghuala Eley O'Reilly, S. Eley O'Reilly) is ranked third in the state (3:56.56)
Boys
Aerial Chatman (Harnett Central) is ranked ninth in the state for the long jump (22-8) and 14th for the triple jump (46-3).
Marvin Clark (Pine Forest) is ranked 14th in the state in the 400 (49.71).
Lucas Latney (E.E. Smith) is ranked 15th in the state for the 400 (49.72)
Brian Montgomery (South View) is ranked 20th in the state for the shot put (50-8).
Seyyan Moody (Scotland) is ranked 15th in the state for the 300 hurdles (39.89).
Michael Moore (South View) is ranked fourth in the state in the 110 hurdles (14.37).
Clyde Wilson (Jack Britt) is ranked eighth in the state for the 800 (1:57.24).
Jack Britt's 4x400 relay (Jamar Collins-Hall, Justice Blount, Jarel Jordan, Wilson) is ranked fifth in the state at 3:22.56, and the 4x800 relay (Wilson, Javier Saldana, Alex Beaudette, Collins-Hall) is ranked eighth (8:02.57).