An exciting finish like last year's battle between Jayda Bushay & Delea Martins can be seen live ---> WATCH LIVE
WATCH LIVE
=====
Date: Sunday, January 15, 2023
Location: Dr. Conrad Worrill Track & Field Center (formerly Gately); Chicago IL
Time schedule: field events- 10am; track- 10:30am
Meet program: HERE
Social media watch: Twitter/Instagram - @milesplitil I @milesplitil ---> #akinosuninvite23
Live results: HERE
Quick thoughts: This will be the first full-service high school/youth invitational of the year. There are over 500 athletes in 945 events, making this the biggest draw for Olympic champion Morolake Akinosun.
---------
Key girls matchups-
1. Last year's 60HH indoor national champion Nonah Waldron of Detroit Motor City Track/Oak Park MI is just getting started. She may get her meet record or touch the 8.32 but she is clearly light years ahead of the field. The future USC Trojan will not be playing any games.
2. Big name sprinters to duel: Delea Martins (Milwaukee Speed Academy), Asia Thomas (Sr., Chicago Kenwood), Emmi Scales (Sr., St. Viator IL/TNT), Brooklyn Sandvig (Milwaukee Speed Academy)
-Consider the 60, 400, and 200 to be the events on the track to watch. Thomas is the early Illinois state leader at 7.57 but that mark could drop notably by her with two rounds to sharpen up. Thomas is fast but isn't known for her short sprint block starts. If the door is cracked open, look for Scales or Taryn Henderson pf Oak Park to come in and take the crown.
The 400m is an event that Martins is very familiar with, having raced well inside the newly named facility since its inception. Brooke Gray of Detroit's Track Life U has the meet record of 56.34. That mark could be seriously challenged by Martins and Sandvig whose personal bests exceed the record.
Sifting through 14 sections of the 200m before getting to the main players will be worth the wait. Martins and Thomas finally will give the fans what they want in what could be an epic meeting. It should be a fair exchange as both will be coming back from earlier action. Add Sandvig to the mix who is also in the long jump, we should see several sub-25-second marks.
4. The girls 1600m features two of the state's best distance runners in Mia Kotler of Chicago Latin and Scout Storms of Barrington. Both young ladies have run 5:00 or better and they have shared experience in dealing with adversity. Hopefully, we will see something special in the eight lap affair.
Key boys matchups-
1. Braxton Brann of Michigan has enjoyed an outstanding indoor campaign thus far. He has state leading marks in the 60HH, 400, and 200 meters. Watch him take the win in the hurdles and then fight a tough and challenging field in the 200. It will feature three speedsters from the Wolverine state, including Jaiden Reed of the Detroit area.
1. Braxton Brann of Michigan has enjoyed an outstanding indoor campaign thus far. He has state leading marks in the 60HH, 400, and 200 meters. Watch him take the win in the hurdles and then fight a tough and challenging field in the 200. It will feature three speedsters from the Wolverine state, including Jaiden Reed of the Detroit area.
2. The 400m will see one of Illinois' top long sprinters in Jayon Morrow of Kankakee. This will be Morrow's toughest date of the season.
3. The 800m appears to be the most well rounded event on the track with five runners seeded under 2:00 and several more under 2:01. Colin Lakomek of Westfield IN near the Indianapolis area has run 1:55.