Carolina Is Home To Some Of The Most Talented 400 Runners

Bryce Love Of The Carolina Elite
Photograhy By Derek Bradley

As a parent first, and now a coach for the AAU High Point Panthers I have witnessed some of the most talented youth 400 meter runners in the country. Last year 2009 on the boys side alone, North Carolina had three USATF National Champions in the Bantam, Midget, and Youth Divisions respectively. Jaquis Torian running Unattached capped off a dominating year with his win in Greensboro, NC with a time of 1:02:05. Bryce Love Of the Carolina Elite Track Club out of Durham, NC put on a truly special performance that was well worth the price of admission. He won the Midget 400 Meter with a National Record Time of 50.75 for a twelve year old. That's right I said twelve years old. Xavier Jones of the Greensboro Champions out of Greensboro, NC; another Track & Field phenom capped this 400 domination with another National Championship with a time of 50.33 in the Youth Division.

Honorable mention goes out to these runners of North Carolina who had the second and third place finishers in the Bantam Girls Division in Victoria Porter of the Charlotte Heat who ran a 1.02.84, and Tyresha Alexander of the Charlotte Gliders who ran a 1.03.61. Jaleesa Smoot another talented young athlete from the Salisbury Speedsters finished seventh at the USATF J.O. in the midget division with a time of 1.01.14. In the Intermediate Girls division Aaliyah Faulcon of Durham Striders finished 5th with a time of 55.32. In the Young Women's division you had Sanur Eleyoreilly of the Fayettville Flyers finish 3rd with a time of 54.41, and Miata Morlu of the Charlotte Flight finish 6th with a time of 55.43, and Aiesha Goggins finish 7th with a time of 55.58.

2010 should be another strong showing Nationally for North Carolina. In addition to these good young runners who have already been crowned champions, you have a slew of young talented 400 runners who are on the precipice of competing Nationally. In the girls youth division Jocelyn Culbreath of the Piedmont Athletic Club has posted a sub 1:00 time in the early part of the year.In the Bantam Boys division you have Nolan Johnson of the High Point Panthers who is picking up where Jaquis Torian left off last season. These athletes battled weekly last season as both runners fed off of the competition and became better runners because of it. In the bantam girls you have Nellie Kone from the Greer All Stars who has shown promise at the outset of this season. Dylan Peebles of the Carolina Elite, Troy Pride of the Greer All-Stars and Roman Barnette of Asst Coach and the aforementioned Torian should provide some entertaining battles in the midget division as the State Championships approach us. Watch out for newcomer Barry Harris of the High Point Panthers who has posted a 49.95 in the Intermediate division, and Chanu Scott of the Charlotte Flight in the midget girls division. I am sure I am missing some of the promising young athletes who perform in what I call the gut check of the sprint events; surely they will be highlighted in my ongoing blog about Track & Field in North Carolina as the season progresses.