With so much talent assembling in New York and Maryland this weekend, one can only assume a national record or two will fall. We've marked ten national records that have a chance to be broken this weekend and given them odds to how likely they are to be broken. Check out our Championship Oddsmaker section.
Best Odds - Girls Weight Throw (2-1) - Girls 60m Hurdles (3-1) - Boys 60m Hurdles (4-1) Long Shots - Boys Triple Jump (10-1) - Boys 800m Dash (12-1) - Boys Pole Vault (14-1)Oddsmakers: Top Championship Performers Odds of Breaking National Records
Girls 60m Hurdles: Odds to be Broken (3-1)
Current Record: 8.16 - Jacquelyn Coward (2008)
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Jacquelyn Coward (TN) looks to break her own national record
(Photo by John Herzog)
It would be easy to say that the 3-1 odds given here are because Jacquelyn Coward (TN) is the national record holder and will be competing this weekend in the event. However, that isn't the only reason the odds are so good here. At the NSIC, the 60m hurdle field is stacked with talent, including four of the top seven ranked athletes in the nation. Vashti Thomas (CA), Julian Purvis (CA) and Dahlys Marshall (CA) all lost to Coward at the Simplot Games when she set the national record, so they have experienced what it takes to run under 8.20. Thomas even ran 8.27, so her best is not that far off of being tops all-time.
Meanwhile at Nike Indoor Nationals, Coward will only be running the 60m dash and 60m hurdle races. She's run the 400m dash at numerous competitions this season where she ran extremely well in the hurdles, but one can imagine that the longer sprints zap some of the energy needed in a short, explosive event. Coward always performs well in the spotlight, and with sophomore Jasmin Stowers (SC) pushing her in the hurdles, besting her 8.16 from earlier in the year is certainly not out of the question.
Coward's national record is blazing, but the talent in the hurdles this year is simply outstanding. Both hurdle finals will have the talent to better the record, but the question is whether or not one or more of these athletes can hit their perfect race on the right day.
Boys 60m Hurdles: Odds (4-1)
Current Record: 7.62 - Rickey Harris (2000), Terrance Trammell (1997), Deworski Odom (1995)
Wayne Davis (NC) is only .02 away from owning the national record
(Photo by Ted Plunkett)
So close, yet so far away. That seems to be Wayne Davis' (NC) slogan this indoor season. Davis has easily outperformed the competition in both the 55m and 60m hurdles this year, and is on his way to being one of the all-time greats in the event. However, the national record of 7.62 has eluded him by the slighest of margins. Earlier in the season Davis blazed 7.63, leaving him a mere one-one hundreth of a second off the national record. While Davis rarely talks about the record publicly, you can be certain that is his main mission this weekend when he takes a stab at it one last time at Nike Indoor Nationals. Being so close improves his odds dramatically, so we've given him solid 4-1 odds to break the record this time around.
Boys Triple Jump: Odds (10-1)
Current Record: 52-07.5 - Keith Holley (1988)
Christian Taylor (GA) may very well be the best all-around track and field athlete in the country this season. Taylor ranks U.S. #1 currently in the long jump and triple jump indoors, as well as U.S. #1 for 400m outdoors. Ever since his World Youth Championships gold medal performance in the triple jump, Taylor has reorganized his goals and found a new confidence in himself that wasn't there before. Taylor improved his PR at the Championships from 50-10 to 52-05.25, and lept an amazing 52-00 already this indoor season. With great results behind him and a world of possibilities ahead of him, Taylor could take down the triple jump national record of 52-07.5, set way back in 1988, before Taylor was born.
We would provide Taylor better odds to further the record, however, he is scheduled to compete in not only the long jump and triple jump, but the 400m dash as well, which is the most talked about event pre-NSIC. With Taylor being ranked so far ahead of his competition in the jumps, it would be easy for him to put more energy and focus towards the 400.
Girls Pole Vault: Odds (8-1)
Current Record: 14-02.5 - Tori Anthony (2007)
Most athletes this weekend will only have one chance to win their competition and break a national record. U.S. #1 Rachel Laurent (LA) however will get two chances to break the national record this coming weekend. Laurent is scheduled to compete in both the NSIC and Nike Indoor Nationals, where she'll face strong competition at both venues. Laurent soared over 13-10 outdoors less than two weeks ago, leaving the LSU-bound senior only 4.5 inches off the national record set last year by Tori Anthony. Laurent has improved nearly every time she's been on the runway this season, so two more chances to improve her prep indoor PR is something she'll want to take full advantage of. U.S. #2 Shade Weygandt (TX) vaulted 13-08 earlier this season and is consistent as well, so figure these two to battle at NIN, while hoping to push each other towards Anthony's record. Laurent has a bit to prove as well, as she lost to Weygandt at the Simplot Games, in a U.S. #1 v. U.S. #2 match-up that fizzled with Laurent no-heighting.
Boys Pole Vault: Odds (14-1)
Current Record: 17-06.5 - Pat Manson (1986)
U.S. #1 Nico Weiler (CA) is the lone vaulter within reach of Manson's incredibly mark set over two decades ago. Weiler is the only vaulter to have cleared 17 feet this season, and while a few are close to achieving that level of success, Weiler has found consistency in his performances to where if he takes it up one more notch he'll has a shot to do something really special. His 17-02 performance at the Reno Pole Vault Summit is still his top performance of fthe season, however, Weiler knows what he has to do in order to clear 17 feet and with the German exchange student being such a big-time performer, expect him to challenge his U.S. #1 mark and if he can clear that to immediately go after the national record. Weiler has longshot odds, but he has the best chance this year out of any athlete.
Boys High Jump: Odds (6-1)
Current Record: 7-05.25 - Scott Sellers (2004)
The key to breaking any national record is to find consistency at a high level, and when the stars align just right that athlete can pop the perfect performance. Well, Erik Kynard (OH) will be hoping to do just that this weekend at Nike Indoor Nationals. Kynard has found consistency in his performances this season, soaring over the seven foot barrier numerous times. His one early season "perfect" performance left him with a U.S. #1 mark of 7-03.75, leaving him 1. 5 inches from Scott Sellers national record set only a few years ago at Nike Indoor Nationals. While Kynard still has a ways to go in order to break Sellers' record, he has shown the talent necessary to do so.
Girls Weight Throw: Odds (2-1)
Current Record: 62-02 - Victoria Flowers (2008)
This season Victoria Flowers (RI) has clearly established herself as the athlete to beat in the girls weight throw. Earlier in the season Flowers broke the national record in the event with her 61 foot throw. Less than three weeks ago Flowers again set a new personal best and pushed the national record even further. Her consistency this indoor season has led to her having the best odds to break a national record, and with the adrenaline of winning a national championship surrounding her performance, Flowers could push her record a bit further out one last time.
Girls 60m Dash: Odds (8-1)
Current Record: 7.19 - Ashley Owens (2004)
Chalonda Goodman (GA) could sprint into the record books this weekend
(Photo from GATFXC.com)
In a sprint event two-tenths of a second is an eternity. However, athletes can improve one-tenth or two-tenths of a second if they perfect their start or have other top notch competition to face-off against. This seems to be the case this year in the girls 60m dash at the NSIC. The staff of the Championships assembled one of the strongest and deepest fields ever in the event, which could very well lead to a new U.S. record in the event. Leading the way are U.S. #2 Victoria Jordan (TX), U.S. #3 Ashton Purvis (CA) and U.S. #4 Chalonda Goodman (GA). All three sprint stars have run between 7.37 and 7.38, which leaves them less than two-tenths from the national record. While all three athletes are entered in more than just this event, expect the final field to be stacked with talent, which could push at least one of them under 7.25 seconds. If any of them can run under 7.30 in the prelims, the odds of breaking Ashley Owens' national record go up significantly.
Boys 60m Dash: Odds (5-1)
Current Record: 6.57 - Casey Combest (1999)
Jeremy Rankin (CO) proved last year he was the best short-sprinter in the nation indoors by winning the '07 Nike Indoor Nationals over some intense competition. A year older and a year stronger, Rankin now looks to do something special in New York at the NSIC, not just winning the 60m dash. With Rankin already being a national champion, you can bet the Colorado junior will be looking to put his stamp on history with a national record in the event. Rankin ran 6.64 earlier in the year in Texas, leaving him .07 off of Casey Combest's national record set in '99 at Nike Indoor Nationals. With other athletes like D'Angelo Cherry (GA) and T.J. Graham (NC) in the field, Rankin will have plenty of competition to push him to a new national record, something he has been eyeing for a year.
Boys 800m Dash: Odds (12-1)
Current Record: 1:50.55 - Michael Granville (1995)
The odds of breaking this national record would be a lot better if the top middle distance stars weren't splitting up between the two national championships this weekend. At Nike Indoor Nationals, U.S. #1 Jared Hall (OH) and U.S. #1 for 600m Andrew Perkins (WI) will be facing off against one another for the first time this year. The two Midwest speedsters each have a shot to win the event. Hall ran 1:52.19 less than three weeks ago in Ohio, while Perkins' 1:19.10 600m earlier in the year shows he is ready to blaze. Both athletes like to get out fast, so expect the first 400m split to be on record pace.
Up the road in New York at the NSIC, U.S. #2 Isaiah Ward (MI) and U.S. #1 returnee Dylan Ferris (NC) create a match-up equally as intriguing as Hall v. Perkins. Ward ran 1:52.21 in Ohio, finishing second behing Hall two and a half weeks ago, while Ferris ran under the 1:50 barrier last year and knows the pain that comes with running that fast. Both Ward and Ferris have had very successful indoor campaigns thus far and both competitors should want a honest opening pace.
While none of these four athletes have broken 1:52 yet, all of them are capable assuming the early pace is honest. Both Ferris and Perkins have run under 1:50.55 before, while Hall and Ward have shown amazing strength and speed all season thus far. Breaking Granville's record would be quite an accomplishment, but this year's stable of 800m runners if the fastest and deepest it has been in some time.