* Gregory Foster won the LJ at the Penn Relays in May
Photo Credit: MileSplit
We are T-minus two days away from the start of adidas Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina, and we couldn't be more ready for a healthy dose of electricity on the track.
Nearly 3,000 athletes from over 10 states will compete over three days at North Carolina A&T with a chance for national championship hardware.
Among them?
We have state champions from all across the United States to go along with developing athletes, freshmen stars and middle school standouts.
No meet has more depth than adidas this weekend. Below, we feature 10 of the top boys athletes set to compete in Greensboro.
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Jordan Ware, Memphis Central (TN)
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Class of 2023
Events: 100m, 200m
For sprinters, running fast is what will get them in the record books. But winning? That holds special significance, too, and Ware has been on a roll in 2022: He's won 18 straight races across the 100m, 200m and 400m.
Among those performances include two state titles at Tennessee's Division I championships, with times 10.62 and 21.28. On the season, he ran PRs of 10.42 in the 100m and 20.94 in the 200m, the latter being a U.S. No. 38 all conditions time.
He's the top seed in the 200m. We'll see just what Ware can do this weekend.
Micah Larry, Montverde Academy (FL)
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Class of 2023
Events: 100m, LJ
The burgeoning superstar at Montverde Academy will return home to North Carolina, where he last resided before his transfer. And he might be the state's next superstar, following a path that Jaylen Slade set over the last year with IMG Academy.
At the Florida State Class 2A Championships, Larry won three state titles over the 100m (10.46), 200m (21.06) and LJ (25-11.5).
But it was that latter mark that netted him a world-level mark. His effort currently still stands among the top 70 performances in the world for the long jump.
In Greensboro, Larry will be looking not only to land another 25-footer, but potentially even sneak into the 10.1 ranks -- or dare we say it, go even faster.
Brayden Seymour, Hagerty (FL)
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Class of 2023
Events: Mile, 2-mile, 5K
Let's not sell Seymour short here.
Not only is he a fast rising talent in Florida, but by next year, we could be talking about him as one of the nation's top distance athletes.
Seymour will be busy at adidas, as he's scheduled for the mile, 2-mile and 5K. But we wouldn't be surprised if he pockets all three wins.
He's the defending FHSAA Class 4A champ in the 1,600m, with a PR of 4:11.76, and he last ran the mile on June 3, hitting 4:11 on the clock. If he dips into sub-4:10 territory -- or sub-9 while we're at it -- that will be something special.
William Zegarski, Little Miami (OH)
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Class of 2022
Events: 5K
Zegarski has been quiet over the outdoor season and didn't compete inside the OHSAA system. That was by design. He last ran in the 1,500m and 3K back on March 29, hitting times of 4:00.50 and 8:33.30, respectively.
Something tells us we have to be on the lookout for him in the 5K. All the evidence we need came in December, when Zegarski was an All-American at the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships. He finished 18th overall in 14:35.31 -- and for stretches, he was hanging with the race's leaders.
Most high school boys wait to run the 5K until college, but an elite number of them vie for personal accolades every passing year. A total of 23 athletes have crossed the 15-minute threshold in 2022. Something tells us Zegarski could get there this weekend, too.
Brandon Pottinger, Miami Palmer Trinity (FL)
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Class of 2022
Events: HJ
There's something special about a 7-footer high jumper.
And Pottinger, a recent University of Tennessee signing, is nearing that huge barrier, having cleared 2.13 meters (6 feet, 11.75 inches) and 2.12 meters (6 feet, 11.50 inches) in February and May, respectively.
For that latter mark, Pottinger won his FHSAA Class 1A state championship. But we know he's looking to leap even higher. The number he's seeking is 2.14 meters ...which would put him over 7-feet.
There's no better time to achieve that feat than at nationals.
Harrison Robinson, Jacksonville Raines (FL)
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Class of 2022
Events: 100m, 110mH, LJ
Robinson is another Florida state champion looking to drop time at adidas. The Jacksonville native, a signee of Appalachian State, posted a personal best time of 13.80 seconds in the 110mH at the Florida State Championships in May.
That performance was his first under 14 seconds. If a national-class field is what he's desiring, Robinson will surely find it, as four athletes under with times under 14 seconds and five more come in with performances at 14.15 or faster.
Earning a win in his primary event won't be a guarantee. But getting competition surely will, and we think Robinson will thrive in those elements. He's also scheduled to compete in the 100m and LJ.
Nigel Ancrum, Spring Valley (SC)
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Class of 2023
Events: 100m, 200m
While Ancrum opted not to compete across his state championships in 2022, that fact is a bit deceiving: He won South Carolina Class 5A state titles in both the 100m and 200m back in 2021.
And he also owns personal best marks of 10.38 and 21.30 at those two distances, respectively.
When we look at the overall depth of the sprint events at adidas, they might be the deepest of anything we're going to see.
If Ancrum is looking for a challenge to finish out his 2022 -- which, might be the beginning of his season, in fact -- then he will certainly get it from the likes of Larry, Ware, Eric Young, Ian Castenfelt and Valentino Rudolph.
Austin Gallant, Battlefield (VA)
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Class of 2022
Events: 400m
Gallant has one mission and one mission alone: Get under 47 seconds.
He's only entered in the quarter-mile, which runs on Saturday at 12:20 p.m.
If the Battlefield (VA) senior and Penn State recruit achieves that feat, it'll close out a sterling campaign which has included some impressive feats: 47.05 in the 400m, 1:58.60 in the 800m, 169-5 in the discus and 54-8.5 in the shot put.
Consider this: He won both a Virginia state championship in the 400m and in the discus back on June 4.
Gregory Foster, Lawrenceville School (NJ)
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Class of 2022
Events: LJ, TJ
Foster has been among the U.S. elite in the jumps this season, with personal best marks of 24-11 in the long jump and 43-7.5 in the triple jump.
But those marks are underselling Foster just a bit: He went 25-4.5 in the LJ indoors, to go along with a 49-9.25 mark in the TJ.
The national postseason is where Foster could shine, especially when you consider he'll go up against Larry -- who owns a best of 25-11.5 -- in the LJ.
Foster, a future Princeton Tiger, has just a few meets remaining over his high school career.
Alon Rogow, Dunwoody (GA)
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Class of 2022
Events: PV
Rogow has been the toast of Georgia in 2022, with wins at the GHSA Class 7A Championships (15-6) and the Wingfoot Night of Champions (15-9.25). But it's been over a month since he last hit over 16 feet.
He last accomplished that mark on May 7 at sectionals, and hit his overall PR of 16-7.5 in February. Perhaps he can find his rhythm again at adidas Outdoor Nationals. He's posted marks of 16 feet three times over the 2022 season.
