By: Johanna Gretschel, MileSplit (FULL MILESPLIT NBN COVERAGE HERE!)





Boys Pole Vault
With not one but two National High School Record Holders in the field, the Boys Pole Vault looks to be the most competitive field event of the weekend. Current record holder Paulo Benavides (El Paso Franklin, TX) enters the championship as the prohibitive favorite, given his credentials as the only prep to clear 17-11 indoors. The University of Kansas commit will have to be on top of his game to fend off Deakin Volz (Bloomington South, IN), who held the national record for a few hours and sits at US #2 17-10. Another Texan, Brandon Bray (China Spring), is undefeated this year and ranks US #3 17-6. The University of Texas commit was fourth at the 2014 New Balance Nationals Outdoor behind Benavides. Could we see another national record go down? Can a high school boy clear 18 feet for the first time in indoor prep history? It is the #YearoftheVault, after all!



Girls Pole Vault
With National High School Record Holder Lexi Weeks (US #1 14-3.25) and twin sister Tori (US #2 14-0.5) bypassing New York, the Girls Pole Vault opens a door for a new up-and-comer to make her name on the national stage. US #3 Mackenzie Shell (Port Huron, MI) enters as the top seed at 13-6 after winning a slew of league meets in Michigan. The two-time All-American will be challenged by Ohio State Champion, US #4 13-5 competitor Kristen Denk (North Royalton, OH).



Boys High Jump
Jaron Brooks (Henry Clay, KY) has lept a head and shoulders above the rest of the competition this season – or at least an inch. The junior is ranks US #1 at 7-1, just ahead of US #2 Grant Holloway (Grassfield, VA) – the only other competitor to clear seven feet this year. But watch out, fellow Virginian Bradley Jones (Oscar Smith, VA) stole the show at the duo’s state championship on Monday with a 6-10 final height. Jones is tied for US #5 with 12 other competitors who have cleared the height this season and will battle for top honors with US #3 6-11 Christopher Garrick (Marvin Ridge, NC) and US #4 6-10.5 Brandon Piwinski (Warren deLaSalle, MI).



Girls High Jump
The Girls High Jump should be the Nicole Greene (Ponte Vedra, FL) show. The senior is undefeated and the only prep to clear six feet this season. The UNC-Chapel Hill commit will have a bit of vengeance on her mind, as her only prior showing at New Balance Nationals resulted in an eighth-place, 5-7.75 finish last spring. Behind Greene, Britten Duerden (Morgan, UT) and Danae Bucci (Bedford, MA), tied for US #4 5-9, share slots as the second seed.



Boys Long Jump
The top three seeds in the Boys Long Jump have all jumped 24 feet or farther this season and make up the top four on the national leaderboard, led by US #1 Ja’Mari Ward (Cahokia, IL) at 24-7.25. With a good day, the two-time Illinois State Champion could walk away with not one but two national titles – the junior is also ranked No. 2 in the triple jump. Behind Ward, dangerous players include Charlie Lambert (Xavier, NY) at US #2 24-6 and Harrison Schrage (Grant, OR) at US #4 24-3.



Girls Long Jump
Kate Hall (Lake Region, ME) has already established herself as one of the best high school athletes in Maine state history, compiling 22 state titles with one more season to go. The Iowa State commit enters the Girls Long Jump competition as the runner-up from last year’s championship. With a season-best of 20-6, Hall is nearly a full foot ahead of the next competitor. US #4 Sydnei Murphy (Apex, NC), the second seed at 19-7, is a big-stage performer as she walked away with runner-up honors in the triple jump and runner-up honors in the triple jump at the 2014 New Balance Nationals Outdoor.



Boys Triple Jump
Two-time All-American Marcellus Fletcher (Byrd, VA) will compete in the indoor championship for the first time, this year as the sole prep to jump 51 feet even. Ja’Mari Ward (Cahokia, IL), the top seed in the Boys Long Jump, is US #2 at 50-5 and Jared Lovelace (Archbishop Molloy, NY) is US #3 at 50-4.5. No other prep boys have jumped into the 50-foot range.



Girls Triple Jump
Simplot Games champion and three-time All-American Chinne Okoronkwo (Mountlake Terrace, WA) is a safe bet as the favorite, given her US #1 mark of 41-4. Marie-Josee Ebwea-Bile (Cardozo, NY) (pictured) is undefeated in the jumps this year, boasting a season-best 41-1.5 to win the PSAL City Championship. NBN Outdoor runner-up Sydnei Murphy (Apex, NC), US #4 at 40-10.25, is seeded third. But watch out for a possible late entry in Titiana Marsh (Thomas Dale, VA), who set the National Freshman Class Record of 41-2 at the Virginia 6A State Championship on Monday night.



Boys Shot Put
This weekend’s event will be the first New Balance Nationals for US #1 shot putter Willie Morrison (Leavenworth, KS), but that’s not to say the 67-4.25 performer has not already posted some prolific results. The three-time Kansas State Champion and Indiana University signee will face his biggest competition from US #2 New York State Champion Eric Favors (North Rockland, NY), who broke the year-old state record last weekend with his 66-1 throw (pictured). PTFCA Champion Jordan Geist (Knoch, PA) is seeded third with his US #3 heave of 66-0.75. No other preps have thrown for 64 feet.



Girls Shot Put
Sophia Rivera (Brentwood, MO) returns to the national arena after posting a third-place finish in the Discus at the 2014 NBN Outdoor meet. The junior is the only girl to throw farther than 50 feet this season, posting a nation-leading best of 50-6.25. Behind her, New Jersey rivals Nickolette Dunbar (Whippany Park, NJ) and Jessica Molina (Westwood, NJ) battle for in-state and national supremacy. Dunbar is ranked US #3 at 48-11.25, while Molina won the Eastern States Championship to claim the US #4 spot at 48-10.



Boys Weight Throw
Rhode Island – the smallest state, the biggest heart. The top three Boys Weight Throw competitors in all hail from the New England state – and two of them from the same team, Barrington High School. US #1 Adam Kelly (Barrington, RI) has owned the event all year with a season-best mark of 83-2.5, good for US #6 All-Time at the Millrose Games. His teammate, junior Bobby Colantonio (Barrington, RI), is ranked just behind him at US #2 79-9, while Owen Russell (Moses Brown, RI) rounds out the nationally-leading trio at US #3 75-8.25.



Girls Weight Throw
Arizona State commit Kaylee Antill (Tri-Valley, OH) has enjoyed an undefeated season in the Weight Throw, highlighted by a two-foot personal record at 60-2.5 to set a new US #1 and win the Ohio State Championship last weekend. Antill has never competed at a New Balance event and faces four-time All-American Sabrina Gaitan (Sprayberry, GA), US #2 at 59-7, and two-time Simplot Games champion Haley Showalter (Valor Christian, CO), US #3 at 57-11.75.