By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The Nike Outdoor Nationals are scheduled for June 16-19 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

WATCH LIVE WEBCAST JUNE 16-19 OF NIKE OUTDOOR NATIONALS

Here are 10 storylines to follow at one of the nation’s elite high school track and field competitions, hosted by the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation for the second year in a row at Hayward Field:

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Nine athletes who combined to win 10 individual titles last year are scheduled to compete again at the four-day meet, including Zane Forist of Carson City-Crystal in Michigan, who captured both the boys discus throw and shot put championships.

Ellie Shea of Belmont High in Massachusetts, representing Emerging Elites, could have the first opportunity Thursday in the girls 5,000 meters.

Shea is also entered in the 800, mile and 2-mile, but the 5,000 is first on the schedule for the sophomore standout, who achieved the national freshman class record at last year’s event by clocking 16:10.42.

Madison Morgan, a ninth-grader at Episcopal High in Texas, returns Friday after winning the 3,000-meter racewalk title last year.

Morgan is pursuing the national outdoor freshman class record of 14:24.63 achieved in 2017 by Beavercreek High of Ohio graduate Taylor Ewert.

Morgan won last year’s event in 14:12.66, but is expected to receive a strong challenge from sophomore Talia Green of College Prep High, who set the California state record May 29 with a 14:16.96 performance at the Tom Moore Youth Classic.

Ryan Allen of Kingsway Regional in New Jersey, also scheduled to compete Friday, prevailed in the boys 3,000 racewalk last year in 14:28.87.

Sophia Beckmon of Oregon City, who set the Oregon all-time state long jump mark of 20-1.50 (6.13m) on May 21 to win the 6A state title, is looking to secure back-to-back national championships Friday. Beckmon is scheduled to square off against five other entries with 20-foot performances.

Akala Garrett of Harding University, the national prep leader in the 400-meter hurdles at 57.65 seconds, is seeking a second straight crown Friday. Garrett, who ran 58.99 last year, is the only entry in the field to run under 60 seconds this season, and the Texas signee is also a leading contender Saturday for another title in the 100-meter hurdles.

Cheyla Scott of Butler High in North Carolina is looking to repeat Saturday in the girls high jump final after clearing 5-8.50 (1.74m) last year. Scott, who has cleared 6-2 (1.87m) this season, is scheduled to have a showdown against fellow 6-foot performers JaiCieonna Gero-Holt of Emerald Ridge High in Washington, Arizona commit Emma Gates of Cascade High in Oregon and Claire Lowrey of Rockwall High in Texas.

In addition to Forist trying to repeat in the discus and shot put Sunday, the girls pole vault features reigning champion Hana Moll of Capital High in Washington, who cleared 14-4 (4.37m) last year.

Although there are five athletes in the field who have achieved 14-foot clearances this year, Hana’s toughest challenge should come from junior twin sister Amanda Moll, the national high school outdoor record holder at 14-9.50 (4.50m).

Addy Wiley of Huntington North, who won the mile title last year in 4:42.78, is focusing on the 800-meter final Sunday. Wiley, a Colorado signee, ran 4:26.16 for 1,600 meters June 11 at the Grand Valley State Midwest Redemption meet in Michigan for the fastest performance in prep history and will be looking to improve her best 800 mark after clocking 2:04.40 last year.

Roisin Willis of Stevens Point in Wisconsin, a Stanford commit, is pursuing the 400 crown Sunday against Lauren Lewis of Prosper High in Texas after running 2:00.03 in the 800 final June 4 at the Wisconsin Division 1 state meet. Willis won the junior high school mile at the 2018 championship event.

Wiley’s decision provides an opportunity for Sadie Engelhardt, a freshman at Ventura High in California, to secure the mile title Sunday, especially after she clocked 4:11.79 for 1,500 meters June 11 at the Portland Track Festival. Engelhardt finished 15th in the mile final as an eighth-grader last year.

Real Training ready to roll again

No team will see more track time at Hayward Field from Thursday to Sunday than Niwot High from Colorado, competing during the event as Real Training Track Club.

The girls are entered in the championship fields of the 4x200, 4x400, 4x800, 4xMile, 800-meter sprint medley, 1,600 sprint medley and distance medley relay, with the boys scheduled to compete in the 4x400, 4xMile and 1,600 sprint medley, in addition to both genders racing in emerging elite relays as well.

Real Training won girls national titles last year in the 4x400 in 3:42.72, the 4x800 in 8:52.48 and the DMR in 11:33.51, in addition to placing second in the 4xMile in 19:45.37, as well as runner-up in the 4x200 in 1:42.38 and 800 sprint medley relay in 1:44.76, along with an eighth-place finish in the 1,600 sprint medley in 4:13.91.

The Niwot boys prevailed in the 4xMile in 17:19.70, finished fourth in the 4x800 in 7:53.13 and took 10th in the DMR in 10:20.54.

The most anticipated relay matchup for the Real Training girls should come Friday in the DMR against JSerra of California, along with Oregon programs Summit and Lincoln.

JSerra’s lineup of Ashlee Gallegos, Hanna Barmettler, Georgia Jeanneret and Anastasia Snodgrass ran 11:49.24 on April 9 at the Arcadia Invitational, with Summit and Lincoln both producing sub-12 performances April 23 at Oregon Relays. Summit, competing as Mondo Track Club, ran 11:55.28 and Lincoln – racing as Forest Park Track Club – clocked 11:56.54.

Real Training will also see familiar faces in the girls 4xMile when they square off against a Riley Stewart-led Cherry Creek High from Colorado, competing as the Creek Bruins Track Club, as well as Denver East in the 4x800, a lineup entered as Peak Performance Running Club and highlighted by Rosie Mucharsky.

It will be a difficult defense of the 4x400 title as well for the Real Training girls, with a Lake Oswego lineup expected to include Josie Donelson and Mia Brahe-Pedersen, along with Comal Smithson Valley from Texas – featuring freshman standout Alyssa Jones – and Poway Distance Club from California, including Alyssa Bean and Tessa Buswell.

Zane Bergen, a Stanford commit, is also entered for Real Training in the boys 800 and mile championship races, with North Carolina signee Eva Klingbeil, sophomore Mia Prok and freshman Bella Nelson expected to compete in the girls mile, in addition to junior Madison Shults and Princeton-bound Stella Vieth in the girls 800, plus sophomore Kimora Northrup in the girls 400 hurdles.

Kathryn Carroll is entered in the emerging elite girls triple jump, with fellow junior Julia Rudolph scheduled to race in the emerging elite girls 800 for Real Training.

Local leading ladies look to prevent Texas two-step

Mia Brahe-Pedersen of Lake Oswego and Lily Jones of Roosevelt rose to legendary status among Oregon prep sprinters this spring with several thrilling head-to-head matchups, including their May 21 showdown in the 6A state final at Hayward Field.

Brahe-Pedersen, a sophomore, ran the all-conditions national high school leader with a wind-aided 11.09 seconds in the 100-meter dash and Jones clocked 11.30.

Brahe-Pedersen equaled the No. 4 all-time prep performer under all conditions, matching the performance last season by Jasmine Montgomery of San Antonio Reagan, now a freshman All-American at the University of Oregon.

Montgomery won the national title last year at Hayward Field in a wind-legal 11.44, with Brahe-Pedersen finishing fourth at 11.57.

Brahe-Pedersen and Jones are not only trying to achieve the first national 100-meter title by an Oregon prep female competitor, but also looking to prevent another Texas star from securing the championship in Saturday’s final.

Autumn Wilson of St. Dominic Savio, a Georgia signee, handed Brahe-Pedersen her only loss in the 100 this season, prevailing April 9 by an 11.49 to 11.59 margin at the Arcadia Invitational.

Wilson also edged Brahe-Pedersen in the 200 at Arcadia by a 23.68 to 23.78 margin. That victory helped Wilson atone for a 23.44 to 23.53 setback to Brahe-Pedersen in March in the Nike Indoor Nationals 200 final at the Ocean Breeze Complex on Staten Island.

Wilson has run a wind-legal 11.19 in March at the 94th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, along with a wind-aided 11.20 on May 7 at TAPPS State Championships. She also boasts a wind-aided 23.14 in the 200 from March 5 at the Texas A&M Bluebonnet Invitational.

Texas sprinters have never achieved back-to-back 100 national titles.

Although Wilson is not entered in the 200, the biggest obstacle for Brahe-Pedersen and Jones could be another Texas standout in Prosper junior Lauren Lewis, who ran a wind-legal 23.15 in April and is also the top seed in the 400 meters at 52.54. Adaejah Hodge, a sophomore at Alexander High in Georgia, clocked a wind-legal 23.25 in March.

Brahe-Pedersen ran a wind-legal 23.23 at the Oregon Relays, with Jones clocking 23.75 at the 6A state final, also looking to achieve the first outdoor national championship in the 200 by an Oregon female sprinter.

Remarkable discus depth on display

With six of the top prep competitors in the country entered in the boys discus throw, all having surpassed the 200-foot mark this season, Sunday’s championship has the potential to be one of the strongest showcases in high school history.

Zane Forist of Carson City-Crystal in Michigan is the reigning champion, having produced a 205-1 (62.52m) performance on his opening throw last year.

Jeremiah Nubbe of Rainier High in Washington was second at last year’s final at 200-2 (61.01m) and is also returning. The Texas commit has also entered the hammer throw final Sunday and is the top seed at 245-5 (74.80m).

Brett Schwartz of Santa Fe Trail High in Kansas, a Nebraska signee, enters as the top seed in the discus at 210-7 (64.18m), with Nubbe and Cade Moran of Murrieta Mesa High in California both throwing 207-4 (63.19m) this season.

Walker Whalen of Indianola High, a University of Iowa commit, produced a mark of 204-9 (62.40m) at the Iowa 4A state final May 19, with junior Brendon See of JSerra High winning the California state title May 28 at 203-10 (62.12m).

Forist, who will be teammates in the fall with Moran at Michigan, continued to build his momentum toward a potential title defense with a 200-4 (61.06m) effort June 4 at the Michigan Lower Peninsula Division 4 final.

Forist and Moran are also scheduled to square off Sunday in an eagerly anticipated rematch in the shot put final. Forist is also the defending champion at 64-7.25 (19.69m), with Moran placing second last year at 63-6 (19.35m), although they have achieved marks of 67-5 (20.54m) and 66-10 (20.37m), respectively, this season.

Texas Tanner of Sheridan High in Wyoming, an Air Force Academy commit, is right on the cusp of joining the decorated discus group, having thrown 199-9 (60.88m) in April at the Queen City Classic.

Casey Helm of Madison High achieved a Kansas State record April 29 with a 214-1 (65.25m) performance, a mark all the athletes will be chasing as the national leader. The Princeton commit is not scheduled to compete in Oregon.

There has never been a national final with more than three 200-foot performances in the same year and no high school competition has ever featured more than four athletes surpassing the barrier.

The 2017 Arcadia Invitational remains the deepest high school discus showcase in history, with four competitors surpassing 200 feet and seven athletes throwing beyond 190 feet as well as 10 individuals producing 180-foot efforts, with all three standards capable of being eclipsed at Hayward Field.

Reaching new heights

The girls championship high jump and pole vault competitions could showcase a pair of the deepest fields in prep history Saturday and Sunday, with four entries having already cleared 6 feet (1.82m) this season, along with five athletes producing 14-foot (4.27m) clearances being joined by the most promising eighth-grader in the country in Addison Kleinke from Eugene and her 13-6 (4.11m) effort.

Hana Moll of Capital High in Washington, representing Northwest Pole Vault Club, was one of two competitors to surpass the 14-foot mark at last year’s meet, clearing 14-4 (4.37m) to win the title.

She will be joined in the field Sunday by twin sister and national high school record holder Amanda Moll, who cleared 14-9.50 (4.50m) in March at the 94th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.

Skyler Schuller, a junior at Coppell High in Texas, is also a member of the 14-foot club, along with California standouts Jathiyah Muhammad of Dublin and Lexi Evans of Scripps Ranch.

Schuller has achieved 14-foot clearances twice, including the Texas 6A state final, with Evans and Muhammad each doing so once. Muhammad edged Evans at the California state final May 28 on fewer attempts after both athletes cleared 13-9 (4.19m).

No high school girls pole vault competition has ever showcased three athletes producing 14-foot clearances, with last year’s national final having a pair of athletes reaching that level for the first time.

There is also the potential for a memorable high jump final Saturday, with returning champion Cheyla Scott of Butler High in North Carolina leading the field, and being joined by Arizona-bound Emma Gates of Cascade High in Oregon, JaiCieonna Gero-Holt of Emerald Ridge High in Washington and Claire Lowrey of Rockwall High in Texas.

Scott cleared 6-2 (1.87m) on May 14 at the North Carolina 4A West Regional, with the freshman Gero-Holt clearing 6-0.75 (1.84m) on April 16, Gates producing a 6-0.25 (1.83m) effort April 29 and Lowrey achieving her first career 6-foot performance March 26.

Riley Ward of Lewisville Flower Mound edged Lowrey in the Texas 6A state final May 14 with a 5-10 (1.77m) clearance and is also scheduled to compete at Hayward Field.

Deshanae Norman of Clackamas High won the Oregon 6A title May 21 with a 5-10.25 (1.78m) clearance and also has the potential to clear the 6-foot barrier.

No prep girls high jump competition has ever produced three 6-foot clearances, although the 1984 USATF Under-20 Championships showcased three high school athletes all clearing 6-2.

Only eight times in the history of the national girls high jump final has the winner cleared at least 6 feet.

Decorated DMR primed for an encore

The deepest boys distance medley relay field in the country during the entire regular season was showcased April 23 at Oregon Relays, also held at Hayward Field, with six teams all producing sub-10:15 performances.

Two of those lineups, Crater High and Lincoln High, will be joined in Friday’s final by fellow Oregon program Central Catholic, along with California powers Loyola and Menlo, as well as Ridge from New Jersey.

Crater, which ran 10:07.02 at Oregon Relays, is competing as Rogue Valley Runners, and Lincoln – entered as Forest Park Track Club – clocked 10:10.23 in the same race. Crater is led by junior Tyrone Gorze and freshman Josiah Tostenson, with Lincoln scheduled to be anchored by University of Oregon commit Aiden Smith.

Menlo, including brothers Justin Pretre and Landon Pretre, produced a 10:17.18 performance April 9 at the Arcadia Invitational and Loyola ran 10:19.11 on April 16 at the 62nd Mt. SAC Relays, the same race that Newbury Park achieved the national-leading mark this season of 9:55.24, which ranks No. 7 in U.S. prep history. Loyola is expected to be anchored by Dartmouth commit Richard Moreno.

Ridge, competing as Valley Project, is returning to Hayward Field after winning the 4x800 title last year and placing second in the DMR championship in 10:02.46, just behind Ridgefield Track Club of Connecticut (10:01.72).

Jackson Barna, a Georgetown signee, is scheduled to anchor both the DMR and 4x800 for Valley Project, which features the same lineup of Andrew McCabe, Patrick Doran, James Kisker and Barna that ran 9:53.40 at The Armory in New York in March to win the New Balance Nationals indoor DMR title.

Central Catholic, competing as Stark Street Athletics Club, includes Max Girardet and junior Wesley Shipsey from a lineup that clocked 10:15.35 indoors in January at the Dempsey facility at the University of Washington.

An Oregon team has never secured a boys DMR national title, with the last New Jersey victory coming from St. Benedict’s Prep in 2011. The only California boys DMR lineup to capture a national crown was Riverside La Sierra in 2007.

The record for most sub-10 performances at the national final is five from 2010, a race that also featured eight teams running under 10:05. South Lakes High from Virginia, featuring Alan Webb, has held the national record of 9:49.78 since 2001.

South Dakota standout seeks shot put spotlight

The girls shot put final Sunday will not only feature three 50-foot competitors, but also an opportunity to witness the future of the event, as all three athletes are juniors, led by Gracelyn Leiseth of Hamlin High in South Dakota.

Leiseth produced a state record mark of 52-6.75 (16.02m) that took over the national prep outdoor lead May 28 at the South Dakota Class A championship meet and also elevated her into the top 20 competitors in U.S. high school history.

South Dakota has never won a shot put or discus title at the national championship meet. Kyle McKelvey of Beresford High captured the boys shot put national crown in 2011.

Carlie Weiser of Giddings High in Texas achieved a 51-1.75 (15.58m) performance in April at her district meet, with Mensi Stiff of Brentwood Academy in Tennessee – the reigning Nike Indoor Nationals winner at 52-8.75 (16.07m) – having also surpassed the 50-foot barrier outdoors May 25 with a 50-2 (15.29m) effort at the 2AA state final.

Faith Mitchell of St. Agnes Academy in Texas, a Texas Tech signee, has achieved a mark of 48-3.50 (14.71m) and Iowa State-bound Jadan Brumbaugh of Mount Pleasant High in Iowa boasts a personal-best 47-7 (14.50m).

The 2016 national final remains the only championship meet to produce three athletes surpassing 50 feet in the girls shot put, with last year’s national event at Hayward Field the first prep competition to showcase six female performers achieving 48-foot marks.

Leiseth, Weiser and Stiff are all entered Sunday in the discus championship as well.

The competition is also expected to include Texas 5A state champion Madeleine Fey of Midlothian and her 179-7.50 (54.74m) performance, along with junior Maggie Bookout of OKC Storm Homeschool at 167-3 (50.97m), Vanderbilt-bound Giavonna Meeks of Northfield High in Colorado, who has thrown 165 feet (50.29m), and Texas 6A runner-up Skylar Bohlman of Lewisville Hebron, a North Carolina signee, and her lifetime-best 162-7 (49.55m).

Stage set for another memorable mile

The boys mile championship last year was one of the most thrilling in meet history, with Nathan Green, a former standout at Borah High in Idaho and a freshman All-American at University of Washington, rallying to prevail by a 4:03.30 to 4:03.90 margin over Zane Bergen of Niwot High in Colorado, representing Real Training.

Eight competitors ran under 4:10 at Hayward Field, matching the success of both the 2011 and 2014 national finals, with two more athletes just missing running under the barrier.

The lineup for Sunday’s championship has the depth to not only equal that standard, but potentially surpass the mark, with 11 entries scheduled for the sixth and final section. The prep record is still 13 athletes in the same race under 4:10 from the 2012 adidas Dream Mile in New York.

Isaac Teeples of Kamiakin High in Washington, a BYU signee, ran 4:05.55 on April 29 at the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays, with Charlie North from Franklin High in Oregon, a Georgetown commit, right behind at 4:05.61, and Wesley Shipsey of Central Catholic in Oregon clocking 4:06.34 in a race that featured 12 sub-4:10 performers.

Jackson Barna from Ridge High in New Jersey clocked 4:07.00 on May 9, with Simeon Birnbaum of Rapid City Stevens in South Dakota winning April 9 at the Arcadia Invitational with a 4:07.88 performance, a race that also included Tayson Echohawk of Orem High in Utah running 4:09.94.

Bryce Reeburgh of Golden High in Colorado, a Virginia Tech signee, is looking to eclipse the 4:10 barrier after running 4:10.33 on May 28 at the RunningLane Championships in Alabama.

Pierce Seigne of Hanover High in New Hampshire won the New England Championships with a 4:07.09 effort in the 1,600 meters June 11 in Connecticut and is looking to continue his momentum racing in Oregon.

Connor McCormick of Longmont High, a Princeton commit, leads the top four finishers from the Colorado 4A state 1,600 final May 21 as part of the Nike championship field.

McCormick ran 4:06.97 to hold off the Stanford-bound Bergen in 4:07.72, with Tyler Nord of Cheyenne Mountain, a Western Colorado signee, clocking 4:12.28 and Reeburgh finishing fourth in 4:12.79, all racing at 5,500 feet elevation.

Potential for new heptathlon heroes

Following the deepest heptathlon competition in meet history last year – with four athletes surpassing 5,000 points – that mark could be challenged this year, along with the future of the multi-events being showcased in freshman JaiCieonna Gero-Holt of Emerald Ridge High in Washington.

Gero-Holt accumulated 5,108 points June 3-4 at the Washington State Combined Events Championships to eclipse the national freshman class record of 5,094 points set in 2019 by Bryanna Craig, who won the heptathlon national title that same year.

Craig, a graduate of Ruston High in Louisiana who has signed with Louisiana Tech, finished second last season with a personal-best 5,138 points.

Skyler Schuller, a junior at Coppell High in Texas also entered in the pole vault final Sunday, returns after finishing fourth last year at 5,046 points.

Shainta Zinter of Concordia Academy in Minnesota, a Wisconsin commit, was fifth last season at 4,975 points, just ahead of Gero-Holt competing as an eighth-grader and amassing 4,855 points.

Catherine Littlewood, a junior at Queen Creek High in Arizona, produced 4,956 points April 12-13 at Brophy Prep, with Las Vegas Centennial standout Zoey Bonds, a BYU commit, winning the Great Southwest Classic in New Mexico on June 3-4 with 4,601 points.

Olivia Conklin of Hazen High in Washington, Harvard-bound Fabiola Belibi of Regis Jesuit in Colorado and Littlewood are also returning from last year.

Emma Fitzgerald of Thayer Academy in Massachusetts produced the meet-record 5,464 points in 2016, the only other time in meet history when at least three athletes surpassed the 5,000-point barrier.

Legendary long jump only a runway away

For all the impressive boys long jumpers in meet history who have captured national titles, only five athletes have surpassed the 25-foot mark, and only the 1998 performance of Maurice English of 25-6.75 (7.79m) from Lakewood High in South Carolina was a wind-legal effort.

But the presence of three 25-foot competitors among the entries for Friday’s final has the potential to produce one of the deepest competitions in U.S. prep history.

Aaron Davis of Humble Summer Creek, a Houston commit, and Ashton Torns of Austin Westlake will square off in a rematch of their memorable Texas 6A state final May 14, with both competitors jumping 25-3.75 (7.71m) and Davis prevailing on a better second mark.

Christian Barker of Shiloh High in Georgia is also entered with his 25-3 (7.69m) performance from March.

Jaylen Lloyd of Omaha Central in Nebraska, Miles Jones of Mansfield Lake Ridge High in Texas and Dash Sirmon of Walla Walla High in Washington are all 24-foot competitors.

There has never been a boys long jump final at the championship meet with multiple 25-foot performances.

And no high school competition has ever showcased three 25-foot efforts under all conditions.

The boys triple jump final Sunday is expected to be highlighted by another Texas standout in national outdoor leader Damilare Olukosi of Fort Bend Travis, who won the 6A state title May 14 with a 51-8.75 (15.76m) performance.

Lloyd boasts a wind-aided 50-3.50 (15.32m) effort from May 19 at the Nebraska state final, Karson Gordon of Fort Bend Ridge Point produced a wind-aided 49-11.50 (15.22m) performance April 30 at the Texas 6A region meet and Eli Lawrence of Meridian High in Idaho has a wind-legal mark of 49-9.25 (15.17m), also in April.

Nine of the past 11 national champions have surpassed 50 feet, including former Florida star and U.S. Olympian Marquis Dendy establishing the meet record of 52-7.25 (16.03m) in 2010 representing Middletown High in Delaware.