800m
Girls
Aaliyah Miller and Julia Heymach battling it out at Brooks PR Invitational last year.
When: Races Start at 5:30 PM CT
Why: Aaliyah Miller vs Julia Heymach--what an amazing matchup! We got to see this 800m showdown only once before in a loaded field at the Brooks PR invitational. When they battled last June, Heymach came out on top by almost four seconds. In this meet, they stand out from the rest of the pack by over five seconds. Both are coming in hot after big wins at state just last weekend; Miller won the 800m in a new U.S. No. 2 time of 2:06.71, while Heymach won the 1600m in 4:44.00. This should be a great race between these two with several other solid girls fighting for third. We could potentially see a new U.S. No. 1 here if they push each other hard enough.
Boys
Bryce Hoppel holds the fastest 800m time in the state with his 1:49.67 and is undefeated in the event this year.
When: Races Start at 5:30 PM CT
Why: The top three guys in the state are going to be on the line in this race: Bryce Hoppel, Jake Merrell, and Cade Bethmann. Will Hoppel continue his undefeated 800m streak this season, or will one of the underdogs pull off an upset? Hoppel is ranked first in Texas and fifth in the country with his 1:49.67, while Merrell is ranked second in the state of Texas and 14th in the country with his 1:51.68. Hoppel and Bethmann, who's ranked third in Texas, have battled several times throughout their careers. Hoppel pulled off the win in every race, including the most recent one at state, where he took home gold while Bethmann got bronze. Neither of them are familiar with Merrell. The sophomore stud started to drop big times just this season. Because he's in class 1A (the smallest in Texas) and lives several hours from Hoppel and Bethmann, this is a rare matchup. It will be a chance for Merrell to prove himself against the best in the state, and increases the potential for all of them to run sub-1:50. This will also be Sam Worley's first 800m race ever, but with a 4:04.59 1600m PR to his name, you can't count him out.