Distance Runners to Watch at the 2022 Golden Wave Invitational
Loaded Field in the High School Girls 800m
In the girls 800m, we have one of the fastest fields assembled in Mississippi so far this season.
Tupelo High's Brookelyn Morgan will want to defend her home turf after winning both of her races at the 2022 NMMC Relays.
Brookelyn Morgan at the 2021 Brooks XC Invite
Corinth High's Emma Hall is having her first race of 2022, and she will have a host of girls to help kickstart her season in flying fashion.
Also keep an eye out for middle-distance standout and Mississippi College commit Taylor Benoit, a 2 x MHSAA 1A State Champion in the 400m and 800m.
With the quality we have in the girls 800m, do not be surprised to see some blazing times at the 2022 Golden Wave Invitational.
Tupelo v. Saltillo in the High School Boys 1600m
The High School Boys 1600m should be an exhilarating race from beginning to end.
Jaheim Bridges and Taylor Brown at the 2021 French Camp Invitational
The Tupelo duo in Jaheim Bridges and Taylor Brown lead the way. Bridges is the fastest miler in the state this year, running 4:24 during the indoor season. His teammate and freshman phenom, Taylor Brown, has also run an impressive 4:31 this indoor season.
Keep an eye out for Mississippi College commit Matthew Singletary who is opening up his 1600m account for the season after coming off a great victory in the 800m at the 2022 NMMC Relays, running a time of 2:01.82.
It also looks like Tupelo and Saltillo have put their top distance runners in the 1600m. Here's something fun to think about: If this was scored like a cross country race, who do you think would win? Tupelo or Saltillo...
Interesting Matchup: Lucy Littlejohn v. Brookelyn Morgan (Elsie Wilbanks)
A matchup to look out for is French Camp's MHSAA 1A State Champion Lucy Littlejohn vs. MHSAA 6A State Champion Brookelyn Morgan in the High School Girls 1600m.
Lucy Littlejohn smiling her way to victory at the 2022 Starkville High School Season Opener
Littlejohn is an MHSAA 1A State Champion and MS XC All-State Meet of Champs runner up. She has had a stellar start to her 2022 campaign winning both of her 1600m races she has competed in. She is also coming off a fresh PR of 5:42 at the 2022 Madison Central Track Classic.
However, she will be hotly contested by Brookelyn Morgan, who had a great indoor season running 5:32 for the 1600m. Morgan also won both the 1600m and 3200m at the NMMC relays.
It is hard to pick a decisive winner here, but expect these two athletes to go toe to toe all the way to the line in the 1600m at the 2022 Golden Wave Invitational.
Interesting Matchup: Matthew Singletary v. Rhett Schimpf
In the High School Boys 3200m, a matchup to keep an eye on at the 2022 Golden Wave Invitational is Matthew Singletary v. Rhett Schimpf.
Singletary has shown that he is strong on the grass this past cross country season, and that should play a big role in his opening 3200m of the season.
Rhett Schimpf and Matthew Singletary at the 2021 Saltillo Cross Country Invitational
However, Schimpf has catapulted himself as one of the state's best in this event after placing runner-up at the 2022 Southern Miss High School Invitational on his way to new PR and sub-10 performance of 9:56.
With this duo going at it head to head, we could very well see additional sub-10 performances for the 2022 outdoor track and field season.
Potential Sub-2 from Bridges and Hooper
In the High School Boys 800m, two guys to look out for at the 2022 Golden Wave Invitational are teammates Jaheim Bridges and Robert Hooper, of Tupelo High School.
Hooper has shown a good combination of strength and speed that is very beneficial at the half-mile distance. He opened up his season with a solid runner-up finish at the 2022 NMMC Relays running a time of 2:02. He'll be closely competing with his Tupelo compatriot Jaheim Bridges, who is a threat at any distance from 800m-5k.
With the talent we have in this field, expect some blazing times and a possible sub-2 performance at the 2022 Golden Wave Invitational.
Watch Hooper and Matthew Singletary battle it out in the fast heat of the High School Boys 800m at the 2022 NMMC Relays.