The Next Ones

Naylah Jones, Timber Creek Regional High School, Erial, New Jersey

Schools of Interest: North Carolina A&T, Louisville, Rutgers, UConn, Pitt

Naylah Jones is the 2023 New Jersey State Meet of Champions and Group Championships winner in the 100 meters. She also took the Group Championships gold in the 200 meters. Jones' top 100 meters time of 11.73 was the best in the state, while her 200 meters time of 24.22 and 400 meters finish of 55.83 was second and eighth respectively.

Success at schools of Interest: North Carolina A&T is ahead of the pack as far as recent success. NCAA champion sprinters Kayla White and Cambrea Sturgis helped the Aggies dominate NCAA in the early 2020s. After an all-conference freshman season at Western Michigan, Azariah McGee-Grantham transferred to Rutgers last season. Jones may want to keep an eye on her progression in her second year as a Scarlet Knight.

Alexus Roberts, Westerville South High School, Westerville, Ohio

Schools of Interest: Coastal Carolina, Pitt, UNLV

Alexus Roberts is one of the top hurdlers in the state of Ohio. She recorded the fifth best 60-meter hurdles time in the state last season at 8.77 seconds. In 2023, Roberts had a top five finish at the Ohio Division I State Championships in the 100-meter hurdles for the second straight season. At that same meet, she placed eighth in the final round of the 300-meter hurdles. During indoor season, Roberts was fourth in the 60-meter hurdles and eighth in the long jump.

Success at schools of interest: Over the past two seasons Coastal Carolina has had very successful hurdlers, unfortunately all of them have transferred. Nonetheless, Shani'a Bellamy (2022) and Alexis Glasco (2023) have each earned All-America honors while hurdling for Coastal Carolina. Sydney Clemens was an all-conference hurdler who qualified for east regional competition as well last season. Glasco is now at Kentucky, while Clemens and Bellamy are at LSU. Pitt is where former 100-meter hurdles Ohio high school champ Folake Olujide-Ajibade competes. She attended high school in nearby Dublin, Ohio, so it may be smart for Roberts to keep an eye on her success this season.

Amirah Shaheed, Madison High School, San Diego, California

Schools of Interest: UCLA, San Diego State, Baylor, Utah

Before we say anything about track and field, Amirah Shaheed has a GPA of 4.57. That is not a misprint. Now let's talk about the sport. Last season, Shaheed had the sixth fastest 100 meters time in California of 11.58 seconds. She also had the 10th fastest 200 meters finish in the state at 24.06. At the City League Finals, Shaheed won 100 meters and 200 meters championships. From there she took the San Diego Section championships in the 100 and 200 meters as well. Shaheed qualified for the final round of the 100 meters at the state championships and earned a top five finish.

Success at her schools of Interest: We are doing our best to change the fact that we rarely see teams out west, however we've been familiar with some athletes at UCLA. Makenzy Pierre-Webster was a multiple time All-American as a sprinter over the past three years. She was a member of the 1,600-meter relay squad that took the PAC-12 gold in 2022. This season Pierre Webster will be at Miami. A couple of seasons back Baylor had two transfers from Tennessee in Kiara Rhodes and Alexis Duncan. They appeared to enjoy the culture of the program while they competed during the 2022 season.

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